How Green is your Christmas Tree?
A common misconception during the holiday season is which type of Christmas Tree if any is most environmentally friendly. Some options seem to be more so than others, but they may in fact be actually doing more harm that good. Here are the most popular options listed in order how eco-friendly they are.
No Tree Needed
Just because society leads you to believe that you have to have a tree does not mean you have to go down that route. This is true green option, but could leave you house feeling less festive unless you decide to be creative. Why not collect pine-cones and tree limbs that have fallen down and use them throughout your house. You get the same feeling as having a tree and you can distribute them throughout your house.
Living Trees
This is often an overlooked way to still celebrate the holidays with a beautiful tree, while still being a friend to the environment. Live trees do not need to be cut down and can be replanted after the holidays are over. This seems like the best option as it is the best of both worlds. You don’t have to sacrifice anything and you can contribute to better air quality and reducing carbon emissions. There are several options when choosing to a tree that is still alive.
Tree Rentals
Various companies have been created across the country to provide a a rental service for your holiday trees. They charge a fee anywhere from $80-$100 to deliver a tree to your house and pick it up when Christmas is over. This option not only allows you to get a living tree to decorate, but you don’t have to pick a tree up and find a place to dispose of it. On top of that, the tree will be replanted in your local community to provide more greenery and better air quality. If you live on the west coast, you could check out the Original Living Tree Company or try searching for a local tree rental company in your area.
Local Nursery
This option requires you to find a local nursery or gardening center to buy a tree. You still get a tree in your house, but the problem is that you have to have room to plan the tree immediately after you are done using it. Having to transport the tree and plant make buying a live tree not as practical, but makes complete sense if you want a new tree in your yard.
Organic Tree Farms
A new breed of tree farms have started to be be born throughout the country. Many traditional farms use harmful pesticides and insecticides to keep bugs off of the trees. Organic and local farms, just as with produce, are all across the nation and allow you to get a tree without the risks to yourself and the environment. You can also recycle them to receive mulch or for other uses after you are finished with them. This makes them a fairly green option as you are not wasting the trees after you are done with them and they have limited environmental damage. On top of that, their cost is usually comparably priced to trees that are exposed to pesticides. To find a local tree farm that grows organic trees, check out Green Promise. If you can’t find a organic farm on the list, you can also visit a a local farm and inquire about where their trees were grown.
Traditional Tree Farms
Even though this seems like the least green option when shopping for a holiday tree this year, in my opinion it is not. There are pesticides used in most farms throughout the nation, but usually the amount used are limited as described in a study done by North Carlina State University. I still think it is a better idea not to use pesticides at all, but still a better choice than going artificial. Just as with going organic, be sure to recycle your tree after the holiday season is over. This will ensure that it does not go to waste and can be reused. Earth911.com has a great recycling directory in which you can find recycling locations in your area. You could also inquire with your local community to see if they offer recycling as well and provide free mulch in return.
Artificial Trees
Artificial trees in principal seems like one of the more eco friendly options on the surface. You buy a tree once and you reuse it for years to come. The biggest problem with this is that the majority of artificial trees are made from PVC plastic that is based from petroleum. Not only does it not biodegradable, but it is also not recyclable. This means that even though you can have a tree for many years, there is no safe way to dispose of it. Also, some artificial trees are known to be harmful to people because they can contain lead in them. This makes especially dangerous to children who may play with the tree. On top of that, many of the trees bought are made in China. Artificial tree’s don’t necessarily have to harmful for the environment. You could always try to make one out of various recycled materials.
Make Your Own Homemade Pesticides and Repellants
Many pesticides and insecticides are some of the most dangerous items you have in your household. Advertisers for popular brands of these products would like to make you think that the only way to repel bugs from your garden/plants, your home and your body are their harmful chemicals. Not only are they harmful for you, but they also are geared towards killing insects instead of simply repelling them. You can make homemade cleaning products, why not make your own insect repellents?
Why should I use them?
