Save Money, Save The World

It's been quiet around here. I'm not sure why, just haven't had a lot to say. Its been too hot to say anything. I've been too tired.

Enough of the blah blah woof woof. He's something I found recently and I am proud to say that I do most of it...
10 Ways to Go Green and Save Money
1. CFLs. Change all your light bulbs.
2. Energy-efficient appliances. Energy Star
3. Buy used if possible. There are several swapping websites
4. Make your own coffee.
5. Eat in more.
6. Ride a bike, walk, carpool.
7. Gas-saving driving. This and #6 are about the same as far as I am concerned but if you must drive get a hybrid of an high MPG car
8. Less waste. Packaging...Buy fresh produce and choose products that aren't packaged heavily. Recycle the packaging once you get something
9. Insulation. We really need to check this in our house but with temps like the have been this month we really need to work on fixing this, it will probably help our already super efficient HVAC.
10. Push mower. Yeah right! My yard is too big for this BUT you can find alternative groundcover. Find a nursery that specializes or features native plants (not lowes or home depot) and find a nice ground cover.

Summer

I've been pretty quiet on the green front but let's talk about summer. Its hot, I mean really hot. In Nashville its also really dry. I can't remember the last good rain. What that means for me is a lot of time inside with air conditioning and a lot more watering of plants.

We have two air units. One heatpump for up and one furnace/forced air for down.

Step one for proper heating and air, as it was told to me when I was replacing the old system, was getting the correct size. If you get a system too small you will over tax and burn the system out. If you get one that is too big you will have a big ol mess of inefficiency and that is what we replaced. We had a 40 year old furnace and a 15 year old air compressor (that didn't match style or size, which apparently affects efficiency as well). I had one guy tell me the furnace should have been in a museum.

Next part is the need for programmable thermostats. If you get a new system they are pretty much a given but if you aren't upgrading go ahead and buy one. They are easy to install and they can be very easy to use. Most seem to have 7 day sets and the ability to change the temp 4 times a day (morn, away, home & bed). And of course you can override what's set. I have mine set cold to get up, really warm (b/t 77 & 80) as the away setting, pretty cool when we get home and a little cooler for bed.

Third is maintenance. Change the filters regularly, our return vent filters upstairs are chnged every 30-60 days. The one filter for the furnace should be changed every 6 months. One tip they game me about the 30 day filters was buy cheap then spray with oil (like Murphy's) that will help catch more airborne allergens while putting very little strain on your system. The "HEPA" or other convoluted filters put more strain on the system than necessary. I also need to get the guys to come out and look but I figure I will wait for the weather to break.

Plant watering. I haven't been good at the watering schedule. I know the best time to water is early morning but I haven't done it then. Mostly, I have done it late afternoon/early evening. I need a timer. I need to do better.

Recycle

Part of being a good "green" citizen is living the "Reduce, Recycle, Reuse" mantra. In Nashville we are fortunate enough to have curbside recycling in most neighborhoods. They pickup paper, aluminum and plastic. I have faith that these items are actually being separated and recycled. I'm sure I could find out if I wanted to but I have faith. You'll notice they don't pick up glass. Well that's where "The Recycling Center" comes in. Just enter your zip code and you'll see all recycling centers in your area. I happen to have a full service recycling center within one mile of my house. Tara and I have been cleaning out the garage and the basement; in the garage we found some ancient household cleaners and volatile liquids and whatnot, my recycling center will take them from me.

Our recycling combined with our composting reduces our waste by something close to 90%. We have neighbors with 2 or 3 people in the house who put out 2 40gal trashcans each week and rarely put out the recycling container, which is picked up monthly. Tara and I put out 1 of the 40gal containers every other week and they rarely have more than 3 or 4 tall kitchen trash bags in them and we put out a full recycle container every month!

So, please rethink what you throw out and try to reduce, recycle and reuse more than you do now.


Technorati Tags: recycle, jai, household, waste, trash

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Meat

We are meat eaters. A lot of people think because you eat healthy you have to be vegitarians, that is far from the truth. What you do have to watch is where your meat comes from.

I can't say more than anything else but meat, the kind most of us eat, is enhanced, manipulated and man-handled. In addition to that the big American farms use an extraordinary amount of resources to raise consumable meat. Most of the grain grown in America is grown for animal feed.

The 7 billion livestock animals in the United States consume five times as much grain as is consumed directly by the entire American population

We've known the ratio of energy to pound of meat production was outrageously high for at least a decade. This energy required doesn't include the amount of water required and because of all of these factors my mother-in-law has started to avoid meat when she doesn't know whether it is grass-fed and/or free range.

