Day 93: Keeping Cool is Hard Work!

Refrigerators are one of the biggest energy consumers in our homes, especially older models. Older models use about 40% more electricity than the energy efficient models being sold today. So, if you are in the market for upgrading your fridge, keep that in mind.

However, even if you aren't thinking of upgrading your fridge there are some things you can do to increase it's efficiency:

1) Check if the door seals. Stick a piece of paper between the door and fridge body and see how hard it is to pull out. If it slips out easily, cold air is probably doing the same thing! A little silicon spray may improve the situation, or look into replacement seals.

2) Clean the coils on the back of your fridge twice a year. Dust builds up on these coils and adds and insulating layer thus making the heat transfer from the coils to the surrounding environment less efficient. Just unplug the fridge and vacuum if you notice dust building up.

3) If your fridge is in direct sunlight, near a heating vent or range/oven, find a cooler place for it to be. The warmer the fridge's environment, the harder it has to work to keep things inside cool.

4) Be sure there are a few inches of free space between the condenser coils, sides of the fridge  and the wall (this way the warm air has somewhere to go!).

5) Keep the freezer defrosted -  a centimeter is too much!

6) Set your fridge thermostat to realistic levels. 

7) Keeping the freezer full is a good thing, but the same is not true for the fridge part. Leave some room for air to circulate.

8) Quick in, quick out! This one is common sense - the longer your fridge door is open, the harder your fridge has to work!

Day 92: Use Up

I stumbled across this website today with 50 ways to never waste food again and it had some excellent ideas for how to use up food scraps in creative ways.

You can check it out here, but some of my favorite ones include:


2. Don't toss those trimmed ends from onions, carrots, celery, or peppers. Store them in your freezer, and once you have a good amount saved up, add them to a large pot with a few cups of water and make homemade vegetable broth. This is also a great use for cabbage cores and corn cobs.


13. Make smoothies with fruit before it goes bad. Berries, bananas, and melons are great candidates for this use-up idea.

18. Use up the fall bounty of apples by making applesauce or apple butter.


22. Turn old bread into homemade bread crumbs.


26. Add chopped bread to a soup. It will dissolve and thicken the soup.


27. Made too many pancakes for breakfast? Put them in the freezer, then toss in the toaster for a fast, tasty weekday breakfast. Ditto waffles.


36. If you've got a few chunks of different types of cheese sitting around after a party, make macaroni and cheese.


44. Dry herbs by hanging them by their stems in a cool, dry location. Once they're dry, remove them from the stems and store them in airtight containers.


45. Leftover coffee in the carafe? Freeze it in ice cube trays. Use the cubes for iced coffee or to cool down too-hot coffee without diluting it. You can do the same with leftover tea.




50. If you can't think of any way to use that food in the kitchen, compost it. Everything except for meat and dairy will work in a compost pile, and at least your extra food can be used for something useful. Such as growing more food!


Do you have any ideas on how to reduce food waste?

50 Ways to Never Waste Food Again (Colleen Vanderlinden)
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/ways-avoid-waste-food.html

Day 91: Re-Fashion!

Sorry about Day 90 being a late post - it has a been a super crazy week!

I participate in a lot of sporting events and such, and you always seem to get a boxy cotton t-shirt from these events. I literally have dozens of them laying around that I don't wear because they don't fit right, even if I like the design they are usually just too big.

I started wondering what the carbon cost of one single cotton t-shirt was, and what I found was shocking to say the least!

-1/3 of a pound of pesticides and herbicides are required to produce just one cotton t-shirt
- World wide, cotton growers account for 25% of the world's pesticide and herbicide use
- For the total life cycle of the t-shirt, about 2.34 kg of green house gases are emitted (52% of this comes from raw materials, manufacturing, packaging, transport, retail and disposal - of the 48% from consumer use, most can be eliminated through hang-drying and washing cold)
- it takes about 1500 L of water to grow the cotton and produce the t-shirt

The take-home lesson is to avoid purchasing or ordering these t-shirts if possible. Buying organic cotton helps to reduce some of the pesticides and herbicides, but it doesn't change many of the other impacts. However, we all probably have closets full of shirts that we don't wear.

It really bothered me that I have in my possession so many high-carbon cost shirts that I don't really even wear, so I pulled out my seam ripper, scissors and sewing machine and decided to re-fashion a few!
I am by no means a skilled sewer, but I was pretty happy with my results (I wish I had taken before and after pictures!):

There are tons of ideas out there on the internet about how you can re-fashion an old t-shirt.

Here is what I did for mine:

1) First, I took my seam ripper and I removed the crew-neck collar on the shirt. Then, I folded it in half down the center of the shirt so I could cut out a v-neck. I then using my sewing machine to turn the edge over and finish the seam.
2) Next, I made the shirt more form fitting. I took one of my favorite t-shirts and laid it out on top of my project. I then traced the form onto the shirt and cut away the excess fabric on the sides and sleeves, sewed and zig-zagged the edges. Voila!  Fantastic new shirt!

I was super pleased with the outcome, because not only did I make something cool, I saved $20 that I would have spent on a t-shirt (had I needed one) and I re-purposed something into something useful!

Day 90: Gift Wrap

So, I was going to save this one for the holiday season, but my idea bank is running dry!

Whether it be birthdays or a holiday, be conscientious about how you wrap your gifts - and be creative! Things like old newspapers, magazines, calenders, posters or dish towels/bandanas (which have another purpose!) make great gift wrap. Use shredded paper (like comics or magazines) instead of tissue paper and reuse any bags, paper or bows that you may have.

There are literally hundreds of ideas out there, just google "environmentally friendly gift wrapping" or some permutation thereof, and see what comes up!

Some of the things my family does is:

1) reuse gift wrap, bags and bows
2) cut up greeting cards to make gift tags
3) use natural accents (think of a nice bit of spruce around the holidays! it smells great, is 100% biodegradable and therefore won't sit in the landfill for decades to come!)
4) buy items that don't come in a lot of packaging
5) make gifts yourself (and their wrap, perhaps a nice cloth bag?)

... the possibilities are endless!

Day 89: Take That Extra Step...

...literally.

Sometimes it isn't easy to find that recycling bin and we just toss pop cans and newspapers in the trash. Today, my challenge is to take that extra step to find a recycling bin or take it home where I can recycle it!

Day 88: Batteries

My post yesterday about CFLs and their disposal got me thinking about other hazardous items that need to be disposed properly. Concerning batteries, rechargeable batteries are best by a long shot, but even they wear out after time and it is imperative that they are disposed of properly and not thrown out with your regular trash.

Call2Recycle is an organization in Canada and the US that collects and recycles batteries and old cell phones - and it's free! Last year they collected a record breaking 6.7 million pounds of rechargeable batteries in the US - an over 10% increase for 2009 levels! In Canada they increased a whopping 81% (due to expansion to BC and Ontario) and according to their website, Canadians have recycled 199 251 kg of batteries so far this year!

