Recycled Toilet Paper: A Change for the Better
You have all the seen the numerous ads about how each toilet paper’s brands are the “softest” on the market. It seems to have come somewhat of an obsession with Americans to have these fancy toilet paper. The biggest problem with this splurging is that it is having a major effect on our environment. The biggest problem with “fluffy” toilet paper is that it must be made from still standing trees. This means that recycled paper cannot be used to make it. This is a huge problem considering that millions of trees across North and South America are being cut down each year to supply this luxury that is so unnecessary.
Currently, wood from sustainable forests only makes up around 25% of the total amount used in the production of these fancy toilet papers. So where does the rest come to make the toilet paper? Well, many old forests that have been standing for many years in North America are being cut done to get the remainder of the wood. These types of forests contribute to absorbing our excessive amounts of carbon dioxide and can help reduce the constant risk of global warming. This seems like a huge price to pay just so that we can have slightly softer toilet paper.
Recycled Toilet Paper
There are alternatives available on the market to the “fluffy” toilet papers that are made from recycled materials. Granted they are often not as soft nor quite as strong as brands like Charmin or Angel Soft, but who really cares. You are only going to be using the toilet paper once. The National Resources Defense Council has a great guide to how environmentally friendly many of the more popular toilet papers are. Some of the top brands are:
Seventh Generation
Seventh Generation has one of the more popular recycled toilet papers because of it’s softness and use of 100% recycled materials with more than 80% of that is post-consumer. They also do use any chemicals or dyes and are safe for septic tanks. They have two types of toilet paper, 2-Ply, which is thicker and easier to use or the 1-ply version that is more environmentally friendly but a little harder to use.
Green Forest
Green Forest is on par with Seventh Generation as they are one of the softer recycled toilet papers on the market and use 100% recycled materials with more than 90% of it post-consumer. On top of one of the better quality toilet papers, Green Forest is also affordable at about 44 cents per roll for a 2-ply.
There are other brands out there at a local natural food store and even in major grocery stores including Marcal or Earth First. What type of toilet paper do you use and where did it end up on the environmentally friendly list?
Cutting Back Fast Food For Greener Lifestyle
Eating fast food in a regular basis is not uncommon for many Americans. I could not find a specific number, but I would guess the average person in America consumes anywhere from 2-3 meals a week meals from a fast food restaurant. Not only is the majority of fast food not healthy for you, it is also having a major impact on our environment. We really need to cut back on our fast food consumption and change our lifestyles so we don’t continue on the rapid decline of our health.
Why So Popular?
A main reasons that most would say as to why they consume so much fast food is the taste, the cost and it’s quick. All three are true, but none are a good reason in my mind why fast food needs to be so often.
Have you ever wondered why fast food tastes so good even though it is so inexpensive? The biggest reason is that beyond just the poor quality foods are often used. Even beyond the meat and carbs that make up the items you are eating, there are so many additives in fast food. I found a great article called Surprise Ingredients In Fast Food that goes in great depth as to what exactly is in our fast food. Things like MSG ( monosodium glutamate), trans fats, artificial colorings and flavors and a variety of preservatives.
MSG is a food additive that adds meatiness to many foods and has become a popular ingredient in many processed foods. You may not see monosodium glutamate explicitly on the ingredient list, but it is in there in different forms including autolyzed yeast extract. You may have heard a lot of the negative press about trans fat, but fast food chains still use it heavily in frying and in many of their products. And why do they add food coloring to so many foods? Just so they make it more attractive to the consumer.
Take McDonald’s for example. The majority of the items on the menu have some additive in it to enhance the flavor. The scrambled eggs alone have MSG, partially hydrogenated oils and so many preservatives. It just doesn’t make sense that they add so many things to eggs considering they normally only require beating and cooking. Even there coffee and salads have similar ingredients. Just because salads seem like the “healthy” choice when going to a fast food restaurant, they usually aren’t. The dressing or meat are usually the main reason as salad is just not as healthy as advertised.
Even though I singled out McDonald’s, they are not alone. Some of the more popular fast food chains that are just as bad include Burger King, KFC, Wendy’s, Taco Bell and even Subway. Just because they may claim their food is healthy, doesn’t mean their food doesn’t contain an enormous amount of preservatives and additives in them.
