tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40136772500402837632024-03-13T23:46:56.315-04:00Confessions of a Deep Green Hippie Chick...what a long strange trip it's beenLorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-80202041477282694602014-02-13T10:43:00.002-05:002014-02-13T10:43:27.055-05:00<a href="http://www.onlyorganic.org/naturaleffect/">A Short Message from the False Advertising Industry</a><br />
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A comical but sad look at the world of food label marketing</div>
Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-52878223912144228022014-02-12T00:40:00.004-05:002014-02-12T00:40:47.343-05:00Ripe for the Picking<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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What a fabulous idea, hopefully many other cities will follow Seattles lead. I recall living in the San Fernando Valley outside LA in the late 1970's close to Northridge University who's campus had apparently at one time been a commercial avocado orchard. Many of the trees had been left on campus as landscaping and there were literally thousands of avocados "ripe for the picking". Granted, how much guacamole could one eat but it was wonderful filling up bags of the fruit fruit. Way to go Seattle!Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-52248739104160653742014-02-05T09:06:00.000-05:002014-02-05T09:06:14.485-05:00The ‘No More Tears’ Shampoo, Now With No Formaldehyde<br />
According to a New York Times article <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/business/johnson-johnson-takes-first-step-in-removal-of-questionable-chemicals-from-products.html?_r=0">The ‘No More Tears’ Shampoo, Now With No Formaldehyde</a> (http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/18/business/johnson-johnson-takes-first-step-in-removal-of-questionable-chemicals-from-products.html?_r=0) Johnson and Johnson has now removed all formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasing preservative chemicals from it's "No More Tears Baby Shampoo" in addition to 100 other products! This is the same shampoo that caring trusting mothers have been pouring over their babies heads for generations. For those unaware, formaldehyde is the main ingredient in EMBALMING FLUID, yep, the same liquid they use to pickle and preserve you after death. I don't know about the rest of you all but I don't fancy this chemical poured on my skin just 2 inches from my brain on a daily basis, I think I'll leaving the embalming until AFTER I'm gone. While this is a tiny step in the right direction for one big company, most other major cosmetic and body care manufacturers use and expose unaware consumers to the exact same chemicals. So until they all get with the program and remove these toxins from their products, it has always been my philosophy to take control of what goes on or in my body and whats goes into my environment. 3 ways to do this are:<br />1) Read the labels and educate yourself as to what the ingredients actually are. Other hidden names for formaldehyde are: quaternium-15, 2-bromo-2nitropropane-1, 3-diol, imidazolidinyl urea, Methyl aldehyde, morbicid acid, oxymethylene and many more<br />2) Make your own (I will be including DIY recipes in future blogs)<br />3) Buy from a natural foods store or vendor (but still read their labels)<br />
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The <a href="http://www.ewg.org/">Environmental Working Group</a> is a great site to check out the toxicity of any ingredient in the products you buy. While you may not want or be able to eliminate all the toxic chemicals in the products you buy, at least you can make an informed decision about what goes on and in your body and home and extended environment.</div>
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Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-3699634347983052262014-02-05T08:09:00.001-05:002014-02-05T09:12:48.615-05:00Then & NowSo, it's been a long time since I started this blog and almost as long since I posted anything, 2009 to be exact. Since that time a lot has changed with me, most specifically, I have started a small cottage industry crafting and selling all natural organic skin care, bath, body and home goods on Etsy.com and at local (Phila/PA) craft shows. Although it would seem like a natural course of action for me to take after being in the "green" movement for almost 44 years and after making and using my homemade products for myself and my home all that time, I balked at the idea mainly due to lack of confidence. It was my granddaughter who finally convinced me I could do it. So I started my little business in 2011 and it has been growing slowly but surely ever since. I also started a second shop on Etsy selling vintage housewares and costume jewelry, what better way to "Reduce-Reuse-Recycle"? I have found that most of the items I find and buy to resell are made of higher quality materials than those available today in the current plastic throw away society. Other changes, sadly, were a decrease in my community activism (Sustainable 19125) with regard to local environmental issues, something I intend to rectify very soon. A new grand baby, work changes, major house renovations and my 2 new business ventures have all distracted me for a while but now I'm baaaaaaack and with a vengeance! So with the new "me" comes a more in-depth blog. In addition to the previously seen climate and environmental facts and musings, I will be including "home and personal environment" news, facts and recipes because all planet issues start with us the consumer and with what we buy, use and pour down our drains.<br />
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthwiseNaturals">Earthwise Naturals</a> (https://www.etsy.com/shop/EarthwiseNaturals)<br />
