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If you're looking for more gas saving tips, I found an interacative web site hosted by Arnold Schwarzenegger that promises to keep you entertained.
It has an EcoCalculator that asks a few easy questions like how many miles do you drive annually? Are you a smooth driver? Do you gun the car and go or ease into traffic. Your choices will determine how eco-friendly you are and how money you can save by being earth friendly. The governor of California promises subtle changes will result in big savings. Check it out.
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National Public Lands Day is an annual hands-on volunteer event focused on improving and enhancing the public lands we all enjoy- America’s parks and other public lands, federal, state, and local. Last year 110,000 volunteers working all across the nation built trails and bridges, planted trees and plants, and removed trash and invasive plants.
Join us this year as Bridging The Gap hosts a working celebration of one of the Kansas City region’s most scenic public areas, Swope Park! On Saturday, September 27, 9:00 AM - Noon, staff and volunteers from Bridging The Gap’s affiliates will work together with other community volunteers to pick up litter, remove invasive honeysuckle, and plant trees throughout the park. Volunteers may help with the projects listed above, help run the event or both! Pre-registration is required. Contact Laura O’Brien at 816-561-1061, ext. 109 or lobrien@bridgingthegap.org for more information or to sign up.
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Consumer are cutting back on luxury items, but those who are purchasing organic do it because they believe it is something that's good for themselves and their families. They also believe it is good for the earth.
To be organic, food must be produced without chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides and synthetic hormones and grown in a way that replenishes the soil.
Sales of such foods and beverages totalled 1 billion dollars in 1990 and almost 7 billion in 2006. Sales are projected to pass 23 billion this year.
Despite all the optimism, within the industry farmers and producers worry there is a point, price point, where even the most dedicated organics consumers says enough.
Does price influence your choice to buy organic? Tell us more.
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I love getting homemade solutions to everyday problems. I enjoy hearing stories of what Grandma used to use before the wonders of chemistry produced all of our toxic cleaners.
The problem is in finding eco-solutions that really work as well as the nasty stuff. Here's one that I'm checking out that others swear by. It's Grapefruit Seed Extract or Peroxide in your laundry. I've been told that a 1/2 cup per load is all you need to sanitize or prevent bacteria from growing. (not whiten)
Grapefruit Seed Extract is also apparently a good ingredient as a fruit/veggie wash. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry quotes a government study that shows a Grapefruit Seed Extract wash on your chicken, fruits and vegetables was more effective than plan water in diminishing or ridding salmonella. That's also a positive food wash over a diluted bleach water
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Here's the math -- it involves the buddy system and sharing rides. If you share your trip to work or soccer or the store and split the bill, it's like paying $2 for gas instead of $4.
Fuel economists say that if you put a third person in the car, the price per gallon drops to $1.33. With four people in the car it drops to a dollar a gallon. Of course, that's if you've a big enough car for everyone and those riding are paying guests.
photo credit: Tim McCaig / Istock
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I recently read the article below sent to me from the University of Missouri. Today ( July 17th) former,Vice President and Nobel Prize Winner told the Climate Protection Group he leads that the country should be producing all of its energy through the sun, wind and other eco-friendly ways within ten years. In his speech, he said ... "enough wind power blows through the midwest corridor every day to meet 100 percent of US electricity demand."
The folks in Rock Port know all about that. Read on with interest.
Columbia, MO - It is an unusual crop for a Missouri town, but farmers in Rock Port are busy using 75 turbines across three counties to harvest the wind. Four wind turbines supply all the electricity to the small town of just more than 1,300 residents. It is the first in the United States to operate solely on wind power. University of Missouri Extension specialists said that this demonstrates the excellent opportunities for sustainable wind power in northwest Missouri.
“That’s something to be very proud of, especially in a rural area like this—that we’re doing our part for the environment,” said Jim Crawford, MU Extension natural resource engineer. “Anybody who is currently using Rock Port utilities can expect no increase in rates for the next 15 to 20 years.”
A map published by the U.S. Department of Energy indicates that northwest Missouri has the state’s highest concentration of wind resources and contains a number of locations potentially suitable for utility-scale wind development.
“We’re farming the wind, which is something that we have up here,” Crawford said. “The payback on a per-acre basis is generally quite good when compared to a lot of other crops, and it’s as simple as getting a cup of coffee and watching the blades spin.”
MU Extension specialists said the wind farms will bring in more than $1.1 million annually in county real estate taxes, to be paid by Wind Capital Group, a wind energy developer based in St. Louis.
“This is a unique situation because in rural areas it is quite uncommon to have this increase in taxation revenues,” said Jerry Baker, MU Extension community development specialist.
The alternative energy source also benefits landowners, who can make anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 leasing part of their property for wind turbines.
“It’s a savings for the community in general, savings for the rural electric companies, and it provides electricity service for at least a 20-year time period, which is the anticipated life of these turbines,” Baker said.
