Green Computing

Most people go on the computer several times a day, so why not be as environmentally friendly as possible? For those who are thinking of a new computer this season, here are a couple of my top picks:

Apple's Macbook uses almost no energy (a light bulb uses four times as much energy), and the it is free of mercury, arsenic, PVC, and brominated flame retardant. It is also almost completely recyclable.

Dell's Bamboo Computer is approximately eighty percent smaller then a standard mini-tower desk top, and uses seventy percent less energy.

MicroPro Computers' biodegradable PC iameco (pronounced I am Eco). With bodies, keyboard casings and mice out of recycled wood, the computers are designed to be zero-waste computers so that they can be easily upgraded rather than replaced.

*One tip, laptops almost always use less energy then desktops, and flat screens use about one third the energy of CRTs*

While not everyone is in the market for a new computer, there are some ways we can all be a little more green with our computer usage.

-Turn your computer off when you aren't using it.

-Unplug you computer when you can to stop "Phantom power use".

-Avoid screen savers; they have been known to use MORE energy then letting the screen dim.

-When away from you desktop for fifteen minutes or more, turn off the monitor.

-Change you power settings.

If you want to see how power smart your current computer is, check out http://www.epeat.net/ . EPEAT (Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool) is all about finding the greenest electronics.

If you have a favourite environmentally friendly computer, or green cimouting tip LET ME KNOW!! COMMENT!

Electric Cars

Cars are the largest contributors to pollution we use in our everyday lives. Their main problem is that they burn a non-renewable resource as a fuel, but how can we get where we need to go with- out them? One way to get rid of these harmful emissions is to use electric cars. It used to be that if you wanted to drive eco, your only option was a smart car; however, with the recent improvements in technology you can get anything from a four door sedan, to a cute convertible. There are a lot of choices, and most of the already trusted car makers are putting out electric cars now, like Nissan, General Motors, Ford, and Honda, just to name a few. Electric cars usually start at around $35000 dollars. With everyone trying to make better decisions and help create a better planet for generations to come, cars that don't have an oil dependency are being favored more and more. The U.S.'s renewable power has already greatly surpassed their nuclear power production, and is closing in on oil. Oil is soon to be on the decline.

Blanket

Warm, and snugly. Winter is coming and who doesn't love curling up in a blanket? Well one "person" you might not be considering is your hot water tank. Hot water tanks are used as a replacement for pipes that heat as the water goes through them. They are worse for energy conservation because they can lose a lot of heat through their metal exteriors. An insulated blanket helps save energy because it will keep the hot water's existing heat in, so you don't have to pay to heat your house through your hot water tank. Hot water tank blankets can be found at most home improvement stores like The Home Depot and Rona, and tend to cost $40.00 to $60.00 dollars.

The Three R's

The basics of environmental sustainability is the three R's, and I recently realized I didn't have a post on them.

Reduce
The first stage of environmental responsibility. It encourages people to only buy what they need, and to cut down on the amount of resources they use. Also, try to buy products with less packaging.

Re-use
This is the second step for environmental responsibility. For all the things you are about to throw out, think about how you could give it a second life, or if there is anyone else you know who could use it.

Recycle
This is the third step for environmental responsibility. It means that once you've used an item, recycle it so that less new materials have to be used up.

The three R's are a very important part of helping the environment, and should be kept in mind whenever buying something new, or getting rid of something.

**What is you the thing you know is bad for the environment, but you buy or do anyways? **

Gifts!

One part of Christmas that everyone looks forward to (or stresses about) is the gift giving! You want to get someone a gift that they love, but hopefully it can be good for the environment too right? Whether a sweater with a hang tag made from elephant poop ( ), or a chair made out of retired street signs ( ) is going to be the perfect gift or not is up to you. Here is a list of some of my top green gift ideas:

Rent The Runway
Shopping for your fashionista can be hard, and expensive. With the motto of "wear it today, then throw it away!" the fashion industry doesn't tend to be too eco-friendly. That's where Rent the Runway comes in. Instead of spending a couple hundred to a thousand dollars on a graduation or prom dress, you can rent one. Most people never re-wear their most expensive dresses, so why not have one that you send back? Rent the Runway has dresses anywhere from $50 to around $400. You rent the dress for 4-8 days, and they send you your size, plus one extra size to make sure it fits. So if parent approved means lame to them, a gift card that allows them to choose might be your best choice. They also rent accessories.
~

