Practical information for consumers on going green.
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Tuesday, December 02, 2003
Why Eat Organic Food?
It's not because of pesticide/herbicide residue that may or may not be building up in your fat tissue.
The most important reason to eat organic is to prevent water pollution.
Water pollution caused by runoff from chemically treated agricultural fields is called "nonpoint source pollution," as opposed to "point source pollution," which comes out of a pipe.
An EPA fact sheet titled "Managing Nonpoint Source Pollution from Agriculture" had this quote about runoff:
The most recent National Water Quality Inventory reports that agricultural nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is the leading source of water quality impacts to surveyed rivers and lakes, the third largest source of impairments to surveyed estuaries, and also a major contributor to ground water contamination and wetlands degradation.
To read the entire fact sheet, go to http://www.epa.gov/OWOW/NPS/facts/point6.htm.
An organic farm does not apply chemicals to control weeds or pests; thus those chemicals cannot get into the water supply from such a farm.
For other action you can take to prevent NPS pollution, go to another EPA page:
http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/whatudo.html.
posted by Beth at 6:07 PM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Friday, November 14, 2003
Earthpak
Looking for a backpack made from recycled materials? Look no further. Earthpak is the answer: strong, safe, and made from plastic soda bottles. Go to
http://earthpakgifts.com/aboutus.asp
posted by Beth at 7:53 PM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Conservation for Teens
I just finished surfing a GREAT conservation website for teens, ibuydifferent.org. It has stories about what kids and teenagers have done to improve their local environment, including inventing asphalt made from recycled plastic bottles and starting recycling programs.
It has a page where teens can record their purchases (say, a recycled paper notebook) and calculate how much pollution they have prevented by buying that notebook. Go to
www.ibuydifferent.org
and click on "Buy Different."
posted by Beth at 7:45 PM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Sunday, November 02, 2003
Less Toxic House Cleaning Products
For years now, I have eschewed cleaners like 409 and Ajax and Comet for gentler versions---and although my kitchen sink may not always be as white as it used to be and I just can't get those grease spots off the inside of the oven hood---I am satisfied with a "green clean."
For some basic information on toxic chemicals in general, see this page on Environmental Defense's website (the group that was formed to ban DDT in 1967 and succeeded in banning it in the United States in 1972):
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/system/templates/page/issue.cfm?subnav=20
For information on several different brands of green cleaners, go to this page at the Center for a New American Dream website:
http://www.newdream.org/consumer/cleaners.html
The brands listed on this site avoid ingredients like ammonia and chlorine bleach.
And finally, here's how I do it:
1. When I want to clean my toilet, I pour some 20 Mule Team Borax in the bowl and swish it around. Then I let it sit for at least half an hour. Then I spray a general cleaner on it (Seventh Generation, Earth Friendly Products Orange Plus, or Lemon Maid Glass and Surface Cleaner) and scrub it with the bowl brush.
2. To clean my refrigerator, I take everything out, take apart the shelves, and wash all the surfaces with Seventh Generation dish soap and water. I don't want anything stronger than that near my food.
3. To clean the shower, I spray general cleaner on a sponge and wipe down the walls (or scrub them if there is buildup of scum) and use a nonabrasive cream cleaner for the floor. I use a general or cream cleanser on a toothbrush to clean grout that has bacteria on it.
4. Earth Friendly Products makes a very good furniture polish that produces a nice shine.
5. Seventh Generation makes a carpet cleaner, but I wasn't very impressed by it. However, Woolite Heavy Duty carpet cleaner didn't get the oil stains out of the carpet either.
6. I use Ecover liquid laundry detergent and have not noticed any difference between it and Tide or any other well-known brand.
For some information on why people think eco-friendly cleaners are not effective, go to Ecover's website:
http://www.newdream.org/consumer/ecover.html
For the Environmental Protection Agency's take on indoor air pollution (to which toxic cleaners like 409 can contribute), visit this page:
http://www.epa.gov/iaq/pubs/insidest.html
posted by Beth at 6:37 PM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Wednesday, October 15, 2003
Cheaper Light Bulbs
The Boulder [Colorado] Rotary Club is placing a bulk order for compact fluorescent lightbulbs, which save both energy and money in the long run.
Check out this site for information on the low prices and the benefits:
http://www.rotary5450.org/Boulder/Light%20Bulb%20Sales.htm.
