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Precycle Tips

Top 10 list of ways to PRECYCLE:

1. Bring reusable bags to the store with you.
2. Buy Large Quantities.
3. Buy products with the least amount of packaging or none at all.
4. Buy products packed in recycled packaging.
5. Don't buy disposable items.
6. Buy less paper products.
7. Buy long life and concentrated items.
8. Don't purchase Styrofoam.
9. Buy items in cardboard. aluminum, steel, glass, and plastic containers marked 1 and 2.
10. Read labels for ingredients.

Remember the 2 "P’s"

PREVENT AND PRECYCLE.
It's the GREEN thing to do!

Green Product Directories

An important tool in the effort to build greener buildings and live greener lives is the selection of products that were made using environmentally friendly processes and are used in environmentally friendly ways.

Green products are available for just about any daily need, and the ways they are green are many and varied: They are energy or water efficient; they use healthy, non-toxic materials; they are made from recycled or renewable sources; they make current products you use more efficient or more durable; and they are recyclable or biodegradable, among many other things.

But among all the truly green products comes the risk of "greenwashing;" that is, products that are advertised as green without truly offering environmental or health benefits. The directories below will help you sort through the claims and find the products that best meet your needs. But please note: Inclusion or exclusion of any product in these directories does not represent endorsement by the U.S. Green Building Council.

The Dirty Dozen: Top 12 Foods to Eat Organic

Do Buy Produce from Your Grocery Store That Are on the Dirty Dozen List, Just Make Them Organic The “dirty dozen” are the most highly contaminated foods with pesticides and chemicals — even after washing and peeling. This list includes peaches, apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes. Buy their organic version whenever possible.

Check out the top 12 foods
you should buy organic whenever possible

Not all of us can afford to go 100% organic. The solution? Focus on just those foods that come with the heaviest burden of pesticides, chemicals, additives and hormones. Whenever possible, deploy your organic spending power to buy organic versions of the following foods (in no particular order). Can't find organic versions of these foods? In some cases, we've listed safer alternatives that contain similar valuable vitamins and minerals.

1. Meat. Contrary to a widely reported "fact," meat typically contains less pesticide residue than plant-based foods, according to Debra Edwards, the director of EPA's Office of Pesticide Programs.

That said, raising animals with conventional modern methods often means using hormones to speed up growth, antibiotics to resist disease and pesticides to grow the grain fed to the animals. As the EPA puts it in an Ag 101 feature, "Antibiotics, pesticides, and hormones are organic compounds which are used in animal feeding operations and may pose risks if they enter the environment."

Consumers looking to avoid meats raised with these substances can seek out certified organic meat. To meet USDA standards, this meat can come only from animals fed organic feed and given no hormones or antibiotics.

Publications as varied as the Wall Street Journal, in its 2007 When Buying Organic Makes Sense and When It Doesn’t, and Consumers Union, in its 2006 Tips on Buying Organics Without Breaking the Bank, recommend seeking out organic meats when possible.

2. Milk. Pesticides and other man-made chemicals have been found in human breast milk, so it should come as no surprise that they have been found in dairy products. While any residues detected have been rare, and of low concentration, milk is of special concern because it is a staple of children's diets.

Organic dairies cannot feed their cows with grains grown with pesticides, nor can they use antibiotics or growth hormones like rGBH or rbST.

3. Coffee. Many of the beans you buy are grown in countries that don't regulate use of chemicals and pesticides. Look for the Fair Trade Certified Organic label on the coffee package or can; it will give you some assurance that chemicals and pesticides were not used on the plants. It will also mean that fair prices were paid for the end product in support of the farm and that farm workers are treated fairly.

4. Peaches. Multiple pesticides are regularly applied to these delicately skinned fruits in conventional orchards. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: watermelon, tangerines, oranges and grapefruit.

5. Apples. Scrubbing and peeling doesn't eliminate chemical residue completely so it's best to buy organic when it comes to apples. Peeling a fruit or vegetable also strips away many of their beneficial nutrients. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: watermelon, bananas and tangerines.

6. Sweet bell peppers. Peppers have thin skins that don't offer much of a barrier to pesticides. They're often heavily sprayed and victim to pesticides commonly used to keep them insect-free. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: green peas, broccoli and cabbage.

7. Celery. Celery has no protective skin, which makes it almost impossible to wash off the chemicals that are used on conventional crops. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: broccoli, radishes and onions.

8. Strawberries. If you buy strawberries out of season, they're most likely imported from countries that use less-stringent regulations for pesticide use. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: blueberries, kiwi and pineapples.

9. Lettuces. Leafy greens are frequently contaminated with what are considered the most potent pesticides used on food. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: cabbage, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts.

10. Grapes. Imported grapes run a much greater risk of contamination than those grown domestically. Vineyards can be sprayed with different pesticides during different growth periods of the grape, and no amount of washing or peeling will eliminate contamination because of the grape's thin skin. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: blueberries, kiwi and raspberries.

11. Potatoes. America's popular spud ranks high for pesticide residue. It also gets the double whammy of fungicides added to the soil for growing. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: eggplant, cabbage and earthy mushrooms.

12. Tomatoes. A tomato's easily punctured skin is no match for chemicals that will eventually permeate it. Can't find organic? Safe alternatives: green peas, broccoli and asparagus.

This information in regard to pesticides in fruits and vegetables is based on The Environmental Working Group's analysis of federal pesticide testing data for commonly eaten fruits and vegetables.

Sustainability

When you hear someone use the word "sustainability," turn on your B.S. meter to gauge whether the person is talking about the real deal or a snow job. Here's why: There are many definitions for the fuzzy term.

