make a smaller ecological footprint

I bought the blackberry curve. 2 days in I realized, I really didnt like it. It had way too much stuff I wouldn’t use, the internet is a mobile internet and the keys are so small, i was constantly retyping or redialing. So, I returned it. I just kept my old phone. But on the way out I noticed this cute little phone. I read about it and the guy we have grown to love, Erik, told me that it was called the Renew. The first environmentally friendly, carbon neutral phone in the world. The outside is made of reused plastic bottles and the battery lasts 30% longer and so it doesnt need to be charged as long. So, I bought it.
It doesnt have a camera phone, god forbid. What did we ever do without camera phones?! But truly all I need it for is phone and texting. But for those who are into it, it has an mp3 player on it.
Go Tmobile. Go me.

We had someone we know come over for dinner a few weeks ago and I made dinner. As I got everything set and gave him his plate, I handed him a napkin. He looks at me and says “what’s this?” I tell him, a cloth napkin, we don’t use paper products except toilet paper. He said he had never seen them outside of a restaurant before. I told him that is really sad. I have been using cloth napkins for over 10 years.
Disposable paper napkins, cups, paper towels, all of that stuff has to come from somewhere. Try trees. It also has to go somewhere. Try landfills. Studies have shown paper doesnt break down once it is in the ground because of the temperature and pressure. So stop using them.

Captain Retardo actually did something productive before he left office. He saved 50 nautical miles of ocean and coral reef. Activists wanted 200, but we will take what we can. It is some of the most endangered and most beneficial for us to save so that we can study the animals, birds and fish. The one section has underground volcanos and there are birds that lay their eggs on the edge to keep them warm. There is also a section that is like a geyser and shoots hot air on regular intervals. Scientists are very excited. But, in true George W fashion, he cut commercial fishing in some sections and not in others. People can also privately fish. They just better have someone there to enforce that. Also, you can stop commercial fishing, but if you have those damn nets floating around, sealife will continue to die and drown.
So, shut my mouth. Thank you George W. Bush. Not about the drilling off of Virginia, but seriously, thank you. One step is better than no step. This is the first one in people realizing that sea land is just as important as regular land.
So, if I can suck it up, so can everyone else. Tell George thank you. Here’s the article.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5456232.ece

A cool book called the Green Year. Every day is another idea how to make your life green. Yesterday was buy a LED flashlight for emergencies.

check out this page. Its ways to recycle your christmas tree and other things.
http://green.msn.com/Tools/GreenDirectory/Recycle/Default.aspx?GT1=45002

Also, we got a visa gift card from Pace’s brother so we bought some stuff for our house. The first were bamboo pillowcases to go with my bamboo pillows. They were so cozy and soft, aside from the nightmares, I slept well. Also, we bought a shower head that cuts the amount of water we use. Most people use about 3 gallons per minute. We now use 1.5. It’s like someone turned on the washer but, when I keep in mind that most of the water I was using before was just mostly being wasted, its worth it. The cool part though, is it has a button on the side that when you press it, it cut the outflow to .5 gallons a minute. So, if youre shaving or lathering, you can save even more. I didn’t try it yet because lately, I have been so cold, I just can’t bring myself to do it. Pace did it last night. She ran to the couch and hopped under my covers. “That was a mistake. Maybe when it’s warmer out we can try to the button again”. I love her for trying.
Thanks for helping our house be even more environmentally friendly Gerry, Darcy, Aidan and Connor.

PS. Here is a coupon. It only costs $14.95 at Target, now you can save $5.
http://www.waterpikecoflow.com/VBE-423/
So bonus.

drilling has started thanks to George W. in Virginia. People will pass that off as “Virginia, who cares?” But it’s basically a test of the waters. If people don’t mind that, they certainly won’t mind any place else either.
Like crabs and shell fish. Oh no, not for too much longer off the coast of Virginia. It will affect or even kill them off. Wildlife will move on because of the disruption which means the ecology of the area will change. The North Atlantic right Whale, only 300-400 left in the world? They migrate through there. Dead. They will die.
Send a letter to Obama telling him to change it when he gets in. He is leaning that way, but maybe we can push him. Or, sign up for Audubon Society and they will send you the emails, all you have to do is fill it out 1 time and everytime after that, just click because it’s already filled in.
Take a stand on something. Decide what you believe in. Maybe this year, with one more person and Bush leaving, more can be done.

