Pondering the Potential of Pellet Stoves

It is cold outside today. The drop in degrees has made me think about energy consumption around my home and what further steps I can take to make this place more energy efficient and save money. I thought of the growing reputation among greenies for the pellet stove.

Even if you aren’t quite ready to take the plunge and go completely “off the grid” a pellet stove is a great source of heat at a reasonable price and reduce the size of a home’s carbon footprint.

Pellet stoves run at a minimal cost (after the initial investment of the stove itself) and make a heck of a lot less mess than traditional stoves and wood burners. Many feel the classic log burning stove can actually pollute the interior air of a home making them a potentially dangerous heating choice. Pellets are virtually smoke free and offer the chance for burning a green fuel.

The actual pellets are made from a number of materials including sawdust and waste left over from other wood related and agricultural processes. Some pellets are uber sustainable being made from corn kernels or soy beans. Seems to me, it would be better to breath in soy beans than new tree wood.

Some greenies consider the pellet stove a carbon neutral product and liken it to buying carbon credits. Whatever you call it, the pellet stove is a money saving, smoke eliminating, carbon and toxic reducing home heating machine.

But of course, nothing in this growing green world of ours is ever perfect.

Besides the initial expense, wood pellet stoves are complex machines which usually require the assistance of a professional installer. Maintenance can cost you some cash too, especially if you aren’t willing to work on upkeep and read the owner’s manual a few times until you “get it.”

As I open another alarming electric bill for my own --- low electric use, always switching off lights and unplugging cords--- home, I think a pellet stove is the way forward. It’s another old school idea that was pushed aside by modern pollution-laden industry.

But pellet stove, you rise again. This time you’ll probably be staying for a while.

Burn eco baby burn.

Freegans: Insane or Smart? (or a little bit of both?)

As I search online for the latest green budget information and details on how to lower your carbon footprint, I keep coming across information, and often jokes, about “freegans.” So I decided to write a blog on these folks finally. I am neither advocating nor condoning their lifestyle but I must admit, I am a tad envious of their low to no personal carbon impact.

So what is a freegan? According to the freegan.info website, a freegan is (and I quote):

“Freegans are people who employ alternative strategies for living based on limited participation in the conventional economy and minimal consumption of resources. Freegans embrace community, generosity, social concern, freedom, cooperation, and sharing in opposition to a society based on materialism, moral apathy, competition, conformity, and greed.”

These “alternative strategies” are vast and varied but do include the infamous dumpster diving. It’s not just food they look for but furniture, clothes, books, tools, and any other item that can be recovered rather than purchased. Now, I should clarify, not all freegans jump into dumpsters when no one is looking, many smart people ask for free stuff inside the stores before they get dumped in the trash cans.

Freegans are not fans of the “system” but they do seem to be benefiting from it. The items that gather save precious planetary resources, help useful and toxic items avoid the immortal grave of the landfill and role model a minimal waste lifestyle but they do not, in my humble opinion, live out of the system.

They are just clever about the way they utilize it.

It’s not just dumpsters, its swapping items, avoiding petrochemical use and actively attempting to help the planet rather than hinder it. All good things in my book. They may get a tad passionate at times but rather passion than apathy right?

Freegans try to live up to a high moral standard and may perhaps look down on the rest of us consumers. Personally, I’m a middle way kind of gal. If I can get it for free, second hand or use local sustainable products, I will.

But go dumpster diving in little ol’ Wyoming? Probably not going to happen.

Although I’m not completely averse to a quick trip to the city dump to see what’s there. I’ve heard there is a lot of furniture. And I could go late in the day when no one else is there. Just to peruse, to see just what harm people are causing to the planet with their uninformed dumping.

And maybe pick up a chair or two.

But not a sandwich. No, I draw the line there.

Coffee and the State of the Planet

Who doesn’t love a hot rich cup of Joe? Well, nearly most of us do but the impact our brown bean obsession has on the planet is pretty bad. No, it’s absolutely terrible. Every morning, millions and millions of people line up at coffee bars, shops, convenience stores, gas stations and hot drink dispensers to fill up on the nation’s most popular hot beverage.

The disposable Styrofoam coffee cup is a detriment to the planet and increases the size of any carbon footprint. Oh but what about the paper ones you say? Turns out most paper coffee cups are made from bleached virgin tree, meaning very difficult to recycle and not exactly sustainable. Bad bad coffee cups.

But when these unrecyclable coffee cups end up in landfills, things go from bad to worse. The plastic coating on the inside of the cups that prevents the liquid from leaking out? Well when the paper corrodes, the chemicals in the plastic coating off gas releasing methane into the atmosphere. Methane is an uber greenhouse gas that is directly related to the heating of the planet and climate change. Bad bad methane.

So what to do? How can we enjoy our favorite wake up liquid without harming the planet? It’s really quite easy: make your coffee at home. These days, you can find everything for a coffee shop style Joe in the supermarket. Get a coffee maker, a grinder if you must, a few flavored syrups and voila! Home made coffee.

Home made coffee has a much lower impact on the planet (remember to unplug when you are done), saves a lot of money and taste just as good as the planet killing stuff. But there are still areas where things can go wrong.

For instance, making your coffee at home is great until you buy beans from Arabia and carry the coffee around in an off gassing plastic container. We make coffee in the states. If you have to go further a field choose Mexico or Canada over exotic locales. This reduces the transportation footprint and reduces the chance of purchasing unfairly traded beans.

So choose a steel thermos or travel mug for your locally produced made at home coffee. This will lower your costs and your planetary impact. It may also help reduce the amount of trees destroyed each year for cups and force coffee shop owners to make wiser choices in their beverage containers. Remember consumer consume and smart consumers consume at home to instigate change.

Be a carbon reducing coffee warrior and do your part.

Anyone else thirsty?

Making Green Children

Kids, I assure you, are expensive. Every time you turn around they need something else. There are a number of ways to offset your carbon footprint while keep your child as carbon neutral as possible.

Buy children’s clothes at the thrift store. If you start this when they are really young they will never think it odd to receive clothes without tags. In many cases, the clothes at thrift store are from this year’s fashions, have been worn once or twice and sometimes not at all. If you have a child that just must wear designer labels to fit in, then take a longer time at the second hand store. You will be able to find every name brand at super low prices if you take the time to look.

If you must buy new, make sure to get multiple uses out of things. Pass stuff down to younger siblings (yes we all hated it but did it do us any harm?) or give to family and friends with children of the same age. At the very least, put clothes out for freecycling to take worn out clothes down to the fabric recycling bins.

Feed your child locally grown organic produce whenever possible. Getting children used to a diet heavy on the grains and beans earlier will not only improve their overall health, it will save you a lot of money. Remember prepackaged over processed food increase greenhouse emissions in the atmosphere and costs a lot of money.

Pack your child’s lunches for school. This is a big money saver. The school lunch system can be very pricey, depending on your district, and it is always cheaper to pack your own. Just make sure to role model and pack your work lunch as well. Be sure to use reusable containers or reuse plastic containers from around the home.

Teach your child to think green. Place an emphasis on home education and teach your child how to plant seeds, tend to compost heaps and make their own food from scratch. All these green skills we are learning as adults must be passed down to our kids in order for the changes to continue.

Most of all, make your child into an advocate for green living. Don’t brainwash them of course but help them see the logic of protecting their planet. Let them watch the news and visit forests, learn about the ozone layer and carbon footprints. Children are the future and green children will make sure that there is one.

The Ice Caps Are Melting Faster Than Expected

We know the ice caps are melting as the world gets warmer because of the amount of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. Now a new report out of Cambridge University explains that the ice caps are melting a lot faster than earlier than predicted. If you weren’t doing it before, it really is time to reduce and offset your carbon footprint.

The team from Cambridge has spent several months measuring the thickness and spread of the Arctic ice region and state that much of the ice will completely disappear in the summer months. Within 30 years, the region could be little more than open sea.

Without the Arctic, the whole world will change.

The temperature will continue to rise, changing weather patterns, affecting animal and insect ecosystems, changing crop growing patterns and availability of food sources. Flooding will become a major constant for a number of countries, costing lives, homes, and millions in damage. The amount of carbon in the atmosphere will increase rather than decrease.

A melting icecap situation will change everything.

And all the little things we do, like offsetting our carbon footprints, reduce our waste, recycling materials and trying to leave a better lifestyle is great. It will make a difference. But without the assistance of federal and international laws that force countries to act like smart green citizens, it may not be enough.

Legislation on climate change has to go beyond admitting it exists and something should be done about it to actually doing something about it. Good intentions will not save the planet. Living green on a budget is a fantastic concept: we just need the nations of the world to join in.

Its time to offset your carbon footprint and buy some carbon credits. Tell a friend to try it too. Maybe this whole climate change fixing, ice cap melting reversal thing is a matter of role modeling.

We can only hope.

Green: An Old Fashioned View of Living?

Over the weekend I made about 30 jars of apple jelly. I used glass jars I had collected from past purchases and about 250 fresh apples I got through the freecycle network. People think I’m dated because I like canning. It made me think about some of the old fashioned ways of living that work well with a green lifestyle.

Taking fresh locally grown organic produced and pickling it, making jelly or preserving it for future use is a great way to save money and lower your carbon footprint. Canning reduces the amount of prepackaged foods that you consume, reduces waste and provides a healthier non toxic diet.

Mending clothes seems like a phrase out of the dark ages but it’s a great way to reduce consumer spending and in turn your effect on the planet’s oxygen supply. The less new clothes that are produced the lower the carbon emission from factories. Sewing a tear, hemming pants and patching up jeans are great ways to save cash. Wear your clothes with a sense of green honor and keep the needle and thread handy.

Fixing things is another simple way to save money and reduce your footprint. When the bed rail breaks, don’t throw out the bed, repair the rail. Maintain your home with regular maintenance and clean appliances thoroughly to extend their life. Repair and reuse has always been the name of the game for the thrifty and the green.

Barter with friends and family rather than throwing things away or paying for things up front. Swap skills with neighbors and trade a mowed lawn for a new deck chair or a serviced boiler for a few jars of canned vegetables. This helps lower the community carbon footprint, extend the sense of societal unity in your home town and saves money for everyone.

Think before you buy or use something. Our grandparents generation lived through worst economic times than we are facing now and learned quickly what was necessary and what was frivolous. Before buying or doing anything, consider the real cost both in carbon and cash. Living frugally in a poor economy helps everyone.

It may be a little old fashioned, but it turns out, so is being green.

The Green Pumpkin

Everywhere I look, pumpkins are already for sale. This staple of Halloween can be an opportunity for waste or an opportunity for saving money. The green pumpkin is a great lesson for little ones.

