CFLs and Mercury

Too many people are way too freaked out about the presence of mercury in CFL light bulbs. But if people are truly worried about mercury levels, using CFLs actually reduces the amount of mercury released into the environment through lighting.

How? In the process of energy production.

The TreeHugger article "If We all Do Compact Fluorescent Bulbs, the Mercury Will Drop" explains:

"At coal-fired plants (the biggest source currently of mercury emissions), 13.6 milligrams of mercury is emitted just to light up an incandescent bulb, while a CFL only would lead to (if incinerated, tossed out, or broken instead of recycled) 3.3 milligrams of mercury being emitted into the environment."

It continues, "The bottom line: The mercury in a CFL is approximately one-quarter the amount emitted if an incandescent was used in its place, and that's assuming the CFL isn't recycled."

So, drop the excuses and switch to energy-efficient bulbs. CFLs are better mercury-wise than incandescent. Still not good enough for you? Switch to LEDs. Whatever you do, don't choose inaction.

Eye Glasses

If you find yourself at the optometrist in need of new glasses, think carefully about what you'll do with your old pair. Most optometrists have a little box from the Lion's Club in their office where you can donate your old glasses to a worthy cause.

What happens after you drop off your old glasses? According to the Lion's Club website, "volunteers clean, sort by prescription strength and package the glasses. Most of the recycled glasses are distributed to people in need in developing countries where they will have the greatest impact."

It's not only prescription eye glasses you can donate to the Lions Club. The organization says, "Lions accept prescription and reading glasses, sunglasses and plastic and metal frames. Children's glasses are especially needed."

Just another easy way to reuse valuable resources -- and help a good cause.

Person-Powered Yard Work

It's funny how so many of us are constantly trying to lose weight/get healthier, yet we use electric, gas, or water-powered tools as often as possible. Sometimes it's necessary, of course. Just try to put a screw through a concrete wall without a power drill. Other times, however, it's just a waste.

Yard work, in particular, often falls into this category. People pull out their gas-powered lawnmowers (don't even get me started on the tractor ones in suburbia!), their weed wackers, etc. and blow through their yard work. Then the next morning, they go to the gym.

Environmentally, the much kinder method, of course, is to put some people-power into your yard work. We've written before about how much we love our push reel lawn mower. We have a harder time avoiding the weed wacker, though I prefer to use clippers any day.

Green is sexy highlights another egregious waste of resources in the article "say it, don't spray it." Using a hose instead of a broom to sweep away grass clippings or leaves is not cool. For that matter, neither is using a leaf-blower when a rake will do.

Yes, I know it is hard work. And in the southern sun, it's preferable to spend as little time working out in the yard as possible. But do as much yard work as you can using your own calories, and your heart, arteries, muscles, and waistline -- and Earth -- will thank you.

Hypercooking

Cooking at home can be rewarding and delicious. But how can you reduce the impact your cooking has on the environment? Try "hypercooking"!

-Keep your pots and pans covered when possible. According to green is sexy, simply using a lid can "reduce the energy used by 20-30 percent." Bonus: your cooking gets finished sooner, too.

-Let residual heat finish your food. According to this Food Section article, "One hypercooking technique involves saving energy by turning off the source of the heat before a dish is fully-cooked and relying upon the residual heat to cook the food until it is done." Do this wisely, of course, and within reason. But for most dishes, this works just fine.

-Piggy-back. Are you cooking two dishes in the oven or on the stovetop? Have the other one prepped and ready to put on the heat as soon as the first one finishes. There are a million ways you could use this method. It works really well with pasta and pasta sauce. But it also works well if you are cooking a casserole and plan to serve cookies for dessert, etc. A little planning goes a long way.

Bidet vs. Toilet Paper

What's the most environmentally friendly way to clean up after using the toilet? The answer may surprise you.

According to Liz Langley's Alternet article "The Green, Clean Art of Keeping Our 'Rear Ends" Hygenic: What are We Afraid Of?" the most environmentally friendly method is the use of a bidet instead of toilet paper.

Doesn't that use a lot more water than toilet paper? Actually, no. As the article says, "Yes...a bidet uses treated water, an increasingly precious commodity. But it uses less than that utilized in the production of even recycled toilet paper -- and a fraction of the amount consumed by virgin pulp." Wow. Who would have known?

Some bidet units can be as cheap as $100, easy to find at your local hardware store, and simple to attach. On top of being better for the environment, bidets are also more hygienic and effective than using toilet paper.

Check out the Alternet article for more information.

Skin Care Products

Many of the substances that are bad for the environment are also bad for us. Unfortunately, many of the products we use on our skin and bodies contain unhealthy, dangerous chemicals, preservatives, and compounds.

TreeHugger's article Beyond Parabens highlights some of the most common harmful substances that make their way into your skin care products and cosmetics.

-Parabens
-Fragrances
-Polyethylene glycol (PEG)
-Nanoparticles
-Phenoxyethanol
-Triclosan
-Petrolatum/Petroleum jelly
-Quaternium-15

So check out the ingredient lists on your sunscreen, make-up, cologne/perfume, shampoo, lotions, soaps, etc. If you see any of these ingredients, please look them up, in the TreeHugger article or elsewhere, so that you may wisely weigh your options and consider ceasing your use of the products. If you are pregnant or hope to conceive in the future (whether you are male or female), or if a child uses the product with one of these ingredients, pay very close attention.

The Media's Fallacy

A recent study shows that America is lagging far behind other countries in our understanding of climate change and the priority we place on working to solve it. Even countries with lots more on their plates -- like Iraq -- recognize the vital importance of this issue.

Scary stuff.

Why is this? One answer has to do with the American news media. They are convinced that every story has two sides. Fine. Multiple viewpoints are important to a free media. However, what happens when the two sides do not hold equal legitimacy but are given equal airtime?

As TreeHugger reports, this practice "gives disproportionate publicity to disreputable studies (if coverage were to accurately reflect the current state of science, there'd be hundreds of stories about studies confirming climate change for every one doubting it) and gives the public the impression there's far more debate over whether climate change is occurring or not. A recent study found that many Americans believed there was still a 'lively debate' amongst the scientific community over both whether climate change is caused by humans, and whether the theory of evolution is valid. In reality, of course, there is no such debate over either."

In other words, we are fighting for the environment in the midst of a population that is truly and deeply confused about the nature of the problem. In addition to our own actions, we must remember to help educate those around us.

Check out TreeHugger's article for more information on these studies and conclusions.