GREEN AND EASY WAYS TO TRAVEL
photo credit: Lyssuel Calvet
This is the season when most people travel more than any other time of the year thus contributing to the general CO2 emissions.
If you’re concerned about the effect you have on the environment while traveling to the exotic places or just across the state border, there are a few simple steps you can take to minimize the unwelcome effects.
First of all, learn to travel light. Any extra 10 lbs of luggage per passenger necessitates 350 gallons of fuel more yearly. Moreover, the more luggage has to go through the security check-points, the more energy is used on scanning and moving it around. Besides, the less baggage you have, the less tags and airline stickers you will need, which will further save some resources, such as paper.
As for driving, remember that each additional 100 lbs of cargo increases fuel consumption by 2%. So the less you take, the better your car’s fuel economy will be, thus saving you money on gas.
And once you hit the hotel, skip the hotel toiletries. By bringing your own personal hygiene items, you save all those pesky little plastic bottles for someone else to use. Moreover, your own cosmetics are probably much better for your skin and hair since you know what you’re accustomed to. And use only one towel per person for as long as possible and leave the other available towels untouched. This way you ensure that the hotel does less laundry and saves on water and energy.
Furthermore, turn off all the unnecessary lights in your hotel room and bring your own glasses or mugs. This way, you will save some greenhouse gas emissions and will reduce the use of disposable plastic containers or plastic wrappers the hotel glasses are wrapped in to keep them sanitary.
These are just a few steps you can implement to make your travel greener and your carbon footprint lighter, which will benefit not only you and your family but the planet as well.
NATURAL POOLS
Most people enjoy swimming and with the summer in the full bloom, it does seem like the best way to cool off. However, spending too much time in the pools filled with harsh chemicals, of which chlorine is the most known one, takes its toll on one’s skin and hair.
Moreover, latest studies have found that chlorine exposure (either by inhalation or swallowing) is the cause of the increased number of asthma cases in children and young adults. So if you’re worried about the effects toxic chemicals in pool water have on your health but are not into swimming in [...] Continue Reading…
SEISMIC ACTIVITIES SUSPENDED IN AN EFFORT TO PROTECT GRAY WHALES!
photo credit: Natura Paparazzo
Last April a major Swiss conglomerate has agreed to stop any seismic testing that had been planned to take place on the Sakhalin Island in the Russian Far East, which is one of the main feeding grounds for the endangered gray whale.
This decision was reached at the meeting called forth by the Western Gray Whale Advisory Panel (WGWAP), which includes 11 prominent scientists in the field, in order to discontinue any gas and oil developments in and around the feeding areas for the Western Gray Whale.
The meeting was held between the WGWAP and the representatives [...] Continue Reading…
BIODEGRADABLE SCRUBBING SPONGES
If you’re one of the people that like to use those scrubbing sponges for all kinds of kitchen (and bathroom) cleaning but are concerned about their impact on the environment, here’s some good news. There are a few companies that offer more sustainable versions of the old-fashioned sponge.
Here are some of the more eco-friendly types of the scrubbing sponges available on the market:
Walnut shells—Scotch-Brite offers a slightly more eco-friendly version of their most popular scrubber. While the sponge part is still made of cellulose, the scrubbing part is made of walnut shells, which are natural and biodegradable instead of [...] Continue Reading…
IS MILK GOOD FOR YOU?
photo credit: Pembroke Dave
We have all heard that drinking milk is good for your health and bones and thus we buy it by the gallons and consume at least the required amount. However, is the milk generally available on the market really so god for a person’s health?
In the early 1990s FDA approved the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH), otherwise known as bovine somatotropin (rbST), in cows. This synthetic hormone is thus injected into the animals to increase their milk production. Even though this practice has been banned in Europe, Canada, Japan, New Zealand and Australia, [...] Continue Reading…