Think about how many pumpkins, which are a sustainable product, Americans buy every year. Millions of pounds of pumpkin are thrown into the garbage annually. Rather than just carving the pumpkin and sticking a candle in the center, there are a number of ways to green up pumpkin use this year and offset your carbon footprint.

Firstly, purchase only locally grown organic pumpkins. They may not be the largest ones available but they will be natural, sustainable and safe to eat. Buying pumpkins that are flown or driven into your area is bad for the carbon footprint and increases the amount of greenhouse gases in the air.

Hollow out your pumpkin in a responsible manner. You can use all of the pumpkin so there is no reason for any of it to end up in the garbage. Any pieces you do want to throw away should land on the compost heap.

Toast and salt seeds, use innards for pumpkin pie and pumpkin soup and place remaining pulp in freezer to be pureed at a later date for Halloween style beverages. And for those who want a zero waste lifestyle? Search online for a pumpkin rind pickling recipe. Yes, they do exist.

If you hate the taste of pumpkin, then don’t purchase one. Buying things for one night just to throw away is a very irresponsible way to live and it is a complete waste of money. If you can’t live without a craved pumpkin this season, give the remains to a family member or neighbor to cook with. And if that doesn’t work for you, consider a carbon credit for each pumpkin you purchase.

If we begin to approach holidays and get togethers as opportunities to help the planet and use our creativity rather than what they are now carbon footprint enhancers, we can make permanent lifestyle changes. Natural decorations, organic cotton costumes and of course, pumpkin rind snacks, is one way to help the planet this coming holiday.

Greening up the Office

When it’s just a small office, ceramic plates, cups, cloth napkins and packed lunches are the best way to reduce the office carbon footprint and keep costs low. But in the high end corporate office, it can be difficult to convince the higher ups of such down to earth solutions to un-green offices. After a little research, I have compiled a top seven (to be different) list of ways to offset the office carbon footprint.

1. Unplug when you can or invest in power strips. We all know that electrical outlets are energy vampires. Spending a little of the office supply budget on power strips will help in the long run. As will unplugging things that are not in use.

2. Encourage co workers to drops extra copies, printing mistakes and unwanted paperwork into a recycling box. Use the back side of this paper or, if dealing with confidentiality, shred the paper and use for packing filler. Recycled paper is of course, the best option.

3. Pull up the blinds on office windows and opt for natural light whenever possible. The amount of artificial lights in offices is not only bad for your health and vitamin D intake but it wastes energy. Choose sunshine and LED lights to save energy and increase health.

4. Make the disposable break room a zero waste environment. When disposable is the only way, choose recycled paper cups, corn plastic containers and bamboo sugar stirrers. Compostable biodegradable, landfill break down plant based plastics are comparable in price to traditional and deletes waste.

5. Be your co-workers friend and car pool. If you live close enough get a walking or cycling buddy to make the green office commute a bit more enjoyable. Remember transportation is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gases, and you go to the office nearly every day so it adds up quickly.

6. Choose Energy Star copiers, water coolers, refrigerators and ovens for the office and break room. This is a simple way to reduce energy and save money. It probably works out as a tax deduction for the boss as well.

7. Consider an office garden or compost heap. This can be a team project and people can take turns feeding the leftovers fro lunch to the worms. Office gardens are fun for both workers and clients and offer a green space to relax.


I’ll probably say it a thousand times but its important to consider every environment you spend a lot of time in when reducing your carbon footprint. The workplace is one area when teamwork can really make a difference to the planet. And while I’m thinking about it, what about handing out carbon credits for the holidays? Talk about spreading the eco wealth.

A little More About the Freecycle Thing

Freecycle is a growing trend in both urban and rural communities. This great new bargain basement craze is one heck of a way to offset and reduce your carbon footprint. Today a friend of mine sent me invites to join two local freecycle networks and I was stunned at how fast the offers started rolling in.

As explained on their website, the freecycle folks are all about waste reduction and reusing items that have both value and worth. The rules are simple: no fee, no politics, no meanness just online postings of free useable stuff in your local area. The group is a non profit network operating nationwide with thousands of locally moderated branches for your convenience.

It’s all about lowering your personal carbon footprint. The more items that we keep out of landfills, the better off the planet. And throwing away stuff someone else may want and can use? That’s just stupid. And if like me you live in a town where the local thrift store doesn’t take furniture (they have no space) giving it away to strangers is much better than taking it to the local dump.

Freecycle seems like an honest bunch of folks, despite my husband’s reservations regarding the whole scheme. I mean really, in this day and age, people giving stuff away for free? Craziness! But the grassroots efforts across the globe to try harder to instill community, share with friends and neighbors and promote responsible discarding of unwanted items are all results of the growing green movement.

So here’s what you do. Write a small description of the item you want to give away on the forum post page. Include your street address and the location of the goods. I’ve learned that just for safety’s sake, most people leave stuff on their porch or sidewalk near their home rather than invite people inside. Better safe than sorry. Once the item has been picked up, you post to the forum again, letting everyone else know not to bother coming out.

A surprisingly simple and effective system. But here comes the uber green part. You can also ask for specific items that you need, cannot afford or don’t want to pay for. The one I came across today was a couple looking for lidded glass jars to make jelly with. They didn’t want fancy jelly jars just glass jars they could reuse. They soon posted a thank you after receiving more jars than they could ever use. And just think, rather than ending up in the trash, the jars were repurposed. How cool is that?

This footprint lowering, waster reducing, recycling phenomenon is bound to have its critics. Green socialism perhaps? The slippery slope to organic communism? Whatever, call it what you will. Personally, it seems to be a great way to reduce waste, help people out and reduce costs during these difficult economic times.

I can’t wait to see if I can go and freecycle the apples off a neighbors tree. Free apple pie is the best kind of apple pie. Talk about shopping locally.

The Library Lowers Your Carbon Footprint

Saving money and the planet at the same time means keeping your carbon footprint low and your savings account high. By utilizing your local library a lot more than you do now, you can do both.

In this age of the personal phone, the personal computer and the personal space, we forget that community centers are sustainable aspects of our lives. By better utilizing public space, we cut down on our personal resources, which in turn mean lower carbon emissions. And despite our cyber obsession, the great depository of books still holds much sway.

To begin with, at the library you can read a book. Books are made from a sustainable material: paper. And by reading the library books rather than buying the same book new, you not only cut down on the number of trees that die to make the books, you save money. Libraries are free.

Libraries also offer internet and computer access for little or no cost. The only restriction is usually time, but who needs to be spend the day online? If you just occasionally check email and read a few green focused blogs (ahem), you only need about half an hour a day. Save yourself some money and sign up for 30 minutes of time at the library.

Besides books and blog reading, the library offers community discussion groups, movie rentals and film nights, craft and story time for your kids and a place to do research, hang out and meet people. All for free and all without increasing your carbon footprint.

Transportation to the library is often your only opportunity to add to the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Carpool with friends, take public transportation (there is usually a shuttle stop at the library in most cities), ride your bike or, here’s a thought, walk. Most people live pretty close to a library; it’s set up that way. A daily walk to the library gets your exercise in, saves on the use of fossil fuels and offsets your carbon footprint.

It’s a win win really. So think about being green this week by renewing your library card. You may be surprised at just how much there is to do at the local book depository.

Mother Earth to Earth Ship: Sustainable Living Concepts

Everywhere I look someone is doing something creative and inventive to conserve energy, help the planet and offset their carbon footprint. I watched a great documentary on earth ships the other day and decided to do a little research. These green homes not only save energy and work with the natural environment, they save money too.

As explained by earthship.net, you can use the term “earth ship” to describe your green home if it adheres to a set of six basic principles. These are: utilizing solar and wind energy alone to heat and cool the building, creating a contained sewage system, harvesting rain water consistently, building the frame and walls out of recycled and sustainable materials and having designated areas for self production of food.

The ships are built low or into the ground, offering subterranean living. They have solar panels on the roof and walls, have an assortment of rain barrels around the perimeter to catch run off room the roof and often have full fledged gardens growing on the inside of the structure. I’ve seen some with walls made from glass bottles and others made from reclaim rocks. They are experiments in green design which offer both a place to life as well as a sustainable lifestyle.

Earth ships are beginning to pop up across the States and Europe with some people building a single structure on private land and others creating earth ship communities. The carbon footprint of such communities and the amount of emissions their lifestyles incur compared to classic living quarters is minimal. Creating your own heat and food also cuts down on living expenses.

In practical terms, earth ships take a lot of time and care to manage so it’s not a feasible thing to do if you live alone and commute several hours to the office everyday; unless of course you hire a little green help. All told an earth ship, including labor and materials, costs about $200 per square foot to build. The labor is same as traditional construction, the difference in cost is earth ships have top construct their own utility supplies where in traditional homes to rent these from utility companies. Its one of those, cost effective over time things.

I love the idea of underground heating, growing my own food and having no utility bills. But in practical terms, it’s a lot of work. Good thing is for the lazy greenies like myself, there are rental properties available. Some earth ships act as educational centers so you can see the potential we have to make real change, reduce greenhouse gases and lower our carbon footprints.

Earth ships may be the home of the future but until then, a few carbon credits to offset my unsustainable lifestyle methinks.

Greening the Holidays: Considering a Reduce Carbon Footprint Halloween

It may seem a little early to start talking Halloween but for many of us, this coming weekend is when we start getting serious about making plans and buying costumes. And if you are trying to have a green Halloween on a budget, preparation is a must.

A quick scan through the cyber world shows a number of new options for those considering Halloween as another opportunity to reduce and offset their carbon footprint. And some aspects of this sugar fueled spooky holiday have always been green, so why change what works?

Trick or treating is a walking tradition; the door to door ritual is integral to the holiday. Choose local areas for candy canvassing and leave the car at home. Close parental supervision is enough to keep your kid safe and driving the car every block to park it at the end of the street is not just lazy, is a greenhouse gas nightmare. Keep fuel emissions low this year and wear good walking shoes and a warm coat.

Create your own Halloween costume out of used materials.A second hand white sheet is a majorly low impact approach. Browse local thrift stores and dress up boxes for the basics for a home made costume. In these harsh economic times, the budget approach is considered smart so don’t worry. You could even consider a “green” green costume and dress up like a recycling bin or LED light bulb, whatever tickles your fancy. Just avoid buying as little over processed packaged products as possible.

Speaking of which, how about natural decorations this year? The stores abound with an assortment of soy candles both scented and decorative and a bale of straw is a lot cheaper than the plastic emission emitting decorations from the made anywhere but here store. A number of online retailers are offering corn based treat bags or you could buy a canvas bag and use it for many years to come.

