You are currently browsing the category archive for the ‘Recycling’ category.
I have some stuff you may want to re-use for sale on eBay right now. :] Who needs new, and this stuff is way cheaper than their used counterparts on eBay, Craigslist, etc!
Who wants a turntable? Click Here!
Gemini TT-01 MKII Belt Drive Turntable
…or that Gemini Model TT-01 Turntable Weight Arm Balance you’ve been looking for. It’s right here!
Gemini Model TT-01 Turntable Weight Arm Balance
…or a Gemini universal headshell you didn’t get for Christmas? The link
Gemini TT-01 MKII Headshell
You heard right, I’m also selling a Gemini Anit-Static Slipmat! Yes way!
Gemini Slipmat
I heard Gemini Solid Aluminum Platter With Finger Easy Glide Grooves are the new rage!!! Get yours here! Get your rage here!
Gemini Solid Aluminum Platter With Finger Easy Glide Grooves
Gemini’s feet, nice. Feet here
Gemini Turntable Feet
Clinque Lipstick??? Wow! Lip love here
Clinique Lipsticks
Check it out!!!! What do you have to lose?
-Cara
Shoes Vines
I am not going repeat what I already wrote here. A quick synopsis, starting August 1st, 2010 I will publish a picture I take that day everyday for a year (well to be exact I will do this everyday until July 31st, 2011). This is the 33rd of those photographs. Also, there is a Flickr collection called “The Awesome Leftovers” where I put the daily shots (if any) that didn’t make the cut.
I don’t know the street name, but this place is on a small side street on the way to Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn. I’ll look next time I walk by it.
Check out the rest, Day 33 – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.
Recycle, Reuse.
-Cara
I have been super obsessed with trash lately. I think about it with every piece of garbage I throw out. Most of the thoughts I have revolve around, could I have I recycled that, if not, why? I feel that everything we make should be able to be recycled and if you can’t recycle it, don’t make it. Let me also emphasize that means if you can recycle it without releasing deadly toxins into the air, water or land.
I am no saint, I don’t want to have to clean my yogurt container, aluminum foil, plastic everything ever really. I do it, but I do not enjoy the process. I think it has to do with America and its not very user friendly local recycling processes. There is no national recycling marketing machine out there educating us on what we can and can not recycle throughout our lives. We are not given the tools, for example, recycling bins clearly labeled on what should be contained within them. It is not second nature and could be quite easily. I learned many things about fire prevention from Smokey the Bear. The Ad Council is a powerful tool to get some recycling PSAs out there.
Another thing is there are no real negative consequences for people who are not recycling, nor are there positive ones for people who do. We all enjoy a little positive reinforcement now and again. There are laws in America against littering in public places, but not for littering in define places. That seems ignorant. We should not be able to litter anywhere. Landfills are a disaster.
I did a little research on garbage decomposition to get myself more motivated. Here is what I came up with.
Glass…most forms of glass will never decompose or biodegrade ever. There is this glass, Obsidian, that dates back to the Cretaceous (Latin for “chalky”) geologic period and system from circa 145.5 ± 4 to 65.5 ± 0.3 million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows on the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the Cenozoic era. For those who don’t want to do the math, that means about 36 million to 65 million year old glass. That’s crazy, some poor dinosaur foot cutting glass. I said it. :]
The good thing about glass is how simple it is to recycle. Virgin glass is primarily made of sand, lime and soda. A glass manufacturer’s boiler must run at about 2192 degrees Fahrenheit (1200 degrees Celsius) to melt the sand, soda, and lime into glass. Making glass from recycled glass uses 32% less energy than making virgin glass because it melts at a much lower temperature. This process is to shatter the glass into small fragments called “cullet”. You then melt that down to make new glass. Products made from recycled glass save on the extraction of raw materials and produce approximately 20% less air pollution and 50% less water pollution than virgin glass. Point, recycle your glass don’t just throw it out.
I think I’ll stop with glass for today, maybe we’ll catch up with plastic bottles and bags at a later date.
Recycle, Reuse.
-Cara
Why save water?
Of all the water in the world, only 3% is fresh. Less than one third of 1% of this fresh water is available for human use. The rest is frozen in glaciers or polar ice caps, or is deep within the earth, beyond our reach.
To put it another way, if 100 liters represents the world’s water, about half a tablespoon of it is fresh water available for our use.
Remember that our local water supplies are part of a bigger global water cycle.
Fix those dripping faucets. If it drips every second it can waste more than 3,000 gallons per year.
Filling up your tub can require up to 70 gallons of water, where a 5 minute shower uses only 10 to 25 gallons.
When you brush those teeth of yours don’t run the water. That way you save about 8 gallons per day.
Never put water down the drain when there may be another use for it such as watering a plant or garden, or cleaning.
Don’t let water run while shaving or washing your face. It’s just a waste.
Do not use running water to thaw meat or other frozen foods. Defrost food overnight in the refrigerator. You snooze you loose.
I myself save water by never drinking it except in restaurants. ;-]
Just some things to think about.
