Save Da' Earth

Endangered Animals of the World

2010-10-24T03:44:00.000-07:00

Life began on our planet about 3,500 million years ago, The first living things were found in the sea, and over the course of millions of years, from these early life forms, a rich variety of animals has descended. Through the process we call evolution, animals have become adapted to enable them to live in all parts of the world, sometimes in the most hostile environments.

Almost 600 million years ago, the invertebrates appeared i.e. those animals without backbones - insects and other minibeasts. The earliest vertebrates i.e. animals with backbones, were in the form of primitive fish and appeared around 500 million years ago. From these, all the other fishes descended, as well as amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

The animal kingdom is enormous and we do not know for certain how many species there are in the world. Around 1.5 million species of animal have been named and described by scientists - and over a million of these are insects. It is known that there are about twice as many animals in tropical rainforests than in any other habitat, and it is here that there are likely to be countless numbers of species yet unknown to science. It has been estimated that the total number of insect species alone could be around 30 million!

It is just possible, but unlikely, that there are a few large animals remaining to be discovered, but what we can be sure of is that the most numerous large animal on Earth is Homo sapiens - the human! Modern man appeared about 30,000 years ago and has increasingly come to dominate the planet. The steady increase in population was speeded up by advances in civilization such as the Industrial Revolution and better health and medical care.

The rate in increase of the human population is slowing down in parts of the Northern Hemisphere, but it continues to rise in Third World countries, despite the effect of famine, floods, disease and war. Allowing for the deathrate, over one million more humans come into the world each week!

This population explosion means that millions of people suffer from hunger and disease, and more and more wild places are taken over, causing animals and plants to suffer too.

The Increase in Population

It took from to reach

Neolithic Age to birth of Christ (10,000 years) 300 million

Birth of Christ to 1650 (1650 years) 500 million

1650 to 1850 (200 years) 1 billion

1850 to 1925 (75 years) 2 billion

1925 to 1962 (37 years) 3 billion

1962 to 1975 (13 years) 4 billion

1975 to 1987 (12 years) 5 billion

1987 to 1999 (12 years) 6 billion

1999 to 2007 (8 years) 6.6 billion

Extinction is for Ever!

As almost everyone knows, to become extinct is to be gone forever. Even before man's arrival on Earth, species became extinct quite naturally. Natural extinction happens when a species declines in numbers gradually but steadily at the end of its evolutionary period on Earth. The length of this period depends on how well a species can adapt to changes in climate and changes in other animals and plants around it. This process of extinction can take a very long time - sometimes several million years - and the extinction of one species is immediately followed by the appearance of another in a continuous cycle.

The case of the dinosaurs is the most well-known example of natural extinction. These reptiles appeared on Earth about 200 million years ago and dominated both land and sea for almost 100 million years. It is not certain why the dinosaurs became extinct, but their disappearance was a natural one and new species of animals evolved to replace them.

The rate of extinction has speeded up unnaturally over the last 400 years, rising sharply since 1900. This increase in the rate of extinction is directly related to the increase in the human population over the same period of time. The vast number of humans has caused great damage to the planet, as wild habitats have been taken over, forcing animals and plants into smaller and smaller areas, until some of them have become extinct. We have also polluted some habitats with chemicals and refuse, making them unfit for wildlife. These causes of extinction are known as indirect destruction.

Animals may also become extinct through direct destruction. This includes the hunting and capturing of animals. Man has always hunted and killed wildlife but when early humans lived more in harmony with nature, they killed animals for essential food and clothing. When firearms were invented mass destruction of species was possible. Animals have been, and still are, killed for meat, clothing,medicines, feathers, eggs, trophies, tourist souvenirs - and sometimes just for amusement. Some species are still captured in the wild for the live pet trade, even though their numbers are dwindling.

The extinction of at least 500 species of animals has been caused by man, most of them in this century. Today there are about 5,000 endangered animals and at least one species dies out every year. There are probably many more which become extinct without anyone knowing.

"Dead as a dodo"

The dodo has become a symbol of extinction. It was a turkey-sized flightless pigeon which lived on the island of Mauritius. When sailors landed on the island for the first time in the sixteenth century, they killed the helpless bird for food. The dodo's eggs and young were eaten by dogs, cats, pigs, rats and monkeys which man had introduced to the island. The dodo, unused to predators, very quickly declined in numbers - and it was extinct by 1681.

Greater Horseshoe Bat

There are fourteen species of bat in Britain and all of them are endangered. The greater horseshoe bat is one of the rarest. One reason for their decline is the destruction of suitable roosting sites, such as old buildings and hollow trees. They have also suffered from the use of insecticides (poisonous chemicals sprayed on to crops to kill harmful insects) which have deprived the bats of their insect food.

Siberian Tiger

Cold, snowy Siberia, in the USSR, is home to the largest of all the tigers, the Siberian tiger. It is highly endangered and there may be fewer than 200 in the wild, probably all in special nature reserves. Hunting and loss of habitat have reduced their numbers.

Loggerhead Turtle

This threatened reptile lives in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the Black Sea and Atlantic Ocean. In the past its main dangers were hunting for its shell and meat. Now it has to put up with tourists disturbing the sandy beaches where it lays its eggs. In Turkey, hotels have been built right on its breeding sites. Out at sea, the turtles sometimes become entangled in fishing nets and drown.

Northern Bald Ibis

The Ancient Egyptians used to depict this bird in their heiroglyphic writing, but it no longer lives in Egypt. Colonies of this ibis are now found in Algeria, Morocco and Turkey. Part of the ibis' decline is due to natural causes. It nests high above the ground and its eggs are so round that some of them roll out of the nest and break. The largest colony of the Northern Bald Ibis is in Turkey, but the use of pesticides on the marshes and grasslands where it lives is reducing the numbers.

White Tailed Fish Eagle

Before man began polluting water habitats with pesticides, this spectacular bird of prey was much more numerous than it is today. In the Middle East, its population is now very small. The bird travels long distances in search of fish, and eating a number of poisoned fish causes the bird to lay infertile or thin-shelled eggs which are easily broken.

Lion-Tailed Macaque

The habitat of this small monkey is India's tropical rainforests. Many of these forests have been cleared and replaced with tea and coffee plantations. Unlike some other animals, the lion-tailed macaque has not been able to adapt to these new habitats. Poachers have also captured baby macaques, often killing their parents in the process, for illegal export to collectors.

Mandarin Duck

The mandarin duck (the brightly coloured male is illustrated) may often be seen on ponds and lakes in Britain, but its native home is across eastern Asia, in Russia, China, Korea and Japan. It may be found on water which is near forests, but the forests are being felled and the water drained, making the duck more and more endangered.

Mountain Gorilla

The Virunga volcanoes region in eastern Zaire, Rwanda and Uganda is the only home of the highly endangered mountain gorilla. It depends on dense forests for survival and these are steadily being cut down to make way for crop growing and livestock grazing. The gorilla is protected by law, but despite this, some of its so-called sanctuaries have been cleared, and hunters kill them for food and trophies.

Jackass Penguin

The jackass penguin is the only penguin to be found in Africa, and it was once the country's most common sea-bird. It lives off the coast of Namibia and South Africa, and the waters here have been over-fished by humans, depriving the birds of their food supply. Oil pollution also threatens them, as does the taking of their eggs for food.

Blue Whale

The largest animal ever to have lived on our planet, the blue whale, lives mainly in the cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic, where it finds enough plankton to sustain it. It migrates to tropical seas to breed. The blue whale has been a protected species since 1966, but thousands were killed up until then. During the whaling season of 1930 to 1931 alone, 30,000 blue whales were killed by Antarctic whalers. Although their numbers have increased a little, there are probably less than 6,000 alive today. It will take more than one hundred years of protection before we can be sure that it will not become extinct.

Numbat

Sometimes called the banded anteater, the numbat was once common in the bush and forest of north-eastern and southern Australia. It is now only found in the most western part of eastern Australia. When man introduced predatory animals such as cats, dogs and foxes, these animals ate many numbats. Their numbers are still declining because their habitat is being cleared for farming and mining.

Komodo Dragon

The Komodo dragon is the largest lizard in the world and lives on a few small Indonesian islands. It is a powerful predator and can measure as much as 3 metres in length. There are about 3,000 Komodo dragons in total, but they seem to be slowly declining. They live mainly on uninhabited islands, so are in no great danger from humans. Scientists think that natural causes are to blame. There are more males than females alive, and also the natural plant life seems to be changing and the lizards are not adapting well to their new environment.

Golden Lion Tamarin

This tiny monkey is one of the most endangered of all animals in South America. The few that are left, about 150, are restricted to the only remaining coastal rainforest, southwest of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Forest destruction is the main reason for the tamarin's decline, but it is also in danger of being captured alive and sold as a pet - a strictly illegal practice which still goes on in secret. Some captive-bred golden lion tamarins have been put back into the wild in a protected area of forest.

Spectacled Bear

This bear gets its name from a yellowish mask which makes it appear to be wearing a pair of spectacles! It lives in the forest-covered mountains of several South American countries. As the forests are cleared for farming, the bear's numbers fall. Even though it is protected by law, the spectacled bear is still killed by poachers for its fur, meat and fat.

Californian Condor

Today there are no Californian condors in the wild - the only living ones left are kept in zoos. During the nineteenth century this large bird of prey lived in the mountains of many areas of North America. It started to decline last century when it was killed by gold diggers who collected its long black feathers. Disturbance of its habitat by tourists, pesticides and low-flying aircraft also contributed to its final disappearance in the wild.

Black-Footed Ferret

The black-footed ferret is America's rarest mammal. It is probably on the edge of extinction in the wild. This ferret hunts prairie dogs on open grassland, and as this habitat has been turned into farmland, farmers have tried to eliminate the prairie dogs by putting poison down their burrows. The black-footed ferret has also been poisoned by accident.

Hooded Seal

As with all animals that live in the oceans and seas, the biggest threat to the hooded seal is hunting. It lives in the cold waters of the northern hemisphere, stretching from Canada and Greenland in the west across to Iceland and Norway in the east. The male has a strange-looking hood, or pouch, of skin above its nose which it inflates when excited. The sealÕs population has been badly affected because both adults and young have been over-hunted, killed for their skins, meat, fat and oil.

Is it Importan to Save Animals From Extinxtion?

