Today sign the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Poznań, Poland, that will last for about 2 weeks.
"The 14th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC and the 4th meeting of Parties to the Kyoto Protocol will draw almost 11000 participants, including government delegates from the 187 Parties to the UNFCCC and representatives from business and industry.
The two-week meeting is the halfway mark in the negotiations on an ambitious and effective international climate change deal to be clinched in Copenhagen in 2009. Parties have little more than a year to agree on strengthened action on mitigation, adaptation, finance and technology.
A compilation paper of proposals for solutions has been put together. This can serve as a first version of a negotiating text in Poznań. Because of the limited time still available, it is critical that real progress is made and that Parties identify which proposals to take forward in 2009."It is a very important step wich precede the Kyoto Protocol ratification"(from the UNFCC website http://unfccc.int/meetings/cop_14/items/4481.php).
If you are interested in following the meeting it will be webcasted at http://copportal1.man.poznan.pl/
Monday, December 1, 2008
Friday, November 7, 2008
Take the Energy Star Pledge and join the Hamilton County
The Hamilton County Government is Going Green and they need your help!
Take the pledge to save energy at www.greencounties.org/changetheworld
Deadline is November 30th, 2008. Take the pledge today!!
Take the pledge to save energy at www.greencounties.org/changetheworld
Deadline is November 30th, 2008. Take the pledge today!!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
What we learned at the Seminar "Recycling and Beyond: what you can do!"
The Seminar “Recycling and Beyond: what YOU can do!” had been very successful and interesting. You can click on the links below and have a look at the presentations and interesting information.
I want to thank all the attendees, the speakers (from P&G, City of Cincinnati Office of Environmental Quality, Duke Energy, Rumpke), the organizers (Annie Katz, Brigitte Cordier, Gabi Scholz, Patti Minniear) and the sponsors (PGITI, Park+Vine, Clovernook Center, Granny’s Garden School and Bigg’s).
P&G Sustainability Program & Sustainable Innovation Products - Jack McAneny, P&G Global Sustainability.
“Green Cincinnati” Projects - Larry Falkin, Director, City of Cincinnati,Office of Environmental Quality.
Recycling - It’s Our Future - Anne Gray, Rumpke Municipal Public Sector Representative.
Practical Tips and Tools for Managing Your Energy Consumption - Gaurab Hazarika, Duke Energy
I want to thank all the attendees, the speakers (from P&G, City of Cincinnati Office of Environmental Quality, Duke Energy, Rumpke), the organizers (Annie Katz, Brigitte Cordier, Gabi Scholz, Patti Minniear) and the sponsors (PGITI, Park+Vine, Clovernook Center, Granny’s Garden School and Bigg’s).
P&G Sustainability Program & Sustainable Innovation Products - Jack McAneny, P&G Global Sustainability.
“Green Cincinnati” Projects - Larry Falkin, Director, City of Cincinnati,Office of Environmental Quality.
Recycling - It’s Our Future - Anne Gray, Rumpke Municipal Public Sector Representative.
Practical Tips and Tools for Managing Your Energy Consumption - Gaurab Hazarika, Duke Energy
Friday, October 10, 2008
TURN THE KEY, BE IDLE FREE
Just before the school opening, me and another member of the Think Green - Act Clean, Marina Romero-Hernandez, decided to propose the schools attended by our young kids to adopt an Idling Reduction Program.
We were both successful. My daughters' school is in the process of implementing the program and here is what Marina has to say about her experience.
"Hi Vanessa, Our experience has turned out to be a very positive one. Once parents were explained the hazards of leaving their engines idling (i.e. exacerbation of asthma symptoms and other breathing diseases as well as the possibility of breathing known carcinogens) there has been a reduction in the idling vehicles in our school. I do not have an exact number but I would say that at least one third of the idlers have stopped idling (and that is a LOT!). We will continue with this effort in order to have cleaner air for all of our children to breathe. "
And all of this was made possible thanks to the help of Kristy Kim, Public Relations Specialist at the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services (HCDOES). And here is Kristy's description of the Anti-Idling Campaign, Marina and me are proud to be part of it, as two moms concerned for the health of our children and of our community. Hope you, as a parent will follow our exciting experience!
We were both successful. My daughters' school is in the process of implementing the program and here is what Marina has to say about her experience.
"Hi Vanessa, Our experience has turned out to be a very positive one. Once parents were explained the hazards of leaving their engines idling (i.e. exacerbation of asthma symptoms and other breathing diseases as well as the possibility of breathing known carcinogens) there has been a reduction in the idling vehicles in our school. I do not have an exact number but I would say that at least one third of the idlers have stopped idling (and that is a LOT!). We will continue with this effort in order to have cleaner air for all of our children to breathe. "
And all of this was made possible thanks to the help of Kristy Kim, Public Relations Specialist at the Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services (HCDOES). And here is Kristy's description of the Anti-Idling Campaign, Marina and me are proud to be part of it, as two moms concerned for the health of our children and of our community. Hope you, as a parent will follow our exciting experience!
The Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services (HCDOES) has launched an Anti‐Idling Campaign and it’s catching on! While Hamilton County residents’ recycling and yardwaste needs are met through HCDOES, air quality resources and services are also provided to Butler, Clermont, Hamilton and Warren counties.
The Anti‐Idling Campaign is designed to educate the public on the environmental, health, and financial drawbacks of leaving a vehicle running unnecessarily. Cars are the number one source of air pollution in the Greater Cincinnati area, and we can all take small steps to reduce vehicle emissions. Schools, teachers, parents, businesses and community leaders have all acknowledged the importance of not idling our vehicles and throughout the Greater Cincinnati Area people are deciding to “Turn the Key, Be Idle Free”.
Did you know:
• After 30 seconds, it is more fuel efficient to turn off and restart your vehicle than to leave it running?
• A single vehicle dropping off and picking up students at one school puts three pounds of pollution into the air per month?
• Children are especially sensitive to the effects of air pollution because they breathe more quickly and take in more air than adults?
• Pollutants found in exhaust can aggravate asthma, cause coughing or difficulty breathing, decrease lung function, exacerbate cardiovascular problems and lead to chronic bronchitis?
What you can do:
• Turn off your car while running errands, picking someone up, sitting at the drive through, etc.
• Plan accordingly and combine and eliminate unnecessary trips
• Drive to warm the car up in cold weather – this is the fastest way to generate heat!
• Don’t use a remote starter
• Take the bus, carpool and ride share
You can also request an Anti‐Idling Kit from HCDOES. These kits provide literature and incentives such as magnets, pencils, mugs, notepads and ice scrapers, etc. to help motivate participants to “Turn the Key, Be Idle Free”. Anti‐Idling pledge cards are also included and upon return to HCDOES are entered in to a raffle. To order an Anti‐Idling Kit or for more information on Air Quality, contact Kristy Kim, Public Relations Specialist at kristy.kim@hamilton‐co.org or (513)946‐7754.
• After 30 seconds, it is more fuel efficient to turn off and restart your vehicle than to leave it running?
• A single vehicle dropping off and picking up students at one school puts three pounds of pollution into the air per month?
• Children are especially sensitive to the effects of air pollution because they breathe more quickly and take in more air than adults?
• Pollutants found in exhaust can aggravate asthma, cause coughing or difficulty breathing, decrease lung function, exacerbate cardiovascular problems and lead to chronic bronchitis?
What you can do:
• Turn off your car while running errands, picking someone up, sitting at the drive through, etc.
• Plan accordingly and combine and eliminate unnecessary trips
• Drive to warm the car up in cold weather – this is the fastest way to generate heat!
• Don’t use a remote starter
• Take the bus, carpool and ride share
You can also request an Anti‐Idling Kit from HCDOES. These kits provide literature and incentives such as magnets, pencils, mugs, notepads and ice scrapers, etc. to help motivate participants to “Turn the Key, Be Idle Free”. Anti‐Idling pledge cards are also included and upon return to HCDOES are entered in to a raffle. To order an Anti‐Idling Kit or for more information on Air Quality, contact Kristy Kim, Public Relations Specialist at kristy.kim@hamilton‐co.org or (513)946‐7754.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
EPA is implementing its library network.
In the effort to better communicate Environmental related information to the public, EPA is revitalizing its library network and making it more accessible for the public. (http://www.epa.gov/libraries/news.html#top).
As stated on the EPA website "EPA’s vision is to be the premier environmental library network providing timely access to information and library services to its employees and the public. EPA’s approach to achieving this vision involves maintaining a strong network of physical libraries enhanced with online tools to expand access to environmental information. This enhanced model provides more library materials electronically and on the EPA Web site with increased accessibility to environmental information and increased efficiency by which employees and the public can find the materials they need. ".
The Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center Library Services located in Cincinnati is part of this library network http://www.epa.gov/libraries/awberc.html
For more information go visit the EPA National Library Network at http://www.epa.gov/libraries/
As stated on the EPA website "EPA’s vision is to be the premier environmental library network providing timely access to information and library services to its employees and the public. EPA’s approach to achieving this vision involves maintaining a strong network of physical libraries enhanced with online tools to expand access to environmental information. This enhanced model provides more library materials electronically and on the EPA Web site with increased accessibility to environmental information and increased efficiency by which employees and the public can find the materials they need. ".
The Andrew W. Breidenbach Environmental Research Center Library Services located in Cincinnati is part of this library network http://www.epa.gov/libraries/awberc.html
For more information go visit the EPA National Library Network at http://www.epa.gov/libraries/
October a month dedicated to Health, Well Being and Saving Energy
Fall has arrived and, maybe contrary to many people, I suddenly feel relieved. It is time to slow down from the exiting summer activities and dedicate this month to our health and well being.
I love to take walks in Fall and observe nature preparing itself to go dormant during winter. The fresh invigorating air is absolutely what our bodies need. The kids can play with the leaves, make mountains with them to roll in, or just collect them to craft something beautiful at home. The natural surroundings have a burst of colors that makes it feel warmer than it actually is.
And when the sun goes down we are ready to go home and cook something delicious. Even if the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is smaller in fall, we still have special foods that nature provides us, with the vitamins and nutrients we need to boost our immune system and keep us warm and protected from the winter elements.
I love to take walks in Fall and observe nature preparing itself to go dormant during winter. The fresh invigorating air is absolutely what our bodies need. The kids can play with the leaves, make mountains with them to roll in, or just collect them to craft something beautiful at home. The natural surroundings have a burst of colors that makes it feel warmer than it actually is.
And when the sun goes down we are ready to go home and cook something delicious. Even if the variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is smaller in fall, we still have special foods that nature provides us, with the vitamins and nutrients we need to boost our immune system and keep us warm and protected from the winter elements.
October is also the month of Breast Cancer Awareness and for me it's very important to help women to be better informed and prevent disease with good exercise and healthy nutrition (American Cancer Society - Food and Fitness, The Complete Guide - Nutrition and Physical Activity). Therefore, I’m very glad to have the support of Iris Vansteenberghe who has turned her passion into a wonderful, very educational and powerful 1-hour presentation on how to prevent disease with a good diet and nutrition plan based on what nature has to offer us. If you are interested in seeing her presentation, please contact het to get the dates marked in your calendar -Iris Vansteenberghe 6640 Shady Oak Lane Mason, OH 45040 Tel: 513-407-5915 Iris@fruit4thought.net.
Last but not least is to prepare the house for the winter so we do not waste energy and money while having the confort of being warm. For this reason the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) launched the Stay Warm, Save Money campaign on the Energysavers.gov website.
Top 10 Tips to Cut Winter Energy Costs - Easy and inexpensive solutions for business or home
Thursday, September 18, 2008
What a memorable storm in Ohio:09/14/2008
I just got power back!! You never know how much you need something until you do not have it: Energy. So let's not waste it!
This week was quite a mess after this Hurricane Ike's tale passed trough Ohio. In one of my previous statement about getting ready for emergency I said that it is a good thing to do even if we are not in the "land of hurricanes". Maybe I was wrong on the second part.
I hope no one got hurt and I attached some useful information to recover from this disaster.
Be aware of possible food related Health issue:
Health District’s Food Safety Hotline: 513-946-7949
Storm Damage notice from Hamilton County Auditor:
Auditor Dusty Rhodes notice, go to: http://www.hamiltoncountyauditor.org/
This week was quite a mess after this Hurricane Ike's tale passed trough Ohio. In one of my previous statement about getting ready for emergency I said that it is a good thing to do even if we are not in the "land of hurricanes". Maybe I was wrong on the second part.
I hope no one got hurt and I attached some useful information to recover from this disaster.
Be aware of possible food related Health issue:
Health District’s Food Safety Hotline: 513-946-7949
Storm Damage notice from Hamilton County Auditor:
Auditor Dusty Rhodes notice, go to: http://www.hamiltoncountyauditor.org/
If you sustained significant storm damage from the severe winds of September 14, 2008, you may be eligible for property tax relief. You may download the form on the Auditor's website, www.hcauditor.org. Click on "Forms", scroll to” Real Property", and download "Real Estate Destroyed or Injured Building Form."
Duke Energy contacts:
To report electric problems: 651-4182
To report gas problems: 651-4466
Call your insurance and document your damages;
For more information read this article from WCPO:
http://www.wcpo.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=66aa78b0-80e6-45a4-b89b-32da806bef36
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
An honorable end for my 5 yrs old cell phone: recycled.
Yesterday was my last day with my small and simple cell phone. In today cell phone's era is quite a long time to have a phone for 5 years.
My husband gave it to me as a present for my birthday and uploaded for me a background image of a sunflower, my favorite flower.
So I decided I needed to give to my cell an honorable and memorable goodbye. I'll recycle it! Who knows maybe one day I will own a cellphone with a piece of my sunflower cell phone.
If you want to give an honorable and memorable goodbye to your beloved cell phone too, find a place near you in this EPA website page
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/plugin/cellphone/cell-recycling-locations.htm
or visit earth911 at
http://earth911.org/electronics/proper-disposal-and-recycling-of-e-waste/
EPA has now a new program called Plug-In To eCycling where you can find a place to recycle any plug in object: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/plugin/index.htm
My husband gave it to me as a present for my birthday and uploaded for me a background image of a sunflower, my favorite flower.
So I decided I needed to give to my cell an honorable and memorable goodbye. I'll recycle it! Who knows maybe one day I will own a cellphone with a piece of my sunflower cell phone.
If you want to give an honorable and memorable goodbye to your beloved cell phone too, find a place near you in this EPA website page
http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/plugin/cellphone/cell-recycling-locations.htm
or visit earth911 at
http://earth911.org/electronics/proper-disposal-and-recycling-of-e-waste/
EPA has now a new program called Plug-In To eCycling where you can find a place to recycle any plug in object: http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/partnerships/plugin/index.htm
Monday, September 8, 2008
My brand new green dryer - I love it!
Before the summer comes to an end I want to share with you a picture of my brand new environmentally friendly dryer.
As you know by now, I was born and raised in Italy, and this is the only way we dry clothes.
The dryers are just to expensive to run in Italy, where energy is not so cheap as it is in USA, and sometimes they ruins the fine Italian clothes.
I need to say that the American dryers adds a nice softness, so you can air dry the clothes in the sun and then just fluff them 5 minutes in the dryer.
You may ask what I'll do in the winter. I'll just dry them in the house.
The house heating is strong enough to dry them all and it is a good way to humidify the rooms without wasting water with the central humidifier.
From my experience I can say that the only season when it takes a little to dry the clothes is in the fall or beginning of spring when it's very humid, but not cold enough to run the heating system. And of course you need to know how the weather will be like or the clothes are going to dry and get wet again in the rain if you are not in the house.
Here you can find more information about energy use of different dryers http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/home/appliances/dryers.html
Friday, September 5, 2008
Backyard Compost Bin Sale on September 27th 2008!
Maybe you were thinking of starting composting, but the high price for the bin was holding you back.
In that case do not miss this Compost bin sale for Hamilton and Clermont County on September 27th 2008.
Click here for more information
http://www.hcdoes.org/sw/residential_compostbin.htm.
For the ones of you who do not know what is composting or do not have a good reason to start composting, here are some information:
"Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 24 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. That's a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead!" (EPA website http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm);
In LA the City recently started a program to collect food waste and bring it to a composting location http://www.cbs8.com/story.php?id=137554# .
By the way, according to Rumpke so far Cincinnati has only 16 years of landfill left, then the city will need to "export" garbage with an increase cost for you and grown up kids. (Cincinnati Magazine, August 2008 - 35 Ideas for a cleaner, greener city - page 127, #5).
So don't miss this opportunity and start composting.
In that case do not miss this Compost bin sale for Hamilton and Clermont County on September 27th 2008.
Click here for more information
http://www.hcdoes.org/sw/residential_compostbin.htm.
For the ones of you who do not know what is composting or do not have a good reason to start composting, here are some information:
"Yard trimmings and food residuals together constitute 24 percent of the U.S. municipal solid waste stream. That's a lot of waste to send to landfills when it could become useful and environmentally beneficial compost instead!" (EPA website http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/rrr/composting/index.htm);
In LA the City recently started a program to collect food waste and bring it to a composting location http://www.cbs8.com/story.php?id=137554# .
By the way, according to Rumpke so far Cincinnati has only 16 years of landfill left, then the city will need to "export" garbage with an increase cost for you and grown up kids. (Cincinnati Magazine, August 2008 - 35 Ideas for a cleaner, greener city - page 127, #5).
