Archive for April, 2011

Earth Day 2011 round-up: notable events & activities and other features

Friday, April 29th, 2011

Image by Ittiz

Now that Earth Day 2011 has come and gone, hopefully more and more people are more knowledgeable about the day itself and will make efforts to live a “greener” lifestyle.  Here is a brief list of events and activities that took place this Earth Day throughout the Unites States in case you missed them:

Earth Day Events 2011

New Jersey, Atlantic City, North Branch, and Newark: FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center-Sun-Earth Day Celebration, New Jersey Astronomy Center for Education at Raritan Valley Community College “Our Very Own Star.”

New York, Buffalo: Buffalo Museum of Science/Hands on learning gallery

Washington D.C.: Science, Mathematics, Aerospace, Research, and Technology (S.M.A.R.T.) and Howard University: Solar Eclipse Family Night

Florida, Cape Coral, Fort Myers: Elementary school participated in Earth Day Events such as making sun dials.  Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium: Telescope set-up on Earth Day.

Other States that participated in Earth Day Include but are not limited to:

  • Georgia
  • Puerto Rico
  • Michigan
  • Ohio
  • Louisiana
  • Missouri
  • Arizona
  • Wyoming
  • Alaska
  • California
  • Hawaii
  • Washington

If you would like to see the events that actually took place you can go to sun earth day on sunearthday.nasa.gov and click each state for the details.

For a complete list of Earth Day events that took place you can check out the Earth Day Network.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Green Your Shopping Trip with Fair Trade Products

Thursday, April 28th, 2011

I subscribe to several different parenting magazines and each one has had a strong focus on sustainable living as of lately. Being green isn’t just the trendy way to live, it’s the right way to live. So as I try to find simple, effective ways to boost my green status, I’ve come across the term Fair Trade.

Sure, I’ve heard about Fair Trade goods before, but I’ve never actually taken the time to look for the Fair Trade approval sticker. Fortunately, I rolled through the Dunkin Donuts and was ecstatic to learn that their espressos, cappuccinos and lattes are all Fair Trade. One problem covered – I get to drink my favorite coffee and be environmentally conscious.

So what’s the big deal with Fair Trade products anyway?

Fair Trade ensures that the small farmers who do all the physical labor of planting and harvesting are fairly compensated for their work. In many cases, these hard-working individuals are taken advantage of by hungry middle men who come in and take all the profit.

When you see the Fair Trade sticker, you know that you’re supporting sustainable production methods, the avoidance of harmful pesticides, and a contribution that goes directly to local communities and their people.

A simple sticker will indicate whether or not the company supports Fair Trade products and as a consumer, you should leverage your rights by purchasing products that are Fair Trade. This pushes for better working and trading conditions for laborers.

Although these products range from jewelry to foods, they most commonly include coffee, flowers, gold, sugar, tea, bananas, cotton and wine.

Image c/o arcocoffee.com

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How to reduce acid rain

Friday, April 22nd, 2011

Image by Mila Zinkova

Before I discuss how to reduce acid rain what exactly is acid rain?  Acid rain is pollution that gets caught in the rain clouds and comes back  down to the ground.  It is cause by smoke, most transportation, smokestacks, and other factories.  Acid rain harms trees, water quality, and effects our lungs.

What are some ways we as individuals can reduce the harmful effects of acid rain?  Here are a few tips that may help you want to take better action against the pollutants on our planet:

Reducing acid rain tips

  • Use an alternative energy source such as batteries, solar power, and wind power.
  • Inform and educate other people about what pollutants can typically do to the rain.
  • Planting a tree will cut down on the harmful and polluted air through oxygen.
  • Only turn a light on when you really need to.
  • Consider carpooling or riding a bike.

In honor of Earth Day, let’s try to keep track of all of our activities.  Humans are the ones that are polluting the planet so we can take extra steps to cut down on all the harmful gases, etc.

How do you chip in to keep the earth safe?  Share any tips or advice you may have. 

Source: WikiHow

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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1Thing4Green Earth Day Live Chat

Tuesday, April 19th, 2011

Click here to host this chat on your blog.

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Tree-Free Products for a Greener Workplace

Monday, April 18th, 2011

The Paradigm Group is responsible for making Eco-friendly products for businesses, and they’ve recently announced their new line of tree-free products. These goodies include 70 percent tree-free napkins, toilet paper and paper towels, as well as completely tree-free paper plates. What’s even more encouraging for businesses is that these products come at a less expensive price than traditional paper products.

So what is being used in these products in place of trees? The ingredient is called bagasse, a residue from juiced sugar cane. It’s renewable, inexpensive and Eco-friendly. It doesn’t use trees, requires no extra land and comes from sugar cane, which is already being grown. And, because sugar cane only takes less than a year to mature, bagasse is plentiful.

Trees on the other hand, take an average of 30 years to mature and the use of trees for paper products has resulted in deforestation. There are also many chemicals needed to produce paper, and these chemicals are emitted into the air, causing pollution. With bagasse, less chemicals are needed for production and the products can in turn be recycled just as normal paper products can.

The Paradigm Group launches this new line as part of the Emerald Brand, which strives to offer cost-effective products to businesses in an effort to get them using Eco-friendly products around the office place. These products cost the same or less than traditional paper products that offer no environmental benefits.