Health Concerns
Just as I mentioned above, fast food restaurants use some of the worst ingredients that make up their products and drown them with tons of additives to enhance their flavor and appearance. On top of that, they usually give large portions to make it seem like a bargain. With so many people eating fast food so often, it should be no surprise that our country is currently facing an obesity epidemic. Approximately 60% of Americans are overweight and 25% are obese. I know some of the statistics may not be completely accurate, but I am not surprised at them at all.
There are so many diseases that come along with being overweight or obese. Stroke, heart attack, diabetes, high blood pressure and arthritis are a few of the major problems that can occur. The more weight your body holds, the more work it has to do, putting more strain on your heart and other organs. The ingredients I described above also contribute to many of the same problems. Partially hydrogenated oils and high saturated fats increase cholesterol and increase your risk of heart attacks or strokes. The high levels of sodium and preservatives can increase your blood pressure. There has not been anything proven that MSG can cause negative health conditions, but with nothing proving that it doesn’t, are you willing to take a chance?
I am in no way attacking somebody for being overweight or obese. Just because a person is underweight or the “typical” weight for their age and height in no way means that they are healthy. There are several people I know who as thin as a rail, but have some of the worst diets. Fast food is the staple to many of these people’s diets as well.
Is It Really Cheaper?
Along with the obesity epidemic, the health care system in our country is also suffering. With so many people on Medicaid and uninsured, our health system is suffering. Being overweight or obese due to an unhealthy diet that includes fast food is only making it worst. As many of you may know, I love to save money and prove it through numbers. I was able to find that your health care costs could increase by $19.39 for every pound a person is overweight. The cost varies depending on your age from $10.25 for individuals 25 years of age all the way up to $26.32 at 65 years old. In total, it adds up to a $127 billion cost every year.
That $1 burger may seem appealing now, but the fact that our health care system continues to increase it costs and insurance is becoming more and more expensive, is it really so much cheaper? Even though people who eat fast food may not feel the immediate impacts of their decisions, the rest of society is feeling the burden. With higher insurance rates comes lower salaries because companies have to pay higher insurance rates. Also, our health care system is suffering financial problem and an overwhelming number of people needing more and more care. This only makes the care we receive when we do need have a severe illness much worse.
Environmental Impacts
With the health concerns associated with fast food, the horrific impact it is having on our environment often gets pushed into the background. Everything they sell seems to be over-packaged and often made from non-recyclable materials. Just think back to the last time you went to a fast food restaurant. They give you 50 napkins, tons of unnecessary condiments and there are no recycling bins to be found anywhere.
It’s surprising that foamed polystyrene is still heavily being used in fast food restaurants. The foam plastic is a burden on our landfills. It just never goes away and has some major negative impacts on marine wildlife. Even the materials that can be recycled are still ending up in landfills. So much so that only 35% of cardboard and plastics end up going to recycling facilities. Let’s hope that many of these restaurants begin changing the materials they are using so that all can be recycled. They also need to start carrying recycling bins or do a better job in recycling. Their current numbers are pretty sad and just shows that they care more about increasing their profits.
Healthier Lifestyle
If you are eating fast food on a regular basis, it’s time to reconsider your currently lifestyle.
Work Less
Time is a huge factor in our lifestyles that needs to be changed. People are working longer and longer hours than ever and fast food seems like a good choice. Unless you have a wonderful spouse that will have a healthy meal waiting for you when you get home, is it really worth it to make a few extra bucks? Not only do you have more stress in your life working more, but you are becoming more unhealthy through horrible eating habits.
Make Meals at Home
Start making more meals at home. The big misconception is that you have to spend hours preparing and cleaning up a meal that it is not worth making it yourself. That is further from the truth. If meals are planned properly throughout the week and you use minimal utensils, it can take about the same time as going out to a restaurant. It’s also far cheaper to eat at home. It may seem cheaper to buy fast food, but making a hamburger or chicken sandwich is just not that expensive and can easy to make on your own. Healthier meats and better ingredients can also be used to ensure that they are far better for you.