Some people may ask "why bother with conservation?" We now realise that it is important to maintain the planet's biodiversity, that it is the richness (variety) of animal and plant life, its abundance and wild habitats. From a selfish point of view, we humans never know how valuable a species of animal or plant may be for us in the future, perhaps as food, medicines or specific information.

Saving Endangered Animals!

People all over the world are working to help save endangered animals from extinction. There are conservation organisations which try to make people aware of the problems facing wild animals. Some of the ways in which they are being saved include habitat protection, captive breeding, setting up nature reserves and parks and usingalternative products in place of products from rare animals. Governments can help by making international agreements between countries to protects animals (many countries, for example, have agreed to stop hunting the blue whale). Scientists are setting up gene banks in which they keep an animal's genetic material (the 'building blocks' of a living thing) in suspended animation. This technique may make it possible in the future to 'grow' a new animal of the same species.

You can help too!

The first step towards saving animals is to learn as much as possible about them. If we know where and how they live, and what they need to survive, then it will be easier to help them. It is also a good idea to learn from our mistakes of the past, such as destroying too much rainforest and over-hunting animals. To ensure the survival of the world's animals we must learn how to keep 'sustainable populations' alive i.e. populations with enough numbers for the animals to survive on their own. The dodo and all the other which man has made extinct became so because their populations fell below a sustainable level. It is worth keeping in mind that those animals may well become the endangered animals of tomorrow.

Here are Some Ideas for Research Projects

1. British Endangered Animals.

Sometimes we forget that we have quite a number of endangered animals in our own country that need protection. We may even be able to help a few of them by providing a suitable habitat in our own back gardens!

Choose one species of British endangered animal and find out as much as possible about its life and the reason for its rarity. What conservation measures are being carried out to prevent its extinction?

2. Extinct Animals.

Since 1600 about 500 species of animals have become extinct. As well as the dodo, we used to have the quagga, tarpan, great auk, passenger pigeon, and many others.

Choose any three extinct animals. What did they look like? Where did they live? Why did they become extinct?

3. Helping to Save Endangered Animals.

As we have seen, there are several ways in which people are trying to save threatened animals from extinction.

Imaging you are setting up a new conservation organisation to help a particular endangered animal. Which animal are you targeting? Where does your animal live? Why is it endangered? Explain in detail how you intend to save it from total extinction.

How to Protect Endangered Animals?

2010-10-13T03:51:00.000-07:00

Around the world, habitats are being destroyed at an alarming rate, putting many wildlife species in danger of extinction. Threatened and endangered wildlife live in throughout the globe and you're likely to find some in your own backyard. To protect endangered animals, think both globally and locally.

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Find out what animals living near you are listed on the endangered species list. Spend some time learning about the animals and what their preferred habitat is.
Contribute to nature reserves and other wilderness areas. Habitat preservation is one of the best ways to help protect endangered animals. You can donate money or volunteer your time helping the nature reserve preserve habitat.
Buy environmentally friendly goods. Choose non-toxic cleaners and lawn care items that won't pollute streams, rivers or oceans. Avoid any products that have been made from threatened or endangered animals. Buy foods and goods that are made from materials that do not harm endangered animals or their habitat. For example, look for organic chocolate, coffee or cotton clothing that is grown without cutting down rainforests or destroying habitat.
Create or restore habitat for endangered animals. You can volunteer to help with projects worldwide designed to reestablish habitat. In your own backyard, plant a butterfly garden, use native plants and trees and let "wild" areas grow to provide habitat and food.
Join a local, national or global conservation organization. Some organizations focus on one particular endangered animals while others focus on broad efforts for all endangered species. You can "adopt" an animal through these organizations, which makes a great gift idea as well.

Historic cabinet meeting at Kalapatthar plateau near Mt. Everest Base Camp

2010-01-12T02:47:00.000-08:00

SYANGBOCHE, Nepal — Nepal vows to fight threats posed by climate change after concluding historic high-altitude meet

Friday, 04 December 2009 11:48

The historic cabinet meeting at Kalapatthar plateau near Everest Base Camp (5,242 meters) in the foothills of Mt Everest has concluded by issuing a 10-point "Everest declaration" which calls for concerted actions to minimize adverse effects of climate change in the Himalayan region.

Informing about the decision of the cabinet meeting at a press meet organized in Syangboche (3,780 m) after returning from Kalapatthar, Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal said that through the Everest declaration Nepal wants to express its commitment to fight the threats posed by global climate change and show areas of cooperation to follow for this noble purpose.

The meeting held for around 20 minutes also declared Banke National Park as new national park and Api-Nampa and Gauri-Shankar as conservation areas.

In the 10-point declaration, Nepal has expressed commitment to work together with the international community to mitigate the threats of climate change to the entire human civilization including the world's fragile bio-diversity, heritages and for sustainable socio-economic and cultural development of mankind.

He said the Himalayan region which boasts of Mt Everest, the world's tallest peak, including the majestic 2,700 kilometer-long mountain range, has a special significance for the socio-economic and cultural development of 1.3 billion people living in the region including maintaining the global environmental balance.

"But the world-wide climate change patterns of recent years has started to negatively affect the Himalayas and the people living in this region, their socio-economic development, biological diversity and other sectors, " he said, adding that as a result of which the risks of floods, landslides, glacier outbursts, drought, deforestation and other natural calamities have greatly increased.

He said the adverse effects of climate change is not only being seen in the areas near to Himalayan region, but in the whole of South Asia including the ecology of the whole world.

"Due to global climate change and its effects, the entire human civilization is faced with additional challenges for their survival," PM Nepal claimed.

PM Nepal said that Government of Nepal has from the past many decades been expressing bilateral and multilateral commitments for sustainable development and environmental protection knowing that conserving and protecting planet Earth, our shared home, is not only in the interest of us but our future generations too.

Twenty-four cabinet ministers, including PM Nepal, had flown to Kalapatthar at 9:20 am on Friday to hold the historic cabinet meeting set in the backdrop of the majestic Himalayas, including Mt. Everest, the world's highest mountain.

A rescue team led by Usha Gurung along with six doctors and a team of mountaineers accompanied the ministerial team for this historic event.

Speaking to media-persons before the ministerial team was air-lifted to Kalapathhar, Minister for Forest and Soil Conservation Dipak Bohora had said that the government is holding the cabinet meeting to draw the attention of the world to the threats of climate change in the Himalayas and the people living in the region.

State-owned Nepal Television broadcast the special event live from Syangboche.

The ministerial team had reached Lukla Airport in Solukhumbu district on Thursday to take part in the historic meeting.

Maldives cabinet meets underwater to highlight global warming threat

2009-10-24T03:23:00.000-07:00

The government of the Indian Ocean nation of Maldives held a cabinet meeting underwater on Saturday to call for global action on climate change. Maldives has a particularly dire stake in the battle to avert global warming as the lowest-lying nation on the planet, with islands averaging only 7 feet above sea level.

At a press conference following Saturday’s meeting, Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed – a key messenger in TckTckTck partner 350.org’s global awareness campaign - was asked what would happen if the Copenhagen climate summit fails to produce a strong commitment to science-based emissions reductions. Nasheed replied matter-of-factly, "We are going to die."

Nasheed and his cabinet ministers held the half-hour meeting underwater to sign a document calling on all nations to cut their carbon emissions. They hoped to send a loud, clear message that the climate change conference in Copenhagen this December cannot be allowed to fail. The event earned excellent media coverage worldwide, including BBC News, CNN, AP, and Al Jazeera.

"We're now actually trying to send our message, let the world know what is happening, and what will happen to the Maldives if climate change is not checked," President Nasheed said.

Scientists predict that rising sea levels caused by melting polar ice caps will likely swamp this Indian Ocean archipelago within a century unless the world takes strong action to curb carbon emissions.

"If the Maldives cannot be saved today we do not feel that there is much of a chance for the rest of the world," Nasheed said.

The Maldives has pledged to become the world's first carbon-neutral nation within a decade, no small accomplishment for a population of more than 350,000 spread out across 1,192 coral islands.

"What we are trying to make people realize is that the Maldives is a frontline state. This is not merely an issue for the Maldives but for the world," Nasheed said.

If all else fails, President Nasheed is planning for the worst. Last year he announced the launch of a relocation fund to buy a new homeland for the Maldivian people if their islands disappear below the sea.

Unless real progress is made in Copenhagen toward strong international action, the Maldivians may become the largest group of climate refugees anywhere in the world.

Next weekend, Maldives’ call to action will be echoed by citizens participating in 350.org’s International Day of Climate Action in more than 160 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Burundi, Nigeria, Mongolia, Cambodia, Macedonia, and El Salvador. October 24 will be the largest day of environmental action in history. Read more about this exciting day and get involved.

Oceans charge up new theory of magnetism

2009-09-06T05:18:00.000-07:00

A radical new idea may revolutionise our understanding of one of the most vital forces on Earth Jonathan Leake
Earth's magnetic field, long thought to be generated by molten metals swirling around its core, may instead be produced by ocean currents, according to controversial new research published this week.
It suggests that the movements of such volumes of salt water around the world have been seriously underestimated by scientists as a source of magnetism.
If proven, the research would revolutionise geophysics, the study of the Earth’s physical properties and behaviour, in which the idea that magnetism originates in a molten core is a central tenet.
Earth’s magnetic field is vital for life, extending tens of thousands of miles into space and protecting the planet against radiation that would otherwise burn away the atmosphere and oceans.

However, its origin was a mystery until early last century when Albert Einstein said understanding the phenomenon was one of science’s most important tasks. This provoked a debate which concluded with scientists agreeing that magnetism must originate in the Earth’s core.

“Everyone accepted this, but in reality there has never been any proof,” said Gregory Ryskin, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering at Northwestern University in Illinois. “It is just an idea we have accepted for a long time without questioning it enough.”

His research suggests that Earth’s magnetism is actually linked to ocean movements. The salt in seawater allows it to conduct electricity, meaning it generates electrical and magnetic fields as it moves.
The findings, published by Britain’s Institute of Physics’s New Journal of Physics, will cause a fierce scientific debate.
Existing theories explain Earth’s magnetism by suggesting that the centre of the planet comprises a white-hot solid iron ball about 1,500 miles in diameter, surrounded by an outer shell of liquid metal a further 1,400 miles thick.
As the liquid iron in that shell is heated by the inner core it becomes less dense and rises upwards, to be replaced by cooler material from above.
The resulting swirls of molten metal create electric currents that in turn produce the planet’s magnetic field, the conventional theory suggests.
The big problem with this idea is that it is almost impossible to obtain experimental evidence because the Earth’s core is so inaccessible. Indirect approaches, such as computer modelling, have thrown up many inconsistencies.

