Great Research Tools for "all things green"

A day late and a dollar short, as the expression goes. My apologies for the delay in getting this update out to you.

In prepping for our "green gardening" tips, I found some great resource books that I thought I'd share with you.  I was impressed with these books, as they are practical, well-rounded and easy to navigate.  Don't know if I am a dinosaur, but  I'm still tactile and like the feel of a book. I also think books tend to provide more detailed information than most on-line articles, so you get to drill-down a bit more on specific topics.

Let me know what you think. I bought these used from Amazon and saved quite a bit.

Whole Green Catalog-1,000 Best Things for you and the Earth-Edited by Michael W. Robbins
Living Like Ed-Ed Begley Jr. (I saw this in the library and read it last year. Thought it was a great go-to resource, so I decided to buy it.)
Guide to Sustainable Living-Learning to Conserve Resources and Manage an Eco-Conscious Life-Ed Begley Jr.

Next update will provide details on prepping your soil for spring. With warmer weather predicted here in the NE, spring is just around the corner.

Thanks for your continued interest,

Paula

It's that time of year to start thinking about your garden

At the request of some readers, this week's article focuses on "green" gardening tips. I know; given our record setting cold weather and unusually high snowfall in the NE (and much of the US), it's hard to think of gardening. Fear not my friends, spring is right around the corner. This afternoon I noticed our pussy willow shrub is starting to sprout; a sure-sign of spring.


Getting Started

To achieve a healthy lawn that embraces sustainability concepts you'll need to Observe, Conserve and Preserve. Start by looking at your garden. Walk around (when the snow has melted!) and observe what you see.  Take note of the grass, weeds, soil, mulch and plantings. Observing your surroundings is a great first step in prepping for spring lawn care.

After you have a good feel for your property, think about your beautification objectives and then factor in conservation and preservation techniques. Starting with the soil, respect the planet by only using organic products as much as possible.  If chemicals are required (we'll drill down on this next week) treat a specific problem in a specific area. Per Native Plant Society of NJ, "If you must use herbicides, apply them directly to the weeds rather than broadcasting if possible. A healthy lawn will reduce weed growth."

As much as possible, please try to conserve water. Nothing frosts my tail (from a gardening perspective!) as much as seeing sprinkler systems running while it's raining. Don't over water your lawn. A hearty watering, soaking the soil, is only needed 2 times per week to maintain a healthy lawn.  It is also recommended that people use sprinklers during the cooler times-evening or early morning. Evening is better as the water evaporates less. If possible, build, or buy, a water barrel to store rain water or gutter run-off. It's a great form of recycling and contains less chlorine than tap. Flower beds should be watered as needed, but can become more resilient with ample mulching.


And speaking of mulch, use mulch on flower beds and gardens to prevent weeds from growing and to help absorb water. Mulch protects plants from extreme conditions-too much sun and too much water. It also helps deliver nutrients to the soil, so look for organic mulch that will decompose into the soil and preferably use non-dyed mulch.

My last tip speaks to honoring our environ. If you plant native shrubs, trees and plants you'll have to use less fertilizer and water. Because native plants are adaptive to the climate and temperature they don't need as much water as non-native plants. Using native plants is beneficial because it helps conserve water and reduces the amount of potential polluted runoff..


Next Steps

This is merely the beginning, as gardening should be viewed as a long-term project. Successful gardening takes patience. You shouldn't rush and take short-cuts. If in doubt, consult with your local nursery or online resources,

Best,

Paula

Coming Up-More details on feeding your lawn and preparing your soil.

My "dirty " little secret

I have a dirty little secret. It's something I am ashamed to admit, but feel the need to confess in hopes of helping myself and potentially others. As the experts say, acknowledgment is one of the the first steps in addressing a problem, so here goes.....

My problem, which makes me cringe in disgust, is that I am dependent on plastic bags. I wouldn't say addicted, but definitely dependent. Try as I might to rid myself of this problem, I can't seem to break free from using plastic bags while shopping.

Sounds ridiculous, I know. After all, more enlightened companies like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods only offer paper at the check out and even the worst offenders have inexpensive cloth bags available at the check out. So why can't I kick this problem?


