Tips on How Not to Shit on Mother Nature

Posted on January 8, 2011. Filed under: Environment | Tags: clean, eco friendly, environment, green tips, mother nature, water |

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

Baltimore wants to lead the charge on a more cleaner and greener city. If you happen to live in this area, one would notice that stores such as 7-eleven and Rite Aid are all now using paper bags instead of plastic. That is upon request. Anyway, I’ve come up with a way to be cleaner/greener using some pretty basic tips:

1. PULL THE PLUG

Unplug any appliances, lamps, and other electronics that are not in use. And if you have a habit of falling asleep with the tv on, set the timer to 30 minutes(it takes roughly 15 min for the average person to fall asleep). it makes a difference on your next bill.

2. STRUT YOUR STUFF

Walk everywhere within a 2.5 mile radius. I live downtown so i walk everywhere even down to the harbor. It’s about a mile away and I get good excercise. plus, I save gas. now I know a 2.5 mile radius seems hard…hey, I used to run that in 20 minutes, but look at how much gas you’ll be saving and not to mention the money you’ll save by not buying crap you don’t need. If you don’t live in the city, find a park or your nearest strip mall and walk with a friend just to be safe.

3. THE WATER WORKS         

If you have a large family and at least 2 bathrooms in your home, then you might want to invest in a tankless water heater. These are widely popular in Europe and Asia and are starting to make a splash here. How it works is it turns itself off when you’re not using it and you set the temperature to a certain degree, thereby the water never gets too hot. Your whole family can use it without running out of hot water. Only problem is that you can’t take a shower and run a dishwasher at the same time because it might stretch the heater to it’s limit. There’s whole house heaters and one might even get 2 tankless heaters to combat this problem. for more information and brands, go to www.tanklesswaterheaterguide.com .

4. EAT TO LIVE      

FPS- fried, processed, and sugar are some of the foods to avoid when wanting to lose weight or become healthier. Here are some others to avoid:

1. Hydrolyzed wheat, soy, or corn protein- when something is hydrolyzed, it is broken down with the help of an acid and a base into amino acids. The wheat, soy and corn are broken down using a caustic acid and then neutralized with sodium hydroxide or lye. The resulting brown scum is dried and used in many flavorings. We know it as the seasoning packet in ramen noodles
2. Enriched bleached flour- these are the sneaky carbs found in many deserts and pastries and I, for one, am guilty of indulging.
3. Partially hydrogenated oil- these contain trans fatty acids which I will explain in point 4. Some companies have opted to remove the trans fat from the oil and still continu to use the oil.
4. Trans fat- this type of fat is the most dangerous, more dangerous than saturated fat. This fat doesn’t melt at room temperature and creates a plastic like film around your arteries, hardening them and setting you up for heart disease. AVOID THESE FATS WHEVER POSSIBLE
5. High fructose corn syrup -this syrup is used to ehance the flavor of food from savory, to sweet. It fools the body into thinking that it wants more food, thereby causing you to eat more. this is usually the 1st or second ingredient in food so avoid whenever possible.
6. GMO’s(genetically modified food)- this mostly pertains to fruits and vegetables that have ben given food with addictives to make the food grow bigger, meanwhile the plants chemistry has been modified. if eaten, these chemicals could have adverse affects on our own bodies. it’s best to purchase produce from local farmer’s markets or grow your own.

 

5. HAVE A HOUSE OF PLANTS

House plants make wonderful additions to your home and greener living. Not only could they be used for decor, but they help get rid of toxins in the air. If you’re like me with high ceilings in an apartment, try not to use the hanging plants, but instead keep them at a level where you could water them. That way, you won’t forget to water them because they’re too high and you can check how they’re growing. Most small house plants sell anywhere between $3.99 and 9.99. The taller tropical plants sell anywhere between $14.99 and 32.99.

6. PAY THEM BILLS ONLINE

Comcast has a new feature where you can opt to pay online and not receive a paper bill in the mail. You can request other companies to do the same such as electric, water and gas, or even you bank statements. Think of the millions of trees you’ll save by this simple excercise.

7.  TAP WATER VS. BOTTLED WATER

If you’re like some people I know and like to buy bottled water, then this section is especially for you. Why keep buying bottled water when you can use a filter that does the same thing and still taste great? Plus, you’ll be saving money because you can drink as much water as you want without going to the supermarket everytime you run out. And using a filter attachment also creates less waste. Brita sells filters for about $25 dollars and they last up to about 6 months. The refills are cheaper-$16. Here’s a tragedy for you..most bottled water, especially Deer Park, is actually tap water.

                                                                                                                           

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