Other recycling centers will accept batteries as well, check your local listings for more information.

So, if you have a pile of old batteries or cell phones gathering dust, be sure to check out their website for more information on how to get involved with the program, and be sure to never throw batteries in the trash!

Day 87: On The Brighter Side...

So, my room light bulb burnt out yesterday and I have been sitting in the dark all evening today, pondering light bulbs.


However, soon the question might not even be mine to ponder. The federal government has adopted a national standard for lighting efficiency that will come into effect in 2012. Most  of the traditional, incandescent bulbs that are currently available won't meet the required performance level. The objective is to ensure that only more efficient bulbs such as compact fluorescent lights (CFLs), enhanced halogens, and others that are expected in the near future, are used in Canada.


There are pros and cons to using CFL's, the biggest pro being their long-life span and energy efficiency. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, if just one regular incandescent lightbulb in every American home was replaced with a CFL bulb, it would prevent 90 billion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions from power plants- that is the equivalent of 7.5 million cars off the road! Itis also estimated that each CFL saves the consumer $30 in energy costs over the lifespan of the bulb. They generate up to 70% less heat than a traditional incandescent bulb and last about 10 times longer. 


However, CFL's cost more to buy initially, and their real major drawback is that they contain mercury and must be disposed of very carefully. Each bulb contains about 5 mg of mercury, so it is vital that CFLs are recycled and not tossed into landfills (Ikea recycles them! Some hardware stores take them back aswell). If one is broken, you should leave the room and open doors and windows to the outside to let it air out for about 15 minutes.

So, after some reading, I think I will replace my burnt out bulbs with CFLs as the benefits seem to outweigh the drawbacks(provided the bulb is disposed of correctly at the end of its life!)


What do you think?



Sources:
http://theneverendinglist.ikea.ca/en/Compact-Fluorescent-Bulbs.html
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/iyh-vsv/prod/cfl-afc-eng.php

 http://environment.about.com/od/greenlivingdesign/a/light_bulbs.htm

Day 86: Pamper Yourself?

I am not the girliest girl out there, but every so often I like to treat myself to a facial mask. But, I always feel bad because the kind I usually get is a single serving in a foil/ plastic pouch that goes directly in the trash after my 15 minutes of pampering.

So, today I decided I was going to try a DIY homemade facial. I googled a few  different recipes and ended up going for the following one:

2 tsp plain yogurt

1/2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp lemon juice

3 Vitamin E capsules

Mix honey, yogurt and lemon juice together. Fold in the the contents of the vitamin E capsules. Apply evenly to face, leave for 15 mins and rinse off.

While I felt a bit odd wearing what seemed more like a snack gone awry on my face, I think the facial did help moisturize and replenish my skin, and I could feel a little better about it knowing that it produced no waste packaging!

Do you have any eco-friendly do it yourself skin-care items?

Day 85: Junk In The Trunk - The Road to Sustainability

Another driving tip!

Don't cart around a bunch of extra stuff, the extra weight hurts your mileage  -unless they are sandbags to help you get traction on icy roads!. Otherwise, try to get rid of as much extra weight as you can because the more weight you carry, the harder your engine has to work unnecessarily!

Day 84: Earth Hour!

Tomorrow, Saturday March 26th, is the day that Earth Hour will take place over the globe at 8:30 p.m. EST. Individuals, organizations and governments will power down for one hour.

Earth Hour started in 2007 by about 2 million people in Australia and has now reached over 1.3 billion people in 130 countries around the world. Last year Canada was one of the leading countries, with participants in more than  280 cities. This year there are more than 400 municipalities involved and more than 195 000 Canadians have pledged their participation.

66% of greenhouse gas emissions come from the global energy sector, so by pledging  to participate in Earth Hour you are recognizing the impacts that your energy consumption has on the environment. Some studies have shown that there needs to be an 80% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2050 in order to avoid catastrophic climate change.

Some Canadian Landmarks that are powering down for Earth Hour are: the CN Tower, Parliament Hill,  Edmonton City Hall, Canada Place and the Calgary Tower among others.  Some global landmarks include the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia, the Eiffel Tower in France,  the Gateway of India in  India, the Brandenburg Gate in Germany and the Christ the Redeemer Statue in Brazil.

So, check out the Earth Hour website  to find out what time your area is participating and pledge your participation, and for an hour tomorrow power everything down and enjoy life the old fashioned way! I will be doing it - will you?

Day 83: The Road to Sustainability - Ride on a Full Tank

Here's another driving tip that I came across that I found interesting and surprising:

In the wintertime, keep your gas tank full! It is better for the environment and will save you money. When your tank isn't full, the moist air in the gas tank condenses against the inside walls of the tank. The water then collects in the tank and mixes with the fuel, affecting the quality of the fuel. This starts a variety of problems with cylinders misfiring,  fuel not being burnt efficiently and adding extra strain to the engine.

There is a lot of conflicting information on the internet about this topic, but it seems to be worth looking into. Is anybody particularly car-savvy and know more about this? 

My mom and I had this problem once with a vehicle, and it definitely affected the efficiency of the vehicle and I imagine put extra strain on the engine.

Day 82: Cockroaches

Recently we have spotted a few roaches lurking around our apartment -yuck! Cockroaches have been fabled to be the only creature capable of surviving a nuclear blast, which the above mythbusters video disproves. However, they are still pretty hardy creatures and a common problem in older urban homes.

Cockroaches can spread diseases, and, well, are pretty gross! They eat practically anything, including particle board which is often treated with formaldehyde, attesting to their hardy nature. It is best to deal with them right away if you sight them, which lead me to research some green tips for dealing with roaches.

Some of the more traditional methods for dealing with cockroaches include:

Indoxocarb - developed by Dupont, indoxocarb is toxic to mammals, birds, fish, and aquatic invertebrates. It has a half life ranging from 3 to 693 days.

Hydramethylnon - highly to very highly toxic to fish in laboratory studies and has a half-life of  10 to 11 days in an aquatic environment

Fipronil -  highly toxic to fish and aquatic invertebrates. Toxic to bees. Half-life of 20 to 200+ days.

Well, what are the green alternatives?

First off, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Here are some things you can do to avoid  roaches in the first place:

- Clean up thoroughly after food preparation and don't leave used dishes out overnight

- Wash your pet's food bowl as soon as possible after feeding

- Reduce shelter for cockroaches

- Plug up points of entry from outside using sealants or mesh

- Get rid of materials brought in from outside that may harbor cockroach eggs as soon as possible; particularly where those items have come from food sources; e.g. supermarkets

- Dry out damp areas inside your house such as under sinks - something as simple as baking soda can assist with this.

