Earth Hour 2008: Will you be in the dark?

On Saturday, March 29, (that's tomorrow, mark your calendars!) at exactly 8:00 pm local time, people all over the globe will be turning off their lights for an hour to show their support for energy conservation and to raise awareness of global warming. Sponsored by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the event will begin in New Zealand and work its way around the planet according to global time zones. Individuals, companies, and even cities are all getting in on it. Imagine entire skyscrapers, bridges, neighborhoods - suddenly blinking off. 

Why should you participate in Earth Hour? Turning off your lights for just one hour out of the year won't even make a dent in the level of carbon emissions, so what's the point? The point of Earth Hour is to raise global awareness of the connection between energy use and climate change. It will also prove to be a strong statement that will show who is taking action to fight global warming and who isn't. (Read the CNN article Will It Matter? to learn more.) 

But what if Earth Hour happened every Saturday? How about every night? What if everyone started dimming their lights an hour earlier at night, or if we ate dinner by candlelight once a week? What if every office building and big box store turned off its lights at night? (Is it really necessary for the inside of a store to be lit up at 3am?) While Earth Hour 2008 may not impact global warming immediately, it can still serve to be an example of how changing our habits can bring about real positive change.

Earth Friendly Living Tips

Last week we learned about how to reduce, reuse and recycle plastic bags.Thanks Sarah!

This week let's think about paper- how much gets thrown away, and how many trees it takes to make all that paper we use.

One of the biggest wastes of paper is junk mail!
I personally shred and compost my junk mail, but according to ForestEthics, 44% of that mail is thrown away unopened. Here are some more facts about Junk Mail delivered annually in the US:

• 100 billion pieces
• 800+ pieces per household
  
• 1/3 of all the mail delivered in the world
• 6.5 million tons of paper
  
• To produce the paper- over 100 million trees, and more greenhouse-gas than 3.7 million cars produce

Help Stop Junk and join the 'Do Not Mail' Campaign
From the makers of 'Do Not Call', we now have 'Do Not Mail'! (From the Gristmill 3/11/08) Sign the petition to help get a 'Do Not Mail Registry' or use their opt-out tool for now.

Nineteen billion catalogs are mailed in the United States each year!
There is also an online service called Catalog Choice developed by the National Wildlife Federation, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Ecology Center. Also see the article
Deforest Your Mailbox By Eric Wilson, Published: NY Times- October 18, 2007.

This Week-From Rachel

I Made Yogurt!

Why would you do that?, you might ask, don't you know they sell it at the grocery store in handy little cups? I know you're also wondering, are you sure that's safe?

Well I'm certainly alive and well, and people all over the world have been fermenting milk into yogurt for thousands of years. The convenience of processed options causes us to forget how possible it is to make things by hand.. MORE

Help Stop Junk - 'Do Not Mail' Campaign

From the makers of 'Do Not Call', we now have 'Do Not Mail'!
I know sometimes it's nice to see something in the mailbox, even if it is junk, but think about the following numbers next time you pull a handful of wasted paper out of your mailbox...MORE

Spend Less and Eat Healthier-Benefits of a Good Grocery List

How to plan your grocery list to avoid impulse purchases
I can get in and out of the grocery store in less than half an hour. I spend almost half of what I used to on weekly groceries and I buy healthy food. What's my secret? I have a good organized system. With just a little planning ahead and a really good list, you too can avoid those little impulse buys that can add up to have big effect on your budget and your waistline...MORE

If you're not tired of reading yet, here's more!

Kitchen Meditation/St Patrick's Day Pudding
Project: Use less Plastic
Big Organic
Pesticide Residues in our Food (and Milk!)

This Week - From Sarah

Here's the latest from RedWickerBag Design's blog:




What I'm All About...
Ever since I took up bookbinding as a side project, I have become hooked on strange and interesting papers with unique textures, vintage patterns, and rich colors. One paper that I am currently working with is called Ellie Pooh Paper, which is made from 75% elephant dung and 25% recycled rice paper, and is helping preserve the elephant population in Sri Lanka. I know, I know...everyone's first reaction is the same: "Elephant what?" Yes, elephant dung. And yes, I know what that means: elephant poop. I also know what your first question will be: "Why would anyone make paper out of poop?! And how?!" I'll explain...
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My First Commissioned Book
I recently finished my first commissioned book. Click here to see it in my Etsy shop. A friend of mine came to me and asked me to make a custom journal for him, which was exciting for the both of us, since he got to pick out exactly what he wanted it to look like, and I got to work on my first custom design.
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Earth-friendly Living & Crafting: Forum Report #1

