Urban Ecoist

Here in the DFW area, we’re having one of the wettest Springs we’ve had in years. Seems like we’ve only gone a day or two without rain this year. I’ve got plants drowning in the yard. It’s so wet that the mushrooms are rotting where they are growing. But here in a couple of months ( or even weeks ) it’s going to be dry and blazing hot again and when the water restrictions are in place, we’re going to wish we had all this rain back.

Which brings me to the point. All of this rain water washes into the gutters and storm drains and then into the nearest stream or river, mixes with all the other pollutants and contaminants and eventually down to Gulf - where it is virtually unusable.

I keep thinking how great it would be to be able to capture that rain and use it at a later time. Internet research time!!!!

Believe it or not, for every inch of rain that falls on a catchment area of 1,000 square feet, you can expect to collect approximately 600 gallons (!!!!) of rainwater. Here are some of the creative ways that people are capturing and reusing rain water. One of the most common ways people capture rain water is in rain barrels. There are numerous brands and types of barrels out there. Typically they come in 60 gallon to 80 gallon models. Say you have a 2,000 sf home, and decided on the 80 gallon barrels. If it rained only 1 inch, you’d need at least 15 barrels. Unfortunately, at $80 to $150 a piece (IMHO) they are still a bit too expensive for the average homeowner.

RainSaver also has a 80 gallon system, but it sells for $299 (and is way out of my budgeting league).

Of course, if you’re a cheap skate, you could try using 55 gallon garbage cans or perhaps even a stock tank. Another idea would be to check with a soda pop distributor… Supposedly they have 55 gallon food-grade drums, perhaps they could be gotten cheaply… perhaps even FREE!!

For more information (stats and statistics) please see the Rain Barrel Guide.

rain, barrel, conservation, water

For a lot of people, a computer is the main tool they use at work. Optimizing the energy settings for computers and other devices can be more than a modest energy saver. With this in mind, here are a few applications/tools/widgets to help you.

So I received an email from Snap today. I use their product on my other blog ‘Hand Cramp Crochet‘. In this email was a link to CO2 Saver. It’s a small, Windows based program that help you manage the amount of energy you are using. The less electricity produced, the fewer harmful emissions and greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) are released into the atmosphere. (And that’s a good thing!)

Another interesting little tool/widget I found is the EcoWidget. It looks like a nifty little tool. Right now, it’s availability is a little skimpy, and really only available to Yahoo! widget user… however it will provide you with up-to-date Green News, daily tips and tricks to help you become more green. Also included is a local search functionality. You can input your zip code and find out where the local coops, and such, are located.

CO2, Yahoo, Snap, greenhouse, emissions. widget, green

Internet surfing again.

I found this interesting, albeit seemingly not so useful, recycled wallet made out of cassette tapes at DesignBloom. I think they are cute, but have some concerns about the durability. Additionally, they are most-likely assembled using some sort of glue. Is it safe? Additionally, what about the innards? The miles and miles of cassette tape? Is she recycling that? Making it into something useful? Or has it ended up strewn on the highway somewhere?

No offense intended towards Marcella Foschi. I’m sure she has acted responsibly in the manufacturing of her wallets (which are all but sold out!) BTW, I looked for a website for her… if you happen to find one, please let me know. =)

recycle, green, upcycle, DesignBloom, cassette, tapes

How many times have you done it? You run into the drugstore or convenience store, you grab a soda, or a birthday card, or a bottle of aspirin. While you’re passing your checkcard through the reader, they bag that cola. You get your receipt and ten steps later you’re in your car and the bag in in the trash, or the backseat, or floating in the wind.

Just say no.

Reduce, BYOB, Bring You Own Bag

So, as I suggested I might earlier this week, I went ahead and purchased 6 of the IKEA blue bags, for use in my grocery shopping endeavors. Unfortunately, since I am relatively new to this way of thinking, I have forgotten at least 3 or 4 times to take my bags into the store with me and have been forced to take home more plastic bags than I wanted.

However, this weekend the Domesticated Barbarian and I went shopping. We hit several stores, and each time I walked out of the store with my item in hand - sans bag. It was a start. Today I had to do the grocery shopping on the way home. I remembered to take in my bags. (Yay, for me!!!)

I took in 3 bags, but only needed 2 to carry out $101 in groceries. The lady who checked me out was very nice about the whole affair. Here in the DFW metro, I bet I’m one of the very few who bring my own bags. Needless to say, I walked out of the store totally and completely proud. Additionally, I drive a truck, so my groceries go in the bed… I only had two flaps to tie. Once I got home, only one trip to get it all in the house. These bags are big.