So don't miss this opportunity and start composting.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Emergency preparedness volunteering opportunity in Hamilton County
I'm quite sure that during those days at the pick of the Hurricane season, you had a glimpse to the New Orleans mastodontic evacuation in response to hurricane Gustav. Now is the turn of the East coast to prepare for hurricane Hanna.
The changes in the response from Katrina were admirable. They were more prepared and organized and most of all people listened to the mandatory evacuation and they put their emergency plans in action.
I know we are in Cincinnati away fro the hurricane land, but it is still a smart choice to be prepared for an emergency (a tornado, a flood, a disease, a terrorist attack), if something happen you will never regret it.
A few days ago I signed up to volunteer for the emergency plan of Hamilton County and you can do it too http://www.serveohio.org/OhioCitizenCorps_OR.aspx.
In this way you can help your community when in need, you receive a free training about emergency and your family will be the first in line to receive help.
Even being an interpreter for someone who is sick or displaced can be important.
One of the things that I want to be prepared for the most is the Pandemic Avian Flu.
My veterinarian background tells me how bad this pandemic flu can be.
If you want to learn more you can go at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic/en/ World Health Organization) or at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ (USA).
You may not know that in case of Pandemic Flu all the people that are in the country where is the outbreak may not be able to come back to USA. For more information about Pandemic Flu and traveling abroad click here: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_3096.html, http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_2747.html#evacuate,
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html, http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentAvianFluQA.aspx#travelinfection, http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentAvianFluAsia.aspx.
I hope you will check the list of other useful links I provided on this blog on the right white column.
And here you can read an interesting article published by CNN on the first 5 things to do in case of medical emergency http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/09/04/ep.first.aid/index.html.
Be safe, be ready, not sorry!
The changes in the response from Katrina were admirable. They were more prepared and organized and most of all people listened to the mandatory evacuation and they put their emergency plans in action.
I know we are in Cincinnati away fro the hurricane land, but it is still a smart choice to be prepared for an emergency (a tornado, a flood, a disease, a terrorist attack), if something happen you will never regret it.
A few days ago I signed up to volunteer for the emergency plan of Hamilton County and you can do it too http://www.serveohio.org/OhioCitizenCorps_OR.aspx.
In this way you can help your community when in need, you receive a free training about emergency and your family will be the first in line to receive help.
Even being an interpreter for someone who is sick or displaced can be important.
One of the things that I want to be prepared for the most is the Pandemic Avian Flu.
My veterinarian background tells me how bad this pandemic flu can be.
If you want to learn more you can go at http://www.who.int/csr/disease/influenza/pandemic/en/ World Health Organization) or at http://www.pandemicflu.gov/ (USA).
You may not know that in case of Pandemic Flu all the people that are in the country where is the outbreak may not be able to come back to USA. For more information about Pandemic Flu and traveling abroad click here: http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_3096.html, http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_2747.html#evacuate,
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/health/health_1181.html, http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentAvianFluQA.aspx#travelinfection, http://wwwn.cdc.gov/travel/contentAvianFluAsia.aspx.
I hope you will check the list of other useful links I provided on this blog on the right white column.
And here you can read an interesting article published by CNN on the first 5 things to do in case of medical emergency http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/09/04/ep.first.aid/index.html.
Be safe, be ready, not sorry!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Preparing for the winter:tips to save energy and money
The winter is approaching and it's time to get ready for the winter. We have the all fall to do that http://www.ecy.wa.gov/news/envirotips/tips_fall.htm.
This year we may receive quite expensive heating bills, as energy cost is steadily rising.
As you may know heating and cooling account for about half the energy used in a house.
So what about starting to follow some of the advices I collected at the bottom of this posting?
But first I’ll tell you what I did
I have a new house and while me and my husband were going through the process of building it, we tried to make as much choices we could afford, that would have save energy in the future.
We have two energy efficient heating and cooling systems to which we applied a zoning system so that we can heat and cool only the areas where we leave in a certain time of the day.
And we installed thermostats so that we could control the temperature in each zone. I was advised from the technicians to avoid more than 5 degree F of difference between the zones, or the system would have run inefficiently.
So during the winter mornings we keep the day zone at 65-67 degree F and the night zone at 60-62 degree F.
You may say it's quite chilly, but if you wear a warm sweater and sleepers and you are moving (cleaning, cooking, etc), it's actually quite a comfortable temperature. Usually when is extremely cold outside I keep the temperature lower, because the furnace is going all the time anyways, and the house feels warmer compared to the outside.
If despite the slippers and the sweater you are still chilly, start the funs before modifying the temperature. The funs will allow the air to move and make the temperature more uniform.
Then at night we reverse the temperature set. In the day zone we put the temperature at 60-62 degree F and in the night zone at 64-65 degree F.
Cool temperatures make you sleep better and a nice, warm pajamas and covers are all you need at night.
If you have programmable thermostats you can change the temperature about 1 hr before you go form one zone to another.
One important thing is to keep the door from one zone to the other closed.
It's also good to close all the drapes to keep the warm inside from dusk to dawn.
If you are warm do not open the windows, but instead lower the thermostat.
We installed energy efficient windows and our walls and roof are well insulated.
I have a heating and cooling system yearly check up by a professional to make sure that the machines are tuned up, the air filters are clean, and the humidifier is working properly. It makes your house safer and your systems can run at the highest efficiency.
If I leave the house during the day, all the thermostats are set at 60 degree F; there is no need to keep the house warm if anyone is in the house.
Last, if we go on vacation we leave all the thermostats at 50 degree F that is the lowest temperature to keep the pipes from freezing and the furniture and appliances to be damaged from condensation.
Also the water heater uses quite a lot of energy. So if you have a water heater older than 5 years it’s a good idea to put a water heater blanket. In my case I don’t need to.
Keep the water heater at 120 degree F. If you leave for vacation set the water heater on vacation mode.
What I still need to do is to insulate all the hot water pipes in my unfinished basement. So this would be my fall project.
Do you have any project or question? Leave a comment to the post.
For more advices use the following very helpful and detailed links.
-Duke Energy saving tips http://www.duke-energy.com/ohio/savings.asp
-Energy Star EPA program http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac
- USA Department of Energy: weatherization program http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/wip/- USA Department of Energy Consumer guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/
This year we may receive quite expensive heating bills, as energy cost is steadily rising.
As you may know heating and cooling account for about half the energy used in a house.
So what about starting to follow some of the advices I collected at the bottom of this posting?
But first I’ll tell you what I did
I have a new house and while me and my husband were going through the process of building it, we tried to make as much choices we could afford, that would have save energy in the future.
We have two energy efficient heating and cooling systems to which we applied a zoning system so that we can heat and cool only the areas where we leave in a certain time of the day.
And we installed thermostats so that we could control the temperature in each zone. I was advised from the technicians to avoid more than 5 degree F of difference between the zones, or the system would have run inefficiently.
So during the winter mornings we keep the day zone at 65-67 degree F and the night zone at 60-62 degree F.
You may say it's quite chilly, but if you wear a warm sweater and sleepers and you are moving (cleaning, cooking, etc), it's actually quite a comfortable temperature. Usually when is extremely cold outside I keep the temperature lower, because the furnace is going all the time anyways, and the house feels warmer compared to the outside.
If despite the slippers and the sweater you are still chilly, start the funs before modifying the temperature. The funs will allow the air to move and make the temperature more uniform.
Then at night we reverse the temperature set. In the day zone we put the temperature at 60-62 degree F and in the night zone at 64-65 degree F.
Cool temperatures make you sleep better and a nice, warm pajamas and covers are all you need at night.
If you have programmable thermostats you can change the temperature about 1 hr before you go form one zone to another.
One important thing is to keep the door from one zone to the other closed.
It's also good to close all the drapes to keep the warm inside from dusk to dawn.
If you are warm do not open the windows, but instead lower the thermostat.
We installed energy efficient windows and our walls and roof are well insulated.
I have a heating and cooling system yearly check up by a professional to make sure that the machines are tuned up, the air filters are clean, and the humidifier is working properly. It makes your house safer and your systems can run at the highest efficiency.
If I leave the house during the day, all the thermostats are set at 60 degree F; there is no need to keep the house warm if anyone is in the house.
Last, if we go on vacation we leave all the thermostats at 50 degree F that is the lowest temperature to keep the pipes from freezing and the furniture and appliances to be damaged from condensation.
Also the water heater uses quite a lot of energy. So if you have a water heater older than 5 years it’s a good idea to put a water heater blanket. In my case I don’t need to.
Keep the water heater at 120 degree F. If you leave for vacation set the water heater on vacation mode.
What I still need to do is to insulate all the hot water pipes in my unfinished basement. So this would be my fall project.
Do you have any project or question? Leave a comment to the post.
