Global Warming 101

Ok, we’ve all heard of the term Global Warming. But do we really understand what it means?

Global warming or climate change means that the Earth is being affected by the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere largely because of man, industry and globalization. Think of the carbon like a thick wooly blanket that keeps the hot air in, making the Earth hotter than it has been in 650,000 years, resulting in shocking images we’ve all been suddenly exposed to – like polar bears clinging onto tiny patches of ice because so much has melted. And have you noticed that there seem to be an awful lot of tropical storms around the world, more violent and more widespread than you remember growing up?

Do you find the picture above as disturbing as I do?

Here are some of the shocking facts, according to the National Geographic:

• Average temperatures have climbed 1.4 degrees Fahrenheit (0.8 degree Celsius) around the world since 1880, much of this in recent decades, according to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies.

• The rate of warming is increasing. The 20th century’s last two decades were the hottest in 400 years and possibly the warmest for several millennia, according to a number of climate studies. And 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 feeling the effects the most. Average temperatures in Alaska, western Canada, and eastern Russia have risen at twice the global average, according to the multinational Arctic Climate Impact Assessment report compiled between 2000 and 2004.

• Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier. Polar bears and indigenous cultures are already suffering from the sea-ice loss.

• Glaciers and mountain snows are rapidly melting—for example, Montana’s Glacier National Park now has only 27 glaciers, versus 150 in 1910. In the Northern Hemisphere, thaws also come a week earlier in spring and freezes begin a week later.

• Coral reefs, which are highly sensitive to small changes in water temperature, suffered the worst bleaching—or die-off in response to stress—ever recorded in 1998, with some areas seeing bleach rates of 70 percent. Experts expect these sorts of events to increase in frequency and intensity in the next 50 years as sea temperatures rise.

• An upsurge in the amount of extreme weather events, such as wildfires and strong tropical storms, is also attributed in part to climate change by some experts.

To become more active and do your bit to stop this, visit Stop Global Warming.

Eco Balls: Save The Earth and Money While Doing Laundry?

One of the most interesting home products I’ve found on the market today are Eco Balls (also called Washballs or Aquaballs). If you have a large family like mine, the amount of laundry soap and energy used by the washing machine is pretty huge, and obviously not good for the environment, as well as our health, especially if you still haven’t switched to (more expensive) non-toxic, earth-friendly brands. As most of the energy used by our washing machine comes from heating, what I’ve done is keep the wash at lower temperatures, but obviously the amount of detergent has always been an issue.
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Holy Wisdom Monastery: Living Green On Earth

They say that heaven is a place on Earth, and for the sisters of the Holy Wisdom Monastery, this might just be true! What is the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the word monastery? I am sure that each one of us will have a different answer, but in all probability, green living is not going to be the top answer.

The sisters at the Holy Wisdom Monastery would prove our perceptions wrong, though. Their priority is to live a green life. Indeed, they consider green living a spiritual calling!

Run by three Benedictine sisters, the monastery aims to establish the most eco-friendly and sustainable building in the United States – no small feat! According to Sister Mary David Walgenbach, “People who know us see it as falling out of our mission. They see it as something they would expect from us. People who don’t know us, who come into the building, are surprised by its elegance and simplicity. And they ask the same question: ‘Why would a small community of women do such a thing?’” But when we talk to them about who we are and why we think it’s important to do this, and, in our day and age, why it’s even more important that our religious people think about caring of the Earth, then they’re very open to that.”

Their building is up and running and holds the distinction of getting 63 out of 69 points from the U.S. Green Building Council. I think heaven’s on their side!

Going Out, Being Green

This week has been one heck of a social ride for yours truly. A friend works on events production on the side, and this week is one of his biggest productions yet. A well known name in the local indie music scene, he organized a festival featuring various indie bands from the region. Hence, every night since Wednesday, I found myself going out, traipsing around the metropolis.

