JAM PACKED!

For my last post I am going to just give you ten easy ways to save our home!

1. Make sure your dishwasher is full, this can save 100 lbs. of CO2 a year!

2. Use recycled paper and save 5 lbs. of CO2 per paper ream!

3. Carpool all the time! Youc an save 790 lbs. of CO2 and hundreds of dollars per year!

4. Let the sun dry your clothes and use clothes lines instead of a dryer. This can save 700 lbs. of CO2 a year!

5. Save a lot of energy and bring canvas bags to the grocery store instead of using plastic bags!

6. Stop buying plastic water bottles and reuse the ones you have, us canteens!

7. Save 1,000 lbs. of carbon by putting on a sweater instead of turning the heat on high during the winter.

8. When you are done using your electronics, unplug them and save 1,000 lbs. of carbon and $256 a year!

9. Buy items with less packaging and reduce carbon emissions by 1,200 lbs. per year!

10. Plant a tree to suck up about 2,000 lbs. of carbon a year!

Mhmmm, Veggies

Wanna reduce those lousy petroleum (gas) miles? Well, find your local farmer's market! What, what exactly is a farmer's market? It's basically, a farmer's market. A place where local farmers can sell their produce. The food always tastes better because the food is so much closer to home then at your regular supermarket. If you don't know where to find one, go to localharvest.org where you can find co-ops, farmer's markets, or greengrocers near you!

What are you waiting for!!

Is it a Lipstick or a Flower?

Today I was reading about this cosmetic company, Cargo Cosmetics that just came out with a new brand of lipstick called PlantLove. Which just sounds like your lips will be the color of a red rose or something along those lines. But think again! When your done with this tube of lipstick, instead of throwing it way, simply go into your garden and PLANT THE LIPSTICK. And soon, you'll see flowers in the very same spot. This lipstick is packaged in 100% biodegradable material and the tube is a corn-based renewable resourse. To me, that sounds GENIUS!! I have a felling we will be seeing more cosmetics alike, this industry has risen 8% just this year. 

Lets all plant our old makeup?

Maybe then, I won't kill it. Or try really hard not to. 

Am I a Hypocrite?

So while reading Time Magazine today (yes, that is where I get all my information) I found that turning off your computer is one of the best thing to do to help reduce carbon emissions. While reading this article I was on Facebook and Youtube. Ah man. I feel as though I shouldn't even be talking and trying to convince others to reduce their carbon footprint, when I am not doing as much as I should. So right after I read that article I quickly turned off my computer and went do read. Then I got bored. And I had a major urge to go on Youtube, I had to slap my hand away from the keyboard. So today, instead of telling you what to do (and how to save the planet), I am going to turn off this computer. Help save the earth the old fashion way... if I only knew how...shooooot.

Get Away Plastic Bags!

Most stores we buy from use plastic bags but should the customers just go along and take them? NO. Time magazine says we use 500 billion plastic bags and only 3% of those get recycled. Sure, you can start recycling them, that's a great idea. But I have a better one, don't use plastic bags. Just keep a few canvas bags in your car and when you go the gorcery store, mall, or any store, use those instead of plastic bags. 

And if you really don't care that much about recycling. Here is another tid-bit: there is enough plastic in our oceans to fill the state of Texas. Can I say that again for emphasis? TEXAS. And I bet much of that plastic comes from those plastic bags you are carrying home. 

What About My Big Mac?!

Now, don't get me wrong, I love my dad's hamburgers. I am a total meat eater, even though I wish I wasn't for the animals sake. But now, I wish I was I was a vegetarian for our planets sake. Your maybe asking, HUH?? Well, it's actually a fact that your Big Whooper contributes more to global warming then your car. Woah. Apparently (according to TIME magazine) the meat industry generates about 18% of the worlds carbon emissions which is more than from cars. Much of the methane (a greenhouse gas other than carbon dioxide) comes from manure especially from cattle. By becoming a vegetarian (as I plan to do once my parents gets on the same track as I am on. The track of saving the world!! Ta Da!) you can reduce your "carbon footprint" by 1.5 tons of carbon a year (according to the University of Chicago). And if you buy a hybrid car, that only reduces your footprint by 1 ton.

Tasty eh?

I failed at Earth Day. What do I do?

To answer that, I will instead talk about windows. Yes, windows. In Tucson, Arizona--my home-- summer is starting to make his appearance. For me, this means finals, yearbooks, and finally the arrival of summer vacation, and I emphasize the word finally. It also means, it's getting toasty, really toast. And just like everyone, I turn on the AC in my room because my room doesn't have a vent connected to the swamp cooler. Whenever I turn on the AC, I feel extremely horrible. Why can't I just open my window? Good question. Good question. From now on I am going to try my hardest to use the air more then use the AC. Will I be able to do this? Not sure, but if any of you do, then I will.

Anyone wanna open their windows with me?

Anyone?

Earth Day, Any Takers?

So tomorrow is Earth Day. The day where all people of all races, genders, homes, or incomes come together to do the right think, and celebrate and broaden the environmental movement WORLDWIDE. That's right, I went all out and capital. There will be more then 1 billion people participating in Earth Day, so make sure you get out there. Get out there and celebrate the Earth.

Wait but how?

Just in the city where I live there are seven events happening TOMORROW (wow, I am really liking the capitals today). So look up some events happening in your own city at http://earthday.net/search/node. 

Do you think you could be a little more eco-friendly just for one day? 24 hours, that's all I ask. Try your hardest just to turn off the light when you leave a room. 

Try. Participate tomorrow!

Light Bulbs?

