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Food Waste Composting Tips


Generally food waste is organic and will decompose, but when mixed with other waste in the landfill food waste actually contributes to the production and release of harmful gases which potentially cause environmental damage. In fact, food scraps are the third largest segment of the waste stream with nearly 26 million tons generated each year. Of the overall waste stream,about 12% is food-related, behind paper and plastic

However, by composting your food waste, you can actually put that waste to good use by putting it back back into the earth. The resulting compost can be used in a variety of different ways to support your yard or garden. 

Compostable Food Items:

  • Uncooked vegetables and peelings
  • Salad
  • Fruit
  • Tea bags
  • Crushed egg shells
  • Coffee grounds
  • Non-food materials such as plants and flowers, grass clippings, leaves and shredded paper, cardboard.

Non-compostable Food Items:

  • Food which has been cooked. Cooked food, even vegetables, can attract vermin
  • Meat or fish
  • Dairy products
  • Non-food items such as cat or dog litter, large pieces of wood, coal ash
  • Plastics and metals.

How to Compost

You will need to buy or make a compost bin to effectively to manage your waste to create compost. Check with your local municipality for compost bin rebate programs.

Place your compost bin on a level, well-drained area. Make sure that the base of your compost bin is open and place it on soil ideally. This is so that the compost can absorb nutrients and moisture from the soil below easily. It also enables creatures like worms to get into the waste and they help break it down into compost.

Cover the compost bin with a water-proof cover. Every three months you will need to stir the compost pile until it is ready. The process can take anywhere from four to 18 months depending upon your climate and the types of waste in the compost pile. The compost is ready when the compost is a consistent dark brown and develops an earthy smell.

Tips for Composting

  • The ideal composting mixture will be a combination of all the materials in the first list above.
  • Small items tend to compost faster. Cut larger items into smaller pieces to speed the composting process.
  • Add fresh water periodically to maintain the needed moisture level for a healthy compost pile, but do not over-water. If your compost pile gives off a strong odor, add less water and add wood chips or cardboard  to soak up the additional moisture.
  • Access to direct sunlight will speed the composting process. 
Easy and Quick Composting

For those that may not want to deal with the physical demands or time it takes for a compost pile to mature, we recommend the use of a tumbling composter Tumbling is the most effective method for making compost quickly because it evenly mixes nitrogen and carbon materials(green and brown) for optimal eco-interaction. Add the benefit of complete distribution of moisture, air, and organic microbes throughout the batch and you'll create conditions perfect for express composting. Vented ends provide optimal aeration so this tumbler will help create finished compost 4 to10times quicker than a tradition composting bed. Plus its resistant to animal entry and it's easy to turn. Just load up the composting drum and tumble it a couple times a week. Nature will do the rest as it creates nutrient rich organic compost in as little as 3 weeks. 

Checkout our indoor composters and yard composters.

30 Global Oil Spills In 30 Days

Moving oil is a dirty business, and never has that been more clear than this past month. Since March 11, the global oil industry has had 13 spills on three continents. In North and South America alone, they’ve spilled more than a million gallons of oil and toxic chemicals – enough to fill two olympic-sized swimming pools.



Reduce Window Energy Loss

Windows can account for 10% - 25% of a home's heating bill due to loss of hot or cold air. Replace single-pane inefficient windows with double-pane. You can also move to low-emission coated windows models, which can reduce energy loss by as much as 30% - 50%.

Managing Heating and Air Conditioning Costs


HVAC systems can account for over 50% of a home energy costs. By replacing an outdated inefficient model with a newer model, you can substantially reduce your energy costs. The US Dept. of Energy estimates that a new model can save anywhere from 20% - 40%.

Are There Harmful Ingredients in Your Shaving Cream?

