Natural Thangs

Clean Green

2008-05-05T19:42:00.000-05:00

Green Cleaning Arsenal

• Ammonia – Ammonia is ammonium hydroxide dissolved in water. When it evaporates, it becomes nitrogen gas again. Since nitrogen gas displaces oxygen out of the air, NEVER use ammonia without proper ventilation, you will suffocate to death. The smell alone will be enough to cause you to throw open the nearest window. NEVER mix ammonia with other chemicals, especially chlorine bleach, you will create a toxic gas chamber. A friend of mine did it by mistake and ended up sending seven people to the hospital. Ammonia diluted in water is a powerful grease cutter and straight ammonia is the active ingredient in a lot of household cleaners. Why buy the cleaner emblazoned with the “Now with ammonia” banner when you could just buy the ammonia for ½ or even ¼ of the price?

For periodic cleaning of oven build-up, preheat the oven to 200 degrees, then turn it off. Open a window or turn on a fan. Place 2 cups straight ammonia in a shallow, non-aluminum pan on the middle rack. Close the oven door tight and leave overnight. The hot ammonia gas will attack the grease film and turn it into a soapy sludge while you sleep. In the morning, wipe away the sludge. For multi-taskers: place stained Pyrex dishes in the oven before you go to bed, the ammonia will do double duty and clean your dishes at the same time.

For a Multi-Purpose Deep Cleaner, combine ½ c ammonia, 1/3 c white vinegar, 2 Tbsp baking soda in 1 gallon of warm water. Mix well.

To clean gunky grills and oven racks, place them in a black plastic trash bag. Pour 1 c ammonia into the bag, seal with a twist tie and leave to cook in the sun. Hose with water at the end of the day.

• Baking Soda – Technically called sodium bicarbonate, the very same stuff you add to cakes and breads can also act as a deodorizer and mild abrasive. Since baking soda is slightly alkaline (its pH is 8.1), it neutralizes acid based odors in water and absorbs odors from the air.

Carpet fresheners/deodorizers often tout that they contain baking soda and indeed this is the active, odor absorbing ingredient, so why not use the real thing. For clean smelling carpets, simply sprinkle them with baking soda and leave for as long as possible (overnight is good) then vacuum it up. No smells will be left behind. If you would like a pleasant smell of your own creation, add crushed herbs that you enjoy before sprinkling. An open box of baking soda in the fridge is a time honor trick to absorb all refrigerator odors, even onion. One cup of baking soda added to one load of laundry will leave clothes smelling fresh and chemical free.

Use baking soda as a mild abrasive to clean everything from stove tops to sinks to floors and anything fiberglass. For tougher problems, such as grease on top of the stove, sprinkle it with baking soda then spray on a bit of vinegar or lemon juice. The acid will react with the baking soda. Add a bit of elbow grease and presto . . . a clean stove top! The same combination and method can be used to get a sparkling clean toilet bowl, sink, bathtub and shower. For those with microwaves, baking soda will do the trick there too. Mix 2 Tbsp baking soda and 1 c water in a microwave safe bowl. Nuke for 5 minutes or until the liquid boils and condensation builds up on the inside of the microwave, then just wipe away the residue.

Baking soda unclogs drains too. Pour 1 c baking soda into the drain, follow this with 1 c vinegar or 1 c lemon juice. Pour a pot of boiling water down the drain. Boiling water may need to be repeated twice.

• Bleach – Laundry bleach 5% sodium hypochlorite and it’s a double-edged sword. While it is an incredible oxidizer, germ killer and disinfectant and it plays an important role in stopping the spread of contagious disease, it is also an environmental hazard. When chlorine enters lakes and streams, it combines with organic matter to create methane gas, which then transforms into numerous carcinogenic agents called trichalomethanes. Chlorine bleach is already added to our drinking water, albeit in small amounts, because it is a powerful bacteriostatic, that is to say that it inhibits the growth or reproduction of bacteria but doesn’t kill them. Use bleach only when a very powerful disinfectant is absolutely necessary, don’t use it just to get things like clothes, tubs, or tile grout whiter. Do remember that deadly chlorine gas is created when bleach is mixed with acids or with ammonia. Always open a window or provide more than adequate ventilation when working with bleach.

• Borax – Like bleach, sodium borate borax is a double-edge sword. It does make for a good phosphate-free water softener and is an effective mild abrasive but it contains low levels of arsenic and lead. It also contains boron; the environmental and physiological effects of boron are unknown. Baking soda will do the same job as an abrasive and doesn’t pose the possible risks that borax does.

If you would like to use borax, this recipe makes for a great all purpose cleaner: Combine 1 tsp. borax, ½ tsp washing soda, 2 Tbsp lemon juice with 1 c hot water in a spray bottle and shake.

• Corn Starch – Corn starch is extracted from, surprise…corn and is used in cooking as a thickening agent in gravies, soups, sweet and sour port, etc. As a cleaning agent, corn starch can be used as an extra fine polish that gives surfaces such as glass and wood a mirror-like sheen.

• Essential Oils – Many essential oils, such as lavender, clove, tea tree oil, grapefruit seed extract, etc are antiseptics. Use one teaspoon essential oil per 2 c water in a spray bottle. (for grapefruit seed extract, use 20 d per 1 qt water).

• Lemon – Everything from dish liquid to all-purpose cleaners scream “Lemon Scent”. Well, lemon’s have lemon scent too and what’s more, they have cleaning power. As an acid, lemon eats away gummy build-up and tarnish, neutralizes hard water residue and removes dirt. The active ingredient is citric acid, the same can be found in oranges, grapefruits and other citrus fruits. If you find the smell of vinegar offensive, substitute lemon juice in place of white vinegar in cleaning solutions.

To clean a sink, cut an old lemon in half, wipe down the sink with lemon juice and leave for 10 minutes. Return with a bit of baking soda and a sponge, scrub and revel in your new sparkling sink. For everyday odors and slight stains on sinks and tubs rub directly with a lemon half, the juice will eat away stains and leave your sink sparkling and smelling fresh. To do away with garbage disposal odors, toss in a lemon, orange, lime or grapefruit rind, turn on the disposal and grind away the smell.

As a furniture polish, mix 1 c vegetable or olive oil and ½ c lemon juice in a spray bottle, use as you would Pledge or Endust.

No matter how grimy the tub is (assume you moved into a new place, not that you don’t clean often) the following method will work to get it white and bright. First, wet the surface of the tub, sprinkle it with cream of tartar (found in the spice aisle), then rub with a cut lemon. Apply some elbow grease. You may need to use 1 or 2 lemons and will take about 20 minutes, but you don’t have to do it very often.

• Mineral Oil - Mineral oil, which is available at the drug store, is a refined petroleum product. However its toxicity is low, it is economical and versatile. Its primary function is as a lubricant but it can also be used as a furniture polish. Melt 1 Tbsp carnauba wax into 2 c mineral oil and 1 tsp lemon oil. Apply a light coating with a soft cloth, wipe off excess and polish with a different, clean cloth.

• Salt – Lowly sodium chloride is for much more than making good popcorn. It is a mild antiseptic and mild disinfectant with abrasive qualities. Salt plus lemon juice will do wonders for a stained sink. Salt sprinkled in the bottom of the oven will absorb grease and turn to ash when the oven is on that can be easily swept out.

• Washing Soda – Hydrated sodium carbonate, commonly called washing soda, is a chemical cousin of baking soda but it is much more alkaline (with a pH of 11). It can usually be found in the detergent aisle of the grocery store. While it doesn’t release toxic fumes when used and is much safer than commercial options, it is caustic so do wear gloves when using it. Washing soda cuts through grease and petroleum based stains such as lipstick, wax and crayon. It also neutralizes odor just as baking soda does. It is a mild abrasive, but do not use it on fiberglass, aluminum or wax floors where it will remove the wax.

• White Vinegar – Almost the most natural substance you can find, white vinegar is both cheap and highly effective. The active ingredient is acetic acid. Acids neutralize alkaline substances such as hard water scale and dissolve gummy build up, eat away tarnish and remove dirt from wood surfaces. Vinegar is also a fantastic glass and window cleaner.

