If you do, contact the Indiana Department of Transportation to take their survey and let them know.
Please click here to take the survey. Thanks for caring about where you live!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Gas-Saving Lawnmowers
Courtesy of NBC Today Show:
Fact: A gas mower spews 87 lbs. of the greenhouse gas CO2, and 54 lbs. of other pollutants into your air every year.
Fact: Over 17 million gallons of gas are spilled each year refueling lawn and garden equipment – more petroleum than was spilled by the Exxon Valdez.
Fact: Gas-powered mowers send over 1,800 times the hydrocarbons into the atmosphere when compared to the environmentally-sound choice of battery-powered mowers.
According to the EPA, gas mowers are reponsible for nearly 5% of our nation’s total air pollution. Over 800 million gallons of gasoline are used mowing our nation’s lawns every year. And if you operate one for more than 15 minutes, experts advise you to wear hearing protection.
The Remington Cordless Electric Power Lawn Mower eliminates all the hassles of a gas mower. It is the first and ONLY mower with a 60 Volt Battery that provides 60 minutes of pure clean cordless runtime. With Remington’s patented PowerSelect Technology it's also the first and ONLY cordless mower with a corded option.
http://www.remingtonpowertools.com/
Battery-Powered Neuton Lawnmower
The Neuton Mower has 4 advantages. First of all, the peace and quiet of the neighborhood. Second, the operator doesn't have to wear hearing protection. Third, you don't have gasoline in your trunk and don't have to store it in your garage. And fourth, you don't have to walk in the exhaust stream of an internal combustion engine as you mow your lawn. You're pushing a clean, quiet lawn mower.
They're light. They're maneuverable. They're better for the lawn. They're economical. They're environmentally responsible. They're quiet. They're practically maintenance-free. They've always been in style.
Make a Pledge to Erase Your Carbon Footprint (with Lightbulbs)
Courtesy of MyCarbonPledge:
"Our goal is to change one million incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in the state of Indiana in 2008. You may think, "How much difference is that really going to make?" But with the average daily light bulb use of three hours, this one simple step can reduce Indiana's CO2 emissions by 150 million pounds per year or the equivalent of taking over 13,000 cars off the road. Please help ensure that polar bears have a future and take the pledge today!"
"Taking the pledge is easy! (Click here) Just enter your name, address, number of bulbs pledged, and let us know if you’re affiliated with any participating organization or business. The more bulbs you pledge to change, the greener your house becomes."
"Our goal is to change one million incandescent bulbs to compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in the state of Indiana in 2008. You may think, "How much difference is that really going to make?" But with the average daily light bulb use of three hours, this one simple step can reduce Indiana's CO2 emissions by 150 million pounds per year or the equivalent of taking over 13,000 cars off the road. Please help ensure that polar bears have a future and take the pledge today!"
"Taking the pledge is easy! (Click here) Just enter your name, address, number of bulbs pledged, and let us know if you’re affiliated with any participating organization or business. The more bulbs you pledge to change, the greener your house becomes."
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Save Water; Save Your Lawn
Courtesy of Green Piece Indy:
Xeriscaping™, the practice of landscaping to conserve water, isn't all cacti and rocks. Dr. Mary Welch-Keesey, a Purdue University Consumer Horticulture Specialist at White River Gardens, prepared a downloadable handout titled "Xeriscaping™ in Indiana." Dr. Welch-Keesey recommends:
- Choosing drought-tolerant plants, especially natives, and planting them near each other based on their water requirements
- Reducing overall lawn size with more flower beds, or not irrigating as much of your lawn
- Using soaker hoses to water your lawn and flower beds, which you should do early in the morning about once a week, to build roots and reduce evaporation waste
Thursday, June 12, 2008
More Ways to Work Environmentally
Courtesy of Hank FM
Did you know...
-->For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
-->You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can
-->By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hour
1. Re-route your commute.
• Walk or bike to work and save money on gas and parking.
• Investigate the option of telecommuting. Or move closer—even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
• If your streets are not conducive to biking or walking, lobby your municipal government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes.
