Owner: Green Piece Blog URL:http://www.greenpieceblog.com Join Date: Fri, 28 Mar 2008 16:06:47 -0500 Rating:0 Site Description: This blog is a reminder of the piece we often forget when traveling, eating, voting, and building; the green piece. Visit for advice, editorials, and news that complete the puzzle. Site statistics:Click here
NPR Story: Plastic Bag Bans Gaining Popularity 2008-03-27 15:43:00 From NPR: "In San Francisco, the age-old question "Paper or plastic?" was answered one year ago this week. The city banned hard-to-recycle plastic bags in grocery stores, and so far, that translates into 5 million fewer plastic bags every month. Now, other cities are considering similar bans, and companies are developing alternatives to disposable bags."
Listen to the full story by clicking HERE Read more:Gaining
, Plastic
, Popularity
Do It Yourself: Window Insulation 2008-03-27 15:24:00 Many modern homes, and some older ones, contain a significant number of windows. While this is a great way to let in natural light and see the outdoors, the drafts coming in will put a huge strain on your air conditioning/heating. Anything that puts a strain on your AC/Heat is also going to put a strain on your wallet when that utility bill arrives.
There are a lot of ways to stop those windows Read more:Window
, Yourself
Energy Reform = Space Race 2008-03-27 14:58:00 Last night I attended a rally for Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton. Hillary has been an advocate for real energy reform for years. One of the pillars of her Presidential platform is a "strategic energy fund" that would act as a source of funding for research into renewable and sustainable sources of energy. The money in the fund would come from rolling back tax breaks and subsidies given to Read more:Energy
, Reform
, Space
Whole World Invested in U.S. Election 2008-03-26 10:12:00 This post doesn't directly relate to the environment, but some stories are too amazing too overlook.
The Wall Street Journal reports today that the world's nations are as split on the Democratic race as the United States is. According to the story, Barack Obama scores high amongst Europeans, specifically Germans. Hillary Clinton, on the other hand, is popular in China and Mexico.
Barack Obama's Read more:Election
, Whole
, World
Spring Cleaning Round-Up 2008-03-25 12:56:00 I'll be frank, I often find myself writing the same blog posts over and over again. Its just very difficult to find new ways to make Oscar Parties, Super Bowl Parties, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Flag Day, etc. "greener."
When I decided I wanted to write a post about SpringCleaning
, rather than re-writing the same tips I've posted in the past, I chose to to create a guide to my old posts that Read more:Spring Cleaning
Buy "Simple Shoes" for the Planet 2008-03-25 09:53:00 No this is not a paid post for the Simple
Shoes company. I have to buy my shoes from them just like everybody else. But buying shoes from Simple Shoes is a really satisfying feeling.
Simple Shoes sells an assortment of sneakers, sandals, & bags all made from recycled products like tires and plastic jugs or from sustainable sources like hemp. I'll admit that not all the their stuff is sexy, but
Cleaning a Broken CFL 2008-03-25 09:25:00 Fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) are the corkscrew-shaped light bulbs you keep hearing about. They last for many years and use a lot less electricity than traditional incandescent bulbs. In the long run, you will definitely save money by replacing the old bulbs in your home with CFLs.
There is one complication when buying CFLs. Like all fluorescent lighting, they have small amounts of mercury in them. Read more:Broken
, Cleaning
Baby Bottles: Glass vs. Plastic 2008-03-24 19:17:00 An article in today's Washington Post discusses a growing movement among new parents away from plastic bottles in favor of glass bottles for their babies. In general, choosing almost anything over plastic is better for the environment, but in the context of baby bottles, this is especially true.
According to the Post article, "Bisphenol A, or BPA, is a manmade chemical used in polycarbonate Read more:Bottles
, Glass
, Plastic
Ralph Nader and the Environment 2008-03-19 16:45:00 This blog has covered all the Presidential candidates and their various platforms & records on the environment. You can see comparisons between Hillary & Obama or Obama & McCain. You can read an interview with Ron Paul on the environment and you can sign a petition encouraging Obama & McCain to run carbon neutral campaigns.
Now that Ralph
Nader has entered the 2008 Presidential contest, I feel Read more:Environment
The Feds Want Your Junk 2008-03-19 09:54:00 I'm sure by now you know the danger of throwing your used electronics into the garbage. You know about the toxic materials and how they will seep into our ground water and pollute our air as they slowly disintegrate. Apparently, the United States Postal Service also knows about this danger.
The USPS is rolling out a new initiative that will allow you to mail in old cell phones and small
Recycling the Apple Way 2008-03-18 15:52:00 Its old news by now that Apple
has transformed its brand over the past decade and is regarded as a realistic alternative to PC's by mainstream consumers. This is partly due to the huge popularity of iPods and to the ever-growing discontent with Windows. Throughout its transition from cult icon to pop icon, Apple has struggled to avoid being portrayed as an anti-environment company. Read more:Recycling
Curb Carbon Emissions Without Hurting the Economy? 2008-03-17 13:04:00 There are plenty of people out there who stand to gain financially from continuing to push fossil fuels. These are the people who love to make the claim that carbon caps will ruin the United States' economy. Of course, scare tactics often work, and that is exactly why oil & coal companies use them.