My mother cleaned our windows inside and out twice a year using vinegar diluted with water in a spray bottle, now I do too. It is much, much cheaper than Windex and works even better. Vinegar can also be used to get your dishes sparking clean, simply add it to the rinse compartment of your dishwasher or add vinegar to the rinse cycle of your washing machine where it will act as a fabric softener. Spray straight vinegar on a cutting board and leave for at least one half hour then rinse to deodorize the cutting board. You can clean wood floors with vinegar too, just combine even parts white vinegar and vegetable oil and clean as usual. Vinegar will also remove mildew in the shower, dilute 2 Tbsp vinegar in 1 qt warm water, apply with a soft cloth and dry.

We heard that vinegar will also kill poison ivy, but didn’t believe it. We were proven wrong last year. Not only does it work, it works great!

For more ideas about green cleaning and green cleaning products, visit:

Healthy Home -How to Make an Healthy, Environmentally Safe Home
Bio Pac
Seventh Generation
Bi-O-Kleen
Ecover
Better Basics for the Home : Simple Solutions for Less Toxic Living (Amazon.com)

Source: Activ8

Blogging for a Cause and Cash

2008-04-30T01:46:00.001-05:00

Hey Changemakers,

We're excited to announce that as of today we are starting to hire bloggers for Change.org's forthcoming social action blog network!

If you're interested in blogging on an issue you're passionate about for an audience of hundreds of thousands and becoming a leading voice for social action, we strongly encourage you to apply.

Each blogger will lead an online community focusing on a different social, political, or environmental issue, maintain a daily blog covering news and offering commentary, convene leading nonprofits and activists working on the issue, and help people translate their interests and passions into concrete action.

Positions are part-time and paid. For more information, go to www.change.org/bloggers. We hope to hear from you!

Here's the featured activity around Change.org this week:

Featured News: Oil Prices to Double by 2012
The price of oil is likely to soar to $225 a barrel by 2012 as supply becomes increasingly tight, a Canadian bank reported last week. This is more than double the current all-time high of more than $100. The report noted accelerating depletion rates in many of the world's largest and most mature oil fields. "Whether we have already seen the peak in world oil production remains to be seen, but it is increasingly clear that the outlook for oil supply signals a period of unprecedented scarcity," said Analyst Jeff Rubin. "Despite the recent record jump in oil prices, oil prices will continue to rise steadily over the next five years, almost doubling from current levels."

Featured Changemaker: Amy Sample Ward
Our Changemaker of the Week is Amy Sample Ward, a blogger, activist, and new media consultant dedicated to supporting and educating nonprofits about evolving web technologies. Amy is a community organizer and event coordinator for Portland Net2 and the Portland 501 Tech Club, through which she brings together social changemakers interested in social technology and trains nonprofit technology staff on new resources. Her personal blog is at www.amysampleward.org.

Featured Action: Tell Congress to End "Abstinence-Only" Sex Education
The Center for Disease Control just released a national study revealing that one in four girls and young women in this country are infected with an STD. This is the result of spending 10 years and $1.5 billion on "abstinence-only" sex education rather than investing in comprehensive sex education. Experts in every relevant field have overwhelmingly declared these programs to be a total failure, and now the infection rates are proving it. Political and religious agendas have no place in the classroom. Tell congress to stop recklessly funding these discredited programs and to provide teens with comprehensive sex education.

Featured Nonprofit: Oceana
Oceana is the largest international group focused solely on ocean conservation. Oceans cover 71 percent of the globe, but pollution, habitat degradation, overfishing and global warming are threatening this indispensable natural resource. At risk is not just a food supply, but also a wealth of magnificent species and the prime controller of our climate. Oceana's worldwide team of scientists, economists, lawyers and advocates work together with governments, corporations and fishermen around the world to create and enforce laws and policies that will help restore the health of our oceans. Join their efforts by making a donation today.

Featured Change: End Global Poverty
Over 1 billion people worldwide live on less than $1 a day, and nearly half the world's population lives on less than $2 a day. This epidemic of poverty spans across the globe - from Haiti to Ethiopia to Bangladesh - and touches all the world's cultures, ethnicities and religions. Although overwhelming in scope, there are concrete steps we can take to reduce poverty and signs that current efforts are having an impact. These steps go far beyond simply dumping aid on a country, and instead focus on addressing the many interwoven elements that can together help curb chronic poverty - including children's education, women's rights, improved healthcare, access to clean water and sanitation, and job creation. Join this community today to help do your part to stop global poverty.

Have a great week!

- The Change.org Team

How to Erase your Carbon Footprint

2008-04-29T12:36:00.002-05:00

By Kelly Magill, publisher, Positively Green

Once you’ve been on the green train for a while, you’ve got the basics; recycling, sustainable energy, canvas bags, fuel efficient vehicles, and all the little energy and water saving ideas that you can apply daily. Unfortunately, even with all of these eco-friendly practices, you still leave a carbon “footprint”. Admittedly, it is significantly smaller than if you didn’t make green choices, but you’re still creating carbon dioxide, which is intensifying the climate problem. How can you “erase” the remainder of your carbon footprint? Purchasing carbon offsets is one possible solution.

When you purchase carbon offsets, you’re essentially donating money to a group that will fund projects that actively decrease the amount of carbon dioxide that is released into the atmosphere. These projects mainly focus on sustainable energy programs, energy efficiency programs and reforestation programs.

Most of the carbon offset companies have a feature on their websites where you can input information about your energy and water use at home and your fuel consumption on the road. You can even include air travel if you fly consistently. It then calculates how many tons of greenhouse gasses you add to the atmosphere annually. It also suggests an amount that you can donate on line that will fund enough carbon reductions to negate your footprint and leave you carbon neutral.

Theoretically, carbon offsets are a great idea, but the actual results achieved by carbon offset companies varies, so it is important if you really want to make a difference, to donate to carbon offset companies that are effectively achieving their goals.

Look for companies that are non-profits like carbonfund.org.

In countries that have already signed the Kyoto Treaty, many carbon reduction and sequestration programs are already in the works and have government funding. Look for carbon offset companies that are donating to programs in countries that haven’t signed the Kyoto Treaty since they have less support for these greener measures.

A Greener Gift
Philanthropist Ruth Ann Harnisch helps spread the green message by purchasing carbon offsets from Carbon Fund (a not-for profit organization) and offering to offset the carbon footprints of events and conferences she attends.

Fast Facts
The United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) reports that 11 of the past 12 years are among the dozen warmest since 1850.

The Arctic is more effected than other areas of the planet. According to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004, average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average.

The USA contributes 24.8 percent of the world’s emissions from fossil fuels. China is second at 10.9 percent and Russia is third at 6.5 percent.

It is estimated that 1,150 billion tons of carbon is stored in the Earth’s forests.

For more information or to subscribe at the introductory price of $10 a year, go to positivelygreen.com . Positively Green magazine launches in 2008. This quarterly women’s magazine will cover every aspect of green from eco-friendly vacations to green fashion to green health. With articles that don’t just explain the problems, they outline solutions for busy people who want to make the change but don’t have the time to research solutions.

Environmentally responsible tires

2008-04-28T07:43:00.005-05:00

A greener tire from a special kind of tire manufacturer

Note from Michael: Tires are a vital component of any vehicle, we just have to have them. After reading a comment and email from Rich Gostenik of the Green Diamond Tire Company relating to my article Tires And The Environment; I invited him to write a piece about his company and products as I thought these tires were rather unique in an industry that contributes significantly to our environmental woes.

While it is certainly in vogue to proclaim a company’s product as being ‘green’, Green Diamond Tire is a company that has produced a more environmentally ‘green’ tire for nearly a decade and is only now beginning to… [sic] gain traction :-)

Truly, an environmentally responsible tire.

While major tire manufacturers have recently been jumping on the ‘green’ bandwagon, it is still a fact that the construction of the tire casing, bead bundles and belt assemblies require significant fossil fuel consumption and energy waste. While these same major firms presumably strive to reduce their carbon footprint for the benefit of our planet, there is simply no avoiding the environmental and economic impact of having to produce a quality tire from scratch.

What a shame and economic waste it is when end consumers of tires must discard a very serviceable tire casing when only the tread is worn away. Why not reconstruct and remold these casings? The Green Diamond Tire company is doing just that… here in the USA!