Have 'em? Well here are some things you can do:

 -Combine 1 part borax, 2 parts flour and 1/2 part icing sugar, then add water and mix into a dough. Place in areas where cockroaches frequent, but out of reach of pets and children.

- A small container of water with a teaspoon of oil can attract cockroaches. They'll climb in and be unable to get out and will drown (eventually)

- A variation on the above - take a small jar and spread oil around the inside of it, place bait in the jar such as a small piece of sweet fruit; set it upright in roach territory - again, they'll be able to get in, but not out.

- Sprinkle borax powder where roaches are active. It will collect on their bodies, be licked off and then kill them. Again, keep out of reach of pets and children.

- Fill shallow trays of icing sugar mixed with plaster of paris - they eat it and it sets in their stomachs

- Sticky flypaper type traps can be a good non-toxic alternative to any chemicals

Hopefully this is the last we will see of our uninvited guests!

Do you have any pest control suggestions?

Day 81: Going To the Car Wash, yeah!

Sorry folks, I have another big midterm tomorrow, so here is a quick and dirty one ;P

Going to a car wash is a lot more water efficient than washing your car at home! If you do wash your car at home, be aware of the soaps and waxes that you may be flushing down storm drain. (Commercial car-washes must treat their water first).

Day 80: What's a Cook To Do?

This post is in response to Lisa's questions on my Day 77 post, asking about what stove top (gas, electric, etc...) is most environmentally friendly.

Well, I did a bit of digging and here is what I found out:

Electro-magnetic stoves/cookers are the most environmentally friendly. These induction stoves use electricity to generate a rapidly changing electromagnetic field. This in turn interacts with nearby ferrous items (think iron and steel) and heats them up -it won't work with aluminum (you can use a fridge magnet to test if it will work). The benefits of an electromagnetic range are that less energy is required since the stove top does not heat up and less heat is wasted. Furthermore, because the stove isn't actually heated up any spill-over won't burn on and the pot reacts instantly to changes in power (like a gas range). However, there are also some downfalls to electromagnetic stoves (google it to find out more about it).

For more conventional ranges, like gas or electric, gas seems to be the winner, although it is highly dependent on where your electricity comes from (renewable energy vs. oil/coal). Gas burners are more efficient, as they provide instant heat, unlike electric burners which need to warm up, and cooks have greater control over the temperature. However, it is natural gas that is being burnt, so there is still that to take into consideration.

So, it seems that there is no clear-cut answer and what type of range you should use depends on cooking techniques and where your energy comes from! However, there are some clear advantaged to electromagnetic and gas ranges.


Sources:

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/gas-vs-electric-cooking.htm
http://www.suite101.com/content/magnetic-induction-stove-tops-a116287
http://www.homemakersonline.co.za/features/150/environmentally-friendly-kitchen

Day 79: Eating Out?

A few weeks ago, my boyfriend and I went out for sushi and ended up getting a giant platter of veggie-sushi - delicious!

However, we weren't able to finish the whole plate and had it packaged up to bring home. Our left-over rolls were put in a Styrofoam container and I have been feeling guilty ever since! In the future, I am going to tuck a Tupperware container in my bag in case of left-over emergencies so I don't continue to contribute to the growing pile of Styrofoam that will sit for centuries in landfills! I think that will make the sushi that much tastier!

Day 78: Apple and the Environment?

So, this is going to be unlike my usual posts where I write about some sort of lifestyle change that we can make to benefit the environment and reduce our carbon foot-print. Today, I am going to write about Apple's new environmental initiative and ask for your opinion.

Apple now has an "environment" tab on their website that highlights the environmental benefits of their products, which I suppose is a step in the right direction. As much as I preach living simply, there is a time when we do have to buy new things.

Here is a link to the environment tab for the macbook pro where they highlight their minimized packaging (reduce by 41%), minimized waste materials, efficiency, free recycling of your computer (if you live in the US, that is), their Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool (or EPEAT) Gold standard, reducing of harmful chemicals like Arsenic and PVC and their Energy Star qualification.

If you click on a particular model, they even outline the greenhouse gas emissions for your product. This covers a complete life cycle analysis of the product including production, transport, use and eventual disposal by recycling. They have a chart listing the computers various settings and its energy consumption in every mode.

My favorite is the free recycling of old computers, and I hope that they expand this to other countries as well. I always think about how different the world would be if manufacturers were forced to dispose of their products in a sustainable way after clients were finished with them. I bet a whole lot more emphasis would be put on modularity, using recyclable materials and sustainable practices.

Apples also no longer provides printed user-manuals for ipods etc., instead this information is available online -which reduces paper usage and weight to increase shipping efficiency.

So, I am not trying to advertise Apple, but I feel like they are taking a step in the right direction and I hope other electronic manufacturers will begin taking the environment into consideration.

What do you think? Does this disclosure of information make you more prone to purchasing from this manufacturer? are you impartial? Or do you think this is green-wash?

Day 77: No Peakies!

This is another one of my bad habits - when I am baking, I often open the door to peer inside and see how my treats are doing. However, every time I open the door, at least 20% of the heat escapes! So the poor oven must heat itself back up, therefore making it take longer till my goodies are done! Another oven/baking related tip is to, as some Grandma's say, "bake an orphan". You should bake your pastries siblings, or in other words if you are heating up the oven to bake something, bake a lot of somethings!

So, in the future I will try to control my curiosity and I will try to plan my baking that I can do multiple things at once! Do you have any other tips about saving energy in the kitchen?

Day 76: Sponges

Sponges can get pretty yucky fairly quickly. Some studies have shown that a sponge can harbor more bacteria than a toilet bowl! Most of us swap out our kitchen sponges fairly quickly as modern synthetic sponges are fairly cheap -but at what environmental cost? Sure, we only throw out a dozen or two sponges a year, but times that by millions of households? That is a lot of waste!

Another problem with synthetic sponges is that they are often impregnated with chemicals such as Triclosan, an antibacterial and antifungal agent, which as also registered as a pesticide. Besides being linked to health problems, Triclosan is also believed to destroy fragile aquatic ecosystems by killing algae. Furthermore, sewage and waste-water treatment plants cannot remove Triclosan, so the compound remains stable for relatively long periods of time -it is actually one of the most common man-made chemicals in American streams!

Recent generations of Western cultures have being increasing concerned about hygiene, a rightfully so in our modern age of science and technology. However, we may be jumping the gun as was are often killing-off "good bacteria" in the process. This good bacteria helps boost our immune system - a study I read in National Geographic stated that children who grew up in the city were more likely to develop allergies than children who grew up in the country/on farms. The articled stated that this is due to country-kids being exposed to more bacteria while growing up, thus strengthening their bodies natural protection.

Well, back to today's topic. What are some things we can do about our sponge problem?

