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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

American Facts

Americans comprise of 4.7% of the world’s population, but use 25% of the earths’s resources
Americans account for 40% of the world wide gas consumption, burning 155 billion gallons annually.
American consumption accounts for 25% of the world’s greenhouse-gas emmissions.
Since 1950, Americans have consumed more resources than the world’s entire population in human history before that date.
On average, each American generates 4 and 1/2 pounds of waste per day
We spend more for trash bags than 90 of the earth’s 210 countries spend for everything.

Recycling Saves Energy

Recycling a six-pack of aluminum cans can save enough energy to drive a car 5 miles.
Every ton of newspaper that’s recycled saves 4,100 kWh of electricity, enough to power a TV for 31 hours.
The energy equivalent of 16.3 barrels of oil is used to produce on ton of plastic bottles.
Steel recycling saves enough energy to electrically power the equivalent of 18 milllion homes a year.
Americans waste 500,000 trees every Sunday by throwing away their newspapers instead of recycling them.

Sources:
Getis, Judith. You Can Make a Difference. Boston: McGraw-Hill, 1999.
Go Green Initiative. .
Neighborhood News, Ruxton-Riverwood-Lake Roland Area Improvement Association Winter 2007.
Urbanska, Wanda, and Frank Levering. Nothing's Too Small to Make a Difference. Winston-Salem, North Carolina: John F. Blair, Publisher, 2004.

Labels: environment, recycle, waste

Author: Elizabethtown College SIFE » Comments:

Get Rid of Those Unwanted Catalogs

In just a few minutes, you can get rid of all those unwanted catalogs, and save the hassle of having to recycle them. This online service is called “Catalog Choice”, a website that allows you to compile a list of catalogs you don’t want to receive and it will contact the retailers and request that you be taken off their mailing lists.

It was started by The Natural Resources Defense Council, the National Wildlife Federation, and the Ecology Center to soften the environmental impact that was caused by the mass amount of catalogs being mailed.

Give it a try at: www.catalogchoice.org

Labels: recycle, waste

Author: Elizabethtown College SIFE » Comments:

Make a Difference: Green Your Office

You can make a difference and help improve the environment by purchasing recycled products. You will find that most recycled products cost less, or the same as products made from normal materials. Recycled products cost more when the market for them is very limited; however, prices will fall over time when consumers buy these products regularly.
There are many materials that you can buy for your of office that are recycled. Recycled paper products include: copy paper, cards, envelopes, folders, notebooks, binders, checks, post-its, and cardboard boxes. Other recycled items include: computer disks, toner cartridges for photocopiers and printers, pens, rulers, and scissors.
When buying paper products, the three arrows chasing each other on a dark background indicate that the paper contains recycled fibers, and on a light or no background, indicates that the paper can be recycled.
There are a few other simple things to do to make your office green:

Bring your own coffee mug to work, and encourage other employees to do the same.
Contribute guest mugs for visitors.
Save coffee grounds for compost, and give them to anyone who gardens at home.
Substitute cloth towels for paper towels, and keep them laundered.

Labels: Business, environment, recycle, waste

Author: Elizabethtown College SIFE » Comments:

Conserving Materials can Save Money, and the Environment

Thursday, May 1, 2008

Simple everyday business tasks can cost your business more money than you may think. Yet by looking at your typical tasks, it is sometimes very easy to find ways that save you money, while helping to reduce waste and save the environment. Take a look and see what you can save, here are some common places to start:

Turn your computers off at the end of the day, and set your computer to go into power save mode when you walk away from it. Doing this will both reduce power usage, sometimes considerably, but it can also increase the security of your computer systems with proper passwords.
Don’t use paper when it isn’t necessary. Sending emails is more efficient, and reduces paper waste. Modern email software can be used to backup all of your email so that you don’t need to print emails to maintain backup copies except when entirely necessary.
When you need to print, print double sided documents. This reduces paper waste, which in a short time can turn into a lot of savings. Many modern printers are designed to print double sided,or they have low-cost adapters to allow double sided printing (called duplex printing).
Look to find ways to reuse old equipment. This can often be much less expensive then replacing the item with a brand new one. For example, office furniture can be refurbished, saving money and reducing waste.
Avoid making unnecessary trips. Combine your daily drive to the post office, bank, and other places into one trip to help reduce your gas usage and costs. Avoid idling engines and keep vehicles will maintained.
Recycle your materials. Many times, recycling waste is less expensive then disposing of it in the trash. Depending on your business, you may be able to find ways to reuse old materials, or find new uses for seemingly obsolete items.
Be creative. Encourage employees to come up with their own recycling ideas. Develop a rewards system to give employees an incentive if they find an environmentally conscious way to reduce costs.

Simple things can add up to big savings for your organization.