There are many options when it comes to the ingredients in shaving cream. The most popular shaving creams tend to be less expensive and filled with ingredients you probably can't pronounce. In a number of cases, higher quality shaving soaps and creams and lotions tend to contain more pure ingredients that are better for you and your skin. Are these unpronounceable ingredients harmful chemicals? It's worth a look -- after all, what you put on your body is just as important as what you put into it. There are several ingredients that can be found and avoided.

The most common chemicals to look for in aftershave / shaving creams are:
  • Benzyl acetate: linked to pancreatic cancer
  • Ethyle Acetate: May cause damage to the liver and kidneys, headaches and dehydration of the skin.
  • Terpineol: Linked to pneumonitis, central nervous system and respiratory damage, and headaches.
  • Propolene glycol is a humectant like glycerin, frequently found in antifreeze and brake fluid.
  • Triethanolamine (TEA) is anemulsifying agent, meaning it helps keep the oil and water from separating. Many formulas containing TEA are found to be contaminated with nitrosamines, which are linked to cancer.
  • Sodium lauryl sulphate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulphate (SLES): Lauryl mimics estrogen, which is especially problematic for women, and laureth often hosts a known carcinogen called dioxane.
  • Mineral Oil: Mineral oil is a byproduct of petroleum.

UN Scientists Urge Western World to Halve Meat Consumption

According to the Guardian, Professor Mark Sutton, a lead author of a recent UN Environment Programme (UNEP) study on agriculture and the environment, is calling for a 50 percent reduction in the consumption of meat throughout the Western world, to lessen the effects of meat production on climate change.

UNEP warns: "Unless action is taken, increases in pollution and per capita consumption of energy and animal products will exacerbate nutrient losses, pollution levels and land degradation, further threatening the quality of our water, air and soils, affecting climate and biodiversity."

Agriculture, particularly meat and dairy production, accounts for over 90% of water depletion, and according to Assessing the Environmental Impact of Consumption and Production, a 2010 report from the United Nations, 70% of global freshwater consumption, 38% of total land use, and 19% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Vegetarian foods, on the other hand, only take a fraction of the water and other resources needed to sustain meat-based diets.

Natural Fat Burners

Here are some natural fat burners to help you lose weight:

Cayenne 
Derived from Chili peppers, has the ability to trigger the 'full' feeling in stomachs when consumed. Cayenne also stimulates digestion, increases metabolism and fat burning.

Green Tea
Green Tea is known to assist weight loss and is a natural fat burner. It helps to boost metabolism and burn fat and is a common ingredient in diet pills. Green Tea is also rich in antioxidants. 

Ginseng
Ginseng helps to boost energy levels and metabolism.

Natural Oven Cleaner

Ingredients:

1 cup of water

1 cup of Baking Soda

1 cup of table salt

6 oz.Vinegar

Procedure:
  1. Mix water, baking soda and table salt.
  2. Wipe mixture on surface inside of oven.
  3. Heat the oven to 475 degrees for 50 minutes (keep oven door closed).
  4. Allow the oven to completely cool.
  5. Wipe clean and rinse off all of the natural oven cleaner.
  6. Using a clean cloth with vinegar to wipe away streaks of oven cleaner.

Green Driving Tip: Change Oil Less Often

Auto and oil technology has changed enormously over the past few decades making the 3,000-mile oil change unnecessary in nearly all vehicles. If every driver moved to the modern recommended oil-change interval, typically 7,500 - 15,000 miles, 10 million gallons of engine oil could be saved each year.

The change might as much as halve the amount of money drivers spend on oil changes, which cost typically start at $25.

Recommended oil changes create a win-win situation by cutting the cost of unnecessary oil changes and the oil the production of the oil that is used during the changes.

Properly Seal Windows to Reduce Costs

  • Properly sealed windows will help to reduce home heating and cooling costs around the year. Here are a few tips to check window seals:   Wiggle windows back and forth to check for loose fittings.
  • Run your hand along the seals, checking for drafts from the outside air. Quick fix: apply new weatherstripping or caulking.
  • Close window on a piece of paper. If sheet can easily be pulled, you are wasting energy to the outside.