We've replaced most of the bulbs in our house with compact fluorescents and haven't noticed a difference in the quality of the light. Our dining room chandelier does tend to make a low humming sound when we flick on the lights, but since we never tested it with incandescent bulbs, we don't know if this noise is caused by the type of bulbs used.
The first blog I ever wrote, dated December 31, 2002, gives prices on fluorescent lights bulbs, as well as other information. Check it out!
posted by Beth at 1:40 PM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Thursday, October 09, 2003
Sources of Colorado's Electricity
I received a flyer from XCEL Energy spelling out the fuel sources used in electricity generation in Colorado.
Biomass and waste produce 0 percent of CO electricity needs.
Coal-fired plants produce 69.7 percent.
Geothermal, 0 percent.
Hydroelectric, 0.9 percent.
Natural Gas, 28.1 percent (does not include natural gas used for heating).
Nuclear, 0 percent.
Solar, 0 percent (I question this figure. Does XCEL track solar panel use in Colorado?)
Imported, fuel source unknown, 0.6 percent.
Wind, 0.7 percent.
I highlighted the Wind entry because all the electricity my husband and I use is powered by wind turbines. We pay a premium of about $20 a month for the privilege of knowing that somewhere in the grid, there are about 800 to 1,000 kilowatt hours of wind-generated electricity for which we have paid.
You can help boost the percentage of electricity in Colorado generated from wind. Sign up for Windsource today.
Go to www.xcelenergy.com and look under residential service.
posted by Beth at 9:18 AM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Vitamin Cottage Savings!
I recently made another trip to Vitamin Cottage at 78th and Wadsworth, and I have more savings to report. (VC stands for Vitamin Cottage; KS for King Soopers.)
Lifestream Waffles: $2.35 (VC); $2.59 (KS)
Blue Sky cola: $2.29 (VC); $2.99 (KS)
Horizon plain yogurt: $2.45 (VC); $2.99 (KS)
Green bell pepper: $1.39/lb (VC); $2.99/lb (KS)
Red bell pepper: $3.99/lb (VC); $4.99/lb (KS)
Vitamin Cottage also has an extensive selections of vitamins and supplements, books, and paper products.
Go to www.vitamincottage.com.
posted by Beth at 9:01 AM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Invasive Species
On September 20 I participated in a volunteer workday for a Front Range--Colorado restoration group called Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (www.wlrv.org). As a volunteer for this group, I've revegetated social trails (those trails people make when they don't feel like walking on the official trail or when there isn't an official trail), built new trail, and planted water-loving plants along streams to steady the banks.
I enjoy all this immensely, though it is hard work. On September 20 I decided to join the crew pulling diffuse knapweed, a noxious weed that is doing serious damage throughout western states. (Russian knapweed and spotted knapweed are also invasive in the United States.)
Knapweed is a 2 to 3-foot-tall, bushy plant that can be most easily identified by the spiky bracts from which the flowers arise. To see a picture, go to www.oneplan.org/Crop/noxWeeds/nxWeed06.htm. This site also provides links to information about other plants.
If' you are interested in learning what plants are invasive in your area, go to www.invasivespecies.gov and click on the link to Species Profiles.
posted by Beth at 8:23 AM
bapartin@yahoo.com
Thursday, September 04, 2003
Internet Action
Sorry, I'm not talking about porn. I'm talking about taking action to protect the environment online. There are many sites that enable you to express your views on issues. Here are a few I've used:
Conservation Action Network
Sponsored by World Wildlife Fund, otherwise known as the Panda People. Go to
http://takeaction.worldwildlife.org/
Action Center
Sponsored by Environmental Defense, the organization that was founded in 1967 to ban DDT in the United States. Go to
http://www.environmentaldefense.org/actioncenter.cfm
Global Response
This organization supports communities around the world in their efforts to protect their local environments. Global Response has a network of activists who write letters to government officials or corporate executives. They have an impressive track record. Go to http://www.globalresponse.org/.
These three action networks are my favorites, but there are millions of others. Try the RainForest Action Network (http://www.ran.org/), The Hunger Site (http://thehungersite.com), or the Forest Conservation Portal (http://www.forests.org/).
posted by Beth at 8:08 PM
bapartin@yahoo.com
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