For more advices use the following very helpful and detailed links.
-Duke Energy saving tips http://www.duke-energy.com/ohio/savings.asp
-Energy Star EPA program http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=heat_cool.pr_hvac
- USA Department of Energy: weatherization program http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/wip/- USA Department of Energy Consumer guide to Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy http://apps1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Some Climate Change end of summer 2008 updates
The Artic ice at its lowest:
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/for-the-first-time-in-human-history-the-north-pole-can-be-circumnavigated-913924.html
US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/index.html
Polar bear are having some difficulties due to melting ice
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/index.cfm?uNewsID=143941
USA citizens are having some difficulties too with Hurricane Gustav
http://www.fema.gov/media/multimedia/2008/gustav/index.html
http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climate-change/for-the-first-time-in-human-history-the-north-pole-can-be-circumnavigated-913924.html
US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/index.html
Polar bear are having some difficulties due to melting ice
http://www.panda.org/about_wwf/what_we_do/climate_change/index.cfm?uNewsID=143941
USA citizens are having some difficulties too with Hurricane Gustav
http://www.fema.gov/media/multimedia/2008/gustav/index.html
The Granny's Garden School: a place where healthy and sustainable diet education begins.
The summer is almost over, the schools reopened and we are all adjusting to the school day routine. Hope you all add a great time.
The feedback to our last activity before the summer was great.
As you may recall we spent a morning visiting the Granny's Garden School in Loveland.
We had 100% fun, 50% educational and 50% interesting.
Here are some more information about Granny's Garden School collected for us by Brigitte Cordier, one of our fantastic members and owner of Anyone Can Cook, LLC.
“Granny's Garden School uses the school grounds to create sustainable school gardens and habitats that help children discover the nature in their own back yards, experience the satisfaction of growing and preparing their own food and the simple pleasure of picking a flower.
Granny's Garden started in 2002 when grandmothers of two (Roberta Paolo) found out that child are losing touch with the natural world. Naturally, she started at her grandchildren school in Loveland, where she lives. There was 1 garden bed in front of one classroom 6 years ago: there are now more than 100 beds! 50 teachers and 1700 kids are now involved in the program. It is the largest program of that kind in the Midwest.
Granny's Garden School (GGS) collaborate with the school and the community to offer fun and imaginative, hands on learning opportunities that compliment and enhance the school curriculum and assist other educators in their efforts to develop a program for their school.
Although located on school grounds, GGS is an independent, non-profit organization that is financially independent of the local school system. To operate, GGS relies on grants, corporate and private financial and material donations, and fundraisers.
GGS is the outdoor lab that offers a creative and environmentally interactive approach to teach curriculum standards. The students learn by questioning, doing, and observing.
They garden organically, and use normally unwanted garden pests as opportunities to discuss the interdependence of plants and animals, including the students. They teach students to respect the living and non-living resources in their environment with examples of recycling fall leaves for compost, newspaper for weed reduction, and plastic blinds for plant markers, to name a few.
GGS consists of a small group of paid staff to plan, develop, and organize program resources, including volunteers, lessons, and supplies.
Since the beginning in the spring of 2002 and has been steadily increasing the programs offered to students based on increased participation and interest of teachers and school administrators. They also have the opportunity not only to share information and resources, but also to develop student projects with school garden programs in other countries to collect and compare data using the environment and gardens.
The Business Courier published this article last June about Granny's Garden School
Learning tastes better with touch of nature at Granny's Garden School in Loveland
Published: June 23, 2008
Roberta Paolo is on a mission to get Southern Ohio children off their couches and outside to plant potatoes, flowers or peas. To continue reading, go to: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/06/23/story22.html?b=1214193600^1653151&surround=etf
The feedback to our last activity before the summer was great.
As you may recall we spent a morning visiting the Granny's Garden School in Loveland.
We had 100% fun, 50% educational and 50% interesting.
Here are some more information about Granny's Garden School collected for us by Brigitte Cordier, one of our fantastic members and owner of Anyone Can Cook, LLC.
“Granny's Garden School uses the school grounds to create sustainable school gardens and habitats that help children discover the nature in their own back yards, experience the satisfaction of growing and preparing their own food and the simple pleasure of picking a flower.
Granny's Garden started in 2002 when grandmothers of two (Roberta Paolo) found out that child are losing touch with the natural world. Naturally, she started at her grandchildren school in Loveland, where she lives. There was 1 garden bed in front of one classroom 6 years ago: there are now more than 100 beds! 50 teachers and 1700 kids are now involved in the program. It is the largest program of that kind in the Midwest.
Granny's Garden School (GGS) collaborate with the school and the community to offer fun and imaginative, hands on learning opportunities that compliment and enhance the school curriculum and assist other educators in their efforts to develop a program for their school.
Although located on school grounds, GGS is an independent, non-profit organization that is financially independent of the local school system. To operate, GGS relies on grants, corporate and private financial and material donations, and fundraisers.
GGS is the outdoor lab that offers a creative and environmentally interactive approach to teach curriculum standards. The students learn by questioning, doing, and observing.
They garden organically, and use normally unwanted garden pests as opportunities to discuss the interdependence of plants and animals, including the students. They teach students to respect the living and non-living resources in their environment with examples of recycling fall leaves for compost, newspaper for weed reduction, and plastic blinds for plant markers, to name a few.
GGS consists of a small group of paid staff to plan, develop, and organize program resources, including volunteers, lessons, and supplies.
Since the beginning in the spring of 2002 and has been steadily increasing the programs offered to students based on increased participation and interest of teachers and school administrators. They also have the opportunity not only to share information and resources, but also to develop student projects with school garden programs in other countries to collect and compare data using the environment and gardens.
The Business Courier published this article last June about Granny's Garden School
Learning tastes better with touch of nature at Granny's Garden School in Loveland
Published: June 23, 2008
Roberta Paolo is on a mission to get Southern Ohio children off their couches and outside to plant potatoes, flowers or peas. To continue reading, go to: http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2008/06/23/story22.html?b=1214193600^1653151&surround=etf
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Wow ! I'm saving money !
Today I decided I want to check how much of a difference all my effort to save energy in the house are really making on my electric and gas bills.
When I started to save energy, the first thing I did was to set up a Duke Energy on line account and keep truck of all my improvements.
I compared my previous bills to the ones of last year. So far, starting from January 2007 I saved 2498 Kwh and 189.58$ in electricity, and I saved 71 ccf in gas, but paid 22$ more because of the rise in price of gas. For example in August 2008 I used 50% less in gas compared to August 2007 and paid the same amount of money.
So in 8 months I saved 189.58$, without considering the gas.
Hope the gas price will not keep rising!
If you want to know what I did to save energy, keep reading the blog. There is more to come.
When I started to save energy, the first thing I did was to set up a Duke Energy on line account and keep truck of all my improvements.
I compared my previous bills to the ones of last year. So far, starting from January 2007 I saved 2498 Kwh and 189.58$ in electricity, and I saved 71 ccf in gas, but paid 22$ more because of the rise in price of gas. For example in August 2008 I used 50% less in gas compared to August 2007 and paid the same amount of money.
So in 8 months I saved 189.58$, without considering the gas.
Hope the gas price will not keep rising!
If you want to know what I did to save energy, keep reading the blog. There is more to come.
The best e-mail I received this month
Today I can say I received the best e-mail of the month. My dearest italian friend in Cincinnati, Eleonora Fusco, sent the following e-mail to all her friends, and luckly I was among them. I was so delighted I asked her if I could publish the e-mail on my blog. Please send this e-mail to a friend or a realtive or a neighbor or a coworker who lives in the Hamilton County area.
From: "Eleonora Fusco"
To: vanessa@keithandvanessa.com
Subject: For Hamilton County Residents: Free recycling programs for household hazardous waste, eletronics, yardwaste, metals...
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008
Dear All,
I have found and used this site for recycling information. I have used the facilities and remained favorably impressed by the service. Please circulate among the Hamilton County residents to raise awareness. Remember this is a service for Hamilton county residents only. You need to bring with you a proof of residence – i.e. utility bill.
These services in the most part do not extend to businesses, non-profits or churches.
See link below for the detailed information
http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/
Drop off locations for the different materials
http://www.hcdoes.org/SWMD/Residents/Recycling/DropOff.html
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program
http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/sw/HHW/HHW_dropoff_header.htm
Computer and Electronics Collection Program
http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/sw/computer_event/2008_Computer_Event/ComputerRecycling_web2.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.hcdoes.org/sw/FAQ3R.htm#why
Each year, Hamilton County residents recycle over 33,500 tons of material. A typical household recycles 500 pounds of material every year – this is equal to the weight of one grizzly bear!
Recycling creates jobs – strengthening Ohio's economy. Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job; landfilling 10,000 tons of waste creates six jobs; recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 36 jobs.