<a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/RetrofitGallery">Retrofit</a> (https://www.etsy.com/shop/RetrofitGallery)Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-55665827751879002202009-10-08T21:36:00.001-04:002009-10-08T21:36:48.767-04:00Eco Fact<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; line-height: 16.0px; font: 14.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There are only two manmade structures on planet Earth which are large enough to be seen from outer space: the Great Wall of China and the Fresh Kills landfill in Staten Island New York.</span></span></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-61149704103497231352009-10-07T22:34:00.010-04:002009-10-07T23:29:41.014-04:00The Biggest Little Litter Problem in the World<p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">If you were to stop and ask the average person on the street what the biggest litter problem in the world is you would probably receive the reply of "oh it would have to be plastic water bottles". That answer would be a good one because here in the USA we throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour totaling about 38 billion each year, bottles which required 1.5 billion barrels of oil to produce. Although a recent and monumental problem, plastic waters bottles are not the biggest little litter problem.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Another answer you might receive is "soda cans". That would be another good guess, with sixty-five billion aluminum soda cans being used each year and no exact count as to how many are thrown away on beaches and highways. Only about 65% of aluminum cans are currently being recycled.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Other good answers would be: plastic bags, candy and bubble gum wrappers, beer bottles and car tires and the list could go on forever. While all of these are huge litter problems that need to be dealt with, they are still not the answer to the question.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">So what IS the answer to what's the biggest little litter problem in the world? </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">C</span></span></b><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">IGARETTE BUTTS</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Worldwide, smokers toss over </span></span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">4.5 TRILLION</span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"> cigarette butts each year with about 30% ending up as litter. After the butts gets flicked onto the street, buried in the beach sand or dumped out of car ashtrays while drivers are sitting at red lights, wind, rain and waves carry them into the sewers and ocean. Once in the sewers and oceans, the approximately 4,000 toxic chemicals the cigarette filter was designed to trap leak into and poison our water supplies. While the actual tobacco and paper components decompose rather quickly, the plastic cellulose filters do not break down easily and are mistaken for food by birds and marine life who become poisoned and die by the concentration of toxic chemicals in them.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; min-height: 17px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">How can we help change this? Well for starters, where there are particular problem areas in your neighborhood, signs can be posted informing offenders of the effects tossed cigarettes have on the environment. If you personally see someone tossing, try to politely inform them and say something like, here, give it to me and I'll dispose of it safely for you, thanks.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">If you use Altoids, instead of tossing the empty metal can, carry it in your pocket to use as your own personal ashtray and later empty into a proper trash receptacle or when you get home.</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Check out these sites for personal portable ashtrays that fit right in your pocket or purse, you can buy these for yourself or give as holiday gifts :</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">ButtsOut Personal Ashtrays </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://www.buttsout.net/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">http://www.buttsout.net/</span></span></a></span></b></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The Swiss Tray </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><a href="http://swiss.chez.com/indexengl.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">http://swiss.chez.com/indexengl.html</span></span></a></span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">Or get organized in your own communities to purchase these inexpensive outdoor models to place at bus stops and busy corners:</span></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 12px; margin-left: 0px; line-height: 16px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Helvetica; "><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">The No Butts Bin Company </span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">(variety of styles for outdoor use) </span></span><a href="http://www.nobutts.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">http://www.nobutts.com/</span></span></a></p> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;">With a little effort we can kick this problem in the butt...so sorry, but I HAD to say that, I simply couldn't resist! Please stop groaning......</span></span></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-21008097020857192052009-10-05T15:37:00.003-04:002009-10-06T08:01:38.030-04:00Eco Fact<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Most typical supermarket laundry and dishwashing detergents are made from petroleum.</span></span>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-89511709593444334232009-10-02T10:16:00.013-04:002009-10-02T11:20:34.642-04:00Fading Gardens<div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:georgia, serif;">Well, it's that time of year again when the gardens are going to sleep for the winter. Because I live in a small home, with a postage stamp size yard, I belong to a community garden here in Philly and am waiting for the inevitable email informing me the garden will be closing for the season and that we all need to get together to do the final fall cleanup. This year hasn't been real good in the garden with all the rain we had for so long but now that things have finally dried up and the sun is getting through, the plants are giving one last effort to produce some fruits and veggies so I am hoping the fall cleanup email comes later rather than sooner.