Product Spotlight -- Green Glass

Why Green Glass?

Okay, so maybe it's not exactly all green. Some are blue, some are amber, so an and so forth. They're called 'green glass' because they're made from recycled wine bottles. Most of the time when glass is recycled, it must be completely crushed and melted down before being used in new glass products. Green glass is different from the majority of recycled glass because it completely circumvents this process by taking the wine bottle and reshaping parts of it to create goblets, tumblers, and other such glasses. Not only is it friendly for the environment--it looks pretty cool too.

More about Green Glass
Another great thing about green glass is that it not only recycles glass in a very efficient way, it also uses environmentally friendly processes to reshape the bottles. Green glass is created in an energy-efficient process that completely recycles the wine bottle by cutting it in half, using the bottom half as a tumbler, and the twisting and reshaping the neck of the wine bottle to create a goblet or champagne flute. From there, they can do several things to decorate the glass. Often, the glass is sandblasted using aluminum oxide, a completely inert compound, to frost the glass or create etchings--an environmentally friendly alternative to acid etching. Their shipping utilizes packaging and peanuts that are recycled, and sometimes biodegradable cornstarch peanuts.

Who? Where?

The company that creates green glass, aptly named the Green Glass Company, can be found online at www.greenglass.com. You can also find information there to send the Green Glass Co. your empty wine bottles for their reuse (you might want to make a little stockpile before shipping them off). If your restaurant sells wine from one of the bottles they need, I definitely suggest contacting them to send over your empty bottles instead of piling them in the trash or even recycling them by conventional means. You can also find several of them for a reduced price at our store at www.earthfriendlyfinds.com, alongside several other earth friendly products.

Earth Friendly Tips 5 -- Transportation for the Masses

It’s something everyone knows is a problem. It’s something most of us think we can’t do anything about. It kills us to pay for it. It’s gas.

To not worry about gas prices and transportation, you’d have to live under a rock. Nowadays, gas prices here are about three dollars a gallon—pretty cheap internationally, even nationally, but still pretty brutal. Mostly because I remember seeing it for 79 cents a gallon about eight years ago.

Thankfully, I don’t feel the pressure for gas as much as most people in the suburbs I live in. I have a cheap, small car that’s pretty gas-economic, and a short commute. I still have to pay about thirty five dollars to fill it up, though, which is not the most pleasant thing in the world. In my neck of the woods, there aren’t a lot of alternatives to this solution, though, so I have to bite the bullet until transportation services extend to me.

If you live in an urban area, though, buying a car, paying for gas, and driving through traffic seems like an overly difficult and expensive solution when alternatives are available. Here in Houston public transportation is pretty pitiful, with its main services involving the METRO transportation system. METRO’s lightrail is quite disappointing, and its bus system fails to extend to many of Houston’s suburbs. This is pretty bad considering the size of Houston’s population and its reliance on cars for transportation turns Houston into a traffic nightmare. Commuting is pretty horrific, especially if you have to go all the way across town.

Not everyone has to deal with a lousy transportation system, though, so take advantage of your resources while you can! If you can’t afford a car, public transportation can be a godsend. Subway and train systems are cheaper by comparison and also tens of times more efficient than stand-alone car travel. Even bus travel is cheaper and much, much more efficient than car travel. Also, when considering these options, there’s also the factor of parking costs. If you don’t drive a car everywhere, the worry of parking costs is eliminated.

The biggest concerns with public transportation are those of convenience and those of availability. Public transportation is going to take longer than private transportation in general (unless, in the case of trains and subways, the traffic avoided is worth the delay caused by multiple stops). Also, it may not be quite as clean or pleasant as one would wish. It can also be pretty crowded, depending on your route. If you don’t mind these hiccups, public transportation is the way to go.