-Cara
Zeitgeist (n) – the spirit of the time; the spirit characteristic of an age or generation
Addendum (n) -something to be added
I never watched Zeitgeist: The Movie. I came across Zeitgeist: Addendum the other day and since my thinking hasn’t been the same. It has given me a better sense of focus, new ideas to think about and hope. Look, I am not saying I am drinking the Kool-Aide, there are things I don’t agree with; for one, their take on religion. I get where they are coming from, but I am enlightened to something else.
I will not go on and on about the movie. If you want to watch it for free you can here (although I am not sure why they would choose Google Video to host the movie. It is part of the problem, not the solution. Maybe they feel it will reach a bigger audience, but I am not too sure that is the way to go. UPDATE 1-22-2011 I JUST CLICKED ON THE LINK AND IT GOES TO VIMEO NOW. THAT’S COOL.). I myself downloaded it from someone else. I am going to watch Zeitgeist: The Movie at some point, but for now I still have a lot to think about with Zeitgeist: Addendum, so I’ll wait. Addendum can definitely stand alone.
I would love to hear people’s opinion after watching the film. I have already had a few cool conversations about it. I have burned it for a couple of people. I would like to keep passing it around and then people can pass their copies around and see how fast it spreads. I want a better world and I know it is possible.
Do not fear the robots.
-Cara
Here’s a little blurb about what’s going on with my organic, handmade t-shirt company I run with Ms. Marine Boudeau.
Good times.
-Cara
Join us at Pridefest this year in the West Village:
Hudson St. between Abingdon Sq. & West 14th St
Sunday, June 28th, 2009
11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Come check out our handmade, organic, super fresh t-shirt collections, hang out, take pictures and buy plenty of shirts for you, your peeps, lovers, family…
Sign-up for our newsletter to receive any Pridefest updates and possibly discover many other amazing and interesting things.
To learn more about this super gay weekend visit NYC Pride.
Cara & Marine
Founders of Be Nice
That’s right a year ago, on January 10th, 2008, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth” was formed. When I first started this blog it was to have a voice in the world that differs from mainstream television, radio, satellite, newspapers, etc. I was inspired by the movie, “An Inconvenient Truth“, drawn into the meaning of an “inconvenient truth”, the fact that you might not want to hear what the problem is and what can be done to solve said problem, but here is the truth and now that you know, what are you going to do about it?
In the beginning, what I primarily wrote about was eco, environmental “inconvenient truths”, following in the footsteps of the film, but as time went by I began to find “inconvenient truths” in other areas as well, be it the issue of gay rights, human rights, animal rights, freedom of speech, freedom of art, whatever is going on in the world that mass media does not cover or covers up, these were the pieces I exceptionally enjoy writing about. Then there are the “recycle stuff” ones, just there for some information of what extra steps you can take to make a better world, the D.I.Y. projects using recycled materials, or just how to make something green and cool for your everyday life. Throw in a few organic recipes, cool green events, green product reviews, games, petitions, stories of amazing people who inspire me, beautiful photos, and sometimes just a funny video to relax and you have, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth“. :]
What I am getting at with all this is to say, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth” has evolved from when I began to where it is at now. I went from doing blog entries everyday from January, 10th, 2008 to October 13th, 2008, right around when I got an official 9-5 job, to now where I may not blog everyday, but no more than a few days go by without me throwing one out there. I needed to find a balance in my life and for now this works for me. I’d rather have good ones than just have ones. :]
I really like writing this blog, even when I can’t think of what to write about, or when I’d rather be playing PlayStation with Ms. Marine or web 2.0 out on the million social networks. This blog makes me more accountable. It is something I started and am still doing a year later (see Tony). Listen, for someone with absolutely no attention span to anything (besides computers and all things tech), I am pretty amazed that “TDAAIT” is still going. What is crazier is when I started this blog I was surprised if I got 10 hits a day, to now where I get on average over 300 unique hits a day from all over the world. Though businesses like MSNBC and other corporations that I do not have any respect for, ask me to place their advertisements on my site, I refuse. I was not working a real job when I started this blog and could have used easy money like that. Instead, I was insulted that they would even ask me, so much so I responded that they obviously had not looked at my blog, because if so they would never have asked me! In retrospect, I am sure they would have asked me anyway. In their minds people are just a herd of non-thinking cows who when they see a blinking ad, inevitably they must click on it. That goes against what I am trying to achieve here. I really hate ads everywhere. I am blessed in many other ways through this blog, so it doesn’t need to monetarily support me as well.
What else have I gotten from writing, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth”? I have learned about a lot of bad stuff that goes on, and I have learned about good people, things and ideas, living and growing here on this Earth (I liked it when Alice Walker called humans “Earthlings” in this interview.). I maintain hope and an awesome faith that things will only get better if you do good.
Something I keep in the forefront of my mind is, what each of us does affects the other. It is not just the huge things necessarily, even our smallest thoughts affect the world. Also, we can as one person change things; who you touch in turns will touch others. You may not get the gratification of seeing the change you bring to the world directly, but if you do it, you may see the world itself change. I search for happiness and peace, by going inconveniently through its sorrows, untruths, truths, and ugliness. I also keep the faith. Faith is the most important thing, without it you are lost. I guess that is what, “The Day After An Inconvenient Truth” is to me, a way to not lose hope and to maintain my faith during the era that is the beginning of the end.
