Tonight is "Earth Hour," an annual international gesture for environmental sustainability. From 8:30 pm-9:30 pm, everyone turns off all their lights, televisions, computers, etc. Just for an hour.
What can you do during "Earth Hour"? Light a soy candle and have a romantic dessert. Play the guitar. Tell ghost stories. Play word games. Sing a song. Meditate. Philosophize. Discuss your greatest hopes and dreams. If others in your area participate, it might be a great night to star gaze. Get together with some friends and enjoy the novelty of it all. Hold a seance? Well, use your discretion.
It's a small gesture, yes, and taking more care with your electricity use on a daily basis certainly does a lot more good. But it's a great international movement to be a part of, and the collective impact has the potential to make a bit of a difference. Besides, it can't hurt!
For more information: http://www.earthhour.org/home/
28 March 2009
26 March 2009
How to dry your hands
How should you dry your hands after washing them?
At home, you should always use a cloth towel. This is plenty sanitary and oh-so-much-greener than paper towels. This part's a no-brainer.
But what about a public restroom? Your two obvious options will often be paper towels or an air blower. If you get to choose, go with the air blower. Yes, it uses electricity. But it doesn't cut down trees, which then need fossil fuels to transport them to a factory, which then needs energy to turn the trees into paper towels, which then must be transported again with fossil fuels and then go into a plastic bag, which then uses fossil fuels again to transport it to a landfill, where it never biodegrades... You see?
The best idea, though, is to follow No Impact Man's recommendation: carry a small towel with you to dry your hands or wrap things with. Seriously. Consider it.
At home, you should always use a cloth towel. This is plenty sanitary and oh-so-much-greener than paper towels. This part's a no-brainer.
But what about a public restroom? Your two obvious options will often be paper towels or an air blower. If you get to choose, go with the air blower. Yes, it uses electricity. But it doesn't cut down trees, which then need fossil fuels to transport them to a factory, which then needs energy to turn the trees into paper towels, which then must be transported again with fossil fuels and then go into a plastic bag, which then uses fossil fuels again to transport it to a landfill, where it never biodegrades... You see?
The best idea, though, is to follow No Impact Man's recommendation: carry a small towel with you to dry your hands or wrap things with. Seriously. Consider it.
23 March 2009
Shut down those computers!
The seemingly age-old question: when should you shut down your computer?
The answer to this question has changed since it was first posed. It used to be that powering up computers took a lot of energy, and, in some cases, it was better to leave it on overnight. For computers from the last decade or so, however, that is no longer the case. Overnight, shut them down!
Here is Reader's Digest's summary: "If you won't be using it for 20 minutes, turn off the monitor. If it won't be needed for more than two hours, turn off the computer."
If you're not going to be using your computer for even a few minutes, put in to "sleep" or on "power saving" mode. It'll save you the start-up time while being more energy-conscious.
The answer to this question has changed since it was first posed. It used to be that powering up computers took a lot of energy, and, in some cases, it was better to leave it on overnight. For computers from the last decade or so, however, that is no longer the case. Overnight, shut them down!
Here is Reader's Digest's summary: "If you won't be using it for 20 minutes, turn off the monitor. If it won't be needed for more than two hours, turn off the computer."
If you're not going to be using your computer for even a few minutes, put in to "sleep" or on "power saving" mode. It'll save you the start-up time while being more energy-conscious.
13 March 2009
Dirty Dozen
Every year the Environmental Working Group (EWG) analyzes around 50 "conventionally grown" (ie, pesticide-ridden) fruits and vegetables to see which are the safest and which are the most dangerous.
This year's list just came out. This year's "dirty dozen," the 12 worst in terms of pesticides, are (from the highest pesticide levels to lower ones): peach, apple, sweet bell pepper, celery, nectarine, strawberry, cherry, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrot, and pear.