For me, I don’t care much for the added conveniences of car travel considering gas and parking costs. Availability is the issue in my situation. If you live in a rural area, there isn’t much of an option for public transportation, and suburban public transportation can be limited. The idea shouldn’t be given up on altogether, though; if you’re heading the same direction as someone, save everyone a bit of money on gas and help reduce emissions by carpooling. Companies are also popping up that offer commuters carpool-type services, which may be interesting to research.

Also, keep in mind gas mileage when looking for a car. Please, for all our sakes, if you don’t need an SUV, van, or truck, don’t get it! And don’t even consider a Hummer unless you’re riding into a war zone! Small cars are cheaper than others, can accommodate most people, and are much more gas efficient. If you have the money, I recommend going a step further and buying a hybrid.

Another way to conserve gas is to better plan your trips before hitting the road. Where I live is a bit in the boonies when it comes to shops and such, but when I come to work I’m with two miles of pretty much anywhere I need to shop. So before I head out to work I make sure I’ve got a plan for what I need to do and pick up after work so I don’t waste three-fourths of a gallon to come back. Again, it’s another case of common sense in action.

Earth Friendly Tips 4 -- Saving Energy Around the House, part 2

We've already discussed lighting issues around the house, one of the best ways to cut down on your energy consumption around the house. Now we'll move on to part two of cutting down on energy around the house: water and air conditioning.

WATER

One of the biggest problems with water conservation is the cost of water. Simply speaking, the price that Americans pay for their water is far too low considering the amount available, our need, and maintenance. Many Americans even are encouraged to waste water because there is not a per-gallon rate on their water costs--giving families no incentive to save water. However, low water costs should not be an excuse for Americans to consume as much water as they do on a daily basis. While most wasted water comes from wasteful industrial and agricultural processes, residential water use still makes up a large percentage of water consumption. There are some simple ways to reduce consumption immediately:

• In the bathroom, consider your shower and bath needs before getting in the tub. If you're one to take twenty or even thirty minute showers, it may be time for you to consider cutting down on your shower time. the average shower head uses anywhere from four to seven gallons of water a minute, and water-saving shower heads still use about two gallons a minute. Also, if you do not need to wash your hair it may be a good idea for you to just take a quick bath with the tub half full, which will most likely be more water-efficient than a shower. Get in the habit of considering all your options, and maybe even doing a bit of math to see what's most efficient for your needs.
• If you have an older toilet, you may want to look into getting a newer, water-efficient toilet that can save you anywhere from two to five gallons of water per flush. Also, be sure that your toilet and faucets aren't leaking--a much larger problem for water waste than one might think.
• Fill up your dishwasher every time you use it to get the most out of your water use as you possibly can.
• Use the lowest water level you can for your laundry loads to cut down on consumption there. Also, if you're looking into getting a new clothes washer, look for water efficient models. As a general rule, front-loading washers are much more efficient than top-loading washers because they do not have to be filled with as much water to wash the clothes.

Quite possibly my biggest pet peeves with residential water conservation is watering your lawn. First off, make sure that the plants in your lawn are hardy enough to last without constant watering! Native varieties of certain plants tend to be better adapted to the area and will require less pampering to look great. Also, turn off the timed sprinklers--your lawn does not need to be watered every morning. When things start looking dry for a while, just turn on your sprinkler enough for the lawn to get moist. Over-watering your yard not only wastes water, but it can also kill your plants.

Also, heating your water can be a big issue when coming to energy costs. There are several different options when it comes to heating water, but these generally fall into two categories: tank water heaters (as used by most) and tankless water heaters. Tankless water heaters are quite the innovative products--they use much less energy, and produce hot water the instant it is needed. However, they are much more expensive than regular tank heaters, especially considering most homes already come with tanks installed. If you want to save as much energy as possible, go for the tankless heaters, and if you live in an area with a colder climate--such as the northern and mid-United States, it will probably start saving you money after a few years. However, if you do not have the money for the tankless option, you may be forced to stick with a tank heater. Also, if you live in a warmer area, such as the southern United States (my abode is in Texas, so this tends to be a more favorable option), it is probably not practical to switch to a tankless heater because much less gas or electricity is needed to heat water than in other areas. For example, to make up for the cost of a tankless heater where I live, it would probably take over a decade of energy savings. However, if you do have the resources to buy a tankless heater, it is probably the most efficient solution as far as energy savings go.