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The reason I joined the garden group was to plant and harvest 100% organically grown veggies. With the economy the way it's been and the high cost of buying organic, I thought I would give growing my own a try. In the past I've grown the typical patio tomatoes and string beans and green peppers in pots and crevices out back, but this year I went all out at the community garden with watermelon, cantaloupe, carrots, red beets, brussels sprouts, mixed salad greens and more. One of my most surprising harvests was in late spring and early summer after I planted snow peas. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever imagine that I would reap almost 8 pounds of the little darlings! I mean, how many snow peas can 2 people eat? But I am grateful because the few times I have purchased non-organic snow peas at the supermarket, they cost anywhere between $4 and $6 per pound, basically green gold. So my $2 seed packet yielded over $32 worth of produce. I still have a watermelon waiting to be picked and a few cantaloupes and the last of the string beans but all the rest of the plants are done. Soon, I will be starting to plan what I'm going to plant next spring and definitely altering my choices for next year based on this years experiences.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">So now is a good time to begin thinking about if YOU might like to try your hand at growing your own organic veggies next spring. I have often heard from people that say they wished they could eat less pesticide sprayed produce but that the high cost of organic was not in their budgets. Well for a $2 pack of seeds, you can have a dozen cantaloupe and for a $3 seedling tray, you can pick strings beans all summer and fall. It doesn't take a big yard or even a yard at all for that matter, many veggies can be grown in pots. Aside from the environmental and financial benefits, another reason to grow your own is it's just plain FUN. It's hard to describe how much pleasure can be derived from seeing seeds you planted sprout and turn into huge plants that bear vegetables you can pick and eat. And kids get an even bigger kick out of it. I let my granddaughter help me plant the carrot seeds on Mothers Day and even though she doesn't like most veggies, carrots included, she was nevertheless fascinated when she saw what she had planted pulled out of the ground, ready to be cooked and eaten.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Try it, I guarantee you'll like it!</span></span></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-42138483153009303912009-10-01T13:10:00.000-04:002009-10-01T13:11:29.692-04:00Eco Fact<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Washing a sidewalk or driveway with a hose uses about 50 gallons of water every 5 minutes</span></span></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-90227361363792581582009-10-01T13:08:00.001-04:002009-10-01T13:10:02.853-04:00Thought for the Day<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 18.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; color: #333333"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">If you want to know your past - look into your present conditions. If you want to know your future - look into your present actions. </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 18.0px 0.0px; line-height: 18.0px; font: 12.0px Verdana; color: #333333"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">— Chinese Proverb</span></span></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-10552400399591456822009-10-01T13:05:00.003-04:002009-10-02T10:11:56.169-04:00Green October<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">19125 is turning green! Early this year an initiative was started to turn my zip code into the greenest in the city. It's gone from the talking stages to the planning stages to the implementation. Of course I am up to my eyeballs in it as I always am with anything I am passionate about. </span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><br /></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">October 1st is Green Guide Mobilization Day when we, the volunteer Green Guides, get our schwag bags filled with eco friendly tools such as Compact Fluorescent Bulbs and other yet to be disclosed goodies to pass out to our neighbors. My block is small and rather than just knocking at doors and handing out the freebies, I thought a better idea is to post a sign on the corner and invite all the neighbors to pick up their free green stuff at a table in front of my house. I am hoping that approach will stimulate conversation and involvement among the recipients, people that otherwise might not take an interest. There will be street tree planting applications as well and I have to begin to formulate my rebuttal to those that will argue that the trees will cause their sidewalks to break, that the stray cats and dogs will use the space as a litter box and what about the leaves to clean up and and and and.....</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">October 10th is the annual Fishtown Neighbors Association fall cleanup. In previous years it had specific clean up sites but this year it will encompass the entire 19125 zip code and of course, yours truly also volunteered for that too. It lasts from 9 to noon and is followed by a BBQ, hope there are some yummy vegetarian choices.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">As if all that wasn't enough, I will be heading to Milwaukee on October 15 until the 18th attending a Community Leadership Seminar. Because I am so environmentally active I was one of 5 neighborhood residents selected to go on the all expenses paid trip. I'll be attending green workshops and a tour of Milwaukee on the final day. I heard through the grapevine that some of the previous years seminars were held in Miami and San Jose, just my luck to have been chosen for the Milwaukee trip! But hey, it's all paid for, the subject is right up my alley and I've never been to Milwaukee. I'll have to look into the vegetarian restaurant scene there and other points of interest to me.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">All in all October is a pretty hectic green month for me but as you are all beginning to see...I never get tired of green!</span></span></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-26766841378427026662009-09-29T12:56:00.005-04:002009-09-29T13:28:03.724-04:00Eco Fact<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It takes 16 pounds of grain and 5,214 gallons of water to produce a single pound of beef.