Plum
Baby clothes are expensive, but so adorable! So why not get a new or expecting mother a subscription to Plum? You choose how many outfits per month you want, and then you keep them for a month, and send them back. All clothes are washed before they are sent, and if your baby spills, you aren't charged extra for the stain. The stained clothing goes to foster care mothers, or if it isn't suitable to be worn anymore, it is sent to a clothing recycling factory. Their motto is "Think of us as the Netflix of baby clothes. Subscription costs $33/month.
~

Mentos Wrapper Trash Can
While a trash can may seem like an odd Christmas present, this one is cool enough to be used as a storage container. They have taken old Mento wrappers and rolled them up super tight, and attached them to a wire frame. Trash can costs $24.00
~

Water Powered Clock
Yes, this clock is powered by water (or Soda, coffee, or beer). It works by magic (or by subtracting electrons from the water). Clock has blue siding and if you have water in it you can use the opening in the back as a vase for some flowers. *Water not included* *neither are flowers*
~

Make Magazine
Magazine subscriptions use up a lot of resources. That's where Make magazine is a little different, they have an online subscription option, in addition to a paper option. Make magazine is for the person on you list who loves to make things! They have all sorts of ideas, from lamp shades to steam powered meat tin boats, so there is something there for anyone. Online $10, Paper $25 for one year.
~

Ninja Flash drive
All students need a flash drive at some point, and these are a little cuter then then the average ones. They are four gig flash drives, with a L.E.D. light and the ninja exterior is silicone. The ninja is made with non-toxic materials, that are harmless even if your teething little sibling is sucking on it.
~

Solar Powered Water Bottle Cap
When I first read "solar powered water bottle cap" I was just as confused as you probably are. What would a solar powered water bottle cap do? Water bottle caps don't run on electricity and power with water doesn't tend to be a good idea. What this cap does is turns your water bottle into a lantern with four bright L.E.D. lights. The cap attaches to any 2.25" (like Nalgene).

If you have any questions about these gifts or any ideas of your own let me know by commenting!

Coming soon!!

Coming soon will be: Questions for Enviromental Thought. At the bottom of my posts I will ask a question (possibly completely unrelated to the post). It will be characterized by two stars (**) on either side of the question.

Now by coming soon, I meant now! So today's question:


**What is your environmental theme song??**

Trees

Oh Christmas tree, Oh christmas tree! Artificial trees or real ones? Both have their good and bad points.

Artificial trees use a lot more materials to produce but they can be used for many more years then a real tree. Also artificial trees cost a lot more ($100-$1500)  then a real tree ($25-&50). Real trees add something artificial trees never can; scent. The smell of a pin tree is something most people associate with Christmas, but having a tree in your living room does come with some complications. Real trees have a bad tendency of rotting, while artificial trees (hopefully) never rot. Real trees also need watering, and recycling, unlike artificial trees that just need un-packing and re-packing.
 Neither one is, in my opinion, "better" then the other. They both have thier merits; but I'd love to hear your thoughts!! What is your preference and why?

Lights

Most people know that the most environmentally friendly lights are L.E.D. lights, but what do you do with your old lights? Where do you buy these lights? How much better are they? In this post I hope to answer all these questions and more!

Lights Old and New

Well why not go back to the basics of environmental responsibility? Recycling! A lot of places have light recycling programs, like Canadian Tire has a program that if you bring in your old lights you get 30% off new lights. You would have to see what programs are available to you locally, but a lot of companies have a discount for when you bring old lights in.

Pricing
On average L.E.D. lights cost seven to eight dollars more then incandescents lights, but are they worth it? The people at http://www.TheHomeImprovmentsDepot.com did all the calculations to figure out how much more incandescents cost per "Christmas season" (5 hours x 30 days). They thought lights would be used for aproximatly 150 hours and thier electricity costs nineteen cents per killowatt hour (Vancouvers in six cents). They came to the conclusion that six strands of incadescent lights would cost $8.21 and six strands of L.E.D. lights would cost $1.37 for the Christmas season. Yes that means that Christmas lights could cost under a dollar fifty with L.E.D. lights. :)

Lifetime
So L.E.D.s are far cheaper in electricity then incandescents, but if they last only one year they aren't really worht it, are they? Most L.E.D. lights advertise an average lifetime of 20,000 hours. That means they should last over 100 years! Some people may be a bit skeptical about that, and yes likely something better will come around or lights will simply break, but the 20,000 hours lets you know they will last for a good couple years. :)

Light Up the Blog (With COMMENTS!! :D )
Have any thoughts or opions on this post?? Post a comment!! Also if you have any other questions, or ideas please let me know at guidingtheecoway@gmail.com :) Thank you all for reading! :)

Toppers and Fill

Here are some ideas on what to put on the outside and inside of your gifts as replacements for ribbon, bows, and Styrofoam packing peanuts.