The Green Diamond Icelander Tire

A Green Diamond Tire (GDT) is a remolded passenger or light truck-class tire that employs a patented Icelandic traction tire technology that embeds 1,000s of silicon carbide (think: industrial diamond) granules throughout the tread depth. It can be accurately stated that each GDT manufactured represents one less tire casing clogging a landfill and… once remolded into a GDT, it actually out-performs the original tire from which it is built. A GDT may be driven year-round for a mileage expectancy of approximately 45,000 miles. More environmental benefits of the GDT:

• Each typical passenger-class GDT requires 3 – 5 gallons LESS of petroleum product to produce… a light truck-class GDT SAVES 6 – 9 gallons per tire. These savings are derived from not having to scratch-build casings… the structural foundation of every tire. The range variance is attributable to actual tire size.

• All manufacturing operation co-product and by-product is recycled into other post-consumer products such as highway bedding substrate, decking, fence, playground and athletic track material.

• A GDT is an all-climate, year-round tire. Therefore, there is an additional economic and environmental savings of not needing a set of ‘summer’ tires and wheels and the associated carbon footprint negative overhead.

A GDT is NOT a retreaded or recapped tire.

To be fair, retreaded tires unduly get a bad rap and, truth be known, most of the tread material often found alongside the highways today are not remnants of a retreaded tire… rather these ‘road gators’, as truckers refer to them, are most often the product of end-consumer carelessness in maintaining those tires. Whether from improper inflation or overloading, a tire can and will self-destruct when so abused. However, this is a topic for another time and one that deserves careful attention and detail. I stated that a GDT is not a retread or recap and that requires some explaining.

• A retreaded or recapped tire uses proven technology to apply an already-cured and embossed ribbon of tire tread material to a prepared casing with an adhesive and is then cured in an autoclave type chamber to exacting standards… not a bad way to save a tire from a landfill while deriving the additional usage benefits of recycling a perfectly usable tire casing.

• The GDT differs significantly in that the process of remolding is more akin to actual new tire manufacturing. Once a tire casing has been vigorously inspected and accepted for remolding into a GDT, it is literally handled with sterile gloves throughout the preparation phases of buffing, tread spooling, sidewall veneering, and finally molding and curing using segmented molds and presses that rival the technological sophistication of new tire manufacturers.

• It is during the tread material spooling phase that the GDT gains its’ diamond namesake. As the tread material builds up the computer-controlled and specified depth, 1,000s of the silicon carbide granules are added to the 45,000 mile tread compound. It is these granules that give the GDT exceptional ice, snow, and wet pavement traction. In fact this feature of the tire carries numerous international patents and is what makes the GDT coveted as a year-round, all climate tire.

David vs. Goliath… sort of :-)

Today, Green Diamond Tire (obviously, the ‘David’) is a small, niche, environmentally-aware company. Current annual output is approximately 100,000 GDTs and production is 100% American-made. By contrast, any of the ‘Goliath’ tire manufacturers can literally produce that quantity in a week… and they do… and their newest mega-plants are NOT in the US of A.

When the Icelandic inventors ‘shopped’ the GDT technology to several of the US ‘Goliaths’, they were unceremoniously met with the ‘not invented here syndrome’ and an arrogance that the environment did not matter as much as new tire profit and earnings.

From that initial encounter with the US tire Goliaths, Green Diamond Tire – North America vowed to remain a special company… one that can ‘talk the talk’ because we proudly ‘walk the environmental walk’ because it is crucial for the planet… not because it is suddenly in vogue and marketable.

Learn more about Green Diamond Tires, or feel free to ask Rich a question below - I'm sure he'd be pleased to answer any queries you have as he's quite passionate about his company and tires :)

Source: GreenLiving Tips

Recycled Weapons Calls For Peace After Long War

2008-04-24T11:52:00.003-05:00

After more than 30 years of civil war, ending in 1998, the Cambodian government has collected and destroyed more than 160,000 weapons across the country.

In the name of peace some of those weapons were donated to the PAPC. The PAPC (Peace Art Project Cambodia) is a project that was created in November of 2003 by British artist Sasha Constable and Neil Wilford, small weapons specialist with the European Union.

In the name of peace the weapons were recycled (sculpted, forged or welded) into amazing works of art such as: chairs, tables, bikes, animals and various other sculptures by student artists from the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh.

Isn't there something twisted about sitting on furniture made of guns? Or making art out of AK-47's? What do you think?

Personally I'd like to add the rocking chair made of guns to my list of favorite recycled chairs . It speaks volumes to me. Its dark cold metal eco-frame calls out to me, "Sit and relax!"

Is it comfortable? Maybe not, but I don't plan on sitting in it forever. I just want to get the feel of sitting on a piece of furniture made of parts once composed of a negative past now recycled into hope for a safer more peaceful future.

To find out more about the PAPC visit Sasha Constable's website .

Via Haute Nature

Source: InventorSpot

2008-04-18T06:57:00.003-05:00

Below is taken from: Care2 Lawn and Gardens Blog

Adapted from Organic Style magazine (Rodale Press, April 2004).

You can have an organic lawn that is lush and lovely, and there are so many reasons to go natural. Pesticides and herbicides are linked to neurotoxicity, birth defects, cancers, organ damage and more.

Find out five easy steps to maintaining a gorgeous, healthy lawn without resorting to harmful chemicals:

1. Kick the fertilizer habit. Turf needs less nitrogen than people think. Try an organic lawn food blend such as Concern or Espoma, cottonseed meal, or dried poultry waste. Most of the nitrogen in these is water-insoluble; it stays put and is released over a month or more, providing nutrition to the plants in small doses.

2. Add clover and other grasses. If you are lucky, you already have some clover in your lawn. If not, it is easy to add it by overseeding, or planting on top of what is already there. Rough up the surface with a metal garden rake. Mix the clover seed with sand or finely screened compost. Sow 2 ounces clover seed per 1,000 square feet for moderate clover cover, or up to 8 ounces if you want clover to dominate the turf. After sowing, water your lawn deeply and keep the soil moist until clover germinates.

3. Water, but not too much. Watering, like fertilizing, calls for restraint. Deep watering every 2 weeks or so is preferable to shallow daily watering. If you grow the proper turf-grass for your area, you can probably get by without any watering.

4. Banish weeds and insects naturally. Mowing, feeding, and watering practices will reduce the weed population, and there are effective organic weed-control strategies. One of the best is corn gluten meal, which prevents crabgrass and other weeds from germinating, Apply it early in the season, before the soil reaches 55 degrees, at a rate of 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Do it again in late summer.

To eradicate grubs, try Milky Spore, a bacteria that is poisonous to grubs and only grubs, a favorite of organic gardeners for over 50 years. Apply only 4 ounces to 1,000 square feet in spring or summer.

5. Enhance your soil. Use a spreader to apply a quarter-inch deep (or less) of finely screened compost to the turf. Compost invigorates the soil and stirs up a slew of microorganisms as it sifts below the surface, improving drainage and reducing compaction along the way.

Our Environment

2008-04-12T11:10:00.012-05:00

This blog is for those activists that are wanting to help save forests, our waters, plants, wildlife, our air and more - I always have petitions that need to be signed. Below is a new list of petitions that are in need of being signed.... You might not agree with all the issues/petitions - but please sign the ones that you do agree with.

Tell Congress to Help Protect Mountain Top Removal and Mining of the Appalachian Mountains

Tell Your Senators to Strengthen the Global Warming Bill

Help Cape Wind Move Forward

Improve Nuclear Power Safety

Take The Pledge: Don't Transport Firewood

Clean Water Act at the Crossroads

New Farm Bill Still in Doubt

Balance Management of Public Lands for Energy, Fish and Wildlife

Another Carbon Calculator a friend of mine introduced me too: Friends of the Forest: Carbon Caculator - I'm passing it along for those interested.

Chocolate

2008-04-08T11:12:00.011-05:00

Chocolate! I love chocolate... that melt in your mouth creamy rich and smooth flavor of chocolate! An interesting story from the web today and a couple of petitions that came in my email inspired today's blog.

I have a problem, a big problem, with unfair trade practices. Unfair trade means low wages for farmers and big money for corporations. Unfair trade promotes child labor as well.

The world needs to wake up - and eat better chocolates!

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A cool story - but I do not know yet if the scientists tested on animals in order to develop the new chocolates for the military or if they paid slave wages for the coco to make the new chocolates: Here's the story:

Durable, healthy chocolate developed

Australian Army scientists have invented a vitamin-packed chocolate that will not melt in high temperatures and last for years.