This year I have learned that humanity is not as bad and hopeless as it seems, so that’s cool.
-Cara
The Environmental Intelligence Unit BBC game represents fun times with flash saving the world…
It has been awhile since we’ve had an eco game…Brittish based no less.
Good times.
-Cara
I have had a strange fascination with aluminum lately, so why not talk about it here. Aluminum, a silvery white and ductile member of the boron group of chemical elements. It’s nonmagnetic and non-sparking. It has the symbol Al; its atomic number is 13 (I did not know that till today. 13 is the day I was born and my lucky number.). Aluminum is the most abundant metal in the Earth’s crust, and the third most abundant element therein, after oxygen and silicon. It makes up about 8% by weight of the Earth’s solid surface. Aluminum is too reactive chemically to occur in nature as the free metal. Instead, it is found combined in over 270 different minerals. The chief source of aluminum is bauxite ore.
Aluminum is remarkable for its ability to resist corrosion (due to the phenomenon of passivation) and its low density. Aluminum is one of the few metals that retain full silvery reflectance in finely powdered form. Global production of aluminum in 2005 was 31.9 million tonnes. It exceeded that of any other metal except iron (837.5 million tonnes).
* Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours — or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.
* 350,000 aluminum cans are produced every minute!
* More aluminum goes into beverage cans than any other product.
* Once an aluminum can is recycled, it can be part of a new can within six weeks.
* Because so many of them are recycled, aluminum cans account for less than 1% of the total U.S. waste stream, according to EPA estimates.
* During the time it takes you to read this sentence, 50,000 12-ounce aluminum cans are made.
* An aluminum can that is thrown away will still be a can 500 years from now!
* There is no limit to the amount of times an aluminum can can be recycled.
* Aluminum can manufacturers have been making cans lighter — in 1972 each pound of aluminum produced 22 cans; today it yields 29 cans.
* We use over 80,000,000,000 aluminum pop cans every year.
* At one time, aluminum was more valuable than gold! (Before the Hall-Héroult process was developed, aluminum was exceedingly difficult to extract from its various ores. This made pure aluminum more valuable than gold. Bars of aluminum were exhibited alongside the French crown jewels at the Exposition Universelle of 1855, and Napoleon III was said to have reserved a set of aluminum dinner plates for his most honored guests. [source:Wikipedia])
[Source: Recycling Fun Facts]
Aluminum never dies!!!
-Cara
I started this blog in January this year and am evolving as I go along. I purchased a Brita water pitcher (Brita Products Company is owned by the Clorox Company) about three months ago. Today we had to change the water filter, so I put the used one to the side to do some research on how to recycle it.
Here is what I found:
I went to this site, Take the Filter Back, and they state that Brita has the #1 market share of pour-through filter cartridges in the U.S. and Canada. It’s the #1 faucet-mount filter in Canada and the #2 faucet-mount filter in the U.S. (Per Clorox’s 2007 Annual Report.). While the original European Brita GmbH company has created a take-back recycling program for its filter cartridges, Clorox has no such program in place for re-using or recycling Brita cartridges. There is currently no way to refill or recycle Brita filter cartridges in North America.
Brita filter cartridges consist of activated carbon housed inside a plastic body which cannot be opened by the consumer for refilling or recycling. The plastic body must be landfilled or incinerated each time the filter is changed. Plastic is a non-renewable resource made from petroleum. It is not biodegradable, lingering in the environment virtually forever. The more we reuse/recycle the plastic products we produce rather than manufacturing new ones, the less damage we inflict on the earth.
In its FilterForGood campaign, Clorox promotes the use of its Brita filtration system, in combination with re-usable water bottles, as a means to reduce disposable plastic bottle waste. Please join in asking Clorox to go further and take responsibility for the millions of plastic filter cartridges that are also landfilled or incinerated each year.
You can sign this petition urging Clorox to be responsible and recycle their filters. You can also write a letter to the Clorox company. In addition to the petition and letter-writing, they are going to make a strong visual statement. Inspired by Jim McKenna’s and John Lieberman’s successful campaign to urge AOL to quit sending out unsolicited CDs, they’re collecting used Brita filters, both pitcher and tap, to deliver to Clorox en masse at some point in the future. There is even a Yahoo! Group to meet others in your area and arrange filter collection/pick up/drop off. I am going to write something cute on mine and send them off. :]
The worst part is I just found out that Clorox bought Burt’s Bees… :[
-Cara
I haven’t had that much inspiration lately, so I was really glad when I came up with today’s entry. It is a challenge I issue to myself and anyone else reading this. The challenge is to use cloth napkins instead of paper. According to Seventh Generation’s website “If every household in the U.S. replaced just one 250 count package of virgin fiber napkins with 100% recycled ones, we could save:
- 1 million trees
- 2.7 million cubic feet of landfill space equal to over 4,000 full garbage trucks
- 380 million gallons of water, a year’s supply for 2,900 families of four
- and avoid 64,000 pounds of pollution!”
