Just a few thoughts on how to have a great Valentine’s Day and still be greener. 

Approximately 1 Billion Valentines are sent annually. The only holiday to have more cards sent is Christmas. That around 1/4th the holiday cards sent annually.

Around 36 million boxes of chocolate are given each year.

It is the number 1 holiday for fresh flower purchases.

Just a few thoughts on ways be a little greener. Like making sure the cards are made from recycled or tree less paper or from Papyrus.

Buying organic chocolate from reputable organizations that practice fair trade.

Make your dinner reservations with a local restaurant that use only organic /locally grown food.

Giving natural perfumes or fragrances.

Giving a gift certificate for a massage or a health spa.

Filed under: Family by GreentheWorld
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Consolidate your cooking.

Some of the advantages of this are that you only heat your kitchen up once with the heat from cooking. This saves on your cooling cost from A/C. Thus reducing the carbon emissions CO2 and Global Warming. Some other advantages are since some of those bulkier items that fill up your dishwasher so quickly probably wont be used during the rest of the week that could mean fewer loads on you dishwasher. This equates to less energy used to run the dishwasher, less energy used to heat the water and less chemicals used to clean the dishes being released back into the environment.

This strategy is not for everyone and is not new by any means. I can remember my grandmother telling me about using this method of cooking during WW2. This was a period when resources for almost everything where at an all time low, and this included resources for cooking. Also with so much of the male population off to war, the women of the families where having to step up and perform the functions of both the males and females. This left little time for some of the everyday tasks like cooking.

This takes a little planning ahead and maybe making a menu for the week. But on Sunday afternoon she would cook the meals for the rest of the week. Then refrigerate or freeze them until they where needed. This is a method that I use every week. I usually do this on the grill so that I can cook items that need much different cooking times and temperatures all at the same time.

There are some exceptions to this strategy of course. Some foods just do not do very well held over. Pasta, would be a very good example of this, also certain steamed vegetables. But you can still follow the strategy. Cook the meat portion of these meals along with the rest of the weeks meals and refrigerate them. Pasta and steamed vegetables cook very quickly and use very little energy. Especially if your like I am, I steam my veggies in the microwave.

I did get some feed back from a couple that also have a boat here at the marina I live on. They have turned the entire strategy into a family event. On Sunday afternoon their entire family gets together to prepare the meals for the week and spend a little quality time together.

Filed under: Food by GreentheWorld
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The 3R’s are not a new concept, back around the turn of the 20th century there was a different set of 3R’s. They where related to a different type of education. Back at the turn of the 20th century it was called Reading, Riting and Rithmatic.

But it wasn’t until the mid 1930’s that our country as a whole began to understand the importance of these 3R’s and education in the development of our country in world society.

Now here we are at the beginning of the 21st century and we have another set of 3R’s. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And I, for one, truly hope that we as a society do not take another 1/4 century to understand how important this new set of 3R’s truly are to our Global Climate.

By taking small steps in each one of these areas we can have a very large impact on our Carbon Footprints and reducing Global Warming.

Reduce
This simply means, use less! This can be accomplished in many forms. From turning off the extra lights and installing CFL bulbs, to installing complete renewable energy sources like wind turbines and solar arrays. To reduce the amount of power consumption of your home or business.

Or maybe you have decided to use reusable totes and carry your own bags when you go shopping to reduce the amount of paper and plastic bags being manufactured.

Or buying in bulk instead of single servings. or buying concentrates of items like laundry detergent and other cleaners. Buying in bulk and concentrate means less packaging material. And the smaller sized packages means more can be transported to the stores in the same sized trucks, meaning that each package’s carbon emissions for transportation is less.

I could go on an on about this subject, and will in other posts. Simply put if you bring less stuff home, you have less stuff to throw out at the end of the day. But you also have less environmental impact, less carbon emissions and less global warming.

Reuse
Every product on the market requires environmental resources to produce, package and transport. Even the most ECO friendly products. Every time that you reuse a product 90 to 95 percent of those environmental resources have been saved.

To me that is like a 401K plan. But instead of saving money for the future we are saving environmental resources for the future.

Most towns and cities have stores like Goodwill where you can donate or buy used clothing and household goods. Most items donated to Goodwill (depending on condition) will also earn you tax credits which puts money back in your pocket. But every item reused keeps natural resources from being consumed.

Most towns also have stores where you can buy, sell or trade CDs, DVD’s, books or games saving you a substantial amount of money over the retail prices. And saving our precious natural resources even more.

Before throwing anything in the trash, stop for a minute and think about what else the item could be used for.

Recycle
If we have been diligently watching the first two R’s, then we already have much less in the trash bends at the end of the week. Now how can we take our small steps into recycling and reduce this even more.

A good place to start is by contacting your local waste management company and finding out what they recycle. They will usually provide you with a recycling bin and a magnetized list for your refrigerator telling you what they will accept. Most will take aluminum, paper, glass and plastic.

Also recycling centers are popping up all over the country as our awareness of the need to reduce global warming rises. Check in your area to find out what recycling centers are near you and what items they will recycle. The best part about using private recycling centers is that you are paid for the items you recycle through them.

There are a great many items that will not be accepted by your local waste management company or private recycling centers. Some of the biggest of these are your home and office electronics. If you are having trouble finding locations to recycle you electronics check out you local Best Buy store.

If you are unsure if an object can be recycled or if you are having trouble finding recycling centers try checking out Earth911. They have the most extensive recycling search tool I have been able to find.

By following these three small green steps all of us together can make a substantial change in our Carbon Footprint and Global Warming.

Filed under: Basic by TheGreenLivingPlace
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On average, electricity sources emit 1.297 lbs CO2 per kWh of energy produced. This number varies greatly from state to state.

The world-wide average is 4 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person per year.

The average of all industrialised nations is about 11 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person per year.

In America the average is about 25 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) per person per year.

Take the Energy Star pledge. Over 2.3 Million people have already taken the pledge. Saving over $472 Million, over 6 Billion lbs of Greenhouse Gas and over 4 Billion kWh. Check out the approved products on Energy Stars website. Replacing older non energy saving products and appliances can help to reduce your energy bill by 30%.

EnergyStarPledge

Take an Energy Audit: A home energy audit will tell you the amount of power your household consumes and what you can do to reduce it. Most utility providers will do an Audit free of charge or for a minimal amount.

Change your light bulbs. Compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL) use far less energy than conventional bulbs. CFL bulbs cost 3 to 4 times as much as conventional bulbs. But they last for years longer and only use about 1/4th the energy. 7 watt CFLs are comparable to a regular 40 watt bulb and 26 watt CFLs are typical equivalent to 100 watt conventional bulbs.

Change you laundry habits. Wash your cloths in warm water rather than hot. Save your cloths until you have 1 large load rather than several smaller loads. Hang your cloths to dry rather than using a cloths dryer. By following these few steps you can reduce the amount of CO2 created by your laundry by 80 to 90%.

Turn your electronic equipment off when it is not in use. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, 75% of all the electricity consumed in the home is standby power used to keep electronics running when those TVs, DVDs, DVRs, computers, monitors, game stations and stereos are setting idle.

Turn your water heater down to 120 Degrees and wrap it in an insulated blanket. Insulated blankets cost between $10 and $20 at home centers and hardware stores. This can save your household between 250 and 1000 lbs, in CO2 emissions annually.

Filed under: Tips by TheGreenLivingPlace
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We here at The Green Living Place are dedicated to helping every day people find every day solutions to living green. Solutions that help all of us reduce our Carbon Footprints and lower the rate of Global Warming.

Filed under: Basic by TheGreenLivingPlace
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