Scientists at the Defense Science and Technology Organization (DSTO) at Scottsdale near Launceston are working on the super chocolate for army ration packs using in harsh environments in countries including Iraq and Afghanistan.

The chocolate will be distributed to soldiers within a few months.

DSTO food technologist Lan Bui said the new product is more granular and firmer but the flavour is still appealing: "DSTO is looking at product reformulation, including new fat compounds, to improve texture and flavour, without affecting the melting point."

Normal chocolate melts at 25^oC to 30^oC. The new version is expected to survive meltdown in temperatures up to 49^oC.

The secret to the chocolate is using fats that have a higher melting point. It is fortified with vitamins C, A and B1 (thiamine) and has added flavours to preserve taste for up to two years.

The breakthrough has a number of applications. Scientists are working with food experts on coating vitamins to keep out humidity, moisture and oxygen while allowing them to be slowly released into the body.

The DSTO is developing a milk chocolate version. Production of the prototype dark chocolate will begin within a year.

Source: Science Alert

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Recommended Chocolates that are Fair Trade, Organic and Do NOT Test on Animals:

Endangered Species Chocolates

TaraLuna Chocolates

Dagoba Organic Chocolates

Divine Chocolates

Dean's Beans Coco and Coffee

Equal Exchange Coffee, Tea and Chocolate

La Siembra Coco

Sweet Earth Organic Chocolates

Sjaak's Organic Chocolates

Theo Chocolates

Yachana Gourmet Chocolates

Itchaca Fine Chocolates

Help the Chocolate Industry: Petitions Below

Help Raise the Bar on Chocolate Fundraising

Stop Mars from Testing on Animals

Mars Candy Kills

Contact the "Powers of Chocolate" - By writing or calling: you can tell them of your concerns about animal testing and you would like fair trade chocolates:

World Cocoa Foundation: bill.guyton@worldcocoa.org

Chocolate Manufactures Association: carly.zoerb@chocolateusa.org

Mars/M&M's: contact@policies.mars.com

Companies that you have to call or contact online

Nestlé: Contact Us Webpage

Hershey's: Contact Us Webpage

Passport

2008-04-06T14:01:00.011-05:00

Please sign up with WWF's Passport to help with some great causes listed below - It's fast, easy and Free:

Thank Some Cool Companies

Support Scotland in leading the fight against climate change

Thank Vietnamese Leaders for Protecting the Rare Saola

Help save Australia's ‘Serengeti of the Sea’

Say Yes to sustainable seafood: Buy MSC

Choose good wood and save our forests

Travel Smart

Learn more about WWF's Passport HERE

Land, Air and Water

2008-04-03T10:15:00.015-05:00

It's important that responsible citizens take action, get involved and help our world. I can blog about it all day, but that does nothing to help stop what needs to end. What is most important is taking action! Signing petitions is a great way to start - getting involved! A lot of people blog about what is going on, that's easy....... but how may of them actually try to get you involved? One of my main goals is getting others involved where it really counts, not just blogging about it.

If you care about Water, Air and Land then please sign the following petitions:

Protect the Giant Sequoia

Protect Idaho's Backcountry Forests

Keep Idaho's Forests Wild

RiverAlert: Tell your Senators to Protect Communities from Hazardous Dams

RiverAlert: Act for your Right to Know: Sewage-Laden Waters

Stop Bush's Forest Giveaway

The Time is Now to Support Clean Water

Fight Mountain Top Removal Mining

It's Time to Double the Standard

Protect Chile's National Forests

Support A Do Not Mail Registry: Stop Junk Mail

Lets Make Cape Wind Happen

Forest Crimes Shouldn't Pay

Cut Out the Illegal Logging

It Takes 2: Be Apart of the 2% Solution

Videos:

Illegal Logging

Every Child Has the Right to Clean Water

Cape Wind

ECards to Donate

2008-04-01T08:46:00.015-05:00

Send a free ecard through any of the below listed and you will help to save the environment, animals, rainforests, plants a tree, feed the hungry, help breast cancer research and more:

Animal Rescue Site

Rainforest Site

Literacy Site

Child Health Site

Breast Cancer Site

Hunger Site

Care2 ECards

Red Jellyfish ECards

WWF ECards

Nature Conservancy ECards

Planet Slayer

Membership ECards to save the planet:

Three Leaf Cards *$20.95 yearly membership.

Tree Greetings *not free but well worth it [prices start at $8.95]

Jane Goodall Institution

2008-03-30T18:55:00.000-05:00

Below is from the Jane Goodall Institution: Ways You Can Help:

Welcome to JGI’s action center! We’re going to expand this section in coming weeks, but in the meantime we offer a few ideas to help you take positive action for people, animals and the environment.

Note: We know making a positive impact – especially when it comes to the environment – can seem like an impossible job. For that reason we’ve included some meaningful actions that are, well, embarrassingly easy. They're marked with this badge

Live Greener

Shut off the water when brushing your teeth.
This is one of Jane Goodall’s most frequent suggestions to her audiences when she’s on the road. Did you know older faucets release 3 to 7 gallons of water per minute? That could add up to more than 5,000 gallons per year flowing down the drain while you brush!

Wash your clothes in cold or warm water, not hot.
If you wash two loads per week this way, the reduction in carbon dioxide is as high as 500 pounds per year, according to the Greenhouse Network.

Cut down on your meat-eating (or better yet become a vegetarian).
Even cutting out one meal of meat per week can have an impact!

Learn more about solar energy!
The earth receives more energy from the sun in just one hour than the world uses in a whole year, according to SolarBuzz. Here is a fun resource: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar/educational_resources.html#science

Join an online community for sustainable living!
This site links to forums on everything from hybrid cars to “tightwadding” to wind power.
http://www.ecoforums.com/

Make an organic flowerbed!
http://pennsylvania.sierraclub.org/northeastern/organic.pdf

For The More Adventurous

Landscape Sustainably!
Learn how to landscape your home to be “Fossil Fuel Free!”
http://www.epa.gov/glnpo/greenacres/smithsonian.pdf
http://www.sustland.umn.edu/

Install a compost toilet!
Composting toilets have been an established technology for more than 30 years!
http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/comp.pdf

Shop Ethically

Buy fair-trade coffee and other “fair” food.
Fair-trade coffee protocols guarantee farmers a decent price so they can earn a living wage. According to US certifier Transfair, participating farmers can avoid cost-cutting practices that sacrifice quality. Global Exchange offers a list of retailers including Starbucks, Trader Joe’s and Safeway, plus a list of outlets by state (not all states included).

Make Your Voice Heard

Write that letter!
Don’t expect the government to take the lead. Even in sympathetic administrations, governments rarely take the lead. The most innovative and creative ideas come from we, the people. Finding your member of Congress’s contact information is easy. Just click here.

Help Chimpanzees

Spread the word
The number of humans born each day is greater than the number of chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans and bonobos left in the world. Many people aren’t aware that great apes are endangered – so spreading the word is critically important. Tell people that without our intervention, today’s children could come of age in a world without chimpanzees and other great apes living in the wild. But it’s not too late to make a difference. Click here to support JGI’s work on behalf of the endangered chimpanzee.

Branch Out

Turn the tide
Join a remarkable program endorsed by Jane Goodall, “Turning the Tide.” It features nine personal actions to protect the environment -- complete with calculators that tally and track individual and collective impact right away! This program comes from the Center for a New American Dream.

Use RedJellyfish Long Distance

Our partnership with RedJellyfish Long Distance helps you put the environment first! RedJellyfish provides high quality long distance service at a low price, and RedJellyfish donates 8% of its profits every month to the Jane Goodall Institute.

RedJellyfish offers clear, easy to read, monthly statements that are printed on 100% recycled paper, or you can choose their tree-free electronic billing option. The RedJellyfish calling cards are made from recycled plastic, and the RedJellyfish website is completely powered by solar energy! You'll get great rates, friendly customer service, and crystal clear connections, while knowing you are supporting a company with progressive environmental business strategies! Click here to visit RedJellyfish Long Distance

Support JGI

Join Us! A monthly gift of $15 can start three international Roots & Shoots groups, giving them the tools to create positive change in their communities. A gift of $35 provides three days worth of food, shelter, and care for an orphaned chimp in one of our JGI sanctuaries. Click here for more information.