The typical pesticide and insect label always contains a huge CAUTION, HAZARD, or DANGER on the back of the labels. There is a reason that these products contain these labels as they are in fact hazardous to humans as well as animals. Who knows what reactions your body could have to these horrendous chemicals that most of the times you have never heard of or don’t even know how to pronounce. It just makes sense to use homemade pesticides that are made from natural ingredients. You can also insure that the ingredients will not harm the pests intentionally, just repel them naturally. You also won’t have sticky and smelly substances on your food or your body.
Besides being safe for your family and the environment, you can save tons of money. The store bought products are usually pretty pricey. Have you seen how much a mosquito repellent can cost you? The ingredients in homeade products are usually far cheaper and only require a few ingredients to make.
Pesticide Recipes
The key to repelling pests from your garden or plants is make them have an appalling taste or something to kill the pests with harming the plants. A key ingredient to many homemade pesticides I found was soap and strong tasting products like garlic and peppers. The following recipes will keep most pests off of your plants:
Oil Mixture
- 1 cup cooking oil ( i.e. canola or vegetable )
- 1 tablespoon liquid dishwashing soap
- Use 2 ½ teaspoons of this mixture in 1 cup of water
Spray on the surface and underside of leaves to coat insects in various stages of development.
This mixture is especially good with eggs and immature bugs. Be careful on the type of liquid soap you choose. I had good luck with dishwashing soap with no additional additives like anti-bacterial ingredients. I accidentally used it with on that had them in it and it almost killed a plant of mine.
Soap Mixture
- A few teaspoons of liquid dishwashing soap
- 1 gallon of water
Spray on the surface and underside of infested foliage. The soap acts to paralyze insects, which prevents them from feeding. The pests eventually die of starvation. For heavy infestations spray every 2 to 3 days for 2 weeks.
This is a very generic mixture that can fight off most any insects. Make sure to use a light liquid soap here as well to ensure not to kill your plants.
Garlic/Pepper Mixture
- 1/2 cup hot peppers of your choice
- 1/2 cup garlic cloves ( onions will also do )
- 2 cups water
Steep this mixture for 24 hours. An easy method for steeping the tea is to combine the ingredients in a clear glass jar, seal, and set in a sunny location. Strain and spray onto foliage.
This is another good general mixture that will fight off most bugs.
To find additional natural homemade pesticides, please visit Garden Volunteers.
Repellent Recipes
Repellents seem to use the sense of smell and vision to detract pests away.
Mosquitoes
They are one of the most annoying pests that always seem to find a way to bite you when you are out side during a nice day. Some simple ingredients you can put on exposed skin to detract them from biting you
- citronella oil
- vinegar
You could also try wearing pastel colors that will distract the mosquitos from wanting to even look at you. Another way to try to lower the population is to attract more birds and dragonflies.
Fleas and Ticks
This is more for your pets, but one method is try to rub talc on your pet or supplementing their diets with garlic or Vitamin B to distract them from getting on your pet’s skin.
Ants
To prevent those pesky ants from entering you house, make a line of either cream of tartar, red chili pepper or paprika to stop them in their tracks.
To keep most pests out of your home, just make sure you keep all crumbs cleaned up and do not leave any open food containers laying around the house. Also, make sure to take the trash out often and be sure to clean on a regular basis. To find additional repellent ideas, the EPA has a great guide to keeping those pests away from you and your house.
What if you don’t want to make homemade products?
If you currently have chemical products or prefer them, just be careful to read the label properly to make sure that you don’t harm your family, animals or the environment by using them. Also make sure to properly store dispose of them as it could have damaging effects if they are exposed to the environment improperly.
Top 10 Ways To Save and Go Green on Black Friday
If you decide to fight the crowds to save a little money on Black Friday this year, follow these tips to make this years shopping trip a little more green.
