☆ Ocean Garbage -- an Infographic ☆

Created by: MastersDegree.net

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☆ "The Secret Life of Garbage" ☆

Another info graph I felt worth sharing, because this information is valuable and may encourage greater action. 

I am personally very proud to say that we go through a single almost full black garbage bag a year--that's between two people (and two cats). Even so we're working to reduce that to next to nothing. I'm aware it will take some practice but for now I'm still pretty proud that we have reduced our waste by this much. It is absolutely possible for anyone to do so with a little effort and conscious thinking. We make this possible by…

• Paying attention to packaging and buying things with less or no packaging. 
• Buying in Bulk and reusing our bulk bags. 
• Recycling anything and everything that we can. 
• Composting all our food remains (which, proudly, is usually just veggie and fruit cores and peels). 
• And not over-consuming in general. 

Created by: Business Degree

How much garbage do you go through? Do you recycle? Have a compost? Please consider making some changes, they are really not much work and can make such a huge difference for the world. 

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☮ Be the Change: Idiot's Guide to Being Green #1 ☮

After observing other's horribly ungreen habits, I must admit it makes me want a reality TV show on teaching people easy steps to being green. I am always striving for new ways to be as eco-friendly as I can, and I enjoy sharing those ways with all of you, however, somehow it never occurred to me to start with some basic obvious ones, things that make me cringe because they are so awful for the planet yet sooo easy to fix. 

So here is list... 

p.s. you know I love you and the "idiot's" is really just light-hearted fun...but seriously, these are easy things you should be doing already ;)

#1 of Being Green for Idiots 

☮ 1. Recycle! No matter where you are, it's easier than people make it out to be. Either the super easy blue-bag system that is in effect for most cities these days, go to a depot at the end of the month or so. 

☮ 2. Don't Idle!!! Turn off your damn car! Not only is it illegal (thankfully) now in more and more places but it's an easy two-second move. Idling longer than 10 seconds uses more fuel and produces more CO2 compared to restarting the engine. 

☮ 3. Turn off your lights! If you're not in the room, turn off the light. The worst is those who leave their lights on when they're not even home!!! Why do you do this???!!! It literally takes two seconds to flick off a light switch. Who are you leaving those lights on for anyways??

☮ 4. Turn off the TV! Do you need to leave it on all day? Really, seriously? There's nothing good on anyways. It amazes me that people can leave their TVs on all day long, again, even when they're not home. It's not good for the planet but it's also not good for YOU! All of those electronics send out positive ions (those are the bad ones), sucking away your energy and making you feel "blah."

☮ 5. ReUsable Bags--USe them!! Ditch the plastic IMMEDIATELY! Keep a reusable bag with you at ALL times, never ever opt for using a plastic bag. Ever. All that plastic is ending up in our oceans and wildlife, killing it all. Plus the stuff never decomposes. 

☮ 6. Disposable Plates and Utensils. More plastic waste to go around, for what? A one time use? Biggest waste EVER! Ditch em. Use your own plates and utensils, there is no reason for disposables. And if you absolutely can't go without them (I don't see why you wouldn't :p) then go with eco-friendly ones! 

☮ 7. Have Shorter Showers. Ten minutes should be the longest, if you're spending longer in there it is time to re-evaluate. So much water is wasted, baths especially. Pay attention to your water use! 

☮ 8. Don't leave Water Running! When you're brushing your teeth, washing dishes, or whatever else, please turn off the tap. Start paying attention to how much water you're wasting when you really don't need to be doing so. If you're not immediately using it, turn it off, and don't run it on full-blast either. 

☮ 9. Don't Waste Food! Far too many people throw out food instead of saving left-overs or reusing the left-overs into something else. You should neverrrrr be throwing out food (unless something has gone moldy of course). We forget the true value and environmental effects of that food. Be smart, don't waste it! 

☮ 10. Don't Litter! Just don't do it. It takes no time at all to put trash where it belongs there is NO reason whatsoever to be dumping it anywhere else. Ever! 

More Lists to come soon ;) 

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca

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☮ Eco-fying your Home...☮

Depending on your situation, moving into a new home can be a fabulous time to spice up your Eco-Revolution.

For the Hubby and I, it was an exciting opportunity for us to implement some earth-friendly ideas we'd been wanting to do. We are still a young and adventurous couple and aren't ones to plan out our futures (nothing ever goes as you plan anyways, which is the fun of life) so settling into one place is never for certain. This, renting is still really our only option, but if you are a Home-owner "Greening" your home should be even easier for you with many more opportunities. 

Location, Location:

When searching for our new rental, location was important. We live in a small town and we wanted to be located somewhere that we could walk everywhere and anywhere we needed to go. We found our place and it couldn't be any more central. Two Grocery stores are a two minute walk, our Natural Food Grocery Store and the "downtown" are about ten minutes. The park is across the street. 

When choosing your place, keep in mind what is important to you and look for that. Try to be somewhere where you don't have to drive. Remember, every bit counts! 

Furnishing Your Place:

There is no real need to be buying new furniture, there is so much already out there! 

When we left Edmonton, we sold almost all of our furniture (except for my favorite Bamboo table), so for our new place we had resolved to only buy Second-Hand & have a budget of $100.00. It's amazing how easily this is possible. We were given lots of furniture from Cory's folks, but if you ask around you're sure to find people eager to get rid of some of their own furniture. We also yard-saled a lot and found plenty for a small budget. Sure, our place is a bit mismatched at the moment, but it's easy to spice things up and you can always keep an eye out for things to trade in. An animal-print blanket we kept hides the questionable print of our couch. Pretty brocade fabric trims some of our shelves and our computer desk. If you have paint handy its easy to turn mediocre items into completely new and pretty furniture. It's fun and you won't be using unnecessary energy and materials for the production of new things.   

Energy Efficiency:

There are so many things you can do in your home (again, especially if you Own the place!). 

If you're able, turn down the hot water tank--all that hot water takes a lot of energy to heat and it's always way hotter than you would ever possibly need it to be. 

If your Shower-head isn't low-flow then switch it.

Check your toilet as well. There's a label at the back of the bowl, in front of the tank, telling you how many litres per flush it uses. If you can't afford a new one, or if you're renting, simply put a weighted plastic bottle (such as a litre pop-bottle) in the tank.

If you need a new shower curtain, refrain from purchasing the usual high-toxic plastic ones that end up in the trash anyway. Buy a Hemp or Organic Cotton canvas one. There's plenty online to choose from. Even PEVA vs vinyl is a better choice without horrible toxins leaching out into your lungs. 

Fix any leaks right away! A dripping tap can fill 55 one-litre water bottles a day!

Switch all your light-bulbs to energy efficient (CFL) ones. 

Weather-proof your windows and doors so stop all that cold air getting in and the warm air from getting out. Do this with plastic wrap, tape, or weather-strips.

This is only really possible if you own your home, but if you can, make sure to get energy-efficient Appliances, such as your stove and fridge that suck up more energy than necessary. Look for the energy star labels.

Turn your thermostat down. Even one degree helps! 

********

Got any tips of your own on how to make your Home a Greener place? Comment with your suggestions and what you do to have an eco-friendly home. 

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca   

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