Eco-Joes and Free Seeds

2008-03-28T12:04:00.004-05:00

Eco-Joes has a great article: Free Flower Seeds or Free Vegetable Seeds. I have copied and pasted it here for those that may not have seen his post yet. It's a great idea.

His post:

This made the front page o’ Care2, vote for it if you please

This is what this site is all about; getting some free food, and helping the environment at the same time. Check it.

Buzzy Seeds is giving away some free vegetable seeds or free flower seeds. You pick. All you have to do is take a short survey, fill out your address, and bam, free seeds are coming your way. I chose to get some free vegetable seeds, so I can see how hard it is to grow some of my own food. Plus, I am very hungry, and flowers don’t fill you up the way verduras do.

Cap’n Planet Says: A huge chunk of your eco-footprint comes from the food you buy. Lots of food is shipped from far away, so a lot of resources are used to get the food to you. Growing your own vegetables = very local food = lower pollution.

Thank you, Mr. Planet. On to the free seeds…

First, take the survey.

When you get to choose your products, choose “Veggie Seeds” or “Flower Seeds”.

Notice that the price below it is $0.00.

After that, fill out the other things it asks you to, then checkout.

You’ll get your free seeds in a couple weeks; this concludes our broadcast session.

The Gift of Trees

2008-03-26T08:29:00.000-05:00

The Eco-Libris is one of the best ideas I've seen in a long time. Plant a tree for every book you read. They make it a great value too - 5 trees for $5. You will also receive an Eco-Libris sticker to display on your books. It's also a great gift giving idea.

The Arbor Day Foundation has been inspiring people for years to plant trees. The Arbor Day Foundation also operates the Rainforest Rescue Charity. For every $10 contributed by public donations, 2500 square feet area of rainforest is saved in the name of the donator. Its a double win... plant a tree in your area and help save the rainforest. Another gift of love and for the environment.

Save the Redwoods League will plant a Redwood Tree and gift-givers will have a redwood seedling planted in honor of a loved one in a California state park. The price tag for this is $50 but well worth it - what a way to honor someone you love.

Another place to Honor a loved one with a tree is through the Guatemalan Human Rights Commission. Trees will be planted in the Labor San José in Quetzaltenango, Guatemala for their reforestation project. Cost is only $15 per tree.

Plant a Tree USA is another great organization. Their program specifically helps and encourages farmers who are dedicated to reforestation. Plant a tree for your family, friends, loved ones, special events, and meaningful memories. Prices start at $54 for the tree package.

Jewish Nation Fund: Plant a Tree Program offers another unique way to honor those you love. $18 for one tree up to $5000 to plant a grove. Various certificates are available.

WWF's Put a Cork in it - Plant a Tree Program is $15 per tree. Your tree will be planted in the Mediterranean. It's another way to honor those that you love.

Trees for the Future starts at $40 to plant 400 trees with a certificate and a bumpersticker. That's a good value and a lot of trees planted.

Friends of Trees says for $25 they will plant a young native tree in honor or memory of a friend or loved one and send a card to the person you designate acknowledging your gift. For $50 they will plant a grove of six native trees.

Love Trees has trees starting at $20 with a certificate in honor of that special loved one. Love Trees is branch off the non-profit ChariTREE Foundation.

Trees 4 Yesha will plant a fruit tree in Yesha for $24. You will be helping the people of Israel. Certificates are available as well.

Memorial Trees will plant a tree in memory or honor of someone or your pet starting at $29.95.

An exert from Memorial Trees reminds us of how important trees are and the gifts they bring to us:

Trees are essential to life on Earth.

Trees are the principal generators of pure oxygen.

Trees clean pollutants from the air.

Trees purify the ground water.

Trees are a source of medicine to treat many ailments.

Trees calm the anxious and reduce stress.

Trees stabilize the soil and minimize damage from floods.

Trees provide shade for the young, the old, the weary, and the infirm.

Tree shade reduces energy consumption.

Trees are a refuge for wildlife.

Trees beautify blighted areas.

Trees add value to real estate.

Trees are as important as fresh water to the earth's survival.

Your purchase of just one tree is significant.

There are several other places to purchase a tree as a gift. Shop around and find that perfect tree for the one you love.

Greenpeace Global Warming Protest

2008-03-24T20:53:00.000-05:00

A Greenpeace Video. More about this Here

Parental warning: Contains (very tasteful) nudity.

Six hundred people shed their clothes on a glacier in the Swiss Alps to bodily cry out for help against a planetary emergency: global warming.

The nude volunteers posed for us and renowned naked "installation" artist Spencer Tunick on the Aletsch Glacier.

Without clothes, the human body is vulnerable, exposed, its life or death at the whim of the elements. Global warming is stripping away our glaciers and leaving our entire planet vulnerable to extreme weather, floods, sea-level rise, global decreases in carrying capacity and agricultural production, fresh water shortages, disease and mass human dislocations.

If global warming continues at its current rate, most glaciers in Switzerland will completely disappear by 2080, leaving nothing but valleys and slopes strewn with rock debris.

EarthJustice

2008-03-23T19:31:00.001-05:00

EarthJustice has some petitions that are in need of being read and signed!!

Stop Bush's Forest Giveaway

Save the Majestic Bison

Support Clean Water

Amnesty

2008-03-21T11:17:00.000-05:00

Amnesty needs our help. Please read and sign the petitions below to help with worthy causes:

Urge President Bush to Publicly Call for Release & Reinstatement of the Pakistani Supreme Court

Call for an Olympic Year of Freedom of Expression in China

Protect the Rights of Trafficked Women in Greece

Stand Up for Rights in Darfur

Stop Military Contractors Who Torture and Kill

End Racial Profiling

Demand Macedonia Ensure the Rights of Romani Women and Girls

Take Action Center

2008-03-20T07:06:00.000-05:00

Petitions at the Take Action Center that are in need of being signed....'

Restore a Lost Valley in Yosemite National Park

Emissions Petition: Undo Global Warming

Fossil Fuels YUCK!

2008-03-20T06:19:00.001-05:00

I am not in the mood today to write a serious rant today so here is my silly rant for today:

Simple and clear: We need to get off the fossil fuels as much as possible. I am no expert in this area, just a concern citizen that wants a cleaner, better world. I want alternatives to gas. I want affordable green cars and fuels in our world.

Some say: "What's the big deal besides the *bleeping* gas prices?" Well think about it this way, if we have alternative fuels then that would be in direct competition with Big Oil Companies... that would bring down the cost of gas. One thing that has been lacking is some kind of direct competition with gas/oil companies. Once alternatives 'catch on' and big oil is finally on it's knees then we can have a better world.

You don't have to believe in Global Warming or CO2 problems to want a cleaner alternative to fossil fuels. I think the famous Los Angeles Smog is a pretty good example of how the fossil fuels 'clogs' the air we breath. YUCK!

I'm sick and tired of signing petitions to rid us of the dirty oil and hearing all the complaints about the high cost of fuel. Wake up World and get off the gas!!

Real information can be found at the following websites:

Global Exchange

Rainforest Action Network

The Ruckus Society

Global Oil Crisis

Exxpose Exxon

Sierra Club

2008-03-18T08:49:00.000-05:00

Petitions from the Sierra Club. Please read and sign.

Tell Congress to Protect the Polar Bear

It Takes 2: Be a Part of the 2% Solution

Chill The Drills

Fight Logging Road Subsidies

Help Destructive Off-Road Vehicle Abuse

Protect America's Rainforests

Protect America's Wild Legacy

Grey Wolf Protections Prematurely Lifted

Protect Giant Sequoias from Logging

Protect Utah Wilderness

Protect the Grizzly's Habitat

Reinstate the Grizzly

Save Our Salmon

Save Teshekpuk Lake

Stop Attacks on the Endangered Species Act

Wilderness Revival

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Petition

The Sportsman's Pledge

Ask Your Senators to Vote for Clean Cars

Tell Your Representatives to Protect the States' Rights to Clean Cars

Fight Global Warming - Oppose Liquid Coal

Tell Congress to Support a Legislation to Stop Global Warming

Support Legislation to Stop Global Warming

Say NO to Outdated Dirty Energy

Urge Your Senators to Extend Clean Energy Tax Incentives

We Want Clean Cars

Help Families Around the World

Stand Up for the Global Poverty Act

Support Global Justice for All

Protect Appalachia's Mountains and Streams from Destruction

Protect Children from Dangerous Toys

Protect Clean Water

Panasonic is Giving Back

2008-03-16T07:24:00.000-05:00

Panasonic is giving back

For those unaware, Panasonic is donating 5% of every purchase made on PanasonicDirect.com to the Nature Conservancy, Nation Recycling Coalition and World Resources Institution. Now we can all feel better about buying from Panasonic.