Tips on Buying Space Heaters

A small electric space heater can save money on energy bills by warming targeted areas and allowing the central heating system to operate at a lower setting .

If misused, space heaters can be dangerous and expensive to operate. You should not use electric space heaters to warm up every room, but you can efficiently heat a small space around the desk in a home office, for example. 

Space Heater Safety

The US Consumer Product Safety Commission links space heaters to 25,000 house fires and more than 300 deaths each year. The biggest dangers can be avoided with some common sense and basic guidelines:

  • Purchase a new heater Underwriter's Laboratory safety seal and a safety guard around the heating element. Also, look for a space heater with an automatic tip switch that turns off the heater when it falls over.
  • Put space heaters on a level surface in an area where children, pets and others can't walk into them and burn themselves.
  • Don't use electric space heaters in a bathroom or near water.
  • Don't leave the heater on when you are sleeping or away from the house.

 

Check Home's Your Home's Insulation and Save

Insulation creates a critical barrier to reduce heat flow, which will keep cold and hot air out. a properly insulated home is able to reduce the heat flowing out of your home during the winter months. Ensuring that your home is properly insulated will help your save energy when the temperatures drop.
  1. Insulate your attic. In older homes, this can be one of the most cost effective ways to cut home heating costs. Prior to energy efficiency standards, homes were often built with little or no insulation. As a result, large amounts of heat is continuously lost through walls, floors, and ceilings of older homes. Choose insulation with the highest R-value to increase the resistance of heat flow.
  2. Weather-strip and insulate your attic hatch or door to prevent warm air from escaping out of the top of your house. Since warm air rises, this type of heat escape is common.
  3. Seal holes in the attic that lead down into the house, such as open wall tops and duct work, plumbing, attic stair openings or electrical runs. Any hole that leads from a basement or crawlspace to an attic is a big energy waster. Cover and seal them with spray foam and rigid foam board if necessary.

Advantages of Solar Chargers

There are several advantages to using portable solar chargers and solar panels. First of all, they are eco and environmentally friendly. They do not emit harmful waste, and can be used anytime and anywhere as long as there is access to sunlight.

A solar battery charger is a device used to power electronics batteries without the use of a power outlet. They are easy to make use of and do not require a great deal of attention. You simply connect the battery to a charger that has solar panels and allow the sun do the rest. The solar panel will collect power from the sun and translate it to electricity. That is accomplished by use of small solar cells within the charger that translates the sunlight into electricity.

Solar Chargers are a convenient source of power in remote areas, on field trips, or when hiking and camping out. They can recharge batteries, cell phones, or other gadgets in any location. In addition to being convenient, solar chargers are a clean energy source and do not cause pollution or other harmful emissions while creating electricity. They also reduce the need for disposable batteries, and thus reduce the overall volume of harmful chemicals and toxic waste that ends up in landfills.

Smart Use of Space Heaters

Space heaters can be a smart, efficient and cost-effective way to heat small concentrated areas. Heating specific areas is more efficient than heating an entire home.
  • Choose a unit that has a thermometer to avoid overheating an area.
  • Make sure the heater meets current safety standards and is UL certified.
  • Many units also feature a tip-over feature to shut the heater of to minimize fire hazard if tipped.

Top Seven US Green Car Cities

Here are some of the cities of US that are much cleaner due to preventive measures. They do not have industries in the metropolitan areas and the green cars share is also high:


1.      San Francisco - This city has the highest concentration of hybrid and electric cars. The hybrid cars running on the road are 9.2% of total vehicles. While, electric cars constitute 0.52% share in total vehicles.

2.      Monterey, CA - Monterey that is famous for tourism and fishing comprise nearly 8.84% of Hybrid cars. Electric cars share is nearly 0.26%. Statistics have shown that electric car share is increasing at a higher rate from the past three years.