Ryskin approached the problem differently, by looking at the way Earth’s magnetic field undergoes constant changes, growing stronger in some regions and weaker in others. This phenomenon, known as variation, also sees gradual shifts in the locations of the north and south magnetic poles.
Scientists have always linked variation with turbulence in the outer core, but Ryskin suggests it actually correlates with changes in ocean circulation. In the north Atlantic, for example, changes in the strength of currents were matched by sharp changes in magnetic fields.
One idea is that changes in ocean circulation may explain the curious reversals shown by Earth’s magnetic field, in which the north and south magnetic poles suddenly flip over. This last happened 780,000 years ago.
This could also be linked to tectonic plate movements that have shifted the world’s land masses around the globe, forcing ocean currents to adopt entirely new routes.
If Ryskin is right, then climate change, predicted to alter the strength and course of ocean currents, could also alter the planet's magnetic field.
Ryskin emphasises that such suggestions need much more research, but some other physicists have been quick to recognise its implications. Raymond Shaw, professor of atmospheric physics at Michigan Technological University, said it could make “the ruling paradigm of geophysics irrelevant”.

Others are sceptical. Andrew Jackson, professor of geophysics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, Switzerland, and an expert in planetary magnetism, said the magnetic fields generated by moving seawater would be thousands of times smaller than what is observed. “I think the calculations are wrong,” he said.
Kathy Whaler, professor of geophysics at Edinburgh University, would not comment directly on Ryskin’s work as she had not read it.
However, she said the idea that the Earth’s molten core produced its magnetic field was “well founded”. She said: “We know from seismology what the Earth’s structure is, and that it is likely to contain molten iron at high temperatures flowing around a solid core.”

How to Go Green: Gadgets

2009-09-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

Technology has become an essential part of daily life, from cell phones to televisions, music players to laptops. Electronics, though, have a significant impact on the environment. But don't despair. There are countless ways to green up your gadgetry—or even use your gadgets for environmental causes—and we have information tips, guides, fix-it solutions and facts all in one place to help you go green with your technology.
Gadgets: The green impacts

Individually, gadgets don't typically take up a lot of energy. However, take a moment to count how many gadgets you use. Gameboys and Play Stations, cell phones and Palm Pilots, alarm clocks and digital cameras. When we start to add up how many things we use on a regular basis, recharge by plugging in to the wall or popping in new batteries, or toss into the trash when they break, and then add on to that the number of people who all have more gadgets than meets the eye, then we realize that they really make an impact.

Gadgets: Life cycle impacts

Not only do we have to look at energy use while we're running them, but at their entire life cycle. Measuring the impact our devices have on the environment means looking at them from cradle to cradle. Using the most environmentally friendly materials, manufacturing processes, and power sources, as well as ensuring they are properly recycled or repurposed at the end of their lifetimes are all essential elements of greening up our gadgets.
Getting greener gadgets

You might be thinking that your favorite electronics are becoming a headache. But don't despair! We can definitely enjoy all our fun devices while still helping to lighten their footprint. Doing simple things like charging properly, checking out Energy Star and Consumer Reports for input before purchasing, taking advantage of free recycling programs, or even making some money off our old devices are all ways we can seamlessly shift to eco-friendly gadget use. You don't have to ditch your well-loved cell phone or favorite game player to still go green.

In this guide, we'll talk about easy things you can do to green up your gadgetry, some of the seriously cool science behind advancements in better gadgets, and ways to get more involved in cleaning up all those devices we use on a daily bases and often don't even think twice about.

Top Green Gadgets Tips

1. Check out what the gadget experts say before buying.
Take a look at Energy Star ratings, EPEAT ratings, Consumer Reports, and other expert sources to help you make comparisons among gadgets before purchasing. This will help you find the most energy efficient and eco-friendly items available to you.

2. Buy used gadgets.
Buying a pre-owned electronic accomplishes two excellent goals. First, you help to extend the lifetime of the gadget, lowering its carbon footprint, and secondly, you save money. With the rate at which manufacturers churn out new gadgets, buying barely used gadgets in great shape is an easy task and usually is much less expensive, even for the latest gear. There are great buyback companies such as TechForward that sell refurbished electronics, and places like Craigslist and eBay are also good places to look. Of course, the manufacturers usually offer refurbished gear at reduced prices as well. You might even find what you're seeking free of charge on networks like Freecycle.

3. Buy recycled and recyclable gadgets.
Check out what materials are used in the product and go for gadgets that use low impact materials that are recycled or sustainably obtained. It is tough, so far, to find new gadgets made of recycled materials, but not impossible. If it lacks that element, ensure that it is recyclable. If you want to go a step further, write to the company that makes the product you're after and let them know you're only interested in purchasing if they make greener choices in their production.

4. Charge your gadgets with renewable energy.
Nope, you don't have to invest in solar panels on your house, or a wind turbine in your yard. There are small, personal charging devices that use solar or wind to power your gadgets. Check out the Hymini wind turbine that can charge your cell phone or MP3 player just by sticking it out the window or taking it with you on a bike ride. There are also a wide range of small portable solar chargers that can charge up your gear in no time while you relax in the sun. Note: Most everything today is rechargeable. But just in case you're checking out something that isn't, be sure to go with rechargeable batteries, and ditch the alkaline. Go with Lithium Ion.

5. Zap vampire power.
For true gadget lovers, this may be the most fun tip because you get to green your gadgets with more gadgets. Vampire power is the energy used by devices when they're plugged in but not turned on. Prevent wasted energy first by unplugging any devices not in use or that are fully charged. Then, try using devices like smart power strips that cut the power supply to devices that no longer need it.

6. Make full use of a gadget's features.
This helps not only extend the usefulness of a gadget and make it fully worth the money you put down for it, but it also cuts down on the number of gadgets you feel you need or want in your life. Additionally, it cuts down on how many things you need to continually charge up. For instance, most cell phones can now act as alarm clocks, calculators, PDAs, cameras and music players. There's five gadgets no longer needed by making full use of your cell phone.

7. Use the gadgets you have for as long as you can.
While some technology changes so quickly that this might not be possible, for the majority of gadgets, you can get a whole lot of years of loyal use out of them before it is time to upgrade. This is especially true with cell phones, handheld gaming devices, PDAs and similar gadgets. While it is tempting to get a new phone when you renew your contract, or a new laptop when the faster, smaller version hits stores, ask yourself if you really need it and weigh your options before replacing your gear.

8. Use old gadgets as money makers.
Buyback programs aren't only great places to look for new gadgets, they're also a perfect place for getting rid of your old items if you've decided to upgrade to newer versions. Buyback programs buy your old gear, refurbish it and resell it. It keeps gadgets in the loop much longer, and puts a little green in your pocket and your heart.

9. Recycle gadgets when they've kicked the bucket.
If you have a device that has reached the end of its useful life, you definitely don't want to toss it. Avoid hazardous e-waste by utilizing one of the growing number of free recycling programs. Many manufacturers like Toshiba will take back old gear for free, helping to make disposal easy on you and the earth. Check out local electronics stores, or check online for free recycling programs in your area.

10. Offset your gadgets' carbon footprint.
Even if you implement all the tips above, it's likely your gadget will still make a carbon footprint. You can offset this by purchasing carbon offsets online. Your money goes directly towards programs that reduce carbon emissions. Some manufacturers make is super easy by allowing customers to purchase carbon offsets when they buy their new device.

Global Warming - What does it mean?

2009-09-06T05:00:00.000-07:00

For those people who still cling to the hope that global warming is some liberal stunt and science has yet to prove that man has induced climate change, we have this news to share:

The world's coral reefs are in danger of dying in the next 20 years unless the world drastically cuts carbon emissions. The coral reefs are a a major part of the planets delicate eco-system, without, much ocean life will not survive.

FOR EVERY HUMAN, ANIMAL AND PLANT ON EARTH, A HEALTHY OCEAN IS A MUST!! Our oceans make up 99% of the living space on earth and contains about 320,000,000 cubic miles of sea water. Over 70% of our globe is covered by water. Ninety-seven percent of all water on earth is in our oceans.

If world leaders do not immediately engage in a race against time to save the Earth's coral reefs, these vital ecosystems will not survive the global warming and acidification predicted for later this century.

We must do all that is necessary to protect the key components of the life of our planet as the consequences of decisions made now will likely be forever as far as humanity is concerned.

The kitchen is on fire and it's spreading round the house. If we act quickly and decisively we may be able to put it out before the damage becomes irreversible.

Ice melt from a warming Arctic has two major effects on the ocean. First, increased water contributes to global sea-level rise, which in turn affects coastlines across the globe. Second, fresh water from melting ice changes the salinity of the world’s oceans, which can affect ocean ecosystems and deep water mixing.

Increasing sea level rise will be a problem in the future for people living in coastal regions around the globe.

Arctic sea ice reflects sunlight, keeping the polar regions cool and moderating global climate. According to scientific measurements, Arctic sea ice has declined dramatically over at least the past thirty years, with the most extreme decline seen in the summer melt season. The Greenland ice sheet is melting faster than expected, according to a new study led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks researcher.

Arctic ice continued its decline, with hardy, thicker old ice increasingly being replaced with quick-to-melt, thinner young ice.

This winter's maximum Arctic sea ice extent was 5.85 million square miles (15,150,000 square kilometers)—about 278,000 square miles (720,000 square kilometers) less than the Arctic average between 1979 and 2000.

"That's a loss about the size of the state of Texas," said Walter Meier of the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colorado.

And speaking of Texas, isn't that the home state of the guy whose followers still pretend that global warming is a liberal figment?

Apparently there are different types of arctic ice, and older ice is more resilient than younger ice. Guess which is melting faster: older ice.

Ice a year or more old—thicker, hardier, and less prone to melting than younger ice—was at an all-time low at the end of this past winter, the new report says.

Ice older than two years once accounted for some 30 to 40 percent of the Arctic's wintertime cover and made up 25 percent as recently as 2007.

But last year it represented only 14 percent of the maximum. This year the figure fell to 10 percent.

