Green Life – Taking those first small steps

Green Life – Taking those first small steps

 

Making small changes as and when you can puts you firmly on the road to

living a much greener lifestyle. Trying to jump into it all at once can be counterproductive, in fact, because the subject area is immense and is growing all the

time. Instead, decide what your priorities are: Think about where it would be

easiest for you to begin. Start there, and work up to the bigger or more difficult

issues.

 

Your priorities may not be the same as other people’s, but that’s okay:

They’re yours, and you’re entitled to them. Be prepared to adjust them as

new information becomes available, however. Research is ongoing in most

areas of green living, so arguments will change. In the meantime, take one

small step every time you’re ready to, and keep aspiring to be greener.

 

We chose them specifically because they make you significantly greener with minimal effort. Examples include replacing your light bulbs as they burn out with compact fluorescent models and replacing your cleaning supplies as they run out with environmentally friendly ones.

 

Another tip that’s super-easy to implement is to buy items with less packaging.

Consider, for example, what would happen if you bought toilet paper in

double rolls, which contain twice as much toilet paper in a roll than regularsize

rolls. That cuts down the number of cardboard tubes inside the rolls by

half, and it also decreases the amount of plastic that’s used to wrap the packages!

If you recycle the cardboard tubes that remain, even better.

 

And if you slit the plastic wrap open only at the top of the package, you can reuse the wrap, perhaps as a trash bag. See how easy that was?

As you read through this book, jot down a list of actions that you could see

yourself taking fairly easily. When you have a list, it’s easier to prioritize the

tasks so that you don’t feel you need to tackle them all at once.

Turning Green Choices into Habits around Your Home

 

Reducing, reusing, repairing, and recycling are the four most important

actions when it comes to adopting a greener lifestyle because they all contribute

to conserving the Earth’s resources.

 

Tips throughout this book help you reduce your consumption of everything from packaged goods to energy.

Your home is one of the best places to start making green living changes

because you have the control to make the choices that are best for you.

 

Along with energy efficiency, water conservation is a major issue, and it’s

where you can really make a difference. Between the source and your faucet,

water has to be pumped at various stages, and that takes energy, as does the

process of treating the water. If you conserve water, you do double-duty by

conserving both water and energy, and that helps to reduce the amount of

carbon emissions pumped into the atmosphere.

 

 

 

Most of the water used in homes — whether it’s for flushing, washing, cleaning,

or drinking — is processed to the point of being high-quality drinking

water. Although systems do exist to divert greywater (water that’s been used

in sinks, for example, for hand or dishwashing) to toilets for flushing, they’re

not yet a common feature of home building and renovations.

 

However, you can make a difference by preventing as much good-quality water as possible from running down the drain into the sewers from where it has to be

reprocessed back into drinking-quality water.

 

When it comes to waste, reduce what you buy as much as possible — including

choosing the least amount of packaging possible — as this will naturally

reduce the waste you generate.

 

Then assess your waste to see what can be reused or recycled — what’s waste to you may be useful to your friends and neighbors or to a nonprofit group.

Of course, your home extends to your yard, as well.

 

Making Your Greenbacks Even Greener

 

When it comes to spending and saving money, your dollars can go a long way

toward greening your lifestyle. Start with the necessities of life — choosing

what you eat and what you wear — and assess how you can do both in ways

that are both socially and environmentally responsible. Then expand these

issues to the banking arena, looking at where you can park your money and

how you can invest your savings to help you as well as your community

and the planet.

 

Shopping greenly and ethically Shopping is a great opportunity to make your lifestyle more sustainable.

 

Choose the greenest options available to you, such as food produced using

as few chemicals as possible, grown locally in season, and transported over

as short a distance as possible to reduce the amount of fuel used.

 

Other green options include clothes made from organically produced materials,

goods made from recycled materials rather than resources that have to be

mined from the earth, secondhand or vintage goods, and those made from

biodegradable materials.

 

Ethical issues, including how the people and animals involved in the production

processes were treated, are also important to consider. Ask stores

whether the workers, producers, suppliers, and farmers involved in the production

chain are paid fairly, have good working conditions, and can sustain

their production (meaning that they have enough left after feeding themselves

and their families to maintain their premises or buy new equipment

and seeds).