More than the music and the fun, the experience has highlighted some green practices in my mind. Since I walk to work, I never really appreciated the idea of car pooling. This practice is one of the most preached axioms in green living. Fuel consumption is reduced, carbon emissions decreased. If you do not go out much, try going out on a Friday night and you just might be surprised at how many cars are out there! Worse, many of them have only one or two passengers. This week, we car pooled like never before. The advantages?

1. We saved money on gas and/or cab fare.
2. We spent time together on the road, and it was fun!
3. We contributed to the cause for the environment.

Another thing about going out at night is the trash. I couldn’t help but notice that the place around the bar is littered with cigarette butts. Smoking in itself does not really help the air quality, but do you really have to throw your butts wherever when there are trash cans or ashtrays around the place?

Think about it – going out is so much fun but it doesn’t mean that we should totally overlook the environmental aspect.

NBA Green Week

Who says that the NBA is only all about basketball? We have all heard about the community-centered activities that the league has been involved in over the years. It will not be left behind when it comes to speaking out for the environment.

It’s over, but it is something worth taking note of. Promotions were carried out during the April 2 and April 9 games of the San Antonio Spurs (yeah, you got a die hard Spurs fan here). Dubbed Green Nights, fans were treated to various delights such as coupons for ENERGY star qualified light bulbs, exhibits of Toyota hybrid cars, and others.

The Spurs also provide “fantastic green tips” in their media center. Here are some of the most practical ones:

Car pool. One trip a year saves money. Talk to people at work, see if you’re going the same way. Go to eRideShare and enter your zip to find people to carpool with. – It’s a great way to make new friends, too!

Ride your bike. Gotta run to the store? Ride instead. Remember, any amount you don’t drive saves. – I love this. Not only do you get to save on fuel, but you also get some exercise.

Get fuel when it’s cool. If you refuel at midday in August, small amounts of the gas are more likely to escape. It all adds up.- Fuel up at night!

Telecommute. If you can, work from home once a month. You’ll save time and money. – More and more companies are offering this option. It will not hurt to ask!

Green Living Expo 2010 In Florida

Are you an expo junkie? If so, then this blog post is for you. If not, then I strongly encourage you to at least take a look and see what doors might open up. On May 8 this year, the 2010 Green Living Expo will be held at Riversprings Middle School, 800 Spring Creek Highway, in Crawfordville, Florida. Not much more needs to be said about the focus of this activity – you’re going to have all the green living that you could ever want!

There will be seminars and workshops, among other things:

• Children’s Activities
• Educational Workshops
• Farmers Market
• Food Vendors
• Exhibitors
• Entertainment
• Raffles

Did you notice that first item? I think that was the first thing that caught my attention. I think that green living is all about education and information – something that starts when you are young. I am convinced that if the adults of today were raised with an awareness of the impact of their activities on their surroundings, green living would be a much wider movement. With children being included in this exposition, I think that the positive effects of the activity will be larger and wider than others. Whoever thought about holding this expo with activities geared towards schoolchildren should be lauded!

Here’s another great piece of news – admission to the expo is FREE! Of course, some of the workshops may have a registration fee for the materials, but that’s probably nominal. If you find yourself in this part of the world in May, why not drop by?

Have An Environment-Friendly Easter

Easter is coming up, and while not everyone celebrates this holiday, I am sure a fair number of you guys do something for Easter. Whatever your reason for celebrating Easter, you will probably be conducting an Easter egg hunt or some other activity. Have you thought about making your celebrations as environment-friendly as you can? Here are some things that you can put into practice.

For your Easter egg hunt, if you can afford it, why not go organic? Organic eggs will definitely be more expensive than “ordinary” ones but if you really want to make every little bit of difference, then going organic is great. You can also choose to use free-range or free-farmed eggs. Of course, the dying of the eggs is quite important as well. Instead of buying chemical dying materials, just use dyes that are vegetable and fruit based. You can even create your own dyes by boiling vegetables and fruits! Think cranberry for red or pink. Think blueberries for blue. Grape juice can work, but the shade will be more light purple.