1. Shop Online at Home
The popular belief on Black Friday is that you have to sit in line for hours to get the cheapest laptops and high-def TVs. This could not be further from the truth. Many of those hard to find items can be found online prior to being released in stores. Last year, I was able to buy a TV online the night before. It was one of the better deals available and I was able to sit comfortably at home out of the cold. You can either have the items shipped to you or elect to pick up the items in store and going later. You can then go pick up the items at a time when you need to go shopping and save making a separate trip. Online only retailers like Amazon have tons of good deals and don’t require you to make a trip to the stores. The only problem with this is that the specials go fast online and are usually published on weird hours. It’s still better than waiting in the freezing cold for hours and fighting huge crowds of people.
2. Go Prepared
One thing I have seen when I have gone out on Black Friday is people shopping for stuff that is not on sale or is not necessarily a good deal. Make sure to always go prepared by researching on sites like Gotta Deal. Not only will it save you tons of money by not buying unnecessary things you don’t need, but it will also save on gas. You know exactly what stores you need to go and the items you want to buy. This can save you tons of money, gas and time. Also remember that the markdowns retailers have may not always be cheaper than any ordinary day. Just because they have a flashy sign doesn’t necessarily mean that it is a special that day.
3. Dress Warm
In warmer areas you may not have this problem, but here in Maryland it tends to always be one of the coldest nights of the year on Black Friday. Make sure to always wear more as you can always take clothing off and simply carry them in the stores. You don’t want to be stuck out in cold weather with not enough clothes as you may not be able to even make it until the store clothes. Depending on your area, dress as if you are going skiing. Wear thermal underwear and layer clothes on to ensure that you stay warm the entire night and not just for the first hour.
4. Don’t Leave Your Car Idle
This goes back to the Dress Warm item where it tends to be pretty cold on Thanksgiving evening and night. If lucky enough to have friends, most people decide to go back to the car to warm themselves up to get out of the cold. It’s tempting, but this is a complete waste of gas and spits out tons of CO2 emissions. Make sure to dress warm as I describe above. Also, you can try to bring warm beverages or hand warmers.
5. Carpool to Store
If you do decide to drive to retail stores, try to carpool with other people instead of driving by yourself. I found myself doing this regardless of whether I was aware of it or not. When I have gone out in the past, I have gone with friends and would only take one car. This will not only reduce the amount of gas used, but it will also reduce some of the congestion in the parking lots and on the road.
6. Shop Locally
Try to choose stores that are close to your home. This can be hard sometimes as only certain stores have the specials you want. Before making a huge trip to the store that has that discounted item, decide whether it is worth it in the price of gas and time. You may find that you could have purchased the item at a closer store or online for only slightly more. Also, Try to choose you stores that are close to one another to prevent wasting additional gas. Once again, this may not always be possible, but think about the waste of time and gas if you make an extensive trip just to save a few bucks.
7. Bring Reusable Bags
The waste of so many plastic bags is such a huge problem on Black Friday. Most people tend to go to many stores and therefore get a bag for each store they shop at. This year, try putting all your purchased items into reusable bags. Not only will it be saving tons of plastic bags, but it will consolidate all of your items for easier carrying.
8. Recycle Waste
After the initial crowd of people waiting in line to get into the store, I always find that there is tons of garbage all over the place. Usually it is paper cups from coffee that could have been recycled or at the very least thrown out. Be sure to throw away any trash you have left over from the night and if possible, recycle it. It may be hard to find a recycling bin in the store you are shopping, so try holding on to it and taking it home to recycle.
9. Buy Green Products
There are various green products on sale from online or retail stores. I found a good article that gives a huge list of deals for online green stores at Happy Hippie. I never realized how many deals were available from green stores. These deals also allow you to shop online instead of in store. You can also try to find energy efficient products that have the Energy Star Seal, buy products with less packaging or even buy CFL light bulbs.
