Green Gal

This week, I took Beth Terry (of MyPlasticFreeLife.com )'s  Show Your Plastic Challenge . I met Beth last Sunday at a lecture she gave for Science Sundays at the Seymour Center at Long Marine lab, and I was inspired to be more conscious of plastic in my life and begin the process of living without it. You can read a little about Beth and the lecture that I attended  here . I purchased a copy of Beth's book at the lecture last Sunday, and I am LOVING it. She has not only great resources and facts about plastic, but she also includes practical solutions. I will be writing more about her book in future posts. The challenge is to " Collect all of your own plastic waste, both recyclable and non, for a minimum of one week ." I tried my best to do the challenge this past week, but I went home for the weekend (I spend most of the year on campus at UC Santa Cruz) and lost track of a few of the plastic items that I used while out to lunch with family. I also didn't pr...

Did you know that for the many uses we have for freshwater, and for the billions of people living on Earth, that we can only use 0.01% of all the water on Earth? Are you aware that the leaky toilet in your bathroom might be wasting 200 gallons of water daily? How about this: Energy Star rated CFL lightbulbs (the curly ones) use 75% less energy than incandescent lightbulbs because rather than produce heat to make light, they rely on a chemical reaction that takes far less energy to create. No, I didn't look these startling facts up online. I learned them today, among dozens of others, during training as an Energy Specialist for California Youth Energy Services , a program of the non-profit organization Rising Sun Energy Center . CYES provides free home energy & water consultations (Green House Calls) to increase the energy and water efficiency of homes in the San Francisco Bay Area, thus saving residents money on their utility bills. Founded in 2000, California Youth Energy Serv...

© Copyright 2010 Green Gal

The past few days, I've been thinking about what my goals are for greening my lifestyle. I scrolled through countless posts on The Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op blog , found awesome recipes for making my own soap and deodorant , and learned that you don't really need shampoo . And I've compiled a list of things that I'd like to try out in the coming month. Here is what I've come up with. Please feel free to figure out what works for you from my list and apply it to your life. It always feels rejuvenating to make goals and stick with them. Around the house: - Change my light bulbs to CFL/LED - Hang more laundry to dry outside since the weather has been so warm - Attempt making my own deodorant, soap, lip balm , and cleaning products - Go no 'poo--shampoo that is - Boycott paper towels and use old rags instead--and remind my mom and sister to do so, as well - Finally get a bucket to put under the faucet for the shower water while it heats up - Turn the TV off more ...

Joey Lee, executive assistant for Meatless Mondays, recently commented on my blog post , encouraging me to begin a weekly Meatless Mondays recipe post with pictures and recipe information for interesting, yummy, nutritious meatless meals. I’m hesitant to take on this project because of the obligation I am creating for myself, but I might as well try. It may turn into a bi-weekly or monthly post, depending on how well it works out. I’m not a huge cook, but I am definitely participating in Meatless Mondays (and have eliminated all beef from my diet), so I want to spread the word and encourage others to try it out. My first meal is a vegetable kabob dish with brown rice on the side. I bought my veggies pre-kabobbed from Trader Joes (so I didn’t pluck them from my own garden or select them from the farmers market), but making this meal with local, organic veggies only makes it taste better—and reduces your environmental impact! And the recipe is really quite simple. Ingredients: - fresh, ...

Did you know that cows are big contributors to global warming? Their waste gives off methane, a greenhouse gas that causes global warming. According to HowStuffWorks.com , "Cows emit a massive amount of methane through belching, with a lesser amount through flatulence...Some experts say 100 liters to 200 liters a day..., while others say it's up to 500 liters...a day...[either way, it's] an amount comparable to the pollution produced by a car in a day." So avoiding beef and dairy products helps reduce your contribution to global warming by reducing the need for as many cows in the world. Of course, one person boycotting the beef industry for a day won't do much, but if hundreds or thousands of people did, the need for beef and dairy would reduce and there'd be less cows polluting the skies. In fact, all animals raised for food contribute to the use of resources and water--everything does, of course. So reducing the consumption of chicken, turkey, and other far...

Our society and economy center around a cycle of purchasing, using, and throwing away. But this cycle is devastating to the environment due to its wasteful mindset. Most of what you buy comes in packaging, which is instantly disposed of. Recycling helps, of course, but it would be so much better if the packaging simply didn't exist, or was at least reduced to a minimum. Try to purchase things without packaging--produce from the pile rather than from the cellophane-wrapped pack. It's also important to keep in mind that consumerism is very much ingrained in our culture, and that this needs to change. Advertisements for the next best electronic make us greedy for the newest gadget--but we need to stop ourselves before we rush out the Apple store. We needn't buy the new appliance until our current one has died, otherwise we're continually fueling the landfills with perfectly good appliances. And even if we donate or recycle the old, it will eventually reach the landfill and...

I just looked up my mom's car, a 1998 Dodge Durango, to find its gas mileage. It's 12 miles per gallon, so for each mile driven, it uses 1/12 a gallon of gas. When multiplied by the number of miles I've ridden since April 20 (7 days x roughly 3 miles), the total amount of gasoline I've saved my mom is 1.64 gallons. (Some days my dad or step-mom drives me, but mostly it's my mom, so I'll calculate based on her car.) According to the EPA's website, the carbon emissions from one gallon of gasoline is 19.4 pounds/gallon. 1.64 gallons of gasoline x 19.4 pounds/gallon = 31.85 pounds of carbon dioxide I've kept from entering the atmosphere :) To calculate your own, check out the formula in the upper right hand column below the quote by Howard Thurman! (Photo credit: UNEP, www.guardian.co.uk)

When venturing out on short, quick trips to pick something up (from a nearby friend's house, from the market, the coffee shop, etc.), consider riding your bike, rather than driving. This afternoon for instance, my sister needed her science book from my dad's house a few blocks away. My mom was all set to drive her there, but I insisted that I ride my bike over. I did, and had a quite refreshing time--and I saved some gasoline and clean air! P.S. This week at my school is green week--yes, we're a week late. But today was spare the air day, and I rode my bike (free bagel!). Actually, I've ridden my bike 6 out of 7 of the past school days (last Friday looked cloudy and I didn't want to ride in the rain)--this year's record for me, I believe. I will be tallying my bike-riding days here on my blog. Though it's a bit chilly in the mornings, the refreshing ride brings energy and a feeling of accomplishment. 5 days (I rode to school and back) x 3.48 miles (distance ...

With the 39th official Earth Day on tomorrow morning's horizon, it is a very special time for environmentalists and those who appreciate the Earth. It is a time to celebrate our planet and start anew for a better tomorrow and a more sustainable future. I see it as a chance to make goals to reduce our environmental footprints, and to increase our literal footprints upon the natural areas we cherish. It makes me want to venture out on more hikes and go backpacking and actually be with the natural world that I care for. (Image credit: http://www.dnrec.delaware.gov/) So I say that Earth Day be treated like New Years, with resolutions and chances to start fresh on our impacts and lifestyles. Choose something, anything, that you can change to lessen your carbon or environmental footprint on this Earth that we are celebrating tomorrow. Write it down and start living what you want to see. And check your local park listings to see if any Earth Day celebrations or clean-ups are happening nea...