We are pleased to announce that we have partnered with SEES (Solar Energy & Efficiency Solutions, Inc.). One of their many services is a Free Online Energy Audit delivered to your email. You will also receive a Free Energy Guide and Free Green Energy Talk Magazine, all designed to help homeowners lower their energy bills and help the planet go green.
Simply click on the image or here to signup for your Free Online Energy Audit. You will be presented with a 10-20 page detailed analysis of ways you can make your home more energy efficient. You will also receive a list of all of the incentives, rebates and grants available for your ZIP Code.
There is no cost or obligation and you can opt out of future emailings at any time. Your own Free online energy audit and comprehensive report will show you FACTS for simple improvements to your home or business — save money, save energy, and improve the environment. We hope you take advantage of this service from SEES. Have a great green day.
A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacterium), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against any pest. Pests include insects, plant pathogens, weeds, mollusks, birds, mammals, fish, roundworms, microbes and people that destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or cause a nuisance. Although there are benefits to the use of pesticides, there are also drawbacks, such as potential toxicity to humans and other animals.
Pesticide use raises a number of environmental concerns. Over 98% of sprayed insecticides and 95% of herbicides reach a destination other than their target species, including non-target species, air, water and soil. Pesticide drift occurs when pesticides suspended in the air as particles are carried by wind to other areas, potentially contaminating them. Pesticides are one of the causes of water pollution, and some pesticides are persistent organic pollutants and contribute to soil contamination.
Below are two lists from the Environmental Working Group on the fruit and vegetables with potentially the most and least pesticides.
The Dirty Dozen: Fruits & Vegetables that contain highest pesticides load
- peaches
- apples
- bell peppers
- celery
- nectarines
- strawberries
- cherries
- kale
- lettuce
- imported grapes
- carrots
- pears
Clean Fifteen: Fruits & Vegetables that contain the least pesticide residue
- onions
- avocados
- sweet corn
- pineapples
- mangoes
- asparagus
- sweet peas
- kiwis
- cabbages
- eggplants
- papayas
- watermelons
- broccoli
- tomatoes
- sweet potatoes
You can peel your fruits and vegetables and trim outer leaves of leafy vegetables in addition to washing them thoroughly. Keep in mind that peeling your fruits and vegetables may also reduce the amount of nutrients and fiber. Some pesticide residue also collects in fat, so remove fat from meat and the skin from poultry and fish.
So how do you possibly avoid pesticides totally? The answer is either grow your own food or going Organic. Or both. Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost, biological pest control, and mechanical cultivation to maintain soil productivity and control pests, excluding or strictly limiting the use of synthetic fertilizers and synthetic pesticides, plant growth regulators, livestock feed additives, and genetically modified organisms. Since 1990, the market for organic products has grown at a rapid pace, to reach $46 billion in 2007.
Think before you buy. I'm starting to do that and buy organic foods. There are more and more options because demand is increasing. Be healthy and eco-friendly.
I've seen many articles and blogs which contain eco-friendly holiday gift ideas. I wanted to place some of them here to be of little help to some of the late shoppers who are trying to get something nice for themselves or their green friend. These suggestions are better than giving fruitcakes. However, I do hear that many fruitcakes have been reused and regifted, so I guess that is pretty eco-friendly.
Go Green this Christmas - gift ideas
Green holiday gifts can bring joy, save money
Joy of green giving: High-tech, environmentally friendly gifts
Inexpensive Christmas Gift Ideas: Save Money and Go Green with Cheap, Earth-Friendly Gifts
Christmas Gifts 2009: Do It Yourself!
Last minute Christmas gift ideas {green products and services}
Happy shopping and have a great holiday season!
I created a CFL bulb testimonial 6 months ago and now I'm updating the status on my orginal claim. I replaced an incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb the week of Thanksgiving in 2008. The previous incandescent bulbs needed to be replaced every month.
I'm happy to report that the CFL bulb is still going after 12 months on the job. I am very happy with these results. The light bulb is in the outside lamp post and is on for a few hours each night.
Orginal CFL testimonial blog post:
For the last few years I’d used incandescent light bulbs in my outside lamp post. They would burn out every month, like clockwork. The light was on about eight hours every day. It was highly annoying to replace a bulb every month. I have since gone to the wonderful world of CFL bulbs.
