Last chance to save the Dead Sea

Cross posted in The Road That Never Ends

In a few days, the government will vote on a bill that could save the Dead Sea. But the Finance Ministry and polluting companies are pressuring the ministers to block it. To win, we need just one minister to switch sides.

I've just signed a petition to the ministers calling on them to stand up to public pressure and approve the bill. This is our last chance to save the Dead Sea - join me by clicking here:

http://www.avaaz.org/en/save_the_dead_sea/96.php

find a green job (or at least internship)

Ready to get serious about your "green" commitment? You don't have to have special "green" skills like installing solar paneling- A green job could simply mean being a lawyer for an environmental organization or getting into green building finance. (I know someone who says that's what he does.) Heck, doing any job for a company that has taken steps to be more sustainable could be called a "green" job.

If you're in college or a recent grad, opportunities abound for you to gain experience no matter what your major. I write and sell ads for the local Spanish/English green living magazine, Eco-Logica; I got this job mostly because I've been writing blogs about the subjects it covers. If you're still in college, get involved with the campus environmental club, or start one if it doesn't exist. Look out for green internships. A lot of those with nonprofits will be unpaid but it's more valuable experience that could help you land your dream "green" job down the line. I intern for the Jewish environmental organization Canfei Nesharim.

Try the green job bank, or google "green job."

PS to inquire about placing an ad in Eco-Logica Magazine, please email me at sbedder@ecologica.com. I'll email you the media kit and answer any questions you may have.

Green Hour

Cross posted in The Daily Yay!

Wow, this is too good to pass up! Folks, let's get our kids to appreciate nature. A Green Hour is "time for unstructured play and interaction with the natural world." Rena's preschool teachers have been doing a great job encouraging her to walk around outside so that now I don't have to cart her by stroller the whole way where most people would take a car and totally miss out on experiencing nature. During the fall, Rena loves to stroll along on the sidewalk and pick up the colorful leaves from the trees. It's unstructured because she just spontaneously goes after particular leaves. I haven't been taking her out daily since the weather has been cold, but I should. I found this website while doing research about "nature deficit disorder" for an upcoming article in Eco-Logica Magazine.

notice

This and all my blogs are suspended until further notice (hopefully not forever) due to a number of things going on in my life currently.

Inspiration for something you probably already know about

This is not from the book Green Mama. (This book gave lots of good practical suggestions but had too much of a Christian bent for my tastes.) A friend shared the following video on my Facebook wall:




Most of us know about using reusable bags, but this is an entertaining and inspiring video that can help you remember to do it! :)

An important reminder

You probably know that you should turn the water off when you're brushing your teeth, but do you remember to do it? If you're not so careful with that, consider this: You could save a thousand gallons per year from just this one good habit!

You can reduce your junk mail! :)

Just go to the Direct Marketing Association's dmachoice.org. You have to fill out a short form to create an account, then activate your new account by clicking a link in an email. Once you do that, you can opt out of receiving catalogues, magazine offers, and other offers with just a few clicks. You can even opt out of pre-screened credit card offers but you're taken to a different site to do so. This won't completely eliminate your junk mail, but it will go a long way toward reducing paper waste.

Until further notice, I'm getting ideas for tips from the book green MAMA by Tracey Bianchi.

Apology and a short tip for this week

Things have been crazy for me for awhile and I didn't post here!

Here's a short tip, as I'm running late now:

It's still a bit chilly at times here in Seattle. Next time you're tempted to turn up the thermostat, try grabbing a sweater instead. You'll save energy, and cut down your bill, too!

Be a Good Earth Singer! :)

Join a song circle! :)

I can't summarize this in my own words in a blog post; you have to check it out yourself.

Celebrate Earth Day! :)

Earth Day is today!!!!! I'm not going to write my own tips this week; just check out this info about Earth Day 2011 that has plenty of info! :)

Tell the E.P.A.: No more methyl iodide

Cross posted in Foodiscovery

I did not write this message; it's just the copied and pasted "email your friends" message from after signing a petition of sorts.

Dear Friend,

Methyl iodide is a nasty chemical. It is a known neurotoxin and endocrine disruptor, and scientists in labs handle only small amounts using special protective equipment because it is so toxic. But do you know where else it is used? As a pesticide on strawberries and other food crops.

The battle against methyl iodide is being fought on several fronts. Last summer, Washington state banned the use of the pesticide. Unfortunately, the pendulum swung the other way in California, when despite more than 53,000 public comments submitted by CREDO activists and our allies, the state's Department of Pesticide Regulation approved the chemical for agricultural use last December.

But the ultimate power to regulate pesticides lies with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has just decided to reconsider its approval of methyl iodide -- approval that was granted during George W. Bush's administration.

I just submitted a public comment to the EPA, demanding that they ban the agricultural use of methyl iodide. If you care about keeping our food safe, you should do the same. Click below to take action.

http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/epa_block_methyl_iodide/?r_by=-3201717-Ic61f1x&rc=paste1

Try to avoid disposable eating utensils!

from Maxistentialism on Tumblr

So what happens to plastic utensils when you're done with them and you throw them out? "According to the Clean Air Council, enough paper and plastic utensils are thrown away every year to circle the equator 300 times. It is estimated that close to 40 billion individual plastic utensils—meaning 14 and 18 billion plastic spoons—are produced each year, and with such low rates of reuse and recycling, most of them end up in our landfills, beaches and oceans. They are likely to remain there for hundreds of thousands of years." ("Ending Take Out Waste")

Washing your spoon when you're done with it takes two seconds! Being out and about, going to work, etc. is no excuse: My husband takes one of our regular forks to work in his lunch bag every day. He brings it back home in his lunch bag and I stick it in the dishwasher. That's it. To me it sounds like that's less effort than if he had to find a garbage can.