</span></div></span></span>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-46091785479159036392009-09-29T12:54:00.002-04:002009-09-29T13:30:37.825-04:00Thought for the Day<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Nothing will ever be accomplished if all possible objections must be first overcome.</span></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">— </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Samuel Johnson</span></span></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-35990552085969076722009-09-29T12:43:00.006-04:002009-09-30T14:28:55.890-04:0010 Reasons to Become a Second Hand Rose (or Roger)<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 14.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></p><p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; ">Buying second hand is a major way to reduce your carbon footprint on the earth. It is the REUSE in the green mantra "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle".</span></p> <ol> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Buying used merchandise helps to reduce waste in both the manufacture of new products and the disposal of old products. Any used and unwanted furniture, household items and clothing that is reused will not have to be manufactured and will stay out of landfills longer, toxic sites which contribute to global warming and green house gases.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">By shopping for second hand goods in charity, thrift, consignment, vintage and antique stores, you can help to support a charity or a small entrepreneurial business.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Second hand costs less than new items. A find in a thrift store, charity shop or flea market costs only a fraction of it's original new price especially on high-end items.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You can get much better quality items and pay low prices for used high-end designer items that you may never have been able to afford if purchased new.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Shopping for second hand items is just plain fun. You never know what you'll find and the thrill of finding something amazing that costs next to nothing is much better than shopping for inferior quality new goods at the mega mall.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">There is a huge choice of second hand items available from a variety of venues including FreeCycle (PhillyFreeCycle for locals), Craigs List, flea markets, charity shops, vintage boutiques, antique shops and swap parties so there is no reason why you won't be able to find exactly what you want.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Second hand household items and clothes are more original than the typical items that you buy in the mall, you are a lot less likely to see someone owning the same thing when you buy second hand.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Buying second hand allows for buying larger quantities which you may not have been able to afford. You can come home with a huge bagful of back-to-school clothes from a thrift store for the same price as 2 new outfits from the children's boutique at mall.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You often run across vintage hard to find items items in thrift stores that are no longer manufactured or available. I once found a wooden clothesline reel in a thrift store after searching half the city for one. The guys at the hardware stores said "they don't make them anymore, last time we carried one was about 5 years ago". Now I know to preserve and keep the one I found used because they are becoming scarce.</span></span></li> <li style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You can very often find excellent one-of-a-kind original artwork at thrift stores done by students or professional artists for under $10 already framed. I once found an framed etching for $8 only to later discover it was by a well known Philadelphia artist and worth over $500!</span></span></li></ol> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify; font: 13.0px Georgia"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Buying second hand is not only good for the environment, it is also good for your wallet and your eco-conscience , so it's a win-win situation any way you look at it.</span></span></p><p></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-12463380449371181112009-09-27T00:32:00.004-04:002009-09-29T13:28:15.653-04:00Eco Fact<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A recent study has found that the chemicals in the 4000-6000 tons of sunscreen washed off beach goers annually is killing coral reefs worldwide.</span></span></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-47404772081337882082009-09-27T00:28:00.003-04:002009-09-29T13:30:52.096-04:00Thought for the Day<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="vertical-align: -1.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">At long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitible to dispense it.</span></span></p> <p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.0px Georgia"><span style="vertical-align: -1.0px"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">— Dick Cavett</span></span></p>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-15857371794722511922009-09-25T15:18:00.016-04:002009-10-02T10:14:43.420-04:00The Story of Stuff<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzFln48NjdvMfpbIhlVjG_-sFHdb6W1FxIZG0ActmK17N_dqy3ED2rRzW5N6cTLa9DWB5plvcE2Nd8vUlDW' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe><br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">From its extraction through sale, use and disposal, all the stuff in our lives affects communities at home and abroad, yet most of this is hidden from view. The Story of Stuff is a fast-paced, fact-filled look at the underside of our production and consumption patterns. The Story of Stuff exposes the connections between a huge number of environmental and social issues, and calls us together to create a more sustainable and just world. It'll teach you something, it'll make you laugh, and it just may change the way you look at all the stuff in your life forever.