Recycling reduces pollution – making the air we breathe cleaner and the water we drink safer. Recycling 35 percent of our trash reduces global warming emissions equivalent to taking 36 million cars off the road.
Recycling saves resources – ensuring we will have them to use in the future. Throwing away a single aluminum can, versus recycling it, is like pouring out six ounces of gasoline. Last year, Americans recycled enough aluminum cans to conserve the energy equivalent of more than15 million barrels of oil.
From: "Eleonora Fusco"
To: vanessa@keithandvanessa.com
Subject: For Hamilton County Residents: Free recycling programs for household hazardous waste, eletronics, yardwaste, metals...
Date: Wed, 20 Aug 2008
Dear All,
I have found and used this site for recycling information. I have used the facilities and remained favorably impressed by the service. Please circulate among the Hamilton County residents to raise awareness. Remember this is a service for Hamilton county residents only. You need to bring with you a proof of residence – i.e. utility bill.
These services in the most part do not extend to businesses, non-profits or churches.
See link below for the detailed information
http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/
Drop off locations for the different materials
http://www.hcdoes.org/SWMD/Residents/Recycling/DropOff.html
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program
http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/sw/HHW/HHW_dropoff_header.htm
Computer and Electronics Collection Program
http://www.hamiltoncountyrecycles.org/sw/computer_event/2008_Computer_Event/ComputerRecycling_web2.pdf
Frequently Asked Questions
http://www.hcdoes.org/sw/FAQ3R.htm#why
Each year, Hamilton County residents recycle over 33,500 tons of material. A typical household recycles 500 pounds of material every year – this is equal to the weight of one grizzly bear!
DO YOUR PART!
Recycling creates jobs – strengthening Ohio's economy. Incinerating 10,000 tons of waste creates one job; landfilling 10,000 tons of waste creates six jobs; recycling 10,000 tons of waste creates 36 jobs.
Recycling reduces pollution – making the air we breathe cleaner and the water we drink safer. Recycling 35 percent of our trash reduces global warming emissions equivalent to taking 36 million cars off the road.
Recycling saves resources – ensuring we will have them to use in the future. Throwing away a single aluminum can, versus recycling it, is like pouring out six ounces of gasoline. Last year, Americans recycled enough aluminum cans to conserve the energy equivalent of more than15 million barrels of oil.
Grazie Eleonora
Thursday, August 7, 2008
How to dispose unwanted medicines.
At the end of the past winter some of the members of this group asked me how to recycle medicines.
In Italy we bring the leftover medicine or the expired medicine to the pharmacy, but I had no clue of what happens here in USA.
So I called the Ohio EPA. The answer was a little bit astonishing for me. They said that so far the domestic waste of medicine is not regulated. So usually people throw the medicine in the toilet or put them loose in the garbage. But he admitted that this could pose a risk for water contamination or for kids and animals, which may go root around the garbage and eat them.
So at the moment the best thing to do is to buy the quantity of medicine strictly necessary so they do not expire in our cabinets.
When you buy a medicine ask the pharmacy, both human and veterinarian, if they will collect and properly discharge any expired leftover. They will probably tell you they do not have this service, but if we keep asking they may decide to start one.
If you end up having medicine that you need to throw away, collect them as much as you can (I would add “then try one more time to bring them back to the pharmacy again”), and put them in a sealable plastic bag with some cat litter in each container (seal the cap tight) and in the bag (so no one will eat them!) and throw it in the garbage.
A few days after this question was raised, around the 10th of March 2008, an Associated Press investigation about the drinking water contaminated by medicine in USA was released (http://cbs3.com/national/medicine.found.water.2.673206.html).
Today the EPA announced that they are taking the matter very seriously and they continue work to understand potential impacts of pharmaceuticals in water (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/ppcp/).
In Italy we bring the leftover medicine or the expired medicine to the pharmacy, but I had no clue of what happens here in USA.
So I called the Ohio EPA. The answer was a little bit astonishing for me. They said that so far the domestic waste of medicine is not regulated. So usually people throw the medicine in the toilet or put them loose in the garbage. But he admitted that this could pose a risk for water contamination or for kids and animals, which may go root around the garbage and eat them.
So at the moment the best thing to do is to buy the quantity of medicine strictly necessary so they do not expire in our cabinets.
When you buy a medicine ask the pharmacy, both human and veterinarian, if they will collect and properly discharge any expired leftover. They will probably tell you they do not have this service, but if we keep asking they may decide to start one.
If you end up having medicine that you need to throw away, collect them as much as you can (I would add “then try one more time to bring them back to the pharmacy again”), and put them in a sealable plastic bag with some cat litter in each container (seal the cap tight) and in the bag (so no one will eat them!) and throw it in the garbage.
A few days after this question was raised, around the 10th of March 2008, an Associated Press investigation about the drinking water contaminated by medicine in USA was released (http://cbs3.com/national/medicine.found.water.2.673206.html).
Today the EPA announced that they are taking the matter very seriously and they continue work to understand potential impacts of pharmaceuticals in water (http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/ppcp/).
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
A month without plastic?
Chris Jeavans a BBC journalist will try to live the entire month of August without bringing any more plastic in her house.
You can read the article here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7508321.stm
And follow her progress on her blog
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/monthwithoutplastic/2008/08/goodbye_plastic.html
Whitout reaching those extreme I would be happy to stop the use of plastic bags and recycle as much plastic as we can.
I'm recycling any plastic #1 or #2. Unfortunately our local recycling service do not recycle plastic #3 to #7 as it does not have buyers for those type of plastics yet. If you do not know which plastic is the container you want to put in the garbage, just look for a triangle with a number inside. They usually are at the bottom of the containers and the number inside goes from 1 to 7.
I'm also using reusable bags to bring around any purchuase I make. The bags I use are made in USA and they are made of recycled cotton and recycled plastic bottles. I have beed using them for more than a year now and they are just great. I became so diligent in using them that now I need to buy plastic bags for my garbage.
So I started looking for an eco-friendly garbage bag, as paper bags are not a good alternative either unless made from 100% recycled postconsumer paper.
I might have found one brand that do not use petroleum substances or food sources. I will give it a try and I'll let you know.
In any case the more I recycle the less regular garbage I produce, so since I started to recycle, the number of my garbage bags decreased.
And don't forget to buy products made from recycled material!
You can read the article here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7508321.stm
And follow her progress on her blog
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/monthwithoutplastic/2008/08/goodbye_plastic.html
Whitout reaching those extreme I would be happy to stop the use of plastic bags and recycle as much plastic as we can.
I'm recycling any plastic #1 or #2. Unfortunately our local recycling service do not recycle plastic #3 to #7 as it does not have buyers for those type of plastics yet. If you do not know which plastic is the container you want to put in the garbage, just look for a triangle with a number inside. They usually are at the bottom of the containers and the number inside goes from 1 to 7.
I'm also using reusable bags to bring around any purchuase I make. The bags I use are made in USA and they are made of recycled cotton and recycled plastic bottles. I have beed using them for more than a year now and they are just great. I became so diligent in using them that now I need to buy plastic bags for my garbage.
So I started looking for an eco-friendly garbage bag, as paper bags are not a good alternative either unless made from 100% recycled postconsumer paper.
I might have found one brand that do not use petroleum substances or food sources. I will give it a try and I'll let you know.
In any case the more I recycle the less regular garbage I produce, so since I started to recycle, the number of my garbage bags decreased.
And don't forget to buy products made from recycled material!
Monday, August 4, 2008
"What YOU can do!" program
People always say they want to do something to help with Climate Change, but they do not exactly know what to do. Also they feel that whatever they do will not count on such a big problem.
So they think that Climate Change is only a problem of Governments, Scientists and Industries. I completely disagree with this way of thinking. Governments, Scientists and Industries are already starting to solve the problems and their big obstacle is to convince people to follow them.
We are the consumer, it's up to us to decide how much of resources we want to use and waste and how much CO2 we want to emit with our cars and household energy consumption. It is up to each one of us to start taking steps to save.
If one person can save 5 (energy, gasoline, materials, etc), 10.000 people will save 50.000. Now 5 is not a big number, but 50.000 it is.
The biggest effort for each one of us is not to start saving, but is to find the motivation and to start thinking outside of our life boundaries. It definitely feels more easy, safe and cozy to think only of our little world. So in my blog I will try to make your little world more sustainable too.
Forget about climate change, if it is too big of a challenge.
Let's focus on making our lives have less of an impact on our surroundings, in other words let's focus on “What YOU can do!”.
Following there is a list of actions that we all can do. Each action has a letter or a number. To navigate the Blog look for this numbers and letters in the "labels" of each post as a guide.
Actions aimed to directly lower your carbon footprint in order of importance:
1) Understand Climate Change and Carbon Footprint. Calculate your carbon footprint and commit to reduce it and to talk to your friends, family members and colleagues. Start a group in your community.