10. Buy Nothing
There is a campaign that has become fairly popular called Buy Nothing Day. It’s as simple as the title says and could save you tons of money by not buying anything on one of the biggest shopping days of the year. If you really don’t need anything in particular, try it this year and see how it works out. It is hard for most to leave stores without buying something simply because there were just too many “good” of a deal. If you do go out shopping, try not buying those extra things that you don’t need and will end up collecting dust.
Save and Go Green: Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
Compact Fluorescent Lamps, commonly referred to Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs or CFL bulbs, have become a popular alternative to traditional incandescent light bulbs. They not only provide you with a energy savings but they can provide a whiter light than incandescent lamps. This does not mean that they are perfect though as they cost more to buy and contains slight amounts of mercury.
Incandescent
Incandescent lamps are traditional bulbs that people have been using for years. It was what originally was perfected by Thomas Edison back in the late 1800’s. The details as how it works are pretty in depth, but the key to why so many people are switching from using these types of bulbs is that they produce more heat that light. Wikipedia sums it up nicely by saying:
Approximately 90% of the power consumed by an incandescent light bulb is emitted as heat, rather than as visible light.
This means that much of the electricity provided to a light bulb is to produce heat instead of the actual light, making them more inefficient. GE is currently in the process of developing an incandescent that they hope will be 4 times as efficient its traditional counterparts.
Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs
What are they and How Do They Work?
Compact fluorescent lamp or CFL have been around for nearly an entire century, but have only been perfected and widely distributed since the 1980’s. CFLs work through a process by which an electric component called a ballast causes a gas filled tube ( or a bulb in this situation ) or emit ultraviolet light. This then causes a coating inside of the tube to be excited and emit visible light.
This process allows for the light bulbs to last up to 15 times as long as incandescent light bulbs, but can show signs of degradation as they age. They also use as little as 1/5 of the energy causing for a dramatic savings in electricity and therefore reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emitted. You can use my Energy Calculator to determine how much it is currently costing you to have traditional light bulbs as compared to flourescent.
Are CFL Bulbs Dangerous Since They Contain Mercury?
Compact Fluorescent bulbs do contain slight amounts of mercury averages around 4.0 mg. Regardless of how little this amount is, mercury is a dangerous substance and should be treated as such. Don’t get too worried and throw out all your fluorescent bulbs just because they contain mercury. Just be cautious when handling them just as you would with any other breakable item and there should be no problems. Accidents are inevitable and if one does happen, just be sure to properly dispose of the bulb as described by the EPA. As long as you are careful handling and disposing of them, they present no danger.
Which One Should You purchase?
There are many companies that currently manufacturer fluorescent bulbs and it can be hard to determine which is best to buy in terms of efficiency and cost. Popular Mechanics published a review of many of the popular fluorescent bulbs from brands including:
The report contains a comparison of how each CFL stacks up against each other as well as against traditional incandescent in both price and wattage use. One thing to look for when determining is that it is Energy Star certified. This will guarantee that it will meet the Energy Star’s strict standards thus ensuring that it will be long lasting and truly save you money on your energy bill. To see the full report by Popular Mechanics, see The Best Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs. There are also CFLs in an array of sizes and shapes for any room in your house.
Save and Go Green: Green Printing
A few months ago, I wrote an article about ways that you can save money and be eco-friendly when printing at home. When you want to more commercial quality printing or bulk printing, you can buy from environmentally friendly printing companies without sacrificing quality or price.
Green Printing History
Environmentally friendly printing techniques have been around for a number of years, but have only begun to really become mainstream in the last few years. Some of the main components of green printing include:
- Using recycled paper.
- Recycling any paper waste produced while printing.
- Switching to vegetable based inks that have low VOCs.
- Using new technologies such as digital printers.
Recycled Paper
Initially I thought that using recycled paper has only been used at most for 50 years in our country. After researching it a little, I realized that I was way off. There is a instance of a paper mill dating back to over 300 years ago that was using recycled linens to produce there paper. As time progressed, more and more recycled paper was being. Today, over half of our current paper use comes from recycled paper and that rate continues to grow.
