Earth Friendly

Check out this video of a dog who is nursing tiger cubs.

Photo Credit: Made available by http://blogs.usatoday.com.

Whether you are having an annual reunion with your family or reuniting with your high school classmates, you can still make it an environmentally friendly get together. Family vacation experts from the Antlers at Vail hotel came up with the following ways to make a reunion eco-friendly:

• Provide reusable water bottles for family and friends to drink out of during the event.
• Hold the reunion outside during the evening when it’s cooler, so you don’t have to run the air conditioning and add to the carbon emissions.
• Avoid using paper plates and cups and plastic utensils. Instead use dishes, utensils and linen napkins that can be washed.
• Use digital cameras instead disposable ones.
• Eat food from local markets and farmers.
• Keep recycling bins accessible to the guests.

As a “thank you” to your guests, you can provide all of them with a baby tree that they can plant. Or you can set out a donation box so your family or class can sponsor an environmental cause.

Visit Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday, August 8 for the annual Burning River Fest at the Nautica Entertainment Complex. There will be entertainment as well as educational presentations and information. Bring your kids so they can learn ways to help Ohio reduce their carbon footprint.

Even if you live too far away to attend the event, you can donate money online to the cause. Or have your business help sponsor the event. Donations and sponsorships have helped keep this environmentally friendly event going for eight years.

Music entertainment includes Kristine Jackson (Cleveland blues singer), Columbus’ Ark Bank and the Dave Matthews Tribute Band from Tennessee. Face painting, storytelling, puppet shows, and crafts are available to keep the kids busy.

Photo Credit: Made available by www.relocatetocleveland.com.

Although we all know recycling is beneficial for the environment, we don’t get immediate satisfaction when we do this good deed. Recycling is easy to do, but it takes time out of our busy lives. If your garbage service doesn’t offer recycling, you might have to drive to a recycling center. Your recycling probably piles up, because sometimes it’s the last thing on your mind. But how would you feel if you were monetarily rewarded for your good doing?

RecycleBank encourages people to recycle by rewarding the time you have spent. To find out if their services are available in your area, fill out their online form. If their services are available to you, all you do is place your recyclables into a specially marked container (no sorting required). Then RecycleBank records your recyclables and rewards you with points, which can be redeemed for useful rewards.

If helping the environment isn’t enough to encourage you to recycle, consider recycling for cash.

Photo Credit: Made available by www.flickr.com. 

There could be so many environmental dangers lurking around your home, but you wouldn’t know about them unless you did some serious research. Before you lived in your home, there could have been a company or factory there or within a short distance of the neighborhood. Maybe it manufactured steel or chemicals, so there is a possibility that spills occurred or waste was disposed of improperly. However, simple searches on the web can either put your mind at ease or make you more aware and proactive in protecting yourself and your family.

To determine if a superfund site (hazardous waste site) is near the location of your home or office, search the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) website. This provides you with basic information about the sites including the status and types of contaminants, so you can know what the risks are.

In Ohio, there is a Bureau of Underground Storage Tank Regulations (BUSTR). This site monitors the tanks so that any releases can be remediated appropriately and efficiently. You can use the UST search engine to find USTs near you in Ohio.

It’s beneficial to know the potential dangers around you so that you can protect your health as well as stand up for the environment by monitoring if the contamination has reached your domain.

Photo Credit: Made available by www.nps.gov.

I have to say that sugar is one of my favorite ingredients. Maybe that’s because I tend to be a sugarholic from time to time. Although sugar isn’t beneficial to the body, it might be beneficial to the environment.

The waste from sugar industries, specifically molasses, is being considered as having the potential to be an eco-friendly fuel. Vehicles in Brazil are already using this fuel, and according to Dr Jamil Anwar Chaudhry of Punjab University, when comparing this fuel to others, it causes 70 percent less pollution.

There are so many different alternatives that we can use for a fuel source. Maybe the answer isn’t in just one alternative fuel. Maybe we should think about using many alternatives. Then we wouldn’t be limited like we are when it comes to oil.

Photo Credit: Made available by www.flickr.com.

Moving cats to a new home can be challenging. As soon as you start trying to herd them into their crates, they are going to become scared and unsure. You will probably acquire some battle scars along the way, but treats and toys can help entice them into the crates. Once you get them to the new location, be prepared for anything. Some cats will investigate the situation out of curiosity while others will quickly resort to a hiding place like under the bed. Regardless of how they act, you need to support them until they become comfortable. Let them hide under the bed if it makes them feel better, but monitor their restroom and eating behavior. Check out the article called Tips for Moving Your Pet for ways to ease into the move and reduce the stress on your cat.

Often times I don’t think we give animals enough credit. They can see what we see, and I think they can feel the same things that we can feel. Animals have families, so why wouldn’t they mourn the loss of their mother, father, sister, brother, friend, etc?

In Hawaii yesterday, people were amazed at the fact that a turtle named Kuhina visited the memorial site of another turtle named Honey Girl who was killed. The video above shows Kuhina resting near the memorial. Some people thought that Kuhina was looking at Honey Girl’s picture. It’s heartbreaking to know that this turtle is grieving, but maybe it will make us think twice about how our actions can affect other animals.

Check out these funny animal pictures:

http://www.piclists.com/search/label/animals.

On the Animal Rescue Site, your click can make a difference. By clicking on their site, you help feed and care for dogs and cats in rescue shelters. You can click one time every day. Or you can purchase jewelry, purses, clothes, bags, etc., which helps the cause too. While you’re on the site, be sure to take the ASPCA pledge to stop animal cruelty. The best part about this site is that it’s free and easy. All you have to do is take less than a minute of your time, and you can walk away knowing you did something positive to help animals.