Toppers
Bows start to show their age, and ribbons get cut to size, so most of the classic present toppers aren't very re-usable. Here are some ideas that I found that are more environment friendly:


Old picture books make great toppers. An old book that you have no one to give to, or is ripped and ratty, can make a useful addition to your wrapping arsenal. If you wrap a gift in plain paper, and cut out a silhouette on a picture, like this one of a cat, it looks great and uses something that would have gotten thrown out.
Yarn can be a great alternative to ribbon. While yarn isn't usually recycled either, it is a natural fiber, unlike most ribbons, which have plastic in them. A similar alternative to yarn is twine.
Beads, Glass, and Bobbles make great present toppers, because they add a little bit of sparkle and look pretty, but usually just clutter up the home. If you are going to buy a little bobble or some beads for your present, a good place to look is a thrift store, because you will likely find a great sparkly item at a low cost, that you are now re-using.
Back to Nature. One very environmentally conscious idea is to use something from the garden. Pine cones, a branch with some berries, some leaves, or any other aesthetically pleasing thing you find one winter's eve can make an interesting and seasonal topper to your gift.

Fill
Styrofoam is the most common thing to use to keep something fragile from breaking, but is a nightmare to recycle. So here are some things to help keep your gift safe, without the recycling problems.


Shredded paper. Shredded paper is far better for recycling then Styrofoam, while giving your gift a cushion.
Peanuts. Instead of Styrofoam peanuts, one choice is real peanuts (with shell).
Popcorn. Popcorn is very comparable to Styrofoam peanuts for its weight and texture.
Bough. A bough from a evergreen is a really pretty packing material that even smells Christmas-y.

What do you use? What do you think Comment comment comment please!

Wrapping

Got a spare 2.7 billion? That is how much Americans spend on ribons, paper, and bows annually! And almost all of it winds up throw out, and not recycled. When you wrap a gift, you want your wrapping to do the gift on the inside justice, which a rumpled bow, on paper that will just wind up in the trash does not do. So this post is about ideas that are eco-friendly, and beautiful. Today's post will be solely on the wrap, and later there will be one on the toppers, and the fill.

Wrap

Paper just gets scrumpled up and tossed, ending up in a landfill or burned (which is very harmful because the dyes they use produce toxins).
Eco-Friendly "Papers". Non-tree based alternatives like soy or hemp based papers, and pre-recycled papers are good options.
Leaves and Reeds. If you want a pretty wrap that shows just how eco you are try wrapping with banana leaves, bamboo leaves, or reeds, with cinnamon or star anise accent, and held together with twine.

Chip Bags. When I first heard that someone was wrapping with chip bags I was rather...curious about how that would look. What you do is cut a chip bag at the seams, open it up, and wash is out, revealing a nice, shiny silver or white wrap.
Cloth. Cloth is a very fun idea, with many different ways too use it. One way, if you can sew, is to make a draw string cloth bag to hold the gift. If sewing isn't your thing, you can always use cloth just as you would paper, giving your gift a interesting look and feel.
"The Second Gift". Who doesn't love getting an extra gift? Reusable cloth bags and Scarfs are great for concealing a gift and add a little extra to the present. :)
Knit. If your a knitter, a cute way to wrap is to knit a piece big enough to wrap your gift in, and then use a needle to keep it sealed, instead of tape.

Mapped out. An old map is a unique and educational way to wrap a present. Maps really stand out next to other wraps, and you can add a cute tag like "you've found the way to my heart". ♥
Mugs. A mug is a great option, especially if you are gifting something like tea. Mugs can be found for cheap, and they are re-usable. A similar option is a jar.

Wrapping Rap
Let me know what you like to use! What you think of these ideas! I want to hear from you!

CHRITSMAS!