Please also visit their Panasonic Ideas for Life environmental area for money saving tips, the environment, recycling and more.

Garbage Rant

2008-03-15T10:33:00.001-05:00

Some people need to invest in these! Garbage
Cans and Recycling Bins.

Pollution is everywhere. We have very few places on Earth left that isn't polluted. Just looking around in my own area I find the water ways, streets, parks, beaches and even homes polluted with peoples trash. Why can't people find a trash can to throw things away? I hate a litter bug. These people don't care about cleanliness - and I'd hate to see their homes! I'm sick, sick, SICK of it. Lazy people - find a trash can to throw away that burger wrapper!

One of the most disgusting things I have ever seen was on highway 65. I was driving South from Little Rock and to my surprise some dumb a$$ decided to throw a 'crap load' of dirty baby diapers all over the highway. Unbelievable! What did they do save the last months worth of soiled diapers from their child and then dumb them on the highway? That was a time I wish I had a camera - at least one on my cell phone to show everyone just how many diapers was on the highway.

I can't even go to the river or a lake with out finding some type of trash on the ground. I am also sick of fisherman that leave unwanted catches and guts from their cleaned fish on the ground for others to smell. I'm sick of seeing bottled water and coke cans littering up the areas. FIND A TRASH CAN!

I hate to see a neighbors yard where they publicly display their trash in their yards. Your not going to fix that old bike, old washer, or that old fan then find a recycling center to take it away! Junky yards are horrible - what's worse are those a$$holes that will drive by and dumb trash in beautiful lawns. This makes me so angry.

I have a bad habit of smoking cigarettes - yes I know I need to quit - but don't add me with the long list of those that throw their butts on the ground. I hate to find smokers that can clearly see the public ashtray and will not use it. I hate those that dump their ashtray from the from their cars into a public parking lot or elsewhere. I hate smokers that throw their butts out the window instead of using an ashtray in their vehicles. STOP IT!

Volunteer groups will go out to clean up trashy places and they shouldn't have to. I'm sure these people would rather volunteer their time doing other things that are important. When trashy people throw out their trash they are not only hurting the environment but wasting the times of volunteer groups.... and let's not for get the states that have to pay people to pick up trash in the public area like highways and parks: that's wasting taxpayer dollars!!

I have not one bit of love for the trashy types.... I know some personally. The more I try to explain it to them, the more they trash up the environment as a way of 'getting even' with me. What idiots. That's okay, one day they will be caught by the police or park ranger and will have to pay a hefty fine!! LOL. And lets not forget they are also making themselves look bad for being trashy, a litter bug and for being an idiot!

IFAW

2008-03-14T05:15:00.000-05:00

Petitions from IFAW: Please read before signing.

Act Now To Protect the Polar Bears

Ask Congress to Stop Ships from Killing Endangered Right Whales

Help Stop Whaling: Japan in Antarctica

Say NO to Caribbean Whaling

Keep the Big Cats Wild

Help the Elephants in South Africa's Kruger National Park

Stop the Whaling in Japan

Stop Whaling in Norway

NRDC

2008-03-13T16:45:00.000-05:00

Please Read and Sign these Petitions at NRDC

Tell the Bush Administration to Drop Plans for New Nuclear Weapons

Urge Your Senators to Ratify the Law of the Sea Treaty

Speak Out to Create a Protected Ocean Legacy for California

Urge Your Senators to Strengthen a Landmark Global Warming Bill

Tell Congress to say "NO" to the Liquid Coal Industry

Urge Your Senators to Make Sure the New Farm Bill Protects the Environment

Urge Congress to Clean Up Our Beaches

Urge Your Representative to Co-sponsor an Important Ocean Protection Bill

Urge the Navy to Stop Harming Whales with High-Intensity Sonar

National Wildlife Federation

2008-03-12T15:33:00.000-05:00

Petitions from the Nation Wildlife Federation: Please Read and Sign!

Stop Congress from Plowing Over Wildlife in the Final Farm Bill

Protect Public Lands from an Outdated Mining Law

Put Polar Bears Before Big Oil

Protect Florida Everglades from Development

Ask Your Senators to Support the Climate Security Act

Please sign the Good Neighbor Pledge at the Nation Wildlife Federation: Here

Environmental Action

2008-03-12T15:12:00.000-05:00

Environmental Action has some petitions that is urgent need of being signed.

Ask ConocoPhillips not to drill in polar bear habitat

America's Energy Nightmare

End Mercury Pollution

Fight Mountain Top Removal Mining

It's Time to Double the Standard

Fight Offshore Oil Drilling

Meredith Medland - Living Green

2008-03-11T07:07:00.000-05:00

Meredith interviews people about living green on the beach in Santa Barbara, CA.

http://personallifemedia.com/podcasts/224-living-green

http://www.3outcomes.com/

Permaculture & Peak Oil: Beyond 'Sustainability'

2008-03-09T04:49:00.000-05:00

David Holmgren is co-originator (with Bill Mollison) of the permaculture concept and author of the recent book, PERMACULTURE: Principles and Pathways Beyond Sustainability. He talks about the need to move beyond the lulling hope that 'green tech' breakthroughs will allow world-wide 'sustainable consumption' to the recognition that dwindling oil supplies inevitably mean a mandatory 'energy descent' for human civilization across the planet. He argues that permaculture principles provide the best guide to a peaceful societal 'powering down."

Permaculture designer David Arnold

2008-03-08T02:54:00.000-06:00

Australian Permaculture designer David Arnold shares his vision for his permaculture subdivision - Murrnong:

Thanks to Groovy Green for this.

Eco-Friendliness

2008-03-07T09:09:00.001-06:00

20 Simple ideas to help save the environment and save you money in the long run:

1. Turn off the lights when not using them. Add night lights in important areas of your home for vision like the bathroom, kitchen and hallways if you need them. It's also adds a bit of a romantic atmosphere when the lights are off, my spice up your love life while saving money and the environment.

2. Don't wash clothes unless you have a full load. Use cold water for washing your clothes that will save you money on your gas or electric bill and help the environment.

3. Always turn on the dishwasher when you have a full load - don't wash a small load in the dishwasher. If you handwash your dishes, a larger load is better to wash at once to save on the water bill. Some recommend using cold water to wash dishes - but I disagree. Hot water is much better at killing germ and ridding the dishes of grease.

4. Wash dishes and clothes in the cool hours of the morning or evening. It will keep your house from heating up during the hot part of the day and saving you money on your cooling bills. This reduces the load on your air conditioner in the summer, and actually helps heat the house in the winter.

5. If you drink water please don't use bottled water. You are better off investing in a good travel mug to refill your cup. Bottled water is no healthier than tap water according the latest studies from many environmental groups. If you are thirst, stop by that convince store and purchase ice and fill your travel mug. [Some places do not charge for the ice and/or water]. Please read the 5 Reasons Not to Drink Bottled Water at Lighter Footsteps for more information.

6. Turn off the water when brushing your teeth. It wastes up to 2 gallons of water when standing their with the tap running and simply unnecessary to have the water running.

7. Turn off any appliances that are not in use. I know too many people that will not turn off a TV and go outside to do 'other things' - this simply wastes electricity and money while hurting the environment.

8. Make sure the doors and windows are closed when running the air conditioner or heater. Bump your thermostat up 2 or 3 degrees in the summer and down 2 or 3 degrees in the winter - you'll be surprised that it will not make a lot of difference to the room temperature but will save you money on your bill.

9. Turn your thermostat down a bit on your hot water heater. You don't need it scalding hot while needing to turn on the cold water to regulate it. Simply turn down the thermostat.

10. Curb your spending habits! The more you buy the more waste is produced. Try to live as humbly and simply as possible.

11. Energy efficient light bulbs. Use them.

12. Take shorter showers or use less water in your bath. Install an energy efficient [water saving] shower heads.

13. Eat left overs instead of throwing them away. If you do not like leftovers then do not cook as much at one time.

14. Reuse and Recycle please. That jar of jelly can be reused to store other things and your old butter bowl makes a great container for those leftovers. It doesn't take that long to separate your garbage and recyclables.

