Christmas, an annual event, is once again upon us. In the next couple of weeks, everyone will be so busy looking for gifts and have these presents wrapped. As you find creative ways to do the wrappings, you should know that there are plenty of environmentally-friendly options for doing this. You can wrap your gifts using items other than paper. Below are some suggestions: 1. Scarves make wonderful wrappers. With their color prints, you can use this for bottles, books, or boxes and cover the items creatively. They can also double as gifts, which means that if you use this, you’re giving two kinds of presents. And most people will find scarves useful because they can use this in many different ways. 2. Old cloth. If you don’t like to use scarves, you can use old cloths — washclothes, towels, shirts, or anything you no longer use. Use this to keep oddly shaped items, such as a vase or figurine. You can even get creative by sewing together different clothes to make the wrap look interesting and colorful. 3. Bottles or tin cans. Most households have plenty of these lying around. If you’ve used up a bottle of mayonnaise, keep the jar for storing items you will eventually give as gifts. As a Christmas gift, this is a good container for edible gifts, such as jams, salads and other baked goodies you’ve prepared for your relatives or friends. 4. Used paper or newspaper. Spruce this up using ribbons or laces and trims to make one uniquely wrapped present. Make this even more special and personalized if you let the children doodle on the wrapper. 5. Old cardboard or reusable bags. With every new online order, come some cardboard that remains lying in the storage. Use these to wrap the gifts of unusual shapes. They come very handy. You may even color the cardboard with watercolors to give it a bit of that creative touch.
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We make use of home appliances because they provide the convenience we need every day. They are in fact a major part of living and perhaps these appliances — the fridge, the stove, the washer and dryer, the microwave, the television, and many more — are things we cannot do without. But we all know that its operation and use translates to utility bills and monthly bills that may eat up the budget, and also the use of energy. So, here are ways to use appliances in the home, in a more responsible and eco-friendlier manner. These suggestions will not only reduce the carbon footprint you contribute to the earth, it will also help with cutting down on your consumption, making your use more cost-effective and practical in the long run. 1. Keep in mind that the larger and bigger the appliance is, the more energy it consumes. So if you have to get a heavy-duty washing machine, for example, consider your usage very well. 2. Also consider the features of the unit as some appliances already offer energy saving alternatives that you could really benefit from. 3. Look for the Energy Star sticker, too, which means that as per US Department of Energy and the Environment Protection Agency, the appliance you’re choosing passes the energy standards. 4. Unplug machines when you do not have to use this. Don’t rely on the “sleep” feature as this eats electricity bit by bit, even if the TV, for example is seemingly off. 5. When the machine is broken, have this repaired because if you leave it in its defective condition, the machine will have to work twice as hard, which means it will eat up energy more. Keep these things in mind when using the gadgets you have at home. Just like eco fashion, using eco-furniture for the home or office is fast becoming a popular choice among consumers. Read my five reasons why you should invest into eco-furniture! 1. Natural or recycled materials. Eco-furniture is made of natural materials or recycled products and other materials that did not go a chemical process, like unbleached wool. These are derived from plants like bamboo and woods that are sustainable. 2. Easily degradable. Some eco-furniture or home items are degradable after many uses, such as a mattress or pillow. You wouldn’t have to worry about disposing this, when the time comes and a replacement is needed. 3. Home free of chemicals. Using eco stuff is one way of detoxifying your home and getting rid of items that are harmful to your family members and to the environment as a whole. For instance, changing into an organic bed or using organic bedding can help relieve one of allergies and other conditions that can be triggered when someone has sensitive condition. 4. Good for your health. Going organic also helps families with babies, as other furniture and items for the home are infused with pesticides that can be deadly and detrimental to health. 5. Handmade and locally sourced. Many eco-furniture cost more than regular furniture. This is because the craftmanship and the process to create this is really specialized. However, there are a few pieces that are more mid-range, if you look around enough. Investing is a lot more beneficial in the long run, as you can reap more benefits from this, health wise. Thus, it’s worth spending on and is actually practical and environmentally sound. Eat Locally! Buying local food not only helps local farmers thrive, it reduces energy consumption. Estimates on how long the average food travels from pasture to plate range from 1,200 to 2,500 miles. A lot of energy is expended freezing, refrigerating, and trucking that food around. Eating locally grown food means less fossil fuel burned in preparation and transport. Local food is often safer, too. Even when it’s not organic, small farms tend to be less aggressive than large factory farms about dousing their wares with chemicals. However, if you can afford to spend some money on organically-produced food, that would be the best option. Organic farms do not grow GMOs, or spray their crops with chemical pesticides, which are often extremely toxic for natural ecosystems and for our health.
