Great Deal on Eco Friendly Wood Products
I found some great deals on environmentally friendly rubberwood or bamboo products from Sur La Table.
Kids Rocking Chair – $10
Bamboo Cutting Board, Set of 2 – $10
7 piece salad bowl set – $12.49
Bamboo Salt and Pepper Grinder Set – $19.96
Shipping starts at around $5.50.
Autism Could be Linked to Environment?
Autism is a mysterious disease that has dramatically increased in recent years and only speculations as to why. A new study conduced by the UC Davis Department of Public Health Sciences reports that the increase of Autism cases cannot fully explained by changes in doctor’s diagnosis. Many feel that this is the main reason that Autism cases have increase so much in the past 20 years, but this study seems to show differently. The scientists involved in this study feel that more research needs to be done in environmental factors that could affect babies and fetuses including:
- Pesticides
- Viruses
- Chemicals in household products
The exact results of the study were that less than half of the increase is due to the change in diagnosis of the disease. The only two factors that could cause such a huge change are genetic and environmental. Genetics are out of the picture since they could not change that much in such a short period. This leads the scientists to believe that it must be environmental factors causing the increase.
This is a very interesting issue that hits home to many people. The current rate of an autistic child being born is anywhere from 1 – 6 children out of 1000. That is a pretty scary number considering that it is also continually rising. I have heard many people blaming the rise on vaccinations. I am not sure if this is actually the case, but I can easily believe that environmental factors could be a huge reason for the increase. All the chemicals and pesticides in the foods we eat could easily be the reason. Also, there are tons of chemicals in our household cleaning products that could also be contributing.
Regardless of the fact that little research has been done to prove that environmental factors could be causing autism, I would take every precaution necessary. Some way that you may want to try that could reduce risks to your child while pregnant are:
- Make Homemade Cleaners and Pesticides.
- Buy Local or Organic Produce and Meats.
- Use more natural body cleansing products.
Are We Eating Too Much Meat?
The staple American foods has become meat. Not only can too much meat be bad for you, but it also has a major negative impact on the environment.
The Big Discrepancy
I always find it funny that when I am watching shows where the host travels to other countries, they are always eating tons of fresh fruits and vegetables and only eating small amounts of meat. Depending on how rural the area is, meat is usually a scarcity, but fruits and vegetables always seem to be plentiful. In America, it seems to be the complete opposite. Somehow meat is inexpensive and often the only food found in our meals, whereas fresh and inexpensive produce is extremely hard to find. It seems like such a normal things to many Americans, but if you think about it, it just doesn’t make much sense. Animals take years to grow to a point where they can killed. On the other hand, vegetables take a few months to grow and continue to reap produce for the remainder of the growing season.
Meat and Greenhouse Gases
Eating less meat does not seem like it should have a huge impact on the environment, but it does. Between the fertilizers for the animals crops, gases emitted by the livestock and transportation to markets cause tons of greenhouse gases. You would think that the most damaging part is the transportation, but it is in fact not the case. What is a huge surprise is that most of the greenhouse gases caused from producing meats and not transportation. The majority come from methane gases emitted by animals such as cows and fertilizers. Methane gases are actually much more dangerous for the environment than carbon dioxide.
The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization has estimated that meat production accounts for nearly a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.
That is one scary statistic and much of it is caused by the how dangerous methane gases produced by cows is on our environment.
Eat Less Meat
This trend we are on as a country is just not healthy. Don’t get me wrong, I am a meat eater and am by no means telling you to cut it out of your diet. A great suggestion by Dr Rajendra Pachauri is to not eat meat one day a week. Doesn’t seem too hard, but it probably is much harder than most people think. Almost everything we eat has meat it in. Instead of that meat burger you could substitute in a veggie patty. There are also other great substitutes including tofu and bean curd. If you still can’t find ways to cut meat out of your diet, you can always just eat more poultry and fish. They are far better for you health than red meats and less harmful for the environment.
How do you feel about the effects meat production are having on your diet and the environment and do you plan on cutting back any?
Pays to Live Green Up for 6 Months!!!
This blog has now been up for 6 months and the grown more than I could have imagined. I have gone from no page rank to a page rank of 4 and I continue to get more viewers every day. I appreciate all of my regular readers who have signed up for my RSS Feed or Email Subscriptions. If you are interested in tracking all of my latest content, be sure to subscribe to my RSS Feed or receive daily emails through email subscription.
I will be putting out a variety of interesting content including new calculators, more ways to save money and go green and much more. I will also be hosting a few contests over the next few months to reward my regular readers. Thanks again and be sure to keep reading.
Shower Water and Energy Use Calculator
( Updated 1/20/09 ) After making the various calculations for the Shower Saving Tips article, I realized that it would be helpful to have a water calculator that would not only calculate the amount of water used, but also energy. This calculator takes in various sets of inputs including:
Water Parameters
- Average Shower Time: Enter the amount of time you normally shower.
- Shower Head Water Usage: The number of gallons per minute your shower head uses. If you cannot find this value, many shower heads made today use 2.5 gallons per minute.
- Cost: The cost of water per 1000 gallons used. The national average is $2 per 1000 gallons.
Water Heater Parameters
- Energy Type: The type of energy you water heater uses. The typical water heater uses either gas or electric.
- Cost: The cost of one unit of the particular energy type your water heater uses. You can select the state you live in to get the average energy cost for the particular energy type your water heater uses.
- Efficiency: Is measured as an Energy Factor (EF), which is usually listed beside the EnergyGuide label. The higher the number, the more energy efficient the water heater. On average, an electric heater has an efficiency rating of .92 while a natural gas heater has a rating of .59.
- Water Temperature: The temperature of the ground water before being heated.
- Shower Temperature: The temperature at which the shower water is raised to. A temperature about 125 – 130 °F can be dangerous for use.
Hopefully this calculator helps you determine how much a shower really costs you and the amount you can save by reducing your shower time. Please share your findings with this calculator.