2) Save Energy in the house, remodel/build house with Energy Efficiency in mind and use green renewable energy.
3) Save Gasoline, use energy efficient vehicles with energy efficient clean fuel/power. Use green public transportation.
4) Start to Reuse-Reduce-Recycle and buy products made out of recycled materials or produced in a sustainable way.
5) Calculate your water footprint and Save Water. Promote sustainable agriculture.
Other general action to consider which are very important:
A) Lower as much as possible our dependence on fossil fuels
B) Protect environments that absorb CO2 (forest, ocean, soil, etc)
C) Invest in research
D) Protect food/water sources
E) Green your work place
F) Promote telecommuting, create green jobs and/or retrain workers
G) Teach the Kids
H) Protect and help the poor
I) Get ready for Emergency
J) Volunteer for a good cause
I'm ready!
Are you ready?
So they think that Climate Change is only a problem of Governments, Scientists and Industries. I completely disagree with this way of thinking. Governments, Scientists and Industries are already starting to solve the problems and their big obstacle is to convince people to follow them.
We are the consumer, it's up to us to decide how much of resources we want to use and waste and how much CO2 we want to emit with our cars and household energy consumption. It is up to each one of us to start taking steps to save.
If one person can save 5 (energy, gasoline, materials, etc), 10.000 people will save 50.000. Now 5 is not a big number, but 50.000 it is.
The biggest effort for each one of us is not to start saving, but is to find the motivation and to start thinking outside of our life boundaries. It definitely feels more easy, safe and cozy to think only of our little world. So in my blog I will try to make your little world more sustainable too.
Forget about climate change, if it is too big of a challenge.
Let's focus on making our lives have less of an impact on our surroundings, in other words let's focus on “What YOU can do!”.
Following there is a list of actions that we all can do. Each action has a letter or a number. To navigate the Blog look for this numbers and letters in the "labels" of each post as a guide.
Actions aimed to directly lower your carbon footprint in order of importance:
1) Understand Climate Change and Carbon Footprint. Calculate your carbon footprint and commit to reduce it and to talk to your friends, family members and colleagues. Start a group in your community.
2) Save Energy in the house, remodel/build house with Energy Efficiency in mind and use green renewable energy.
3) Save Gasoline, use energy efficient vehicles with energy efficient clean fuel/power. Use green public transportation.
4) Start to Reuse-Reduce-Recycle and buy products made out of recycled materials or produced in a sustainable way.
5) Calculate your water footprint and Save Water. Promote sustainable agriculture.
Other general action to consider which are very important:
A) Lower as much as possible our dependence on fossil fuels
B) Protect environments that absorb CO2 (forest, ocean, soil, etc)
C) Invest in research
D) Protect food/water sources
E) Green your work place
F) Promote telecommuting, create green jobs and/or retrain workers
G) Teach the Kids
H) Protect and help the poor
I) Get ready for Emergency
J) Volunteer for a good cause
I'm ready!
Are you ready?
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Celebrate Water in the month of August
Water is our most important natural resource and also our most vulnerable one. We cannot live without water.
And yet, because water bills are the cheapest one to arrive in our homes, we use it as if it will last forever no matter how much we consume and waste.
The fact is that as a consequence of climate change, the increase in population and water consumption, many states in the USA will start to deal with freshwater shortages. The scientists are telling us that with climate change also USA is and will experience extreme episodes of flooding or draught more frequently, but they cannot yet predict where and when they will occur exactly.
West coast and southeast regions are already experiencing severe draught.
Some areas, on the other end, are and will experience more flooding due to heavy downpours in a short time frame. The flooding may temporally affect the infrastructures, which supply freshwater.
Even if the region where you live will not be affected directly from draughts or floods, your federal taxes money will be used to help other states in need.
Last, it never comes to our mind that the process involved to bring safe and drinkable water to our homes, uses a lot of energy and that the energy cost at some point may start to affect our water bills.
Those are all good reason to start saving water and money.
Here is a page where you can see how USA uses freshwater
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/summary95.html
Here is a page where you can have an idea of how much water we use in our homes.
http://www.drinktap.org/consumerdnn/Default.aspx?tabid=85
The first step is to calculate how much water you consume (water footprint), Below are some website who offer a water calculator and tips on how to save water.
http://www.nwf.org/water/watercalculator.cfm
http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WaterFootprintCalculator
http://www.h2oconserve.org/home.php?pd=index
http://www.h2ouse.org/ http://www.waterbudgets.com/ConserVision/CUWCC/DataInput.htm
http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/
In some states and towns where water supply is becoming an issue you can find local water calculators. Here are some examples:
http://www.tampagov.net/dept_water/information_resources/Saving_water/Water_use_calculator.asp
http://savewaternc.org/WaterCalculator.asp
EPA has an entire webpage dedicated to SAVE WATER http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency/
EPA has a collection of website that tells What You can do! http://www.epa.gov/water/citizen.html
Here are some educational website that explain the water cycle and water quality.
http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=1306
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/mwater.html
August is National Water Quality Month and in March there is the World Water Day (http://www.unwater.org/flashindex.html).
Don’t worry; we will have more on water!
And yet, because water bills are the cheapest one to arrive in our homes, we use it as if it will last forever no matter how much we consume and waste.
The fact is that as a consequence of climate change, the increase in population and water consumption, many states in the USA will start to deal with freshwater shortages. The scientists are telling us that with climate change also USA is and will experience extreme episodes of flooding or draught more frequently, but they cannot yet predict where and when they will occur exactly.
West coast and southeast regions are already experiencing severe draught.
Some areas, on the other end, are and will experience more flooding due to heavy downpours in a short time frame. The flooding may temporally affect the infrastructures, which supply freshwater.
Even if the region where you live will not be affected directly from draughts or floods, your federal taxes money will be used to help other states in need.
Last, it never comes to our mind that the process involved to bring safe and drinkable water to our homes, uses a lot of energy and that the energy cost at some point may start to affect our water bills.
Those are all good reason to start saving water and money.
Here is a page where you can see how USA uses freshwater
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/summary95.html
Here is a page where you can have an idea of how much water we use in our homes.
http://www.drinktap.org/consumerdnn/Default.aspx?tabid=85
The first step is to calculate how much water you consume (water footprint), Below are some website who offer a water calculator and tips on how to save water.
http://www.nwf.org/water/watercalculator.cfm
http://www.waterfootprint.org/?page=files/WaterFootprintCalculator
http://www.h2oconserve.org/home.php?pd=index
http://www.h2ouse.org/ http://www.waterbudgets.com/ConserVision/CUWCC/DataInput.htm
http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/
In some states and towns where water supply is becoming an issue you can find local water calculators. Here are some examples:
http://www.tampagov.net/dept_water/information_resources/Saving_water/Water_use_calculator.asp
http://savewaternc.org/WaterCalculator.asp
EPA has an entire webpage dedicated to SAVE WATER http://www.epa.gov/owm/water-efficiency/
EPA has a collection of website that tells What You can do! http://www.epa.gov/water/citizen.html
Here are some educational website that explain the water cycle and water quality.
http://www.usgs.gov/science/science.php?term=1306
http://ga.water.usgs.gov/edu/mwater.html
August is National Water Quality Month and in March there is the World Water Day (http://www.unwater.org/flashindex.html).
Don’t worry; we will have more on water!
Friday, July 18, 2008
EPA inventory - U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions and sinks
Before starting our journey in reducing our personal greenhouse gasses emission, I want to show you where and how much of this greenhouse gasses are emitted in USA. My point of view is that we should reduce first as much as possible the biggest source of greenhouse gasses in the less expensive way. Our goal should be to have the fastest and more evident impact without empty our wallets and disrupting our way of life or make things too complicated.
According to the last Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions and sinks: 1990-2006, released on April 2008 (USEPA #430-R-08-005) http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html (Fast facts card http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/2008_GHG_Fast_Facts.pdf), we can easily get the idea that the biggest emission of greenhouse gasses comes from Electric Power Industry because most of it is generated from burning Coal. In second place we have Transportation, which uses Petroleum. Following we have Industry, then Agriculture, Commercial, Residential.
But if we distribute the Energy consumption for each compartment we see that the order change. First we have Industry, followed by Transportation, Commercial, Residential, and Agriculture.
So until we will have a renewable energy source (solar, wind, geothermal, etc), which will decrease our dependence on fossil fuel (coal, petroleum), we will need as much as we can to reduce our Energy and Petroleum consumption.
What we should expect from Government, Transportation, Industry, Commercial and Agriculture is a big investment in research and the incentive to use solar, wind, geothermal and renewable green energy sources. The implementation of public transportation, which uses clean energy, is fundamental. We also need to improve and protect what we call greenhouse gasses natural sinks such as forest, oceans, soil, and grassland so they can reabsorb part of the greenhouse gasses emissions. Investments in research of new technology such as carbon sequestration, regenerative agriculture and so on are a must.