 

Avoiding goods produced using child labor or in sweatshop working conditions also may be a priority for you. Animal welfare is a growing concern as well; consider choosing meat and dairy products that come from animals raised in humane conditions rather than intensively farmed, overcrowded pens and cages.

 

Support your local community socially and economically by buying your

food, gifts, crafts, home items, and clothes from local producers and businesses.

If that’s not possible, look for Fairtrade-certified products that assure

you that growers and producers were treated fairly.

Two wheels taking over from 4 with car companies

Electric cars put lithium miners on fast track
* Lithium demand seen doubling by 2020

Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! Asia News

Electric cars put lithium miners on fast track
* Lithium demand seen doubling by 2020

Read more on Reuters via Yahoo! Philippines News

Tesla recalls 439 roadsters for fire hazard
Electric carmaker Tesla Motors said Friday it was recalling 439 Roadsters from the 2010 model year to address potential fire hazards connected to battery cables.

Read more on MSNBC

Tesla Motors recalling Roadster over fire concerns
Electric carmaker Tesla Motors said Friday it was recalling 439 Roadsters from the 2010 model year to address potential fire…

Read more on Deseret News

Two wheels taking over from 4 with car companies
Why are there bikes, scooters, and motorcycles being displayed at the Motor Show in Paris? Probably for the same reason that there are bikes, scooters, and motorcycles all around, on the streets of the city. For many, these vehicles are economical and practical alternatives to the automobile.

Read more on CarNet

Recycling taking hold in Myrtle Beach area

Roads shut after recycling fire
Fire crews continue to work at the scene in the aftermath of dramatic blaze at a recycling plant in Flintshire.

Read more on BBC News

Vail column: Where do all the leaves go?
Error on line 12 position 2: Connection failure Copyright 2010 Vail Daily. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Vail Daily Vail column: Where do all the leaves go? September, 27 2010 12:00 am MST

Read more on The Vail Trail

Help raise funds by donating preloved items
SUBANG JAYA: If you are spring cleaning your house and planning to throw away unwanted items, why not donate them to Beautiful Gate Foundation for the Disabled instead?

Read more on New Straits Times

Garnet Nuggets
Where did the summer go, we all ask. How can our life be slipping away so fast?

Read more on Garnet Valley Press

Recycling taking hold in Myrtle Beach area
Like Kermit the Frog once said, it ain’t easy being green.

Read more on The Myrtle Beach Sun News

Taking A Look At Fuel Efficiency In The 2010 Dodge Dakota

Fuel economy is an important metric to consider when shopping for a vehicle. The modern consumer is concerned about rising fuel costs. Additionally, stewards of our natural environment remind us of the importance of efficient use of energy. For the benefit of the automotive consumer, let’s take a look at fuel efficiency in the 2010 Dodge Dakota.

The Dodge Dakota is a powerful truck. For work applications, people need these vehicles to haul heavy loads. As a result, fuel economy is rarely the primary focus of the engineering of the vehicle. With best-in-class towing and payload on some models, fuel efficiency in the 2010 Dodge Dakota has reasonable limits. As trucks go however this is a midrange vehicle for those looking to combine looks power and affordability.

However, considering these factors, the Dodge Dakota features competitive fuel economy figures. Most rate the Dodge Dakota at 20 miles per gallon on the highway. Under the additional strain of city driving, this figure drops to 15 miles per gallon. For the four-wheel-drive version, 14 miles per gallon can be expected when driving in the city.

The Environmental Protection Agency has rated the Dodge Dakota at 15 miles per gallon in the city and on the highway. In four-wheel-drive, the fuel efficiency in the 2010 Dodge Dakota drops by one mile per gallon according to this government agency.

While a work truck will not deliver the same fuel economy as a small car, the fuel efficiency in the 2010 Dodge Dakota is competitive in its class. If you need a beefy vehicle to tow heavy cargo, this truck meets the task without guzzling gas in an irresponsible way.