What do you really need? Enough napkins for a week for two people (14) and additional ones for company and in case you may need two in one day (9), a total of twenty-three (23).
Here is a super simple way to make some napkins. You’ll need:
- fabric (people recommend quilting cottons) cut into squares around 12–18 inches wide
- a sewing machine
- scissors
- thread
Here are the steps to make these napkins:
- First, press in double 1/4-inch hems (fabric folded over 1/4-inch is a hem) on two opposite sides, and sew them with a straight stitch.
- Press in the remaining two sides 1/4-inch and sew.
That is it! Seems super easy. I will update this entry with pictures once I find some cute fabric.
Cool.
-Cara
E.ON Energy Champions is a eco, flash game where you collect the recycling dropped from above by the selfish, lazy, littering workers and place them in the correct recycling bins before your carbon footprint becomes enormous.
It’s a fun one.
-Cara
With that said…
The Day After An Inconvenient Truth via e-mail, a gift from me to you.
You’re Welcome. :]
-Cara
I am on vacation and have not been writing many blog entries lately and need to catch up, so lets start with what we can do about dry-cell battery disposal/recycling.
First lets cover what dry-cell batteries are, they include alkaline and carbon zinc (9-volt, D, C, AA, AAA), mercuric-oxide (button, some cylindrical and rectangular), silver-oxide and zinc-air (button), and lithium (9-volt, C, AA, coin, button, rechargeable).
There are two types of batteries:
1. Primary — those that can not be reused
2. Secondary also known as “rechargeable” — those that can be reused.
Primary batteries include alkaline/manganese, carbon-zinc, mercuric-oxide, zinc-air, silver-oxide, and other types of button batteries. Secondary batteries (rechargeable) include lead-acid, nickel-cadmium, and potentially nickel-hydrogen.
Next, lets talk about some potential problems or hazards with throwing away your batteries in your household garbage.
- When burned, they pollute the lakes and streams as heavy metals vaporize into the air.
- Heavy metals leaking from old batteries into the Earth.
- Exposing the environment to more lead and acid.
- Containing strong corrosive acids.
- May cause burns to your eyes and skin.
In landfills, heavy metals have the potential to leak slowly into Earth’s soil, groundwater or surface water. Dry cell batteries contribute about 88 percent of the total mercury and 50 percent of the cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. In the past, batteries accounted for nearly half of the mercury used in the United States and over half of the mercury and cadmium in the municipal solid waste stream. When burned, some heavy metals such as mercury may vaporize and escape into the air, and cadmium and lead may end up in the ash.
Here are some tips to reduce battery waste, starting with prevention, which create less potentially hazardous waste from seeping into our Earth.
- First, whenever possible, buy hand operated, solar powered, kinetic powered, water powered, wind powered, potato powered :] items that function without batteries. If that is not an option, I feel as though plug operated is better for the environment than buying heavy metal laden batteries.
- If you need batteries buy rechargeable batteries, but remember that they also contain heavy metals such as nickel-cadmium, so it is still a problem, but less of one than non-rechargeable batteries.
- Look for the batteries that contain less mercury and heavy metals than others.
- Lastly, if batteries are your only option, before buying more check to see if you already have some at home.
We must keep in mind, that yes, rechargeable batteries result in a longer life span and use of fewer batteries. However, rechargeable batteries still contain heavy metals such as nickel-cadmium. The use of rechargeable nickel-cadmium batteries can reduce the number of batteries entering the waste stream, but may increase the amount of heavy metals entering unless they are more effectively recycled. As of 1992, the percentage of cadmium in nickel-cadmium batteries was higher than the percentage of mercury in alkaline batteries, so substitution might only replace one heavy metal for another, and rechargeable batteries do use energy resources in recharging. When disposing of rechargeable batteries, recycle. [Source: ESHO]
Here is a great link to Call-2-Recycle, whom I wrote about in my fourth TDAAIT entry, back in January! All you need to do is put in your zip code and they will tell you where to take your recyclable batteries (and old cell phones).
If you did not find a place through Call-2-Recycle for your rechargeable batteries, you can always bring them to any of these locations to recycle:
In the US: Alltel, Batteries Plus, Best Buy, Black & Decker, Cingular Wireless, The Home Depot, Milwaukee Electric Tool, Orchard Supply, Porter Cable Service Center, RadioShack, Remington Product Company, Sears, Staples, Target, US Cellular, Verizon Wireless, and Wal-Mart.
If you are in Canada: Battery Plus, Bell Mobility, Canadian Tire, FIDO/Microcell, Future Shop, The Home Depot, Home Hardware, London Drugs, Makita Factory Service Centers, Personal Edge/Centre du Rasoir, RadioShack Canada, Revy, Sasktel, Sears, The Sony Store, Telus Mobility and Zellers.