The EWG produces a wallet sized print out of these dirty dozen (as well as the "clean fifteen," the least pesticide-ridden of the 47 analyzed fruits and vegetables this year) that you can bring with you when you go shopping. That might be a good idea, actually, until you have these more or less memorized. The point is, you should try to always buy the "dirty dozen" organically grown!
Of course, a dozen is an arbitrary cut-off point. Not that much difference between twelveth and thirteenth places, after all. Check out the whole list here.
This year's list just came out. This year's "dirty dozen," the 12 worst in terms of pesticides, are (from the highest pesticide levels to lower ones): peach, apple, sweet bell pepper, celery, nectarine, strawberry, cherry, kale, lettuce, imported grapes, carrot, and pear.
The EWG produces a wallet sized print out of these dirty dozen (as well as the "clean fifteen," the least pesticide-ridden of the 47 analyzed fruits and vegetables this year) that you can bring with you when you go shopping. That might be a good idea, actually, until you have these more or less memorized. The point is, you should try to always buy the "dirty dozen" organically grown!
Of course, a dozen is an arbitrary cut-off point. Not that much difference between twelveth and thirteenth places, after all. Check out the whole list here.
06 March 2009
Pasta
Sometimes, little changes made time and time again over many years can make a big difference in the long run. One example of this might be the way you make pasta. Saving a few pints of water here and there can add up over time.
For example, consider how you make pasta. The package says to boil four or six pints of water before adding the pasta...and you dutifully do. Then you pour it down the sink. What's the point? Is it necessary?
A New York Times article "Do you need all that water to boil pasta?" tackles just these questions. The author experiments using less and less water, down to 1.5 quarts, and found that it worked just fine. You had to stir it more often to keep it from sticking to the sides of the pot, but otherwise you were set.
But water isn't the only resource these changes save. Electricity/energy is also a big concern. It takes a lot of energy to get four quarts of water up to a boil. By using less water, you are also using less energy to cook the same delicious meal.
Check out the article for all the details. And think about other ways that you can, little by little, reduce your impact in the kitchen.
For example, consider how you make pasta. The package says to boil four or six pints of water before adding the pasta...and you dutifully do. Then you pour it down the sink. What's the point? Is it necessary?
A New York Times article "Do you need all that water to boil pasta?" tackles just these questions. The author experiments using less and less water, down to 1.5 quarts, and found that it worked just fine. You had to stir it more often to keep it from sticking to the sides of the pot, but otherwise you were set.
But water isn't the only resource these changes save. Electricity/energy is also a big concern. It takes a lot of energy to get four quarts of water up to a boil. By using less water, you are also using less energy to cook the same delicious meal.
Check out the article for all the details. And think about other ways that you can, little by little, reduce your impact in the kitchen.
01 March 2009
Laser printers
In the past, I've felt jealous of people with laser printers. They're just so darn fast!
But increasingly, scientific studies are warning us to stay away from the laser printers. It turns out that they dramatically impair air quality in their locations. As in VOCs. Scary stuff. Some have argued that it is as bad as secondhand smoke.
Different brands and models of printers have different levels of pollution danger. If you own one or work near one, consider doing some research into your particular model. This article has a link to one of the studies, and a direct link to another is here.
If you have the ability to move your work space away from a laser printer, do so. Or ask to move the laser printer away from you. If neither of those options work, try to increase ventilation and get a lot of air-purifying plants for the area. We want you all to be happy and healthy!
All the more reason to go paperless...?
But increasingly, scientific studies are warning us to stay away from the laser printers. It turns out that they dramatically impair air quality in their locations. As in VOCs. Scary stuff. Some have argued that it is as bad as secondhand smoke.
Different brands and models of printers have different levels of pollution danger. If you own one or work near one, consider doing some research into your particular model. This article has a link to one of the studies, and a direct link to another is here.
If you have the ability to move your work space away from a laser printer, do so. Or ask to move the laser printer away from you. If neither of those options work, try to increase ventilation and get a lot of air-purifying plants for the area. We want you all to be happy and healthy!
All the more reason to go paperless...?
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