Plastic Grocery Bags

One green-living movement that has been picking up steam these days is to bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store. I've seen handmade canvas totes, bags of heavy-duty plastic that last longer, and even the logo-printed kind that some stores are selling next to the check-out counter. This week I'll be talking about why plastic bags are so bad for our environment and our economy, as well as the many benefits of using reusable bags. Next week I'll share some creative tips on what to do with all those plastic bags that you already have lying around.

The prevalence of plastic today has become an ever-growing problem. It's almost impossible to buy anything that is not either made from plastic or wrapped in plastic packaging. Rachel has some good posts on A Touch of the Past about using less plastic in her life, and I enjoy reading this woman's blog as well about her quest to live plastic-free for an entire year! It's a daunting challenge, one that I'm sure would require a lot of will power and patience.

We've all seen those sad pictures of animals with plastic rings caught around their necks, and we've all seen roadways littered with bottles, bags, and other plastic junk. And if you haven't seen the news story about the island of plastic trash larger than Texas that's floating in the Pacific Ocean, you can find a lengthy and enlightening, though somewhat disturbing, article here. While plastic grocery bags are not the only plastic products adding to the problem, they do make a pretty hefty contribution. It's estimated that one million plastic bags are consumed worldwide every minute. And since all those bags can't decompose, they have to go somewhere, right?

Even ignoring all the environmental impacts, there are major economic benefits as well to using reusable grocery bags. If Americans stopped using plastic bags at the grocery store for one year, we would save 12 million barrels of oil that would have been used to make those bags, and retailers would save $4 billion. What could we do with an extra $4 billion dollars floating around in the economy?

So where can you find some of these eco-friendly reusable bags? Most large grocery stores sell their own for only a couple dollars, and you can also find inexpensive and sturdy canvas totes that smaller shops print their name on. You can even make your own out of old clothing or other fabric. Or, if you want to support other crafters, check out my recommendations that I've found on Etsy:

Kootsac: Reusable bulk food bags made from ripstop nylon.
Remarket: Reusable mesh produce bags.
Fashion Green T Bags: Shopping totes made from recycled t-shirts
Weather and Noise: Canvas totes printed with "I Exercise Ethical Consumerism"

Thanks for reading!
Sarah

This Week-From Rachel

New Online Photo Gallery

I am proud to announce my new photo gallery online- where you can order different sized prints of my photos, and other items made with my photos...

Monosodium glutamate (MSG) is still here?

Most studies since the MSG scare found that that it has no effect on most people if used in normal concentrations (In 1995 the FDA cleared MSG as a health risk), but MSG still has a stigma attached to the name. It is still there in our food, but with a different name...

Clearing the Clutter- in the Kitchen

I wrote this article after hearing about a new book, 'Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat?', about how clutter in the home can be detrimental to our health. While some of it may be hype for another fad diet, I believe there is some truth to the idea that having a disorganized kitchen can make it difficult to eat healthy...

Thanks for reading, have a great weekend! It's going to be another cold one here in Wisconsin, hopefully spring will come someday...
Rachel
www.touchofpast.com

Earth Friendly Living Tips

Top 10 Simple Ways to be Green' at the Office

Last year, instead of business as usual', we looked at ways we could be more earth friendly. Many green options are also more efficient or save money over time, which is always good for business.

1. Carpool- If you can ride together to work you will use less fuel and also get to know your coworkers. Think of all the time you will have to think of new green ideas while you're riding to and from work together!

2. Reuse and Recycle paper- Buy recycled paper, print on the back sides of faxes or other paper you would normally toss, make notepads from half sheets, and of course recycle all paper products.

3. Recycle in the break room- Provide bins for recyclables and encourage people to use reusable containers if they bring their lunches.

4. Save Water- Make sure your faucets and toilets are running efficiently, fix any leaks or drips and use newer energy efficient models.

5. Turn off lights- Offices or rooms that are not occupied do not always need to be lit up. If you have windows, natural light can be much more pleasant than bright office lights.

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