Save money & have fun with your own organic garden

2009-09-06T04:58:00.000-07:00

In today’s economy, many people are looking for new ways to save money and many of us folk and families are turning to growing our own very own organic gardens. We turned our front lawn into a food producing useful part of our property, and in the past 3 years it has really paid off for us.

Not only is growing a garden a relaxing and enjoyable activity it can also help you save money. Eating organic is healthier for you, but buying organic vegetables can be pricey. Growing an organic garden is a fun, healthy activity that is not only economical, but fun for the whole family.

Organic gardening can be a great way to save some extra money in your budget. You could actual cut your produce bill down by half with planning and preparation, it could be easy to achieve when you do it right from the beginning and organize your plantings so you are staggering all season. You can also use a mini greenhouse covering, a portable garden cloche as my son did in our garden (in these photos with my grand-kids) this year to get an early start on your plantings.

How Much Effort is Involved?

In the beginning, learning everything you need to be a great gardener can seem overwhelming; however, when money is involved this becomes less of an issue. It is truly easier then most think.

Most of the physical effort with organic gardening is in the bed preparation, pest control and keeping up with harvesting everything at the optimal time. In all fairness this should only account for a couple of weeks out of the gardening season, although it may involve other activities for example, maintaining a compost pile.

Other chores that require some time and effort, such as weeding and watering, can both be reduced through the proper use of mulching. Walking through your garden for a couple of minutes every day will help you identify your gardens needs quickly, before they become a problem. You will develop a intimate relationship with your gardens needs, and it will become a joy to do this daily check thru.

10 or 15 minutes a day or just an about one hour once or twice a week should be enough to maintain a substantial garden.

If your goal is to produce a large portion of your food requirements for the year, canning may take several days of time and effort. You can freeze many veges and sauces, & use a dehydrator as well.

This can be minimized by planning ahead to grow items that can be dried or stored in a root cellar.

Save Money with more vegetables

One reason to start organic gardening is for the money you can save. By paying close attention to the health of the soil, organic gardens are incredibly productive. Plants fed through proper soil management require less additional fertilizers. They are also more disease and pest resistant, therefore they use less pesticides. More vegetables and larger vegetables mean less food you have to buy!

Free Compost

Of course, if you make compost at home with yard and kitchen waste, you can consider this a free source of compost. Many communities also maintain large compost piles from yard waste the waste management department gathers from residents. Call your public works department to find out if your town offers free compost to its residents.

Free Compost Bin

You can use discarded hog wire bent into a big circle or just a contained pile that you turn frequently. If you don’t mind a compost bin with a rustic appearance, you can make one from discarded wooden pallets. Warehouses regularly discard damaged pallets, so ask the warehouse supervisor if you can haul away the least damaged three or four pallets. Wire together four pallets for a closed bin, or three pallets for an open model.

Free Containers

Think creatively for planting containers amongst your recycling. Fill an old boot with a nice compact strawberry plant. Line the drawers of a dresser left on someone’s curb with trash bags, and plant with herbs and dwarf cherry tomato plants. Fill unraveling baskets with dirt and lettuce and spinach until nature finally claims them.

Organic Fertilizer

Offer to clean out some horse stables in exchange for free manure. Do this once every autumn to obtain ample compost booster to help your leaves break down. There are many natural soil boosters out there.

Starting an organic and healthy garden is easy when you have the right soil fertilizer for your vegetable plants to grow in. The basis for any garden is rich soil that is full of nutrients your plants need to grow strong and healthy.

The health of the soil, organic gardens are more productive. Plants fed through proper soil management require less additional fertilizers. They are also more disease and pest resistant, therefore they use less pesticides. More vegetables and larger vegetables mean less food you have to buy!

To save money on gardening in general, let's take a look at all the things in a garden that could cost you extra money. You could pay for seeds. You could pay for manure and compost if you haven't started with making or obtaining your own. You could pay for additional organic fertilizers, like egg shell, lime, Cottonseed meal, blood meal, fish emulsion, manure and sewage sludge are examples of organic fertilizers. You could pay for pesticides. Finally, you could water your garden with city water and run up your water bill.

How Do You Save Money Gardening?

With your first garden you may find it necessary to buy these soil amendments and seeds to start off with. In order to save yourself this expense, you can save seeds from tomatoes, cucumbers and other garden produce as you use heirloom varieties.

Seed companies have genetically modified food crops to produce seeds that are sterile. Saving seeds from any of these varieties will just be a waste of your time. They key is to purchase heirloom strains, also known as heritage strains.

Heirloom varieties have not had insect DNA spliced into their genes, nor have they been modified to produce sterile seed. So far seed companies have not been able to modify potatoes to make them sterile... simply grow 10% more than you intend to eat and save them as seed potatoes for the following year.

Saving Money on Mulch, Manure, and Fertilizer

The secret to healthy, organic soil is compost. While some plants might enjoy the addition of manure, the truth is you can grow a very healthy and productive garden without manure or mulch if you have properly made compost. If you want to save money on all three (plus use less fertilizer), it is easy to learn how to make your own quality compost! Add plenty of it to your garden bed, and wherever you need mulch use sifted compost instead.

Organic gardening itself will save you money on fertilizer, but if your plants need a little extra during the growing season you can make your own compost tea. While there are many different recipes, the general idea is to fill a sock with compost and suspend it in a 5 gallon bucket of water for several hours. The resulting liquid can be watered down if needed and will contain humus, beneficial microorganisms, and nutrients that are immediately available to your plants.

Saving Money on Pesticides

Every garden needs some form of pest control. If you look through an organic gardening guide, you will see the same item mentioned for certain types of bugs and pests: Rotenone with pyrethrins. A plant called purslane is the commercial source for pyrethrins, and rotenone breaks down in 24 hours to Nitrogen and Phosphorus (making it one of the safest of all insecticides).

If this is your first year gardening than buy some rotenone with pyrethrins, but also plant some purslane. Next year you can make your own pyrethrins- simply use 1 tablespoon freshly ground dried purslane flowers, 2 liters of hot water, and a few drops of dish soap.

Also plant a few extra cayenne peppers and garlic plants. A couple peppers and a couple cloves of garlic ground up and soaked in a liter of warm water will make a spray that keeps bugs away.

We have problems with snails. It requires staying on top of it. Using a product called 'sluggo' which is just an iron phosphate product and is considered natural, but it is expensive to use. Other ways are you can :

Introduce predators - One effective organic snail control is to introduce or encourage predators. Make your garden friendly to small snakes like the garter snake. These snakes enjoy eating garden snails as well as other common garden pests. You can also introduce decollate snails to your garden. Decollate snails will not harm your plants but will eat the common garden snail.

Lay down grit - Many gritty substances make effective snail repellents. Gritty substances will cut the body of the snail which will lead to it being injured. Crushed eggshells, sand or diatomaceous earth sprinkled around plants that the garden snails seem to prefer will deter and eventually kill these pests.

Set out traps - A common snail trap is the beer pan. Simply fill a shallow pan with beer and leave it out overnight. The snails will be attracted to the beer and will drown in it. The beer will need to replaced every few days to remain effective.

Another trap is to find a flat object than can provide a dark, cool, moist location. Snails love dark, cool, moist areas. You can use a board, a piece of carpet, or thick cloth to create this environment. Water an area, then lay the object down over the damp area. Return in a few days and pick up the object. You can harvest and destroy the hiding snails.

Saving Money on Water

We use a drip system which is the most economical water system besides rain water. Also a lake or pond can be helpful for saving you money on your water bill. Otherwise, a very low cost modification to your downspout can divert rainwater to a barrel or cistern for use in your garden. Not only will it save you money on your water bill, but this water contains no chlorine and is much healthier for your plants.

One Final Thought

Gardening should be thought of as a long term solution to our over all food bill. If you buy gardening tools, a rototiller, a pressure canner and a dehydrator and you only use them for one season, than you are probably spending more money than you are saving. It is only when you purchase these items (once) and use them season after season that you are truely saving yourself money on the food you produce. Keeping this in mind will help you save the most money with your garden.

Save Our Precious Water

2009-09-06T04:56:00.000-07:00

Water conservation can be as simple as developing the habit of using a little less every time you use water.

If we each save a little, we all help the entire Planet's Population to be sustainable.

The need for water conservation has become more important than ever. Depletion and impairment of water resources has resulted from the irresponsible attitude, over usage.

Even though most of the earth is covered with water, the usable water is only limited to a small percentage of the total water.

These are reasons enough to change our attitude and get involved in the conservation of water in every small or big way possible.

What are some of the ways to conserve water in daily life?

Believe it or not water can be saved or conserved by evaluating and making some changes in our life around. Some examples are mentioned below:

Repair leaking faucets and other water outlets

Do not let the faucets running when you are not using the running water

Install low pressure shower heads and toilets

Limit baths to may be once a month

Take shorter showers

Operate washers and dishwashers when they are full to the optimum load

Compost your waste in stead of draining it down the waste disposal system, which takes a lot of water to work properly

Don't forget to also drink as much good filtered water as possible to maintain a healthy body!

We all need water, let's treat our water with love and respect, it is a Living liquid we cannot live on this earth without!

12 Steps to Go Green

2009-09-05T21:42:00.000-07:00

In only 12 months you can be certified 'Green'. You will be making smart eco-choices about everything you are doing in no time. It is easy being greener....give it some time.

STEP ONE ~ THINK 'EFFICIENT' ON ENERGY USAGE

Month 1. Save energy to save money.

week 1 *Start to become energy use aware and think Efficient.

How do we switch from being 'wasters' to 'savers'?
This is the way we begin....it is all about being aware.
Notice at home, at work in the car ways you can do more to save energy. Think about doing just a bit more every single day to make another observation, then change. One small step at a time.
Next......how about Considering weatherizing your home?

Start with turning off lights and power strips when leaving a room.

Then set your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer to save on heating and cooling costs.

It becomes a game to see how aware you can be of all the little things we do to waste energy daily. Then make a small change in the way you do this each day. Just start paying more attention to energy usage. Vow to make a difference in little ways to begin with. Eventually it begins to add up.

week 2* Install compact fluorescent light bulbs throughout your house this week, make a plan to have all your light bulbs CFLS. Or when your older incandescent bulbs burn out, change them one at a time.

week 3* Get a "smart" power strip that senses when appliances and electronics are off and cuts "phantom" or "vampire" energy use, or just unplug electronics when not in use.

week 4 *Start Washing your clothes in cold water whenever possible. As much as 85 percent of the energy used to machine-wash clothes goes to heating the water. Use a drying rack or clothesline to save the energy otherwise used during machine drying. If you must use a dryer, consider adding dryer balls to cut drying time.