At one end of the spectrum, there is "Seventh Generation sustainability." Credited to the Iroquois, the concept means that when we make decisions, we should consider their impact on people seven generations to come.

It’s described in this quote from Oren Lyons, an Iroquois tribal leader: "In our way of life, in our government, with every decision we make, we always keep in mind the Seventh Generation to come. It's our job to see that the people coming ahead, the generations still unborn, have a world no worse than ours and hopefully better. When we walk upon Mother Earth we always plant our feet carefully because we know the faces of our future generations are looking up at us from beneath the ground. We never forget them."

Most people mean something short of that.

A general definition: "meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." (Notice there’s no mention of making the world "hopefully better.")

Generally speaking, the term "sustainability" conjures up the notion that any particular activity— growing crops, building homes, generating electricity, whatever—can continue indefinitely without causing undue side effects. We can live in harmony with the environment—without warming the planet by sending more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and without contributing to the current ongoing mass extinction of animals and plants. Great concept. Not easy to implement in an industrialized world with nearly 7 billion people (up from 3.7 billion in 1970).

Often adjectives are glommed onto the term "sustainability" to create offshoot terms. Two examples:

• Environmental Sustainability

Finland ranks first in the world in environmental sustainability out of 146 countries, according to the Environmental Sustainability Index produced in 2005 by environmental experts from Yale and Columbia universities. The term envisions the environment functioning well indefinitely.

Guess how the U.S. ranked? Nope, not in the top five. Norway, Uruguay, Sweden and Iceland rounded out the top rankings, thanks to substantial natural resource endowments, low population density, and successful management of environment and development issues. The United States ranked 45th, just behind Armenia. That’s because the U.S. did great on issues such as water quality and environmental protection capacity, but snagged bottom-rung results on other issues, such as generating tons of waste and greenhouse gases. In short, the U.S. has a long way to go to become No. 1.

• Sustainable Development

To critics, the term is an oxymoron. To others, it’s the wave of the future.

What is sustainable development? As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency defines it, "Sustainable development marries two important themes: that environmental protection does not preclude economic development and that economic development must be ecologically viable now and in the long run." In other words, this concept of sustainability encompasses ideas and values that inspire public and private organizations to become better stewards of the environment while also promoting economic growth.

In the end, your concept of sustainability likely will veer from others' during conversations. So be aware that you may be talking about two completely different ideals.

Most Efficient Vehicles

Here’s a list of the Most Fuel Efficient Vehicles as ranked by http://www.fueleconomy.gov/

Note: Mileage figures are city/highway mpg.

What is Biodiesel?

Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with no modifications. In fact diesel engines run better and last longer with biodiesel. And it can easily be made from a common waste product -- used cooking oil. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.

• Biodiesel fuel burns up to 75% cleaner than conventional diesel fuel made from fossil fuels.

• Biodiesel substantially reduces unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide and particulate matter in exhaust fumes.

• Sulfur dioxide emissions are eliminated (biodiesel contains no sulfur).

• Biodiesel is plant-based and adds no CO2 to the atmosphere.

• The ozone-forming potential of biodiesel emissions is nearly 50% less than conventional diesel fuel.

• Nitrous oxide (NOx) emissions may increase or decrease but can be reduced to well below conventional diesel fuel levels by adjusting engine timing.

• Biodiesel exhaust is not offensive and doesn't cause eye irritation (it smells like French fries!).

• Biodiesel is environmentally friendly: it is renewable, "more biodegradable than sugar and less toxic than table salt" (US National Biodiesel Board).

• Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine.

• Fuel economy is the same as conventional diesel fuel.

• Biodiesel is a much better lubricant than conventional diesel fuel and extends engine life -- a German truck won an entry in the Guinness Book of Records by traveling more than 1.25 million km (780,000 miles) on biodiesel with its original engine.

• Biodiesel has a high cetane rating, which improves engine performance: 20% biodiesel added to conventional diesel fuel improves the cetane rating 3 points, making it a Premium fuel.

• Biodiesel can be mixed with ordinary diesel fuel in any proportion -- even a small amount of biodiesel means cleaner emissions and better engine lubrication: 1% biodiesel will increase lubricity by 65%.

• Biodiesel can be produced from any fat or vegetable oil, including waste cooking oil.

Summary:

• The overall ozone (smog) forming potential of biodiesel is almost 50% less than diesel fuel.

• Sulfur emissions are eliminated.

• Substantial reductions of unburned hydrocarbons (-93%), carbon monoxide (-50%), and particulate matter (-30%).

• Biodiesel NOx emissions can be efficiently eliminated as a concern.

• Substantial reductions of cancer-causing PAH (-80%) and nitrited PAH compounds (-90%). Diesel emissions and cancer According to a U.S. Department of Energy study completed at the University of California at Davis, the use of pure biodiesel instead of petroleum-based diesel fuel could offer a 93.6% reduction in cancer risks from exhaust emissions exposure. Greenhouse effect Using vegetable oils or animal fats as fuel for motor vehicles is in effect running them on solar energy. All biofuels, including ethanol, are derived from the conversion of sunlight to energy (carbohydrates) that takes place in the green leaves of plants. Official Biodiesel is recognized by both the US Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy as an alternative fuel, and qualifies for mandated programs under the Clean Air Act Amendments and the Environmental Protection Act of 1992 (EPAct). In California, biodiesel has been approved for use in remediation of petroleum oil spills.

Reduce air pollution by using public transportation, riding your bike or walking. Always keep your car tuned and your tires properly balanced.

More to come....

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