Taking Your Hybrid to the Next Level

For more auto videos, go to www.wsj.com/video. Think hybrid cars are as green as it gets? Nate Becker reports on what it takes to convert a hybrid car into a plug-in hybrid that’s charged by a standard wall outlet. (Oct. 9)

Taking the Sonic Boom Out of Supersonic Flight

Home energy monitor runs Ubuntu on Atom
Cisco announced an Intel Atom-based, tabletop Home Energy Controller (HEC) device based on OpenPeak’s Home Energy Manager (HEM) design.

Read more on Linux Devices

Fuel efficient compact car market sees steady growth in Saudi Arabia
The market for fuel efficient compact cars in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is witnessing steady growth, according to Suzuki Saudia Suzuki Saudia , the sole distributor of Suzuki vehicles in Saudi Arabia and part of Bamarouf Group.

Read more on Zawya

IDT’s Jonas Relies on Colorado Oil Shale to Fuel Stock Rebound
Howard S. Jonas holds a jagged rock that smells like the floor of an auto-repair garage. It’s oil shale and he considers it the future of IDT Corp., the Newark, New Jersey-based telecommunications company he founded in 1990.

Read more on Bloomberg

Ottawa to Winnipeg on a gallon of gas? No problem
A team of engineers from the University of Ottawa is taking the term “fuel efficiency” to whole new heights.

Read more on Canada.com

Taking the Sonic Boom Out of Supersonic Flight
Two of the biggest aerospace firms hope to take the bite out of the boom.

Read more on Wired News

Recycling Center taking materials damaged by floods

Downtown’s empty Elm Place could be recycled
A Dallas architectural firm is working on a recycling plan for one of Dallas’ biggest skyscrapers.

Read more on Dallas Morning News

Dunmore DPW asks for patience
Dunmore DPW asks for patience DUNMORE – With recent changes to the brush and recycling schedule, the borough’s Department of Public Works foreman is asking for patience from residents regarding pickup.Foreman Mike Judge said residents who did not have

Read more on The Scranton Times-Tribune

Keybirds sweep Devils Lake
Coming off an emotional weekend, which saw the Williston Keybirds win their third Economart/Delaney Recycling Baseball Invitational in four years, the possibility of a letdown in Tuesdayâs home doubleheader with Devils Lake was a real possibility.

Read more on Williston Herald

Buellton trash bins will be turned over
Buellton residents and business owners might have to adjust to different containers and collection days for their trash and recycling beginning next week, but in exchange they’ll see an average of a 22 percent savings on their bills.

Read more on The Santa Ynez Valley News

Recycling Center taking materials damaged by floods
Because of recent heavy rains, the Council Bluffs Recycling Center is now accepting flood-damaged materials at no charge from Council Bluffs residents only.

Read more on The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil

VITAMIN FOR BATTLE WAGONS! Nobody ever saw a vitamin as it exists in a natural food. But there is no question of its presence – or absence – when judged by the effect of the food on the human body. Years before Pearl Harbor, scientists at the “University of Petroleum,” Shell’s research laboratories, were taking molecules apart in an effort to discover the natural “vitamin” to prevent rust in the turbines that drive our ships and power our industry. They thought that RUST might be regarded as due to a “deficiency disease” – as beri-beri and pellagra ar deficiency diseases of people lacking the right vitamins. Question their theory if you will, THEIR RESEARCH SUCCEEDED. They found their “anti-rust vitamin” – in time to meet the greatest need in our Navy’s history. Like a natural food vitamin, it is invisible. They know it is present, or absent, by the result. When it is added to turbine oil, for example, a film forms over the metal which is impervious to moisture even under high bearing stress. The turbines in our Navy’s battlewagons have been stepped up in efficiency to the point where they consume less fuel than those of any other Navy – giving our ships greatly increased range. In global warfare you know what this means. Successful operatio of these improved turbines – their resistance to “Black Rust,” whose attack is deadliest when the pressure is greatest – is a tribute to Shell’s “anti-rust vitamin.” ….. 1944 Shell Oil Company Ad, A5478.

Product Description
This Item is an original Magazine ad, taken from a vintage magazine of the year indicated. The ad is suitable for framing and displaying in your home or office. The scan of this item was taken through plastic film, however it is an accurate representation of the item. The nominal size is 10.5 inches by 14 inches.