AIR CONDITIONING

As a Texas resident, it is hard not to recognize the importance of efficient central air and heating. Air conditioning systems can be very moody, so the most important action to take at any time with an air conditioning system is to make sure that it can maintain a comfortable temperature consistently. If you have more than one thermostat in your house, make sure they're all set to the same temperature. If not, the system will tend to fight itself to maintain the different temperature settings and waste tons of energy. Make sure your filters are clean such that the system doesn't have to work as hard to maintain a temperature.

In the summer here, it typically gets past 95 degrees towards 100 during July and August. I remember a week in August a couple years ago when the temperature during the day stayed consistently in the 100s, getting as hot as 108 degrees. Temperatures stay in the 90s well into October. Also, in this area of Texas humidities stay high enough all summer to keep the heat index several degrees higher than the regular temperature. If temperatures where you live are anywhere near the temperatures like those in Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, etc., then you have to be especially careful to shield your house from heat before worrying about air conditioning. A good solution to summer heat is to put denser, energy-saving screens on your windows to minimize the amount of heat the sun lets in your house. This will let your air conditioning system work less to keep your house cool. Also, when looking at a new house, look for features that will keep your house cooler--lighter roof shingles, for example, will absorb less heat. More extensively, one can look into a "cool roof" solution to reflect as much heat as possible.

Also, turn off the air conditioning if no one's going to be in the house for a while. If it's going to be empty for a week, there's no need to pay for it to be cool! The same goes for any heating system.

If you put your head into the matter, it shouldn't be hard to come up with several other ways to save energy on your air conditioning--most of it is common sense. Look for anything that fights your air conditioner and fix it. Make sure it's in good condition. The list goes on. The same goes for anything else in your house you might be concerned is wasting energy. If you don't know where you're spending all your electricity on, take a good look around and make a list of power wasters. You may be surprised how much electricity or water you can save just by using a bit of sense.

Earth Friendly Tips 3 -- Saving Energy Around the House, part 1

Back again, and a day late! Curses! Anyhow, after a little brain cramp I came up with today's topic, which will be split into two parts for this week and next week. Our 100% organic, no-preservatives topic today is: saving energy around the house!

LIGHTING: A LIFE'S PERPETUAL BANE

Lighting in the most earth friendly fashion comes off as a more complicated issue than it should be. First, people tell you to turn on your lights, while others say leave 'em on, then people argue about whether or not you should use compact fluorescent bulbs, so on and so forth, ad infinitum. It's probably not a very good idea not to do anything about your lighting situation at home because it's too difficult to get everything figured out, so I'm going to do a little favor and try to straighten everything out a bit.

If you're paying the electricity bill, the lighting around your house is probably causing your paycheck a little more pain than it's due. That's one very good reason to make your lighting a bit more energy efficient--because every time you waste energy, you waste money. So saving a little electricity never hurt anyone but the electric company! With a little resolve and a little investment, saving tons of energy on your lighting can be very easy.

The first tip is a rule of thumb: if you're not in a room, please, please, please turn your lights off! Turning on your lights only uses half a minute's worth of energy, so unless you're just popping out of the room for a few seconds it's a good idea to turn out the lights. This is a big energy saver, especially with incandescent light bulbs. Also, make good use of daylight if you can. If you can see well enough by it, remember it's free and turn off the lamp.