There are not a lot of places that recycle non-rechargeable (typically “alkaline batteries”) that I could find. The best bet is to go to Earth 911 and put in their search feature, “alkaline batteries” and the zip code where you live. I know in NYC we have places for New York residents (only) to take alkaline batteries, maybe you do to!!!
One day I hope we no longer need batteries.
:]
-Cara
I am selling some stuff on Half.com. Recycling it back into the world…some books, CDs, video games and DVDs. Get ’em while they’re hot.
It’s green.
-Cara
This exciting, new entry is about recycling business cards. When I went to the Brooklyn Renegade Craft Fair at McCarren Park Pool not to long ago I picked up a million vendors’ business cards. I grabbed them so I could check out their web sites, see more of their wares, review their business structure and the design of the cards themselves. Marine and I have a few projects going on right now and are always looking at what other people are doing, or if someone else had the same idea, etc. We are almost done visiting every site, now the question is, what am I going to do with all these business cards from the Fair? Oh yeah and cards from old jobs as well. :)
Let’s find out together…
- One of the first solutions I found was Steve Patterson. Steve is a man with an obsession and that obsession is business cards. You can learn about him and this obsession through his site. You can send your old cards to him here: Steve Patterson, PO BOX 27840, Knoxville, TN 37927-7840. Go Steve!
Build It and They Will Come
- Number 2 is build a level three Menger Sponge. Yes, that’s right a super fresh three-dimensional fractal curve…nice. Thank you Dr. Jeannine Mosely (an MIT Ph.D. in electrical engineering and computer science and a career in three-dimensional modeling) for this and other cool stuff you do.
- If you’d rather start small check out BussinessCardAhedra and learn how to build your own business card polyhedra.
- Last but not least, a few small, fun things you can do to recycle your card are, bind together a few business cards and draw a short, animated flip film, take 52 of the business cards and create an awesome deck of cards, or if you have cards where only one side is printed on, take old magazines and make a collage on the printed side and put your info on the blank side.
See, recyling is fun.
-Cara
I’ll admit I have not really been inspired recently. I have had a lot going on lately and have been making up for lost time, in doing so, I of course lost time. Anyway, I was wading through a multitude of e-mails I fell behind on, which led me to this fresh site, Do The Green Thing. It’s a winner ladies and gentlemen. Every month they come up with a new video that represents one green thing you can do for that month.
I’ve watched two so far and laughed, which I love to do! They are out of London and an independent, not-for-profit fed by grants from foundations and individual contributions.
Also, I think Green Things are adorable.
This month’s video about not buying into marketing and advertising facade about bottled water…or anything for that matter, was done superbly. It was funny, not preachy, well done!
Drink the real deal, drink water!
-Cara
Marine is designing a crazy cat palace of some sort, so we went to Home Depot yesterday to look for stuff and get ideas. One of the materials Marine wanted to use was PVC…
I almost fainted. :) Marine this entry goes out to you. :* You’re welcome!
There’s an awesome documentary, Blue Vinyl (Netflix has it…just saying…), I watched a million years ago, that schooled me on the evils of PVC.
The most informative site on PVC. – http://www.pvcfree.org/
PBS TV’s “Trade Secrets: A Moyers Report“, a documentary that exposes workplace, and environmental poisoning. Some stuff about PVC and other such things in this one.
And last, but not least, a good read, PVC- A Health Hazard From Production through Disposal.
It’s a shame, I love the new shower smell, the smell of a new car. I can’t tell you how many times I inhaled that smell…deeply.
No PVC for us!
-Cara
Eco Bunnies in flash, spreading their carbon footprint message to the world. I can always use another carbon foot calculator, who couldn’t? Travelocity put this one together.
One day I hope to be named the official “Blog with the Most Carbon Calculators”…one day….
I love bunnies!
-Cara
Recycle Mania is a flash game and a pain to play, but I like the challenge. It is easy to get the papers….everything else is a challenge. You need to learn the tricks and way to move.
Here’s some stuff from the site…
RECYCLE MANIA
by Roman Sandoval
Did you know you can make energy out of what you recycle? You can do your part by testing your reflexes and see how much you can recycle in a minute! Be prepared because this game moves fast!
MORE FACTS ABOUT RECYCLING
Every day American businesses generate enough paper to circle the earth 20 times.
Each ton of recycled paper can save 17 trees, 380 gallons of oil, three cubic yards of landfill space, 4,000 kilowatts of energy and 7,000 gallons of water–how many swimming pools is that?
Americans use more than 67 million tons of paper per year, or about 580 pounds per person. So, if we recycled all of the paper that we use, we could save over 1 billion trees every year. Which brings us to the next cool fact:
One tree can take out up to 60 pounds of pollutants from the air each year. So if we save all of those trees by recycling, we can help the environment and improve the quality of the air we breathe tremendously.
This simple thing–making sure that paper and cans and other recyclables go into the right bins–can have a huge impact and can begin to address the problem of global climate change.
Recyling is fun!
-Cara
I have written about BioBags before in my 100th post, concerning some composting ideas I had. I really think their concept is a good one, but I have still not actually tried them. :) Anyway, I came across these Biobag Dog Waste Bags and BioBag Cat Pan Liners and thought they sound like great ideas.