If you are giving out the treats this year use it as an opportunity to make a statement. Offer soy treats made from organic low footprint ingredients, collect candy wrappers for future craft projects and hand out candy in recycled packaging when you can find it.

Every holiday or occasion offers the chance to think outside the box. Halloween especially is a good opportunity to teach kids about being resourceful, making do and having lots of low impact fun.

Don’t Bag it Just Carry it

I was at the health food store the other week (where I had previously been chastised for not bringing my own bag) and got stuck behind a young woman who was purchasing a few sugar sticks for her tea. The shop assistant looked at her and asked: “Would you like a bag?” Of course I, and I am sure the line behind me filled with individuals clutching their own canvas bags, presumed the woman would say no.

Never assume anything. And the fact that someone would get a plastic bag for such a small amount of product when she had a purse over her shoulder much larger than the carrier bag made me think: are we just brainwashed into making stupid planet destroying choices?

As explained by reuseablebags.com, the real cost of the plastic bags handed out without a thought at stores across the land is enormous. They are made using petroleum based products that are drilled from the earth, destroy natural habitats and using up non renewable fuel resources. The manufacture of plastic bags releases carbon emissions and toxic chemicals into our atmosphere. The transport of plastic bags to those thousands of stores produces a huge carbon footprint.

Plastic bags are not good. Some would argue they are a small drop in the ocean of landfill waste but to me its one thing we can change.

A plastic bag takes almost 1000 years to disintegrate back into the earth. A canvas or cotton bag can be reused again and again making it a much more sustainable product. We can regrow cotton but we can’t regrow coal and oil. You can pick up a reusable canvas bag for a buck anywhere across the country.

You save money because the cost of producing plastic bags that are handed out for “free” is of course added to your shopping bill. Plastic bags only remain in favor because we the consumers act as though we need them. So the only way to get rid of them is to refuse to use them.

It’s simple. Consumer demand drives this country. If we demand sustainable goods we get sustainable goods. If we demand carbon footprint creating toxic fume emitting greenhouse gas accumulating goods? Well, we’ll get those too.

If nothing else makes you carry a canvas bag or I dunno, carry your purchase in your hands, think about the creatures. Annually, thousands of marine mammals die from ingesting or suffocating on plastic bags. Herd animals on land die from strangulation and suffocation as they investigate the bags that float onto farm lands.

We’re killing our fellow creatures, our planet and our brain cells. So just make this small adjustment and help the planet. If you can’t well then, what about a carbon credit for every plastic bag you use?

Remember, you are the change you want to see in the world.

When You Must Use Plastic and Paper

No matter how hard we try to utilize reusable materials, sometimes the occasion calls for disposable goods. When it comes to hosting a large event, community fundraiser or any larger get together we need to start thinking about how best to offset the carbon footprint of the event by being green consumers.

The world of plastics has changed in response to consumer demand for recyclable and compostable products. Plastics that are made from vegetables such as corn and paper products free of bleach and made from post consumer waste are the choice when there is no choice. Although many of us are ready to change on the domestic level the professional transitional will take longer.

So how much do we have to pay for green plastics to cater our professional event?

I love to save money and be green at the same time which can sometimes be a challenge. And it turns out, there are only a few companies stateside really making the move towards only selling green disposables. And a little research shows comparable prices.

Take for instance the classic paper plate. A green version made from sugarcane rather than trees and completely biodegradable without releasing any harmful chemical into the air runs around $50 for 500. A traditional paper plate full of bleach and tree parts with a cute little pattern runs about $140 for 500. hmmm…green always costs more?

Disposable coffee cups. An 8 ounce green cup is about $75 for 1000. Traditional coffee cups? Well you can get a 1000 Styrofoam cups for around $30. It seems some green products are cheaper and some more costly than traditional products. But anyone that would purchase Styrofoam for a corporate event in today’s climate…well.

I guess this entry is aimed at those of us who are struggling with leaving our green homes each day and entering our extremely ungreen corporate lives. Even if you aren’t the person in charge of organizing meetings and get togethers, it doesn’t mean you can’t make suggestions to those in charge of budgets and events to go green.

And in those cases where the green goods may cost a little extra? Well big business can certainly afford and the cost of promoting themselves as a green company (or at least heading in that direction) can’t possible have a price tag.

Persuading corporations and small businesses to invest in carbon credits to offset office waste and emissions doesn’t hurt either. You could even calculate the office carbon and present the info to your boss.

Hey, share the knowledge. Isn’t that what the green evolution is all about?

Don't Tease The Planet

So there’s a bit of a buzz about the web regarding this “No Impact Week.” I feel irresponsible not mentioning it but rather than advertising it, I’d like to discuss how one can actually survive a no impact week. I mean talk about trying to reduce and offset your carbon footprint. A week without a carbon footprint seems nearly impossible but is it?

And if it is possible, is it sustainable?

Well, a little background. The concept of “No Impact Week” is based on the year Colin Beavan and his family went “off the grid” and lived without creating little to no impact on the planet. The week is a personal experiment is trying to live a better life, make permanent behavioral changes and engage (if you haven’t already) the whole idea of reducing your carbon impact.

So what do you do? Well, you register, get the how to be greener manual and try and make it a whole seven days without cracking under the pressure of being a better planetary steward. Its sad that we need to have such a week. And I know a week of less impact will help the planet, but how do you stop everyone from over compensating the week after?

Seems to me that a sustainable sustainability project to reduce your carbon footprint should be about making small changes as often as possible and slowly building up to a permanent lifestyle change. One week of “trying” to save the planet is like one week of trying to go on a diet: you lose a little weight but the donuts you eat the week after will quickly put that water weight right back on.

The idea behind the week is great: getting people involved in the lower carbon lifestyle. Keeping them in it will be the problem. It doesn’t seem long enough for people to really understand the positive benefits of reducing their carbon footprint. Personally, it would be better to buy a week’s worth of carbon credits and make one permanent change. Not for a day or a week so you can write a blog about it but a permanent change that will help you your planet and your pocket book.

If you reduce your car use, walk when possible, recycle or buy sustainable products, reduce your waste, reuse everything in your home and cut down on wasted energy use, you can really have an impact on the planet. But please, don’t just do it for a week.

Reminds me of that commercial about seasonal pets. I guess it would be: a planet’s for life not just for a week in October.

Over Processed Vanity: Makeup's Impact on the Planet

In my humble opinion, makeup is one of the manufactured items that we can certainly live without. It’s not sustainable, contains numerous unnatural components and in some terrible cases, is tested on the furry folk we are trying to save by reducing and offsetting out carbon footprints. When you take a minute to delve into the ingredients in cosmetics, it doesn’t take long before you realize the true cost of vanity.

Lipsticks, tubes of mascaras, nail polish, foundation creams, eye shadows and all their accompanying holders, containers, applicators and sponges are a big waste of money and a resource drain on the planet. Not to mention the fact that some brands may actually cause you physical harm.

To begin with, the manufacture of cosmetics uses massive amounts of water, electricity and industrial waste create a huge carbon footprint. Some companies such as L’Oreal who own over 40 factories worldwide, have promised to work on their emissions but the only sure way to decrease that footprint is consumer choice.

Then there’s the whole cancer causing chemicals that are created to enhance color and preserve components of makeup. Recent studies found that some red lipsticks actually contain trace amounts of led. Not good for the skin or the fish who deal with the manufacturing waste water. Other chemicals in cosmetics include Propylene / Butylene Glycol (PG), mineral oil, coal tar and Phthalates all thought to cause serious health issues.

Few if any cosmetics come in recycled packaging and to be honest I have never come across anyone who has tried to put their empty plastic compact in the recycling bin. The whole cosmetic industry is pretty much self regulated meaning they can cut as many corners as they want and don’t have to worry about their effect on the planet.

Don’t get me wrong some companies are looking for sustainable alternatives, clean energy resources and making a sincere effort to find sources of post consumer packaging materials. The best we as consumers can do is purchase only organically based products in recycled or sustainable packaging. When the demand for footprint dense products is reduced, manufacturers won’t produce them.

And think of all the money you’ll save. Oh and if you just can’t give up that shiny red lip liner? Buy some carbon credits to make up for it.

It’s Not Cheap, It’s Planet Savvy

My husband would be the first to tell you I am cheap. I love a bargain, love thrift stores and love to save money. But with the green evolution upon us and the desperate need to reduce and offset our carbon footprints, I’m not cheap anymore, I’m planet savvy.

I’ve said before about shopping at thrift stores and buying Energy Star appliances. But we can reduce our carbon impact even more by putting the two together. Buying second hand appliances is no longer taboo, its smart. It saves money and reduces the needs for additional manufacturing and so slows the rate of carbon emissions from the manufacturing process.

Plus it saves money. Money that can be used to buy carbon credits, solar panels, rain barrels and clothes lines; whatever tickles your green fancy.

Another idea that still shocks many in our consumer culture: keep it till you break it. Before the economy went to pot, we all just bought bought bought not if we needed something but mostly if we wanted something. It didn’t matter if the television set was perfectly adequate, it didn’t hang on the wall. So we were out with the old and in with the new increasing household waste, clogging landfills and aiding in the creation of greenhouse gases.

And some people still live this way. You can’t save them all as they say. But you can certainly save your money and your planet by making smart green decisions.

My microwave lasted for 13 years. My coffee pot was with me for 12 years. My first toaster was inherited (I know crazy right?) and lasted for a total of 25 years. Yes my friends used to laugh at the age of my appliances and joked I should just get new. But why? These ones work just fine. They may not have been the latest model in the most fashionable colors but they did the job they were intended to do.

And now when I walk into a home and see a pristine kitchen full of the latest shiny objects from the appliances catalogs and websites, I frown at the homeowner and wonder at their choices. Because finally, used appliances, stretching every dollar and reducing carbon impact is more important that buying what the television tell you to buy.

A round of applause for the second hand buyer, the bargain seeker, the dollar stretcher the “it still works what’s the problem?” individual out there. These are green choices and a chance to lead by example. So when the coffee pot brews its last or the toaster just won’t toast, consider replacing it with a second hand (or previously loved) appliances and do yourself and the planet a favor.

Ride Share for Planet Care

We all know that transportation is one of the major contributors to carbon emissions and global warming. Thing is, this country is kinda big and public transportation still isn’t ubiquitous. Sometimes it’s too far too walk or cycle and there is no other option but the car. Ride sharing or car pooling remains the best way to get on with your life while reducing your carbon footprint.

