All “Everything You Do Makes a Difference” Posts
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EarthEcho Updates, Everything You Do Makes a Difference
2011: A Year for Change
2011 has arrived and with the New Year comes resolutions for change. Some resolve to diet or exercise or some start a new hobby…no matter what there is a sense of renewal as the clock strikes midnight, inspiring us to start a new adventure. Over the past year I have had the pleasure of meeting thousands of youth—from elementary school kindergarteners to high school seniors—pledge to make a change that will impact their environment and their communities in a positive way. A school in Gulf Shores, AL, is selling reusable Vapur bottles as a fundraiser and promoting their use over bottled water. Their Citizen Environmental Organization (CEO) goes above and beyond your run-of-the-mill eco-club. Under the guidance of teachers Wil Tuggle and Debbie Kenyon, these students have been given the opportunities to showcase their environmental citizenship. Students have started a variety of additional programs, including …
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, Expeditions, Gulf Oil Spill, Media, TreeHugger
Dispatch From the Gulf Oil Spill: Breaking the Law to Save the Gulf
In the past week I had the pleasure of meeting Jamie Hinton, Chief of the Magnolia Springs Fire Department. Jamie is one of the many examples of people who translate their awareness into action. Awareness is only the first step in committing to making changes that will help protect our planet. Click here to read the my blog about Jamie and the Gulf Oil Spill on TreeHugger
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, Expeditions, Gulf Oil Spill
Why We Are All Responsible for the Cleanup
We only have to look in the mirror to find someone to blame for this oil catastrophe because it is a symptom of a wider problem.
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EarthEcho Updates, Everything You Do Makes a Difference
Earth Day!
On this 40th anniversary of Earth Day
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, What You Buy
What is Greenwashing?
Are your green products really environmentally friendly
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, What You Do
Recycling 101
by Anca Recycling, as you probably know, is the reprocessing of materials into new products. This saves energy and virgin or raw materials, and decreases water and air pollution as well as greenhouse gas emissions. Although these days everyone seems to be talking about it, there is still much confusion about what to recycle and what not to recycle, so here is a quick review: Check out the general guidelines for conventional recycling below. Before applying, however, be sure to contact your municipality for local rules. Some municipalities may recycle items in the "shouldn't" category below. For example, the City of Pasadena recycles Styrofoam and plastic bags, while other cities do not. Item Do (recycle) Shouldn't (recycle) Glass Food and beverage containers Dishes, light bulbs, windows, mirrors Metal Aluminum and steel …
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, What You Do
Get rid of those stinky cleaners!
by Anca I know I've mentioned this in passing before, but it's such an important and easy thing to do that I've decided to devote a whole entry to it. Why so much emphasis on household cleaners? Quite a few reasons: Over 90% of all reported poisonings in America occur at home- the leading reported cause is household cleaners. Cleaning products are not regulated and are full off chemicals. Many have ingredients that have hormone disruptors, carcinogens, respiratory inhibitors, and neurotoxins. A 2002 survey of contaminants in U.S. stream water found that 69 percent of streams sampled contained persistent detergent metabolites, and 66 percent contained disinfectants. So if you still want a clean house (and most of us do) but don't want to get sick or hurt the environment doing it, make the switch: Replace your chemical household cleaners …
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, What You Do
Pesticides don’t just hurt pests
by Anca If you're running after that ant with a can of pesticide, think twice before spraying it. Pesticides affect not only the insects we want out of our house, yard, or food, but they also affect our health. According to a Center for Disease Control study, 90% of people tested had 5 to 16 pesticides in their bodies and most of the 11-year-olds tested had four times the amount deemed acceptable by the EPA. Since 80% of contact with pesticides happens indoors, it's better to forgo that spray can in favor of more humane ways (for you and them) of asking the pests to leave your house. Here are some things you can do to limit pesticides in your house and body: Eat organic food: Organic foods are those grown without the use of …
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, What You Do
Water, Water, Everywhere
by Anca We're made up of water for the most part, as is our Earth. We're told to drink eight glasses per day to stay healthy. We use it to cook, clean, swim in, you name it. But though it seems to be everywhere, it's a finite resource (at least fresh water is). I will not get into the importance of water conservation and saving the fishies and, by extension, ourselves...you should take a look at Philippe's blog next door for that (some great stuff in there, seriously). But I feel compelled to tell you about the health and environmental impacts of personal water use and what we can do to be good to ourselves and the planet: Drink 8 glasses a day of filtered water: Yes, keep drinking that water, but not from a bottle or the tap. Why? It seems that there are no …
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Everything You Do Makes a Difference, What You Do
Take a Shower, Naturally
by Anca Environmental Working Group's (EWG) web site among many others. So what's a girl or guy to do? You're still going to shower, shave, use lotion, and you still want to smell good or at least "clean" (though I never understood that–shouldn't clean mean you don't smell at all?). Well, here are some ideas: Take inventory and get rid of personal care products with fragrances: Go through the products in your bathroom and throughout the house and identify products that contain fragrances and chemicals you can't pronounce. If in doubt, refer to the review of products conducted by the Environmental Working Group Read & understand labels: Look for products with organic ingredients or …