For those who are so amazingly gay around the holiday, like my mother, and have to decorate EVERYTHING, here are some little tips to maybe help the environment out too.

1. use LED lights this year. They now make them, it saves energy and helps lower your electric bill. that equals win win.
2. the census is still out on real or artificial trees. It depends on who you ask. Either way, most of them end up in landfills. So, if you get a real one, DON’T be one of those people who leave it half decorated in a plastic bag by the curb. Clean it off and donate it to your local zoo. Animals and birds love it and they are used as interactive toys.
3. It sounds corny, but I think its wonderful—use comics to wrap your christmas gifts. Its all going to end up in the recycling bin anyway. Wrapping papers cant be recycled because of the shiny material, so to the landfill it goes.
4. Christmas dinner? Try using the 100 mile rule. Get all of or as much food as you can locally. It not only supports your local vendors and farmers, it cuts gas consumption and you won’t support huge trucks traveling cross country.
And finally, this one is personal;
5. Do not shop at WALMART. They treat their employees unfairly and target their products to low income families. Their merchandise is poorly made which means if someone buys the $8 blender this year, next year they will probably need another one and so on. When I was a social worker, I saw this and tried to explain it to my clients all the time. Also, I have no respect for a company that allowed such choas that it killed an employee and almost trampled a pregnant woman, but STILL took its time to close the store. THEN STILL shows commercials about their fantastaic door busting sales. Classless. No one needs anything from Walmart that bad.
Let’s try to leave a smaller footprint this year and a little bigger one next year. We can’t do it in 1 year, but maybe by 3 or 4, we can make a good showing.
I pray for you, your families, your friends, all animals, especially the hurt and neglected and I pray that everyone one day has clean drinking water.
Happy holidays everyone!!

So I work in a hospital with many doctors. I have decided that this department is going to get rid of the styrofoam cups. These people make between $250,000 and $500,000 a year. You can certainly bring in a mug or cup. I told the ordering person we are going to order 75% less of cups and the ones we order will be paper. If someone comes in (guest or parent) they can drink from them, but every other person in this department is going to have a cup or mug, like it or not. I broke them into putting all food and snacks in the breakroom so I could lose weight, I can do this.
I’m going to start planting the seed now. Sign goes up by end of the week.

We went to the grocery yesterday to weekly shop. As we unloaded our groceries, the idiot in front of us asked for paper inside of plastic. I have always wanted to know WHY people do that. WHY? I thought, well, at least we cancelled out idiot boy there with our canvas bags. As I looked around, more people have been using canvas which is great. I have been using canvas for over 17 years. (I’m 34, not 60 by the way). I made my parents switch when I was 16. So anyway, we get to the car and start to leave. Same idiot is driving a truck. Windows rolled down, smoking a cigarette. “This is why you can’t afford anything”, Im thinking. Between the cost of gas and cigarettes, I can’t believe he hasn’t resorted to a life of crime. We wait at the light to get out and he THROWS HIS CIGARETTE OUT OF THE WINDOW. A study showed that fish, birds and small animals are eating the butts. They are also getting into our WATER SUPPLY. So basically, keep shopping with canvas, drive a smaller car and make sure you recycle. Idiot boy will thank us when we die after drinking the water while he drinks soda. Before I die though, I want a really hard punch before I go.

I truly believe that because of the things we do everyday, the world is better. Though, what about those days when it’s 90 degrees?! I can’t go without air conditioning. So then what? We stopped buying products with excessive packaging and bad plastics. We joined Greendimes.com to cut our mail. There are days we don’t even get mail anymore. We have planted trees, saved animals and turn off all the lights in the house and office. My office uses recycled paper and I have trained all of the doctors to turn off their lights when they leave the room.
I really think this has given us some more time and made things better. So why am I so scared still?