I don’t have a dog, but live in NYC where everyone has to pick up after their dogs. I always think about how many plastic bags these people must go through, just to throw away dog poo. This bag is a great idea. It would also be a great idea in New York City to have by every other garbage can be a compost can. Just for dog owners to throw their dog poo in, instead of throwing it into the regular garbage cans. Then the Parks Department could compost the dog poo and use it as fertilizer in all the City Parks. You’re welcome New York City Department of Parks and Recreation! :)
Here’s some info about the Biobag Dog Waste Bags from the BioBag’s site:
BioBag Dog holds the distinction of being the first biodegradable and compostable “plastic” pooper bag in the world.
[When] pet owners put 100% biodegradable dog waste into plastic bags that can take over 100 years to decompose. (I read on another site that BioBags will degrade within 45 days.)
BioBag dog pooper bags are to help divert all naturally biodegradable waste from entering our landfills.
The best solution for disposal of pet waste has always been to separate it from the bag or paper and flush it down the toilet. Using BioBags…the waste and the bag can be thrown in your backyard compost, where both items can decompose naturally; the waste and bag can be buried, where micro-organisms will quickly eat both; the waste and bag can be set at curbside with other yard waste where communities collect biodegradable waste for composting. Please check with your community for disposal options.
I think the cat liners are another great idea for people who use them. I myself do not as I have scoopable litter and then the litter pan itself gets clean out fully. I guess a bag would make it easier to clean…we will think about it.
Here’s some info about the BioBag Cat Pan Liners from the BioBag’s site:
Cat waste should not be composted, as its composition can be quite toxic (What? Toxic…I had no idea. :P). Cat waste should always be scooped from the litter box and then put in your trash. There are a number of new biodegradable cat litters on the market. We also do not recommend flushing it down the toilet because cat poop may endanger sea otters.
Using these biodegradable cat pan liners to dispose of the remaining biodegradable litter makes good environmental sense.
Biodegradable cat pan liners are non-allergenic. Cats can be allergic to plastic and other known allergens. Allergies usually build up over time from constant contact with the allergen. Calicos, Tortiseshells, Black cats and Siamese cats are more prone to allergies than other breeds.
If you suspect your cat has an allergy (red, itchy rashes), consult your veterinarian to determine the source. It is best to use hard-fired ceramic bowls, instead of molded plastic, for serving your cat food. Using a biodegradable cat litter made naturally from renewable grain crops may protect your cat from certain chemicals. Using BioBag non-allergenic liners is an environmentally safe way to further protect your pet.
Eco-pets rule!
-Cara
The last few Sundays have been games, games, and games, so I decided it was quiz time.
It’s the Green Quiz straight out of Yale. This one is all about product consumption and disposal, and its impact on the world. The design is clean and done well.
It’s fun.
-Cara
We all need a calculator now and again, most of which contain replaceable batteries or are disposable. As I have said before there is no such thing as disposable, so here is my calculator solution, a H2O’s Water Powered Business Calculator.
To maintain a constant supply of energy simply refill as the water evaporates, they say typically every 2-3 months. The H20 water-powered battery is eco-friendly and all the components of the calculator are recyclable.
I haven’t tried this yet, I will update when I do, to whether it rocks or not
Water powered is fresh.
-Cara
History of the Eco-Shopping Game (according to their site):
The Eco-Shopping game is a game local to the North Central Texas region and was originally created by TXU Electric and Gas in 1997. The purpose of the game is to help educate the consumer on three aspects of product packaging:
- recyclability of the package,
- reducing the amount of packaging waste going into the landfill by buying products with less packaging, and
- giving preference to a packaging made with recycled content materials.
Click Here to Get to the Game Link
It reminds me of the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, with the talking bull, Longhorn Larry. I found it on timetorecycle.com. There are three different games in one. My favorite is the one where you separate your recyclables from trash before the garbage truck comes. :) I can’t get enough of it.
Fun stuff.
-Cara
Today’s game is World Without Oil. I am beyond excited to come up with a plan of what to do in the first 32 weeks of a global oil crisis. I don’t know what medium I will use yet, but I love to think and come up with solutions, especially in a virtual world, so bring it.
According to the WWO site, “World Without Oil concluded on June 1, 2007. [They are] no longer publishing links to in-game stories on the WWO site (unless they’re really good). But everyone is welcome to sign up as a Netizen Hero and to participate in “WWO Lives,” [their] ongoing blog about all matters WWO.”
The cool thing is they say they will link to good in-game stories from the WWO Lives blog. That means only the superstar stories will make it on the site, which is a still a competition, and who doesn’t like a little healthy competition.
I’m in.
-Cara
According to the company, Intelligent Forms Design, Inc. (I.F.), who manufactures three laptop pillow designs, “Each laptop pillow is constructed using sustainable materials and methods.“, which is why it made it into Friday’s shopping entry.