3.      Eugene, OR - This city is around the University of Oregon. Eugene is very calm and green. The share of Hybrid cars is 7.90%; while, electric cars share is 0.15% of total vehicles.

4.     Santa Barbara, CA - This city is popular for its natural beauty. The government has taken number of steps to keep Santa Barbara green. One of them was to encourage people to use green technology vehicles. There are nearly 7.50% of vehicles that are registered as hybrid. While 0.35% of total vehicles are running on electric motors.

5.     San Diego, CA - San Diego is the eight largest city of USA. It has a commercial port that makes it a trade hub. The city is also popular for tourism. The Hybrid Cars share is 7.13% of total vehicles and electric cars constitute 0.345 of total vehicles.

6.     Eureka, CA - This city of California is not behind in adopting emission free technology. It is popular for the tourism. Interesting thing about this small city is that there are only 2,800 vehicles. Among them, the share of Hybrid is 6.97% and electric is 0.18%. 

7.     Los Angeles, CA - It is the most densely populated city of California State. Los Angeles is an advance city that is one of the important trade hubs of the US. The economy of LA constitute major share of trade, technology and entertainment. Los Angeles constitutes 6.2% of total vehicles that are registered as Hybrid and 0.2% that are registered electric.

usgreentechnology.com

Are the Andes Glaciers Going to Disappear?

The glaciers in the tropical Andes are melting at the fastest rate in the past 300 years. The fresh water source for millions in South America has shrunk by 30 – 50 % since the 1970s, according to a study published in the academic journal The Cryosphere.

The study included data on about half of all Andean glaciers in South America. The study blamed the ice loss on an average temperature spike of 0.7 degree celsius (1.26 degrees Fahrenheit) over the past 70 years. Glacier retreat in the tropical Andes over the last three decades is unprecedented," said Antoine Rabatel, the lead author of the study and a scientist with the Laboratory for Glaciology andEnvironmental Geophysics.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has pointed to the importance of mountain glaciers as sensitive indicators of climate change.

The researchers also warned that future warming could totally wipe out the smaller glaciers found at lower altitudes that store and release fresh water for downstream communities. "This is a serious concern because a large proportion of the population lives in arid regions to the west of the Andes The Chacaltaya glacier in the Bolivian Andes, once a ski resort, has already disappeared completely, according to some scientists.


Pennsylvania Recovers Over $2 Million Through Recycling

www.americanrecycler.com 

Pennsylvania’s general services secretary Sheri Phillips said that more than $2 million was recovered through the Commonwealth’s recycling program in 2011-2012 – a 9 percent increase from the previous annual time period.

“The saying ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ truly applies in the case of the  Commonwealth’s recycling program,” Phillips said. “In this case we are turning our trash into treasure – to the tune of $2 million.”

The Commonwealth recycling program has been in effect since 1989 through Act 101 of 1988, the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, and was enhanced by Management Directive 202.55 Recycling, Waste Reduction and Procurement of Environmentally Preferable Products.

Administered by the Department of General Services, the program requires the central and satellite offices of all Commonwealth agencies to have a separation and collection program for recyclable materials produced as a result of agency operations, including: office paper, cardboard, aluminum, plastic and glass.

Commonwealth agencies are encouraged to incorporate into their recycling programs efforts to recycle, reuse or refurbish pallets and to collect toner cartridges for remanufacturing. Agencies should also include programs to recycle, as appropriate, batteries, scrap metal, tires, waste oil, fluorescent lamps and ballasts.

“This program ensures that we exceed requirements for environmental responsibility while at the same time, reduce our amount of waste and recoup some of the costs spent on materials we can no longer use,” Phillips said. Recovered funds are used to offset the cost of the recycling program and the purchase of new materials to replace those being recycled.