Car pooling usually takes places between co workers who take turns driving to work or paying for gas. A car pool is two or more people choosing to travel in one car instead of traveling separately using double or triple the amount of gas and emitting double or triple the amount of emissions. Car pooling has been around for a while and in major cities, car poolers have their own special driving lane on the highway to reward them for this fuel conserving behavior.

All hail the car poolers.

Ride sharing is a more recent concept in the world of eco travel. Ride sharers do not necessarily work together or even known each other and may only ride together one time. Large urban areas offer ride sharing services which mainly consists of websites where you can post a destination request and see if anyone is heading your way. The cost of the journey is usually split between the travelers. This too reduces fuel and may prevent those who travel long distances infrequently from purchasing a car in the first place.

Let’s stand up for the ride share.

Things is, ride sharing makes me nervous. And that may be an uncool anti green thing to say but I’m trying to be honest here. Just because someone cares about the planet and is heading in your direction is that enough to trusts them? Have we gotten o a point where the label eco-warrior is enough to ensure safety and security no matter what the situation?

Hmmm….

I’m all for saving money and saving the planet but I think sensible shouldn’t be thrown out of the window in the process. The state of Michigan offers some great advice on ride sharing on their website. Take the time to follow up on contact information and given phone numbers to make sure they are real. Swap emergency contact info and make a copy of the driver’s license before departure. And always, always follow your instincts: if a situation doesn’t feel safe it probably isn’t.

A full tank of gas can release up to 350 pounds of carbon into the atmosphere. Carbon emissions contribute to the rate of global warming. So every time a tank of gas can be saved, the better for the planet as well as the wallet. It pays to be careful though and sensible greenies are healthy greenies.

Greening Up Those Final Wishes: Eco Burials

None of us want to think about it but death is a constant companion to us all. One minute everything is fine and the next…well the next moment never comes. But all is not lost. In fact our final preparations are also a final opportunity to reduce and offset our carbon footprints.

And the green funeral concept is gaining wider acceptance.

So what is a green funeral? The environmentally aware funeral focuses on a natural display that utilizes sustainable materials and eliminates carbon producing choices.

To begin with, embalming is out. As we have already learned we are half embalmed by the time we die anyway from the amount of formaldehyde in many everyday beauty and cleaning products. It’s a choice to reserve a body chemically. Some places may insist that a law exists about such matters but it’s more a funeral home policy than an actual federal regulation. Check with a funeral home in advance to ensure embalming is not an issue.

Grave markers are greened by using only natural sustainable materials. A rock or tree make a perfect replacement for bronze plaques and hard to replace marble. The less processing and manufacturing the lower the footprint. Planting a tree instead of killing one is much better for the planet.

In the green burial, you can even forego the coffin if you want to. Concrete tombs and steel coffins are a no no. A funeral shroud or biodegradable coffin is the preferred choices costing less money and reducing the amount of precious materials that get buried in the ground.

Traditional cemeteries aren’t recommended for the green burial. The preservation of the natural landscape is preferred with private forests and meadows a better option that cemeteries carved out of hillsides and filled with turf grass and concrete.

For those who want to avoid the burial thing altogether and really reduce their carbon impact, cremation is the way to go. Cremations have increased in popularity over the last few years. Not just because of the whole green evolution thing but because they are drastically cheaper than traditional burials. Cremations save space, save trees and fertilize the earth. It’s a win win really.

So when thinking of additional ways to save money and help the planet, think about a green burial. But please plan ahead and always check your insurance covers your wishes.

That way you can definitely rest in peace.

Food Footprints

You learn something everyday so the saying goes. And in my journey to discover the many ways to reduce and offset my carbon footprint while not spending very much money has led to a new insight. That is, the carbon footprint of foods. Turns out, eating a hamburger a couple of times a week is reason enough to buy carbon credits. Whether locally made or not, food manufacturing has a major impact on the planet.

According to treehugger.com, food is the cause of almost one third of the greenhouse gases we have all grown so concerned about. As the atmosphere heats up, the planet undergoes detrimental change. We must stop or reverse this process to avoid the onset of catastrophic environmental change. Yes, hamburgers can kill polar bears.

See? You learn something new everyday.

It seems cheap fatty heart attack inducing yummy foods have high carbon footprints. If you think about it, fast food is definitely a planet killer. From the excess methane gas released into the atmosphere from the millions of cows needed to produce the burgers to the forests of trees destroyed to make the millions of wrappers and the gallons upon gallons of petrochemicals utilized to drive to the drive thru…well, talk about increasing your carbon footprint on a budget.

It seems the thing to do is buy locally, buy seasonally and avoid red meat as often as possible. Whether we like to admit it or not, we are not naturally meat eaters and a vegetarian diet is better for the planet, our carbon footprint and believe it or not, our physical health.

Treehugger.com suggests eating seasonal fruits, dry beans and potatoes rather than fast food lowers both your food bill and your cholesterol. Baking your own bread, making your own healthy cookies and choosing soy and tofu over cow and pig is an economical step in the right direction.

I can vouch for the yumminess and low emission factor of lentil cookies. And don’t get me started on the obvious delights of bread fresh from the oven. Being green isn’t always the sacrifice some would make it out to be.

Once you realize that everything has a carbon footprint, smarter choices start happening naturally. And food really is an easy one. Stick to natural local foods and avoid over packaged items from far away. Buy in bulk to save on gas and get creative with the contents of the pantry.

Reducing your carbon footprint is a learning process. Take small steps in the right direction and veer past the drive thru and into your own garage. Home made has always been better. Now its environmentally and economically smart.

The Whole Bamboo Thing

My friend is getting married in the spring and since the engagement all we have done is discuss the minute details of the wedding ceremony and reception. And of course, I had to ask how my friend planned on reducing the carbon footprint of the joyous occasion. Her reply? “Bamboo, of course.”

Of course. All we hear lately is bamboo flooring is the best way to finish a green home, bamboo is a sustainable green product, bamboo can reduce your carbon impact and bamboo is prefect for the plates and cups at an outdoor spring wedding. So here’s the skinny on the whole bamboo thing.

According to bamboo advocates, planting and utilizing bamboo is the best and easiest way to help our planet recover. Bamboo grows really, really fast with new shoots every year and takes in a lot of carbon dioxide. In just two months, bamboo shoots can reach over 100 feet in height making them a great replacement for the trees in traditional western forests that take decades, even centuries to grow.

Just growing in a bamboo grove, this versatile tree is a natural sound barrier and can assist in soil erosion caused by wind or the death of other organic matter. Using bamboo for an assortment of practical uses is only new in the west. In Asia, bamboo has been a staple crop for centuries.

You can eat bamboo, make clothes out of it, use it to build the walls of your house, line your floors with it, feed it to your animals, make bags, boxes, paper, plates and cups out of its fibers. Bamboo is the new soy: a versatile natural product that helps the planet heal itself.

There are over 1,400 different species of bamboo in the world meaning that sustainable products can be grown to suit. And every site I look on, I find even more uses for this panda bear supplement. Fishing rods, bird cages, book cases, lampshades, tables, fuel, toothpicks, chopsticks, window shades, boats, fences and my current favorite: bamboo wedding invitations. It seems if you can make, eat it or wear it, it can contain bamboo.

This planet needs a little help to breathe and if buying bamboo at a reasonable price will do it, well, pass the shoot fiber plate please.

Dripping Away the Pennies: Water Conservation on a Budget

I’ve managed to avoid a summer hike on my electric bill by fighting off the vampires so now its time to figure out how to reduce my water bill. Oh and of course, offset my carbon footprint.

Sometimes we think using water is okay. I mean the world is 70 percent water, it rains a lot, water gets reused…it’s okay. Aaaah the blissful naivety of ignorance.

Think about it: cleaning water takes machines, chemicals, transportation and electricity. The process involves synthetic chemicals and petrochemicals and of course, emissions. Emissions contribute to global warming.

Besides measuring our individual carbon footprint, you can also measure a countries water footprint, that is, how much water a single country consumes. America is well into the red zone, far above the global average.

We may be okay for water here but other places aren’t so lucky. Water conservation is a key element in helping the planet get through this bad patch. So we have to reduce our water usage, especially our hot water usage which is a double carbon calamity.

So first off, turn off the tap and make sure it’s actually off. A dripping tap amounts to hundreds of dollars down the drain every year. And all those gallons could have gone to much better use like growing crops for food in Africa (yeah there’s a tap turning off guilt trip for you!).

Turn down the hot water heater. The recommended low temp is 120 degrees. Most tanks are set at 140 so go and check where you stand. This will make a nice savings in the electric bill too.

Reuse water. I know that sounds gross but there are plenty of opportunities to do so, especially when cooking. If you boil eggs in a pan of water and don’t break any eggs in the process what do you have? A pan of hot water. Great for washing dishes. If you boil vegetables in water, what’s wrong with taking a cup of that water to make your mash potatoes with? Nothing.

Get out of the shower when you are clean not when you are wrinkly. Taking a hot shower is great after a run but its not really necessary everyday. It’s a complete waste of water and electricity. Think crops in Africa, greenhouse gases and carbon footprints if you need a motivation to grab for that towel a few minutes earlier.

If you can’t resist a long hot shower or boiling your clothes to death, then at least offset your consumption by buying carbon credits. Water is a precious commodity, just like the money in our wallets. Saving both is a step in the right direction.

Refresher Course

Being green on a budget is always my focus; how to make changes in your lifestyle that help reduce or offset your carbon footprint. We can’t all afford solar panels on the roof or have the space for a windmill in the backyard but we can make smart choices that help the planet as well as helping the wallet. There are few simple things that greenies talk about all the time that some of us layman may not be a reminder. Consider this blog a refresher of the basics.

Turning down the air conditioner and turning down the heat just a few degrees can help offset your carbon emissions and save up to three percent on your bill for every degree above 72. Lowering the temp on the water heater to 120 degrees will help also. I mean do you really need to heat your water to 140 degrees?

Buy wisely and buy local. Always read the labels on packaging and understand what you are buying, what it contains, where it comes from and whether or not it is worth the price tag.

Turn off lights when you leave a room. It’s an easy habit to start that can greatly reduce your energy bill. We worked really hard on switching off lights and unplugging appliances this summer and were lucky enough to notice absolutely no hike in our summer electric bill. It works.

Reduce, reuse and recycle whenever possible. Avoid plastic grocery bags, buy food in reusable containers (I recommended the lunch meats that come in reusable tubs), find two or three uses for every item you bring into your home and separate trash for recycling. These actions can save money and after a few weeks or months can become lifelong habits that you can teach to your children.