Baker said the wind turbines also attract many visitors, adding tourism revenue to the list of benefits.
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I read an article recently on the National Geographic website called Green Guide about a hair salon in Manhatten's SoHo in New York. John Masters opened the "Clean Air" salon 15 years ago, before it was cool. He's getting a lot more attention these days as Living Green is in the forefront.
"People's impression of a clean-air salon was really off," Masters' says. "They would ask, 'Do you cut hair with twigs? Do you use a banana to color hair?'"
The cutting and styling tools are the same, but you won't find harsh chemicals in this salon. That also means somes processes are not done. Masters says you won't go from a 'Plantinum Blond to Jet Black'. You also won't get a perm, relaxer or manicure. You also won't get a headache when you leave your appointment from smelling the harsh chemicals.
Masters says, "The dyes are herbal-based and free of ammonia, the malodorous chemical you're smelling at typical salons."
The article explains how Masters' hair dyes differ from conventional salons. The bottom line for Masters is his shop is better for clients and his employees. What do you think? Would you up some hair processes to be healthier and keep the planet cleaner?
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Next time you pass by 207th and Mission Road, take a look at the new home going up.
The builder recently sent me the e-mail below, and I wanted to share it with you. We'll keep tabs and show you the pictures as it goes up so we can all learn about building green from the ground up. Jim Kostusik with Redstone Homes, Incorporated is the builder. Click here to ask him your questions directly. Jim wrote:
I know your news station has done other stories on homes with unique features in the past and the home that I am going to be building is going to be a 5 star plus energy star rated home. With today's energy issues this already is and will soon be the hot topic of conversation everywhere.
The home is being built at 207th & Mission Road.
Some of the unique features that will be included in the home are as follows:
- ICF foundation and 1st floor exterior walls
- Geo-thermal heating and cooling
- Radiant floor warming throughout home
- Super insulated attic cavities
- Solar PV strips - on grid home but able to produce own electricity from the sun
- Wind turbine - to supplement energy from the wind to the home for electrical needs
- Eco friendly floors (bamboo), low VOC paints & stains
- Sky tubes to let in as much natural light in hallways and other areas that lack sufficient natural light
Jim says his green home will help lesson the need for non-renewable energy sources. I've asked him to write me each step of the way with the details and pictures and I'll forward them to you.
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"Away is not a place anymore. There is no 'away'." That statement comes from Charles Moore, founder of Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Moore's words really seemed profound as you put them with pictures.
Moore also points out that the ocean is downhill from everywhere. Something to consider when we throw out a plastic straw or bottle. Moore writes about his travels across the Pacific Ocean.
"It seemed unbelievable, but I never found a clear spot. In the week it took to cross the subtropical high, no matter what time of day I looked, plastic debris was floating everywhere: bottles, bottle caps, wrappers, fragments. Months later, after I discussed what I had seen with the oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer, perhaps the world's leading expert on flotsam, he began referring to the area as the "eastern garbage patch." But "patch" doesn't begin to convey the reality. Ebbesmeyer has estimated that the area, nearly covered with floating plastic debris, is roughly the size of Texas."
I became more aware of my own trash that I create as I traveled to Lake of the Ozarks over the holiday. Debris floated on a blackish, green lake. It was sad and uncomfortable to swim in. I kept telling my daughter and her friend, "don't swallow any water, it will make you sick." That was partly because of the e-coli warnings put out over the news, but also because of how dark and dirty it all seemed.
There is no "away" anymore and our lakes, rivers and oceans are all downhill from us and in some cases...just around the corner.
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Fireworks have long been a symbol of America's Independence. With the focus on climate change, you may be interested to learn just how dirty as well as dangerous fireworks are for the environment. Fireworks produce greenhouse gases which include carbon dioxide and ozone.
The pollution concerns begins with the manufacturing. The raw materials used in fireworks often have to be mined from the earth. Mining is not an environmentally friendly business. The minerals taken from the earth then have to be processed which typically involves a chemical. The paper, plastic and other materials used in the manufacturing process are considered wasteful. The factories pollute the air and as well as the planes, trains, trucks and automobiles used to bring the fireworks to market.
Once you get them home and blow them up, more pollution escapes. The smoke from the fireworks comes from toxic particles laden with traces of heavy metals and other toxic gases or chemicals. Smoke from consumer use is considered worse in some ways than commercial displays because of it's low level release. The fireworks fallout can contaminate water supplies. The sound contributes to noise pollution.
We all know fireworks are dangerous. They cause an estimated 32,300 fires per year. More fires are reported on The 4th of July than other day of the year.
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Every 4th of July we celebrate the Revolution that granted us our Independence. Our founding forefathers quoted the "natural laws" and "powers of the earth" when they penned the Declaration of Independence. 232 years later, we are on the verge of a new revolution.
This holiday, I invite you to participate in this growing revolution called Living Green. It's more than a trend or buzzword. It's the path toward another freedom for all us. Freedom from our dependence on oil. Freedom from the pollution we're creating and leaving behind for our children to inherit. "Living Green" is a way for us to shore up our own energy resources and learn to live a sustainable lifestyle.