Downshift your driving! As gas prices go up, downshifting our driving doesn’t just make sense environmentally, but it will also helps our wallets. A quarter of the trips Americans take by car are within walking distance, and each gallon of gas that we use equals 20 pounds of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere. Every year, Americans are driving more and more, as exemplified by kids’ commutes to school.
Break the bottled water habit! In 2004, the U.S. consumed 17 percent of the world’s bottled water—more than any other country—at almost 7 billion gallons. Making bottles to meet Americans’ demand for bottled water requires more than 1.5 million barrels of oil annually, enough to fuel some 100,000 cars for a year. Eighty-six percent of plastic water bottles used in the United States aren’t recycled. Incinerating used bottles produces toxic byproducts such as chlorine gas and ash containing heavy metals. Buried water bottles can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade. Moreover, while the demand for bottled water is up in the U.S., the Environmental Protection Agency had found that 90 percent of tap water domestically is safe to drink. Furthermore, studies show that at least 40 percent of bottled water is just tap water!
Beat the Heat, Wash in Cold! A whopping 90 percent of the energy used by a washing machine goes to just heating the water. You could save $60 or more on your annual energy spending by washing at least four out of every five loads in cold water! And you could reduce your CO2 emissions by 72 pounds in just one month by doing so! Washing in hot water is more likely to clean out your wallet than your apparel. Today’s more efficient clothes washers and laundry detergents make it possible to get even whites clean in cold water.
Bring Your Own Bag! Plastic bags don’t biodegrade, they photodegrade—breaking down into smaller and smaller toxic bits contaminating soil and waterways and entering the food web when animals accidentally ingest. Each year, an estimated 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are consumed worldwide. That comes out to over one million plastic bags used per minute. Billions end up as litter each year. According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion.) Hundreds of thousands of sea turtles, whales, and other marine mammals die every year from eating discarded plastic bags mistaken for food.
Though nature has been providing its own waterworks this year, one of the suburban signs of summer is the dedicated car owner, lovingly scrubbing his or her vehicle in the driveway. The sight has always seemed quaint and sort of nice to me, the way any instance of someone taking care of the material objects in their life seems nice. Some things to keep in mind for the next sunny weekend: 1. Conserve water: Apparently, washing your car in front of your house is actually pretty wasteful. A typical garden hose will use about the same amount of water as a commercial wash after only 2 minutes. A water-saving nozzle helps, but no matter how skimpy you are with the water at home, commercial washes are more water efficient, especially because they tend to recycle water. Even their recycled water typically mixes 40 to 80 gallons of fresh water for each car that goes through the wash. 2. Go waterless: Car washes using no water and environmentally-friendly cleaners are popping up around the country. 3. Use responsible detergents: At home and at the car wash, the detergents should be a cause for concern. Phosphates and toxic chemical runoff have a major impact on our water systems, so look for facilities that don’t use ammonium bifluoride and hydrofluoric acid-based cleaning solutions but rather phosphate-free, biodegradable detergents. Another way to ask about this is to request EcoLogo certified products. 4. Use recipes for homemade car cleaners, including soap, wax, and tire cleaner. 5. Drain responsibly: It’s recommended that you pour any dirty carwash water into the sink or toilet rather than the storm drain. Of course, it would be better for the environment to rely on public transit, renting a ZipCar or similar service when necessary. Many Americans don’t have that choice, however, but regular maintenance like proper washing can help make car finishes last longer. Cars are actually threatened by environmental factors like industrial emissions. These deposits along with bugs, tree sap, and bird droppings can get baked on the car surface, causing permanent stains or damage. Making stuff last longer is one way to reduce the amount of stuff we consume. 1. Plant your own herbs and tomatoes at home
