Most days I love the Earth. Sure, come fall when we have to rake the mountain of leaves the huge trees in our yard produce my love is diminished slightly. And when our plumbing suddenly seized up last Saturday and we had to call a guy out to clear a mass of tree roots from our underground pipes, my love was a bit…tempered to say the least. But yes, most days I really do love the Earth. So, in honor of Earth Day here are a few Earth-friendly links I’ve found to help celebrate.
Obviously, recycling is one of the best things you can do for the environment, and Swaptree is a very cool website that helps you swap stuff you don’t want and gain something you do. The site allows you to trade in used DVDs, CDs, books and video games for something else, and all you have to pay for is shipping. How cool is that? (Thanks to VSL for the link.)
Speaking of recycling, being the nerd for the written word that I am it figures I’d be smitten with these journals made out of recycled hardcover books. I've got my eye on you, vintage Nancy Drew...
I’ve never been much of a fan of greeting cards, but these plantable cards available over at Etsy are functional, biodegradable and adorable. In other words, expect to get more mail from me.
Of course one very simple thing the average person can do to help the environment is switch to reusable grocery bags and swear off bottled water (Which, considering that the FDA has little to no control over the bottled water industry and tap water is much more rigorously regulated, more bacteria has often been found in bottled water than in most tap water and as much as 40% of bottled water is only filtered municipal city water - Nestle and Coca-Cola have both admitted their product is merely bottled tap water - it shouldn’t be too much of a burden swearing off the bottle assuming you have access to city water. Why people would pay money for bottled tap water is a mystery to me).
But speaking of water bottles, I was devastated to hear that the Nalgene bottle I’ve been religiously using every day for the better part of two years leaches bisphenol A, a chemical “linked to neurological and behavioral problems in infants and babies, along with certain cancers, diabetes” miscarriages and birth defects. Of course nothing is ever 100%, but I like to err on the side of caution when it comes to my heath, so I’ve since abandoned by trusty blue Nalgene bottle and am substituting it with a way cuter, safer and more durable metal SIGG bottle. (And since I love you and want you to be safe, I think you should too.)
And finally, this site helps you calculate the size of your carbon footprint. Unfortunately, my Energy Conservation Score is 347, which is slightly above average in large part due to all the driving I have to do and the fact that I live in The Motor City - a place notoriously unfriendly to public transportation. But you know, my birthday is coming up, so perhaps a fancy new Hybrid vehicle would be a good gift! (Of course, I’m joking. Sort of.)
Obviously, recycling is one of the best things you can do for the environment, and Swaptree is a very cool website that helps you swap stuff you don’t want and gain something you do. The site allows you to trade in used DVDs, CDs, books and video games for something else, and all you have to pay for is shipping. How cool is that? (Thanks to VSL for the link.)
Speaking of recycling, being the nerd for the written word that I am it figures I’d be smitten with these journals made out of recycled hardcover books. I've got my eye on you, vintage Nancy Drew...
I’ve never been much of a fan of greeting cards, but these plantable cards available over at Etsy are functional, biodegradable and adorable. In other words, expect to get more mail from me.
Of course one very simple thing the average person can do to help the environment is switch to reusable grocery bags and swear off bottled water (Which, considering that the FDA has little to no control over the bottled water industry and tap water is much more rigorously regulated, more bacteria has often been found in bottled water than in most tap water and as much as 40% of bottled water is only filtered municipal city water - Nestle and Coca-Cola have both admitted their product is merely bottled tap water - it shouldn’t be too much of a burden swearing off the bottle assuming you have access to city water. Why people would pay money for bottled tap water is a mystery to me).
But speaking of water bottles, I was devastated to hear that the Nalgene bottle I’ve been religiously using every day for the better part of two years leaches bisphenol A, a chemical “linked to neurological and behavioral problems in infants and babies, along with certain cancers, diabetes” miscarriages and birth defects. Of course nothing is ever 100%, but I like to err on the side of caution when it comes to my heath, so I’ve since abandoned by trusty blue Nalgene bottle and am substituting it with a way cuter, safer and more durable metal SIGG bottle. (And since I love you and want you to be safe, I think you should too.)
And finally, this site helps you calculate the size of your carbon footprint. Unfortunately, my Energy Conservation Score is 347, which is slightly above average in large part due to all the driving I have to do and the fact that I live in The Motor City - a place notoriously unfriendly to public transportation. But you know, my birthday is coming up, so perhaps a fancy new Hybrid vehicle would be a good gift! (Of course, I’m joking. Sort of.)
1 Comments:
Nice collection of links and resources, my dear. Can I complain to you about something for a second? I caught part of Oprah's Earth Day special yesterday (while I was at the gym), and she had Sandra Bullock on touting her line of environmentally friendly soy wax candles. And so that's what's going to save the Earth? Buying decorative candles? Blah. I guess regular candles have chemicals and stuff, but why not just stop buying candles then? The whole thing just struck me as comsumeristic and annoying, but I don't have much love for Oprah. She did bring Al Gore out afterwards, which is an improvment. ;)
Also, may I add Earth Day reminders to everyone eat more local food, less meat, and organic if it's feasible? Summer's right around the corner, which means farmer's market season!
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