Ideal Bite has some options. At the very least we need to talk to our butchers and fish mongers. Ask them where the meat comes from. Ask them if they have or can get free range and/or grass-fed meat.

I was listening to Barbara Kingsolver on Speaking of Faith and she talked about how all of these ideas of organic, locally produced, grass-fed, and what-not are considered elite eating now when just about 40 years ago they were the standard. We must get back to that. The food will be cheaper, taste better and help correct the damage done to our natural environs.

Powell's Books tells us...

about the Green Press Initiative.

This is possibly the hardest part of being green for me. I can easily give up cars, eat local, wear and use green clothes and eco-friendly stuff but I do not want to give up books, magazines and CDs.

Here is something that might help people like me.

Powell's, there's hardly a better bookstore.
Harry Potter goes green.

C3 Campaign - Eat Local and save the world!

Did you know that most food in supermarkets travels 1500 miles and generates 5 to 17 times more carbon emissions than food grown locally? Or that big box retailers only put $14 back into the local economy for every $100 spent in their stores, but locally owned businesses put back $45 of that same $100? How about that small farms use far less pesticides than large farms?
The Center for a New American Dream knows that every individual can have a significant impact on the environment, and our new Carbon Conscious Consumer (or C3) campaign makes that impact visual. Each month from July to December c3.newdream.org will highlight a new, simple way each individual can make an impact, plus show the difference each person makes both individually and along with the people they’ve influenced.
This month, reduce your carbon footprint by eating 1 pound of food locally. You’ll reduce carbon emissions, pesticides, even packaging, all while helping your local economy. Then, increase your impact by spreading the word. The participant who convinces the most people to take on the challenge will win a landscaping package that features local plants, herbs, and vegetables. Find out more at c3.newdream.org

Food

I've talked some about food about how my wife & I are part of a CSA and most everything we buy after that comes from Wild Oats or the Turnip Truck. I've also mentioned eating "in season" and/or local foods. I considered healthier b/c you limit shipping time thus its fresher. It's healthier b/c you limit the need to add chemicals that will maintain or increase shelf life. Now there seem to be even more reasons:

A ten-year study comparing organic tomatoes with standard produce found that they had almost double the quantity of antioxidants called flavonoids which help to prevent high blood pressure and thus reduce the likelihood of heart disease and strokes.

Organic fruit and vegetables really are better for your heart

So, the next time you go to Kroger or some other grocery store look for organic & local labels on your produce.

Nectaur of the Gods

I love beer. I don't drink it as much as I used to b/c I spend my money on other stuff and Tara says I snore (louder) when I drink. Is that too much info? Anyway, there are all sorts of cultural considerations with beer and ecological ones - it is made with grain which means you can grow organic ingredients. Of course, there is also the microbrew factor...local product, blah blah woof woof.

My suggestion is drink local. There is not a state in this union, I imagine, that doesn't have a local brew. Most cities do...

Good Anglican, Bad Anglican.

Over on Blog Blog Woof Woof, I've talked about the crappy part of my Episcopal Heritage but here we see the good side.

Richard Chartres, the 132nd Bishop of London, is one of the Church of England’s most outspoken members on climate change issues. We recently featured news of his personal attempts to cut his own carbon emissions, but how is his fast progressing? The Guardian recently visited him to see if his home life was as green as he is trying to make the entire church.

To bottle or not to bottle

The great water debate.

I have never been a bottled water kind of person, except when it comes to sparkling...I love me some San Pellegrino (at least they use glass bottles). If I was on a road trip or out for awhile I would probably buy a bottle but only b/c of portability.

Tara is a filtered water kind of person but she learned somewhere along the lines to buy in bulk. She would buy a jug, fill it up at one of the health food places and refill her drinking bottles from that. When we remodeled the kitchen we decided to get a filter and drinking water spigot for the kitchen sink. We use it for cooking and drinking and the filter is changed once a year. Tara talks about a whole house system but I don't know why. I don't know why, I just don't think its justified.

Below are 2 articles that discuss bottled water.

Is bottled water safe?

The next time you feel thirsty, forgo the bottle and turn to the tap. You’ll not only lower your environmental impact but also save money—bottled water can cost up to 10,000 times more per gallon than tap water. And because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for tap water are more stringent than the Food and Drug Administration’s standards for bottled water, you’ll be drinking water that is just as safe as, or safer than, bottled.