Soy Based Inks
Just a decade ago, almost all of our ink used in America was produced using petroleum. In the mid to late 1980’s, the NAA or Newspaper Association of America researched many vegetable oil combinations to come up with soy oil to be used for ink. Since then, soy ink has taken off and really become popular over the past few years. What makes soy ink so great is that soybeans are much more environmentally friendly to grow that other vegetables and require little energy to actually produce the ink.
Even though soybean oil itself is edible, the ink that is made from it is not totally edible or biodegradable. This is caused by the fact that certain pigments used in traditional inks are still used in soy ink. Even though it is not 100% biodegradable, soy inks degrade much quicker than the petroleum counterparts and make it easier to remove from paper in the recycling process. Soy inks also have low levels of VOCs or volatile organic compounds that are dangerous toxic emissions. These low levels also make it much harder to use on coated types of paper like magazines and make it impossible to use in pens and personal printers.
Printing Technology
New printing technologies have also helped contribute to the green printing movement. Digital computers are much cleaner than traditional printing presses since they do not run on petroleum based products and there are no byproducts or emissions. They also do not emit harmful VOCs just like soy inks. Also, they require less space since there is less equipment needed.
Why go Green Printing?
At this point it should be pretty obvious for the reasons for printing companies to switch to new eco friendly printing technologies. New digital printing equipment combined with soy based oils and recycled paper can make a huge different for the environment. Petroleum products are eliminated from this process therefore helping eliminate any harmful emissions. This includes VOCs that can cause serious problems when inhaled by humans as well as significant damage to the ozone. Recycling is also a huge factor when it comes to eco friendly printing as it really help save trees from being cut down. A major concern with using recycled paper is the quality of the paper. As it turns out, there is no longer a quality difference in normal paper as compared to recycled.
There are many companies that have started to use these environmentally friendly printing techniques without sacrificing quality or raising there prices.
PSPrint is a printing company that is providing environmentally friendly printing along with affordable prices. Not only do they use recycled paper on many of their products, but they also recycle any paper waste that is made during the process of printing. They also use soy based inks as described above on all of their printing products. Even though they are using eco friendly printing methods, PSPrint still carries all the normal products a printing company carries. They also have printing locations on both the East coast and West coast. This eliminates shipping costs for the company to help them reduce costs and helps reduce carbon emissions. They have really good prices too and have a Low Price Guarantee. This guarantees that if you find a lower price at another company, they will match that price.
Another company that is going the green route is BizCard. They are a Green Seal certified company and only buy from certified paper mills. Most of their products use recycled paper and they recycled all of their paper waste. The company uses low VOC solvents such as soy ink. Much of their equipment is Energy Star certified. They also use digital presses, which eliminate the chemicals used in making plates.
Sell Your Old Cell Phones to Help the Environment
Carbon Rally and Gazelle have teamed up to form a new challenge called Ringtone Revival. The goal of this challenge is to reduce the amount of CO2 waste produced from recycling and disposing of cell phones. Individuals or teams can reduce 94lbs of CO2 for each cell phone that is sold, donated or given to a family member or friend. Now to go a little into what they companies are about and how you can get involved.
Carbon Rally
The main objective of Carbon Rally is to motivate individuals and groups to make small changes in personal behavior that can make an overall large impact on how much CO2 is reduced. They make it fun to fight back against climate change. The idea behind the site is to encourage people to make small steps that are more realistic and can have fun with. People can propose ideas to reduce carbon emissions and allow a community of people to get involved. The site will then track the progress your community has made to show your progress against other communities.
Gazelle
Gazelle provides a place for consumers to sell or recycle their unwanted electronics. What is nice about this company is that it allows you to search through a database of electronic devices and see based off of it’s condition what you would receive for that item. What is also nice is that they pay for you to ship them the item and ensure that all personal information is removed from them. It makes great sense to sell electronics that are just laying around your house or hidden away in the back of a drawer.
Why you should Sell/Donate?
