Summer Ways to Save Energy And Water (And Money)

Today I was going to do a post on Sustainable Transportation: Part II, but I didn't know what to say, so then I was going to do a Super-Duper Duct Tape Post, but I just learned that the adhesive part of duct tape is made from part of a dead goat (!!!), so I think I will post about, um...

How about Summer Ways to Save Energy And Water (And Money)?

The summer is a great time to go eco-friendly, or, if you are eco-friendly already, it's a great time to take things up a notch. Remember, every kilowatt saved = another tiny patch of land left intact! And those tiny bits of land add up, believe me.

Summer Saving Tip #1: Air-Drying

There are many things that you can air-dry, but the main ones are dishes, clothes, and your hair! When you use the dishwasher (which, by the way, is MORE eco-friendly than regular washing by hand), only set the cycle on the wash setting; once they are clean, open the dishwasher and leave them to dry-- or dry the dishes by hand if you are in a rush to have usable dishes. You can air-dry your clothing by hanging up a clothesline outside and hanging the clothing on the line with-- you guessed it-- clothespins! As for your hair, you can always go out in the sun and read a book while you are waiting for your hair to dry after a shower. (Brush or comb your hair every few minutes to make sure that it stays in place.)

Summer Saving Tip #2: Unplug It!

Computers, lights, little screens on DVD players that tell you the time... it all uses a lot of energy. In fact, 11% of your energy bill might be going towards keeping all your appliances on standby! Turning them off may not be enough-- instead, plug all these things into a few power bars and unplug the power bar when you don't need them.

Summer Saving Tip #3: Sustainable Watering Practices

Most of you who are reading this probably have a lawn and/or garden. It may be tempting to turn on the sprinkler to water the lawn or switching on the garden hose to water your plants, but there are better ways to do things! For example, you can collect rain water in open-top watering cans or a rain barrel (but let me tell you, I just use a little green watering can, and it works fine). Please don't bother watering your lawn-- it's grass! It can take care of itself. :)

Summer Saving Tip #4: So You Think You Need Air Conditioning? Really?

Humanity has lived for thousands of years without air conditioning. Consider also that stress levels and some types of illness have taken a sharp incline in recent years, many of which are related to overindulgence. Withstanding a little heat keeps you strong! If the heat really starts to get to you, perhaps you need some cold water, or even a fan or two to keep the air circulating.

P.S. For a long list of ways to be more eco-friendly, check out http://discovermagazine.com/2008/jan/25-surprising-and-simple-tips-for-a-greener-life. Be aware, however, that compact fluorescents have mercury in them. It may or may not be worth switching to these lightbulbs. But apart from that, it is a good list.

Sustainable Transportation: Part I

Did you know that transportation is responsible for 22% of all CO2 emmissions? Carbon dioxide may be just one of many gases, but it should give you an idea of the percentage of other gases emmited by transportation-- including the dangerous nitrogen oxides and ozone.
Because transportation has such a heavy impact on our environment, we need to adjust this practice drastically. Here are some of my suggestions:

• Don't commute by car! I know, some of you (feel that you) must commute, because you live such a long way away from the place that you work. But that is no excuse, really. Find a job close to home, or find a home close to your job. If neither of these appeal to you, take the bus or find someone who is driving along the same route so that you can carpool.
• Make it a rule: whenever you are going somewhere "for fun", like the movies or to a friend's house, rule out the car and bike, walk, or take public transit.
• If you have a car, give it to someone going car-shopping. Or use it as a carpool car.
• Long distance trips should be made by train and charter bus. That includes summer vacation-- imagine the rustic calmness of the train, instead of the high-tech stress of a car or plane!
• If you are completely stubborn about having a car, at least make sure that your next one is an energy-efficient hybrid or one run by restaurants' leftover vegetable oil (yes, some of them can run off used oil scraps!).