Car pool, ride a bike or walk to work. This not only reduces your personal reliance on fossil fuels, it saves money and promotes a healthier lifestyle.

Call the telemarketers, the vendors and the mailing lists and get off the selling grid. This saves energy, time, paper and headaches.

Basically what it comes down to is thinking things through, planning ahead and making smart choices. Simple really, but worth the reminder.

Air Conditioning With Roots

They trap heat, cool the air, block the sun, eat carbon and well, they are just so beautiful.

Here I am again harping on about trees. But the thing is, they are one of the best ways to offset your carbon footprint as well as help the planet heal itself.

Trees store carbon dioxide and release oxygen. They take in the bad air and release good air. The amount of carbon a tree can store over a lifetime depends on the size and type of tree. So the more new trees that are planted the greater their collective healing power. Trees can help cool the earth down a bit, especially when planted in the right places. They are a natural defense against the harmful effects of global warming and a counterbalance to the cityscape of factories, power plants and traffic jams.

And the fact that planting trees doesn’t cost a lot of money, puts them on the top of my green bargains list. A couple of bucks will plant a tree. And these days, you don’t even have to plant them yourself. Offsetcarbonfootprint.org will plant them for you. At this website, $25.00 will plant 25 trees! I have a Christmas gift idea stirring in my brain.

After figuring out the actual amount of carbon you as an individual put into the atmosphere, the urge to do something about it can be overwhelming. Often we don’t know where to start and think anything we do now will take years, decades to have any effect. But with trees, the minute their leaves show up, they will help the planet.

Trees aren’t a hard sell, they are a wise investment. Simply put without the trees, we die. The planet dies, everything goes to pot. With the trees, there is a chance for cleaner air, less soil erosion, richer soil and more aesthetic beauty in the world.

The Bees Knees

So I overheard the other day that without bees, the planet would be a very different place. In fact, we would all probably be dead. Part of helping the environment, reducing carbon footprints and lowering the rate of climate change is paying attention to our animal and inset friends. Anyone into organic farming, buying local, fresh food, raw foods and natural ingredients has to know a little about bees.

So here are my green facts about bees.

They provide us with food. Every season, honey bees go out looking for their favorite thing: pollen. In the process they pollinate plants and flowers, providing us with crops to eat, pretty flowers to look at and more green things to eat up the carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Bees can be used to grow organic honey and aid developing countries in lowering their carbon emissions and provide jobs for the unfortunate.

Bees are essential for the production of useful organic things like honey, beeswax, candles, soap, floor polish, creams and lotions and the vitamin supplement royal jelly.

Bees can increase domestic sustainability. By having a beehive in your backyard, you can reduce your consumer carbon footprint and make your own honey and candles. Homemade honey is much better for the bees and the environment.

So bees are cool and they only really sting when threatened or fighting for their life. Bees are our friends, our buddies, our planetary companions.

But we are killing them with global warming, pesticides, over development of land and the destruction of their natural habitat. Farming is great but organic, pesticide free farming that leaves land for the insects to live in is the only kind of farming that can reduce carbon emissions.

So there you have it. Bees are an integral part of our world but we are destroying them with carbon emissions and pollution. It’s just one more reason to buy carbon credits and offset your carbon footprint. And purchasing a jar or two of organic honey wouldn’t do any harm either.

Embalmed Alive

I’ve got to stop watching the television. Bill Nye the Science Guy told me today that I’m being embalmed alive. Yes ladies and gentleman, turns out that morticians use half the amount of embalming fluid to preserve corpses than they used 20 years ago.

It’s time to add “stop using formaldehyde” to our list of ways to reduce and offset our carbon footprint.

Because this toxic embalming fluid is everywhere.

It’s in the fiberglass home insulation, the press board used to construct the walls of trailers, campers and mobile homes. It is in paper, wood and fertilizers. It is used to preserve food. It is in makeup and beauty products. It is some vaccines and medicines. When formaldehyde breaks down it becomes two different chemicals: formic acid and carbon monoxide.

Formaldehyde is bad for your health, can irritate and damage the lungs, affect the nervous system and in large quantities kill you. Some studies show a connection between formaldehyde exposure and cancer. Others say it “just” irritates the eyes and can cause asthma. Its bad for our health, our homes and the environment.

Formaldehyde is just one more chemical that is synthetically produced in factories that wastes energy and release carbon. If we stop supporting the manufacturer of such products by not buying them, it will eventually stop. It is a VOC (volatile organic compound) and if it was in your house paint, you wouldn’t buy it. But because it’s openly “hidden” (if you know what I mean) in everyday items, we bring it home without realizing.

How to avoid the formaldehyde? Shop organically, read labels and if you can’t give up that favorite cosmetic just yet? Buy some carbon credits to offset your use of poisons and help plant a tree or two.

We’ll need the extra wood for the coffins.

But at least we can save 50 percent on the price of embalming.

(shudder)

Common Cents

You always hear that a dollar doesn’t go very far anymore. I have to disagree. I think part of offsetting my carbon footprint is living more responsibly by making green choices and paying close attention to where my money goes and I can make it go quite far.

I’ve learned the value of a dollar as I have learned how I affect the environment.

Wasteful consumerism is a major contributing factor to the rate of global warming. Things have gotten so cheap, especially foreign made goods, that it is easy to overbuy and over consume. The “made anywhere but here” stores make it easy to purchase a lot of things very quickly. The hidden costs (including high carbon footprints, unnecessary manufacturing, unsustainable goods, sweat shop labor, unsafe factories) hardly register when we have the opportunity to get a “bargain.”

But the short term impulse of the present has a long term impact on the future.

It doesn’t have to be like that. You can make your money go further by making economical choices that also turn out to be good for the planet.

For instance, take eating locally. In some cases, it can cost more. Some people produce local goods, but they cash in on the idea that organic and local means you can charge more. In fact, organically grown local produce should cost less. Look out for those manufacturers and farmers that don’t try abuse your good deeds. You can buy locally cheap. It’s a matter of taking the time to read labels and compare prices. Knowing a local producer or two doesn’t do any harm either. I buy local and still save money because I buy wisely and I buy from the same producers time and again building those consumer based relationships of the past.

Buying organically can save money too as long as you don’t opt for fine dining or quick fixes. If you cut out fad veggies you’ve never heard of and exclude overly manufactured products, it can be a real bargain. I opt for dry garbanzo beans rather than canned as it works out to be about two bucks cheaper. It’s a little more work, but the beans can be prepped the day before. If you save a couple of dollars on every product, that adds up quickly. Buy dry in bulk and watch the savings grow.

Another thing. Get over the designer labels. Usually they are produced in places where the workers are inadequately compensated and then the company owner charges you an exorbitant amount to be their advertising billboard. Get wise. I can buy a bag of clothes, designer label or otherwise at the local thrift store for a dollar, working out to about ten cents an item. No-one knows I didn’t spend 40 bucks on that shirt and it looks exactly the same as the shirt on the poor schmuck that did.

That’s just a few examples to be getting along with. Once you change your mindset you can start making economical changes everywhere. And for all those you can’t get to this year? Well buy a little carbon credit to help things along.

Carbon Neutral Kids

It’s not just us dissatisfied Gen-Xers and frustrated Boomers that have become a part of the green revolution. Many of today’s younger generations are living in a world where being green isn’t a phase or trend but a way of life, an integral part of normal society. What was a novel idea in the past has become an essential part of daily living and so learning about reducing carbon footprints and helping the planet should also involve the kids.

We should probably acknowledge that they know more than we do at this point.

I like to refer to my 6 month old as the “carbon neutral kid” as I strive to put what I learn into action to improve his quality of life. The little guy uses only organic products from sustainable containers, eats only organic locally grown foods and wears previously owned items and plays with well loved toys, all in my effort to keep his carbon footprint as low as possible.

And of course to encourage a lifetime of green practices.

Where before I would be accused of being cheap, I’m now applauded for being green.

Because when it comes down to it, we must not only reduce and offset our own carbon footprints, we must make green living a sustainable movement by encouraging the next generation to live better than ourselves.

But what am I saying? The kids are going green already.

Internet sites abound with advice for new moms on responsible and sustainable lifestyles and children taking ideas out of the classroom and putting them into practice in their communities. I recently saw a young man on one of the children’s channels being mentioned for starting a recycling program in his classroom that spread to the whole school and later the entire school district.

Kids put cans in the recycling bin without thinking and use the back side of paper without a glance. They ride their bikes in the park and walk to school when they can. They wear the hand me downs of their siblings and guilt their parents into choosing paper over plastic. Children plants vegetable gardens learn about the ozone layer and a truly worried and actively working towards solving the problems associated with climate change.

As we struggle to reduce our waste and offset our carbon, the future is working slowly and smartly towards a carbon neutral future.

Maybe they’ve been listening to us after all.

If we keep encouraging them, just imagine how far they can go.

A carbon neutral world? We can only hope.

Putting it all on the Line

Choosing to use a clothes line to dry clothes rather than an electric dryer is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint. Besides saving money on electricity and dryer sheets, not using the dryer reduces the amount of heat in your home. Less heat means less use of the air conditioner in the summer months and did I mention the savings on the electric bill? According to the California Energy Commission, a single dryer will cost over $1,500 in operation fees over its life time. That doesn’t include the initial cost to buy the dryer which runs into the hundreds of dollars.

According to electric use calculators, if you wash a single load of clothes on hot water, put that load into the dryer and then iron that load with an electric iron, it costs you about $1.10. If instead you simply washed the clothes in cold water, hung them on the line to dry and become naturally wrinkle free, a single load of laundry would only cost 12 cents.

That’s a big difference. And reducing your energy consumption is simply a wonderfully side effect of your budget laundry choices.

So once you realize the logic of drying clothes on a line, you have a number of choices. You can buy a clothes line from an online store which can cost anywhere from 20 bucks to a couple hundred dollars depending on style and size, or you could buy a line of rope and a bag of clothes pins. This would cost less than ten dollars. Tie the rope between two trees or other points in the yard and pin your wet clothes on the line. Wait for the power of wind energy to do its work and enjoy line dried, fresh smelling, footprint reducing, alternative energy promoting, clean clothes.

Sometimes it isn’t being green and helping the planet recover from the effects of carbon emission and global warming. But sometimes it is. Sometimes being green is just good old fashioned common sense that benefits both the bottom line and the world.

I mean, its not like clothes lines are a new invention. Sometimes being green isn’t about innovation and looking to the future. It can also be about reviving past ways of doing things to change the present.

A rope, a few pins and a clear day. Easy.

