Be Green in the Forest

GoodGuide

2009-08-04T14:32:00.004-04:00

Check out http://www.goodguide.com/ for info and recommendations about earth friendly products, from macaroni and cheese to deodorant. They supply unbiased ratings on food, personal care items, household chemicals, and toys. You can even filter their lists based on products' enviro-friendliness, and whether they're organic, tested on animals, vegetarian, etc.

The Gorgeously Green Diet

2009-06-30T23:52:00.004-04:00

My mom recently gave me a book called The Gorgeously Green Diet, which I absolutely love. It's a quick and easy read but it'll change your life! Authored by expert greenie Sophie Uliano, The Gorgeously Green Diet explains how to lessen your impact on the planet, save money, and stay healthy and thin. Uliano makes it easy to shrink "your waist and your waste" inexpensively. She offers three diet plans for everyone from guilt-ridden Hummer drivers who want to change their ways to organic cotton-sporting vegans who'd like to reduce their footprint even more. Though the book seems short, it covers so many important topics, and addresses not just how to eat better but why doing so is healthier for you and for the environment. This book is about more than just a diet; it's about a gradual and comfortable change in lifestyle that will help you and future generations be happier and healthier. Uliano even proves that buying organic can actually be cheaper than buying non-organic foods! The book also includes many recipes, countless product recommendations, and aerobic, flexibility, and strength exercises. I recommend The Gorgeously Green Diet 100%!

Check out Sophie Uliano's website, www.gorgeouslygreen.com, for more information about the book, the diet, and the lifestyle. You can even watch videos of Sophie's appearances on Oprah, The View, Good Morning America, etc.

Five Beginners’ Steps to a Greener Home

2009-03-17T10:32:00.002-04:00

This article was pasted from The New York Times

By Julie Scelfo

Published: March 11, 2009

A RECENT Amazon.com search for “green home” pulled up more than 15,000 book titles. Who has time to read them all? So this week, The Green Home tracked down Eric Corey Freed, the author of “Green Building & Remodeling for Dummies,” and asked him to distill this growing cottage industry of green advice into five must-do steps.

What’s the first and most important thing every green-minded dweller should do?

Look at all the vampire loads that are sucking energy even when you’re not using them.

You mean like the toaster with a digital clock and the cellphone charger?

Yes. Anything with a ready light. Collectively, vampire loads cost Americans about $3 billion a year. The biggest culprits are stereos, DVRs, game systems and plasma TVs. Simply unplug them when they’re not in use. Or purchase smart power strips, which cost about $25 and shut off automatically.

What’s the second step for making our homes greener?

Take an empty two-liter soda bottle, wash it out, fill it with water, screw the lid on tightly and set it into your toilet tank, as far away from the flapper valve as possible. This prevents two liters of water from being used every time you flush.

Will it leave enough water for a proper flush?

A new low-flow toilet uses 1.6 gallons per flush. Older toilets go up to seven gallons a flush. Two liters is only half a gallon, so there’s still plenty of water left for most bathroom visits. Besides, you can always flush twice for those rare occasions when it’s truly needed.

Moving right along. Your third recommendation?

Install an ultra-low-flow shower head. A 1992 federal law requires all shower heads to be “low flow,” which means 2.5 gallons shoot out every minute it’s on. Switching to ultra-low-flow means you could go anywhere from two gallons all the way down to half a gallon a minute.

But how’s the water pressure?

Ultra-low-flow shower heads mix outside room air into the water so the pressure is surprisingly good. The technology has really advanced. The old stigma of not having enough pressure — do you remember the old “Seinfeld” episode where Kramer couldn’t get enough water, so he switched to an elephant hose? — that doesn’t really apply.

So far, these projects sound really manageable. What’s No. 4?

Install a gray-water system that collects soapy water and diverts it to the toilet. Instead of clean water, you flush with soapy water. WaterSaver Technologies (watersavertech.com) makes AQUS, a $300 system that installs under the sink.

Is there a simpler way to capture and use gray water?

Actually, there is. It’s a toilet-topped sink called SinkPositive (sinkpositive.com). You replace the toilet’s heavy porcelain lid with this sink basin, which has a built-in faucet. When you flush, fresh water comes out of the faucet and you wash your hands with it. The soapy water collects in the toilet tank for the next flush.

Forgive me for asking, but how does the SinkPositive look?

Like something you might find in a dentist’s office.

What’s the final step people should take?

This is probably the most important: replace old thermostats with a programmable one. It’s kind of like a TiVo of thermostats. It lets you turn the heat down when you sleep and back up before you wake. It can also tell the difference between Monday and Friday, so you can turn down the heat while you’re at work. A good one costs about $20, and saves about $180 a year on energy bills.

So we don’t need to go home and install solar panels or put down bamboo flooring tonight? That’s a relief.

These five projects aren’t sexy, but everybody can do them.

Burt's Bees

2009-03-17T01:30:00.002-04:00

Burt's Bees has a truly awesome line of products. I use many of their numerous lotions, hair products, lip glosses, even acne treatments, and I'm more than satisfied with everything. I hate to sound like an infomercial, but thanks to Burt's Bees, my hair is softer, shinier, and healthier than it's ever been, and I can honestly say their shampoos and conditioners work better than any of the other products by big-name brands such as Herbal Essences, Pantene, Garnier Fructis... the list goes on. My skin and lips are soft and moisturized. Not to mention everything smells great!

But Burt's Bees is much more than just volumizing conditioner and sparkling pink chap-stick. Burt's Bees, the "Earth Friendly, Natural Personal Care Company," is committed to bettering the community and the environment. It serves as an example for other businesses, proving that it's possible to be both green and economically successful; the company sold over $250 million worth of products in 2006.