The company recognizes that businesses have a great pressure on them to change their ways and become a more sustainable presence in a global marketplace, yet these changes can be hard to implement. With quality paper products that rival the softness of regular tissues and paper towels, businesses can make the switch and live up to their “green” expectations without disturbing anything around the workplace.

Image c/o kaboodle.com

Reference: Miami Herald

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5 Ways to Participate in Earth Day

Friday, April 15th, 2011

Image by Jakub Jankiewicz (jcubic/kuba)

  Are you wanting to be a big contributor of being an Eco-friendly individual?  There are definitely ways you can be “green” so to speak.  Here’s a brief list of ways you and your friends and family can participate in Earth Day and actually feel really good about it.

5 Ways to Participate

1. Replace all of your existing light bulbs with energy star light bulbs.  This can go a very long way in reducing your carbon footprint.  This is so important when conserving energy.

2. Take the time to plant a tree with your friends and family.  Can you believe trees reduce energy bills?  It definitely can cut down on heating and cooling.  So, Plant a tree today!

3. Attend a local Earth Day effect in support of this important day.

4. Buy organic foods and stick with it.  Organic food is all natural and is not covered with harmful chemicals.

5. Ride a bike or carpool to cut down on gas and oil use which pollutes the environment.

As you can see, you can make a difference on Earth Day and everyday.  A lot of individuals just do these things annually, but really this should be a part of our every day lifestyle so that our Earth is protected.  We want a healthy planet right?  The only way this can be reality is if we all take those extra steps to make it healthy!

What ways have you participated in Earth Day?  Do you make it a part of your every day living?  Please feel free to share with us!

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Make an Eco-Friendly Easter Basket

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Easter is just around the corner and finding ways to fill those Easter baskets has never been more complicated. With lower budgets and tastier treats, parents aren’t quite sure just what should go into those baskets. Fortunately, we have plenty of kid-friendly ideas that will not only fit your budget, but also be good for the planet. So ditch your old favorites and try these green ideas that everyone will love!

1. Recycle baskets. Instead of using cheap baskets that barely hold candy, spend the money and buy each child a quality one. The basket will last for years and can even be used to hold toys or stuffed animals in the interim.

2. Replace baskets. Don’t think you need to have Easter baskets just because it’s Easter. Instead, find something that can be reused to store toys, diaper cream, bath gear or extra hair ties. For example, fill a metal bucket with sand toys or stuffed animals. A bonus – personalize the bucket!

3. Pack in green gifts. Sure, candy is great, but all the wrappers surely aren’t good for the planet. Cut down on the candy and replace it with green toys, such as toy watering cans, shovels, gardening gloves and packs of seeds.

4. Pre-cycle your candy selections. Recycling is what you do after you’ve purchased and used the item, but what about pre-cycling? Consider the candy before you buy it, as individually packaged candies only add more garbage to your trash cans. Look for ways to cut down on wrappers, such as by buying a package of cookies and separating them on your own.

5. Skip the Easter grass. Do you really like this stuff anyway? Chances are it gets all over the house and sticks there, so why not omit it all together? Line the basket in something green, such as paper shreds or felt. Green hair ribbons or soft items, such as clothes or socks, can also do the trick.

Image c/o Silar

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“Go Green” with your lunch box

Friday, April 8th, 2011

Image by Nickd

Do you ever wonder how many individuals use paper sacks for their lunch every single day?  That’s a lot of waste right there. From sandwich baggies to the brown paper sacks, there has to be a better way to have a healthier environment at lunch time.  Guess what, there is?  Going green with lunch boxes.  I am excited to introduce to you the “Go Green Lunch Box.”

These are the coolest lunch boxes out there and they come in many styles.  Some of the lunch boxes contain individual compartments with leak proof seals.  No more baggies ending up in the garbage anymore.  This is truly genius and is one step closer to protecting our environment if everyone considers going this route.  They are on the pricier side but when you see how “green” they are, they are definitely worth it since they will last a very long time.

Each lunch box has a protective non-toxic coating which makes for easy cleaning.  If you are interested in the “Go Green Lunch Box” and their products you can check them out at go green lunch box.

Source: Go Green Lunch Box

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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Earth Day crafts for kids

Friday, April 1st, 2011

If you are trying to teach your child or any child about how to keep the earth clean.  There are a variety of crafts and projects that introduce this concept in detail.  Check out this list of crafts and activities that can easily be done at home or in a school setting:

Crafts for Earth Day

Trash to Treasure- This is where you encourage anyone to save their milk cartons, cereal boxes, film cannister’s ect.  Reusing and recycling is addressed with these crafts from making a bird feeder to a musical instrument.  Kids will enjoy this activity.

Help our “Feathered Friends“- Have children fill a bag with soft items like old hair from a brush, yarn, string, feathers from a pillow, etc.  Have the children lay them around outside.  Birds will instantly snatch them up to build their nests.

Old to New Crayons- This one is a great way to reuse and recycle old and broken kids and kids love this.  Peel the paper off of all the broken or unused crayons and place them in muffin liners inside of muffin tins.  Heat the crayons in 200 degree heat until completely melted.  The outcome is so neat especially if you mix colors together.

Save everyday items- Plastic yogurt containers are great as paint cups.  You can really get creative with items that you use every single day.

For more earth day craft ideas go to Kaboose for more details.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

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