Well, it's not that easy and Lord knows I've tried.  My quest began last year after someone told me about the floating garbage island located in the Pacific ocean. I was disgusted to find a garbage heap has been accumulating since the 50's and is now over 2x the size of Texas.  I found this news, coupled with reports of birds, fish and animals being entangled by plastic bags, so disturbing that I made a commitment to reduce my family's use of plastic bags.

I started by expanding my collection of earth-friendly shopping totes to meet different needs.  All was well for the first couple of months, when I diligently kept them in my trunk. Then, slowly, but surely, they crept their way back into the house and never seemed to be with me when I needed them. The challenges faced in weening away from plastic included:

1) Convenience
I tried to make things easier by buying totes that roll up into tiny pouches. (Try Rume bags, they're great! ) Still no luck. Every time I switched pocketbooks, or cleaned one out for an event, I'd forget to put the totes back. So...off I'd go to the store, oblivious to the fact that I've forgotten my totes until I get to the check-out line. At that time, when I've reached the point of no return, it dawns on me (light bulb moment) that I have once again forgotten my totes. Guilt ridden and faced with the choice of plastic or paper, I always choose paper, which has separate issues, but is more organic. 

2) Availability
Sadly, some stores don't offer paper. When you shop in clothing stores, many don't offer paper options.

3) Feasibility
Some items don't lend themselves to cloth or paper bags. Specifically meat or wet produce.


To remove my guilt, and help improve the health of our planet and its wildlife, I am starting 2011 with a renewed commitment to using less plastic. I hope you will join me. And, if you see any petitions reducing or restricting the use of plastic bags, please share. It would be wonderful (and helpful!) if the US followed Europe's approach of banning or taxing non-biodegradable plastic bags.

In the meantime, some good news from the Consumer Electronics Industry, per below. Progress is being made!

Best,

Paula

PS, At the request of my readers (thanks to those who voted) I will be covering "green" gardening tips in next week's blog. Should be fun to write as we're covered in snow!

CEA Sustainability Report Shows Electronics Firms' Progress on Green Goals

By Matthew Wheeland

Published January 05, 2011

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Publishing a sustainability report for any industry is a complicated endeavor, but especially for one as notoriously secretive as the IT industry. Alcorn said that shining a light on member companies' efforts was a key part of the CEA's role.
"We provide an opportunity for companies to show their stuff, and to let other people know about the good things that they are doing," he said. "From an industry perspective, it's important to measure progress and to do it in a transparent way, because I think that transparency is key for motivating them."
Among the other findings of the latest sustainability report from the CEA:

• Green packaging: Many consumer electronics companies are switching to renewable materials, including bio-based plastics, or recyclable materials instead of clamshell packaging and are looking to reduce the amount of packaging they use. For instance, one video service provider consolidated its shipments and decreased its use of cartons by more than one million in 2009 -- a 75 percent reduction from the previous year. In 2011, all of the providers’ products will be packed with 100 percent recyclable materials.

• More efficient facilities: Many manufacturers have set ambitious goals for reducing GHG at their facilities. Meanwhile, other companies have launched efforts to cut power consumption at their data centers.

• More energy-efficient products: According to the EPA, 27,000 CE product models currently meet Energy Star specifications. The average energy savings of Energy Star electronics devices range from 20 to 55 percent. An example of this progress is one semiconductor design company created a chip that can reduce its GHG by up to 40 percent by combining the processing and graphics processing units and the Northbridge chipset onto a single chip.

The report looks at success stories from the entire lifecycle of electronics, from green design to product transport to e-waste recycling. And one trend that Alcorn noted from the latest research can affect all three of those areas.
"The most noteworthy trend to me is the trend toward dematerialization, toward technologies that require fewer resources to make -- it's going from the old 200-pound console television from 20 years ago to the 56-inch LED set that you can mount on the wall," Alcorn said. "It's a situation where as miniaturization happens, it has positive implications throughout the life-cycles of these products, from fewer materials that have to be mined to lower costs to transport them, and then of course there's less of it to recycle because it weighs less."
These changes -- which are taking place across the electronics industry -- are not happening because of their environmental benefits, but because of the business benefits. And that makes the green improvements even more likely to continue.
The CEA's second sustainability report, "Inspiring Change," is available for download from GreenBiz.com.

Matthew Wheeland is the managing editor of GreenBiz.com. He has a long background in environmental journalism and new media, and is a graduate of U.C. Santa Cruz and the U.C. Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
Read more from Matthew Wheeland

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