As for the baskets, don’t even think of buying new ones! Dig into your trunks or the attic – you are sure to find old ones that you can reuse.

Also, don’t use plastic or cellophane. It might look pretty but you can always use art paper or real grass and weeds to decorate Easter baskets. These materials are definitely better for the earth than cellophane or other non-biodegradable material.

As usual, use your imagination and the sky’s the limit!

Paperless Billing

If you are really passionate about doing your own thing to help the environment, you will soon realize that there are so many ways by which you can contribute. About a month or so ago, I received a text message from my mobile phone provider. It informed me about a promo wherein you apply for paperless billing, and the company will give you gift certificates for a local fast food chain.

I did not fail to see the irony there. On the one hand, I would be helping the environment by contributing to the use of less paper. On the other hand, I would be patronizing this fast food chain, which I doubt employs the greenest practices we can think of. Still, the idea of not receiving sheaves of paper every month to find out exactly how much I owe the telephone company appealed to me.

You see, I already checked my billing statement online anyway. Ever since they introduced the feature of being able to do this, I took up on the offer immediately. I hate waiting for bills to come through the post – I’d rather know how much I owe right away. I do not need the hard copy to pay my bill anyway since I use an online payment facility. So enroll I did, and this month is the first wherein I did not receive a hard copy of my bill. It’s a small thing, but with millions of people doing it, the impact is significant. Why not go the paperless way when you can?

Green Apps For Your Android Phone

So you’re not into the iPhone. You’re not alone. While I still consider it to be my dream phone, I do realize that it is not the only phone out there. In fact, Google’s Nexus One seems like it’s going to give Apple a run for its money. For those of you who prefer Android phones, here are some apps which you should know about. They are not only cool and fun, they also whet your appetite for all things green!

3rd Whale Mobile. Alright, that sounds like the popular iPhone app, doesn’t it? Yup, you’re right. It is a hit app for that phone, but the people behind 3rd Whale Mobile have decided to go Android as well. This app gives you info on green businesses in North America plus tons of tips and other info on going green.

EpiCollect. I like the whole idea behind this app: you allow ecologists to access some data from your phone that will help them in their studies. It’s a prime example of what is now known as “crowdsourcing.” I think it’s a great way to do your part while enjoying technology.

GreenYou. Calculate your own carbon footprint with this app. More than that, you can also use it to create your customized plan to lessen your carbon footprint. Now you have no excuse!

iGreenCircle. This one is still a “baby” in that it hasn’t taken off yet. Think about it as something like Facebook, but for green-minded people. I’d join it as early as now and see how it goes.

Cycleina Organic Soaps

For a lot of women, bath soaps and other beauty products are of great importance. Even those who are not usually into “girly” stuff, when it comes to soap, it seems that more attention is given. When buying soap, though, it is important to look at more than the beauty benefits that it can give you. A lot of commercial soaps have ingredients that are harmful to the environment – that’s one main reason that organic soaps have become so popular in the recent years. And speaking of organic soaps, here is a line of soaps that I highly recommend.

I discovered Cycleina Organic Soaps through a friend. She gave me a couple of bars late last year, and I have been using them ever since. Cycleina is a small company based in the Philippines. They take pride in making hand made soaps using the traditional cold process. All of their ingredients are pesticide free and are guaranteed to make your skin feel absolutely wonderful after each use. And they are not just saying that as a marketing stunt. As I told you earlier, I have used these soaps and they are for real!

Cycleina has several varieties – or flavors as I like to call them – of soaps. My personal favorites are the coffee soap, peppermint, and tomato. The coffee soap has coffee grinds in it, which make it perfect as an exfoliant. The peppermint is great if you want to feel refreshed. The tomato is excellent for the face. For more information, visit the Cycleina web site.