Here are a few ideas…

Some local foods coop asks customers to bring in their excess plastic grocery bags to reuse for the store. It is still using plastic but definitely a low environmental impact option. Some even offer a five cent per bag discount for people who bring their own shopping bags.

From: Jane Reifer
Clutter Control Organizing Services
1-800-CLUTTER

“Of course there are thin cloth bags available (they look sort of like an old-fashioned flour sack), but a solution that’s worked great for us for years, even though I feel funny about it, because they’re actually plastic, too. I agonize about using plastic, and use almost none whatsoever in my life, except for these. We’ve been using the small, brightly colored nylon net bags that you sometimes see for grapes or other fruits. If these are thought of as for re-use only, and not one-time use, I think they may be an acceptable solution. They are really easy to use, really sturdy, won’t rip, squish down to nothing for transport, wash easily between use, and are great for washing the produce while the produce is still in them. If I’m using them for “wet” produce like lettuce, etc., I put them all in an additional cloth bag to prevent serious dripping. I’m not sure how if they could be produced in a sustainable way, as we were always able to get rolls of them from surplus facilities.”

Also check out www.earth-saver.com

They offer very reasonably priced bags/totes under $1.00, and we are running a special now of $0.85 per bag (size 14″x16″) in 10 Oz cotton.

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Thought this article had some helpful info in it. It’s something many people contend with while trying to effect change…

Renting can be frustrating when you want to go green. There are a lot of things you just don’t have control over. You generally don’t own the appliances, can’t install solar panels, etc. It gets annoying sometimes.

I deal with this a lot as I do still rent. We’re fortunate enough to be renting a house rather than an apartment, but there are still a lot of limitations.

Start By Saving Energy

Even when you can’t replace that cranky old refrigerator, you can still save energy. Start with the light bulbs. Switch out to compact fluorescent lights, or CFLs. In many areas you can find them at a discount through your local electric company. I’ve seen them under $2.50 for a 3-pack in my area due to discounts run through my power company. Take advantage.

There is one catch to CFLs if you have a lot of closed fixtures. The standard spiral bulbs don’t work as well in closed fixtures. According to energystar.gov, you are best off using a reflector CFL in these areas. Similarly, if you have dimmer switches, you will want to be sure that your bulbs will work with these.

Also try to find out about recycling these, as they have a small amount of mercury and should not be just thrown in the trash. In my area Kohl’s recycles them.

You should also think more about when you are using electricity. Power down the computer if you won’t be using it for a time. Unplug appliances that don’t need to be plugged in all the time. Unplug the cell phone charger and other chargers.

Power strips can also be a big help. Use them to shut off all power to multiple items at once. This takes care of the “phantom load” that many electrical items have where they use electricity even when off. Often this is to run a clock or other nonessential. If you don’t need it to have electricity 24/7, find a way to make shutting it off all the way easy.

Watch for Green Apartments

You may not be able to move into one right now, but in some areas green apartments are turning up. Just a few miles from where I live, there’s a new apartment complex that is powered by solar power. Believe me, I would have loved to get on that list, but by the time I heard of it, the list was full.

I expect green apartments to be a trend. It’s a good value for the landlords and very appealing to many renters.

Encourage Green Habits

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is that you may not have access to many of the basic things homeowners take for granted. For example, recycling may or may not be available in some apartment communities, even if single family homes are required to recycle.

If your complex doesn’t recycle, talk to the rental agents about it. If they learn there is a demand for it, they’re more likely to sign up for recycle bins to be put out by the trash bins.

Being green in a rental situation is more difficult, but it is not impossible. These steps can help you to get onto the right path.

Stephanie Foster blogs at http://www.greensahm.com/ on ways stay at home parents can be more environmentally friendly. Get more tips on green parenting at http://www.greensahm.com/category/green-parenting/

Article Source: Plus Size Lifestyle Articles

Author Stephanie Foster blogs at http://www.greensahm.com/ on ways stay at home parents can be more environmentally friendly.

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Andrew Pelletier, director of corporate affairs for Wal-Mart Canada, says Wal-Mart took up the cause about a year and a half ago. “We believe the business world has a major role to play in helping preserve the environment for future generations, and specifically in reducing the world’s waste and greenhouse gas emissions. Wal-Mart is in a unique position to take a leadership role on environmental sustainability given the scope of our business.”

According to Pelletier, Wal-Mart is testing a range of sustainable features in ‘experiment stores.’ In January, the retail giant opened a store in Kansas City, Mo., that uses 20% less energy than existing stores. He says the company is retrofitting stores across Canada with energy-efficient lighting. “Last summer we reduced all the lighting in our Ontario stores by two-thirds. That meant we were able to reduce our greenhouse gases by several thousand tons of CO₂.” Wal-Mart won’t reveal the details it has planned for March — when it announces its 2007 waste-reduction targets — but Pelletier boasts the company will reduce its waste by “millions of kilograms” this year alone.