So if you're skeptical about the so-called "earth friendly" care products, Burt's Bees is a great place to start. I encourage you to check out the Burt's Bees website, read about their interesting history and their inspiring vision, and just browse around for some great, inexpensive, eco-friendly products!

Eco-Education

2009-03-17T00:35:00.004-04:00

As a high school senior, I was faced with the same daunting challenges most people my age were presented with: finding the perfect college, and then getting into that college. However, my college selection process was a little different. My future major- environmental studies- is so new that many colleges in the United States still don’t offer it. In addition, I only wanted to consider colleges which take sustainability seriously, in all respects- from the greenness of their buildings, to the availability of organic food in their dining halls, to the general awareness of the faculty, administration, and students. I believe that of all institutions, universities are those which should be the ultimate stewards of the environment. Future oriented and forward looking, universities shape the world itself as they mold students into intelligent, capable leaders, leaders who should care about protecting the earth.

One of the websites I found particularly useful during my college search was The College Sustainability Report Card, which rates hundreds of colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada based on several factors, such as administration, climate change and energy, food and recycling, green building, transportation, and others. The highest grade given was an A-, and only fifteen schools received this grade. Nineteen schools received a B+, the next highest grade. Of the six schools I applied to, three of them were given these top grades: Stanford University received an A-, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill a B+, and Duke University a B+. Coincidentally (or not), these are the only three schools I would now consider attending. Certainly sustainability and an environmental studies major were not the only factors I considered when choosing where to apply, but they were definitely the most important ones.

Best Green Websites

2009-03-16T23:51:00.003-04:00

These are the top fifteen green websites according to Time magazine

News Release

2008-12-01T08:12:00.000-05:00

Cooking oils and grease to be picked up at no cost, recycled into bio-fuel during two-month pilot

Click here for more info.

Population Growth and Suburban Sprawl

2008-07-08T20:26:00.005-04:00

We all know that the Triangle, and Cary in particular, are undergoing huge growth. In a 2007 article by CNN, Cary was noted to be the 8th fastest growing city in the country. But what kind of effects does this uncontrolled population growth and over-development have on our local environment, our health, and our general well-being?

As a matter of fact, unchecked growth is causing a number of extremely serious problems, not just in the Triangle, but in many cities around the country. Not only is it detrimental to wildlife and to natural areas, but it exacerbates many other issues such as traffic, pollution, and high taxes. Click here to read what the Sierra Club has to say about suburban sprawl; look through the overview, and explore the other articles about the facts, transportation, the latest research, how population relates to sprawl, and even what you can do to help control it and ameliorate its negative effects.

Cary's New "Grass Grab" Incentive

2008-07-08T20:09:00.002-04:00

Click here to read about Cary's new water conservation initiative.

North Carolina Green Building Technology Database

2008-07-08T20:01:00.003-04:00

Click here to go to the NC Green Building Technology Database. Read about local schools and others that have taken steps toward sustainability with the design of their buildings, waste management programs, pollution control systems, etc. Some of the places listed include: Exploris, RDU, and the NCSU Solar House.

Recommended Items

2008-03-24T00:36:00.004-04:00

The Forest neighbors can use this blog to post recommendations (or critiques) about eco-related products and items such as organic food, environmental books, natural cosmetics, water-saving products, etc. Eco-friendly products can sometimes be more expensive than their more harmful counterparts, so bargain hunting often pays off. But with gas prices as high as they are, finding the best deal in town sometimes isn't worth it. We can help each other out by posting great deals here. Feel free to discuss anything you've tried and liked or didn't like, and don't forget to mention where you found it!

March Tips

2008-03-23T23:52:00.005-04:00

Neighbors can use this part of the blog to share tips and ideas about ways to become more environmentally friendly. These can be their own ideas or things they've seen or read. These tips are just ways to make small changes to our everyday lives, which can add up to have quite an impact.

The following are from 1001 Little Ways to Save Our Planet, by Esme Floyd; also see "Ten Ways to Reduce Your Impact" under Environmental Links as another example of the sort of tips to post here.

194. Change Your Bulbs

If every household in the USA replaced its next burned-out light bulb with a compact fluorescent bulb, it would save the same amount of carbon dioxide as taking 1.2 million cars off the road for an entire year. Fluorescent bulbs last six to ten times longer than standard incandescent versions and use 75% less energy because they use less heat than standard bulbs.

264. Turn it Off

Many people keep the shower running even when they’re not actually underneath the water— often for as long as half their showering time. Instead of directing the water against the wall or stepping back, turn it off altogether while you wash or shampoo [or shave] and then turn the water back on to rinse.

354. Keep it Cool

Never put hot food or drinks into the fridge to cool as it will raise the internal fridge temperature and will use a lot of energy to bring it to the right temperature. Let it cool to room temperature naturally before putting it in the fridge.

540. Shut Down

Encourage your colleagues to shut down their computers when they’re not in use unless they’ve got a low-energy sleep option. This should be done before lunchtime breaks and in particular before going home at the end of the day.

706. Choose Your Chocolate

There are so many organic products to choose from nowadays that it’s often hard to know where to start and stop. The cocoa plant is one of the most heavily sprayed in the world, so keep chocolate on your organic list. Many good organic brands use cocoa sourced in Central and South America. Make sure, however, that the manufacturer certifies that all of the cocoa they purchase is produced without the use of forced labor.

856. Go Smooth

Buy a more aerodynamic car to save fuel. Boxy cars that are high off the ground and square in shape are less aerodynamic than smooth, rounder silhouettes.