First of all, we can maintain our current sponges:

a) keep it as dry as possible between uses

b)sterilize occasionally by dropping it in boiling water for a few minutes

c) clean it with some lemon juice!

d)According to the US Department of Agriculture, you can microwave a damp sponge to kill bacteria, or plunk it in your dishwasher's drying cycle

Once your existing sponge is toast, there are a couple of eco-friendly sponge alternatives:

a) cellulose sponges are sourced from plant or recycled materials - as always, read labels carefully to find out more about what the product is made from and what chemicals it may contain

b) Try to grow your own loofah sponges! For those of you who don't know, loofah is a plant and it's fruit is a spongy material (it is vegan and environmentally friendly!)

c) Use an old-school natural-fiber dishcloth (make sure to dry it between uses and wash regularly).

Do you have any other suggestions?

Day 75: Orange You Glad...

... that there is a use for your orange peels?

So a few things inspired me to look into what you can do with left-over orange peels. Not only my recent citrus related posts, but my housemate bought a crate of oranges and has been figuring out creative things to do with them.

Here are a few neat green, alternative uses for orange peels:

1) orange peel oil is flammable and dried peel makes a great fire-starter (perhaps somebody should tell Supernatural's Winchester brothers? maybe it will help them out of a bind sometime!)

2) Apparently cats don't like the smell of orange peels (our house-cat, Milo, seems to be an exception) so you can bury peels in places you don't want cats digging around or in potted house-plants to keep cats out

3)Some people claim rubbing orange peels on your skin helps deter mosquitoes (I have to try this one out in the summer!)

4) Dry them and use them as a bathing powder/salt

5)Orange peels, like lemons, deter ants

6) Like lemons, it can be used a eco-friendly citrus smelling household cleaner!

7) Put dried peels in a cloth bag to keep drawers and cupboard smelling fresh!

I'm sure there are many more uses (my house mate is trying to make orange-peel boxes -a cool art project!) and she has also made candied orange peel as a delicious treat!
So, I think along with the lemon-tips, these are some interesting ways to cut down on hazardous products and divert more organic waste from the landfill (remember you can compost them too -but be careful about putting too much citrus in your vermicomposter if you have one!)

Day 74: More Lemon Love

My bathroom needs to be cleaned (again *sigh*) but I feel bad about using harsh store-bought chemicals. In fact, many household cleaners are classified as hazardous. Luckily, yesterday when researching uses for lemons I came across a few neat ways to use lemon juice instead of bathroom cleaning products.

Toilet Cleaner: mix 1/2 borax and one cup of lemon juice for a powerful toilet cleaner that leaves a lemony fresh scent

Lime Scale: use half a lemon to clean the lime scale off sinks or faucets (rinse well afterwards)

Chrome/Copper/Brass: use lemon juice and baking soda to help brighten these metals. Rub a paste onto the surface, then rinse off and buff.

Dishwashing: a teaspoon added to your dishwashing water boosts your soap's grease-cutting power! Straight lemon juice works as a degreaser.

Glass and Mirrors:  skip the windex - add 4 tbs of lemon juice to 2 liters of water for an effective window cleaner

So, I think I will be phasing out my traditional cleaning products and try some more eco-friendly alternatives!

Day 73: When Life Gives you Lemons...

...make eco-friendly household cleaning products?

I have yet to try these out, but apparently lemons are a great biodegradable alternative to a lot of the hazardous products that we use to clean out homes!

Other than decorating fancy drinks, lemons can be used as a deodorizer, household cleaner and even a  beauty product!

Here a few uses for our favorite sour yellow friend:

Ant Deterrent: pouring lemon juice on areas that ants tend to frequent will help repel them!

All-Purpose Cleaner and Deodorizer: mix equal parts water and lemon juice in a spray bottle and you have chemical free, green air freshener (much better for you than things like fabreeze) and also an effective all-purpose cleaner! (Add a bit of vinegar to boost the cleaning power!)

Microwave Cleaner: I really have to try this one out! Put a few slices of lemons in a bowl of water and microwave for about 30 seconds, then wipe out the microwave. Stains will (apparently) be easier to remove and odors will be neutralized.

Drains: Lemon juice and baking soda together make a good drain cleaner that isn't harsh on the environment like other drain cleaners!

Well, I have a bunch more uses up my sleeve, so I think I will post the rest tomorrow - and I will try some of these out soon!

Have any of you tried any of these lemon uses? Was it successful?

Day 72: Drive Smarter, Not Longer! The Road to Sustainability

So, I have been sitting, thinking and reading for over half an hour trying to think of a good post- unfortunately to no avail, so we have another driving tip!

This one is fairly logical, and as always, if you can avoid driving that is the best alternative. However, if you must drive try to avoid unnecessary trips by planning ahead and combining trips. Avoid driving when you don't have to, and carpool when you can!

This will help to reduce your carbon cost, the load on your wallet and the wear and tear on your vehicle!

Day 71: Plant a Tree

Why? Well, everybody needs a home... check out this video

Other than providing homes for squirrels, the average mature tree can absorb about 25 kg of CO2 a year (that is a ton of CO2 in a 40 year lifespan!)and releases enough oxygen to sustain two human beings every year. Trees can also help with soil erosion, as a sound barrier from noisy roads, for passively cooling your home and are great to climb! Trees also help reduce ozone levels in urban areas; in New York City, a 10% increase in urban canopy translated to a reduction of peak ozone levels by about 4 parts per billion.

We may not all be able to plant trees in our backyards (largely due to many of us not having backyards) but there are many local, national and international initiatives that you can get involved with -the United Nations even has a tree planting initiative, which illustrates that this is of global importance! An important thing to remember is to get children involved. I remember growing a tree from a seed when I was little and planting it, which was a big step for me in learning what trees do for the environment and why we are so dependent on them for the air we breathe, the water we drink, the homes we live in, the paper we write on and so much more!

So, if you have a place in your yard for a tree, do a bit of research into what type of tree is best for your area -perhaps one that you can eventually hang a tire swing off of for your children's children. For those of us sans backyard, there are many ways to get involved with community tree planting initiatives or even sponsoring an acre of rainforest!

A final thought is this Greek Proverb:

A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in

Day 70: How long....?

I find a huge part of "living green" is awareness and staying motivated -especially to find something new to try everyday. One thing that helps for me is to be more aware of my actions is knowledge, particularly knowing how long something will effect the environment after I do it

Here is a list of a few things and the approximate time it will take them to decompose in a landfill:


Banana peel: 3-4 weeks
Paper box: 1-2 months
Cotton sock: 5-6 months
Wood: 10-20 years
Leather belt: 40-50 years
Aluminum can: 200-500 years
Disposable diaper: 500-600 years
Styrofoam cup: 1 million years or more
Plastic bottle: 1 million years or more
Glass bottle: 1 million years or more

The objective of this post is for me and you to be more aware of what we buy, if we throw it out and how we dispose of it!  How long will your waste outlive you?