STEP TWO ~ BE AWARE OF WATER

Month 2. Save water to save money and the planet.

week 1 * Be aware of your water usage. Take shorter showers to reduce water use. This will lower your water and heating bills too. Install a low-flow showerhead. They don't cost much, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment. Buy a whole house water filter or at least a shower filter. We have too much chlorine in our city water, which is harmful to our health.

week 2 * Buy a whole house water filter or at least a shower filter. We have too much chlorine in our city water, which is harmful to our health.

Check out out the movie 'Flow' and understand the worlds situation in regards to bottled water, our entire water situation on this planet, and begin to have an idea about the problem.

week 3* Make sure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive appliances conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.

week 4 * check out your yard water usage. Think about switching to drought-tolerant native plants in your garden if this is an option. Many plants need minimal watering. Find out which occur naturally in your area.

STEP THREE ~ CONSERVE ON GASOLINE...THINK ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION

Month 3. Use less gasoline, walk, ride a bike or bus

week 1 * Walk or bike to work. This saves on gas and parking costs while improving your cardiovascular health and reducing your risk of obesity.

week 2 * Consider moving within walking distance of your job if you live far from your work. Or move closer. Even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.

week 3* Lobby your local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. With little cost, these improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering your health and reducing traffic.

week 4* Sell your gas gussling car if you have one and buy a hybrid car

STEP FOUR ~ HEALTHY, ORGANIC, GREEN FOOD CONSUMPTION....THINK EAT FOR 'TOTAL WELL BEING' - HEALTHY YOU-HEALTHY PLANET

month 4. Eat Green Cuisine -go vege or vegan when you can

week 1* If you eat meat, add one meatless meal a week. Meat costs a lot at the store-and it's even more expensive when you consider the related environmental and health costs. Switch to only locally raised, humane, and organic meat, eggs, and dairy whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers keeps money in the local economy. * Watch videos about why local food and sustainable seafood are so great. Whatever your diet, eat low on the food chain. This is especially true for seafood

week 2*Eat more greens, vegetables and begin to adapt to a whole food diet

week 3* consider starting a vegetable garden and a composting bin.

week 4* Be aware of pesticides and chemical fertilizers in foods. Read up on the side effects of certain poisons we are eating. Eat organic vegetables. Switch to as much organic as you can. Be aware of where food comes from, how it is made and how they are produced. Buy bulk items that are organic Rice, beans, lentils etc. Also, buy local, and buy aware of what is in your food, read labels.

STEP FIVE ~ FOCUS ON THE 3 R'S -REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE

Month 5. Cut down our use of plastics

week 1* Don't buy bottled water in plastic. Purchase a water filter to purify tap water instead of buying bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it generates large amounts of container waste. Bring a reusable water bottle with you where ever you go so you aren't tempted to buy soft drinks. preferably aluminum rather than plastic, with you when traveling or at work.

week 2* Buy reusable products and purchase items packaged environmentally friendly. Notice everything in your home that is bottled or packaged in plastic. Make a plan to switch to no longer purchasing what is packaged in plastic, except only the truly necessary times when there is not an option.

week 3* Use only your own bags when going shopping and do not except plastic bags from stores

week 4* Remove unnecessary plastic from your environment and recycle everything you can

STEP SIX ~ CONSIDER THIS: BREAK THE SPENDING HABIT!

month 6. Learn to change your spending habits~buy sparingly - only what you need

week 1* Yes, sorry to say it~Plan a budget! Become aware of where your money is going, and spend more wisely, and greener.

week 2 * Become a thift shopper~Check out garage sales, thrift stores, and consignment shops for clothing and other everyday items. When making purchases, make sure you know what's "Good Stuff" and what isn't. Go online to find new or gently used secondhand products. Whether you've just moved or are looking to redecorate, consider a service like craigslist to track down furniture, appliances, and other items cheaply or for free. Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse. Focus on buying in bulk and going shopping less often when you do need to. Get jars and store your dry goods in gallon jars and shop only when those staples are empty.

week 3 * Save-Save-Save the Earth and Focus on Saving money in a difficult economy

* Watch a video about what happens when you buy things. Your purchases have a real impact, for better or worse.

week 4* Spend your money repairing fixable items instead of getting new stuff. Make a list of ways to recycle the old items you are no longer using, be aware when you spend of the environment and saving it!

STEP SEVEN ~ BORROW, LEND, GIVE AND GET.

Month 7. Be a borrowing and a sharer, share everything you can!

week 1 * Borrow from libraries instead of buying personal books and movies. This saves money, not to mention the ink and paper that goes into printing new books.

week 2 * Share power tools and other appliances. Get to know your neighbors while cutting down on the number of things cluttering your closet or garage.

week 3 *Be a reuse person! Make it your mission this month to reuse instead of recycling. Reuse something means it doesn't have to be reprocessed again. If you cannot reuse it donate it-or sell it on e-bay!

week 4*Clean out your closets, garage, attic and basement.Give it away, donate it sell it! Get down to only the essential items you and your family need. Share it, give it and enjoy lightening up.

STEP EIGHT ~ GO TOTALLY ORGANIC!

Month 8. Shop smart. Buy organic 'green' products

week 1 * Buy in bulk. Purchasing food from bulk bins can save money and packaging.

week 2 * Wear clothes that are made with organic, natural fabrics when it is possible. Also clothes that don't need to be dry-cleaned. This saves money and cuts down on toxic chemical use.

week 3 * Invest in high-quality, long-lasting products. You might pay more now, but you'll be happy when you don't have to replace items as frequently (and this means less waste!).

week 4* Wrap your mind around ORGANIC in all areas of living. Green, sustainable living is the new way of living, this month make it your lifelong mission.

STEP NINE ~ REDUCE YOUR WASTE - BECOME AWARE OF WHERE IT IS GOING

month 9. Reduce THE waste of unnecessary GARBAGE and reuse what you already have

week 1 * Keep your cell phones, computers, and other electronics as long as possible. Donate or recycle them responsibly when the time comes. E-waste contains mercury and other toxics and is a growing environmental problem. Recycle your cell phone.

week 2 * Visit your local dump and make a conscious choice to do something to help out - We have way too much waste on this planet. Think of one creative way you can cut down

week 3 * Ask your local government to set up an electronics recycling and hazardous waste collection event. Talk to your co-workers about it.

week 4 *give up unneeded gadgets, clean your home of junk electronics

STEP TEN ~ BE COMPLETELY CHEMICAL FREE IN YOUR HOME ENVIRONMENT

Month 10. Remove as many chemicals from your life as possible

Week 1 * Use up all the old chemical cleaning supplies or give them away to someone that still uses them

week 2 * Make your own cleaning supplies. You can make very effective, non-toxic cleaning products whenever you need them. All you need are a few simple ingredients like baking soda, vinegar, lemon, and soap. Making your own cleaning products saves money, time, and packaging-not to mention your indoor air quality.

week 3* Check out toxins and chemicals in drugs you take or food you ingest? Clean it up, out of our bodies and out of the system

week 4* need I say this, quit coffee, alcohol and cigarettes if any one this has become a habit

STEP ELEVEN ~ BE IN NATURAL SKIN CARE HEAVEN!

Month 11. Use only natural products on your skin

week 1* switch over to all natural skin and body care products made without all those HARMFUL chemical preservatives, stabilizers, emulsifiers and wasteful packaging. Make sure your products are at the very least 50% organic and natural.

week 2* commit to read labels on every body care product

week 3 *buy locally or from environmentally friendly companies that are making their products consciously. Big business in skin care products is big pollution!

Week 4 *Make some of your own products from natural oils. Buy chemical free sunscreens to protect from harmful sun rays.

STEP TWELVE ~ STAY FOCUSED ON GREEN! YOU DID IT!!! YOU ARE NOW A CERTIFIED ORGANIC, SUSTAINABLE LIVING, GREEN BEING!

Month 12. Stay informed about going green, and be a advocate to continue

Week 1 * Have a good spiritual practice ~start meditation and yoga

week 2 * Focus on others, in service to the Whole of Humanity

week 3* Do your part to advocate greening to others

week 4* Start your own local 'Greening the Planet' group

If you have done most of the things and comply with at least 65% percent of this list then

Congratulations! You are now certified 'Green'.

Saving Water and Money

2008-06-20T19:04:00.000-07:00

Bathroom
Reduce amount of water per flush by putting a tall plastic container into each tank or purchase a toilet dam.
In new homes install water-saving toilets that do not use no more than 1.6 gallons (6 liters) per flush.
Flush toilets only when necessary.
Take short showers as an alternative of baths. Turn off water while soaping up and then rinse off.
Mount on water-saving showerheads and flow resistors on all facets.
Check regularly for water leaks and repair them without delay.
Do not keep water running while brushing teeth, shaving or cleaning.

Cooling and Lighting
Purchase the most energy efficient air conditioning system and appraise by lifetime cost.
Do not cool unused rooms.
Use small fans to cool an area rather than less efficient cooling systems.
Close the window blinds and drapes on sunny days and open them on cooler days.
Close bathroom door to prevent heat and humid air from reaching other areas of the home.
Use energy efficient fluorescent lights over regular incandescent bulbs.

Home Space Heating
Build a super insulated house.
Do not heat unused rooms, such as the closet.
Get as much space heat from the sun as possible.

Laundry Room
Wash only full loads using the short cycle. Use a natural gas powered dryer, which will save more than electricity driven ones.
Let the sun dry your clothes. It's cleaner for the environment and saves you money.
When purchasing a new washer, keep in mind that front-loading clothes washers use less water and energy than top-loading versions.
Again check for leaks and repair them without delay.

Kitchen
When using an automatic dishwasher, wash only for full loads. Use the short cycle and let the dishes dry themselves to save energy and money.
While washing dishes by hand do not let water run. As a substitute, use a wash container and a rinse container.
Store a reusable drinking water container in the refrigerator rather than waiting for facet water to get cold to drink.
Do not use the garbage disposable since it uses a great amount of water. Instead compose your food properly.
Again check for leaks and repair them without delay.

Outdoors
Wash your vehicle less frequently. Use a bucket to soap up and after rinse off with hose.
Goto commercial car washes that recycle its water.
Use a broom and sweep off driveways and sidewalks rather than hosing them off.
Improve irrigation by watering only to areas, which are necessary.
Capture water when rain falls and use it later to water your plants.