</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Copyright/Licensing Information From:</b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><a href="http://www.storyofstuff.com/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.storyofstuff.com/</span></span></a></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>The Story of Stuff</b></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b> </b>is available to watch and download free by following the link below. Please feel free to download, duplicate and share the film for non-commercial use as much as you would like. </span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><b>Sharing the SOS</b>: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; color: rgb(81, 81, 81); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Yes, please share the Story of Stuff with friends, family, teachers, your communities and organizations. The Story of Stuff is protected under the Creative Commons licensing (</span></span></span><a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License</span></span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#000000;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">). We ask that you not alter the presentation and that you do not show the film commercially. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-67174480479458821082009-09-23T15:08:00.004-04:002009-09-30T17:11:23.700-04:00Thought for the Day<span style="line-height: 16px;"><span style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible</span></span></span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 16px; ">— Voltaire</span><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12.0pt; mso-line-height-rule: exactly;"><br /></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-88780269917050310652009-09-23T15:07:00.009-04:002009-09-30T17:10:22.590-04:00Eco Fact<span style="font-family:Georgia;"><span style="font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Up to 80% of all car tires are underinflated. Underinflated tires waste approximately 5% of a car’s fuel, which equals out to be around two billion gallons of gasoline wordwide per year</span></span><br /><br /><br /><br /></span>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-46411419349813368022009-09-23T14:16:00.021-04:002009-09-29T13:44:18.419-04:00Green Skeletons in Our Closets<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">What do our closets have to do with saving the planet you might ask? While at first glance what's in our clothes closets may seem to have a benign influence on our environment, a closer look reveals quite a different picture. Let's start with the ordinary wire hanger.</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A famous line from the movie </span></span></span></span><b><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Mommy Dearest</span></span></span></span></b><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is </span></span></span></span><i><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">"no wire hangers"</span></span></span></span></i><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">! While Joan Crawford might have been justified in her distain of wire hangers for aesthetic reasons, our reckless disposal of them has become a major environmental issue. Steel </span></span></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">is 100% recyclable yet most hangers get thrown away, leaving 3.5 billion hangers per year in landfills, weighing in at 195 million pounds, spanning 2.2 million miles if stretched out and wasting enough steel to make 60,000 new cars. Instead of tossing them, there are other options:</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">ask our dry cleaner if we can return the hangers for their reuse</span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">donate them to thrift stores who always need hangers</span></span></span></span></li><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">find a recycling center that takes steel</span></span></span></span></li></ul><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><b><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Clothing</span></span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">All synthetic clothing (nylon, polyester, etc) is made from petroleum and most of us don't need to be educated on the political, social, economic and environmental impact of our use of and addiction to petroleum. Large amounts of crude oil are used in the manufacturing process of synthetic fibers, releasing deadly chemicals into the air, including hydrogen chlorine gas. Further adding insult to injury, these synthetic clothes, when discarded, will sit for hundreds of years in landfills. Cotton clothing, while constructed of a natural biodegradable material, has it's own downside with 50 million pounds of pesticides including cyanide, dicofol, naled, propargite, and trifluralin, all known cancer-causing chemicals being used each year to grow it. These pesticides run off into our waterways and cause genetic mutations and death to marine and animal life. So how can we lessen the environmental impact of the textiles we use?</span></span></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Be gentle to the clothes we already own to make them last longer</span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Choose quality over quantity. A bargain blouse is not a bargain for the wallet<br />or the environment if after 2 washings it falls apart and ends up in the trash<br />due to inferior materials or workmanship</span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Buy from consignment and thrift shops</span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Opt for organic cotton and naturally grown plant based fabrics such as hemp, bamboo and linen or silk, wool or recycled materials</span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Donate usable clothing to charities or sell them at flea markets or consignment shops and give throw rugs, towels and blankets to animal shelters</span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Reuse tattered clothing for household cleaning, painting, car washing rags</span></span></span></span></li></ul><span style="font-weight: bold; line-height: 16px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cashmere:</span></span></div></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 