Day 69: Why I Love i-Tunes...

Buying your music online not only saves you money, but saves on packaging and shipping costs. Also... who really listens to CDs these days anyways?

The New York Times Online published a blog post in 2009 reporting on a study done into the environmental impact of traditional and digital music purchases. According to the study, which was financed by Microsoft and Intel, buying music online can reduce the carbon impact of your music by up to 80% (40% if you end up burning the downloaded music to CD, up to 80% otherwise).

However, this isn't super clear. Things like the energy needed for large file downloads, or if the customer walks to the record store cause considerable variance in the carbon cost of a CD. Furthermore, we also need to consider e-waste generated from digital music players.

So, it seems that the best thing we can do is to download our music and store it digitally, not on a burned CD, and buy high-quality music players that will last, treat them well and try to repair them when they break.

What do you think?

Day 68: Cling No More!

About 33% of what we throw away is packaging. Today's post is related to my post from Day 10 of this challenge and a common theme from various posts.

When you are storing food, don't use ziploc, cling-wrap or aluminum foil to pack away your leftovers. Use reusable containers or any container that you already have (I re-use yogurt pots and empty jars).

Not only will this save you money in the long run, but it will help you reduce your waste, and, thus, your carbon footprint! Remember, all that plastic wrap that you throw away today will still be in the landfill when you are old and grey (and long after as well)!

Day 67: Make a Clean Sweep!

This one is an easy one for me, but may not be applicable to every household.

I'm not keen on loud noises and our apartment is all hardwood flooring, so it makes sense to sweep instead of using a vacuum. Area rugs can be shaken out outside.

It's a simple way to save a bit of power and clean your house all the same!

(sorry... I will think of a better post for tomorrow!)

Day 66: If the Lid Fits...

...use it! My clever boyfriend visited again this weekend and pointed out another wasteful habit of mine - sometimes I cook without using lids on my pots!

If you want a scientific explanation, complete with derivatives and Newton's law of cooling, check out this website, which shows you how you can calculate the efficiency of boiling water.

For the rest of us, we can safely assume that an uncovered pot takes longer to boil, thus requires more energy, since the contents of the pot is losing thermal energy to the surrounding air. An easy way to increase cooking efficiency is to simply use tight fitting lids and to fit the pot to the appropriate sized burner!

This is an easy tip to save you cooking time, money and energy all while helping you to reduce your carbon footprint! But- make sure that you keep a careful eye on the pot, as it will boil over more quickly!

Day 65: The Road to Sustainability: Don't Drive Aggressively

Did you know that the jerk who just did a burn-out, sped to the next red light only to slam on the breaks is not only being a nuisance, but also wasting a bunch of fuel, and not to mention wearing out his vehicle faster?

Studies have shown that quick acceleration, speeding, hard breaking and other aggressive driving habits combined can increase your fuel consumption by 25%

Driving smoothly is not only safer and better for the collective mental health of the driving population, but can reduce your carbon footprint!

So, plan ahead to make sure you don't need to speed to get where you need to go, and be a courteous and calm driver!  Not only will it save your money and stress, but it will help reduce your emissions.

(300 more days to go!)

Day 64: What Wriggles In the Night?

I do a lot of cooking from scratch, so inevitably I have a lot of food scraps like peels, egg shells and stems. When I lived at home in Alberta, we always composted these scraps or fed them to pigs or chickens. However, in the city having pigs, chickens or even an outdoor compost heap isn't an option.

Last year at Queen's I was privileged to be the Residence Advisor on the "Green Floor" where we had our very own vermicompster - courtesy of an absolutely amazing group of people who worked hard to have the trial project run in residences. It was a great success, and you can see the results from the one year pilot project here where we diverted about 44 kg of waste from landfills and could have done way more had we had a bigger composter.

Vermicomposters are great -they can be kept indoors and are almost completely odorless. The one we had in rez was housed in a beautiful wooden box that looked a bit like a chest of drawers. Vermicomposting, for those of you who don't know, is the process of having worms (usually red-wrigglers) process our organic waste and turn in in great fertilizer for our plants! You can't put as much stuff in it as you would an ordinary compost heap, but we don't all have room for a compost heap. If properly maintained, there will be no oder or fruit flies, and in the end you will have some great soil for your plants!

Many cities have composting programs as well, but I think that if you can have a worm box or a compost-heap out back that is even better because Green-Bin collection programs needs fossil fuels to transport the waste and in the end you don't get to use the soil for your garden and plants!

My housemate right now has a wormbox for our apartment, and it is a great way to cut down on our waste. Remember, organic waste trapped in a plastic garbage bag cannot decompose properly and will release a lot of methane gas!

There are a lot of resources out on the web to help you with creating your own composting solution, whether it be vermicomposting, a compost heap or participating in a Green-Bin collection program. As for me, I think I will go feed the worms and not the landfill.

Day 63: Be Cool, Stay Hot! The Road to Sustainability

So, here is another driving tip. Those of you who have ever gone on a road-trip with me probably already know this one- use your air conditioner sparingly!

The air conditioner puts an extra load on the engine and can actually increase your vehicle's fuel consumption by up to 20 percent! Instead, use your vehicle's flow-through ventilation at faster highway speeds (since open windows create drag and thus reducing aerodynamics of the car) or open a window for slower driving.

It's a good way to keep cool without contributing to global warming!

Day 62: Save a Tree!

So, as much as I have '"hated on'' recycling in the past and have been preaching reducing waste as our primary goal (remember, reduce comes first, then reuse, and then recycle! They are in an order for a reason!) recycling is an important part of our waste management. On Day 25 of the challenge I said I would use both sides of the paper - well, I am coming to the point that a lot of my paper is very well used on both sides - next step is to recycle it!

Some fun facts about paper recycling:

-40% of waste in the US is paper - but only 25-30% of that gets recycled!

-Americans throw away the equivalent of 30 millions trees each year in newsprint alone.

So once your paper has been well loved, ensure that it goes to a better place! Also, buy recycled paper!
These are things that I already do, and I find they give me peace of mind and save me some coin!

Day 61: The Road to Sustainability - "Performance, that's the name of the game..."

So, the lesson to be learned from the above video is to pump up your tires to maximize performance! There was even an article on this topic in the Vancouver's free newspaper, Metro, today! 

Barack Obama also has a little something to say about the topic:

According to Natural Resources Canada (thanks for the link Ed!) properly inflated tires not only make your ride safer, but also saves you money on gas and thus reducing your emissions. The proper level for your tires can be found in the owner's manual or near the driver's door (contact your dealer or local shop if you're lost!) 

