Eco footprint quiz

callmekelly — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:37:34 +0000

When I took this quiz: http://www.conservation.org/act/live_green/Pages/ecofootprint.aspx?id=msn_ecofootprint I got a 38 (eco-apprentice). I felt pretty good about it.

Click here to join the “Stop Global Warming Virtual March” http://www.stopglobalwarming.org/. I did!

Calculate your carbon impact

callmekelly — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 20:22:33 +0000

If you go to http://green.msn.com/tools/calculator.aspx you can calculate your carbon impact. I did this and came up with a score of roughly 8.45. Apparently the average is 7.5. That doesn’t make me feel great but it’s not too bad.

As it is, my husband and I have 1 car (by choice) with good gas mileage. We are presently talking about replacing it with a hybrid, of course. Also, my husband has just started a carpool sign up sheet at his work. Hopefully, that will allow him to find someone in our area that he can ride in with.

Another thing that I’m sure hurt our score is our gas bill. We have an older home but we’re working on weatherproofing it. I covered the windows this year as well as the door jams. One thing I haven’t done is to buy a water heater blanket, which I keep meaning to do but just haven’t. It is one thing of many though. I’ll keep you updated the more progress I make.

Lastly, my husband and I take a lot of road trips, occasionally flying when we need to. Traveling is a great love of ours and isn’t something we can cut out. However, I will try and find out if it better to travel by car than plane.

They do provide a list of things you can do to decrease the number on their site: http://green.msn.com/Articles/article.aspx?aid=273.

Some things I already do is to:

keep our thermostat at a reasonable temp.
We wash & rinse in cold

The other things are things I will be working on from now on.

More on plastic

callmekelly — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 16:42:06 +0000

According to The Green Book, we should avoid plastics containing PVC (like in some raincoats, backpacks, and folders) because it can be harmful to the immune system and very hard to recycle. Recycling aside, if these plastics can be harmful to our immune system, it’s especially important then to pay attention to the fact that it is being put in children’s items.

The Green Book also says that you can buy your children’s plastic rulers out of “70% postconsumer recycled plastic”. I mention it because it seems like one of those things you might not even think about, but that we need to become aware of.

Now, as for plastic bags, I have made the jump to cloth bags that you reuse when you go to the grocery store. I also have a cloth bag that I use when I go to the library. I bought these bags at Wal-Mart for $1 a piece. I know that on Oprah’s “green” show, she was selling bags for close to $10 and saying that it was just the cost to make and ship. I have a huge problem with that because I make things that I sell and ship and can tell you a bag does not cost $10. However, I know that Oprah does have some good tips on her site for going green (see my links).

That aside, any plastic bags I do end up with, I recycle at Wal-Mart. They have a huge bin right out in front, very easy thing to do. It’s something everyone could and should be doing for sure.

Plastics

callmekelly — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:57:25 +0000

Well, I found my answer and I’m wishing it were a better one. Turns out that just because there is the recycling “chasing arrows” symbol on plastics, doesn’t mean it’s recyclable. I refer to an article regarding these misconceptions: http://www.ecologycenter.org/ptf/misconceptions.html

This article explains the number system on plastics: http://earth911.org/blog/2007/08/17/green-forum-plastic-recycling/

I’m going to have to really process this information before I can speak on it any further. My initial thoughts, however, are that this is unacceptable. All plastics should not carry the chasing arrow symbol, that we know to be the recycling symbol, if it is not recyclable.

Recycling

callmekelly — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 16:43:42 +0000

Recycling is a huge topic, one that I’ll be referring to often. As for the part I play, I recycle everything I can at the curbside for pick-up. Then I collect the rest (glass, foil, styrofoam, etc.) to be dropped off at the recycling center.

You can find out where you can recycle things in your area on http://earth911.org/recycling/. Simply put in the items you’re curious about and your zip code and it will give you the closest recycling centers information. If you are in the Kansas City area, contact me and I can definitely help with that.

I also collect recyclables from my family members who I know won’t make the trip themselves.

Right now, I am trying to find out more about where I can recycle certain plastics not accepted at curbside pick-up or the recycling centers; and why they’re not accepted in the first place. I will keep you posted on what I find out.

earth911.org has so much good information on this topic. This is just one of the articles I found helpful: http://earth911.org/blog/2007/12/14/five-tips-for-better-recycling/

Some history

callmekelly — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 20:07:27 +0000

Okay, just to give some background on me and why I’m going green. Turns out it’s easy to go green when you grew up poor. My family was very big on turning off the lights to “save a buck”. We bought most everything secondhand and lived by the idea that you waste not, you want not. This is definitely still ingrained in me today. I love to go to garage sales, I’m a big wheeler dealer. I have always saved paper scraps, to my husbands chagrin (he thinks I’m a pack rat, which I’m not). I’m just mindful of wastefulness but never so much as since I had my baby. He is why I’m doing what I’m doing. Read my about the author page to find out more.

I’m Going Green and I’m Taking You With Me!

callmekelly — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:06:17 +0000

On this blog, I will be reviewing environmentally friendly (“green”) products, discussing changes that we can make, changes I have and will make. I will also be calling out companies whose practices are harming the environment. I will be contacting those companies regarding changes that need to be made and providing info so that you can do the same. My goal is to inform, empower and create change.