For my first attempt at this, I could not have asked for more. =)

Reuse, plastic bags, reusable bags, IKEA, BYOB

The month of May is a time of renewal; a time of celebration. In the month of May we often revel in the Spring flowers beginning to bud. We’re thankful for the rains that come and wash all the gray of Winter away. We celebrate our Mother’s. Here in the US, we celebrate the fallen soldiers of our many wars (not that they are dead, but the contributions they made to our freedoms) on Memorial Day. Yet, in all of this, we rarely think to celebrate ourselves.

Our days are filled with the trials and tribulations of every day life. We may not all be dealing with cancer or job loss, but there are always more chores to be done, gridlock to sit in, and fewer hours in the day than the list of errands requires. So many of us spend hours getting ready in the morning… putting on our faces so that others will find us attractive, or at least pleasing to look at. We spray ourselves with colognes and perfumes, to make ourselves smell like flowers or spices (or musk.) We wear uncomfortable clothing in the hopes of looking cute, and shoes that cause us foot, leg and back pain. It’s such a hard road we travel.

It is with these morning and evening beautification rituals that I concern myself with today. I’ve been very concerned about all the chemicals we are putting on and in our bodies everyday. Concerned with the falsification found in everyday advertising. Every morning I use a moisturizing shampoo, but my hair remains dry. I also use a strengthening conditioner, but my hair still breaks. What’s the point of all the chemicals if they don’t work? Why do they lie to us?

So, I was doing my typical web research (aka surfing) and came across some interesting information. The folks over at Skin Deep have compiled a list of a lot of the products on the market and their list of ingredients. They’re taken that information and have assigned ratings to the products. A ranking of 0 indicates a lower level of risk than a 10. The scale is 0 to 10. Keep in mind that you can do what you want with this information. Take it to heart if you like, or think everyone’s lying…. it doesn’t matter to me. I think there’s a grain of truth in every lie.

At any rate, many of the products that I’ve made the switch to in the hopes of being better to myself, are really only marginally better than their chemical-laden, un-organically labeled brethren. To help with hair breakage, I was using Nexxus Botanoil, which is touted to have natural botanical oils in it. It ranks in at an 7 for containing products known to be associated with and/or cause cancer, developmental/reproductive toxicity, and allergies/immunotoxicity. Nature’s Gate Herbal Shampoo (the ‘healthy’ choice I switched to) ranks a 5. One of the lowest ranked products in the shampoo category was Revlon Flex Balsam and Protein Shampoo… Who would have guessed?
Just as a further example to prove my point, several Tom’s of Maine Deodorants rank 5 on the scale while Sure ranks in at 0 and Ban weighs in at 1.

One important thing to keep in mind about this information is the ‘data gap’… that is how much is known about that particular ingredient. One product may rank higher than another because very little safety information is available regarding the ingredients.

Do yourself a favor…. grab a couple of your ‘must-have’ items and look them up on this website. See where they rank. And then see if there is something else on the list that you might could try instead. You are worth it. You owe it to yourself. (And you can thank me later.)

green resources, beautification, cosmetics, cancer, skin

CNN reported recently that the city of San Francisco has decided to ban plastic bags from supermarkets in an effort to decrease the amount of waste the city’s population generates. The Supervisor of San Francisco states, “…the ban would save 450,000 gallons of oil a year and remove the need to send 1,400 tons of debris now sent annually to landfills.mad from petroleum products.”

I think this is an awesome idea. Most people don’t truly recycle their plastic bags anyway. Sure, people have made ingenious items with them, including bags, rugs, and even a whole outfit circa 1950. But most people are just using the plastic bags to carry lunch in or to scoop the poop from the daily dog walk.

Plastic bags are not recycled into more plastic bags. They are recycled into plastic wood (composite decking and the like), other non-recyclable plastic items. The next plastic bag you use will still be made of virgin material. Recycling plastic bags really just delays the inevitable - ending up in the local landfill or stuck in a local tree or pond.

So, what can we do? How can we help?
Most people don’t really see themselves as activists. They don’t really want to petition their local legislators and state representatives. They don’t want to hand out flyers (shall we talk about deforestation, and the pollution from the paper making process next?) and cards. If those statements fit you, here’s how you can make a difference.

Refuse the bag. If you only bought a soda, or a birthday card — skip the bag.
Bring your own. There are many online retailers now selling reusable bags.

recycle, plastic bags, green news, san francisco, BYOB

I keep running into this issue where I go into a store, but purchase enough stuff that I am required to take numerous plastic bags to get it out of the store.

