VUMC Weekly Green Tips 2009

Sorry for any confusion. I was just told that the order the hints were put into the bulletin was mixed up. So, I'm trying to get them back in order. Forgive us!

January Week 1 - Repurposing Christmas
January Week 2 - Use a Humidifier
January Week 3 - Seal Those Leaks
January Week 4 - Windows, The Weak Link
January Week 5 - Second-Hand Scents

February Week 1 - Buy A Houseplant
February Week 2 - Valentine's Day
February Week 3 - At Least 10 Uses For Just About Anything
February Week 4 - Lent is Coming

For Lent - Carbon Fast

March Week 1 - Why Kermit's Team Blog Exists
March Week 2 - Reduce Your Use of Processed Foods
March Week 3 - Use Less Water
March Week 4 - 1 Less Hour of Power - Earth Hour
March Week 5 - Use Less Paper

DIY Links

Non-Clay Kitty Litter

It's time to let the cat out of the bag about the icky stuff in your cat's litter box. (No, not that stuff.) If you're using clay-based kitty litter, you could be making a mess of the environment -- and your health.
Most conventional cat litter is made from natural clay, or sodium bentonite, which is formed into pellets and dried. The clay is strip mined from the earth in a destructive process that seems quite silly when you think about what happens to it once it hits the litter box: It is shat upon and then tossed in the landfill, where it will remain for a long, long time. In fact, over the average lifespan of a cat (15 years), you could be dumping almost 2,000 pounds of the stuff.
But what's potentially more distressing is that the dust generated when the sodium bentonite is disturbed -- by a digging cat or a poop-scooping human -- contains silicon particles that are a known carcinogen. Fortunately for both felines and their friends, there are an increasing number of clay-alternatives on pet-store shelves. They fall into several categories: wood-based (pine, cedar), plant-based (wheat, corn, grass fibers), and paper-based (newsprint, recycled newspaper). Unlike clay, most of these litters are biodegradable -- especially if disposed of in a paper or corn-based bag -- and flushable, though there is some debate as to whether this is advisable, especially in coastal areas.
But which of these alternative litters is the cat's meow? Here's the scoop.

Feline Pine$2.99 / 4.1 lbs.
Ingredients: Renewable yellow pine and natural guar bean gum
Flushable: Yes
Biodegradable: Yes
My cat Bella prefers softer litter, so I got the scoopable version of Feline Pine instead of the large-pelleted original. That was my first mistake. The scoopable Feline Pine is essentially tiny flakes of pine -- like sawdust, or the cedar shavings you might see in a gerbil tank. Because it's so light and flaky, it doesn't sift easily through a slotted litter spoon. It also sticks to cat fur, which means it slowly starts to appear everywhere -- on my couch, on my pile of clean clothes, on my bathroom rug, anywhere the cat hangs out.

Swheat Scoop
$9.95 / 14 lbs.
Ingredients: Naturally processed wheat
Flushable: Yes
Biodegradable: Yes

The Swheat Scoop packaging claims that natural wheat enzymes help neutralize odor and clump with urine. I can attest to the former -- the litter box maintained a pleasant-ish oatmeal scent -- but as to the clumping power, I found that a lot of the urine clumps stuck to the bottom of the litter box, which proved a pain when cleaning.

World's Best Cat Litter
$10.95 / 7 lbs.
Ingredients: Whole kernel corn
Flushable: Yes
Biodegradable: Yes

I like that these guys go ahead out on a limb and call this the "world's best cat litter." I don't know that I'd go that far, but this stuff does clump well -- it actually ends up looking like a Nutty Buddy (those ice-cream cones covered in peanuts) and scoops well. It doesn't quite cover the poop though, and did end up smelling more than clay litters I've used.

Good Mews
$6.99 / 8 lbs.
Ingredients: Recycled paper fiber
Flushable: Yes
Biodegradable: Yes

These black pellets smell strongly of newsprint, and that is the first thing I noticed when I poured them into the litter box. I'm pretty sure Bella also took notice of this, as she refused to use the box and ended up pooping on my cushy comforter (probably the surface in my apartment most resembling a litter box) while I was away that day.

Fresh Step Crystals
$12.99 / 8 lbs.
Ingredients: Silica gel (sodium silicate)
Flushable: No
Biodegradable: No

After the Unfortunate Comforter Incident of '08 (see above), I ran out to one of the few stores still open that night and grabbed the only non-clay litter I could find: these blindingly bright blue and white crystals. It wasn't until later that I learned that this silica-based litter is readily inhaled by both humans and felines and has been linked to respiratory problems like lung cancer, bronchitis, and in some cats, a fatal form of tuberculosis. Good thing I wouldn't have recommended it anyway -- the crystals have a strong perfume-y smell and were quite noticeably crunchy (read: loud!) whenever Bella used the box.

