Weekend Fact!

Lighting an office overnight wastes enough energy to boil 1000 cups of tea. Think about it.

Plastic Bottles & Bags = Oil Prices

Came across this article today that blew my mind away, to summarize:

"America consumes 31.2 billion water bottles a year taking 17.6 million barrels of oil to create them. Enough to fuel 1.5 million cars for a year. America consumes 100 billion plastic bags a year taking 12 million barrels of oil. World figures? 154.3 billion water bottles and 500 billion - 1 trillion bags=147.4 - 207.4 million barrels of oil a year."

America's dirty little secret oil secret: Plastic Bottles and Bags

Weekend Fact!

Leaving a PC monitor on all night wastes enough energy to microwave 6 dinners.

Yard Tip

How "green" is your garden?

Here's something to think about. The types of plants you choose to grow, the fertilizers you add, the way you water your garden and the chemicals you use to treat plant problems or kill plant pests have obvious influences on how eco-friendly your yard is.

With summer fast approaching, be attentive to how you water your yard. Don't water during the heat of the day; water early in the morning instead.

Be eco-conscious of the plants you choose for your garden. Experts say that it's better to use native plants, which are plants that grow well in your area. Native plants require less maintenance, less watering and less help from fertilizers because they are naturally made to grow where you live.

Mulch!

Learn how to mulch. Compost, grass clippings, garden soil, shredded leaves and a little water keep the weeds in your yards down and conserve WATER.

Pro-Veggie !

Try going vegan for a day or a week. Cutting down on meat lessens your ecological footprint. A plant-based diet requires fewer resources and contributes to long-term health.

The challenge for you today: try whipping together a fantastic veggie stir-fry dish!

Yeah, Earth Day 2008!

What are you doing for Earth Day? Recycle your plastic? Walk or carpool to work?

How about trying to have a paperless day? No photocopies, no print-outs, no paper cups!

How about shopping at your local farmer's market for organically-grown foods?

How about buying eco-friendly fashion?

How about unplugging all unused electronics/appliances?

How about replacing your regular lightbulbs with fluorescent bulbs?

How about buying Energy-Star applicances?

See, it's easy going green!

Google observes

Google's resident artist, Dennis Hwang, designed today's homepage logo in observance of Earth Day. If you're unfamiliar with his name, you might be familiar with his work on Google's homepage.

In with the cotton, out with the plastic.

Several years ago, I decided to stop using the supermarket manufactured plastic bags in favor of these reuseable shopping bags. Before that, whenever I went grocery shopping I would almost always double bag, even take stacks of plastic bags back home to use for the trash cans. At that rate, I figured I was set for life with plastic bags. But my ignorance towards the environment started to wane away when I went for a drive that would lead me to a place that would forever change the way I look at plastic. Listed here are not the pictures in question but just some that I found to similar to what I saw and has haunted me till this day. The other images shown are just some examples as to what our need for plastic bags have done to our environment.

The Great Napkin Debate

Cloth Napkins or Paper Napkins?

Some experts argue that the energy used to make and repeatedly wash a cloth napkin may exceed that used for the manufacture of a paper towel. Yet others say that any time you can reuse something, it’s better than the disposable version.

While the jury is out, here are some tips:

1. Choose hemp or linen napkins which are more sustainable than conventional cotton.
2. Wash your cloth napkins with cold water to save energy.
3. Purchase paper towels made of 100 percent recycled materials.
4. Choose paper towels and napkins that have no added pigments, inks or dyes.

Pass this along to a friend and earn yourself some feel-good green points.

Auto Racing Question...

And this applies to any division, whether it be Nascar, Formula 1, etc. I've always wondered how much gas is consumed per race and I came up with this logic:

+ The average race car has 5/6 MPG
+ Up to 2 miles per lap
+ Laps range from 200-300
= A lot of petroleum being consumed

I'm pretty sure some manufacturers are trying to improve fuel efficiency without sacrificing car performance, but oil is still being unnecessarily used when the demand is at an all time high. I hope that the suits in Nascar take this into consideration but I highly doubt it.

Automobiles

Plan your trips. Drive when needed. Slow down. At least once each month check the air in your tires. Keep your car clean. Maintenance. Save, Save, Save.