Have a Drink To Celebrate Our Independence!

July 4, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Raise your glass on the 4th of July. Say a toast to our land and our freedom. While you are celebrating, remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate in this oppressive summer heat that most of the country is experiencing. Remember to take reusable water bottles for all the members of your family, including the four-legged ones.

One of my local television stations put a reminder up on Facebook about how dangerous this heat is. It reminded the public that water is best, along with some limited sports drink consumption. Everyone needs to watch the coffee, alcohol and soda because those drinks can dehydrate us, said WQOW.

If you are going to spend the whole day outdoors, bring at least two reusable water bottles for each person. Like I wrote already, make sure you have water for your pet, if you are taking them with you. Bring Fido’s own water and bowl along.

One more reminder, no matter what, do not leave an animal in the car. In this heat, it does not matter how many windows you have open, the temperature inside a car gets dangerous in seconds. As a matter of fact, do not leave a person in the car either.

Have a safe and happy Independence Day! Remember to reduce, reuse and recycle, for America!

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The Good, Bad and Ugly Paper Products Part 2

July 2, 2010 by Leave a Comment

I wanted to expand a bit more on what makes most paper products like napkins, toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissue not just bad, but downright ugly.  One of the bad things is the amount of energy and water used to make virgin paper products.  Here’s a quote I came across from the University of Colorado’s Environmental Center which states:

  • One ton of recycled paper saves 3,700 pounds of lumber and 24,000 gallons of water.
  • One ton of recycled paper uses: 64% less energy, 50% less water, 74% less air pollution, saves 17 trees and creates 5 times more jobs than one ton of paper products from virgin wood pulp.
  • Recycling 1 ton of paper saves 17 trees (35’ tall), 2 barrels of oil (enough fuel to run the average car for 1260 miles or from Dallas to Los Angeles), 4100 kilowatts of energy (enough power for the average home for 6 months), 3.2 cubic yards of landfill space (one family size pick-up truck) and 60 pounds of air pollution. (Trash to Cash, 1996)
  • It takes one 15-year old tree to produce half a box of paper. Use both sides of all paper. (Midpoint International)
  • Recycled paper saves 60% energy vs. virgin paper (Center for Ecological Technology

Wow!  That sort of puts things into perspective.  You are literally flushing trees and energy down your toilet along with water.  Not to mention the pollution going up in the air.  It is one thing to raise trees to cut down to build homes and make durable goods, but the make disposable goods out of trees really is downright ugly.  Plus there are good economic reasons to buy recycled, more jobs that are truly sustainable.

The other ugly part of most virgin paper is the bleaching process that is used. The chlorine bleaching process creates waste-water that contains hazardous organic compounds, one particularly nasty one is dioxin.  Dioxin has been associated with cancer, liver damage, endocrine disrupting, birth defects and a long list of bad things in studies.  You can read more about dioxin at this link Dioxin facts from the CDC.  There are other ways to bleach paper that don’t pose the health risks associated with chlorine bleaching; oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and ozone.  I hope this helped to explain more about the negative effects of non-recycled paper products.  I actually look for recycled paper in everything; greeting cards, stationary, calendars, copier paper, school notebooks, and folders.  The next time you are in need of any sort of paper product see if you can find it recycled.

University of Colorado Recycling Facts

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Happy World Oceans Day

June 8, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Today is World Oceans Day. This became an official holiday in 2008. With the Gulf oil spill there has been attention, as of late, paid to the sea. It is easy, usually, to forget about how important the world’s oceans are, especially for people who don’t live near them. We forget that the oceans give us most of our oxygen. The oceans regulate our climate. Oceans give us food and medicine, and holds most the world’s biodiversity. The oceans also clean the planet’s water. Spread the word and wear blue today. The oceans are the cradle of all life on Earth, and it’s important that we remember, and honor that.  The link below will take you to The Ocean Project which will give you more information, including how to celebrate with Dr. Seuss.  Can you say “Red Fish, Blue Fish”?

The Ocean Project

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BPA in Your Receipts?

April 1, 2010 by Leave a Comment

Receipts

Is there BPA in the receipt from your last purchase?  There’s a very good chance there is.  So, what’s the big deal if there is?

Well, what do you do with your receipts?  Do you recycle them?  Could the receipts wind up recycled into toilet paper, and leach into the water table?  Do you just toss that paper?  Maybe the paper ends up in a landfull  (yes, I meant landfull).  When that paper breaks down won’t that BPA leach into ground water?

Perhaps the BPA will rub off on your skin, and absorb into your body.  If you don’t wash your hands after handling the receipts, you could ingest the BPA when you eat.  BPA is an estrogen-mimicking chemical.  There is growing concern over BPA use.  To find out more, please read the article attached.

Concerned about BPA: Check your Receipts

Filed Under: Environment, Health, Home Toxins, Plastic, Recycling, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,