The Ringtone Revival initiative is a great way for us to participate in making sure that more cell phones or electronic devices don’t end up in landfills. Currently, over 85% of old cell phones that are replaced are still in usable condition. Nothing is wrong with wanting the latest cell phone, but it seems like such a waste to just let that cell phone sit around or thrown away when it could be reused.
According to EPA estimates, if Americans had recycled all of the 100 million cell phones they stopped using in 2006, the energy saved would have been enough to power nearly 200,000 U.S. homes for one year.
What’s scary is that 1.5 and 1.9 tons of discarded electronics ended up in landfills in 2006. Why not just donate it or sell it if you are not going to be using it anymore. Gazelle makes it extremely easy for you by even paying for you shipping and handling charges. If it is too inconvenient to ship your old electronics , you could even take the cell phone to a donation box where they give them to wife’s who have been battered. There are even recycling facilities across America so at least they can be recycled. Anyway you choose to help, sign up for Ringtone Revival on Carbon Rally to show how much of an impact you have made.
Save and Go Green on Gas
With gas prices nearly 3 times higher than a decade ago, there has to be an alternate to cutting this cost that is only going to continue to rise. Many people have already started to take drastic measures by stop using their cars and begin using other forms of transportation. I have seen more and more people coming into work using motorcycles. I have also heard of people riding a traditional bike into work to completely eliminate their need of a vehicle. I would like to see how much could be saved if we were to sell our cars and go to alternate forms of transportation.
Comparing Car Fuel Savings
In search for different types of cars and vehicles to compare how much could fuel could be saved and I was able to come up with five different types:
- Small Energy Efficient Car
- Mid-sized Sedan
- Normal Gas-guzzling SUV
- Hybrid SUV
- Motorcycle
All vehicles are fairly common vehicles and the majority of Americans probably own at least one of the above types of vehicles. I wanted to show not only how much money could be saved by not using a vehicle each year, but also how much carbon waste is put off by them as well:
Car Costs
| Small Economy | Mid-sized Sedan | Normal SUV | Hybrid SUV | Motorcycle | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas Mileage | 30 | 22 | 14 | 32 | 55 |
| Annual Fuel Usage(Gallons) | 478.8 | 655.2 | 1029 | 449.4 | 272.73 |
| Tons of CO2 Emitted | 6.1 | 8.3 | 13.1 | 5.7 | 3.33 |
| Annual Fuel Cost | $1,868 | $2,553 | $4,263 | $1,756 | $900 |
Add $688 for the average annual cost to fix any repairs to the fuel costs above and that will give you your annual expense for just maintaining your car. With a gas-guzzling SUV, that can push the expense for a car at around $5000 per year. That is a huge expense every year just to own a massive vehicle. If you want to see the fuel cost and CO2 consumption of your particular vehicle, please visit http://www.fueleconomy.gov/
Cutting Fuel Cost
It hard for most people in our country to completely get rid of their cars, but there are ways to cut down your fuel expenses that most of you have already heard:
- Buy a more gas efficient car.
- Pump up your tires
- Don’t accelerate as fast
- Don’t drive over 50 miles/hour
- Carpooling
There are tons of them that you can find at AAA: Fuel Saving Tips.
It’s great to save on gas, but there are ways you eliminate your gas bill that are much more effective. The biggest of these that comes to mind is to move closer to your work. This can be extremely tough with people constant moving jobs, but the closer to work you live, the less mileage you need to travel to get to work. If you live close enough, you can even ride you bicycle to work everyday and don’t even need to use your car. I know people who live close enough to work that they can walk everyday.
The problem with the American culture is that we live so far from work that the option to take public transportation, walk to work or even ride a bicycle is not possible. I am experiencing this first hand. I live around 30 miles away from my work with no possibility of taking public transportation. If there is any opportunity to eliminate the usage of fuel either by reducing your fuel consumption, buying a more fuel efficient car or ditching your car for a bicycle, you should take it.