Once again, burning fossil fuels and driving is will never be sustainable, but due to our vast country sometimes it is unavoidable. So, try to limit your driving time and when you do drive be sure that you inflate your tires to the proper pressure, don't idle and drive the speed limit!

Day 60: The Road to Sustainability -"Derive" More Efficiently!

Two months down, 10 to go!

So I got a bit carried away with my physics assignment  ...hence the Engineering/Math Humor title... and it is 11:50pm and I still have not posted for today! So - another driving tip!

Drive the speed limit! We all have places to go, but apparently speeds more that 95 to 100 km/h (thats about 60 mph) cost about an additional 7 cents per litre (or about 24 cents per gallon)! What this means is that for every liter of fuel you burn, you burn an additional 7 cents worth from another litre... so say gas is $1.20/liter, what you would normally cover with that amount costs you $1.27 if you are speeding!  This adds up pretty quickly in regards to both the impact on the environment and your wallet! Also, it will narrow your chances of getting a speeding ticket -even more savings!

Day 59: The Road to Sustainability - Part 1

So, a while ago I said I would post some tips on how you can reduce your carbon footprint without giving up your car. Well, here is the first of many! (I decided to spread out the posts because, well, 365 posts is a lot of ideas!) 


Don't idle your car. If a stop is longer than 10 seconds it will actually save you gas. The federal government's Office of Energy Efficiency says the average Canadian idles their car for five minutes a day, not counting warming it up on cold mornings (which happens a lot on the winter -but apparently cars only need to be warmed up for about 30 seconds before they are good to go!). But cutting that idling, you’ll save about 42 litres a year - the equivalent of 101 kilograms of greenhouse gas emissions.

That seems like sound savings for my wallet and the environment, and when I go get "Clifford" (my car) out of winter hibernation, I will be sure not to idle for more than 10 seconds!


While burning oil and gas will never be sustainable, eco-friendly driving habits are a good start.

Day 58: Sugar, oh Honey Honey

I'm definitely a stress-eater and my favorite snack is something sweet! My jelly-bean binge and post on Cutting Calories  yesterday made me wonder about the environmental impact of sugar production. Is my sweet tooth fueling environmental degradation?

Sadly, the answer is yes.

According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) about 145 million tons of sugar are produced annually in some 120 countries. A 2004 WWF report called "Sugar and the Environment" shows that sugar may be responsible for the loss of more biodiversity than any other crop due to the delicate tropical ecosystems of a lot of sugar-producing countries, deforestation and destruction of habitat to make room for plantations and intensive irrigation and use of chemicals. What's worse is that our growing collective sweet-tooth is fueling further natural habitat destruction and an estimated 5-6 million hectares of of cropland is lost annually due to severe erosion and soil degradation (sugar cane is commonly grown on slopes which contribute to high erosion rates). The intensive irrigation required for sugar crops has resulted in many dammed rivers and flooded wild land, destroying the homes of many animals and heavily impacting local ecosystems.

One extreme example is the Great Barrier Reef off the West Coast of Australia. Once a thriving under-water ecosystem, the Reef has been extremely influenced not only by our changing climate, where a one degree change in water temperature has caused severe bleaching, but also by pesticide run-off from sugar farms. Moreover, in some other parts of the planet, such as Papua New Guinea, soil fertility has dropped 30% since the 1980s due to decades of heavy sugar cane production.

On our end of the cycle we also see the negative of effects of sugar consumption from skyrocketing obesity and diabetes rates.

But, the good news is that there are things we can do to collectively make a difference -this will be good for the environment and our health!

After reading this article, I was surprise to learn that brown sugar was the worst culprit of the sugars! I had always thought that it was less processed than white sugar and therefore ... not as bad for me as processed white sugar! If you want to know more about how different sugars are processed, I recommend the above article as a good starting point!

In the end, the author of the greenliving article concludes that out of the different varieties of sugar, raw-sugar, the least-processed of the lot, has a smaller impact on the environment due to less waste accumulated through processing than white or brown. However, the best thing we can do is to actually eat less sugar since we don't really need to eat highly processed sugars to survive, and, eating all these refined sugars is bad for us! The author writes that it is more about our rates of consumption than the type of sugar that we buy and that we can get all the sugar we need from natural sources such as fruits and vegetables.

So, I think it is time for me to try and reign-in my sweet tooth -what do you think?

Sources:

http://environment.about.com/od/pollution/a/sugar.htm
http://www.greenlivingtips.com/articles/73/1/White-sugar-vs-raw-sugar.html
WWF's Sugar and the Environment

Day 57: Cut Calories

I may or may not have consumed my weight in jelly beans today and, sure enough, as I was browsing through David Suzuki's Green Guide for inspiration for a post tonight, I come across a section about consuming fewer calories. Automatic guilt trip.

However, as I read on, it had some neat things to think about:

-More calories takes more energy to produce. Substituting higher quality foods (fruits, veggies, whole grains and nuts for example) for chips and  *sigh* jelly beans helps cut out bad calories and highly processed foods. My housemate started drying apple and pear slices in her dehydrator and they are so delicious and 100% natural made from local organic apples! I think I may have found a wonderful Jelly Bean substitute!

-One 591 ml bottle of Coke has the equivalent of fifteen spoonfuls of sugar.

-An organic apple generally costs less than a chocolate bar and it has less packaging as well as a smaller ecological footprint.

- In the UK between 1995 and 2006, calorie intake increased 17% and the average Canadian ate 18% more calories in 2002 than in 1991.

-Less calories means less land needs to be cleared to raise the food (or...the food for the food), less energy is required, less chemicals/pesticides are used, less packaging and waste is created and... less material is needed to make clothes for our increasing waistlines.

That is definitely some food for thought. Those jelly beans that I ate were probably 300 empty calories that probably took a lot of resources to make and didn't really benefit me in any way. So next time I am craving a sweet I think I will grab some apple chips or a slice of bread and I will also make sure that I eat appropriate meals when I am hungry instead of snacking on junk food! It will be good for me and the environment!

Day 56: Light Sticks Not BICs

Some evenings when I am just relaxing at home doing some integral calculus, I like to light a candle to help me unwind after a busy day at Engineering School.

However, I discovered that there are a few things wrong with this picture Candles are an entire topic on their own that I will cover another day -today I am going to write about lighters.

Modern permutations of the lighter are generally considered disposable and once they are empty they will likely end up in landfills to join their plastic-bag friends for an eternity of slowly photodegrading into smaller, toxic particles. An easy fix to this problem is using unbleached matches made from recycled cardboard! They are biodegradable and made from recycled material - it's a win-win situation!

Day 55: How to Store Your Produce 101

I love the David Suzuki Foundation's "Queen of Green," Lindsay Coulter, she has so many great ideas on what the average person can do to be more "green."