Transportation
Walk or ride a bicycle for short trips.
Take advantage of carpools or vanpools as much as possible.
Use the bus, train, or other means of mass-public transportation for long trips.
Drive a car that uses at least 35 miles per gallon.
Combine trips to get things done.
Get car engine tuned periodically, including changing air filter regularly. Keep tire pressures at recommended level.
Obey speed limits.

Global Warming

2008-06-20T18:52:00.001-07:00

The rising levels of greenhouse gases are no longer removed entirely from the troposphere by Earth's major biogeochemical cycles. Since the dawning of the Industrial Revolution and particularly from the beginning of 1950, people have been releasing huge amounts of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. The burning of fossil fuels, use of chlorofluorocarbons, agriculture, and deforestation, mainly caused this. There is great concern that these gases can increase the planet's temperature to disastrous consequences.

Carbon dioxide is released into the air when any carbon compound is burned. The burning of fossil fuels causes most of the world’s air pollution. This method provides approximately 80% of the world's energy and is a source of about 75% of the current carbon dioxide emissions in the air. Carbon dioxide levels in the troposphere has been it’s highest for at least the past 130,000 years and what is important is that the levels continue to rise. The United States contributes 20% of the world's emission of carbon dioxide and is by far the largest emitter.

The Earth's capacity to remove carbon dioxide through photosynthesis is being plagued by deforestation.

The scientific community agrees on the following:
1. The greenhouse effect is present and allows most of current organisms on Earth to exist.
2. Quantities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere are rising at an enormous rate.
3. People are the cause of these rising emissions.
4. Greenhouse gases induce climate changes.
5. Warming or cooling as a result of greenhouse gas changes permits disasters for Earth's ecosystem, thus reflecting on us.
6. We do not know enough about greenhouse gases to predict climatic changes throughout the global region.

It is certain that we are able to bring on these climatic changes and have a warmer Earth by the end of this century than it was for the dinosaurs, which vanished 65 million years ago. These changes can be prevented if we take the right measure to insure a prosperous future for the Earth.

Endangered Animals

2008-06-20T18:52:00.000-07:00

WHITE RHINOCEROS(Africa)

The White rhinoceros is one of the largest Northern subspecies ever to be described by scientists. This subspecies was classified in 1908. Today, it is very close to extinction in the wild, and few have ever been brought into captivity. The first captive White rhinos were received at the Antwerp Zoo, Belgium, in 1950. However, while they grew to maturity, these animals never bred. They have only bred at the Vychodoc'eska Zoo at Dvur Kralove in Czechoslovakia. The first southern white rhino that was ever born in captivity was born at Pretoria on June 8,1967.

The most successful breeding of the White rhino in captivity has occurred in the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Seventy-five white Rhinos have been born as of 1988.

The white rhino is slightly larger than the black rhino with a larger head and body. They can weigh up to two tons and have a maximum age of up to fifty years. The horns of the rhino are the exact same substance as fingernails (keratin). The rhino is quite active and swift and can reach speeds of up to thirty m.p.h. This animal is surprisingly agile for its large size and can make sharp turns as it runs.

With a very acute sense of smell, it plays a large role in their social life. Mothers can identify their children or members of a particular "home-range". Their sense of smell also helps identify the territory of others. The female rhinoceros has a gestation period of fifteen-sixteen months, in which only one calf is born.

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Animal Riddle

What one-horned animal asks questions?

Answer: A why-nocerious.
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AFRICAN WILD

African Wild Asses are often referred to as the true asses and the domesticated ones we see today are believed to be descended from them. They are found scattered on the plains of Africa and travel in groups.

The asses are small, sturdy animals of from three to five feet at shoulder height. They are coloured from bluish grey to the colour fawn, with whitish muzzles and underparts. They are very swift runners and are able to inhabit acrid regions as they have become well adapted to suit the harsh deserts in which they live in.

The asses are very territorial. Stallions maintain areas under them and dominate over any of the other asses that come in their group. There is a very strong social bond between the females and the foals, where the foals are inseparable from their mothers the first few years of their lives.

The herds are formed when several asses come together casually.

These asses are endangered because of the interbreeding between them and other species and cause the wild asses descendants to become fewer and soon vanish. Illegal hunting and poaching for sport and body parts has also caused their rapid declination.

LEOPARD

Leopards are mainly found over nearly the whole of Africa, south of the Sahara, northeast and Asia. They are well known for their dark spots arranged in rosettes over much of their body without the central spot as found in jaguars.

Besides being known for their spots, they are also known for running very fast with up to speeds of about one hundred kilometres per hour. They also have the agility to climb trees as well as swim.

Their diet consist of antelope, wild pigs, monkeys, porcupines, birds and domestic livestock. They favour dogs as a meal. If they are unable to lure a dog out of the village, leopards are known to go right into the village to get the dog they want. They frequently store the remains of their kill up on trees for protection among the branches while they eat or rest.

In the past, leopards were considered a nuisance to cattle and were frequently shot or hunted. But as man destroyed their habitat for cattle, farming and other human activities, the leopards had no where to survive and their prey decreased due to immigration and lack of food. Therefore leopards had no choice but to kill cattle and domestic livestock. As a result, man killed them to protect their livestock. This caused the leopards to decrease drastically.

Besides that, the leopards were poached illegally for their valuable skin and body parts. In the 1980s and 1990s, the demand for their skins increased sharply due the furs’ popularity in fashion.

Due the conservation efforts, these leopards are now a protected species in Uganda, Kenya, Ethiopia and most parts of the world. Efforts also have been made to hand breed them and then be released in the wild or enclosures are being made.

GAZELLE

Gazelles are found in Africa and in Mongolia in Asia. They usually live in open plains and deserts. They are founds in herds of five to ten, but herds up to several hundred are found.

Gazelles are known for their graceful movements and alertness. Their colour consists of a shade of brown with white underparts and a horizontal black band running along each side of their body. Most species have horns on both of the sexes, with the horns often lyre-shaped. They run with a skip and have an amazing swiftness.

Gazelles are herbivores meaning they only eat plants. They forage among shrubs and short trees leaves. They are often hunted by other animals as a source of food. They use their swiftness to escape.

These graceful animals are endangered due the poaching for their skins and horns. Their habitats are also being destroyed by human development such as farming and cattling. Conservation efforts such as making their habitat area an enclosure for them and banning illegal poaching has helped a bit in their increase.

GIANT PANDA(Asia)

An estimated seven hundred Giant Pandas are left in the world today, living in the high mountains in coniferous forests and bamboo thickets in central China.

Since 1979 the San Diego Zoological Society has been working with Chinese zoos to spread the conservation message about the Chinese Giant Pandas. Before the Giant Pandas were exported as State gifts, but now they are "loaned" as "conservation Pandas." For example, two pandas visited for two hundred days in 1987 and 1988 at the San Diego Zoo and over two million people came and visited and enjoyed the Giant Pandas.

The Giant Pandas primary food source is bamboo. They eat it almost twelve hours a day and for the rest of the day they sleep. In the course of a year they eat almost 10,000 pounds of bamboo. However the giant panda routinely eats birds, snakes and bamboo rats. Giant Pandas live up to an age of 15 years in captivity and when one gives birth only one baby is born.
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Animal Riddle
When do bears go to the hospital?
Answer: When they have a-panda-citis.
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Interesting Environmental Facts

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Human influenced facts

If just 25% of U.S. families used 10 fewer plastic bags a month, we would save over 2.5 BILLION bags a year.
On the average, the 140 million cars in America are estimated to travel almost 4 billion miles in a day, and according to the Department of Transportation, they use over 200 million gallons of gasoline doing it.
Every year we throw away 24 million tons of leaves and grass. Leaves alone account for 75% of our solid waste in the fall.
Over 100 pesticide ingredients are suspected to cause birth defects, cancer, and gene mutations.
Every ton of recycled office paper saves 380 gallons of oil.
About 1% of U.S. landfill space is full of disposable diapers, which take 500 years to decompose.
Energy saved from one recycled aluminum can will operate a TV set for 3 hours, and is the equivalent to half a can of gasoline.
Glass produced from recycled glass instead of raw materials reduces related air pollution by 20%, and water pollution by 50%.
Americans use 50 million tons of paper annually -- consuming more than 850 million trees.
Homeowners use up to 10 times more toxic chemicals per acre than farmers.
By turning down your central heating thermostat one degree, fuel consumption is cut by as much as 10%.
Insulating your attic reduces the amount of energy loss in most houses by up to 20%.
Enough glass was thrown away in 1990 to fill the Twin Towers (1,350 feet high) of New York's World Trade Center every two weeks.
One ton of carbon dioxide that is released in the air can be prevented by replacing every 75 watt light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.
Many banks lent large sums of money to developing nations. In order to pay those debts plus interest many nations have turned to the mining of their natural resources as a source of financial aid.
Every day 40,000 children die from preventable diseases.
The public transportation that we have is a wreck. The U.S. continues to promote and invest in private car travel rather than public transportation.
The human population of the world is expected to be nearly tripled by the year 2100.
A three percent annual growth rate will result in the doubling of consumption and production of food and other products in 25 short years. The amount of motor vehicles that are expected to be operated will increase 15 million a year until at least 2010.
The world's per capita grain production has been on the downfall since 1985 despite the use of fertilizers and pesticides.
Already a train system has been developed (back in 1987) which is based on magnetic levitation and causes minimal pollution. These versions of a train are already in use in several countries.
Fibre optics, made of glass, are being used to replace copper cables throughout the world.
The uncontrolled fishing that is allowed has reduced the amount of commercial species. Some species, up to one-tenth of their original population.
Every day 50 to 100 species of plants and animals become extinct as their habitat and human influences destroy them.

The Earth

Deserts are advancing and taking over the land. In Mali the desert has taken over about 220 miles in as few as 20 years. Deserts can be repelled, by developing tree-planting projects, having better agriculture and by managing the land better. However, governments still are reluctant to fund anti-desertification, despite horrific droughts that have occurred in recent years.
The Earth has been around for 4.6 billion years. Scaling this time down to 46 years we have been around for 4 hours and our Industrial Revolution began just 1 minute ago. During this short time period we have ransacked the planet for ways to get fuels and raw materials, have been the cause of extinction of an unthinkable amount of plants and animals, and have multiplied our population to that of a plague.
Despite all of the damage we have caused the environment most of it is reversible. We can restore habitats and return species to them; clean rivers; renovate buildings; replenish the topsoil, replant forests. However, these activities do not relieve the worst symptoms of the damage. We still have to fix the source of these problems, us and our vision that we must progress.