Healthier Fast Food
When you are on the run, fast food may be the only option. Not all fast food establishments are unhealthy and some use more sustainable materials in their packaging. I sometimes eat at Noodles and Chipotle’s that use fresher ingredients. Even if you do have to go into some of the more common fast food restaurants, you can inquire about the ingredients that are in each item or choose healthier options. Also, watch your portion sizes and try to avoid the side items like fries and sodas.
Share
Please share how often you currently eat fast food and any local fast food restaurants that are healthier and/or use sustainable practices.
One More Week: February Giveaway
I just wanted to give you one last reminder that the February Giveaway is going on for one more week. Be sure to sign up. All you have to do is either comment on the February Giveaway post, sign up for my email subscription service or write a blog post about this contest. It’s that simple.
I will also be hosting another contest sometime next month. Keep up to date by subscribing to my RSS Feed.
Text FishPhone For Sustainable Fish Information
The Blue Ocean Institute hosts a text messaging service called FishPhone that allows you to find sustainable information about the major type of fish we eat. This service is extremely handy when you are shopping for fish and do not have enough information about all of the varieties to make an informed decision. Not only does it provide you with sustainability information about the particular type of fish, but also gives you better alternative fish(if any are available). It’s really simple to use this service and only requires that you text a specific number with no additional costs:
To find out about your seafood choice, text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question. We’ll text you back with our assessment and better alternatives to fish with significant environmental concerns.
What’s nice is that they also have an online guide that you can view on more high tech phones with Internet. These resources really allow you to become a much more informed consumer. Seafood sellers don’t always provide you with whether their fish are farmed or wild let alone knowing the harm the fish could have on your body or the environment. This service instantly makes you a more informed buyer to make better buying decisions. If you are unsure about how sustainable a fish like Salmon is, you can just text their service and they would tell you to buy wild salmon and the risks behind farm raised.
If you have used this service, please share you experiences and how helpful the service was. If not, try it out the next time you go to buy fish. The online results were right on and I found it useful as I was going through each of the fish species.
E-Waste Disposal a Huge Problem in Britain
The British Environment agency is cracking down on those who are sending electronic waste to developing countries. A man has been the first to be arrested for this terrible crime by the Environment Agency. Waste entering African from the UK has been a major problem over the last couple of years. The agency has really started to crack down by already stopping 33 cargos of e-waste from leaving the country. Several media agencies have really taken a huge effort to investigate the problem. Apparently, 23,000 tons of electronic waste are being dumped into Africa from Britain every year.
EU Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive
The European Union has been pushing for people to recycle their old electronic equipment instead of simply dumping. Though the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive, the EU is attempting to eliminate the improper disposal of old electronic devices. Even though they are making a huge effort to collect old products free of charge, only 1/3 of all electronic equipment is being recycled throughout the EU. Similar to Solar Panels, most electronic equipment is extremely hazardous to both people and the environment once disposed of and should be recycled to reduce this risk. By continuing to dump in small third-world countries, we are putting the people and their precious environments in extreme danger.
Britain is of course apart of the EU and is in full support of their efforts to eliminate e-waste. This arrest, along with cargo’s being stopped prior to leaving the country, could really make people think twice. Let’s hope that the dumping at least slows down and eventually is no longer happening. It’s bad enough to just throw these types of products in the the trash, let along sending them to a country where they are not welcome.
Technology is advancing so quickly and so many people fail to properly recycle their electronic equipment. There are so many recycling facilities out there that will take just about any electrical device at no cost. You can also try to sell it on Gazelle if you have newer equipment that is just sitting around your house not being used.
Programmable Thermostat to Save you Money
I always seem to hear from every homeowner I know about how high their energy bills are and that they have only gotten worst during the Winter. You can really cut back on your energy use by switching to a programmable room thermostat. By putting a thermostat on a daily schedule, you can really save you a lot of money without any noticeable difference.