My next tip is to switch out your incandescent light bulbs for some much more efficient alternatives. The alternative I'm most familiar with are compact fluorescent bulbs, which have both their pros and cons, although I'm willing to side with fluorescents over incandescent bulbs any day. The good news about fluorescent bulbs is that their wattage is about a fourth to a fifth as much as an incandescent bulb for the amount of light given off. This is great news for your electricity costs, because that means that you're using a fraction of the energy as incandescent bulbs for the same light. Also, fluorescents last much longer than incandescent bulbs--usually about 15000 hours for each bulb, eight to fifteen times longer than incandescent bulbs. They fit in all the same sockets as regular incandescent bulbs, too. Another pro that I find nice is that they generate much less heat than incandescent bulbs, usually only getting a bit warm whereas incandescent bulbs can give you some pretty nasty burns if you accidentally hold on to one. Also, this keeps your house a bit cooler and probably evens out the temperatures around the house, keeping your air conditioner costs down too.

On the other hand, fluorescent bulbs undeniably have their cons. At low temperatures (near freezing) they tend to dim, and below freezing they often do not light at all, so as an outdoor light they are not always the best solution. Also--one of the more controversial issues--all fluorescent bulbs use small amounts of mercury. However, according to the lifespan of fluorescent bulbs, they overall use much less mercury in their production and in content than the mercury emissions created in the making of incandescent bulbs. The mercury is more of an issue in disposal; to safely dispose of these bulbs, it is necessary to dispose of them according to local guidelines, or to take them to a recycling plant where the mercury can be either recycled or disposed of. Fluorescent bulbs are much more expensive, although not unreasonably so, and the energy saved and lifetime of the bulb make up for the initial expense. One tiny annoyance with CF bulbs is that they take a little bit of time to reach their full brightness, which can range from a few seconds for a high quality bulb to a minute or so for the cheapest quality bulbs. This means that you should judge carefully whether or not you really need a fluorescent bulb in an area according to its cost and how long you spend in the area. For example, you might want to opt for a cheap incandescent bulb for your closet light if the most you do is pop in and pop out for a minute or two.

Another alternative which is not as practical now but is expected to quickly become the most practical lighting solution in the next two decades or so are LED lamps (SSLs). These lamps use even less electricity than CF bulbs, have a much longer life, can be made in a greater array of shapes, and do not have the mercury hazards of CF bulbs or the delay associated with them. They should also be a little cheaper than CF bulbs when they are fully developed. There are some LED bulbs on the market now, but at the moment they do not deliver the same results as CF bulbs and cost much more. However, car manufacturers sometimes use LED headlights (you'll notice them--they're a white-blue color versus the traditional soft yellow) and there are LED flashlights and booklights available that deliver longer battery life and durability. LED lights are something to watch as they are developed.

Some other solutions to look into--if you're working on building construction or are about to build a new house, you may consider using light tubes. Light tubes basically redirect light from the sun and bring it into a room. Also, this does not allow as much heat to be generated as that that comes from a window. We have a couple of these lighting our office, and even though it's been cloudy all month I haven't really been at a loss for light. On a sunny day, the room is lit as if by fluorescent tubes, and on a cloudy day the room is dimly but sufficiently lit. There are obviously no energy costs associated, and from my experience I rather like the little lights. Lights using passive solar energy (meaning they don't get converted to electricity, as is the case with solar cells), such as these light tubes, are definitely interesting, and I need to do a little more research on them. You never know what you may find--for example, I've seen plenty of little tidbits about using fiber optics to transmit solar energy passively, a very interesting solution.


Inevitably, how to light your home is going to be a very varied subject with plenty of different solutions. However, if you pick one and stick to it, it will most likely save you energy and money to light your home and is well worth the effort in switching over.


And on next week's post--water and air conditioning! Look forward to it!

Earth Friendly Tips 2 -- The Ins and Outs of Recycling

Okay, every environmental blog has to start somewhere, and I'm going to go ahead and get the obvious ones out of the way. Recycling, for example.