The Rainforest

Eco-Joke
Why can't you play cards in the jungle?
Answer: Because there's too many cheetahs!

In Peninsular Malaysia, more tree species are found in 125 acres of Tropical Forest than in the entire North America.
In Peru a single bush may contain more ant species than in the British Isles.
A study has shown that there are possibly over 30 million species of insects dwelling in the canopies of tropical forests.
63,000 square miles of Rainforests are being destroyed each year.
Rainforests higher than 3,000 feet above sea level are called cloud forests.
Already over half of the world's tropical forests have been lost.
Madagascar is the home to a rainforest where 60 percent of it's 12,000 different plant species are unique to that island.
When you visit a pharmacist, one in every four purchases will have come from a tropical forest.
Medicine produced in tropical forests bring in commercially 30 billion dollars a year.
Large areas of South and Central America are cleared and burned for cattle ranching. This is so that farmers can provide cheap beef to consumers in the West.
Every year approximately four billion tons of carbon accumulates in the air each year, about 30% of this comes directly from the continued burning of the rainforests.
More than anything else, rainforest is destroyed by peasant farmers. However, the responsibility for this lies largely with the governments who fail to promote land reform and sustainable agricultural practices as an alternative to forest clearance.
Greater than a quarter of our rainforest is in Brazil
Interesting Animal facts
Penguins live only in the Southern Hemisphere and never in the Northern Hemisphere.
A single porcupine is known to kill 100 trees in one winter. It uses it's sharp claws to climb a tree, sits on a limb to gnaw away at the bark and twigs and then stuffs them all into its mouth at once. Because of it's liking for bark, the porcupine causes much damage to forests.
A scallop moves by sucking water into its shell and then squirting it out suddenly. It likes to wander around and this gives it enough force to push it in front in a zig zag manner.
A male garibaldi damselfish attract females for mating by covering a rock with a thick layer of alga. A male which clean off a rock to allow only algae to live have a higher chance of mating. The algae is also used to protect the eggs of the fish.
To prevent the nest from getting soaked, the rare white-chinned swift, which nests behind the waterfalls of Latin America plant pieces of moss in the nest which then grow and reinforce the nest.
A porcupine loves salt so much that it would walk into a camp and gnaw on anything that has been touched by salt or even by perspiring hands.
Despite having a shell of armour for the body, an armadillo has teeth that do not have enamel and thus have very soft teeth. It can only eat soft food such as ants, termites, grubs and bugs.
The tip of an elephant's trunk is so sensitive and flexible that it can pick up a pin.
If a mole does not find food within 12 hours, it will die. Its chief food consists of insects and earthworms.
A male nightingale stops singing when its eggs have hatched so as not to attract unnecessary attention to the nest. However he gives short calls to tell the female that all is well or danger is approaching.
Bolas spiders snare moths by producing chemicals similar to pheromones used by several species of female moths to attract mates.
The webbed feet of the stormy petrel enable it to 'walk' on water. It spends almost its entire life over the ocean and only comes to land to breed. If a storm arises, they can't walk on water and are forced to remain in the air all day and night.
Some giant land turtles are able to bellow.
No one knows what happens to the seahorse during winter as it is only seen during the summertime.
There is a species in the river Nile in Egypt that avoids its enemies by swimming with its black belly up and its white back down.
The arctic tern, a migrating bird is able to travel back and forth as much as 22000 miles in a course of a year.
The Amazon army ants raid nests of certain black ants and carry back to cocoons and larvae to their own homes. When the cocoons hatch, they will become the slaves of these army ants and do all their work.
The nest that an osprey is a huge and attractive one which is unhidden from sight and the bird adds new material each year to the same old nest. The nest can weigh up to 450 kilograms.

The Open Range

The Grasslands cover one-fifth of the land on Earth.
The majority of grasslands are found around the tropics.
Natural grasslands are; the savannahs of Africa, the North American prairies, and in southern USSR-the dry steppes.
Semi-natural grasslands are where the forest has been cleared and grazing, cutting or burning maintains the grass cover. Tending to be more productive most South and South-East Asian grasslands are semi-natural grasslands.
The temperate grassland soil contains a lot of organic material (more than the tropical)

Ways to Help the Environment

2008-06-20T18:14:00.000-07:00

RECYCLE!!!

Find programs near you; there should be lots of options.
toner cartridges
aluminum cans
newspapers
2 liter plastic soda bottles
milk jugs
steel containers
organic material/cuttings
glass
telephone books

Stop Junk Mail -- The junk mail Americans receive in just one day is not only a nuisance, but could produce enough energy to heat a quarter of a million homes! If you saved up all the unwanted junk mail for one year, you would have the equivalent to one and a half trees, which would add up to 100 million trees every year in just the United States. To help stop junk mail, write to: Mail Preference Service, Direct Marketing Association, 11 West 42nd St., PO Box 3861, New York, NY 10163-3861. By writing to them, you can reduce junk mail by up to 75%. You can recycle the rest of the junk mail you receive.

Add a Low-Flow Faucet Aerator -- This is a simple device which you can attach to your water faucets at home. By attaching one of these devices, you can reduce water flow by 50%, and the water flow will seem stronger! If only 10,000 4-person households would install low-flow aerators, 33 million gallons of water would be saved yearly.

Change your Kitchen Habits -- Use reusable containers for food storage instead of wrapping food in foil or plastic wrap. You can also use unbleached coffee filters, which does not produce the deadly toxin dioxin in its manufacturing. Use rags to wipe up spills instead of paper towels, and use biodegradable wax paper and bags.

Check your hot water heater -- Did you know your hot water heater accounts for about 20% of all the energy used in your home? There are a few simple things you can do to save energy and save money. Turn your water heater down to 130 degrees, which is hot enough to kill deadly bacteria, and still save energy. Also, insulate your heater with a pre-fab 'blanket,' but be careful not to block off air vents on gas heaters. This can save you 7-8% of your energy usage. You can also drain 2 quarts (or 2 liters) of water from your hot water heater every 2 months from the valve at the bottom of the tank. This prevents accumulation of sediment and prolongs the life of your water heater.

Be aware of your paint you use -- Use latex paint instead of oil-based paint. Oil-based paint is highly toxic, and its manufacturing produces nasty pollutants. Dispose of paint as hazardous waste, or with latex paint you can let it evaporate outside for one year. Then, you can dispose of it with the rest of your trash. Don't clean your paintbrushes outside, because this can contaminate groundwater; clean them in a sink. Instead of trashing excess paint, you can donate it to a school or to someone else who needs to use it.
Tires -- Every 2 weeks, Americans wear out nearly 50 million pounds of rubber off their tires. This is enough rubber to manufacture 3 and a quarter million new tires from scratch! To help prevent this, you can inflate your tires well. This preserves the life of the tires and saves gas, which ultimately saves money.
Home Appliances -- Did you know that America's refrigerators consume 7% of the nation's electricity, which is the equivalent to more than 50% of the power generated by nuclear plants. To allow your fridge to run more efficiently, you should clean the condenser coils annually. By raising the temperature in your refrigerator by 10 degrees, you can save 25% of your energy. With air conditioners, you should clean or replace filters each month. This will save electricity and money.
Recharge Your Batteries -- Batteries contain heavy metals, such as mercury and cadmium, which have become a major source of contamination in dump sites. They either break apart and are released into the soil or are incinerated and the deadly heavy metals are released into the air. Did you know that the average annual use of mercury in batteries is over what the government limits in dump sites by four times. Here is what you can do to help: use batteries which are rechargeable. Recycle alkaline batteries if you can. They can extract the mercury and cadmium for reuse.
Shopping Bags -- Plastic bags are not biodegradable even if they say they are they do not decompose fully. Also the ink is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Whereas paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. However supermarkets use paper that has never been recycled before and they always say "recyclable" not "recycled". Here is what you can do: if your purchase is small don't take any bag, this alone could save hundreds of millions of bags. Bring a cloth bag when you shop, or use string bags.

Clean Up Your Beach -- Our oceans provide the earth with most of our oxygen, moisture, and weather patterns. To keep our oceans clean we have to start with our beaches. Every year on September 23 there is a nationwide 3 hour clean up, sponsored by the Center for Marine Conservation. In 1987 around the nation over 2 million pounds of debris was picked up off our beaches. When you go to the beach you can help by bringing a trash bag and spend a little while picking up litter, or you can join a beach clean-up crew.

Do Not Buy products from endangered animals -- As little as ten years ago there were over 1.5 million elephants on the earth. Today there are only 750,000. By the year 2,000 they may become extinct. Over 80% of the ivory that is taken, is from elephants- Americans buy 30% of it. Over 6.5 million dolphins have been killed by tuna fisherman. Fisherman's nets can reach 3/4 miles long and whatever gets trapped in them, dies. To help you can: not buy endangered animal products and substitute your purchase to; albacore and bonita. Or boycott products from endangered animals (Iceland gave up some of their whaling because consumers wouldn't by it's fish).

Use Low Flush Toilets -- In your household, 40% of the pure water is flushed down the toilet. You can use small plastic bottles, filled with water or stones to displace the amount of water in toilets. This will cause it to be a "low-flush toilet," or you can use a displacement bag in your tank. Both save you 1-2 gallons per flush. You can also install toilet dams which causes part of the water in your tank not to run out with the flush. If you can, 2 dams can be installed. These alterations can save you one gallon per toilet dam. With a plastic bottle you will be saving 8-16 gallons of water every day (if you flush 8 times a day), 56-112 gallons per week, and 2,900-5,800 per year. If we had 100,000 families do this simple thing, we would save 290 million to 580 million gallons a year!

Beware of Your Showers -- If a four person family showers each day for 5-minutes, in one week they would use 700 gallons of water. This is enough water for a person to live off of for three years. You can buy either an aerated, or a nonaerated shower head which cuts your water output by 50%. The aerated is as if not more powerful than a regular shower head, it mixes air with the water. The nonaerated shower head pulses, but you get a good sprat and it can be called a "massage showerhead". With a family of four taking 5-minute showers, with a low-flow showerhead you can save at least 14,000 gallons of water a year. So if 100,000 families installed low-flow shower heads we would save 1.4 billion gallons.