I replaced an old incandescent bulb with a CFL bulb during the last week of November in 2008. As I’m typing this on May 27, 2009 the CFL bulb is still working. That is six months, which is six times longer than any of the incandescent light bulbs I used. That’s pretty cool, but I haven’t even gotten into the energy I’ve saved. EnergyStar.gov claims that CFLs “will save about $30 over its lifetime and pay for itself in about 6 months. It uses 75 percent less energy and lasts about 10 times longer than an incandescent bulb.” I’m a believer.
I’ve replaced all of my old incandescent bulbs in the house with CFLs now. If you haven’t already replaced your old bulbs with CFL bulbs, I would urge you to do so. You will be conserving energy, saving money and saving time of having to replace bulbs.
So, if you still haven't started to use CFL bulbs, I would urge you to do so. At least try out one and put it in one of your most used lights. I bet you'll be happy with your new investment as well. You'll be saving energy and saving money.
I'll post again on this CFL testimonial topic again when the bulb burns out. If that happens.
Louisville Gas & Electric (LG&E) in their never-ending attempt to educate and help customers to be more eco-friendly and save money has added a CFL Program to their arsenal. Under their CFL Program customers receive a mailer identical to the image above. The customer just needs to mail in the little reply card attached and they will be sent four CFL bulbs. Just like that. I just received my mailer and you know I will be taking advantage of this opportunity.
So if you are not a customer of LG&E are you jealous? Well, contact your electric company and let them know that these programs exist and they too can do more for their customers by providing green programs.
I look forward to receiving my free CFL bulbs. I have many CFL bulbs in my home, but I do believe I have 4 bulbs left which are not. They are the lights in my garage door opener. Wow, my garage is about to get more eco-friendly.
Do other electric companies have similar programs? I would like to hear about them.
This past weekend I hiked in Jefferson Memorial Forest, which is located in southern Jefferson County in Louisville, Kentucky. I had never been there before, much less hiked there so I took the opportunity on a decent day in November for a hike. I ended up hiking the Purple Heart Trail, which is a 2 mile loop trail which is of moderate difficulty. There are definitely some literal ups and downs to this trail, but it isn’t too strenuous.
This past week the fall colors were mostly gone and understandably parts of the trails were overcome with leaves, but the trails and the grounds were otherwise clean and a great place to getaway.
Above is the Tom Wallace Lake. I would like to go back next year and explore more of the many trails at Jefferson Memorial Forest. Kentucky is a beautiful state and you can see some of its beauty at Jefferson Memorial Forest.
Do you like hiking or have you ever been to Jefferson Memorial Forest?
Let me know.
Take Only Pictures, Leave Only Footprints
Have you seen the guy at your local greeting card aisle standing there forever not able to choose which card to get? That guy is me. I hate looking for greeting cards. It takes me forever to choose between the really sappy cards, the low brow cards and the really low brow cards. It doesn't matter the occasion it is hard for me to find a card for anyone I know in less than ten minutes. With all of this time spent the last time looking for a card I noticed a few cards with a note on the back with 'This card is made from sustainably managed forests'. I, of course, have seen cards which had been printed on 100% recycled paper, but not quite this story. I wanted to find out more about what exactly are sustainably managed forests.
From the Sustainable Forests Products website:
The particular greeting card that had this 'paper from sustainably managed forests' note was a Hallmark card. I wanted to find out a little more about Hallmark and being Green. I found out Hallmark has being making eco-friendly strides for decades.
From the Hallmark corporate website:
Facts
Hallmark began recycling paper in the 1940s.
The company first introduced recycled paper into select greeting card lines and packaging in the 1970s.
Hallmark established corporate-wide energy conservation and waste reduction programs in the 1990s.
Hallmark intends to obtain 50 percent of the paper it buys for greeting cards from recycled stock and 100 percent of the paper it buys for products from sustainable sources.
In 2008, Hallmark developed a “green” icon with four arrows revolving around the Hallmark crown. The arrows represent the four areas of Hallmark’s environmental efforts – water, waste, paper and energy.
In mid-2008, the Hallmark “green” icon started appearing on greeting cards and other product lines. Products made with paper from sustainably managed forests, recycled paper content, or other eco-friendly materials will bear this special icon, along with relevant labeling.
With all of this talk of greeting cards printed on 100% recycled materials and made with paper from sustainably managed forests don't forget about the other eco-alternatives to paper greeting cards. They are hand-made cards from hand-made paper as well as e-cards. Come to think of it, e-cards would probably save me time and get me out of your way as you look for a funny card for your third cousin twice removed. Happy card hunting.