Waste Not Need Not

I was at the grocery store today trying my best to stretch a budget. I wrote a list and tried to stick to it, I made a note of how much I was spending to help me stay on track, bought in bulk where feasible and compared prices between stores to ensure I was spending the absolute minimum on every single necessary item. And that’s just it: necessary. As I walked down aisle after aisle of brightly colored packages I said to myself over and over….

“Do I want it? Yes. Do I need it? No.”

And it worked. I saved a lot of money, bought only what I actually needed and opted for healthy food to get the most nutritious bang for my hard earned buck. And on the way home I started thinking about how my little mantra could be applied to other things besides my grocery list.

For one thing, I could use it to offset my carbon footprint.

We have gotten into the habit of buying for the sake of buying, wanting for the sake of knowing about and getting simply because we can. And if it hadn’t been for the near catastrophic economic down turn, I doubt that would have changed.

But it did change. We have to start realizing that money doesn’t grow on trees and we can actually get by on a lot less than the advertisers, manufacturers and producers would have us believe. We can reduce our carbon footprint by reducing our consumption which ultimately reduces our waste.

I mean a zero waste world is the ultimate goal but realistically speaking that’s a few years off. What most of us can achieve is a step in the right direction. Any anyway, I for one am sick of wasting money on over priced items I don’t really need. Aren’t you?

So now when I look at products I not only have to think about whether or not I need them or can afford to spend my money on them but also how much effect my purchase will have on my current environment and on the future of this planet. Awareness is responsibility and responsibility is conscientious shopping and product use. Everything I bring into my home will become a waste product that affects the planet. And I, like everyone has to decide…

“Do I want it? Yes. Do I need it? Maybe. Is it worth the waste? Probably not.”

It’s my step in the right direction.

Partying Green

I went to an outdoor wedding yesterday and it reminded me that every occasion is an opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint. Making a happy occasion better by partying green is becoming an essential for all responsible planetary citizens.

And it actually saves money.

Getting over the idea of using plastic at events is a big must for this nation. We have become obsessed with easy clean up and hygiene at the expense of the planet. Plastics, plates, plastic silverware, plastic serving dishes, plastic utensils, plastic cake bags, plastic decorations, plastics drink cups, plastic straws, plastic favors, plastic wrappers, plastic, plastic, plastic. Urgh! What are we doing? Just because something seems convenient in the moment, doesn’t mean it actually is.

A plastic straw can take 200 years to degrade.

A plastic container can take 30 years to degrade.

The little plastic rings on the top of a six pack? 450 years.

A plastic beverage bottle? Thousands of years.

Of course, every plastic is different and some are made using recycled products. Nevertheless, they remain a ubiquitous blight on the planet and the less we buy and use, the less manufacturers will produce. It’s that simple. We are consumer culture. If we don’t consume it. They won’t make it.

Buying sustainable products wherever possible will save money in the long run (as you can use them over and over) and reduce the impact you personally have on the local landfill. Pick up extra silverware, serving dishes and plates at a yard sale or thrift store. And just don’t buy straws: they aren’t really necessary. Cotton table cloths, paper cake bags, paper or natural decorations, organic favors (bird seed, flower seeds, grass seeds) and cards and wrapping paper made of recycled materials.

For beverages use glass glasses and buy alcohol in glass containers. A glass recycling box at the corner of a party next to the garbage for the compost heap isn’t difficult. Actually having guests separate their trash will certainly make for a conversation starter.

Whenever you have a large event, you have to realize just how much carbon you are producing. It’s not just about using ceramic plates and real silverware. The distance people travel to attend your event, the energy it takes to cook for a lot of people, the fossil fuels used in the forms of gasoline and electricity, the new clothes that are bought for the occasion (and all those associated costs in human labor and carbon emissions); even the gifts have a carbon footprint. So for every large event that you have, it is a good idea to buy a little carbon credit and offset the celebration.

The world is changing. It’s becoming more aware of itself. It’s not about being a tree hugger (although everyone can use a little love), it’s about responsibility and stewardship. It’s about taking the time to think about cost effective, practical and earth friendly choices.

Alright, lecture over. Party on dudes.

Just party green.

A Little Dirt on Dirt

Waste weighs heavily on my mind these days. As I research how to live green on a budget, I keep coming across the recycling of food waste, namely the compost heap. Composting is a great way to produce nitrogen and nutrient rich soil for harvesting veggies in your own back yard, decreasing dependence on supermarket produce and lowering carbon emissions.

Well, the compost heap of my youth has transformed into a major new green industry that promotes sustainability, recycling and of course, offsets your carbon footprint. And you can even compost in your apartment these days. How far we have come.

So here’s a little dirt on dirt.

The range of composting bins offers something for everyone from large yard compost mechanisms that rotate and drain rain water to small indoor bins that fit under the kitchen sink. And the very latest carbon reducing, footprint offsetting trend? Vermic farming: a.k.a. harvesting worm poop.

Red worms or tiger worms are the wriggly planet saver of choice. These blind and deaf surface worms consume their body weight in waste scraps everyday making them efficient compost machines. A little TLC and the right sort of debris and these little guys can live in a plastic worm bin under your sink recycling while you do the dishes.

The internet abounds with eco-friendly recycled plastic worm bins so there’s something for every budget, but I’m always a fan of a local connection. I visited the worms at the local rural water office here in little old Glenrock and found out first hand how clean the whole set up was. I mean it was a bit of a shock…because, well…worms and worm poop, in the kitchen. But, it was pretty cool.

The bin was one of those designed by none other than worm guru, Mary Appelhof who became quite the expert in the worm business, producing her own line of bins. You take off the lid and it just looks like a bin full of the darkest richest FREE compost you ever saw. Throw in your leftovers from lunch and way hey! You’re saving the planet.

So basically it’s a plastic tub with a lid, air holes and a tray on the bottom that slides out. You could buy or make yourself depending on how creative and energetic you feel. Put in some worm bedding such as shredded newspaper or dry leaves, add a little water, a little soil and some food scraps, put the lid on (the wriggly guys aren’t fans of the light) and wait for the magic to happen.

Depending on the waste and the number of worms, you can expect your first pile of compost to show up in a few weeks. The compost usually gets a little warm what with all that warmish activity going on but it shouldn’t smell bad. A unit costs less than a hundred bucks and if that seems like too much of a cash splash, try offsetting the office footprint first before investing in a home unit. Be sure to throw in coffee grinds, veggies and waterlogged cardboard but avoid citrus fruits and onions. You are now the proud owner of your own carbon footprint reducing worm farm. Bravo you.

It’s amazing the things you come across online and who ever would have thought 20 years ago we’d be putting worms in our kitchen to save money and help our planet.

It’s a funny old world.

Full of eco friendly worms.

Glassing Over Green Guilt

Sometimes I look around the apartment and think: “am I really trying hard enough here?” Are there other ways I can green up my living space? I think maybe I am looking at things the wrong way. I mean trying to be green is a great way to increase your individual inventiveness and creativity. And of course lower and offset your carbon footprint. But sometimes, rather than thinking green, I try to think economically and practically and somehow that translates to green.

A twofer if you will.

So today it was the kitchen. Specifically the plastic storage containers. We buy them for the same reason everyone else buys them. It appears a simple, economically way of saving, storing and transporting foods. But when it comes down to it, isn’t it just another way to increase our carbon impact on the planet?

Plastic containers are like any other plastic product: landfill layabouts that have no intention of moving on. Sure, we use them for a while but then the lid disappears, the tub gets stained with spaghetti sauce and the corner gets melted in the dishwasher and then they find a new home in the back of the cupboard. Because we hate to put plastic in the garbage, we create our own miniature landfills in the back of the kitchen cupboard.

What to do what to do.

Well, until Wyoming becomes a Mecca of whole foods, local produce and community gardens, I still have to shop at the grocery store. Its hard to find carbon neutral products.So smart choices can save me money. If I buy glass containers over plastic containers and wax paper bags instead of plastic sandwich bags. I can on one hand make my own durable containers than can be recycled in the future and bags that can biodegrade in just over a week on the other. This way I avoid both the green guilt and the landfill.

There doesn’t seem to be much of a difference between buying food in plastic containers and buying it in glass containers. So I just collect discarded glass and their metal lids in a small cardboard box under the sink and then about once a month, give them a good scrub in hot water, take of the label and put on my own. They are great for dry food storage and, if you can get over the concept of swapping a box shape for a jar, perfect for holding lunch foods.

And in my case, the growing stack of empty baby food jars are great for storing dressings, pickles and salsa, even salt and pepper.You can do a lot with an empty glass jar.

And getting more than one use out of any time of packaging means one less product that has to be produced, saving energy and reducing carbon. Well, there’s one problem solved. When the storage jar has outlived its usefulness, I can pop in the recycling so it can begin its new life as a beer bottle.

Of course, plastic storage containers are just one of the many bad habits the modern kitchen contains. And as I make my way through the pile of ungreen aspects of my domestic arrangements, I’ll be sure to share them with you.

I Like To Ride My Bicycle

I was walking through my wonderfully small Wyoming community the other day and was both surprised and happy to see a grown woman riding a bicycle. You see, bikes are not some freakish event here in rural Wyoming. We are lucky enough to have a town where it is actually safe for the local kids to ride around all day long, pretty much unsupervised, burning off energy and hopefully staying out of trouble without fear of interference. But a woman on a bike in business attire in the middle of the day. Well, it’s not the norm for “conservative” Wyoming.

Not yet anyway.

But obviously the idea of leaving the car at home and taking a healthier form of transport to work may be catching on. Not because it’s a part of a green craze, the latest must do herd mentality inspired activity; rather, because it’s logical, practical and saves money: all good old fashioned cowboy values.

And I think the woman on the bike was a great lesson. We can make changes that not only help the planet but help us as individuals. We get so caught up in trying to lower our carbon footprints (which we should do right?), we forget that this stuff is good for us as individuals.

Riding a bike reduces the use of fossil fuels, reduces carbon emissions, saves energy, burns calories, increases muscles strength and tone and well, makes you feel good about yourself. I repeat: riding a bike is good for your health.

It’s a green guilt free pat on the back.

Now I don’t want to give the impression that other transport changes haven’t been taking place around here. Actually before the bicycle made its entrance, the golf carts showed up. Yes, a number of townsfolk have decided that getting on the golf cart saves gas money, especially when one is just running errands around town. And the fact that no-one blinks as the streets fill with carbon lowering cowboys driving golf carts is a good sign for the oncoming Wyoming bicycle revolution.