Meanwhile as consumer we are expected to reduce fossil fuel energy use and start to recycle and reuse. We can also invest money in green solutions and research, if our budget allows us to do so. I have a huge confidence in the human creativity and ingenuity and cooperation.
According to the last Inventory of U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions and sinks: 1990-2006, released on April 2008 (USEPA #430-R-08-005) http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/usinventoryreport.html (Fast facts card http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/downloads/2008_GHG_Fast_Facts.pdf), we can easily get the idea that the biggest emission of greenhouse gasses comes from Electric Power Industry because most of it is generated from burning Coal. In second place we have Transportation, which uses Petroleum. Following we have Industry, then Agriculture, Commercial, Residential.
But if we distribute the Energy consumption for each compartment we see that the order change. First we have Industry, followed by Transportation, Commercial, Residential, and Agriculture.
So until we will have a renewable energy source (solar, wind, geothermal, etc), which will decrease our dependence on fossil fuel (coal, petroleum), we will need as much as we can to reduce our Energy and Petroleum consumption.
What we should expect from Government, Transportation, Industry, Commercial and Agriculture is a big investment in research and the incentive to use solar, wind, geothermal and renewable green energy sources. The implementation of public transportation, which uses clean energy, is fundamental. We also need to improve and protect what we call greenhouse gasses natural sinks such as forest, oceans, soil, and grassland so they can reabsorb part of the greenhouse gasses emissions. Investments in research of new technology such as carbon sequestration, regenerative agriculture and so on are a must.
Meanwhile as consumer we are expected to reduce fossil fuel energy use and start to recycle and reuse. We can also invest money in green solutions and research, if our budget allows us to do so. I have a huge confidence in the human creativity and ingenuity and cooperation.
EPA relised the final report "Analyses and Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems (SAP 4.6) "
Have you calculated your Carbon Footprint yet?
You want to know what Climate Change will likely bring here in USA? Click on the following link http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=197244
It will open the webpage with the announcement of the final Report relised by the EPA about how USA will be affected by Climate Change.
The following link will directly download the report for you.
http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=475107
It is an interesting reading !
You want to know what Climate Change will likely bring here in USA? Click on the following link http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=197244
It will open the webpage with the announcement of the final Report relised by the EPA about how USA will be affected by Climate Change.
The following link will directly download the report for you.
http://oaspub.epa.gov/eims/eimscomm.getfile?p_download_id=475107
It is an interesting reading !
Monday, July 7, 2008
Very First Step - Calculate your CO2 footprint
A Carbon Footprint is a "measure of the impact human activities have on the environment in terms of the amount of greenhouse gasses produced, measured in units of carbon dioxide" It is an useful measure meant to vision your impact on global warming.
To become Carbon Neutral you need to reach the value "Zero"
When I started "Think Green Act Clean" the first thing I did was to understand the size of my household CO2 footprint.
My carbon footprint at the moment is 16.7. It is still very high if you compare it to the German one, which is about 10 or the Italian one of about 8. When I started 1 year ago my carbon footprint was 18. It is not easy or quick, but when I see my results I feel I have the power to change something I thought was bigger than me. The most impressive feedback you have when you cut your CO2 footprint is that you actually SAVE MONEY too!!
(On this link you can find the everage procapita CO2 footprint of every country http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita from 1990 up to 2004, LOOK FOR YOURS!)
In this blog I'll tell you what I did and what I will try to do and my progresses. Hope to reach 10 one day. Websites where you can calculate your footprint:
http://www.earthlab.com/ I like this because you can make pledges and it shows you the improvements of your footprints;
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html made from the EPA, which include your waste;
http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/ It’s more accurate because take in consideration in which state you live;
http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/carboncalculator.cfm It can be personal or of the all household;
and many more….. See the list with all the characteristic of each one and chose http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/carbon-calculators.html .
Start to use these tools and you will feel much better!
To become Carbon Neutral you need to reach the value "Zero"
When I started "Think Green Act Clean" the first thing I did was to understand the size of my household CO2 footprint.
My carbon footprint at the moment is 16.7. It is still very high if you compare it to the German one, which is about 10 or the Italian one of about 8. When I started 1 year ago my carbon footprint was 18. It is not easy or quick, but when I see my results I feel I have the power to change something I thought was bigger than me. The most impressive feedback you have when you cut your CO2 footprint is that you actually SAVE MONEY too!!
(On this link you can find the everage procapita CO2 footprint of every country http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_carbon_dioxide_emissions_per_capita from 1990 up to 2004, LOOK FOR YOURS!)
In this blog I'll tell you what I did and what I will try to do and my progresses. Hope to reach 10 one day. Websites where you can calculate your footprint:
http://www.earthlab.com/ I like this because you can make pledges and it shows you the improvements of your footprints;
http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/emissions/ind_calculator.html made from the EPA, which include your waste;
http://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/ It’s more accurate because take in consideration in which state you live;
http://www.fightglobalwarming.com/carboncalculator.cfm It can be personal or of the all household;
and many more….. See the list with all the characteristic of each one and chose http://hes.lbl.gov/hes/carbon-calculators.html .
Start to use these tools and you will feel much better!
Climate Change made easy
As you know by now from TV, magazines, news, commercial etc, there is this little problem that Humanity is facing called Climate Change caused by Greenhouse Gasses.
It's very simple. Some gasses which are considered good for our earth, such as CO2, methane and many more, lately went out of balance and they became not so good. Those gasses form a barrier around our planet, which acts as the glass in a greenhouse. They let in the worm energy coming from the sun and at the same time they keep part of it from going back out, keeping our planet at a temperature where life can exist. Nowadays we are having too much of those greenhouse gasses so they are keeping too much heat on the earth. Every time we use energy from fossil fuels, or a forest is destroyed/burnt or a cow pass gasses (sounds funny, but this is the reality!), we emit more of the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and we reduce the ability to capture those gasses back by the plants. The temperature rise and the ice at the poles melt releasing even more CO2.
We have more frequent extreme weather conditions such as draught and flooding, hurricanes, etc (NOAA June 2008 report on “Effects of a Changing Climate on Extreme Weather Events in North America” http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080619_climatereport.html). With the draught we have more wildfires, which destroy more trees and release more CO2. It is a vicious cycle.
Some countries will have a warmer weather (we may have wine from England, we may be capable to go from Europe to America from the North Pole by boat), but the positive changes will not be able to offset the negative ones that will or are already appearing in many countries (USA included), with catastrophic life losses especially in the undeveloped and/or more populated ones (Asia and Africa). On top of the severe weather, our crops and forests, the base of every life cycle, will be affected, because the plants are the last one to migrate, as they do not have legs, fins or wings to migrate. We will experience a global scarcity of food, massive movement of people, more diseases, losses in wildlife species, etc.
Unfortunately Climatology is not a precise science yet and it’s still very difficult to predict exactly where and/or when we will have the negative effects and how intense they will be.
For example scientists were expecting North Pole to be melted in about 30 years, and now they predict will be melted for a short time already at the end of this summer 2008 and completely in a few years (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/06/27/north.pole.melting/).
You may feel discouraged from all those news, but there is also a big good new: the scientists tell us we have some time, not too much, to reverse this trend, and we have the resources, the technology and the human ingenuity to succeed. They also tell us that it is not just a problem of governments and businesses. It is mostly a problem of each one of us. So let's try all together to preserve our beautiful earth for our children, grandchildren and future generations.
It's very simple. Some gasses which are considered good for our earth, such as CO2, methane and many more, lately went out of balance and they became not so good. Those gasses form a barrier around our planet, which acts as the glass in a greenhouse. They let in the worm energy coming from the sun and at the same time they keep part of it from going back out, keeping our planet at a temperature where life can exist. Nowadays we are having too much of those greenhouse gasses so they are keeping too much heat on the earth. Every time we use energy from fossil fuels, or a forest is destroyed/burnt or a cow pass gasses (sounds funny, but this is the reality!), we emit more of the greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere and we reduce the ability to capture those gasses back by the plants. The temperature rise and the ice at the poles melt releasing even more CO2.
We have more frequent extreme weather conditions such as draught and flooding, hurricanes, etc (NOAA June 2008 report on “Effects of a Changing Climate on Extreme Weather Events in North America” http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2008/20080619_climatereport.html). With the draught we have more wildfires, which destroy more trees and release more CO2. It is a vicious cycle.