What really gets me is when a plastic utensil gets thrown out without having been used because it fell on the floor.

If you must use disposable, such as a large dinner party where it would be impossible to wash that many utensils, there are eco-friendly options. Check out these, for example.

Buy organic food!

Cross posted on Foodiscovery

Yes, it tends to be more expensive but organic growing practices are much better for the environment, and for health as well. Of course, the environment and health are connected. Folks, I just learned that workers at non-organic ("conventional") farms have died due to constant exposure to chemicals! Have a look at this discussion on Facebook for more information, websites to look at, etc.

Where to buy organic food? A lot of regular grocery stores, like my QFC at University Village, now carry some. You can also check out Whole Foods if there's one near you. Don't forget to look around you for small, local organic stores. Google it if you can't find any organic food nearby just from browsing at your regular grocery store or walking (or riding) around outside. Look for specials if you can; sometimes an organic item will be marked down to the same price as a non-organic, or even lower.

What about kosher organic? A lot of packaged items that are marked organic also have kosher certification. Of course, fresh fruits and veggies are kosher in any case, though I know some people are very careful about lettuce and such. You might have trouble finding meat that's both kosher and organic. If there's none available where you live, you can order online. (They seem to be out of stock or almost out of stock for a number of items. People have probably placed their orders already for Passover. Also it's expensive, even before shipping costs are added on. But you don't have to eat meat every day!)

You can find creative new uses for things!

Sometimes you can reuse something you'd otherwise have to throw out! It can also save you from having to buy new stuff. For example, the nice little box my husband's iPhone came in was sitting in our closet, unused. Also sitting in our closet were random coins and dollar bills that were constantly falling on the floor. I'm now using that box to keep our spare change!

Know your local recycling policies!

Just Google recycling policies [your city] and you should get relevant sites. I found a site with Seattle's recycling ordinance, for example, that apartment building landlords can put up as a sign. If you live in an apartment building, it's worth checking its policies against the local laws to make sure they comply.

Support efforts to conserve marine environments!

Cross posted on The Daily Yay!

You can provide financial support toward this goal and have a fun, educational experience at the same time by visiting an aquarium and paying the admission fee. My husband, baby Rena, father-in-law, and step-mother-in-law had a wonderful time on Sunday at the Seattle Aquarium. Rena got to hold a starfish and play with felt sea creatures. There were so many pretty fish, and the exhibits were arranged quite artistically! It's my favorite aquarium so far. If you're not in Seattle, check out a local aquarium. Israel has multiple aquariums, Chicago has the Shedd Aquarium and Cincinnati (really northern Kentucky) has the Newport Aquarium, for example. Hubby says the Seattle Aquarium was nothing compared to those he visited in Florida. I'll have to check them out if I can get there.

Stay green even when moving, part 4

Cross posted on Jewcology

I know those massive amounts of cardboard boxes lying around are annoying. I'm not asking you to keep them all in case you need them in the future, just please remember to recycle them when you're done unpacking them. Alternatively, you can have them reused by giving them away to a new neighbor who is moving out of your neighborhood soon. (Thank you to The FlyLady for sharing this advice on her page with moving tips.)

Stay green even when moving, parts 2 and 3 and announcement

part 2: If you're moving across the country with a baby, your baby can fly for free if you just hold her on your lap, and you can take up less room on the plane, too!

 

part 3: Try selling or donating stuff you don't want to take but is still usable, instead of throwing it out. Our moving sale is on Saturday night, January 29, 6-11 pm at 60 Thayer St. Apt. 4B, New York, NY 10040.

 

Announcement: Part 3 is for next week; I don't think I'm going to get to my blogs until after we move at the earliest. 

Stay green even when moving- part 1

Next time you have to move, don't spend money on new boxes. Your local
supermarket will give you free boxes from deliveries they receive,
boxes that would otherwise be destroyed instead of reused.

Get leaks fixed ASAP!

Even a tiny leak can waste a lot of water! Recently our bathtub faucet
was leaking. Unfortunately we live in an apartment building in
Manhattan, where the super regularly skips his appointments to do
repairs, claiming he had an emergency. At one point before he showed
up to fix the leak, the drain got clogged because the baby had thrown
something into the tub that wasn't supposed to be there -- and the
bathtub overflowed, flooding the entire bathroom floor, within a few
hours of the last time I'd checked on the leak! Moral of the story:
Even if you think it's just a tiny leak and it doesn't have to get
fixed, it does.

Say no to disposable water bottles!

Cross posted on Foodiscovery

These reusable water bottles by the FlyLady are expensive but worth
the price. Mine doesn't leak! Think about how much money you'll save
by not buying disposable bottles before you decide these are too
expensive. If you must buy a cheaper one, Bed Bath and Beyond is
ubiquitous and carries water bottles. If you're in New York,
Whole Foods has them, and I got two cheap plastic water bottles from
Modell's for about three or four bucks apiece (though plastic isn't
really the best choice for the environment or your health).
Don't want to drink tapwater? Try a Culligan water filtration system.
I don't own one but I once attempted to do door to door sales for the
company. Though many of their models are for businesses, they do have
smaller machines for use at home. Some other major brands have
similar systems; I recommend shopping around to get the features,
price, and service you want. Just fill your reusable bottle with your filtered
water, and you're good to go!