I know there are several small bags on the market that fold away, allowing the purchaser to BYOB (Bring Your Own Bag) without having to carry a big bag or bags to get it done. But I suffer from another problem. I’m a crafter (yes, there… I’ve said it) and I oftentimes like to take my projects with me. I find that sitting in the theater, waiting for the movie to start is a fabulous time to crochet. It’s dark enough that if you want to pay attention to what I’m doing, you still have enough light to ask…. but dark enough that those who would think me strange (yeah, they can bite me) can ignore me all together. But rarely is my bag large enough to carry little more than a dishcloth sized project and a skein of Lily Cotton Twist.

Well… Feast your eyes on this…. Alchemy Goods Messenger Bag. I can’t decide what I like most about it… the fact that it’s made of recycled materials… or all those pockets…. or…. /sigh

Here’s a rundown of it’s wonderful features.

• Wicked-durable strap made from two RECYCLED seatbelt straps sewn together
• 100% waterproof exterior constructed from RECYCLED inner tubes
• Multiple internal pockets for books, packages and other items
• Internal cell phone pocket sits inside the bag, so it’s easy to hear and totally accessible
• T-strap stabilizes load while cycling
• Zippered front pocket for wallet or MP3 player
• High quality reflective tape for added safety
• Internal key clip for bike lock keys or house keys
• 13 x 8 x 11 inches (and expandable)

I think I am in love. The unfortunate part is that they are rather expensive ($148). I need to start a Ag Messenger fund… donations excepted… though not tax deductible.

green products, recycle, upcycle, Alchemy Goods, tires, seatbeats, bags

Starting March 15, 2007, IKEA began charging their customers $.05 per plastic bag they use to remove items from the store. This is in an effort to reduce the amount of plastic bags that end up in land fills. Did you know that according to the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. consumes over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps each year? Each year, Americans throw away some 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags, and less than one percent of them are recycled.

Once again, we are forced into a dilemma. During the 80s and 90s, we were always asked ‘paper or plastic’. Now, we are not even given a choice. The Film and Bag Federation states that “plastic grocery bags consume 40 percent less energy, generate 80 percent less solid waste, produce 70 percent fewer atmospheric emissions, and release up to 94 percent fewer waterborne wastes” than paper bags - making plastic the obvious choice. Additionally, in 2003, in cost grocery stores 1 cent per plastic bag and 4 cents for each paper bag.

National Geographic reports “Plastic bag litter has become such an environmental nuisance and eyesore that Ireland, Taiwan, South Africa, Australia, and Bangladesh have heavily taxed the totes or banned their use outright. Several other regions, including England and some U.S. cities, are considering similar actions.”

Read More Here

I think this is an awesome idea, and I’m considering driving to IKEA just to get the big blue bags…. I’m sure they’d be great for groceries too.

reduce, reuse, plastic bags, IKEA, BYOB

Just for a bit of fun this morning…

You Are Olive Green

You are the most real of all the green shades. You’re always true to yourself. For you, authenticity and honesty are very important… both in others and yourself. You are grounded and secure. It takes a lot to shake you. People see you as dependable, probably the most dependable person they know.

What Color Green Are You?

just for fun

Did you know that turning off the water while you brush your teeth, can save up to a gallon a minute?
Remember that wasting water also wastes power. Water has to be pumped to your tap, which requires a lot of energy.

green tip tuesday, water, conservation

Welcome, One and All!!!

Just wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and explain what I’m going to be doing here. I’m AntiChristy. I’m a 30-something Dallas native. I’ve been blogging for 3+ years. I’ve blogged on Blogger, Movable Type and WordPress. I’ve always been something of a hippie at heart, but was born a bit to late to fall into the ‘free love’ crowd.

My obsession with the ‘quest for green’ (and no I don’t mean money) began 3 or so years ago. My father was dying of pancreatic cancer (like his mother before him) and I had just developed strange, itchy patches on my hands and skin. I set out to save my father, and hopefully make myself well again. My father died; my itchy patches are still there, but my scope has widened. Now, I search for ways to make less of an impact on the planet, believing that in searching for ways to stop poisoning and polluting the environment that I’ll stop poisoning and polluting myself. (How’s that for sounding like a hippie?!?!)

In this search, I hope to cover emerging products and services designed to be more green, web resources to provide you with the tools you (and I) need to live greener lives, and other sources of inspiration to help you see how ‘groovy’ living green can be. Within these topics, I’m planning some DIY projects, and tips you can use to decrease your impact without making ‘going green’ a pain in the neck.

I’m really looking forward to sharing this endeavor, and I hope to hear from you soon.

-AntiChristy

green, recycle, upcycle, recycling, upcycling