2. Buy used.
• Consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items, rather than buying them new. Check out garage sales and thrift stores for clothing and other everyday items.
• Make homemade gifts, donate to a good cause, or even regift. (And gift green, in general.)
When making new purchases, make sure you know what’s “Good Stuff” and what isn’t.
3. Buy local.
• Shop at your local farmers’ market. Buying any goods produced locally saves energy by reducing the fossil fuels needed to transport food and other items across the country and around the globe.
• Start a local currency program in your town. This can ensure that money stays in your local economy, valuing local services and supporting local merchants.
4. Compost your food scraps.
• Composting helps reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill, which can save you money if you live in a municipality with a “pay as you throw” system. In the process, you create free, healthy fertilizer for your garden (or your neighbor’s—or lobby for a community garden!)
• If you don’t have a yard or space for a compost pile, try indoor ‘vermiculture,’ or worm composting.
5. Change the thermostat setting and install energy saving devices.
• Setting your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer can translate to substantial savings on your utility bills.
• Install low-flow showerheads and take shorter showers to save water and the energy used to heat it. Or, consider eventually installing a solar hot water heater on your property.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible and use a drying rack or clothesline.
• When incandescent bulbs burn out, replace them with longer-lasting, low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Consider buying wind energy from your local utility or purchasing renewable energy offsets. Renewables offer our best hope for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a host of other pollutants. In some cases, “green energy” options can be cheaper than electricity from conventional sources!
6. Skip the bottled water at the grocery or convenience store.
• Filter your tap water for drinking rather than using bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it produces large amounts of container waste.
• Check out this recent update and life cycle analysis for the latest on bottled water trends.
7. Make your own cleaning supplies.
• Using simple ingredients such as baking soda, soap, and vinegar, you can make cheap, easy, and non-toxic cleaning products that really work! Save money, time, and your indoor air quality.
8. Think twice about new electronics.
• E-waste from discarded cell phones and computers is a growing environmental problem. Mounds of electronic refuse are being shipped abroad illegally for ‘disassembly’ by workers with little protection against the mercury and other toxic substances they contain.
• Keep your electronics as long as possible and dispose of them responsibly when the time comes.
• Buy higher-quality items and don’t give in to ‘psychological obsolescence’ marketing campaigns.
• Recycle your cell phone and support good causes at the same time!
• Ask your local government to set up a responsible recycling and hazardous waste collection event.
9. Add one meatless meal per week.
• While strict vegetarianism isn’t for everyone, even the most devout carnivores can cut back on meat consumption without cramping their style—and save money in the process. Industrial meat production requires huge energy inputs and creates noxious waste problems. The proliferation of factory farms is damaging the environment, and the global nature of the industry creates conditions that promote the spread of diseases such as avian flu, potentially costing society billions.
10. Use your local library and other public amenities.
• Borrowing from libraries, instead of buying personal books and movies, saves money and printing resources. Consider donating the money saved to your local library.
• Be an active civic participant and ensure that the public spaces and facilities in your town are well maintained. This will promote a healthy, sustainable community.
Did you know...
-->For every ton of paper that is recycled, the following is saved: 7,000 gallons of water; 380 gallons of oil; and enough electricity to power an average house for six months.
-->You can run a TV for six hours on the amount of electricity that is saved by recycling one aluminum can
-->By recycling just one glass bottle, you save enough electricity to power a 100-watt bulb for four hour
1. Re-route your commute.
• Walk or bike to work and save money on gas and parking.• Investigate the option of telecommuting. Or move closer—even if this means paying more rent, it could save you money in the long term.
• If your streets are not conducive to biking or walking, lobby your municipal government to increase spending on sidewalks and bike lanes.
2. Buy used.
• Consider a service like craigslist or FreeSharing to track down furniture, appliances, and other items, rather than buying them new. Check out garage sales and thrift stores for clothing and other everyday items.
• Make homemade gifts, donate to a good cause, or even regift. (And gift green, in general.)