Recycle Your Motor Oil -- In the United States we use about a billion gallons of motor oil each year, and about 350 million of it ends up in the environment. About 2.1 million tons of oil are deposited up in our rivers and streams every year. Motor Oil can seep down into our ground water supply. One quart contaminates 250,000 gallons of water. If you get your oil changed at a gas station make sure they will recycle your oil. If you change the oil yourself, take it to a gas station or oil-changing outlet which recycles oil. They will take yours, but you will have to pay anywhere from a quarter to a dollar (the cost for having it picked up).

Use Fluorescent Lighting -- Lighting results in 1/5 of the electricity consumed by the U.S. By using electricity we are contributing to global problems by making power plants and industrial business generate more polluting emissions. Using a fluorescent light bulb, which doesn't flicker or hum, is much more efficient than an incandescent bulb. They last longer and use 1/4 the amount of energy. A normal incandescent bulb lasts 750 hours but a fluorescent bulb will give off the same amount of light yet last for 7,500 to 10,000 hours with 1/3 of the wattage. Also within a fluorescent lightbulb's life time it will stop 1,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from going into the atmosphere, if it is substituted for the traditional bulb. Even though fluorescent lights are initially more expenseive (around $15) it will take 13 traditional bulbs to last for the same amount of time (figure the savings on that!). Saving you even more money a fluorescent light will cost you $10 for electricity during its life time, whereas during the same period incandescents use up $40. However you might want to use fluorescent lights more where you are going to be using it for long periods of time. They don't fit in some of the small lamps or covered fixtures. Here is an interesting fact. By installing a single fluorescent light bulb in 100 million households in America, you would save the energy equivalent of all of the energy that is generated by a nuclear power plant running full time, over the course of one year.

Balloon Releases -- You should never release helium ballons into the air. Balloons cause the death for countless numbers of sea turtles and whales. Balloons cause them to suffocate or starve to death (by blocking stomach or air valves). Also metallic balloons can cause power outages when they get caught in power lines.

Diapers -- Use cloth diapers when you put a diaper on your child. Americans trash over 18 billion disposable diapers a year, this amount can go to the moon and back seven times. Diapers take up 1% of America's landfills and they take 500 years to decompose. Cotton diapers can be reused 100 times and decompose in 1 to 6 months. These disposable diapers consume 1,265,000 metric tons of wood pulp and 75,000 metric tons of plastic. After using disposable diapers we are supposed to wash them out, only 5% of us do. Meaning that millions of tons of dirty, possibly disease infected diapers wind up in our so called "sanitary" landfills. Infact three million tons of untreated feces and urine does not go through our sewage system but into our landfills. Over 100 different diseases are known to be excreted in human feces, and there is a chance (at least it has not happened yet) that they can seep into our groundwater. You can find cloth diapers if you look in the local Yellow Pages. Remember if you use cloth diapers you will need to use diaper covers so that the moisture can be held in. 100% wool felt seems to work as the best diaper cover.

Did you know that just in 1995 alone, recycled toner cartridges kept over 21,000 tons of trash out of landfills? Believe it or not, now you can recycle your printer's toner cartridges! Every year, Americans throw out enough printer cartridges to stretch from Los Angeles to New York City and back again. Toner cartridges can be recycled, having just as good a performance as an unrecycled cartridge. To recycle your toner cartridges, find a local business that does printer cartridge recycling, or contact the manufacturer of your current toner cartridge and ask about a cartridge recycling program.

Not only should you recycle, but buy products that are recycled. By purchasing these products, you are helping to conserve natural resources, and to protect the environment.
Do not dump oil, grease, antifreeze, pesticides, fertilizers, paints, cleaners, and other toxic household products down the storm drain. These drains, found in the gutters on the sidewalk, are not treated by the sewage treatment plant--they go straight into rivers, lakes, and maybe even the ocean! By putting these toxic chemicals down the drain, there is a great biological threat to marine life. It's actually quite simple. If you don't want to swim in it, don't let it get in your storm drain!

Use CFC free products. ChloroFluoroCarbons destroy the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful UV rays.

Boycott products from companies that produce CFCs.

Carpool or walk to reduce carbon dioxide pollution in the air.

Do not use ivory or animal furs. Animals are killed to make these!

Eat dolphin safe tuna, or don't eat tuna at all.

Buy in bulk--this saves not only on packaging that you would eventually have to dispose of, but reduces tremendously the amount of industrial waste generated to make the packaging.

Shop for durable, long-lasting products. For example, use a metal razor instead of disposables, or a metal roasting pan instead of a disposable one.

Reuse whatever you can, including aluminum pie tins, glassware, plastic cutlery and aluminum foil.

Buy products with recycled contents.

Precycle--make an effort to buy products with recyclable packaging.

Leave the grass clippings on the lawn, and start a backyard composting bin for yard clippings.
Instead of throwing away items such as furniture, appliances and clothing, look for a place to donate them.

Make recycling easy by putting recycle bins in the rooms where you use the products. If you open the mail in your den, keep a box nearby where you can put junk mail. If you want to save vegetable and fruit clippings for a composting pile, keep them in a container under the sink.
Replace paper cups, plates and napkins with washable, reusable cups and plates and cloth napkins.

Keep used paper in a stack and use the flip side for scrap work.

Try to buy items that are less toxic to the environment when produced. For example, use vinegar and water as a replacement to glass cleaner.

Keep in mind that trash generation is not confined to the home. Remember the amount of packaging when choosing a restaurant for take-out food.

Just because your community doesn't pick up all recyclables on the curb, it doesn't mean there are not viable alternatives nearby. Check with dry cleaners, supermarkets, manufacturers, your local public works department and civic organizations to find out where recycled goods can be dropped off, at a location near you.

An easy way to cut the amount of paper that goes into the trash or recycle bin is to perfect all of your documents before you print them. Run grammar and spell check to eliminate careless mistakes, and then preview your document in print preview. This will reduce the amount of paper that you use, saving money and helping to save the environment!

When you are out enjoying nature, no matter how tempting it may be, DO NOT FEED THE WILD ANIMALS! Feeding wild animals makes them dependent upon human food, which will ultimately lead them to starve when humans are not around (usually during winter).

Ten Things You Can Do to Help Save the Earth

2008-06-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

1. Pay attention to how you use water. The little things can make a big difference. Every time you turn off the water while you're brushing your teeth, you're doing something good. Got a leaky toilet? You might be wasting 200 gallons of water a day [Source: EPA]. Try drinking tap water instead of bottled water, so you aren't wasting all that packaging as well. Wash your clothes in cold water when you can.

2. Leave your car at home. If you can stay off the road just two days a week, you'll reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an average of 1,590 pounds per year [Source: EPA]. Combine your errands -- hit the post office, grocery store and shoe repair place in one trip. It will save you gas and time.

3. Walk or ride your bike to work, school and anywhere you can. You can reduce greenhouse gases while burning some calories and improving your health. If you can't walk or bike, use mass transit or carpool. Every car not on the road makes a difference.
If you must drink bottled water, recycle the bottle.

4. Recycle.You can help reduce pollution just by putting that soda can in a different bin. If you're trying to choose between two products, pick the one with the least packaging. If an office building of 7,000 workers recycled all of its office paper waste for a year, it would be the equivalent of taking almost 400 cars off the road [Source: EPA].

5. Compost. Think about how much trash you make in a year. Reducing the amount of solid waste you produce in a year means taking up less space in landfills, so your tax dollars can work somewhere else. Plus, compost makes a great natural fertilizer. Composting is easier than you think.

6. Change your light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) last 10 times longer than a standard bulb and use at least two-thirds less energy. If you're shopping for new appliances or even home electronics, look for ENERGY STAR products, which have met EPA and U.S. Department of Energy guidelines for energy efficiency. In 2006, the ENERGY STAR program saved energy equivalent to taking 25 million cars off the road and saved Americans $14 billion in utility costs [Source: ENERGY STAR]. (Learn more about proper disposal of CFLs.)

7. Make your home more energy efficient (and save money). Clean your air filters so your system doesn't have to work overtime. Get a programmable thermostat so you aren't wasting energy when you aren't home. When you go to bed, reduce the thermostat setting -- you won't miss those extra degrees of heat or air conditioning while you're asleep.

8. Maintain your car. Underinflated tires decrease fuel economy by up to three percent and lead to increased pollution and higher greenhouse gas emissions [Source: EPA]. Underinflation also increases tire wear, so it will save you money in the long run if you're good about checking your tire pressure.

9. Drive smarter. Slow down -- driving 60 miles per hour instead of 70 mph on the highway will save you up 4 miles per gallon. [Source: Consumer Guide Automotive]. Accelerating and braking too hard can actually reduce your fuel economy, so take it easy on the brakes and gas pedal.

10.Turn off lights when you're not in the room and unplug appliances when you're not using them. It only takes a second to be environmentally conscious.

Things We Can Do To Save Da' Earth

2008-06-20T16:19:00.000-07:00

Turn off lights.
Turn off other electric things, like TVs, stereos, and radios when not in use.
Use rechargable batteries.
Do things manually instead of electrically, like open cans by hand.
Use fans instead of air conditioners.
In winter, wear a sweater instead of turning up your thermostat.
Insulate your home so you won't be cold in winter.
Use less hot water.
Whenever possible, use a bus or subway, or ride your bike or walk.
Try to buy organic fruits and vegetables if you're concerned about pesticides. (Organic food is grown without man-made fertilizers and/or pesticides).
Don't waste products made from forest materials.
Use recycled paper and/or recycle it. Reuse old papers.
Don't buy products that may have been made at the expense of the rainforest.
Support products that are harvested from the rainforest but have not cut down trees to get it.
Plant trees, espessially if you have cut one down.
Get other people to help you in your cause. Make and/or join an organization.
Avoid products that are used once, then thrown away.
Buy products with little or no packaging.
Encourage your grocery store sell environmentally friendly cloth bags for people to use when they shop, or bring your own.
REDUCE, REUSE, & RECYCLE.
Compost.
Buy recycled products.
Don't buy pets taken from the wild.
If you have a good zoo nearby, (if the animals are healthy and the zoo takes care of them), support it! Espessially if they help breed endangered animals.
Don't buy products if animals were killed to make it.
Cut up your six-pack rings before throwing them out.