16px; "><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cashmere</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">used to be a luxury fabric available only to the wealthy. Today, inexpensive cashmere is mass produced in China using huge numbers of goats that overgraze and devastate the pastures, rendering them dust bowls. Dust storms from the barren pastures blow through China causing air pollution and illness to the population while contributing to global climate change. We can help mitigate this situation by opting for the more expensive but sustainably produced cashmere. Once the demand for the cheaper cashmere has diminished, the producers will have no choice but to decrease production, it's a simple case of supply and demand. The alpaca, an animal that survives in many climates around the globe and has little impact on its environment is a good alternate source of cashmere. Look for cashmere made from alpaca instead of from goats raised in an unsustainable manner.</span></span></div></span><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Athletic Shoes</span></span></span></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span></span></span></span></span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">How many pairs of old sneakers that are too gross to give to charity are piled on your closet floor? Sneakers that contain petroleum based PVC (polyvinylchloride) that would normally end up in a landfill? Nike will recycle </span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">any brand of athletic shoe through its Reuse-a-Shoe program </span></span></span></span><a href="http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">http://www.nikereuseashoe.com/</span></span></span></span></a><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Take your shoes to any Nike store, or mail them to the company's recycling center and Nike will process and recycle the footwear to make sports courts, running tracks and playgrounds. To date, over 24,123,411 pairs of athletic shoes</span></span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">worldwide have been recycled through the program since 1990.</span></span></span></span><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><b><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Moth Repellants</span></span></span></span></b><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(35, 31, 32); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The two major ingredients in</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 12pt; text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">mothballs, naphthalene and p-dichlorobenzene used individually or in<br />combination, are extremely toxic petroleum-based chemicals that can cause numerous short and long-term health effects, including cancer, blood, kidney, and liver problems and even death. Add to that the environmental impact of manufacturing and disposing of these poisons and its easy to see we need to try safer alternatives such as:</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><ul><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Store woolens in a cedar chest or cedar lined closet</span></span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Launder clothes before storing because moth larvae are attracted to perspiration, dandruff, hair, food<br />and beverage stains</span></span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Store clothing in airtight chests or containers</span></span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Airing clothing occasionally in sunlight and wind will reduce larvae on fabrics</span></span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Avoid storing clothing in dark humid areas like attics</span></span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Store clothes with sachets of nontoxic herbs and woods such as cedar, cloves, rosemary, eucalyptus, lavender, lemon, sweet woodruff, cinnamon sticks and bay leaves</span></span></span></span></span></li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div></span><li style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#231f20;"><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Pheromone traps are available for some species of moths. Place traps in closets and other areas where clothes<br />are stored</span></span></span></span></span></li></ul><span style="color:#231f20;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: georgia, serif; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">So the next time you clean out your closet, take a little extra time to make it green.</span></span></div></span>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-9447346715162046202009-09-22T23:46:00.002-04:002009-09-30T17:09:06.066-04:00Thought for the Day<div style="font: 18.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify;"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.</span></span></span></div><div style="font: 18.0px Arial; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 13.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">— George Carlin</span></span></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-48885774845689599792009-09-22T23:39:00.003-04:002009-09-29T13:29:21.905-04:00Eco Fact<span style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">A new 1/3 ounce 18k gold ring creates about 20 tons of mine waste.</span></span>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-79045179940239423772009-09-22T19:35:00.009-04:002009-10-02T09:40:46.518-04:00Green on the Airwaves<span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">When I'm not out and about fighting the "green fight", I'm a couch potato watching and listening to some of the following quality green programming:</span></span></span></span></b></span><div><b><br /></b></div><div><span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "></span>SATELLITE/CABLE TV: PLANET GREEN (channel 286) has: </span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Focus Earth with Bob Woodruff</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></span><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Network anchor Bob Woodruff hosts this news magazine which deals 100% with environmental and sustainable living issues. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Living with Ed</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span></span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Humorous eco-reality show with actor, environmentalist, electric car enthusiast Ed Begley Jr. and his glam wife Rachelle in their green (as mandated by Ed) Studio City, Calif home. Their neighbor, Bill Nye, "the science guy" vies with Ed to be "king of green" with Jay Leno making frequent appearances along with other Hollywood stars. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Stuff Happens</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span></span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Hosted by Bill Nye "the science guy", a comedic approach which shows the global repercussions of our daily habits and purchases. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Renovation Nation</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span></span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Hosted by former This Old House's Steve Thomas. Steve travels around the country featuring homes that are green and eco-friendly with ideas and resources on new green building products and techniques. </span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">G Word</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span></span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Green News Magazine Being green is no longer just for granola-loving hippies. It's a lifestyle, an attitude, a state-of-mind, and it's shaking up the pop-culture landscape. Forget what you think you know about what being green means and get ready for G Word. </span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Greenovate</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span></span></span></span></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Saving over 40% on energy bills while also increasing property value by 25% sounds impossible, but Greenovate shows viewers just how to make this lofty dream a reality in their own households. </span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">FIT TV (channel 261) has:</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Get Fresh with Sara Snow</span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Sara Redmond Snow hosts an all around natural living program running the gamut of organic gardening, eco-fashion, sustainable fisheries, raising chickens in the city, Ayurvedic medicine, herbs etc.</span></span></span></span></b></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Georgia, serif;"><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">RADIO</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></b></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">All the following programs are on WHYY 91FM </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span><span><a href="http://www.whyy.org/91FM/"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.whyy.org/91FM/</span></span></a></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.whyy.org/91FM/"></a></span></span></span></span><span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You Bet Your Garden with Mark McGrath</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Every Saturday morning at 11 am Excellent radio program about organic gardening with Rodale Press editor Mark McGrath who answers all your organic gardening questions. </span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><a href="http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/">http://www.whyy.org/91FM/ybyg/</a></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">You Bet Your Garden offers a podcast feed of the current show. </span></span></span><a href="http://www.whyy.org/rss/garden.xm"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.whyy.org/rss/garden.xm</span></span></span></a><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">l </span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Living on Earth</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Every Saturday morning at 6 am Sound Journalism for the Planet; hosted by Steve Curwood Living on Earth offers a podcast feed of the current show.</span></span></div><div><a href="http://www.loe.org/podcast.rss"><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">http://www.loe.org/podcast.rss</span></span></span></a><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span><b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Humankind: Voices of Hope and Humanity</span></span></span></b><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Every Saturday morning at 5:30 am Subjects: Protecting Our Planet; Simplifying Our Lives; Social Conscience; Taking Care of Yourself (w/herbs, relaxation etc); Young Voices; Meaningful Media and much, much more.</span></span></div></div></div></div></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-78219109647110557532009-09-21T19:45:00.009-04:002009-09-29T13:47:39.571-04:00Gloom and Doom?....NOT<div style="font: 12.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; text-align: justify;"><br /><span style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">If it seems like the articles I've been posting are filled with gloom and doom, keep in mind these were originally written to educate the public in a blue collar working class neighborhood of the urgency needed in adopting a more sustainable lifestyle. Limited to 750 words, they had to be hard hitting and cut to the chase, shock, in fact. But once the scary education is over, the fun begins! Adopting a new green lifestyle can be quite an adventure as you will see when I begin to offer some of my non-toxic homemade cleaning "recipes". Oh and let's not forget about Vermiculture (worm composting).....red wigglers under the kitchen sink anyone?</span></span><br /><br /></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4013677250040283763.post-83473537532839703222009-09-21T14:51:00.006-04:002009-09-30T17:07:47.961-04:00Thought for the Day<div style="font: 16.0px Georgia; margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px;"><span style="font-family:Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">"Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy."<br />— Albert Einstein</span></span><br /></div>Lorettahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10512919584147485721noreply@blogger.com0