I’m not saying that bikes and walking will completely take over transportation methods in my state. We actually do need the trucks and sturdy cars to navigate between towns (30 to 40 miles between population centers is the norm) that you see advertised on TV. You know the ones where you wonder who the heck needs a truck that goes through blizzards, carries loads of bricks, gravel or wood, has snow chains, headache racks and two fuel tanks in case you get stranded (we do). This is the middle of nowhere after all. But that doesn’t mean we can’t ride a bike at lunchtime or walk to pick up the kids.

And if we can do it here in truck country, reducing our planetary impact, lowering our carbon footprint and reducing our carbon emissions well…

What’s your excuse?

While you are waiting for the new bike to arrive, why not offset some carbon? Every conscious change is a change in the right direction. And if you get to where you are going riding a bike, alls the better.

Seeing the Light

If you aren’t already using the new compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) why not? Well this great way to reduce energy and carbon emissions has a few setbacks which dissuades the average Joe from making the commitment. But it seems, in the long run the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

I wasn’t much of a believer. The husband started buying these uber expensive light bulbs where bargain shopper me wanted to buy the six for a dollar box at the local made anywhere but here super store. It was easier. It was cheaper. And it didn’t cost a fortune and bring potential hazards into the home.

But like the TV show says, sometimes “it's not easy being green.”

But the husband was insistent. Not because he wanted to reduce his carbon footprint or help the planet but because he said it was cheaper because they would last longer. So they were cheaper.

Huh?

I’ve never been one for math, even simple math. But it turns out each CFL bulb saves $30 in energy use during its lifetime and compared to bargain bulbs that blow when you sneeze too hard and need replaced almost weekly, the CFL bulb lasts well…a long time. We still have some we bought in 2007. Some claim eight years, thousands of hours or ten times the old school type bulb but it seems to vary. Overall, they just last and so save money.

But what about when they blow?

A friend of mine said no way on the CFL bulbs “because they don’t tell you about the mercury.” Huh? What? Mercury? In my house? It can’t be. Green is better, more natural. Right?

Well, it’s like this: the CFL bulb works differently from the more traditional incandescent bulb. Instead of heating a filament like in the incandescent bulb till it glows making light, the CFL bulb emits light because electricity goes through a mixture of argon and mercury. Each bulb contains about 1 milligram of mercury. It’s not that much, really. I mean breaking a bulb could release a tiny amount into the house for a short time (open a window) but how often do you smash a bulb really? Is that enough of a reason to waste all that energy?

Each CFL bulb uses 75 percent less energy than incandescent bulbs. 75 percent less of a drain on the overloaded power grid. Less energy, less carbon. Each bulb saves about 150 pounds of carbon. Count the light sockets in your house and think how much carbon you could save.

Offsetting carbon starts with realizing that all the small things add up. Carbon credits and tree planting are bright ideas.

But I'm starting to see the light when it comes to CFL bulbs.

Heat Waves, Smog Warnings & No Man's Lands

In the evolutionary, historical sense, human beings really aren't that different from other animals. The human species emerged as a result of optimal environmental conditions. There are lots of places on Earth that human hands had never touched up until the last few hundred years, and although they've nearly all been explored save a few, at most of these hostile locales it just doesn't make any sense for people to stay.

The interior of Alaska comes to mind. The Rub' Al-Khali might be another. Maybe that god-forsaken Black Rock City. You won't find any permanent encampments or signs of civilization there, because the climate is just too forbidding, too harsh for humanity to exist in any substantial way.

With some exceptions, you can mostly trace the spread of human civilization as it developed, and along the way you can pick out the places people broke ground with some accuracy. Follow the water. Look where the climate is most palatable. Catal Huyuk didn't spring up from the empty quarter of the Arabian Desert, it emerged from a place where an agricultural life could be easy for people. As humanity transitioned from a pastoral lifestyle to a sedentary, urban one, it assembled into organized enclaves in places that were most conducive to life.

The oral traditions of humanity are rife with stories of cataclysmic change leaving cities unlivable. Plato describes an unrecorded, prehistoric civilization that is undone by all-too-human hubris and swallowed by the ocean. Western mythology, especially the mythology of the fertile crescent, all share the common thread of a great flood that covers the whole world. And in more recent times, fanciful Romantic authors and 19th century Spiritualists described the lost continents of Mu and Lemuria sinking and leaving a diaspora of people in their wakes.

But there's no need to look to sandaled philosophers of great antiquity or tarot-reading occult-book-store crystal-wavers for the truth about what it looks like when a place becomes unlivable. The truth is, it might happen so slowly and so imperceptibly that you wouldn't notice it, and you one day wake up and realize you can't leave your house.

This summer has been the hottest on record for the Pacific Northwest. It had a late start, and I recall often opining that if it stayed as mild as it had been, it might not get very hot at all this year. Then, in late July, the thermometers broke, and Seattle's previous record temperature was shattered by a 103°F afternoon. Lucky for us, Seattle's topography contribute to a weather pattern that keeps the air quality here pretty decent. It's almost always clear enough to see Mt. Rainier from the I5 bridge in the University District. We've got it pretty good here.

Not so for Vancouver BC. Wildfires in Lillooet, record breaking heat and an urban population that owns 2.3 cars per household despite a vast mass transit system, along with geographic features surrounding the city that trap smog in to boot, all coalesced as factors in a perfect storm to send the air quality index in the Metro Vancouver area hurtling to level 6, the highest in memory for the bourgeois business-class yuppies who make their living there. Asthmatics and people suffering from respiratory diseases were recommended to stay indoors, and though it would dissipate in a matter of days, the effect of the air quality warning was troubling. How could a place with such strict emissions controls and an incomparably responsible society, bent on being green, be so thick with pollution?

But Vancouver's air pollution problem pales in comparison to Beijing's. Following the failure of Mao's Great Leap Forward, Deng Xiaoping led the Communist Party of China to adopt what it termed "Socialism with Chinese characteristics", a pastiche of both ideological Marxism and, with a certain grudging acknowledgement to pragmatism, contrarian Capitalist concepts as well. With barely a sliver of an opening to the absurd vastness of the Chinese consumer markets, virtually overnight the country became solvent, and within a decade the poverty rate had been slashed from more than half of the country's 1 billion during the Mao era to a shrinking 12% in 1981 and single-digits more recently.

The Beijing of 2009 is just under 3 times as large as it was prior to the economic reforms, and duplicate success stories raise metropolises across the country at a rapid clip. With the new-found prosperity came all the trappings of modern first-world nations: cars, skyscrapers, airports, luxury apartments, corporate identities, advertisements and, at the heart of it all, manufacturing plants making the export goods that fuels China's economic breakthrough.

Beijing has arrived, and by 2009 China has become the reigning economic power in the world, but rapid modernization brought the unintended consequence of unchecked, unchallenged release of greenhouse gases the likes of which the world has never seen. Forbes Magazine estimates that the 10 most polluted cities in the world are all in China, and the Chinese government claims nearly one and a half million premature deaths occur as a result of poor air quality every year. Where Vancouver's air quality might be dangerous for people already at risk, Beijing is consistently shrouded in a dark grey porridge that chokes healthy people to death and reduces visibility to less than the length of a city block.

The point I'm trying to make here, is that humanity is turning the places it makes it's bed unlivable. The non-stop, uninterrupted release of not just the greenhouse gases that feed into self-perpetuating feedback loops and precipitate global climate change, but also the real nasty stuff that comes out of your exhaust pipe and your chimney and every coal power plant you use when you charge up your iPhone, is slowly but surely making those archetypal myths of cataclysmic change seem prophetic at best and at worst like observations that self-similarity in man's inhumanity to man scales up and will eventually kill us. There's no sense in this. We're committing suicide on a global scale, and we're doing it in a really weak, wimpy, cowardly way that betrays our imprinted consumerist apathy.

That's why offsetting your personal carbon footprint is so important. If everyone in Seattle, Vancouver and Beijing paid for their yearly carbon output, we would solve the global ecology crisis in less time than it took for China to awaken from it's ideologically-lullabied slumber. All it takes is pointing your browser at http://www.offsetcarbonfootprint.org/. All the links are there, they'll help you calculate your carbon footprint and give you all the tools you need to decide how you'd like to offset your carbon. They make it easy! They'll accept all major payment methods and will even offer you a certified guarantee. All you've got to do is make the choice to take responsibility for your share of climate change.

Are you ready to do the right thing? Time is of the essence, so don't delay. Do it today.

There are Vampires in my House

It’s officially called Wasted Standby Power. But most people refer to it as the electricity vampire that sucks energy out of appliances, even when they aren’t in use. Vampires in the home are one of the many things that add to a household’s carbon footprint.

Home phones, microwaves, alarm clocks, computers, remote control units, rechargers and any other appliance that is left plugged into the mains can steal energy from the grid and money from your pocket. In fact, over 4 billion dollars a year goes to feed these electrical vampires. It’s bad for the planet, really bad for the planet. Carbon emissions are released in the process of making electricity. So every kilowatt of energy wasted leads to the pointless release of carbon into our atmosphere, adding to the problem of global warming.

Those poor, poor polar bears, floating on ice cubes because we were too lazy to unplug the cell phone charger from the wall.

It can be up to 10 percent of the utility bill, accounts for billions in wasted money, tons of life destroying carbon emissions and aids in the pollution of the planet and the heat in the sky. We offset our carbon footprint by practicing balance. If we reduce our use of power by plugging things into power strips that have an off switch, unplugging all appliances at the end of the day, turning out lights and removing anything from the electrical socket that serves no purpose, we can begin to win the war against these power sucking fiends.

And for everyone that’s begins complaining about the effort it takes to switch off and unplug? Fine, don’t do it. You are free not to. But consider doing something to offset your growing carbon footprint. Calculate your carbon tones using the carbon footprint calculator and if, after you realize just how much money and energy you are wasting, you still don’t want to join the crusade against the vampires? It’s your choice but offsetting your energy usage by helping a few trees has got to make you feel better.

For me, I’ll keep waging the battle using my vampire deterrent: unplugging appliances.

Cheaper than a bulb of garlic.

Trees Glorious Trees

There is something about the constancy of trees that I admire. Their towering longevity and inherent grace always gains my respect. Yes, trees are one of my favorites from Mother Nature’s collection. And the fact that they allow me to breathe just completes the perfection of their design.

The process of photosynthesis always used to bore me in science class. It was one of those school facts that had little relevance to my life. Now I realize what the teachers were trying to get me to understand. My life depends on those tree related processes, now more than ever.

In case you too blocked it out in school, photosynthesis is the means in which a tree, plant or any green thing lives. The chlorophyll in the leaves (the green tone we see) soaks up water and carbon dioxide in the air. This absorbed energy is utilized in processing the minerals taken in by the roots to help nourish the tree. After the process is complete, trees release oxygen and water back into the atmosphere.