Everyone knows what recycling is. Or at least, I hope everyone does. With any luck I can add a little more to your knowledge, and get you a little more interested in picking up a good habit.

THE MORE YOU KNOW

There are two basic reasons to recycle:

1) To conserve and reuse resources, and
2) Stop the filling up of landfills.

Noble reasons, to be sure. These are the ones that are pretty obvious, but the reasons go deeper than they seem. For example, when we recycle paper, we not only conserve the virgin wood that goes into making them, but conserve water and energy compared to making paper directly from wood. It also prevents land from being degraded by reducing the practice of clear-cutting forests. When a section of forest is clear cut, the loss of the tree roots to hold soil and nutrients in place causes fertile soil to be eroded and nutrients to be leeched from the soil, making them much less fertile. Clear-cutting forests also removes much-needed habitats for wild animals. Paper recycling cannot completely stop this, but any paper recycled contributes to reducing such practices and conserving resources.

Landfill space is another special issue that is relieved by recycling. We are continually running out of space in landfills to throw away our trash, when that trash could be reused and gotten out of the landfills. Also, landfills are huge hassles to manage-although it would seem that when you throw trash away in a landfill, you're just putting it in a big pit, much more effort has to be spent on landfills than that. Landfills have to meticulously lined, maintained, and monitored for leaks to keep trash sealed off and to prevent it from spilling into water supplies and soil. They also take up space needed for much more productive activities.

Now, recycling isn't an end-all solution. Recycling is just one of the three R's, the other two being Reduce and Reuse. When recycling, don't think that by sending your trash to a recycling facility you can rid yourself of that whole problem; it's also important to remember to reduce the amount of waste you create and reuse what you can. For example, don't stock up your kitchen cabinets with paper plates and plastic cups-get some real dishes so you don't stuff your trash every time you eat! Another thing you can reduce in your kitchen: paper towels. Dish towels work just fine, and they can be used to dry dishes if you hand wash them or just after washing your hands. Washing something that you can reuse, despite increased water use, is typically a better solution than throwing something away after a single use. It's cheaper as well.

There are some situations in which, I must concede, recycling on a regular basis is impossible. If the closest recycling facility is a hundred miles away and it just isn't worth the money, time, or fuel to transport it, recycling is something you might have to rethink. If you still think it possible to recycle despite distance or time difficulties, try pooling your recyclables with others to make the trip more efficient.

If you've never tried recycling and it's possible for you, I suggest giving it a shot. Who knows-you may even have a pickup service available to you that you don't know about. If you live in the suburbs or an urban area, recycling is definitely a beneficial practice, and it may even be required-in the suburbs I lived in a long time ago, you would receive a fine if you didn't! It's definitely worth it to give recycling a try.

Stay tuned for some more tips next week, and stop by www.earthfriendlyfinds.com for great earth friendly products!

Starting Earth Friendly -- Your Personal Impact

One of the most difficult issues in the struggle to save the earth's environment is becoming active in trying to help the fight. When you think about helping the environment, what comes to mind first? Volunteering, maybe--picking up litter, joining in a local association, any number of such things---or perhaps you consider recycling as an option. However, many if not most of us cannot find time in our busy schedules to do most of these things. This should not be an excuse to forget the issue altogether, though, because there are many things we can do without causing ourselves a hassle in order to help stop pollution and waste. These passive aspects of environmental protection have the greatest potential to help our environment because everyone can take a part in them.

Think of it this way: let's say that these environmental troubles are a disease—possibly heart disease. Not everyone can spend their time and energy looking for the cure, or researching medicine. However, everyone can take steps to prevent this disease from happening to them or those around them. Not everyone can spend time looking for ultimate solutions to pollution and sustainable living, but everyone can take simple measures to decrease their impact on the environment.

That's the purpose of this blog: to give people tips on how they can change their everyday lives to give more consideration to the environment. These are things you can do right away to narrow your ecological footprint.