There is also the environmental impact. Which is an extremely ugly part of our consumer, appearances-mean-more culture

FTC wants to stop Whole Foods/Wild Oats deal

Nashville has limited options for organic food, the largest, most extensive selection is at Wild Oats of which there are two. Both are on the SW or West side of town closets to the richest of the rich in Nashville. The closest of the two for me is completely across town, about 12 miles, not convient and not terribly practical or eco-friendly. Fortunately my wife goes to church near there and can make a side trip on Sundays. My neighborhood is blessed with a wonderful, small independent store, Turnip Truck, about 3 miles from my home but they have no deli or fish monger or butcher. It could basically fit in the bread aisle of Wild Oats. A couple of years ago we all heard Whole Foods was coming to town and there was the faintest hope they would build east or north. Did they? Of course not. They built about 200 yards from Wild Oats, same side of the street and everything.

Greg Mays, chairman and CEO of Wild Oats, said in a statement that Wild Oats would cooperate with Whole Foods in fighting the FTC in court.

It means nothing to me if Whole Foods gets it's way. Neither chain is helping me by locating all on one side of town.

The article is here.

Green Coffee to Go

This tip is close to my heart. I love my coffee. I never seem to get enough. If you work in an office ceramic mugs works great. If you work in a retail type establishment where you might have a locker I would suggest a travel mug with a top. The purest coffee making process is the coffee press. Try it.

Papel Ecology

The more I read Buddhist Philosophy the more I recognize Christianity. With the right Pope the Catholic Church can stay closer to the these universal principals than anyone can imagine. It looks like the Church has the right Pope.

Whispers in the Loggia: On the Environment: A VP's "Inconvenient Truth" = The Vatican's "Inescapable Reality"

The fourth Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations, the 54 year-old prelate's two direct predecessors were brought back to Rome and given red hats at the end of their UN days; before Migliore's 2002 arrival, the post was held for 15 years by then-Archbishop Renato Martino, now on double duty as cardinal-president of the Pontifical Councils for Justice and Peace and Migrants and Itinerant Peoples. In a recent speech in Columbus, the Observer cited the "inescapable reality" of the "degradation" of the cosmos and offered some tips on how to combat climate change:

It comes down to "working less, wanting less, spending less," thus reducing the impact each person has on the environment,

Archbishop Celestino Migliore told participants gathered in Columbus for the second in a series of regional Catholic conversations on climate change April 14. [In the interests of context, the full quote was "In the States this movement is often expressed in terms of so-called voluntary simplicity, that is, a way of life that tends to involve patterns of working less, wanting less and spending less. In other parts of the world, it focuses on a radical criticism and opposition to the current economic and market systems."

Technorati Tags: environment, catholic church, christianity, buddhism

Indoor Air Quality

We struggle with our houseplants. Neither Tara nor I have terribly green thumbs, we just let the plant do what it does. Outdoors we've been far more successful with this technique than indoors but we keep trying. I've mentioned over on Blog Blog Woof Woof that we used Feng Shui as a guideline for interior color choices. Another common "cure" for household ills is the use of houseplants. In Feng Shui it relates to life generating chi and living opjects moving chi. And come on, who doesn't smile a little when you see healthy plants. Ecologically houseplants help purify the inside air as well as raise humidity levels which helps reduce dust and dirt. They can literally "cure" ills.

I inherited a spider plant from one of my previous jobs, it grew and grew at my office but when I took it home it stagnated. It's still alive but it has grown much over the past few years. Last year we bought a plant for almost every room in the house and struggle to keep them alive. We tried again and so far, so good; they all are healthy. There is one room where we have a larger plant or two and these are a constant struggle. We try to make sure they have light and water but they are always dropping leaves. If you have suggestions I would love to hear them.

Principals

Working in a library gives me the opportunity to see all sorts of books I wouldn't necessarily know about. Just yesterday one came through that I have decided to check out in an effort to present you with solid, researched info on the topics at hand. The book is from 2001, it is called Green Living by Sarah Callard & Diane Mills.

In the introduction they present 5 principal changes we should all work to make in our lives in an effort to regain the balance of nature which we have most certainly upset. They are:

• Decrease reliance on fossil fuels - say energy, choose plant-based materials, avoid petrochemicals
• Reject all toxic pesticides - organic eating and gardening
• Stop buying plastic - duh!
• Recycle as much as possible - reuse, reject disposible stuff, & compost
• Buy from sustainable sources - buy FSC wood products, bamboo, fair-trade

Green & Black's Goodness

When I first started this blog I couldn't decide whether I wanted to call it Black & Green or Green & Black. I decided on Black & Green with the knowledge that some of the finest chocolates I have ever tasted come from Green & Black's I didn't want to take the chance of infringement. Of course, now that I am touting their glory maybe I can get some samples. Please?!?! Thanks to Marjorie for reminding me to mention them. And Marjorie I will share them with you if I get any.