♪It's Chritsmas time in the city!♫ Yes folks you read right, its time for CHRISTMAS! Or at least a bit of eco Christmas prep. For the next couple posts I will be posting on gift wrap, trees, lights, and other Christmas themed posts. If you have any ideas, or anything you would like to see a post on, PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I'm super happy my blog has a bit of a following, and I'd love to hear what you want more of! Also please let write a name, even a pseudonym, to your comment. Thank you so much!

The Great Dishwashing Debate

To machine wash, or to hand wash that is the question! ...that I will try to help you answer, because the answer is different for each person, but some key tips hold true for both, like:

Soap

What dish soap you use is on of the most important things about washing dishes in an environmentally friendly fashion. This is because everything else that goes down the drain is water and food, so unless you had uranium for dinner, it is biodegradable. When looking for environmentally friendly dish soap try to find one that do not contain butyl cellosolve, petroleum, triclosan and phosphates. Instead, think of getting one with ingredients like coconut or another plant base, grain alcohol, rosemary or sage.

Other things are different for the different methods, so here are some notes for each individually:



Hand Washing

Make sure you stop the water from running while you wash, because running water is one of the fastest ways to waste water. Ensure you don't over fill the sink; you only need a couple inches of water to wash dishes! If you have a two basin sink have one full of warm soapy water, and the other full of hot rinsed water Start by washing glasses, then you cleanest dishes, and saving greasy pots or pans till the end. If you have only one basin, fill it with warm soapy water, and store the washed dishes on a dish rack or in a large bowl/pan, and then rinse after they are all washed.


Dishwashers


For machine washing it really breaks down into two main segments, saving conserving water, and efficient drying. Older dishwashers use 30 to 53 litres of water. Newer models (after 1994) use 15 to 38 litres. More energy-efficient models use less than 20 litres of water for a cycle. So the newer the dishwashers are more "water-efficient". Whatever amount of water it uses, is how much it will use every time, even if there is only half a load of dishes. For drying, the most energy efficient way is to simply stop the dishwasher after the last rinse, and let the dishes air dry. Most dishwashers heat the dishes up and "bake" them dry, so if your dishwasher has a no-heat drying option that circulates room temperature air through with a fan to dry, which uses far less energy.

Two quick extras on dishes:
1. Never wash dishes that aren't dishwasher safe because they may leak harmful chemicals into the water.
2. Never keep your dishwasher right beside your refrigerator, because the heat the dishwasher produces will make the refrigerator work harder to keep cool.

**if you are in the market for a new dishwasher, the EnerGuide will tell you what kind of energy efficiency it has, or you can simply look for one with the ENERGY STAR mark.**

Here is the link to BC Hydro's website, which has more information if you are interested. :)

http://www.bchydro.com/guides_tips/green-your-home/appliances_guide/washing_dishes.html

My Top Green Apps

I recently realized just how much time I spent wired to my electronics, and that made me wonder what were some of the green apps out there? the ones with a focus on being green, the ones that give you all sorts of green ideas, or the ones that try to bring those green thoughts to the fore-front of your mind. so some of my favourites are:


GoodGuide (free, on iTunes) this app gives you a rating for the product based on thier set of criteria, and if you have an iPhone all you need is a picture of the barcode.


Green Wars ($1.99 or free for the lite version, on iTunes) this game is a classis buy low sell high ecenomics game, but with a green twist. This game, has all green products like re-usable shopping bags.


Green Genie ($0.99, iTunes) this is a very fun app with about 100 green projects/ideas. This app also includes esential reading on sustainability, and a green glossary.


Pollution (Free) This app tracks the polution around you, pulling data from real-time air polution data, for over 1,380 cities world wide.


FishPhone (free, iTunes) this app gives you information about fish, their sustainabilty ratings, and similar, but more sustainable options, as well as wine pairings and recipe ideas. One cool note, even if you don't have a iPhone, you can find this information from any phone by texting 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question, and they'll text you back with their assesment and sugestions.

there are some of my top apps, what do you think? Is there one you love? tell me about it in the comments! :)

Smartphones and iPods

A lot of the time we can get so caught up in multi-media multitasking, using a computer, iPod, and phone all at once, that we don't stop to look at the environmental impact. Now there are definitely good points to smart phones and iPods/iPhones, in that there are apps for just about everything, meaning we don't always have to use extra resources on physical objects; for example c.d.s, maps, books, and calenders. The really exciting part of smart phones is the Eco-apps. Everyone says there is an app for everything, and in some ways there really is, and one of the best things about that is the number of Eco-centric apps! I did a post on one earlier this week () and some other interesting ones are FishPhone and GoodGuide. For a full list of my favourite green apps see . Some of the less good points of these are the small screen encourages the 140 character attention span promoted by twitter, and other multimedia social-sites. It can also allow people to continue to not think about their purchases in a long-term and environmental sense. All around, these new gadgets don't seem to be bad for the environment, and if used correctly can even be helpful. There is also a wide range of Eco-friendly accessories such as solar powered chargers.