Cat Country Elite (Finicky Feline Formula)
$5.95 / 8 lbs.
Ingredients: Organic wheatgrass fibers
Flushable: Yes
Biodegradable: Yes

The Cat Country Elite formula is supposedly a smaller-pelleted version of the more common Cat Country litter. Because this stuff is made from wheatgrass, I thought Bella would totally dig the smell -- but it actually made her sneeze quite a bit when I first introduced it to the litter box. She did start using it though, and it seemed to perform just fine -- but I'm not a fan of the intense farm-y smell

Blogger's Note - If you have allergies to any foods - please make note that there're Wheat and Corn products being used here. Wheat is a huge trigger for asthma and corn can trigger migraines, asthma and IBS, just to name a few...

Corn
Wheat

Live Earth Project

Take The Pledge
4/16/08
http://www.liveearth.org/?p=358

Spring Cleaning - What’s the Greener Solution?

It’s official! Spring has sprung!! As of March 20th, the time has come to open up the blinds, air out the linens and whistle while you work! Just like Mary Poppins! Which brings us to our topic for today:

If a person wants to Spring Clean “Green,” is it better to buy environmentally friendly cleaning products or make your own?

According to www.naturalproductsmarket.com, the average American uses approximately 40 pounds of toxic household cleaning products every year. You’d think things would smell better, wouldn’t you? These products contain loads of super fun ingredients like: neurotoxins, carcinogens, allergens, central nervous system depressants, heavy metals and other garbage linked to cancer, respiratory problems, reproductive abnormalities, allergic reactions and behavioral problems. Yikes! And all these pretty things end up in the air, the water and ultimately our bodies. So let’s take a look at some alternatives that are good for you, the environment and your wallet.

Homemade Cleaning Products
You can pretty much make any cleaning product you might need from these three ingredients: lemons, baking soda and vinegar.

Lemons
Lemons are acidic and therefore contain anti-septic and anti-bacterial properties, plus they cut grease, dissolve soap scum and hard water deposits and can be mixed with baking soda and vinegar to make a nifty cleaning paste. Lemon juice is also very effective for removing stains from counter-tops and for cleaning copper and brass, especially if you add a little salt to the mix.

Vinegar
Vinegar is another extremely effective cleaning agent and disinfectant and can be used as an all-purpose cleaner by combining one part vinegar and one part water in a spray bottle. If you don’t like the smell, you can mellow it by adding lemon juice.

Baking Soda
Then there’s baking soda, which appears to be the Universal Cleanser. You can use it in your dishwasher, on your counter tops, on bathroom tile, even in the toilet. You can use it to freshen and unclog drains, as a furniture polish, to clean pots and pans and microwaves and as a deodorizer for the fridge, the garbage, shoes, laundry, the list goes on. And of course, you can brush you teeth with it and make a cake!
A great resource for homemade cleaning recipes can be found compliments of Sarah Aguire at housekeeping.about.com. Here’s a few to get you started.

All Purpose Cleaner
Make a solution of 1/4 cup of baking soda, 1/2 cup of vinegar, and 1 gallon of hot water to clean grease and grime as well as eliminate odor.

Unclogging and Freshening Drains
Option #1
Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain followed by 1 cup of hot vinegar. Try heating the vinegar in the microwave before adding it to the drain. Wait 5 minutes before flushing the drain with 2 quarts of hot water. You can repeat this process a few times if it is necessary. If this is the first time you have cleaned your drain in a long time it may be necessary to repeat the baking soda flush a couple of times.

Option #2
Try pouring 1 Cup of baking soda and 1/2 Cup of salt down the drain. Let this mixture sit in the drain for several hours, overnight is best, before flushing the drain with 2 cups of boiling water.

Clean the microwave
Mix a few tablespoons of baking soda with water in a microwave safe cup. Boil in the microwave for a few minutes. The insides of the microwave will be damp and easy to clean with a paper towel or dishcloth. This has the added benefit of removing odors that may be clinging to your microwave oven.