So, essentially, we breathe in tree waste. We are dependent upon trees for our lives.

Sure, there is natural oxygen in the atmosphere making up about 20 percent of the gases but without the constant replenishment from tree waste, the chemical composition of the air would begin to change drastically. And with the ever increasing carbon emissions adding to the temperature of the planet i.e. global warming, it’s all the trees can do to keep up.

A single medium sized tree provides enough oxygen for one human to breathe in ideal circumstances.

So with carbon, pollution, toxins and goodness knows what else in the air, the situation is far from ideal. And what about all our furry friends? They too require oxygen to breathe. And our fishy friends? Water plants release oxygen into the water which allows them to breathe. We need trees for our continued planetary existence.

And of course, to offset all this bleeping carbon.

The connection between people and trees isn’t some throwback from the sixties or belong to people with flowers in their hair and sandals on their feet. That connection is foundational to everything and everyone.

You might not have an urge to go out and hug a tree after reading this but you might consider a little internal nod to the grand design.

Yes, for me, it’s definitely a case of trees, glorious trees.

Managing Your Carbs: A Learning Process

I’m a big believer in awareness being the first step to correcting a problem. After discovering what a carbon footprint is, using a carbon footprint calculator to determine the size of your particular imprint, its time to start thinking: “what can I do to make this situation better?” Because no matter how hard you try, you can’t eliminate your carbon footprint overnight and you must understand how offsetting is a great stop gap between awareness and complete elimination of the problem.

Offset is a game of tit for tat, of losing and gaining, of finding balance. For everything you take away, you should give something back. And there’s nothing wrong with being creative about the whole thing. For instance if you are a big paper consumer, maybe planting trees could be your thing. Maybe you don’t have time to plant trees. So paying someone else to plant trees for you could be your thing. Maybe trees are not the way to go at all. Maybe energy reduction is your thing. Maybe you can’t really reduce your energy output anymore so maybe you could help pay for someone’s else energy. Maybe you could support a fund that provides clean energy to people or maybe you could start building windmills.

Maybe a lot of things.

This whole offsetting business is quite involved. There are so many ways to restore a sense of balance to our lives and to the planet as a whole. Reading about what is happening to the planet may be another way to go for some of us. Learning about global warming, how it occurs and what can be done about it. Education is a good second step after initial awareness of the problem. It’s all about choice.

There is a great freedom in being green because there are so many ways to do it.

Managing carbon is the same for me as managing carbohydrates. Something I know I should be doing but sometimes it’s hard and seems an unattainable goal. But I know its good for me in the long run. So I make tiny changes and concentrate on learning what I can do. Cut out a cookie here, walk past a cupcake there and slowly start realizing the effect of my good choices.

Awareness. Education. Balance. Change. Reward.

Whether reducing or offsetting, the management of carbon is a learning process. Realizing we have a lot to understand and research is a good start.

Saving the Planet With Global Yard Sales

It was another weekend of yard sales and thrift stores and the dawning realization that in buying a shirt for 50 cents and a baby toy for a nickel, I have discovered another easy economical way of offsetting my carbon footprint.

Yard sales and reusing goods has become popular for two reasons: everyone is broke and most of us are concerned about the impact we are having on the planet (a.k.a our carbon footprint). Manufacturing new products uses up vital energy resources releases toxins into the air, increasing the nation’s overall carbon emissions and contributing to global warming.

So why do it if we don’t have to?

Sustainable goods with low or neutral carbon footprints are also increasing in popularity but they do little to rid us of the billions of tons of waste we already have. Living in a consumer society as we do, we have an urge to buy things we don’t need from companies we don’t really like at prices we can’t really afford. The end result being, we throw these items away and they clog landfills and reduce recycling rates.

But a yard sale is a form of recycling most of us can get behind.

Yard sales, reuses and recycle as they reduce the amount of unsustainable products in landfills. They save money for customers and make money for the owners. The yard sale process feeds our consumer need to buy but doesn’t cost too much and helps a neighbor get rid of their unwanted items responsibly. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure.

The concept of yard sales to reduce carbon emissions has gone viral with waste exchange sites popping up all over the web offering people and companies the chance to dispose of goods in other places than the local landfills. Exchanging goods reduces disposals costs for businesses as it helps ease the carbon emission burden on the planet. Waste.net is one example of this online recycling craze and it offers both exchange as well as purchase of previously used goods and industrial scrap for reuse.

It’s like one huge yard sale for businesses except the yard is the internet and the junk is industrial. A perfect green solution for a consumer society. So rather than thinking a morning at the yard sales is a cheap way to get that extra cooler for camping or save money on clothes your little guy will grow out of in a few weeks anyway, it may be better to see the healthy planet saving job you are doing by spending just a buck to reuse, reuse, recycle and of course, offset carbon footprints.

Recharging to Offset Carbon Emissions

Non rechargeable batteries may seem like a small pebble in the large pond of carbon emissions but the lasting effects they have on our environment en masse is devastating. Clogging landfills with toxic chemicals that leak into ground water, using up metal resources and releasing carbon during the manufacturing process adding to global warming, non rechargeable batteries are cheap, convenient and extremely harmful. Not to mention their effect on the old dead weight of guilt better known as your carbon footprint.

Not everyone can afford solar panels on the roof or a wind generator in the back yard, but we can spend a couple of extra bucks and buy rechargeable batteries. Of course, they aren’t as cheap and less convenient, as they need to be recharged and take time to do so, but they do reduce carbon emissions. We use the same two batteries over and over effectively recycling, reusing and reducing all at the same time.

So what to do with all those non rechargeables we have lying around the house? The ones we feel guilty about putting in the regular trash but don’t get picked up by the local municipality except maybe twice a year? What to do when we are running out of room what with all the broken hairdryers, computers, cell phones, used motor oil and half empty paint cans we are also stock piling waiting for that toxic waste date to show up on the municipal calendar?

What to do? What to do?

Well, turns out there are scrap and salvage yards that will actually purchase these non rechargeable batteries from you for a nominal fee and recycle them along with the large scrap metal waste they collect in the form of rusty pipes, old cars and worn out ovens. Check with local scrap dealers to get specific details for your area. Aaah, another way to offset carbon emissions. Doesn’t it make you want to smile?

And if you are feeling extremely ambitious and even a little flush, you may want to consider the latest in rechargeable batteries, the USB cell battery which actually plugs into your lap top to recharge, reducing energy waste by having a separate recharging unit plugged in.

Finally, I can take my huge box of old batteries out from under the sink and trade them in for just a small pack of rechargeables. One more item off my save the planet checklist.

Offset or Reduction: What’s the Difference with Carbon Footprints?

As I scan the internet reading the latest environmental findings, as well as the latest ways to go green, two phrases continue to pop up: reducing your carbon footprint and offsetting your carbon footprint. It seems a little explanation of the difference between reducing and offsetting can make green savvy web surfing all the more productive.

When we reduce our carbon footprint we find ways to lessen our personal impact on planet earth. Everything we consume, every product we purchase and every lifestyle choice we make add to the impression, the footprint we leave behind us. Choosing green products, sustainable goods, locally grown products and recycling and reusing when we can helps reduce that impact.

Offsetting our carbon footprint is a matter of determining how much of a carbon footprint we have and then finding ways to balance or off set that impact. For everything we take away from the planet, we give back to the planet. We can do this as individuals or we can support organizations and companies that can offset the footprint for us.

It begins with a carbon footprint calculator. The one used by this site is the same one endorsed by the Environmental Protection Agency and provides a pretty accurate look at individual impact. After determining the number of tones of carbon you produce annually you can redeem yourself by donating to green programs that allow you to buy carbon credits that add rather than take away from the planet.

Donating money towards trees, protecting wildlife habitats, opting to buy green power (wind, solar or water) for your home as well as assisting organizations at the grassroots level who are trying to reduce carbon and add oxygen. The number of ways we can commit to the planet is pretty limitless when you start top think about it. The more I analysis my way of life and how my family consumes goods and power the more I see where there are opportunities for change.

We can’t all stick a windmill in our backyards, especially when we don’t have a backyard. We can’t stick solar panels on a roof we don’t own or green windows into panes we rent, but we can make smarter choices. Driving less and walking more, switching off and unplugging appliances and supporting those individuals and organizations trying to do the right thing has to be the right way to go, at least for me.

It seems a combination of reducing and offsetting may be the best way to contribute to real change in America.

Pembina Institute & The David Suzuki Foundation Publish Carbon Offset Buyers Guide

The burgeoning trade in voluntary carbon offsets is still a strange idea for the majority of regular consumers. Even the most hardcore environmental warriors might be intimidated by the abstraction of a carbon offset market versus the more direct and immediately measurable effects of limiting one's own environmental impact, and granted, they're absolutely right to say the more important goal is to limit one's carbon production before it ever hits the ozone.

But once consumers get passed the "icky" stage and dive headfirst into the carbon offsets market, they run up against a more familiar and much more difficult to solve problem: which carbon offsets vendor to choose! There are dozens of them, and as The David Suzuki Foundation & Pembina have shown in their carbon offset buyer's guide, not all of them are created equal.

Pembina & The David Suzuki Foundation are both Canadian non-profit think-tanks whose stated goals are to arm the public with the knowledge and tools to live ecologically sustainable lifestyles. With this in mind, they've produced a guide to carbon offsets trading that is useful for every tier of the market, from the large businesses and corporations looking to add some green cred on top to the regular folks like you and I riding the bus and bicycling to work at the bottom. They polled 20 carbon offset vendors on six factors: additionality (new growth in renewable energy versus work on previously existing infrastructure), auditing, unique ownership (presumably to prevent any sort of sinister conflict-of-interest scenarios like the double-selling of an unretired offset), permanance, vendor transparency and public education.

The survey produced some interesting results. The top rated carbon offset vendors were all companies involved with renewable energy and energy efficiency, while the lowest ranked worked on reforestation, which appears to confirm the notion that reforestation lies at the low-end of the spectrum of true carbon offsetting. But the really startling data came in the form of stark zeroes in the auditing column for two of the vendors polled, indicating that their offsetting claims could just as well be illegitimate. Food for thought in an unregulated market ripe for scams.

Ultimately, the most important data in the survey isn't the side-by-side comparisons of offset brokers or the lists of questions to ask a vendor before cutting a check. The most useful advice it can give is near the front page:

Before purchasing carbon offsets, first reduce your own carbon footprint as much as possible. We all need to make changes at work and at home to achieve the global emission reductions needed to solve the problem of climate change.