Category: Going Green Ideas

Green Family Projects – Compost

Many homeowners may feel that their efforts in reducing their collective household members’ carbon footprints are simply insufficient to make a positive impact on the environment. If you are one of these homeowners, don’t despair because it is possible to make a greater impact towards protecting the only planet we can live on.

The good news is that you do not even need to go far to look for these eco-friendly ways. Just go out into your backyard, look at your garden and the answer will come leaping right at you – compost! That is, if you have not adopted the methods of compost gardening yet.

As can be expected, there are many benefits to be had from making compost as your family’s next eco-friendly project. It will definitely make for a good time in terms of bonding with your children and educating them on eco-friendly issues in a more relaxed setting.

For one thing, you need not spend money on artificial fertilizers and pesticides as compost itself acts in these manners, one more than the other. Your household waste from your vegetable and fruit peelings to your own human waste – yes, we are talking about your poop – can be transformed into nutrient-rich compost.

For another thing, you are doing yourself and Mother Nature a favor by using compost in your garden. Your plants will not be exposed to chemical fertilizers and, hence, become organic produce. We all know by now the benefits of organic food.

Your soil, too, will benefit in the sense that its nutrient composition, resistance to pests, droughts and diseases as well as structure improves to significant degrees. Plus, there is also the fact that compost can hold as much as six times its own weight on water, which means that there is lesser need for irrigation.

So, how does one start making compost as a family project? Well, you have to make it a conscious decision amongst all the family members that composting will become a family activity from now on. In this way, everybody will make the conscious effort to segregate their wastes into ready-for-the-compost and ready-for-the-recycling-bin.

It will help your cause if you have already researched into the steps, tips and guidelines for making compost. Generally speaking, you should not place dairy products and meat of any kind into the rotting compost as these items will attract pests like flies and rodents.

Instead, newspaper print paper, wood shavings and plant clippings, fruit and vegetable peelings are the best materials to start on your compost heap. You may purchase a compost bin for the purpose although it is also advisable to make your own compost heap out of scrap materials like wood and chicken wire.

You must also educate yourself about the things like turning time, temperature and other matters related to making good compost. And if you do, you will always have a source of fertilizers and mulch for your garden without spending money on them. Think of it as saving the planet while saving your pocket.

Indeed, compost may seem yucky to your kids. It is up to you to educate them about the black gold that Mother Nature is giving us with to nourish ourselves and protect our planet from further harm.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

Go Green, Go Zero Waste

Reduce, reuse and recycle – this is the mantra that most of us hear when it comes to adopting the green lifestyle. These steps are all well and good because of their positive impact on lessening the wastes being dumped into landfills, waterways and the seas. But there is a better way than reducing your consumption, reusing materials and recycling wastes. Ultimately, all of these ways will mean that the wastes after the materials cannot be reused and recycled any further still end up in the dumping grounds. If you truly want to go green, then look into the zero waste principles.

What exactly is zero waste? According to its proponents, it is a philosophy promoting the ideal of very minimal to zero waste being thrown in any way. Instead, material things are used and reused almost ad infinitum, a process used in nature where nothing goes to waste and everything has its purpose in the general scheme of things. The basic principle is that new inputs can be made from old inputs using processes that are as energy-efficient and eco-friendly as possible.

Let’s take the all-too-common glass milk bottle that ultimately finds its way into the dump after being emptied of its contents. Yes, the bottle can be placed in the recycle bin in your home. The problem begins when it ends up in the landfill, contrary to your initial purpose. And so, millions more of these bottles still litter the landfill. With zero waste, however, certain measures will ensure that said milk bottle will be reused by the consumer. For example, the milk bottle has a deposit attached to it, which you can redeem at selected outlets. The returned bottle is then washed, refilled and then resold, thus, repeating the cycle.

Well, of course, there will be waste in the form of the wash water but, then again, even that can be reused after certain cleaning processes. If dirty sewage water can be made potable, then water used to clean milk bottles can be, too. But zero waste is not just applicable to homes. It can also be applied to larger organizations like businesses, schools and industries. For example, in businesses, the principles of zero waste is applicable to the elimination of solid and hazardous wastes, efforts to improve efficiency, and even reduction in wastes generated in productions operations.

Zero waste has its benefits. Otherwise, we will not be promoting it as a better alternative to the "reduce, reuse and recycle" movement. These benefits include:

Reduction   in wastes often equal reduction in operating costs. Many companies like computer   manufacturers have benefited from zero waste, with savings running into   the millions. This, in turn, leads   to sustainable operations in the long-term period.
Production   processes benefit by way of faster progress, which means greater competitiveness   in the market while lessening negative environmental impact. Even the image of being an   environmentally responsible company creates an edge in the market.
Enhanced   environmental protection is given with zero waste management in place.

Nobody said that switching to zero waste is easy. Still, it is imperative that we try because of the worsening problems related to how wantonly we burden Mother Nature with our trash. Ultimately, it is humanity that will suffer from our own disregard for the wastes we leave behind.

May 12, 2010 | 0 comments View Post

What It Means to Go Green

Going green is a phrase that is being tossed about a lot these days. It seems every day there is a new story about a company going green or about new products that help you to go green. The idea of going green is something that many people are familiar with, but that they do not know a lot about.

Explaining the Concept

To go green means to do things that are more environmentally friendly. The reason why it has become a major concept these days is directly related to the fact that we are becoming more aware of the problems we face by continuing to do things without regards to the environment.

There are many examples of how our way of living has started to damage the environment. There is the fact that natural resources are starting to deplete and one day, possibly in our lifetime, we will run out of the resources that we are so dependent upon. By going green we are able to learn to live without being dependent, wasteful and without causing further damage to the environment.

Simple Green Moves

Going green is not even that difficult. Many manufacturers have made greener versions of their best selling products. For example, there are a nice range of environmentally friendly cleaning products on the market. There are also organic foods on the market that are grown and made using environmentally friendly production procedures. It isn’t even just small product changes, though. Going green can be done on a larger scale, too.

The new hybrid vehicles on the market that use a combination of electric and gas to cut down on the amount of gasoline used and the pollution produced from operating the vehicle. There are also new forms of gasoline on the market that are made from renewable sources, like corn. These things have a very large impact on the environment. They reduce pollution and also make us less relent on oil.

There are also ways to make your home greener. There are companies that will come to your home and convert it to hybrid power. Most common, is solar power, which uses the sun as energy. It allows you to run your home off of solar power and use your electric in limited amounts. Again, this helps to reduce pollution and the use of oil.

Benefits of Going Green

Going green is wonderful for the environment, but that is not the only benefit. The biggest benefits to you is that going green can save you money and help you keep your family healthier.
Using green products in your home to clean or buying organic vegetables is great for the environment, reducing pollution and other benefits, but it also is safer for your family. Your family is not being exposed to chemicals and other agents in products and foods that have been proven to be harmful. You are reducing your family’s risk of getting sick with just small changes.

Going green can also save you a lot of money. Using solar energy, for example, can really cut your electric expenses. Solar power is free. Once you have the equipment in place to capture that energy you never pay an energy bill.

Going green is something that is right for everyone. It is becoming the new way of life. We have come to a point where we have to start taking better care of our environment so that it is still around for our children, their children and so on.

May 05, 2010 | 0 comments View Post
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