Labels: Business, recycle, waste

Author: Elizabethtown College SIFE » Comments:

Create A Worm Bin for Natural Fertilizer While Reducing Your Waste

Do you love to garden? Nothing is better for your garden than worm castings and worm tea, and this little tutorial will teach you everything you need to know to enrich your garden.
What you need:
1. Two 8-10 gallon plastic storage boxes (dark color and not see through), Cost: about $5 each
2. Drill (with 1/4" and 1/16" bits) for making drainage & ventilation holes
3. Newspaper
4. About one pound of red worms

Step 1: Drill ¼ inch holes in the bottom of both bins for drainage.

Step 2: Drill ventilation holes about 1 – 1½ inches apart on each side of the bin near the top edge using the 1/16 inch bit. Also drill about 30 small holes in the top of only one of the lids.

Step 3: Use shredded newspaper for the worms bedding. Shred the newspaper in 1 inch strips. Moisten the strips, and ring any excess water out of them. Fill the bottom of each bin with 3 – 4 inches of fluffed up newspaper strips. You can add any old leaves from the lawn, and a handful of dirt or grit to help the worms digest.

Step 4: Add your worms to the bedding in one of the bins, and put that one on top of the other. One way to capture red worms is to leave a piece of cardboard on the garden for the night, and when you lift it up in the morning you will have worms. You can also buy them. An earthworm can consume half its weight a day, so if you have a half a pound of waste, you will need 1 pound of worms. There are about 500 worms in a pound, but if you start out with less, they will multiply fairly quickly.

Step 5: Cut a piece of cardboard to fit over the bedding of the top bin, and moisten it. Worms love the cardboard and can digest it in a few months. Put the one plastic lid with wholes on the top worm bin.

Step 6: Put you bin in a well ventilated area, like a garage, laundry room, or outside in the shade. Put it on top of bricks to keep it off the ground, and place plastic containers to catch worm tea, a great liquid fertilizer.

Step 7: Feed your worms slowly at first, and as they multiply you can add more food. Gently bury the food in a different section of the bin each week, under the cardboard. For a list of food worms can eat, see the list below.

Step 8: When the first bin is full and there are no recognizable food scraps, place new bedding material in the second bin and place the bin directly on the compost surface of the first bin. Bury your food scraps to the bedding of the second bin (now the top bin). In one to two months, most of the worms will have moved to the second bin in search of food. Now the first bin will contain almost worm free vermicompost for your garden. (You can gently lift out any worms that might remain, and place them in the new bin, or put them into your garden!)

Worms enjoy eating:

Breads & Grains
Cereal
Coffee grounds & filters
Fruits
Tea bags
Vegetables

Worms will not eat:

Dairy Products
Fats
Meat
Feces
Oils

Source:
Cheap and Easy Worm Bin
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm

Labels: compost, fertilizer, recycle, waste, worm bin

Author: Elizabethtown College SIFE » Comments:

Television Goes Green

On June 4, 2008, the Discovery Channel launched a new television network called Planet Green. Reaching 50 million homes the network will present original green lifestyle programming. Some of the shows will include:
The Green Life
Adrian Grenier a star of HBO's hit series Entourage and his "Green Team" will be showing audiences simple steps to transition their lives to be green. The group will work with celebrities and ordinary people alike to share their tips. One show will focus on a bar-friendly recycling program while in another the team will test the latest sustainable snowboard gear.
Supper Club With Tom Bergeron
Each week Tom Bergeron from Dancing with the Stars will host an evening discussing the recent news and events in the green movement. Four guests, including celebrities, activists, business leaders will enjoy a green meal during their discussions. This show will demonstrate the full spectrum of green topics.
WA$TED!
This show will demonstrate that homeowners do not have to be extreme to be green. Annabelle Gurwitch, former host of Dinner and a Movie on TBS, will lead a team while they audit a household's waste and energy, water, and transportation consumption. The household has three weeks to clean up their act and then the team rewards them cash for all improvements. Many easy tips, helpful resources, and green insights will be shared.
Greensburg
The town of Greenburg, Kansas was destroyed by a tornado May of 2007. The citizens of Greensburg decided to rebuild their town "green." This series documents the rebirth of the rural town telling a story of a community coming together while facing the task of greening an entire town. This show will be an inspiring look into the human spirit.
Stuff Happens
Bill Nye the science guy will present to audiences the life cycle of everyday products. After seeing how products are created and disposed of, Bill Nye will offer suggestions to reduce the impact that products are having on our environment.

Visit PlanetGreen.com or their sister site TreeHugger.com to learn more about the new network and access solutions- oriented tips and information about green lifestyles.

Source:
Discovery Channel
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/work-connect/tune-in-to-planet-green.html

Labels: environment, recycle

Author: Elizabethtown College SIFE » Comments:

Go Green!

Find tips for making your life, your business, or your organization more environmentally friendly by Going Green. Includes articles on how to both help the earth while saving money, something that makes "cents" for all of us.