From: Canadian Business

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YOU are one among the millions of people in the United States alone who are throwing away their hard earned dollars on their cars when they could have saved all the money.

What am I talking about?

Listen up…

If you drive a vehicle that gets only 13 miles per gallon and you drive 15,000 miles per year, then you are consuming 1,154 gallons of gasoline. At $3 per gallon this equals $3461.50 out of your pocket! Can you imagine that!

But if you join the many happy people that are now using water as well as gas to power their cars this will help you increase your mileage by 35% and you will have saved $897.40 per year. If you are two, three or four drivers in the family, this yearly savings increases dramatically.

And what if you have a fleet of 50 drivers in your company? Then your yearly savings will multiply to $44,870. Much more if you have a large fleet with more drivers.

What can you do with $44,870 in free cash?

This is possible by using water as well as gas to power your car. Incredible? Of course not. Many smart people all around the world are now using it and you can too, if you have all the information at your disposal.

Water for fuel technology is now becoming common and the ease of setting it up yourself, has made it a MUST-have for vehicle owners.

To get started, do your due diligence to find out more about this technology and how you too can save cost from fueling your car with water and gas, instead of 100% gas! Thankfully, on the Internet you can find information for free. But a word of caution: ensure that you don’t depend on any information that tells you that it’s possible to run your car on 100% water. Such technology are not only too expensive but very complicated.

Sustainable Living Articles @ http://www.articlegarden.com

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What do the human body and the planet earth have in common?

Water. If the human body has about two-thirds water, our planet has about 70% of it, which establishes the fact that water constitutes a major portion in both body masses. And that is what’s alarming. If 70% of the earth’s surface is made up of water, then humankind should have been very wary of anything that would pollute this major portion of the planet. Alas, the human race has done otherwise. Water pollution is now a global problem.

Today, water pollution is rampant and the chief source of water pollution is the human race. We are the very ones that need water most and, yet, we have polluted it, even to the brink of extinction.

There are many types of water pollutants but these can be segregated into four classifications: natural, agricultural, municipal and industrial pollutants. Natural water pollutants could include all the natural phenomena that happen from time to time such as volcanic eruptions, earthquakes that cause major upheavals in the ocean floor and storms that cause flashfloods. Even global warming could be qualified as a cause of water pollution.

Agricultural pollution consists mainly of poultry and other agricultural animal wastes that are carelessly thrown off to bodies of water near farms. It could also be the fertilizers or pesticides that are used to make better crops, which erode into lakes, rivers or streams. Municipal wastes are those that come from residential areas. This is the liquid waste that households throw into bodies of water. Industrial pollution consists of all the wastes that major industrial firms chuck into the waters. This last classification is the most severe and most rampant among the three - and it is also the one that has caused the most damage. Industrial waste could include contaminants that are hard to take off from the waters once they spread - petroleum from oil spills or nuclear wastes.

The bodies of water in the world are in catastrophic danger, what with all the industries in the world today, plus our individual wastes all put together! No wonder mankind now drinks from bottles instead of just scooping water from running streams. The effects of water pollution to humanity is staggering. But we should also consider all the other life forms that suffer - the fishes and other animals such as birds, and plants. And what happens when humans eat the very fishes that live in polluted waters? Do you still want that answered?

But where there is life, there is hope. There is something that we can do - you can do - to save the only planet that we have. You could be an advocate, in your own simple way, of retrieving the lost beauty of oceans, lakes, rivers and streams. Here is a list that might get you to consider in fighting water pollution:

1. Primarily, you should prevent water pollution. Just like an illness, it is much simpler to prevent its occurrence rather than to cure. Begin at your own home. Make sure that you conserve water. You can never imagine the water shortages that happen all over the globe. So if you have a constant supply of water at home, use it wisely.
2. Plant trees (if circumstance would allow you). Having more trees or plants in your yard would prevent pollutants from flowing freely into nearby bodies of water. Since they keep the soil from eroding, water pollution or, at least, the quality of the water is improved.
3. Do not throw any form of garbage into any body of water. Sign up for any organization that aims in cleaning up beaches (or lakes, or streams). Be an active member of such organizations.
4. Never throw water pollutants down your sink or toilet bowl. Make sure to dispose wastewater properly. Think of the many septic tanks that contribute to water pollution. Now, ‘get the picture?

Luckily, for all of us, there were concerned lawmakers out there that have made legislations on water pollution. The U.S. alone has several anti-water pollution laws such as the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, The Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974, and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, which was amended in 1988. These laws prevent further damage to U.S. waters.

Although water pollution is an extensive problem, bridling it is still possible. And everything begins with each and every individual in each and every home. And yes, that population includes YOU.

For more information go to: Facts About Water Pollution

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