One of her videos (available by sifting through youtube videos!) is about how to store produce. She estimates that the average Canadian household throws out about $600 worth of produce every year! Imagine what that looks like and the associated carbon cost! I think that is about what I spend on groceries for 5 months!

I was completely unaware of how different foods interacted with one another in the fridge until a recent conversation I had with my housemate. So, this post is related to my post from Day 38 about stopping food waste and is about how to store your produce to keep it fresh for longer and avoid food waste through spoilage!

Here are a few things to keep in mind:

1) Don't refrigerate things like onions, garlic or potatoes -they will last longer if they are kept out of the fridge and stored in a cool dark place (remember your Grandmother's or parent's root cellar or potato box?)

2) Did you know fruits like apples, avacados, pears, bananas, tomatoes and peaches emit ethylene gas, a repining agent? Therefore, they should not be stored in the fridge next to or in the same compartment as veggies like broccoli, eggplant, cucumbers, carrots, zucchini etc. as they will cause them to spoil more quickly. However, a cool thing about these "gas-emitters" is that if you have something that you need to ripen quickly just pop it into a brown paper bag with, say, a ripe banana to help it ripen faster! She also mentions that these gas emitters don't even really need to be refrigerated unless they are getting really ripe and you need to hang on to them for another day or two.

3) Tomatoes are very cold-sensitive and putting them in the fridge will cause them to go all grainy and mushy (gross) and it takes away the flavor. 

3) Fresh fruits and veggies are still "breathing" -so never put them in a plastic bag or something without air-circulation since that will cause them to go bad!

4) Don't wash anything or pull stems until you are ready to eat the produce! 

Lindsay Coulter and the David Suzuki Foundation have even produced a neat little sheet about how to store different foods and it is available on the DSF website (or click here to go directly to the sheet).

I think this a great and easy way to help reduce food waste, and it's something that can save you money!

What do you think -did you know about these tips before? I definitely never thought about storing different foods together and the chemical interactions that would occur!

Day 54: Downshift

Downshifting is term more commonly used in the UK and Australia. It entails the concept of living in voluntary simplicity (usually with sustainability in mind -although not always the primary focus or motivator). People who follow this route are also called "post-materialists."

The first thing that comes to mind for me is Christopher McCandless, or more commonly known as "Alexander Supertramp", the subject of Jon Krakauer's book Into the Wild. I also noticed about a month ago, one of my Facebook friends had decided to give away most of his possessions to live a simpler life -what an enlightened soul!

What do you think about when you hear "downshift" or "post-materialism"? Now, I don't mean that you should go as far as giving away all your possession or go live in an abandoned bus in Alaska. I suppose what I am thinking here is that I should only have what I use and need, and everything else could benefit somebody else.

There are a lot of reasons that people "downshift" and one such reason is a sort of "back to basics" approach  to living a more balanced life with reduced stress - this idea kind of ties in with my post from Day 36 and Day 4. We (or at least I!) have so much stuff these days that it seems to make life super stressful and complicated, and then we try to remedy this stress by getting more stuff to make us happy!

I must say that my pledge from Day 36 is not going as well as I had hoped. While I am a bit more organized than before, I still keep losing things everywhere! This morning, for instance, I had a panic attack because I couldn't find my wallet and I had to sift through mounds of junk to find it!

So, I think organization is not the only thing I need to think about, I think I need to downsize and actively think about what I really need and what is just clutter that somebody else could use. For example, I took an online Physics High School course a few years ago and still have the textbook! The book is way too basic for what I am doing now in Engineering, so I think it is time to return it and get my $100 deposit back! There are many other things that I still hang on to for one reason or another that I am sure somebody else could benefit from.

I wonder what is the carbon footprint of that textbook gathering dust on my bookshelf?

This one article I read had some really neat points about what we consider "tradition" in North America which are really just commercially-driven events. The article cites Father's Day (do we really need to have a special day to remind us to cherish and honour our fathers?) and diamond wedding rings as examples. The author of the article writes that the tradition of having diamond wedding rings is only about 100 years old, and was in fact instigated by a diamond trading company called De Beers.

Anyways, my challenge for myself (and for you!) is to downsize and donate/return (or whatever) items that I no longer use that they can be used by others who need them!

What do you think? What will you do?

Day 53: Don't Standbye...

...your computer overnight!

I'm a culprit of this one since I got my new laptop this summer. It is really easy to just close the lid at the end of the day, which causes my laptop to either sleep(standby) or hibernate depending on if it is plugged in or not. If you don't know what yours does, you can see and change power settings in your computer's control panel.

When you are done with your computer for the day, you generally have three options (Macs only have 2):

1) Standby

2) Hibernate

3) Shutdown

Standby is equivalent to zoning out in class. You computer is still running applications and power is feeding into your computer's memory, although hard drive power is minimized and the screen is off. While the computer is able to "wake-up" quickly (just like me in Linear Algebra), standby mode uses a lot of power and should be avoided or used only when you are away from the computer for short periods of time. Another thing that one of my friends told me is that even though it appears that your computer is off, it is still drawing battery power. So, if you don't have your laptop plugged in and you leave it on standbye, when the battery runs out you will lose all your work! yikes!

Hibernating seems to be like taking a quick power nap when you get home from work or school. All the documents and programs will still be there, but power is essentially shut off to the computer. Like me after a nap, it will take the computer a little longer to shake-off the drowsiness after hibernating. This isn't a bad option, but in some cases, hibernating can cause improper start-up or problems when starting back up.

Shutdown is more like a proper night's rest. It powers off the computer completely and is the best option for overnight or if you are away from your computer for a while.

So, at the end of the day I will shutdown my computer and I will continue to remember my post from Day 5: to unplug it or switch off the power bar it is plugged into!

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/tabletpc/getstarted/standby.mspx
http://www.brighthub.com/environment/green-computing/articles/39322.aspx

Day 52: Outdoor Ethics -Part 4: Pack It In, Pack More Out!

This past summer my boyfriend and I visited the Niagara Glen for some bouldering and we had a great time in the forest among the boulders and trees. However, what we didn't appreciate was the insane amount of garbage in this beautiful spot!

So, once our arms were pumped and spent from crushing some problems, we set to work for about 3 hours picking up trash as we wandered through the area. In the end, we picked up and packed out about two large trash bags full of garbage and recyclables.

Essentially, today's post is the proverbial "don't litter" but it goes further than that, it really is about leaving places cleaner than you found them. Be sure to not leave anything behind when you are enjoying the great outdoors, but also step up to the plate and pack out litter and recyclables (even if it's not your garbage)! This ensures that the garbage doesn't get blow into streams and oceans, photo-degrade into toxic particles in the soil, get consumed by animals or tarnish a beautiful area!

Climbing in the beautiful Niagara Glen!

Day 51: Pretty Woman (or Man!)