LEARN MORE: A First Step Towards Saving the Planet

So how can you become more earth friendly? Well, one of the best ways to start out is to put your life in an environmental perspective. What I've found to be the best way to go about doing this is to find out your ecological footprint--in short, how much land on average is required to sustain your current lifestyle. My favorite tool for calculating this is called myfootprint.org, where you are asked just a few simple questions and given statistics based on your answers. The biggest problem with this system of measurement is that there are many different theories on how these acres should be calculated and how many acres are to be used per person to be considered "ecologically sustainable". However, quantifying anything associated with environmental sustainability is difficult enough as is; I find that, either way, this tool and measurement together can help give a good starting point to anyone looking to make their lives more friendly to the environment.

For example, I took the quiz and got results a bit like these:

CATEGORY: ACRES

FOOD: 5.9
MOBILITY: 1.5
SHELTER: 5.2
GOODS/SERVICES: 5.9

TOTAL FOOTPRINT: 18

I'm not exactly proud of some of these results, considering that the website also states that there are about 4.5 biologically productive acres per person worldwide. My results when matched up with the national average, though--24 acres per person--brightened my hopes a little bit.

You can also use the "Take Action" function on their website to figure out how much your activities affect your ecological footprint. If you really plan on taking action to reduce your ecological footprint, this is another helpful tool.

Once you have this information, you can form a plan of action. Once you begin to form your plan, there are several things you can do without having to change your lifestyle very much to slowly reduce your ecological footprint.



BUY EARTH FRIENDLY: Think a Little, Save a Lot


Almost immediately you can start out helping your environment by making different choices when buying both consumer goods and groceries. When it comes to these goods, here are a couple of tips for buying earth friendly:

• Buy from our store at http://www.earthfriendlyfinds.com/ for various consumer goods, including beauty products, housewares, purifiers, etc. Some interesting finds are recycled wine bottles, refinished and cut to create glasses and cups, and also biodegradable, non-toxic ice packs for both home use and shipping. The biodegradable ice packs can also be found at http://www.icepackstore.com/.
  
• Be more earth conscious at the grocery store! You can kill two birds with one stone by buying less meat. Meat requires much more land for much less food, and it's also much more cost effective to lower the amount of meat you eat. Being a vegetarian, although a bit extreme of a measure, can cut down both your food bill and your ecological footprint. If you're a big meat eater and simply cannot reduce your meat intake, research a bit to see which meats take the least resources to produce.
• Buy recycled products, but be careful about how the recycled label is used. Be especially careful when buying recycled paper, because technically, as long as a paper has a certain percentage recycled set by the EPA, it can be considered recycled--but this recycled material does not have to be the conventional type that is recycled after consumer use; it can be just shreds of paper created as waste in the manufacturing process. This way, paper companies can use the label without actually using post-consumer recycled paper and save money by putting their waste to use. Although this is technically recycling, to buy what I consider real recycled paper--paper that actually makes use of already used paper--you should make sure that the packaging mentions that it uses post-consumer recycled paper besides the regular recycled label. Don't be fooled by the companies!
• If you can, buy food as locally as possible. This cuts down on fossil fuels used to transport your food. Farmers Markets are the best way to go about doing this, and have many benefits besides being locally grown. In a farmers market, you can buy food for about the same price, know that it is probably locally grown, have more money going back to farmers by cutting out the middle man, and select from a greater percentage of organic foods. Also, farmers markets are gaining popularity in North America, making them easier to find.
• Also, when you're buying your groceries and consumer goods, always look to buy the products with the least packaging. This way you can cut down on waste to slow down filling up landfills, and also save extra energy that companies use to add the extra packaging. So cut down on the snack-sized packaging!
  

These are just a few tips to help start conserving goods, land and energy that everyone can implement to do their part in saving our environment. To get some more ideas, look at our products on www.earthfriendlyfinds.com and keep tuned for more helpful posts.