You can find many designs for planting herbs at home online. Give it a try, because it will save your money, environment and even make you feel good about yourself. 2. Quality over quantity No need to comment here. You get what I mean, right? 3. Cook at home from whole foods and bring your own water Use food containers and reusable water bottles to bring with you lunch to the work/school. It is healthier for you and even helps the environment. 4. Compost biodegradable waste Yep, you probably know this one. 5. Borrow from friends or neigbors Did you know that there are whole blocks of apartment buildings, where people share tools? It has been like that in the past and maybe it is the time to reintroduce this idea to your circle of friends or neighborhood. 1. Recycling is a temporary solution You learned that recycling means to collect the waste selectively, in such a way that the packaging material has to be melted and processed into a new material used for other purposes. But the real recycling means Earth Day with the transformation of a used object in another. In an ideal world, recycling would create an infinite loop. 2. The plastic is not biodegradable The plastic is photo degradable, particularly break into smaller and smaller particles that do not disappear. In the ocean, animals ingest these particles, thinking they are food. Plastic remain on the planet long time and contributes to the soil contamination. Show to your children what happens to the plastic in the ocean, show them pictures of birds that ate waste. 3. Forests are not destroyed mainly because of the paper and wood items Deforestation occurs primarily because of the development of farms. The UN estimates that in 40 years, the rainforest will disappear. Their destruction releases the carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. The methane produced by large animals contributes to pollution. 4. Most of the carbon dioxide comes from human activities Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that contributes to the global warming. CO2 is like a blanket that keeps the heat in the atmosphere and cause the rise of the planet’s temperature. Since the Industrial Revolution, the rate of temperature increase is alarming. Human activities, such as transporting food, have a great impact. In 25 years, Arctic ice could disappear. The easiest and efficient solution is to slow down our lifestyle. 5. Children can make the difference Even small gestures matter. Packing a lunch pack in a package that should not be thrown in the trash will contribute to an economy of 250$ and will reduce the toxic waste with 30 kg. Children are sponges of knowledge and they can be persuaded to be responsible if they are told the ways they can contribute to what adults call, sometimes ironic, "saving the planet". Unfortunately, it is not a joke, Terra really suffer because of us. Sometimes we take ideas from different sources without putting them through the filter of our thinking. This is especially common in regards to environmental protection and especially global warming. Here are five myths many people believe, even though they are not true. 1. For many environmental problems it is too late to act Actually, the cooperation and innovation led to the improvement of the situation in recent years. For example, the ozone hole over Antarctica has begun to decline, due to the cooperation between countries, institutions and companies. 2. There are only a few options of renewable energy Actually, there are so many choices and it is the duty of humanity to try them all. Many of us know about solar energy and electric cars. But special solutions still exist like for example the processing of wood pellets to turn them into coal. 3. Moving to an economy with low carbon will be difficult "Green" workplaces do not lead to the decline of jobs and they are not killing the economy. Renewable energy actually creates three times more jobs than fossil fuels. Besides this, low-carbon energy means saving money. 4. We must forsake the "dirty" energies to make a difference Practically, we can capture and store carbon emissions underground. Technologies, which can do this will have an important impact on a short-term on the planet. Also, in development are investigations on advanced fuels, efficiency, modernization of energy networks. 5. Scientists believe that we are lost In reality, just a part of science’s community believes this thing. Nevertheless, we can be optimistic, because the costs for actions to tackle the climate changes are very low. Solar and wind energy is developing and electric cars are selling even better than before. "Increase of material comforts, it may be generally laid down, does not in any way whatsoever conduce to moral growth." M. Gandhi
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AuthorNancy Ramon is a writer for online outdoor magazines and blogger about environment. She is a vegan, a cat lady and a fighter for animal welfare. Archives
October 2017
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