Skeptical?

Have you ever tried to explain to some one the there really are enviromental problems, global warming is real, and has major impacts on every living thing on this planet. I myself have had this problem, and I wish I had known about this site; . It is a great website, that goes over what people are saying, why people are saying it, and whats really going on. Their motto is "Getting skeptical about global warming skepticism". They're site was created to help people look at the whole picture of climate change, not just the information that suits you. One of my favourite features is their list of "Most Used climate Myths". They've got a lot of great information, and all of it is on their iPod/smartphone app. Tell me what you think of it!

Eco-Games

Have you ever had a problem getting your troup or any group of children to sit still and learn about something? Or have you noticed that most the classes that are the most boring are the ones where you have to sit down be quite and learn? Thats because it isn't in human nature to want to sit around. So with this in mind I went looking for some games that will help teach different ecological principals and problems. One good site I found is http://dragon.sleepdeprived.ca/games/ecological/ecology.htm. They are an Onatario based site, and they have a lot of great games! Some of my favourites are : Quick Frozen Critters, Deadly Links, and Habbitat Lap Sit. What games do you like? Which ones do you find work best? I want to hear from you!! :D

The Coast to Coast Eco Challenge

The Coast to Coast Eco Challenge. This was a hiking trip from the East to West coast of Scoatland, with a "strong emphasis on the preservation off the environment". It was a four day trip, and it raised support for the Global Girls Fund. This was Created to help young women and girls from all around the world reach thier full potenial and help change the worl for the better. I want to know what you think of this! Do you think it was a great idea? Or one that could use work? Would you want to have an event like this in your area? Comment what you think!!

Original Link : http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/grab/20100/1/CoasttoCoastEcoChallenge.pdf

Planting A Better Environment?

I've heard a lot about tree planting, and websites that allow you to pay a fee, and they'll plant a tree as a "carbon offset". Right now Girl Guides of Canada has partnered with TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and they are offering girls the opportunity to apply for a five hundred dollar grant, so that thier unit can organize a tree planting event, and plant a tree to help the environment. I think this sounds like a really cool idea, but what do you think?? Please comment to tell me your thoughts and opinions!

~A tree hugger :)
Original Link: http://www.girlguides.ca/uploads/File/opportunities_for_girls/challenges_and_activities/tree_planting_grant/tree-planting-grant-information-sheet.pdf

Sri Lanka Girl Guides Go Eco-friendly

This is a really neat project that approximately 1500 Sri Lanken Girl Guides did at a series of eco-camps. They went on a campaign to end the use of 'sili sili' (plastic) bags, and one of the things they did was walk around busy shopping areas and look for people carrying plastic bags. When they found some one, they explained the effect these bags have one the environment and offered to exchange their plastic bag for a cloth bag that the girl guides had made.Their project was amazingly successful, and even though it was a long morning collecting bags, they were very proud at how many bags they had collected. (This sounds like a really good project for the environmental volunteer project, to help earn your Canada Cord). The original artical can be found here:
http://sundaytimes.lk/090503/FunDay/fundaytimes_2.html

Picture from: http://www.worstedwitch.com/pix/2007/04/25/plastic.jpg

Eco Foot Print

Just as a quick post, here is a link to a simple eco foot print calculator, for all those who want to see how many planets they use :)

http://www.ecologyfund.com/ecology/res_bestfoot.html


Picture from: http://www.thequeenofgreen.info/green-footprint.jpg

What This Blog Is All About

Hello! This is a blog about different new eco-discoveries, enviromental problems, and how Girl Guides of Canada can help find the path to a more enviromentally friendly world, light a spark of reveloution, and link together people who care. :) The enviromental problems that this blog will focus on will mostly be in areas that Guiding takes place, and either on what they did to help, or what they might have been able to do. I wanted to write this blog because we are all a piece of this world, and all need to be part of the solution. This is our world, not the next generation's, and we need to take responsibility for it.


Photo form http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_398/12421089887X09Rr.jpg