What is missing from their argument are those inconvenient facts that undermine threats of our Read more:Carbon
Natural, Organic Oven Cleaner 2008-03-17 12:41:00 This weekend we decided to clean the gunk out of our oven that keeps causing smoke that sets off the smoke alarm. Unfortunately, our oven doesn't have a self-clean setting.
I think its widely acknowledged that most oven cleaners are very toxic with unhealthy fumes. Although these products get burnt-on waste off the oven walls, they probably burn a few brain cells in the process. What other Read more:Natural
, Organic
Bush Personally Intervened With EPA Rules 2008-03-14 08:32:00 The Washington Post is reporting today that..."EPA officials initially tried to set a lower seasonal limit on ozone to protect wildlife, parks and farmland, as required under the law. While their proposal was less restrictive than what the EPA's scientific advisers had proposed, Bush overruled EPA officials and on Tuesday ordered the agency to increase the limit, according to the documents." Read more:Rules
Xeriscaping Your Yard 2008-03-12 09:55:00 When I was a kid, my father spent hours every weekend working on the yard. He watered it, fertilized it, put pesticides on it, cut it, bagged the clippings, put weed killer on it, etc. etc. etc.
What my dad didn't know was that he was creating a greener yard but not a greener planet. He wasted barrels of water trying to keep the lawn moist in the Florida summer heat. The toxic chemicals from his
McCain's Environmentalist VP 2008-03-10 13:11:00 John McCain
is more of an environmentalist than most Republicans. He is in the Schwarzenegger camp when it comes to curbing global warming and ending reliance on foreign oil. Lately, McCain has shied away from his environmentalist roots in order to appeal to a more business friendly conservative base. Hopefully that is a trend he will avoid in the very near future.
One sign that McCain is still
President Obama's Environmental Policies 2008-03-10 10:16:00 As the Democratic election chugs along, it provides observers the opportunity to learn as much as possible about each candidate. In fact, by the time this thing is over, we'll know more than we want about Obama
& Clinton (i.e. that Obama looks good in his underwear)
The most important thing to glean from all of this information is what type of President
these candidates would be if they were Read more:Policies
Study: Cut Carbon to Survive 2008-03-10 09:22:00 We've all known for a while that unless we take dramatic action to curb the amount of carbon released into our atmosphere, global climate change will cause cataclysmic resource shortages. A new study published in the Washington Post today says we only have a few decades to totally cut carbon emissions to stop these shortages.
The scientists who wrote the report represent the United States, Read more:Carbon
, Study
God Wants You to Recycle 2008-03-10 08:54:00 Just when you had finally memorized the 7 Deadly Sins, the Vatican goes and creates seven more. Recognizing that individual actions have an impact on society, the Catholic Church has created seven new deadly sins that forbid behavior which will negatively impact the world we live in.
The new sins include carrying out experiments on humans, causing social injustice, causing poverty, becoming Read more:Recycle
Planes vs Trains vs Automobiles - What is Greener 2008-02-27 10:27:00 In America, there are many ways to get from here to there. For years, the single most popular mode of transportation for most Americans was the car. As gas prices rise to that terrifying $4.00/gallon threshold, many are beginning to look for cheaper alternatives for business trips and family vacations.
Cost shouldn't be the only consideration when planning your next trip. You should also think Read more:Automobiles
, Greener
, Trains
A Green Way to Dump Those Old Books 2008-04-01 12:25:00 There is something sophisticated about surrounding yourself with a bunch of old books. The sight of stacks and stacks of books triggers thoughts of intelligence and worldliness. This is why lawyers stand in front of full book shelves in their commercials rather than a monitor with Lexis Nexis on the screen.
Eventually though, all those books become a nuisance. They take up a lot of space and God Read more:Books
, Green
Apple a Little Greener This Year 2008-03-31 12:21:00 Greenpeace produces a guide every year that ranks and scores the major electronics manufacturing companies based upon their commitment to a healthier environment. You can read the full Greenpeace Guide HERE.
In the beginning years of Greenpiece's guide, the computer/iPod maker Apple
scored a pathetic 2.5/10. Within a year Apple improved its score to 5.5. A few months later, that score went up to Read more:Greener
Stop the Catalogs and Save the Planet 2008-04-04 09:37:00 If you have ever stepped foot into a Victoria's Secret store and purchased anything, you will start receiving their catalog. Through some magic electronic relationship between your credit card and Victoria's Secret' marketing department, you could buy some hand lotion and commit yourself to a lifetime of their catalogs.
This is true of many retail stores across the country. For Christmas, my Read more:Catalogs
Where is Our Green Party? 2008-04-02 19:00:00 There isn't an American alive who is not aware that this year's presidential election is historic. Not since 1928 has the United States faced the prospect of a presidential candidate field that hasn't included either an incumbent President or Vice-President. At age 72, John McCain is facing the prospect of being the oldest President ever elected. Both Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton could make Read more:Green
, Party
Reducing Your HDTV's Carbon Footprint 2008-04-02 15:31:00 Its nearly impossible to navigate all the conflicting information about which type of TV is better for the environment. Traditional tube televisions contain a vast array of toxic materials, the worst of which is lead. LCD & plasma TV's may also contain lead, but in far smaller quantities. Of course, LCD and plasma TV's burn about four times the amount of electricity that traditional tube TV's do. Read more:Carbon
, Footprint
, HDTV
, Reducing
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