At least once a month a new idea to further sustainability and local living economies will be posted. Should you have such ideas you would like to pass along, forward them to me.
July, 2009 - Remember to shop at any of the local Farmers Markets for fresh food, locally grown! April, 2009 - For information regarding Monsanto's latest efforts to appear "green" and emphasize the need for biotechnology look at the lead article in http://www.organicconsumers.org. While there check out some of the links to other organically-oriented websites. March, 2009 - Explore your carbon footprint at www.carboncounter.org The use of non-renewable resources is a major concern to many of us.
February, 2009 - If buying organic isn't possible choose fruits and vegetables which are least likely to be contaminated. To learn more go to www.foodnews.org and down load their "Shoppers Guide to Pesticides in Produce."
JANUARY, 2009 – If, during this cold weather you are not hanging clothes outside, or whenever you use your dryer, try placing a weighted tennis ball in the dryer. Seriously. By filling a tennis ball with a few pennies and putting it in your clothes dryer with your damp laundry, you can cut your drying time significantly. The ball works to knock your laundry around more, allowing the warm air to flow more freely. December, 2008 - Housing and energy efficiency Some real estate agents and lenders work with buyers who want to buy an older house then improve it to make it more energy efficient. An energy efficiency audit is done, the prospective buyers are informed as to what needs to happen to improve the home's efficiency and how much that will cost. The mortgage company provides an efficiency mortgage to cover the additional costs. this makes payments a bit higher, but the monthly energy bills go down enough to actually save money. In addition the renovation adds to the overall value of the home. Go to energystsar.gov and search for "energy-efficient mortgage." November, 2008 - Conserving Energy 1. Turn your computer off at night and during periods when it is not in use. It is more energy efficient to restart a computer than it is to leave it on overnight. 2. Set your computer power settings so that your monitor and computer go into power saving modes after a period of time when they are not in use. You can select that time period. 3. If you work in an office, encourage your employers to have computers turned off at night. Some networks can be programmed so that this happens automatically. Also, turn off lights when leaving the office and encourage your employer or employees to do the same. October, 2008 - Food Labeling There is a great deal of confusion regarding the labeling of food with such phrases as "natural," "heart healthy," and "smarter choices" placed on everything from baked potato chips to diet sodas. According to Dr. Andrew Weil (Self Healing, October 2008) most of these labels are placed by the manufacturers themselves and the manufacturers have decided the criteria by which the product is judged. Thus an item might be low in cholesterol but contain artificial sweeteners. Even a logo from the American Heart Association can be used in a confusing way - to focus on saturated fats and cholesterol levels, but with no attention to sugar and calorie content. Dr. Weil recommends two logos which look promising. The "Med Mark" - a brown vase with a white "M" for products which meet the health criteria of the Mediterranean diet and the ONQI - Overall Nutritional Quality Index. Check out these two programs at their websites: The Overall Nutritional Quality Index - http://www.griffinhealth.org/Research/ONQI.aspx The Mediterranean Diet - http://www.mediterraneanmark.org/ Of course, we think that it's best to buy locally grown, organic products as much as possible! September, 2008 Use Biodegradable/compostable trash bags when at all possible. One brand is "BioBag" . You could check out www.biogroupusa.com for more information. Avoid the use of plastic bags as much as possible. If you do use plastic bags return them to be recycled. |