Earth Friendly

With the threat of hurricanes Gustav and Fay, there is much anxiety and worry over the destruction that these storms will cause in the upcoming days. Although mandatory evacuations are in place, some people will not be able to afford the trip outside of their hometowns. There is dread that another hurricane Katrina like event will take place.

Hurricanes require three conditions in order for them to form: warm ocean water, evaporation and inward-spiraling winds. Once these conditions have been met, it can result in a Category 5 or 4 storm. However, the Homeland Security Advanced Research Projects is expected to receive funding for the 2009 year to continue research on hurricanes. Their plan is to figure out a way to decrease the power of a hurricane. Brainstorming ways in which to pump cold water to the ocean’s surface are underway. If warm water is taken out of the equation, it reduces the risk of a storm to occur or it can reduce the impact of the storm.

While research like this is interesting, it makes you wonder what the consequences will be if we are able to control hurricanes.

You never really know the extent of what you can do until you are put to the test. Why not see what you know when it comes to being green? There are a variety of fun online games that can make you more environmentally friendly.

In Ocean Survivor you play a threatened fish and have to stay alive by dodging hooks, boats and other fishing equipment. This game teaches people about what overfishing does to our oceans.

Green My Brain can help you learn knew ways to be more eco-friendly. It asks you questions to see if you know how to reduce waste and gasoline. If you want to share information you have, you can propose questions.

Others like WolfQuest and Eco Quest are excellent games for children, because they can learn something valuable about animals.

With the presence of autumn, it’s not quite here yet, but I feel it sneaking back into the scene, so there is one last opportunity to enjoy the outdoors in a way that you might not have been able to during the summer. Although I like summertime, I’m not a big fan of the hot weather, especially when it’s 90 degrees. While it’s cool and not yet snowing, you should take morning walks in the park or even take one during your work break. Before you know it, the colorful leaves will be falling off and you will be bundling yourself up indoors and drinking hot cocoa. So take your kids to the zoo or go for a hike or camping trip because the weather is perfect.

If you want to get your little ones involved, have them collect leaves. Then create a book and label the leaves or create a wreath to hang on your front door this season.

Depending on the type of week I’m having, faux meats are sometimes a staple food I eat. They are convenient because all I have to do is microwave them. You might look at them and wonder why vegetarians/vegans eat them since they resemble meat. For me, transitioning from eating meat to not eating meat happened pretty fast. Although I never want to eat meat again, I do sometimes still crave the texture of meat. After all, up until three years ago, I ate meat all of my life. I actually wonder if I would want faux meat if I had been raised a vegetarian in the first place. I guess I’ll never know, but faux meats are a great alternative. I buy Morning Star Farm faux chicken patties, burgers and corn dogs. I think all of them taste good. There are also vegetarian sloppy joe mix and taco mix that comes in a box that is delicious. All my meat eating friends have tried it and couldn’t believe it was fake.

With the increase in foreclosures and natural disasters, there has been an influx of homeless animals too. Pets are a wonderful addition to the family. If you have children, it can teach them responsibility as well as compassion for other living things.

I don’t know what I would do without my three cats. I found them behind an apartment building, and I don’t think they would have survived very long. The mother cat was very weak and thin, but her two babies were active and healthy. With food, water and love, all three of them are doing fine.

Instead of visiting a pet store, go to a local shelter and adopt an animal. Depending on what type of shelter the animal is in, they might not have very long to live, especially if the shelter is running out of room. Pets are great companions, because they give love unconditionally and they are more loyal than any human I’ve ever met.

Have you seen the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman? Well, if you haven’t you should, because it was funny and made you think. Before I die there are many things that I would like to have accomplished and some of them involve the environment and animals, which is why I think every environmentalist should write an eco-bucket list. This would list out all the things you want to do to help save the Earth and animals before you die. Here, I’ll start by listing out some things that I would like to do:

1. Visit the mountain gorillas and do some volunteer work to reduce the poaching.
2. Assist baby turtles in their return to the sea.
3. Volunteer at an animal hospice clinic.
4. Continue writing about environmental and animal rights issues.
5. Live a life of voluntary simplicity to reduce my waste.

Rain harvesting is a method where rain water is collected through a process and then later used for bathing, cleaning and gardening. If the right purification system is in place, this harvested water can be used as drinking water. There are many places all over the world that have issues with water. Some places don’t have clean water, while other places don’t have access to water at all. It’s definitely time to think of alternatives even if it means collecting rain off of rooftops.

There are two methods for collecting rain. One involves rooftops and using containers to catch the water. The other involves installing underground storage tanks along the sides of buildings. Both ways enable water to be easily collected. In addition, it’s a cheap way to conserve, and it can be taught to anyone willing to learn. The only issue is ensuring that the water is clean by using purification systems.

We have all committed eco-sins, but sometimes it’s hard to admit that we have, especially if we claim to be environmentalists. But maybe that’s what we need to do…admit the things that we have done wrong. Here, I’ll start by admitting that I use Styrofoam cups at work, and I use disposable wipes to clean the kitchen. Maybe if we list out the eco-sins we have committed, we can figure out ways to prevent us from continuing our bad behavior. For example, I’m going to keep a mug at work so that Styrofoam cups are no longer convenient for me to use at work. I’ll also look into buying disposable wipes that are biodegradable. You might be doing things without realizing that there are greener alternatives.

When trying to learn more about the environment and how to eat a more sustainable diet, it’s helpful to subscribe to a couple of magazines that can help guide you along your way. Although you can find informative articles online, sometimes it’s nice to have something to carry around with you, especially if you are trying to duplicate a recipe. Just remember to recycle the magazines when you are done with them. Below are some magazines that I read on a regular basis

1. Plenty
2. VegNews
3. Vegetarian Times
4. What is Enlightenment?
5. E/The Environmental Magazine

 If you don’t want to subscribe to them, just purchase the issues that appeal to you.

Having a baby is costly and in order to make sure they have everything they need you constantly have to purchase supplies. However, there are ways to reduce the footprint that your baby has on the planet-after all, babies’ footprints are supposed to be small.Diapers are probably the most wasteful items. Purchase biodegradable diapers, or if you are up for a challenge (as if being a parent isn’t a challenge enough), you can use cloth diapers. Keep a few cloth diapers available and wash them when you need more. Obviously, this is time consuming, but you will stop more waste from going to landfills.

It’s common to be showered with new, stylish baby clothes, but resist the temptation. Instead of receiving or buying new clothes, take hand downs or go to a thrift store. Your baby will grow out of the clothes, so why spend money buying new ones? Your baby will adorable with or without new clothes.