Some countries will have a warmer weather (we may have wine from England, we may be capable to go from Europe to America from the North Pole by boat), but the positive changes will not be able to offset the negative ones that will or are already appearing in many countries (USA included), with catastrophic life losses especially in the undeveloped and/or more populated ones (Asia and Africa). On top of the severe weather, our crops and forests, the base of every life cycle, will be affected, because the plants are the last one to migrate, as they do not have legs, fins or wings to migrate. We will experience a global scarcity of food, massive movement of people, more diseases, losses in wildlife species, etc.
Unfortunately Climatology is not a precise science yet and it’s still very difficult to predict exactly where and/or when we will have the negative effects and how intense they will be.
For example scientists were expecting North Pole to be melted in about 30 years, and now they predict will be melted for a short time already at the end of this summer 2008 and completely in a few years (http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/weather/06/27/north.pole.melting/).
You may feel discouraged from all those news, but there is also a big good new: the scientists tell us we have some time, not too much, to reverse this trend, and we have the resources, the technology and the human ingenuity to succeed. They also tell us that it is not just a problem of governments and businesses. It is mostly a problem of each one of us. So let's try all together to preserve our beautiful earth for our children, grandchildren and future generations.
Friday, July 4, 2008
SmartWay: EPA new campaign on how to save money and reduce your footprint when shopping for your next car
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is launching the SmartWay Leaf Campaign to encourage consumers to purchase SmartWay-certified vehicles.
EPA scores vehicles according to their environmental impact. SmartWay-certified vehicles are the best environmental performers, as measured by a combination of their emission levels of greenhouse gases, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides, and other pollutants. If every light duty vehicle in the country were SmartWay-certified, carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by about 214 billion pounds annually. That’s equivalent to the emissions from nearly 20 million vehicles each year.
The new campaign builds on the previous outreach efforts to inform drivers about ways they can save fuel and protect the environment, like the recent Alliance to Save Energy’s Drive $marter Challenge campaign launched this past May. Even with their current vehicle, there is a lot drivers can do to cut down on fuel use. It is important to maintain a reasonable speed and avoid rapid accelerations and braking. Vehicles should be well-maintained with properly inflated tires and clean air filters. Finally, try to decrease vehicle use by walking or biking, combining errands into one trip, and using public transportation where available. For more information about SmartWay, visit: http://www.epa.gov/smartway
To visit EPA’s green Vehicle Guide, go to: http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles
To learn about the Drive $marter Challenge, go to: http://www.drivesmarterchallenge.org/
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News Release: Thursday, July 3, 2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Driving the SmartWay: EPA Debuts New Campaign to Help Drivers Save Fuel, Money and Protect the Environment Contact Information: Marilyn Franklin, (202) 564-4355 / franklin.marilyn@epa.gov
EPA scores vehicles according to their environmental impact. SmartWay-certified vehicles are the best environmental performers, as measured by a combination of their emission levels of greenhouse gases, hydrocarbons, nitrous oxides, and other pollutants. If every light duty vehicle in the country were SmartWay-certified, carbon dioxide emissions would decrease by about 214 billion pounds annually. That’s equivalent to the emissions from nearly 20 million vehicles each year.
The new campaign builds on the previous outreach efforts to inform drivers about ways they can save fuel and protect the environment, like the recent Alliance to Save Energy’s Drive $marter Challenge campaign launched this past May. Even with their current vehicle, there is a lot drivers can do to cut down on fuel use. It is important to maintain a reasonable speed and avoid rapid accelerations and braking. Vehicles should be well-maintained with properly inflated tires and clean air filters. Finally, try to decrease vehicle use by walking or biking, combining errands into one trip, and using public transportation where available. For more information about SmartWay, visit: http://www.epa.gov/smartway
To visit EPA’s green Vehicle Guide, go to: http://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles
To learn about the Drive $marter Challenge, go to: http://www.drivesmarterchallenge.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
News Release: Thursday, July 3, 2008 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Driving the SmartWay: EPA Debuts New Campaign to Help Drivers Save Fuel, Money and Protect the Environment Contact Information: Marilyn Franklin, (202) 564-4355 / franklin.marilyn@epa.gov
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Recepy Contest !!!
Look at the produce in season and submit an ealthy and sustainable recepy of the month. I'll write them on the blog so can be voted at the end of each month. The first will get an Award nomination on the blog. I invite you to partecipate to the Recepy Contest every month. Please specify for what month is the recepy you submit. E-mail the recepy to vanessa@keithandvanessa.com
Monday, June 30, 2008
Eating healthy and being sustainable go hand in hand.
It's well known that eating fresh produce daily it's good for your health. And now it's good for your environment too. According to Carnegie Mellon researchers Christopher L. Weber and H. Scott Matthews your diet impact tremendously on your CO2 household footprint. Greenhouse gas emissions associated with producing food impact more than how much the food travels. So the first thing to do is to eat less red meat and/or dairy products1. The alternative is to eat more grains and produce.
When you pick a fruit or a vegetable the vitamin content start to decay in a matter of a few ours. The more time the vegetable/fruit take to arrive from the farm to your table the less vitamin it contains. The most vulnerable vitamin is the vitamin C. The refrigeration may slow down the process, but not stop it.
The more the food is manipulated the less vitamin retains.
The freezing process is the best way to conserve some produces. In fact, the produce is frozen soon after the picking phase. There is a loss of vitamin B with the time and the use of a lot of energy.
Another good way of preserving food and its vitamins content is drying it. If conducted in a natural way, using sun and wind, is one of the oldest and also more carbon neutral way of preserving food.
The canned food has the least content of vitamins because is highly processed.
Now we also know that the CO2 footprint of a produce grow exponentially with the distance it travels and the processing/storing it undergoes.
At the end of the day, if you try to buy as much as you can local and unprocessed/unfrozen food you will take care of your health and of the environment. And you also save money, have less packaging to deal with, support the local economy and have the chance to get to know who works hard to provide food for you.
You can do even more with a little more effort. If you buy organic food and produce in season you cut on oil consumption because you promote food which has less, if none, pesticide (made with oil) and you cut on oil consumption to import food out of season.
If you are very dedicated and love to do some gardening you can be more carbon neutral by growing your own vegetables in a CSA farm (http://www.localharvest.org/csa/, http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture) or in a community garden (http://www.civicgardencenter.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_garden) or even better in your back yard.
So keep an eye on the right column on the “Produce of the month” and give a look at the "Healthy food" links.
We are what we eat!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1Carnegie Mellon University. "Want To Reduce Your Food-related Carbon Footprint? What You Eat Is More Important Than Where It Came From." ScienceDaily 22 April 2008. 1 July 2008.
When you pick a fruit or a vegetable the vitamin content start to decay in a matter of a few ours. The more time the vegetable/fruit take to arrive from the farm to your table the less vitamin it contains. The most vulnerable vitamin is the vitamin C. The refrigeration may slow down the process, but not stop it.
The more the food is manipulated the less vitamin retains.
The freezing process is the best way to conserve some produces. In fact, the produce is frozen soon after the picking phase. There is a loss of vitamin B with the time and the use of a lot of energy.
Another good way of preserving food and its vitamins content is drying it. If conducted in a natural way, using sun and wind, is one of the oldest and also more carbon neutral way of preserving food.
The canned food has the least content of vitamins because is highly processed.
Now we also know that the CO2 footprint of a produce grow exponentially with the distance it travels and the processing/storing it undergoes.
At the end of the day, if you try to buy as much as you can local and unprocessed/unfrozen food you will take care of your health and of the environment. And you also save money, have less packaging to deal with, support the local economy and have the chance to get to know who works hard to provide food for you.
You can do even more with a little more effort. If you buy organic food and produce in season you cut on oil consumption because you promote food which has less, if none, pesticide (made with oil) and you cut on oil consumption to import food out of season.
If you are very dedicated and love to do some gardening you can be more carbon neutral by growing your own vegetables in a CSA farm (http://www.localharvest.org/csa/, http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/pubs/csa/csa.shtml, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community-supported_agriculture) or in a community garden (http://www.civicgardencenter.org/, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_garden) or even better in your back yard.
So keep an eye on the right column on the “Produce of the month” and give a look at the "Healthy food" links.
We are what we eat!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1Carnegie Mellon University. "Want To Reduce Your Food-related Carbon Footprint? What You Eat Is More Important Than Where It Came From." ScienceDaily 22 April 2008. 1 July 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Explore the new blog Think Green Act Clean!!
Hi everyone,
I imagine most of you are on vacation now. As I probably told you, this summer I was going to work on the creation of our blog. Here it is.
Remember I'm not a professional and it is like a new baby, so please feel free to give me any advice and feedback in those following months.
Thank you
Vanessa Scocchera
I imagine most of you are on vacation now. As I probably told you, this summer I was going to work on the creation of our blog. Here it is.
Remember I'm not a professional and it is like a new baby, so please feel free to give me any advice and feedback in those following months.
Thank you
Vanessa Scocchera
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