Say No to Plastic Wrap

Next time you run out of plastic wrap in your kitchen, don’t replace it. Any product which is made from petroleum-based plastics and is intended to be thrown away after a single use should be ringing some serious alarm bells for us all at this point … and plastic wrap is among the worst of these products, both for your health and for the environment.

Since its introduction in the 1950s, plastic wrap has mostly been made either of a plastic called polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC) or, later, of the more familiar polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Both of these chemicals are dangerously toxic—during production, during use, and during incineration. Furthermore, both plastics on their own are fairly rigid, so manufacturers generally add in softening chemicals called phthalates, which are known to cause hormonal disruption and developmental problems, and have been found to drift into food.

You can get by very easily without plastic wrap. Try some of these options instead.

Aluminum foil can be used in much the same way as plastic wrap, and poses a significantly lower environmental threat. In most places, first of all, it can be recycled. In fact, aluminum is the most recycled metal world-wide; according to industry statistics, about a third of all aluminum in use comes from recycled materials. Even better, aluminum foil can be re-used—just clean it, fold it up, and stick it in the cupboard for next time.

Reusable containers, like those manufactured by Tupperware and Glad, for example, are an excellent alternative to cling wrap. Better still, buy a set of Pyrex glass containers, which are much safer in the microwave and freezer, and can also be used in the oven.

Source:http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-green-tips/say-no-to-plastic-wrap/

Shop Organic

Shop Organic

How do you feel about spots on your apples? In the early 1970s, Jodi Mitchell told us she preferred them to the DDT that was quickly gaining popularity as a pesticide in commercial farming.

Today, as a reaction to the hormones and other additives, pesticides and other chemicals, and genetic modification that are changing the face of the human-food relationship, a movement toward organic food is becoming broadly popular.

Organic farming is by no means limited to produce. Organic options are widely available for just about anything you put in your fridge or pantry: coffee and tea, chocolate, dairy (including milk, butter, and cheese), grains (breads, pasta, and cereals), seafood, meat, and meat alternatives (like tofu, legumes, and nuts), and even wine and beer, just to get you started.

Next, you can go organic in your bathroom by choosing all-natural soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, and cosmetics. Organic certification even exists on clothing, furniture, gardening supplies, and bedding and other textiles.

As the availability of organics has spread, however, so has the controversy. Some question the validity of organic farming as an environmental movement, citing things like lower productivity and unchanged transportation and energy needs as a case against organics.

Another problem with the organic label is that it's easily faked or, more accurately, difficult to verify just by looking at your lettuce. Make sure whatever you're buying bears an official endorsement from an accredited, government-recognized organics organization.

Many critics also suggest that the price gap between organic and conventionally-produced goods reflects more of an economic avarice than a truly higher production cost in other words, that some companies or vendors will charge more for something with an organic label because they know they can.

Source: http://www.aboutmyplanet.com/daily-green-tips/shop-organic/

How to Go Green

* "Going Green" doesn't have to be a daunting task that means sweeping life changes. Start by planting a tree in your backyard or neighborhood. It's good for the air, the land, can shade your house and save on cooling and they can also improve the value of your property.

* When taking a short trip, choose to walk or cycle. This reduces carbon emissions considerably.

* Staying within the speed limit and smoothly accelerating can save upto 25 per cent of a vehicle's typical gasoline use.

*Recharge your batteries. Batteries contain heavy metals, such as mercury and cadmium, which have become a major source of contamination in dump sites. They either break apart and are released into the soil or are incinerated and the deadly heavy metals are released into the air.

* Plastic bags are not biodegradable. Even if they say they are, they do not decompose fully. Also the ink is made up of cadmium, and is highly toxic when it is released. Whereas paper bags are reusable and biodegradable. If your purchase is small don't take any bag, this alone could save hundreds of millions of bags. Bring a cloth bag when you shop, or use string bags.

*Our oceans provide the earth with most of our oxygen, moisture, and weather patterns. To keep our oceans clean we have to start with our beaches. When you go to the beach you can help by bringing a trash bag and spend a little while picking up litter, or you can join a beach clean-up crew.

*Do not dump oil, grease, antifreeze, pesticides, fertilizers, paints, cleaners, and other toxic household products down the storm drain. These drains, found in the gutters on the sidewalk, are not treated by the sewage treatment plant--they go straight into rivers, lakes, and maybe even the ocean! By putting these toxic chemicals down the drain, there is a great biological threat to marine life.

*Recycling just the Sunday papers would save more than half a million trees every week.

*You can reuse gift bags, bows and event paper, but you can also make something unique by using old maps, cloth or even newspaper. Flip a paper grocery bag inside out and give your child stamps or markers to create their own wrapping paper that's environmentally friendly and extra special for the recipient.

* Nearly 90% of plastic water bottles are not recycled, instead taking thousands of years to decompose. Buy a reusable container and fill it with tap water, a great choice for the environment, your wallet, and possibly your health.

* Brush without running your tap dry. You'll conserve up to five gallons per day if you stop.

*If you must water your lawn, do it early in the morning before any moisture is lost to evaporation. Have a few weeds? Spot treat them with vinegar. Not sure if you should rake? Normal clippings act as a natural fertilizer, let them be. If you've waited too long, rake by hand — it's excellent exercise.

* Most lighters are made out of plastic and filled with butane fuel, both petroleum products. Since most lighters are considered "disposable," over 1.5 billion end up in landfills each year. When choosing matches, pick cardboard over wood. Wood matches come from trees, whereas most cardboard matches are made from recycled paper.


Source:
http://green.ndtv.com/ecofacts.aspx#