I decided to take a break from my "Outdoor Ethics" series for those of you who aren't all that outdoorsy, but I have a few more OE topics to come!

Today's topic is one that is a bit foreign to me, but I think it is an important one to address: makeup and fragrances!

Most of you know that even though I am in my twenties I am still a "Tom-Boy" and only wear makeup on special occasions -however, I do have a small collection of little plastic bottles filled with different beauty products. These little bottles are not refillable and the majority are not recyclable. Moreover, according to beauty experts, makeup should not be kept for more than a year.

I know a few of my friends won't even run to the corner store without their "face" on and with all that makeup there is bound to be a lot of waste in the form of containers, applicators, removers, etc.

But, that's not the end of it.

The more I looked into this topic, the more shocked I became about what I learned. Cosmetics do not fall under the jurisdiction oft the FDA or Health Canada. This means that nobody is really monitoring the quality or safety of these products. Cosmetic manufacturers are not forced to fully disclose ingredients of fragrance body products and you almost need a chemical engineering degree to decipher the ingredients of makeup! According to an article on the David Suzuki Foundation website, many of these chemicals are linked to serious health concerns.

So what is a consumer to do?

Well, we need to remember that our skin is an organ too and that whatever we put on it will most likely be absorbed into our system.

There are a few things you can do:

1) Wear less makeup and let your inner beauty radiate! This means less packaging and less chemicals!

2) Not convinced by 1)? Well, look for makeup and fragrances with simpler labeling or that are certified Organic, 100% natural and cruelty-free.

3) Buy brands that come will less packaging! Shoppers Drug Mart carries a brand, Physicians Formula, that has an organic line of 100% natural makeup. What I like about their products is that they have minimalistic packaging and a lot more of their makeup-containers were made from paper (they claim 93% less plastic than a traditional compact and that their brushes are 100% recyclable)

4) Demand to know more! If you follow this link you will be directed to the David Suzuki Foundation Website where you can send a message of concern to Canadian Health Minister, Leona Aglukkaq, and ask her to change the regulations regarding the disclosure of fragrance ingredients.

5) Make your own scent by mixing natural oils and fragrances, or picking different plants (just google "make your own perfume" and a ton of sites come up!)

Great places to shop for cosmetics and body-care products are stores like The Body Shop and Lush, and if you bring your own bag or container, you can skip on packaging for things like soaps and bars! These stores promote animal and human rights, as well as encouraging patrons to protect the planet.

So, as for me, I am going to continue with my minimalistic makeup, but when I do need to "gussy-up" I will be sure to use natural/organic products that are cruelty-free and come in eco-conscious packaging!

Sources:

http://action.davidsuzuki.org/parfum
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art52798.asp
http://dailyuw.com/2007/5/3/make-up-doesnt-have-to-re-make-the-environment/

Day 50: Outdoor Ethics - Part 3: How to "Go" in the Woods

So, if you are travelling in the outdoors for any period of time... chances are that at some point, you will have to "go"! But how? and where?

Well, first things first - if there is an outhouse, use it! No matter how smelly it is, it is the best option.

What if there is no outhouse?

Well, is some places you may have to pack it out, be sure to refer to any guidelines of places that you may be staying. Check out this article about hiking to Conundrum Hot Springs in Colorado!

Otherwise,  other options depend on how long you are staying and if you are going number one or number two.

Urine directly  has little effect on vegetation, however, it may attract wildlife which are attracted to the salts. These critters may defoliate plants or dig up the soil, so the best choice here is to try and urinate on rocks, pines needles or gravel, and, if you can, dilute it by spraying some water on the location.

For solid waste, there are a couple of options for different situations.

If you are just passing through the area the best thing to do is to make a cathole. A cathole is just like what it sounds, a hole in the ground which, for humans, should be about 6 inches deep and 4-5 inches in diameter. Location selection is very important for catholes and you want to make sure that they are at least 70 meters away from water, trails and camp. When you are finished the waste should be buried and then disguised with natural material. If you are camping in a large group or staying more than one night, be sure to disperse catholes (dispersing human waste, rather than concentrating it, helps in decomposition).

Some more things to consider about catholes:

1) Try and find a site with deep, organic soil (the organisms in the soil will help decompose the waste).
2) Try and find a site that will get a lot of sunlight, as this also aids in decomposition.
3) Choose an elevated site to try and keep your feces from running off into bodies of water!

You may have heard about Latrines, and, according to my research, they are best used for large groups that are staying in the same place for a while or when you have young children along. The concentration of human waste will slow down the decomposition, so choosing a location is especially important (the location requirements are the same as for catholes).

Another consideration is toilet paper! Use it sparingly and use plain old, unscented toilet paper. It decomposes more quickly when buried in the soil (just putting it under a rock doesn't count) than when left out to the open air. In arid lands, it is best to pack out toilet paper in a plastic bag since the dry environment doesn't promote decomposition.

Anyways, despite the fact that I have always considered myself a fairly competent outdoors-woman, I sure learned a lot about "going" in the woods today, and hopefully you did too! I will be sure to employ what I learned on my next back country trip! If you are interested and want to learn more, take a  look at my sources!

Any thoughts or suggestions? Did you already know these things?

Sources:

http://hikethru.com/hiking-information/backyard-science/toilet-paper-decomposition
http://www.leavenotrace.ca/principle-dispose-waste-properly

Day 49: Outdoor Ethics -Part 2 : Leave What You Find Behind

I was paging through an old National Geographic a while back and it showed pictures from two different sites in Petrified Forest National Park. One of the sites was one that was often visited by tourists, and it looked a lot like this:

Internet Photo

Another site, that was much more remote and received very little tourist traffic, looked more like this:

Internet Photo

It's easy to spot the difference between the two photos. All of the smaller fragments were taken as souvenirs from the more frequently visited site, and so only enormous heavy chunks of petrified wood remained. The less-visited site still had thousands of the small fragments left for all of the future visitors to enjoy.

While taking a flower or  rock, or maybe even carving your initials into a tree, may not seem like a big deal, it becomes a big deal when everybody does it and it has a tremendous impact on the landscape.

So, be sure to leave natural and/or historic objects for others to enjoy. Things like antlers, interesting stones, flowers and petrified wood add to the mood of the area and are fun for others to "discover". Also, remember that in National Parks, and many other areas, it is illegal to remove natural or historic objects!

But, on the other hand, don't be afraid to pack out garbage and litter, even if it isn't yours!

So take a picture or draw a sketch, but leave the natural wonders for everyone to enjoy and, of course, leave the landscape as undisturbed as possible so you don't interfere with natural processes (such as picking plants that are slow to reproduce or digging trenches that promote topsoil erosion).

I know this series of posts seems a little off-topic for my blog, but I think they are important topics and that preserving the natural world and its wonders is also a central part of sustainability!

What do you think?