My favorite visually is the Terrapin Pillow. The Terrapin Pillow’s stats, according to I.F. are as follows,” [The pillow is] supported by the recyclable polyethylene panel – a felt and foam sandwich – the Terrapin Pillow provides comfort while maintaining a flat and firm work surface for stable computing while reclining. Aluminized felt deflects heat while the quilted work surface offers improved cooling and air ventilation for the computer.”
This is an entry that will be helpful to Marine, who owns a laptop that within 5 minutes is hot enough to cook an egg on. She has tried many things, and nothing has worked. This laptop pillow could be the answer to all her problems.
As far as I can see, the pillow is not for sale yet, but you can give your name and email to be contacted when available for purchase in Canada! :| I don’t know if I can wait that long. I might make one for Marine.
I will keep you updated.
-Cara
Today’s eco game is, The Adventures of KabMan. This game is an easy, but fun one. You need to get 40 recyclable items while avoiding the trash using your arrow keys. There’s even a prize at the end if you are successful!
This game was created by Keep America Beautiful. Keep America Beautiful, Inc. is the nation’s largest volunteer-based community action and education organization. With a network of nearly 1,000 affiliate and participating organizations, KAB forms public-private partnerships and programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community’s environment.
Good times.
-Cara
Consumer Consequences is the name of the game and it is super fresh. First off, I love the diversity of the character traits selection. I chose to be a short haired, medium complexion woman with an eye patch and parrot. I like the animation and how the information is collected. You start out with one world and depending on your answers it starts accumulating points. The more resources you use the more worlds it will take to support your lifestyle.
It is the most fun carbon calculator I’ve ever played.
Good times.
-Cara
Lindsay Smith CEO and President Dan Joyce VP Sales and Marketing
The first thing we will talk about is not something you would necessarily buy for yourself, but more for a public space. It is rubber sidewalks.
Rubbersidewalks are high-density paving tiles made with recycled California tire crumbed rubber combined with polyurethane binder and colorant, then molded with heat under compression. This produces a strong and durable part that meets all requirements of sidewalk-worthiness, including stable grade, non-vibration in compliance with ADA requirements, and high coefficient of friction for non-skid both dry and wet. Rubbersidewalks are available in various sizes and colors, and are reversible. Known life per face is minimum eight years. Actual life per face is not known but is expected to exceed 12 years.
Here are some reasons to use then,
- Diverted over 1 million tires from landfills
- Saved over 2,000 trees in cities’ urban forests
- Removed 78,000 pounds of CO2 each year
- Captured over 4 million gallons of water each year
What a cool idea…
Next, yes it is another bag, but these two ladies have a slightly different spin. Here is what they have to say about themselve,
We are proud to say that BaggyShirts is a sustainable enterprise, in that we:
- Purchase recycled men’s shirts obtained from warehouses of surplus goods collected from charitable organizations – no petroleum-based materials.
- Use the entire shirt – absolutely no waste.
- Prevent clothing and tens of thousands of paper and plastic bags from going to the landfill each year.
- Employ local artisans to fabricate bags at home, slashing carbon emissions by 80% to 90%. No overseas manufacturing.
- Pay our fabricators a livable wage that is above average for the industry.
- Operate with the least possible amount of negative environmental impact – we ship Internet orders in recycled and recyclable materials.
- Donate a portion of our proceeds to organizations that work to stop global warming.
The cool thing is they were inspired to start this business after watching, An Inconvenient Truth! Sounds familar.
Last but not least, this is a shout out to Marine, as these recycled glasses are made from the bottom halves of Bordeaux bottles that were “rescued” on the way to the landfill. A beautifully etched branch design is accompanied by the phrase ‘Protect Our Earth’ in four languages: English, Spanish (Proteja Nuestra Tierra), Afrikaans/South African (Bewaar Ons A Arde) and French (Proteqez Notre Terre). They look beautiful.
Well, these were good ones. I hope you liked them as well.
Enjoy.
-Cara
Reason 91 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
When food-safety inspectors in New York City make the rounds, they often come upon merchants selling just about anything: the meat of armadillos, iquanas, primates, turtles, frogs, and even rats. Some of the meat comes from endangered animals. Other cuts, if not intrinsically illegal, fail to derive from licensed inspected facilities and so put consumers at risk. The sellers of such contraband (most is imported) tend to be ignorant of U.S. laws, sometimes conveniently so. They don’t seem to comprehend the dangers to which they expose their customers and even the city as they raise the risk of outbreak. Over one recent 21-month period, a single inspector shuttered 138 city stores.
…Queens, at the first installment of Stop ‘N Swap, which was put together by the Office of Recycling Outreach and Education and Build It Green! NYC. It was cool. People brought things they wanted to get rid of and you could take anything you wanted for free!
The coolest thing was it was mostly people from the neighborhood, at least when I was there. When one guy asked me how much the stuff was, I told him everything was free, he smiled, but he wasn’t quite sure I was telling the truth (I would have thought the same thing.). He proceeded to take kids’ roller blades, a DVD trivia game, a pinball toy, etc., looking around every once and awhile to see if I was setting him up. All the stuff he took was pretty new and I kept thinking how cool is that, this dad is going to be the world’s greatest dad for bringing all this loot home, not only that but when he woke up this morning he had no idea his day would turn out this way. Things like that make me smile and think the world isn’t such a pain all the time.