15. Find any drafts in your home and fix them. Break out that caulk gun and weather stripping! It may seem like an out of pocket expense to 'plug up the holes' but you are already spending extra money every month in heating/cooling bills.

16. In the summer, keep drapes and curtains closed on the sunny side of the house. In the winter, open those drapes and curtains on sunny days to take advantage of the sun's heating power. Close all drapes, blinds or shades at night in winter to make use of their insulating properties

17. Electric cooktops are energy drains - gas is cheaper if you are able to switch over. Use the appropriate burner for your pan size. Also, flat bottom pots make better contact and conduct heat from the elements more efficiently than pots with warped or rounded bottoms.

18. Use an exhaust fan to pull excess heat and humidity out of the kitchen and bathroom in the summer. Be aware, however, that exhaust fans can rapidly pull the heat from your house in the winter.

19. Use ceiling fans. They can save energy in both the summer and winter. In the summer, fan blades should revolve in a counterclockwise direction. Since moving air feels cooler, using ceiling fans in the summer allows you to raise the thermostat temperature, reducing the workload of your air conditioner. Air conditioners use considerably more energy than ceiling fans. In winter months, set your ceiling fan at its slowest speed and reverse it in order to gently push warm air down from the ceiling without generating a breeze.

20. Take advantage of the 'free' air conditioning during the spring and early autumn. Turn off the air conditioner or heater and open the windows. It's healthy to air out the house and will save money, energy and the environment.

Helping the World

2008-03-06T10:39:00.002-06:00

One of the best ideas to shop for your home, yourself, a loved one or for a friend is to give the gift that keeps on giving. By shopping at any one of the below links you will help with many different charity causes from animals and the rainforest to feeding the hungry or for breast cancer research. It's a win/win situation. I am on a mission to spread the word. :)

Endangered Species Chocolates

Rainforest Site

Animal Rescue

Literacy Site

Child Heath

Breast Cancer

Hunger Site

Gaiam

Green Mountain Coffee

Care2 Shopping

Charity Mall

Red JellyFish

Shop for Charity

Etsy

Pink Ribbon Store

Museum Shop

IGive

Please feel free to add to this list.

Union of Concerned Scientists

2008-03-04T15:54:00.000-06:00

Petitions from the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Urge Administration to Ban All Nuclear Weapons

Stop Aquatic Invasives Now

Give the EPA the "Communication and Transparency" They Are Asking For

Help Improve the Promising Climate Bill

States Must Be Allowed to Reduce Global Warming from Vehicle Emissions

Time for BioEnergy to Get Smart

Farm Share Goes Large Scale with Food Recylcing

2008-03-03T07:55:00.000-06:00

Below was taken from the Farm Share website:

Did you know that half of every crop harvested is thrown away?

If a farmer grows 100,000 pounds of tomatoes, usually about half of them (50,000 lbs) must be thrown away. This is because if a tomato is slightly misshapen, discolored, too small (or too big), or blemished in any way, it will not meet the consumer demand for a "perfect" tomato and will therefore be rejected. This is true for many fruit and vegetable crops. To prevent trucks of produce from being rejected, crops are "culled" (hand sorted) after they are picked. About half goes into the truck on its way to the store. The other half goes into the truck going to the dump, or destined to be plowed under and sprayed with insecticide. The food being thrown away is not rotten or bad in any way.

This problem is no one's "fault", and is certainly not the farmer's doing. No farmer enjoys throwing away half the fruits of his or her labor. However, day in and day out we end up feeding our landfills instead of our hungry. Thankfully, there is a solution to this dilemma. Instead of dumping, farmers can now donate this food to Farm Share!

Utilizing inmate labor and volunteers, Farm Share re-sorts and packages this abundance of surplus food and distributes it to individuals, soup kitchens, homeless shelters, churches, and other organizations feeding the hungry in Florida at no charge. This important distinction makes Farm Share critical to smaller agencies located in poorer rural areas that cannot afford to pay for food. By tapping into this near limitless supply of donated produce, Farm Share keeps its costs low, while providing fresh nutritious fruits and vegetables to the hunger distressed.

Farm Share provides food to hundreds of non-profit organizations that serve more than 7,000,000 meals monthly reaching more than 2,500,000 families each year. More than 15,000,000 pounds of fresh and nutritious fruits and vegetables are shipped each year to participating agencies throughout the Eastern seaboard. Farm Share also directly distributes food to more than 4,000 registered local households -- composed of migrant workers, single mothers, elderly, disabled and other low income recipients -- directly from our packing house. Very few organizations distribute to so many individuals and organizations.

When You Support Farm Share...

* You Support Our Environment -- Surplus produce that doesn't go to Farm Share goes into our landfills or is plowed under and sprayed with pesticides as required by law.

* You DON'T Support Waste -- By using surplus produce to feed those in need in Florida, Farm Share keeps that food from going to waste. You are also providing food to those in need at the most affordable cost possible.

* You Support Efficiency -- Farm Share operates at an amazing 1.3% administration cost. No State money goes to upper level administration in ANY shape or form. Farm Share utilizes inmate labor and volunteers to get the job done.

* You Support Health and Nutrition -- By adding fresh produce to the USDA commodities that Farm Share distributes, our recipients get the added health benefits that canned and frozen foods just can't provide.

* You Support Grass Roots -- Most of the soup kitchens, homeless shelters, food banks, churches, and agencies that Farm Share gives food to are truly "grass roots" organizations run by volunteers. They have little to no money to spend on food. They cannot afford to pay the "shared maintenance fees" (calculated by the pound) charged by many agencies to help defray the costs of administration and transportation. Groups that charge by the pound for the food they distribute are not as reliant on State funds and private donors as Farm Share as much of their costs are passed on to their recipient agencies.

* You Support Your Local Charities -- Farm Share distributes to over 650 agencies throughout all 67 counties in Florida. Farm Share never charges these agencies for food in ANY way.

* You Support Our Farmers -- Farmers who donate their surplus produce to Farm Share can receive a tax deduction from the IRS. They also don't have to pay the dumping fees to send it to the landfill or the cost of plowing it under and spraying it with pesticides.

* You Support Our Elderly -- Over 70% of the USDA commodities distributed in Florida go to our elderly population. Farm Share distributed 2.6 million pounds of USDA commodities in Florida last year alone.

Did you know that most food donated in large food drives is not given away for free to organizations distributing your donation to the hungry?

The difference between Farm Share and other groups is …

* Farm Share distributes food at no charge and without fees of any kind, to end recipients or to agencies such as soup kitchens, homeless shelters, food banks, churches, etc. Many large groups collect food donations from the public and charge a per-pound "shared maintenance fee" to your local church, soup kitchen, etc. for this food. These fees add up to hundreds of thousands (sometimes millions) of dollars per year. If the agency cannot afford the shared maintenance fees, they do not get the food. Smaller grass roots agencies that cannot afford the shared maintenance fees get left out in the cold. Farm Share gives food to our recipient agencies without fees of any kind.

* Farm Share operates the only charitable produce packinghouse in the Eastern United States. This means that while most groups focus on canned and processed food donations, our mission remains focused on re-packing fresh nutritious fruits and vegetables that would otherwise be thrown away. It costs more to handle this kind of food, but fresh produce is simply more nutritious than canned, and there is a nearly unlimited supply of it being thrown out every year. Farm Share receives food in bulk and has the resources to sort, pack, store and ship tractor trailer loads of fresh food.

* Farm Share has a public/private partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (which provides a warehouse facility, support staff, equipment, services, and State oversight) and with the Florida Department of Corrections (which provides up to 29 inmates and 2 corrections officers daily for sorting, packing and distributing donated food).

* Farm Share's administrative costs are kept surprisingly low because of our basic mission philosophy of recovering food that would otherwise go to waste. Through partnerships with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Florida Department of Corrections, Farm Share saves money on warehousing and labor. Farm Share is located at several of the State Farmers Markets in Florida. The headquarters, a 53,000 square foot packinghouse, is located at the Florida City State Farmers Market (in the heart of Miami-Dade County's agricultural area). This provides easy access to produce farmers, packers, brokers and wholesalers who freely donate fresh fruits and vegetables, saving money on transportation costs. By utilizing the supply of bulk produce donations (42,000 lbs at a time) from Florida farmers, Farm Share does not need to spend money on soliciting and collecting individual donations from hundreds or thousands of donation sites.