Electric Scooter: Courtesy of http://theitsaboutelectricscootersblog.blogspot.ca/

You know, I was thinking about what a future might be like if we all took action now. If we stopped buying cars and saved them for the sick, impaired, and threatened. If we all bicycled, walked, skateboarded, scootered, and roller-skated. If we used mopeds, electric bikes, and electric scooters when we couldn't get places with our own power. If long-distance travel entailed trains and buses...
And you know what gets me angry? That future-- that wonderful, attainable future-- is being stolen from me a little bit more every day. We have already hit peak oil, which means that from now on, we will keep finding less and less oil in the ground. The prices will steadily increase until eventually, only the billionaires can afford it. And one day it will be all gone. Sooner or later, industry will collapse, and we won't even be prepared! Life may get very hard from that point forward. We will be forced to be self-reliant. I am fine with growing my own vegetables, but some things, like heating my house and going to school, will suddenly become so complicated! A sustainable yet still comfortable future is not only being stolen from me, but also from you, your neighbours, your current/future children, and all other life forms on the planet. The thieves are the people who carelessly suck away all the energy they want; of course, they often do it unknowingly, so you can't hate them for it, but that doesn't make what they are doing any more ethical.
I figured I would have to rant a bit about the reasons why this matters so much in order to convince you to make wise transportation choices. After all, changing the way you commute is a big deal. But it is oh-so-important. It can be used to measure what kind of person you are choosing to be in your life. It also dictates how the Earth will exist in the future-- whether many species, including our own, will even survive!

Should City-Dwellers Feed the Urban Birds?

A while ago, I was filling up the bird-feeder, when the philosophical question popped up in my head: Is it ethical to feed the birds?

Most people, I think, would say yes immediately. But think about where that bird seed came from: large fields of chemically-sprayed swaying sunflowers which totally destroyed the surrounding habitat for other creatures. Many birds would have starved when the previously forested area was clear-cut. Many more will die for farmland. For this reason, it is much better to avoid supporting these operations. Besides, who knows what sort of toxic chemicals commercial sunflower seeds expose your backyard birds to?

I stopped re-filling the bird feeder after that-- after all, it doesn't make any sense to take away an entire ecosystem to give to a few backyard birds (no matter how beautiful and important those birds are)!

I can imagine the complaints from people already... "but I like watching birds in my yard" and "but those birds will all die out if we don't feed them", etc. Well, don't worry about your backyard birds. They are well-accustomed to finding food for themselves. If you still want to attract them to your yard and give them a nutritional boost, however, you can follow a few of these suggestions:

• Grow native plants on your lawn. Black-eyed Susans in Ontario, for example, will attract many birds. You can always grow sunflowers, too (where did you think sunflower seeds came from, eh?). :)



Black-eyed Susans



• Toss your leftovers into the garden. If the birds don't get them, the urban wildlife will-- and if that doesn't happen, it will naturally compost. My city has a composting system, but if yours doesn't, why not set up a bin for you to throw things in to bring outside later? The birds will thank you for it! (I threw a pear core into the garden one morning, and a few hours later, I saw a squirrel running off with it down the fence... It's a lot better than sending it to the landfill or some fertilizer company.)
• If you are completely adamant about filling your bird-feeder, at least use organic sunflower seeds!

Tell me what you think about eco-friendly ways of feeding the birds!

Eco-Savvy Remedies

Do you ever wish that health care could be more eco-friendly? I do.
The current state of our healthcare system is disastrous. Toxic chemicals from pills are polluting our waterways and killing off fish. People are feeling ill and not knowing why. And they are suffering from side-effects of medications that they are supposedly taking to feel "better".
Surely there has to be a way to solve these problems and create a win-win situation for humans and the environment?

Welcome to the world of alternative medicine!

Alternative medicine uses methods other than medications to help treat health problems. Alternative health practicioners use herbal remedies, essential oils, yoga, meditation, acupuncture, art and music therapy, and many other treatments to help people feel their best. And the best part is this: there is no harm done to the environment!
Herbal remedies, for example, are an amazing way to treat virtually any illness. They typically are drunk as tea. Recently, I have started drinking herbal tea (organic, fair trade, and forest-friendly, of course), which is amazing for stress relief, and it helps with sleep. And herbal teas can help with any ailment, from indigestion to anxiety to headaches to Alzeimer's Disease! There's absolutely nothing to lose (except a couple dollars), as there are either no or very few side effects.
I recommend that you go to your local library and take out a book on herbal medicine. I found some great books in the health section at my library. Herbs are definitely a viable alternative to medications that leave you groggy and sometimes in pain.
The other treatments can be found in shops and alternative clinics around the world. Although I haven't done much with essential oils or acupuncture, from what I have read they seem to be very effective.
Be sure to check back for my next post next Friday!
Carolyn
"[W]hich would you rather have in your neighbourhood: another chemical company or a field of rosemary?" Brigette Mars, A.H.G., from Healing Herbal Teas