Earth Week Tip #3: Get Out!

Pay attention to your vistas.

How does going outside help with being green? Well, there are a few, but don't think of it as just being green (or "blue" as I like to call it), think of it as a key to better overall health and yet ANOTHER money saving tip!

People who go out in nature have the tendency to have a better appreciation for the natural world. Not only that, but there is strong evidence that people who have more green spaces around (i.e. parks and gardens) have better cognitive functions, less anxiety, lower blood pressure, can stabalize blood sugar better, and have better immune system functionality.

You may see critters!

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Earth Week Tip #2: Gas Reduction



From Jcarlosn's photostream on Flickr.



Now it doesn't seem to make much sense that thinking of gas would be on a tip list. Remember, this is about ways you can take little steps. Maybe little steps will lead to bigger steps, but for now, leave the tree-hugging to us and enjoy the fuzzy feelings with the easy stuff. Besides, if you get better gas mileage, you use less fuel. Less fuel = less pollution AND a little spare change in your pocketbook.

With gas prices what they are ($4.49 per gallon here is what I paid yesterday), every little bit helps. Besides... lowering our reliance on oil is a good thing, too. We are approaching the anniversary of the BP thing.

I did write an article about the Science Behind Saving Gas for 5 Minutes for Going Green and with the exception of the gas price ratio, all the tips still work:

•        Drive SLOWER
•        Keep tires properly inflated
•        Clean out your car
•        Change your air filter

You can find more helpful tips at FuelEconomy.gov or read the article at the link above!

Keep reading for more tips!

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Earth Week Tip #1: Tap Water

Refreshing!

Going out to eat? Drinking still water? Unless you are getting fancy mineral water, or sparking water, or something really specific, just get tap. Odds are, the bottles of cheapy water usually served are municipal water anyway.

Plastic bottles have a heavy toll on the environment. According to treehugger, 1.5 million barrels of oil are consumed each year in the US just for the production of these bottles. That's a years worth of fuel for 100,000 cars. Since 90% of bottles are NOT recycled, the little bottles end up in land fills where it takes up space as they hardly decompose at any sort of sustainable rate.

If you are unsure about tap water in your area, go to EPA.gov to find out about municipal water quality.

If the average US citizen consumes 22 gallons worth of bottled water a year, think how many bottles you'll save just by going tap! Think about how much money you'll save, too!

Bottles of water are about 16.9 ounces. At 22 gallons per year on average, that's 167 bottles per person a year. On the low end (i.e. Assuming you only buy cheap bottled water with occasional splurges at bars and restaurants), if the average bottle cost is about $1.50, you're spending $250.50 a year.

So, tip #1: easy, not a drastic lifestyle change, and cheap!

Stay tuned for more tips!
Keep Rockin', Love, Mimi

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Earth Week!

Baobab, Adansonia sp.

We here at Potspoon! get a little excited about things like Earth Day. It's the little things. So to celebrate, we are posting tips all week long on easy ways you can go blue (or green, even though Earth is predominately water). We are turning it into Earth WEEK! The tips will all be way that you can go evironmentally concious without a drastic lifestyle change or without breaking the bank.. Feel free to post your simple tips on the wall of our Facebook page or Tweet them to us @Potspooners. For right now, some pictures of the amazing species that live on Earth, via Wikimedia Commons.

Rose-tip anemone Condylactis gigantea

Caracal Caracal caracal

Platypus Ornithorhynchus anatinus



Emperor shrimp Periclimenes imperator



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The Cost of Conservation

It seems everywhere you look these days, someone is touting a new easy way to be green. These pushes to be green seem to crop up once every 15 years or so. Just think back to the early 90's when Captain Planet ruled the airwaves and everyone wanted to be an eco-warrior. I even had a Little Archie comic where he started recycling at his school and roller-bladed as many places as he could. McDonald's gave out tree seedlings with their meals. I got paid for my cans. Then it disappeared for a bit it seemed.

There were those of us that never backed down from being "tree-huggers" but most everyone else dropped it like it was a passing trend. This green trend, probably to do with the plethora of information (and misinformation) at our fingertips, seems to be taking a stronger hold.

While many people seem to really want to make a difference, there are still lots of people that feel that certain things are more of a headache than it's worth. Remembering to carry extra bags to the store is something everyone tries to do and most fail at. A clip on bag helps. Buying 100% recycled toilet paper is a little more expensive and a bit unrealistic during these hard economic times. Contributing to the WWF or the NWF is not an option for those pinching pennies.

Besides this, there are the actual impacts of what some supposed "green" ideas actually have on the environment. Certain things which save trees, like online bill pay, seem like an easy way to be green and you do save a lot of trees, but using the internet does leave a carbon footprint. Google was very upfront about how much energy their searches consume, but look at the numbers and think of how many thousands of searches you have done. It's not much, but it adds up quickly. So what can you do about that?

I am not saying throw your computer out by ANY means... I practically live on mine... but there are options. Love Google? Try Blackle. Same Google search power, just dark. Believe it or not, having a black website saves energy. It is SUPER negligible, but again, when there are literally millions of searches a second going on, it adds up pretty fast.

Another green idea that seems to be a bit misguided are green rallies. I am all for getting people together to educate. I love that sort of thing. But come on guys. Paper flyers everywhere, disposable goods... honestly, the amount of trash produced is a bit ironic. Keep it small. It's more intimate and usually makes more of an impact.

Recycling has it's merits as well, but be warned: just because it seems recyclable doesn't mean it is. While recycling is up over all, many people are required to sort through the recyclables to take out things you can't recycle but are in there anyway. There is also the economic view point of it not being very economically sound since the demand for recyclable materials is down. Shame. While this would deter most people (more and more work) there is hope. If it's greasy and food covered, throw it in your food waste. It will compost. Bills and the like, still recyclable.

So what is the point of this post? It is just to make you aware. Think about things. You may mean well, but may do some harm in the process. You shouldn't go green to brag about what you have done and get credit for it, it is a real lifestyle choice. You just should always know that EVERYTHING we do has an impact, and that is okay. Don't stress on it too much. A lot of the impact we do have when living green is something nature can work with and use for something else. It's a balance. It will work out. It's just nice knowing you did what you could. Every little bit DOES count and it adds up quickly.

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A Really Great Resource

In case you all were wondering, I am an aspiring wildlife filmmaker, but I suck and there aren't many people where I live who are any good at ANY sort of film making, so I get left to my own crude devices. Today, however, I am pleased to announce that the makers of one of my favorite video podcasts (Ecogeeks) has an excellent introductory guide to wildlife filmmaking. This makes me super happy because even though a lot of it seems obvious after reading it, I hadn't used some of those tricks and I felt like a moron reading it. I am glad that they are giving the layperson some tips in this aspect. It's exciting to know that someone saw the need for a resource for wildlife filmmakers!

If anyone knows anything about sources or cheap courses in cinematography, let me know!

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