I myself brought a box of toys I had around the house, and some clothes to donate.
Some stuff I brought
People loving the stuff in the box I brought.
Less than 2 minutes later. :]
I also was able to bring my tech trash like empty printer cartridges and cds to be recycled as Build It Green! NYC offers that service year round.
Then I found a never used, super fresh full power 40 channel 2-way emergency information CB radio from the 70’s for FREE!!! :) I love this thing.
All and all it was productive, fun, and the people there working and hanging out were fresh! I’ll let people know when the next one is, if there is a next one!
Recycle! Reuse!
-Cara
Reason 87 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian: U.N. Environment Programme executive director Klaus Toepfer said in 2003: “The clock is standing at one minute to midnight for the great apes, animals that share more than 96 percent of their DNA with humans. If we lose any great ape species we will be destroying a bridge to our own origins, and with it part of our own humanity.” Humans stand behind all reasons for the die-off, including one of the most important: poaching for meat.
People might be getting annoyed with my solar power obsession, but I could not pass this one up when I found it earlier this week. It is the LightCap 200!!!
This small, lightweight (just 2.6oz) cap fits on any ‘standard’ water bottle (2” wide mouth) such as Nalgene®, Camelbak®, GSI® and most others, turning your bottle into a solar-powered lantern. With clean, green solar energy powering your lantern there are no more burned out batteries to worry about or replace (adding to our already toxic landfills).
I love it! You can put colored water in them as well….super fresh!
Next we have Wola Nani Papier Mache Bowls, which are made by women living with HIV/AIDS. In Xhosa, Wola Nani means ” we embrace and develop each other.” These eye-catching bowls are made of papier mache using over-prints from canning factories in Cape Town. You can use them to put your keys in, mail, etc and it supports a great cause. You will also have a story to tell people when they comment to you how beautiful and interesting it is. It is not meant for food storage or eating purposes, so don’t eat out of it.
Last but not least is the Aptera a high-efficiency vehicle currently in development by Aptera Motors, Inc. They claim fuel efficiency of 230 mpg at 55 mph, which would make it one of the most fuel-efficient cars in the world. Because the Type-1 has only three wheels two in front and a single drive wheel in the rear, most states in the United States would classify the vehicle as a motorcycle. Design elements such as recessed windshield wipers and rear-view cameras instead of mirrors contribute to the low aerodynamic drag. According to the pre-order page, Aptera Motors has set the price at $26,900 for a an electric version with a 120-mile range, and $29,900 for the diesel-electrical series hybrid. If you want to learn more check out their site.
Charge it!
-Cara
Reason 84 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
In America, essentially all farmed animals will be trucked around at least once in their lives. Filthy, crowded, cramped, noisy, and terrifying conditions over extended periods are the norm. Truckers may legally deny the animals food and water for up to 36 hours. And such “protections” do not apply to poultry. Many animals are traded internationally. About 4 million live sheep are transported from Australia to the Middle East every year where Islamic law dictates throats be slit without stunning. In one recent year, a ship full of 58,000 sheep was rejected because of widespread infection. Before finding an import destination, nearly a tenth died.
We must realize that it is our voice that will change things. That one voice united with others, for the greater good, is more powerful than the few telling us we can’t make a difference.
Don’t believe the hype, believe your heart.
-Cara
Reason 83 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
Forests cleanse the environment, regulate climate, and provide habitat for wildlife and pollinators of crops. Modern medicines derive from forests. Our very survival on planet Earth depends upon them. According to a 390-page U.N. report in 2006, the expansion of livestock production is a key factor in deforestation. Today, nearly all is taking place in the Amazon, thanks to grazing and the production of feedcrops. Worldwide, livestock production uses 70 percent of all agricultural land and 30 percent of the land surface of the planet.
Hey, you know what I was thinking? We need another theme day and why not Tuesday. We will leave Monday alone for hot topics after our Friday-Sunday themes and Tuesday will be a day to write about one person doing someone that makes a great difference in the world.
Our first honoree is Morgan Hoesterey. Who is she? She is a woman, a zoologist, a surfer, a free diver, an underwater photographer, who lives in Hawaii and is in a documentary film called, “Message in the Waves“. What does she do? She cares about the world and the animals we harm, when we as a society don’t understand that for every action there is a reaction.
Here is a clip from the documentary film she was in called, “Message in the Waves“. It is crazy!
Morgan is the reaction to our action. We need to be aware of what we do and how it effects our world.
Disposable is deadly.
-Cara
life. During her college years she further developed her free diving and surfing skills.
Reason 81 from, 101 Reasons Why I Am Vegetarian:
Every minute of every day, across the globe, 100,000 animals are slaughtered to feed the human lust for meat. This adds up to 50 billion sentient beings a year, not counting fish. Anywhere you go, creatures destined for the dinner plate endure cruel living conditions. “We’re eating them anyway,” goes the strange logic.
The Day After An Inconvenient Truth 
What Did You Say?