If you are used to Hershey's, even their new found appreciation for dark chocolate, you have no concept of what a treat and shock you are in for the first time you try Green & Black's. Even knowing this I was flabbergasted when my adorable wife brought home some of their ice cream. You do not understand the glory of chocolate ice cream until you try some of this. Words do not suffice.

You must try Green & Black's!

From their website:

From those early days back in Portobello, London, it's unlikely Craig & Jo could have envisaged what a huge success Green & Black's would become. Today, we remain true to their original values of ethical trading & organic products and our aim continues to be the creation of chocolate products that gives a taste experience like no other. We believe every new creation has to be the best of its kind we've ever tasted & take time and care to bring out the intense flavor that has now become our trademark.

Native Landscaping

Last summer Tara and I started a landscaping project. We tore down a decaying wood fence along the property line and decided to replace it with shrubbery. Like most novices we went to Home Depot and bought some shrubs we liked. I had done research and thought I was getting native Tennessee plants but I was WRONG. More to this later. Most didn't do very well, which we figured was because it was Summer when we planted. Winter came and we finally got around to planting our anniversary tree (we decided to give ourselves a tree for our 1st wedding anniversary). To do this we called a nursery Tara's Mom has used and loves, Growild.

Let me stop here and say I cannot recommend these guys highly enough. They made the whole process one of the most satisfying shopping experiences I have ever had. I went to them with a few trees in mind and they made alternate suggestions based on where the tree would be placed and which ones would fair better for us. Keep in mind that they handle native plants only.

We chose a variegated tulip poplar, a yellowwood and a purple robe. They were planted in winter so I was quite excited to see what they would look like in spring. Spring sprang and they looked great, the purple robe was especially spectacular and then we had the record lows and extended freeze around Easter. These three trees have recovered wonderfully, I swear the purple robe is 5 feet taller already. The shrubs are a different story. Originally we bought a few butterfly bushes, a few burning bushes and a few crape myrtles. The crapes have done the best out of the lot. In the meantime we got a card for an open house type thing at Growild. There were nature walks and hay rides and food and music and a big sale. We took one of our nieces and came back with 3 shrubs and some ground cover plants (I am actually attempting to landscape).

Now I'll go back to what I said in the first paragraph about buying what I thought were native plants. I had a couple of books on landscaping and gardening in Tennessee which is where I got the idea for the shrubs we bought last year. This year at Growild I find out that none of them are native species and what's worse, Butterfly Bush is a "Category 3" invasive (Kudzu is a Category 1). Burning Bush is invasive & Crapes are non-natives but are not invasive. I ended up with three Nine-barks to replace the Butterfly Bushes. My point in talking about this is that you have to be very careful where you get your info. My sources were legit but at the least misleading, at the most incomplete and/or inaccurate. Last week a ran an experiment, I took Growild's list of available plants to Lowe's to see which natives they carried and out of all the plants Lowe's had only about half a dozen were natives. If you want native landscaping you won't find much at the big box home improvement stores.

Why am I stressing the use of natives? Two main reasons:

1. they are easier to maintain, they belong here so you really don't have to work too much with them
2. we've already caused enough chaos and destruction in our environment why not promote the growth of something natural.

The other plants I bought are used in an attempt to beautify my air conditioner compressors; you know, the big ugly outdoor part of a HVAC system. I wanted something that wouldn't get in the way but something that would look nice. I got several eco-lacquer spider plants and three heucheras; 2 "Autumn Brides" & 1 Purple Leaf Hairy Alumroot or maybe its a purple palace, I forget. These spider plants are small but they apparently grow a lot and quickly. They are low growing so they won't really cover up anything but I won't have to cut grass and these are interesting little plants. We'll see how it all looks after they grow and then I will chance some other areas, I already have ideas.

That is the saga of a landscaping novice.

Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again

Thanks to The Hip and Zen Pen for the Ten Things You Should Never Buy Again

1. Styrofoam cups
2. Paper towels
3. Bleached coffee filters
4. Overpackaged foods and other products
5. Teak and mahogany
6. Chemical pesticides and herbicides
7. Conventional household cleaners
8. Higher octane gas than you need
9. Toys made with PVC plastic
10. Plastic forks and spoons

Technorati Tags: eco-friendly, shopping, consumption

Ideal Bite

I've just added a widget for the "Daily Bite" to the sidebar and I highly suggest checking them out regularly or signing up for the daily bite in your inbox. These guys do lots of research for the tip of the day. If they suggest something to buy they always give you multiple options. Great source.

Ideal Bite: a sassier side of green

Mold sucks!

I have problems with mold in the shower. I try and try with natural cleaners but to no avail.

Hopefully these National Geographic suggestions will help: Fight Mold Without Chlorine