When making new purchases, make sure you know what’s “Good Stuff” and what isn’t.
3. Buy local.
• Shop at your local farmers’ market. Buying any goods produced locally saves energy by reducing the fossil fuels needed to transport food and other items across the country and around the globe.
• Start a local currency program in your town. This can ensure that money stays in your local economy, valuing local services and supporting local merchants.
4. Compost your food scraps.
• Composting helps reduce the amount of waste you send to the landfill, which can save you money if you live in a municipality with a “pay as you throw” system. In the process, you create free, healthy fertilizer for your garden (or your neighbor’s—or lobby for a community garden!)
• If you don’t have a yard or space for a compost pile, try indoor ‘vermiculture,’ or worm composting.
5. Change the thermostat setting and install energy saving devices.
• Setting your thermostat a few degrees lower in the winter and a few degrees higher in the summer can translate to substantial savings on your utility bills.
• Install low-flow showerheads and take shorter showers to save water and the energy used to heat it. Or, consider eventually installing a solar hot water heater on your property.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible and use a drying rack or clothesline.
• When incandescent bulbs burn out, replace them with longer-lasting, low-energy compact fluorescent bulbs.
• Consider buying wind energy from your local utility or purchasing renewable energy offsets. Renewables offer our best hope for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, as well as a host of other pollutants. In some cases, “green energy” options can be cheaper than electricity from conventional sources!
6. Skip the bottled water at the grocery or convenience store.
• Filter your tap water for drinking rather than using bottled water. Not only is bottled water expensive, but it produces large amounts of container waste.
• Check out this recent update and life cycle analysis for the latest on bottled water trends.
7. Make your own cleaning supplies.
• Using simple ingredients such as baking soda, soap, and vinegar, you can make cheap, easy, and non-toxic cleaning products that really work! Save money, time, and your indoor air quality.
8. Think twice about new electronics.
• E-waste from discarded cell phones and computers is a growing environmental problem. Mounds of electronic refuse are being shipped abroad illegally for ‘disassembly’ by workers with little protection against the mercury and other toxic substances they contain.
• Keep your electronics as long as possible and dispose of them responsibly when the time comes.
• Buy higher-quality items and don’t give in to ‘psychological obsolescence’ marketing campaigns.
• Recycle your cell phone and support good causes at the same time!
• Ask your local government to set up a responsible recycling and hazardous waste collection event.
9. Add one meatless meal per week.
• While strict vegetarianism isn’t for everyone, even the most devout carnivores can cut back on meat consumption without cramping their style—and save money in the process. Industrial meat production requires huge energy inputs and creates noxious waste problems. The proliferation of factory farms is damaging the environment, and the global nature of the industry creates conditions that promote the spread of diseases such as avian flu, potentially costing society billions.
10. Use your local library and other public amenities.
• Borrowing from libraries, instead of buying personal books and movies, saves money and printing resources. Consider donating the money saved to your local library.
• Be an active civic participant and ensure that the public spaces and facilities in your town are well maintained. This will promote a healthy, sustainable community.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
i.e., Phone Book on Your Phone?
Courtesy of Green Piece Indy:
"What if you want to look something up and you're not near your computer? Meghan uses Google SMS. Simply send a text message to Google (that's 466453 in text lingo) and enter a query (ex. Whole Foods Market Indianapolis) as your text message. In seconds, Google texts you back with the phone number and address. "
"What if you want to look something up and you're not near your computer? Meghan uses Google SMS. Simply send a text message to Google (that's 466453 in text lingo) and enter a query (ex. Whole Foods Market Indianapolis) as your text message. In seconds, Google texts you back with the phone number and address. "
Monday, June 9, 2008
Duraflame has an Eco-Friendly Firelog!
Courtesy of Duraflame.com:
Duraflame firelogs are the cleanest burning logs for a residental fireplace.
Click here to see all the information on Duraflame's New Eco-Friendly Firelog!
Duraflame firelogs are the cleanest burning logs for a residental fireplace.
Click here to see all the information on Duraflame's New Eco-Friendly Firelog!
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