* Farm Share has the capacity to store more than 12 tractor-trailer loads of refrigerated foods and 7 tractor-trailer loads of frozen foods as well as dozens of tractor trailer loads of dry foods.

Visit www.farmshare.org for more details.

Save Our Enviornment

2008-03-02T16:32:00.000-06:00

Important petitions to sign at Save Our Environment. As always, please read the petition before signing it. If you are unsure about an issue please research it before signing.

Urge your Governor to stand up for states' rights to fight global warming

Make Clean Wind Power Happen

No Dirty Coal-Fired Power Plant in Meigs County

Save Our Wild Salmon

Say NO to Liquid Coal

Stop Over Fishing

Keep Our Water Clean

States Must Be Allowed to Reduce Global Warming Pollution from Vehicles

Friends of the Earth

2008-03-01T09:02:00.008-06:00

Friends of the Earth have several petitions that are urgently needing more signatures. Please look these over careful before signing. Thank you.

Stop Firestone's abuse of Liberia and her people

Get Toxic Chemicals out of Cosmetics

Global Warming - Put a Cap on it

Make Amtrak part of our energy-efficient transportation future

Keep the Amazon rainforest off the chopping block

Demand that Ford make Fuel Efficiency its Number One Priority

Another Petition that is linked to several places including FOE [Friends of the Earth]:

Tell ExxonMobile's New CEO to Change Course

Search Engines for the Planet

2008-02-28T10:22:00.001-06:00

Search Engines that raise money for charities seems to be growing in popularity. I do enjoy using them to help raise money for my favorite causes. Below is a small list and my favorite Charity Search Engines. Every search counts and helps. The more we can get others to join in, the more money can be raised to help worthy causes.

Charity Cafe is powered by Ask.com with 100% of the profits collected going to Greenpeace, WWF and Oxfam.

GoodSearch is powered by Yahoo! Search and donates 50% of all profits to various charities and schools. One of the best things about GoodSearch is that you can pick and choose the charity or school you would like to donate to if they are listed with GoodSearch.

GoodTree is powered by Yahoo! and MSN. GoodTree allows you to pick and choose your charity that is listed with them. I do not know how much of the money generated goes to charity.

GreenSearch is powered by Google. Currently GreenSearch is raising money for Rainforest Alliance but does not state how much of the profit goes to charity.

Goo [also called green goo] is a Japanese search engine that is powered by Google. Most all of the websites on Goo are in Japanese. I use a translator like Babel Fish to help me read the web pages. 15% of the profits goes to KEEP to help plant trees.

Lookle is an Australian search engine that is partnered with Yahoo! Search. Various different charities, hospitals, schools etc are helped. It is unclear how much of the profits goes to helping organizations.

Magic Taxi is teamed up with Yahoo! Search and give 50% of the profits to various charities.

Ripple works with Google to give 100% of the profits to Water Aid, Grameen, Oxfam and Oaktree.

Search and Give is powered by LiveSearch. Pick your charity to raise money for. I am unsure how much of the money raised goes to charity.

SearchGive generates about $0.01 per search. They will give to various charities when you reach $25. They are an independent search engine.

SearchKindly is powered by Google and donates to various charities. 1/3 of a cent is raised with every search.

Clicks4Cancer is powered by Yahoo! Search. It works when you click on an advertiser's link and make a purchase. Clicks4Cancer collections commissions and donates 70% of the profits to several different organizations for cancer.

ClicksCount [also called Click for a Cause] is powered by Widows Live Search. It works similar to Clicks4Cancer and gives to NSPPC. I have no information on how much of the profits that ClicksCount actually donates to the NSPPC.

EveryClick is powered by Ask.com and gives 50% of its revenue to charity every month. The UK engine gives to a wide variety of charities.

2 Energy Saving Search Engines: Please be aware that your monitor makes a world of difference when trying to conserve energy.

Blackle claims to be powered by Google and claims that being black saves on energy. You can read more about this at: How is Blackle saving energy?, Black Google Saves Energy, Wikipedia: Blackle.com
and other places if you just 'Google' for Blackle.

The Green Spider is another Google powered search engine that states you can save energy while searching with it. It seems to be a spin-off of Blackle but allowing you to choose different color backgrounds. More about how this green web weaver works at The Green Spider: The Theroy.

*Note: Please do research on Blackle and Green Spider: You'll find they do not live up to their claims.

Footprints Calculators

2008-02-26T14:54:00.000-06:00

If you are interested in calculating your footprints or carbon emissions I have a small list of websites that can help.

EcologyFund Footprints Calculator

Environmental Defense Paper Calculator

Carbon Diet Calculator

Native Energy CO2 Emissions Calculator

Nature Conservancy Carbon Footprint Calculator

Be Green Carbon Calculator

Zero Footprint Calculator

Earth Day Footprint Calculator

TerraPass Footprint Calculator

Yahoo! Green Carbon Footprint Calculator

WWF Footprint Calculator

The Carbon Account Calculator

Carbon Footprint Calculator

EPA Personal Emissions Calculator

Climate Crisis Calculator

Carbon Zero Calculator

Free E-Cards to Save the Planet

2008-02-25T11:34:00.000-06:00

I know of three websites that will donate money to help with charity causes by sending a free e-card to a friend or family member. The more e-cards you send, the more money is raised to help save the planet.

Rainforest Site E-Cards

Care2 E-Cards

Red Jellyfish E-Cards

Bird Habitat E-Cards

If anyone can help to add to this free e-card list it would greatly help.

Free Email to Save the Amazon Rainforest

2008-02-24T16:18:00.000-06:00

There are several companies offering free web based email accounts (like Hotmail and Yahoo!), but only few which donate a portion of their revenue to charity. So far I have found three of these:

Planet-Save

EcologyFund

Care2

The biggest advantage of using Planet-Save or Care2 instead of Hotmail is the amount of junkmail you are going to get. Even if you never tell anyone about your Hotmail account, you will soon start receiving junkmail and lots of it. With Planet-Save you will be getting significantly less junkmail if at all.

In addition to receiving less junkmail there are other benefits as well. For example you don't need to login every 30 days to keep your Planet-Save account active (like you do with Hotmail). For a simple comparison see the chart below. The chart refers to the free email service offered by each and Hotmail is included only as a comparison (using Hotmail does NOT create donations).

Resource: http://www.easydonations.net/email.htm

The above was taken from the Easy Donations Website and provides great information about how the email charity system works. I have found another site that provides free email services and donates to help save the rainforest: WildGlobe.com. You can sign up for free to receive your @wildglobe.com email.

About WildGlobe:
WildGlobe is a leading environmental portal site on the Internet. The site was created by the founders of CharityMall and EcologyFund, which together raise funds through the Internet for more than 2,000 charities and their projects.

Also note that the EcologyFund webmail does not use pop-ups anymore. Their email system is up to date and great to use. Your new email with EcologyFund will be @ecologyfund.net

One more to note is Bird Habitat. Your new email will be @conservebirdhabitat.com. All proceeds go to The Nature Conservancy's Adopt-an-Acre Program.

It's Free to Give

2008-02-23T15:12:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my new blog. If you find time please check out the websites I have linked to this blog. I have linked to some of my favorite Websites and Weblogs.

I also urge you to please visit the Free: Click or Play to Donate Sites I have linked. It only takes a few minutes a day to click daily at these sites; in doing so, you will help to donate to eliminate hunger, violence, abuse, destruction and more.

The Free Rice and Free Flour sites are not for clicking once a day but instead you play a fun quiz game to help feed the hungry, there is no limit on how much you can give per day with these two sites. I find them very addicting.

One more play to help is The Experience Project. You can switch to play for cats or dogs. It's another addicting and fun learning game while helping to feed animals. The more you play, the more is donated.

You will also notice two more notable sites in my Free: Click or Play to Donate area For Trees and Race to Share. For Trees is a site that you can leave a message on the Ecotonoha tree; for every 100 messages on the tree a real tree will be planted - note: only one leaf per day.

The Race to Share site is a great site for helping the hungry. For every story you share Country Crock will donate to help end hunger through America's Second Harvest.

It's all about helping, and any time that you can help someone, go out and do it because it makes you feel better. It makes you a better person. ~Kim Perrot