You can save around 10% off your current energy bill by reducing the temperature in your house from 10° – 15° for 8 hours. Considering that many people work a full 8 hours every day, this does not seem like a very difficult task. There are two ways that I will be discussing that can allow you to accomplish this savings:
Programmable Thermostat
The easiest way to make sure that your house is not wasting energy to keep your house warm/cold even though you are not there is to buy a programmable thermostat. They allow you to adjust the time at which your heater or air conditioner is turned on and off. This is perfect for when you are at work during the day or asleep at night. You can even set different schedules for when you are home more on the weekends or even on particular days of the week. This is really helpful so that you can set it once and only requires changing if your schedule changes.
Various Models
There are so many different types of programmable thermostats, but all fit in three different categories:
- 7-Day: These models allow you to change the temperature and time settings for every day of the week. This model gives you much more flexibility and are especially useful for those who have children who arrive home at different times, or who don’t have a 8 hour work day.
- 5+2: These models allow you to have a schedule for weekdays and one for weekends. For a household with a constant schedule, this type makes complete sense.
- 5-1-1: This model is a mixture of the two above. It has a constant weekday schedule but allows for more flexibility during the weekends. If you volunteer during the weekends or go to church on Saturday or Sunday, this type would really make a lot of sense.
Which One To Buy
There are so many programmable thermostats available today with prices ranging from $25 all the way up to over $150. The more expensive models tend to have nice touch screen displays and have many more options and there are even some internet enabled models. Many of the models at the lower-end of the price range work just as well as the expensive models, but may not have as many fancy features. Just make sure that the thermostat is Energy Star rated and has good reviews. Here are a few models I found that fit in both of those categories:
- 7-Day: Hunter carries a 7-Day model that is fairly affordable at around $38 and is Energy Star compliant. You can also get a really expensive model like this Honeywell that has a variety of features and a touch screen.
- 5+2: Honeywell carries a value programmable thermostat at $28, is energy star rated and has some great reviews.
- 5-1-1: Honeywell also carries a 5-1-1 model that a multitude of features and works really great.
Manual Thermostat
In order to save money, this doesn’t mean you have to have a thermostat with programming capabilities. You can still get the same effect with a manual model. All that is required is to turn your thermostat down before you leave your home or go to sleep and turn it back up when you need to. You will still be cutting back your energy use and saving money, but it just requires more work on your part.
How to Save
As I said above, you can save around 10% off your energy bill by simply cutting back your thermostat by 10° – 15° for 8 hours. A sample schedule you could set your programmable thermostat to or manually do during the winter:
Monday-Fri
- Work Day (9-4): Set your thermostat to 50° – 60° so that you it is not turning on at all while you are not there.
- Evening (5-10): Push up the temperature to 65° – 70° depending on how warm your like your house. You may want to program the thermostat to turn on an hour or so before you arrive to be ready for when you get home.
- Nights(10-6): Setting the temperature during nights is really dependent on how warm you like your house while you sleep. I don’t mind it cool so I tend to have mine way down. I would probably set a range from 55° – 65°. If savings are your main concern, then you can always use a heavier comforter and cut back the thermostat.
This schedule can easily be changed for the summer where you can just change switch the numbers around. So instead of turning down your heating system to 50°, you can turn your air-conditioner up to 70° .
What is Too Low?
Keeping your house at a low temperature is a huge myth that many believe is in fact true. You can in fact keep your house at a fairly low temperature without freezing your pipes or causing your heating/cooling system from working too hard. What is that low temperature though? Well, I did some research and found that an appropriate temperature to keep your house is around 50°. This should prevent your heating system from turning on and off the entire day and still keep your pipes warm enough so that they do not freeze. It may run for some time to warm back up, but nowhere as much as when it is running during the day while you are not there. Another concern is about family pets. If you do feel that it is too cold in the house for your pets, you could always keep it higher than 50°. Make you best judgment when it comes to your pets.
Share Your Settings
Please share what settings you keep your house and how it has saved you money.
REMINDER: Pays to Live Green February Giveaway
The February Giveaway is already halfway through. Be sure to sign up for Pays to Live Green’s February Giveaway currently going on only until March 3rd, 2009. All you have to do is either comment on the February Giveaway post, sign up for my email subscription service or write a blog post about this contest. It’s that simple. The winner of this giveaway will a $25 gift certificate to your favorite green store or $25 in cash.
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