When my good friend once gave me a compact fluorescent lightbulb for my Christmas present about four years back, I was at first puzzled. I wanted to ask, "A lightbulb? WTF? When you think of me you think of compact lighting? What, is my room too dark for you or what? Or maybe I need to get a "bright idea"(get it, lightbulb, bright idea. Clever right?)???", but instead I gave her a hug and thanked her.

After I got over the lightbulb, I noticed it had come with a pamphlet about global warming, ohhh, she just wanted to inform me. With my friends give, this was really the first time global warming came into my personal life, this one lightbulb (that is still in my lamp today) changed me. I can thank that lightbulb for this blog, many essay's I have written, and events and ideas I have been apart of.

How did global warming become apart of your life or is it just a hazard we have learned to life with?

Vintage Clothes, a Thing of the Past?

Those who don't like the idea of buying clothes that aren't new and have been worn before call vintage clothes hand me downs, and always seem to say it in a snotty and very high-tea-in-London sort of way (if you catch my drift). But, to tell the truth, THEY ARE COMING BACK. That's right, vintage clothing isn't just old ratty hand me downs, instead some call them Vintage Chic.

"Wait, I thought this was a blog about Global Warming not fashion??" You might be asking yourself. Well, yes you are right. This isn't a blog about what's in, but this isn't just about Global Warming. This blog is devoted to reaching the public personally with Global Warming, pulling the string in the publics heart (or the public that reads this blog). You could say I have an angle, but that doesn't sound as nice.

So back to Vintage.

"How is this ecologically sound?"

Well, I shall tell you public (with lots of questions today, might I add. Oh boy, I am just full of little puns today as well.). Buying a shirt a second time saves way more energy then just throwing away a perfectly good shirt and buying another. Think of all the energy that goes into producing the shirt you are wearing now (if the shirt your wearing isn't a new shirt, play along will you?). Your shirt had to made and shipped producing all the more carbon dioxide.

Idea of the Day: Invite your friends and family over for a "swap meet". Tell them to bring old clothes and nick-nacks they would like to trade, have a clothes swap! It's good for the environment and for your wallet. Eh?

Should we settle for less or just buy for less?
(answer question in comments please)

Couldn't We Make Everyday Earth Hour?

Even though Earth Hour had happened and gone, it still is in motion. You can find pictures on Flickr.com, vlogs on Youtube.com, and even blogs on Blogger.com. It's everywhere and still happening. Wouldn't it been magical if everyone had participated in this event? But not everyone did, why? 

Well, maybe because it wasn't advertised well enough, not everyone knew about it. Well, maybe this blog, this one small blog, will get it out there. Maybe this entry is what we need to get the word out. But, then again, we need to be realistic, this blog is only one blog. That's why you need to go to earthhour.com and do YOUR part. Maybe just stop by and see what the website is all about. 

Then again, I am sure that some people did know about it. I am positive. On the day of Earth Hour, there was a man who turned on every light in his house, his vacuum, his stove, his microwave, for what? To protest Earth Hour. To protest saving our home. To protest global warming. He was casting his vote, he was on the side of global warming. 

Don't be on the side of global warming, turn off your lights when  you leave your room. Just flip the switch. It doesn't longer then half a second and it doesn't require much thought, you just need to get into the habit of it. 

Why is it too difficult to flip the switch? 

Is Our Planet Our New Trash Can?

When walking through the mall at my high school, your walking on years and year of fossilized gum. Green gum, blue gum, red gum, pink gum, whatever you chew eventually ends up on the ground, or at least here it does. I've stepped on at least five pieces of gum just his semester. It's like we are growing accustom to using the ground as our own personal trash can.

And it gets worse, it not just the little sticky pieces of gum that ends up on the ground, its all of our crap. Everyday crap that we could easily throw into the trash, or better yet, the recycling can. I can't even clearly illustrate how completely nauseating it can get. However, that's just my high school. Lets travel outside, into the real world. It's usually just a few plastic bags rolling around, but should we really accept that? Couldn't we do our part and just hold on to it until we get to a trash can?

I've heard many say that it's not their problem that their trash is littering our world, but if you think about it, I mean seriously think about it, it's totally your problem. It's everyones problem. This is our home, we should take care of your home, it's all we've got. In science fiction movies they just fly away on their space ship when it gets a little messy here on earth, but hate to break it to you. WE DON'T HAVE A SPARE PLANET. So get up and throw away your trash, how hard can it be.

Are we getting so lazy that we don't even care that we are walking in our own crap?

Is Global Warming a Fad?

It seems as though while walking through my high school hallways, the idea of Global Warming is becoming popular, almost as popular as the Jonas Brothers. Sometimes I wonder if my fellow peers know that Global Warming is a...bad thing, not a hip new boy band. But don't get me wrong, I love that Global Warming is on the mind of people and they are supporting and getting the word out that our earth needs help; I'm just not sure everyone knows what it is. Instead of shirts that are factory made and has the plastic words of "GO GREEN" on the front, we should be sporting shirts that are made of natural material (such as hemp or something) that shares more in detail ideas. Or...

is Global Warming just a new hip accessory?

What is Global Warming?

Since this whole blog is about how our earth is changing and what we are doing about it, might as well start out with what Global Warming is.

The Most Simple Explanation of Global Warming:

Our atmosphere is full of green house gases, these gases help keep the warmth in our atmosphere by capturing the heat and sending some of it down to the surface. Without some green house gases, there couldn't be life on earth, a "frozen wasteland". However, too much of these green house gases make the earth too warm. This is caused by mostly human produced greenhouse gases, mostly fossil fuels (oil and gas from cars).