“In addition to the traditionally recycled items, we’re ahead of the curve in the implementation of an e-waste recycling program, which has already recovered more than $30,000 from more than 300,000 lbs. of material recycled this year,” Phillips said. Secretary Phillips noted that new rules for recycling electronic devices under the Pennsylvania Covered Device Recycling Act will take effect for consumers and businesses on January 24, 2013.

Under the act, consumers cannot dispose of certain devices, such as computers, laptops, monitors and televisions, with their trash. This means that trash haulers will no longer be able to take these devices unless the municipality has a collection or drop-off program that ultimately sends the devices to an electronics recycler.

*For more information go to www.americanrecycler.com

10 Things You Should Know About Water

10 Things You Should Know:

  1. One drop of oil can make up to 25 liters (6.6 gallons) of water undrinkable.
  2. Seventy percent of the world’s water is used for agriculture, 22 percent for industry and 8 percent for domestic use. Low and middle income countries use 82 percent of their water for agriculture, 10 percent for industry and 8 percent for domestic use. High income countries use 30 percent of their water for agriculture, 59 percent for industry and 11 percent for domestic use.
  3. A person is able to survive one month without food but only five to seven days without water.
  4. Of all the Earth’s water, 97.5 percent is salt and 2.5 is fresh. Of that water, about 70 percent is locked in glacial ice and 30 percent in soil, leaving under 1 percent (.007 percent of the total water) readily accessible for human use.
  5. A water footprint, or virtual water, is the amount of water used in the entire production and/or growth of a specific product. For example, 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs) of beef has a water footprint of 16,000 liters (4,226.8 gallons); one sheet of paper has a water footprint of 10 liters (2.6 gallons); one cup of tea has a water footprint of 35 liters (9.2 gallons); and one microchip has a water footprint of 32 liters (8.5 gallons).
  6. It takes 94.5 to 189.3 liters of water (25 to 50 gallons) to take a five-minute shower; 7.6 to 26.5 liters (2-7 gallons) to flush a toilet; 7.6 liters (2 gallons) to brush one’s teeth; and 75.7 liters (20 gallons) to hand wash dishes.
  7. 6,000 children die each day from preventable water-related diseases.
  8. The population of the United States is approximately 304 million; the population of Europe is approximately 732.7 million; 1.1 billion people lack adequate drinking water access; and 2.6 billion people lack basic water sanitation.
  9. The average American uses about 575 liters of water (151.9 gallons) per day, with about 60 percent of that being used out-of-doors (watering lawns, washing cars, etc.). The average European uses 250 liters of water (66 gallons) per day. 1.1 billion people lack adequate water access, using less than 19 liters (5 gallons) per day.
  10. The average American uses 30.3 times more water than a person who lacks adequate water access; the average European uses 13.2 times more water than a person who lacks adequate water access.

Source: http://www.circleofblue.org

The Threat to Humanity's Future: The Global Water Crisis


Benefits of Solar Hot Water Heating

A solar hot water system can not only be a conscientious purchase for the environment, but the installation can also provide real and practical benefits for the consumer or homeowner. 

Personal benefits of a solar hot water system include:

  • Environmentally friendly by reducing greenhouse emissions by reducing the usage of electric or gas water heater
  • Reduce your energy bills, hot water accounts for 20 - 30% of the average homeowner's energy costs.
  • Increased home value - A study by the Appraisal Institute have determined that people are willing to pay more for homes with solar hot water systems.
  • Extends the expected life of your residential hot water tank by dramatically reducing scaling
  • Increased hot water - hot water systems can be installed with larger storage tanks to maximize the amount of heat captured by the sun.

  • According to the EESI, residential solar water heater systems cost between $1,500 and $3,500, compared to $150 to $450 for electric and gas heaters. With savings in electricity or natural gas, solar water heaters pay for themselves within four to eight years. And solar water heaters last between 15 and 40 years--the same as conventional systems--so after that initial payback period is up, zero energy cost essentially means having free hot water for years to come.

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