Consider getting a journal and each day starting on the 4th of July, begin recording your list for Living Green. Bridging The Gap has an easy way to get started with their "5 Green Things" program. As you journal each day about what Living Green means to you and your family, you'll soon learn that Living Green is easy to do and reap the rewards of helping to create a better, healthier climate.
Make sure to write me and let me know how you're Living Green.
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Does your yard need an extreme makeover? Would you love to have professionals plan and plant it? Professionals who would not only design a beautiful lawn, but also include beneficial elements like a functioning water garden? You might just get lucky and win a $10,000 extreme makeover. Here's how.
Bridging The Gap is teaming up with one of their partners, Michael Ashley of Michael Ashley and Associates for the grand prize of a sustainable landscape design. The runner-up will receive a rain garden created especially by Candy Sprick of Metamorphosis Landscape Design. Landscape materials will be provided by Prairie and Wetland Center, Audrey Seeley & Co. Landscape and Garden Center, Family Tree Nursery and Missouri Organic.
Sustainable landscaping is a goal of Kansas City to help beautify the city with native plants that can withstand harsh weather. Sustainable landscaping also helps with water runoff and helps with climate change.
The extreme landscape makeover is a fundraiser for Bridging The Gap. The suggested price for a ticket to win is $25 or 5 for $100. Click on Bridging The Gap for details.
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With Barack Obama in the metro today and excitement growing for the upcoming conventions, I thought you might be interested in this tidbit.
Democrats this year say they'll power their 20% of their fleet cars during the convention using E85 fuel made from waste beer. That's right. Beer.
Coors is providing the bad booze. Beer they say doesn't meet their standards or is lost in packaging. Most Ethanol is made from corn. Coors' is the first major brewer to convert waste beer into Ethanol. The brewery in Golden, Colorado started doing it in 1996.
G-M is providing 450 Flex-Fuel vehicles to be driven at the DNC in August. Organizers want to make the Democratic National Convention the "greenest" convention ever.
The donation is part of Coors one million dollar sponsorship commitment.
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The average wedding these days costs $20,000. Not many of us have that kind of disposable money sitting around. The current economic climate is making "green" weddings more inviting. Here are few tips we've heard about to pass along to you.
Rings: Vintage is chic. If there's an heirloom in your family to pass down, this is a great "green" way to go. When shopping new, ask where the diamond came from to make sure it is a conflict free diamond. To learn more, click here.
The Dress: Vintage is chic. Again, heirlooms are in. The second option is to select a bridal gown and bridesmade gowns that can be worn again and not put in plastic for eternity.
Announcements: On-line is the eco-friendly and low cost way to go. More couples are designing their own web pages that detail their story of how they met as well as information about the upcoming nuptials and reception. If you elect to send paper invitations, consider recycled paper with an electronic RSVP.
Location: Consider a central spot that minimizes travel and emissions for guests. Beyond that, consider an outdoor venue that you support and would allow you to say your vows. The natural beauty cuts down on the flower expenses, too.
Reception & Meals: Consider local seasonal foods. Many major groceries and restaurants are now offering local and/or organic offerings. They're great for the environment because of less travel time to get them to market. And, with the high cost of fuel, locally grown is growing more competitive in pricing. The best part is the fresh, vibrant taste.
Gifts: It's tradition for couples to make a list of gifts they need and want. Add a list of "wrappings' such as towels, sheets, table cloths, etc. You might also suggest no wrappings at all so your gifts can be displayed for all to see. It's better for the environment and easier on the pocketbooks of guests. If truly eco-minded, ask for organic. Many major stores like Target and Dillards are offering organic products.
Honeymoon: Consider a venue nearby. But if you long for something exotic, make sure to ask your travel guide or hotel about their eco-friendly practices. And, look for flights that are more direct!
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A technology firm out of Tennessee called Go Nitro Tire is promoting a hybrid tire filled with nitrogen instead of oxygen.
The company says the benefits are a longer tire life, better gas mileage and safer tires. The company further claims nitrogen tire inflation has the potential to save America at least 2 billion gallons of oil a year.
The Rubber Manufacturers Association says 54% of Americans drive on under-inflated tires which costs 3 to 5 miles per gallon. A tire can be 30% to 40% deflated and still look fine.
In the past, nitrogen technology has been available to only NASCAR, Formula One, the military and commercial airlines. Nitrogen programs are now being offered for the trucking industry, the Metropolitan Transit Authority in New York City and police departments throughout the nation.
The founder of GoNitro Tire, Ken Lawton, says nitrogen tire inflation ..."is one of the best pieces of green technology to emerge in years." There have been advancements made in nitrogen tire technology since April of 2007.
Nitrogen, by the way, is a gas that makes up 70% of the air we breathe. It's dry, inert, colorless and odorless. To learn more, click here.
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