I have been planning on making this green change from the very beginng, but decided it was not wise to make this change prior to my trip to Costa Rica. I do not think that gaining a new parasite friend or dysentery from drinking the water in Costa Rica would be a wise idea.
I do not drink bottled water too often, because my Nalgene bottle is usually attached at my hip. But I'm not as good as I should be and whenever I forget my Nalgene bottle at home, I end up either buying bottled water or using a styrofoam cup at the school cafeteria. Also not eco-friendly.
Here's the plan - continue to use my Nalgene or my new Contigo. I really like my new Contigo - it's smaller than my Nalgene and is less likely to spill all down the front of my shirt. Also, I will continue to use my Brita filter, to make my water taste better. YUM!
Not only is the plastic bottle that is left behind not good for the environment, but think about the amount of energy it takes to make the bottle, power the machines that fill the bottle, the gasoline it takes to deliver those bottles to the store, and the energy used to make those bottles cold!
I was overwhelmed when looking at the statistics about bottled water. Did you know that our municipal water supply is better regulated and more regularly tested than bottled water?
Also, as you know that much of the world does not have access to clean water and that tens of thousands of people die from water borne diseases every day. I'm sure you are wondering how your buying of bottle water contributes or even relates? Well, the privatization of the water supply and the emergence of a global water business restrict clean water to those who have the money to pay for it.
Someday down the line what happens if the municipal water suppliers are underfunded or pollution makes clean tap water harder and harder to come by? Then the big business who have already started this process, swoop in and have control of bottled and clean water and we are left with no choice, but to pay what they demand. Here's a link to a better definition that also compares the idea to big oil.
Here's a link to a trailer that you may find interesting. http://www.flowthefilm.com/trailer
It's avaliable on netflix if you have it.
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Green Challenge #9: Recycle my Electronic Waste Properly.
Now that electronics are becoming more and more common, more and more of them are turning up in landfills across the US. Want some statistics? According to the US Environmental Protection Agency in 2007 Americans got rid of 27 million TVs, 205 million computer products and over 100 million cellphones and PDAs. And...guess what percentage was recycled? only 16%!
As you can see this is a growing problem, especially when you think about some of the hazardous chemicals such as mercury and lead that may be in the batteries and eventually leaking into the soil.
Last week, I recycled one of my old cell phones. I'll make it easy on you...Go to this website Earth911 and search for an e-recycling center near you!
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Green Challenge #10: Wash my clothes with eco-friendly laundry detergent.
Whem my mom was here this last week, she is about to do a load of laundry and she looks up at me from a nearly (less than 1 scoop) tide box and says is this yours? Yup. I don't want to buy new laundry detergent, because I'm moving soon. She looks at me with this crazy look and says, BUT you still have to wash your clothes. So we started to research how to make your own laundry detergent, because I thought we could make a smaller amount.
Well, we found a recipe (see below), but the borax box was just as big as the tide box, so....I'll be making my own homemade laundry detergent once I move. In the meantime we bought a concentrated (less packaging) eco-friendly detergent. And don't forget to wash with cold water - it'll use 80-85% less energy compared to using hot water.
Wait? So why is normal laundry detergent bad for the environment? Well many contain phosphates which help to boost cleaning efficiency, but have harmful effects on our water supplies - rivers, lakes, etc.
There's more information on this, but...I feel by now I may be boring you with all of this information, so I am going to stop.
Make your own detergent and save money too!
You will need:
1 bar of soap (not antibacterial)
1/2 cup borax
1/2 cup baking soda
Grater
Resealable container
Step 1: Grate bar of soap into container.
2: Add borax & baking soda
3: Mix
4. Use 1 tablespoon for small or lighlty soiled loads & 2 for large or really dirty loads.
And if you are interested in making your own homemade dishwasher detergent you can find out how here: Recipe for homemade dishwashing detergent
Guess you know what I'll be using once I move!
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Ok so now I am all caught up until tomorrow when I will be due for another eco-friendly change. I also promise to post a fun post in the very near future, because I realize all of this eco-posting may be getting boring.
Well my friends, no worries, because this week will be filled with anticipation and excitement, because you see my destiny for the next 3 years will be decided this week....Ahhhhh
I plan to have videos of the event to share with you so (with fingers crossed), you can be part of the joy!
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