Have a Better Life

Explaining Earth Day to kids might be complicated for several people. Here is a video explaining in a very simple, easy, funny and entertaining way what is Earth Day. This is a video maybe with children and for children. Very interesting.

Here is a very simple video that mentions 10 ways to Go Green.

Image via Wikipedia

Almost every day the media are reminding us about the need to take a greener outlook and how important it is to take positive action to slow down the effects of climate change. Many of the steps we can take can help the environment and save us money. Our grandchildren – and their children – will thank us for living more sustainably, and our wallets will thank us, too. Here are some useful tips to help make those changes.

Save energy and save money at the same time

• Set your thermostat a few degrees lower than you normally do in winter. Less energy will be needed to heat your home as a result. Turn off the heat while you are away, or set the thermostat even lower if you don’t want to turn it off. This will lower the heating bills and maintain a suitable temperature in the house.
• Install compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) when your older incandescent bulbs burn out.
• Use a smart power strip that senses when appliances are off and cuts hidden energy use.
• Make sure energy is not leaking through the windows. Check the windows and doors to ensure they are completely sealed and there is no space under the doors. The windows should be sealed with caulk so the cold air can’t come in.
• Replace regular windows with double-paned models which enhances warm temperatures in the house during the cool months of the year.

Save Water

• Replace your showerhead with a low-flow showerhead. They are inexpensive, and the water and energy savings can quickly pay back your investment.
• Ensure you have a faucet aerator on each faucet. These inexpensive devices conserve heat and water, while keeping water pressure high.
• Plant drought-tolerant plants in your garden. Lots of plants need minimal watering. Grow those which flower to add color and variety.

Less Gas, More Money

• Leave your vehicle at home and walk or bike to work. This will not only save on gas and parking costs, but improve your cardiovascular health and reduce your risk of obesity.
• Carpooling is a great way to cut the cost of gas and reduce carbon emissions.
• Buy a hybrid vehicle. Cars like the Toyota Prius have lower emissions and higher fuel mileage than regular vehicles.
• Lobby local government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes. These improvements can pay huge dividends in bettering the health of your local community and reduce traffic.

Think about what you eat

• Add one meatless meal a week if you eat meat. Meat is expensive, particularly when you factor in the related environmental and health costs.
• Buy local produce whenever you can. Purchasing from local farmers not only keeps money in the local economy but reduces carbon emissions. The nearer the source, the lower its impact.
• Avoid bottled water
• Purify tap water with a filter instead of buying bottled water. You’ll save money and reduce container waste.
• Take a reusable water container to work or on family outings.
• Borrow, don’t buy
• Get to know your neighbors and share power tools with them.
•  Borrow books and movies from libraries to save on money and the printing costs needed to produce more books.

Buy Smart

• Buying in bulk saves money and reduces carbon emissions. Fewer trips to the store means less gas.
• Buy clothes that don’t need to be dry-cleaned. This will save money and reduce toxic chemical usage.
•  Invest in high quality clothes which last a long time. You will spend less as a result and cut down on waste.

Guest post by environmental writer Samantha Harvey on behalf of General Waste Collection.

Have you noticed that lately many vertical gardens have appear on the internet? Most of those gardens are made of pet bottles. They are very easy to make and little material is needed. Besides reusing the pet bottles you might need some strings, nails and maybe some flanges.

Here are two examples:

There are a lot of things that we can do with pet bottles but these gardens are amazing. They prove that PET bottles can be effectively reused.

I’ve been doing composting for quite some time, almost four year to be exactly. I must confess that I’m amazed with the amount of items I have been throwing inside for all that time and how the composting just makes it go away.

I have a big, fixed composting bin which I manually mix. If it was today I would try to get a spin bin compost tumbler which is much easier to handle.

With a spin bin you are able to mix the compost by just turning around the tumbler on its own support. This is great to keep the compost aerated, the items mixed and once it is not standing on the floor it keeps predators away.

What kind of compost bin do you use?

I just read an interesting article in a Brazilian blog  about using PET bottles to build a vertical vegetable garden.

Reusing PET bottles is very important since there are so many available and it is hard to recycle them. Getting ideas to reuse them is very important and I found this vertical garden a real good idea.

Here is a photo with the sugestion:

What do you think of the idea?

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Our natural environment is a sacred place that we all need to try and protect. How could we possibly live without it? The current state of the natural world is basically crisis and we need to drastically change the way we live before it is too late. If every person committed to a environmentally friendly lifestyle, then we would be well on our way to prolong the integrity of nature. Here are a few tips on small changes you can start making now so that we can start seeing positive transformations in our future environment.

Use Less Plastic

Image via Wikipedia

The development of plastic has changed how we live our lives, but has not necessarily been good for the health of the environment. The problem is not only that plastic takes forever to decompose in the landfills, but also that the production of the material relies heavily on the polluting oil and gas industry. So what can we as consumers do about it? For starters, consume less plastic! Sometimes it’s unavoidable but more often plastic could easily be omitted from the average lifestyle. Start small, such as using promotional bags, for your groceries instead of plastic or, better yet, use reusable cloth that usually comes in the form of green bags. Make this a part of your lifestyle, as half measures just won’t do.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

We know this line, but for some reason haven’t fully grasped its implications. The primary reason for our environmental problems is simply that we consume too much. Reducing our consumption limits the amount of resources we need to take in the first place, reusing keeps already-produced items out of the landfills and recycling helps old materials become new again to avoid starting from scratch with new resources. Make it a fun challenge for yourself to see how often you can go without buying something new, and know that you can feel good about your efforts.

Take Public Transit

Nowadays, we just can’t get around the fact that we must get from point A to B, whether it is to visit family and friends, to get groceries or to go to work. Taking public transit instead of your own car not only reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and the amount of petrol that is consumed, but it also costs you less in the long run on petrol, parking and car maintenance.

Eat Organic Food

We all need to eat, but that doesn’t mean we all need to eat food that’s bad for our bodies and the environment. The production of organic foods doesn’t use chemicals like the large-scale commercial farming does, resulting in more fertile soil, less polluted waterways and healthier food. To take it a step further, try eating food that is grown locally and is suitable for the climate you live in. Native plants use far less resources to grow and a shorter shipment route means less petrol went into getting the food to your door.

Be Water Smart

On the whole, Australians are very aware when it comes to their water consumption but it could be better. For example watering gardens should be done early in the morning or late at night so that the water doesn’t evaporate before the plants can use it. Growing non-native ornamental plants such as flowers and grass uses water resources that could be better allocated to things like vegetable gardens and fruit trees. Native wildflowers, grasses and herbs will grow just as well without ever having to water them.

If we can all start to make small but permanent changes in our lifestyles, future generations will be thanking us, as they will still have some natural environment left to support them. It’s not too late to start making a difference, but now is the time!