Non-toxic Ready-Made Cleansers
With the boom of environmental awareness (and babies), consumers are demanding products that safe to be around, effective at getting the job done and friendly to the environment. Needles to say, the number of non-toxic, environmentally friendly products now available has multiplied in leaps and bounds. Some of the best and most readily available are:
Seventh Generation
Ecover
Green Mountain
Mrs. Meyers
biokleen

Method
Most recently, former not-so-green Clorox and the Sierra Club have partnered to create a new product line called Green Works, which makes a whole line of non-toxic cleaners made from plant based ingredients.

So what’s greener? Making your own, of course - less impact from shipping and production and fewer plastic bottles. But we understand that people are busy so do what works for you. Buying ready made, eco-smart products are certainly greener than buying toxic, chemicals any day.

From Leslie
I ordered 3 little books out of a catalog - something like Carol Wright (I'm disabled and don't get out to stores). They have some pretty stupid filler stuff, but many good suggestions...

Over 100 Helpful Household Hints Heinz Distilled White Vinegar - isbn-13: 978-1-4127-1212-5
Ditto - Salt - isbn-13: 978-1-4124-1213-2
Ditto - Arm & Hammer Pure Baking Soda - isbn-13: 978-1-4127-1211-8

11/1 Live Earth Information

CLIMATE CRISIS SOLUTION: TONE IT DOWN
If we recycled another 10% of our printer and toner cartridges, we would cut our greenhouse gas emissions by 100 million pounds -- the equivalent of taking 10,000 cars off the road for an entire year! Find out more at http://liveearth.org/

Step It Up is asking people across America to organize rallies in their communities this Saturday, November 3 (one year from Election Day, 2008) to demand leadership on global warming. It's our best shot at getting past campaign trail and Capitol Hill sound bites and getting down to a strategy for solving global warming. This is your chance to help us take this call for a clean energy future to the next level. Attend a November 3 event in your community. Click here for a complete list of November 3 rallies nationwide.

Live Earth is a 24-hour, 7-continent concert series taking place on 7/7/07 that will bring together more than 100 music artists and 2 billion people to trigger a global movement to solve the climate crisis.

Live Earth will reach this worldwide audience through an unprecedented global media architecture covering all media platforms - TV, radio, Internet and wireless channels.

Live Earth marks the beginning of a multi-year campaign led by the Alliance for Climate Protection, The Climate Group and other international organizations to drive individuals, corporations and governments to take action to solve global warming. Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore is the Chair of the Alliance and Partner of Live Earth.

Live Earth was founded by Kevin Wall, the Worldwide Executive Producer of Live 8, an event that brought together one of the largest audiences in history to combat poverty. Wall formed a partnership with Al Gore and the Alliance for Climate Protection to ensure that Live Earth inspires behavioral changes long after 7/7/07.

Live Earth will stage official concerts at Giants Stadium in New York; Wembley Stadium in London; Aussie Stadium in Sydney; Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro; the Coca-Cola Dome in Johannesburg; Makuhari Messe in Tokyo; the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai; and HSH Nordbank Arena in Hamburg.

Live Earth concerts will be broadcast to a live worldwide audience by MSN at http://www.liveearth.msn.com/ .

With support from the U.S. Green Building Council, creators of the LEED Green Building Rating System, Live Earth will implement new Green Event Guidelines. All Live Earth venues will be designed and constructed by a team of sustainability engineers who will address the environmental and energy management challenges of each concert site, as well as the operations of sponsors, partners and other Live Earth affiliates. Each venue will not only be designed to maintain a minimum environmental impact, but will showcase the latest state-of-the-art energy efficiency, on-site power generation, and sustainable facilities management practices.

Live Earth is a project of the SOS campaign, which is using a powerful multimedia platform - films, television, radio, Internet, books, wireless and others - to move people to combat the climate crisis.

For more information - News and Tools
http://www.liveearth.org/news.php

News from Al Gore:
Moving Beyond Kyoto July 1, 2007 : 6:27 AM
WE -- the human species -- have arrived at a moment of decision. It is unprecedented and even laughable for us to imagine that we could actually make a conscious choice as a species, but that is nevertheless the challenge that is before us.

Our home -- Earth -- is in danger. What is at risk of being destroyed is not the planet itself, but the conditions that have made it hospitable for human beings.

Without realizing the consequences of our actions, we have begun to put so much carbon dioxide into the thin shell of air surrounding our world that we have literally changed the heat balance between Earth and the Sun. If we don’t stop doing this pretty quickly, the average temperature will increase to levels humans have never known and put an end to the favorable climate balance on which our civilization depends.

Read the rest of my article in today's New York Times.