Cow farts are so passé!

How does beef consumption harm the environment?

Too, Too Sullied Flesh
Meat production spews more greenhouse gases than a three-hour joyride.The next time you chomp a hamburger, think of this: the process of getting that beef to your bun may have spewed more greenhouse-gas emissions than leaving all your house lights blazing while taking a three-hour joyride in your car. Researchers looked at beef production in Japan and its impact on climate, water, and energy, and came up with sobering statistics. Wanna hear more? Not including transportation of meat from farm to store, production of 2.2 pounds of beef (OK, yes, that's a big burger) also spews the same amount of CO2 as an average European car driven 155 miles, and uses enough energy to keep a 100-watt light bulb bright for nearly 20 days. Methane-heavy cow burps and farts comprise most of the greenhouse-gas emissions; two-thirds of the energy used by the industry goes to producing and transporting feed. What could be done? Improve waste management, the study authors say, or shorten the interval between calving. Or, if we may suggest something totally crazy: Stop eating so much meat.

straight to the source: New Scientist, Daniele Fanelli, 18 Jul 2007

SAY 'NO' TO PLASTICS!! ...more suggestions:

Don't buy plastic bath sponges but use natural sea sponges or loofah instead. They are natural and won't harm the environment. For washing dishes, scrubbing the tub or general housekeeping, don't use a plastic brush. Instead use a loofah and for more abrasive power, use in combination with baking soda. When buying cotton swabs, be sure to buy ones that are made from paper and not plastic! Remeber, there's always an alternative to plastics!

Avoid using plastics...

Did you know that only 30% of plastics are actually recyled...the rest end up in landfills and our oceans. In the oceans, they are consumed by wildlife, ingested by fish or strangle and entangle mammals causing them to drown. Use glass, aluminum, steel etc. whenever possible. For more information: http://www.greatgarbagepatch.org/

Give up the bottle...

Do you use conditioner to replace the moisture and natural oils that your shampoo stripped away? Ever thought who came up with that idea? The shampoo companies, maybe? Instead, use natural soaps made from vegetable and essential oils. They clean your hair, leave it moisturized and soft and you've no need for conditioner. The result, you've just saved two bottles from ending up as landfill or in our oceans.

Don't be decieved by shades of green...

While shopping for a 'green' laundry detergent, i noticed that some products have switched to green bottles and read "Contains all natural ingredients." Looking more closely, I realized that they were the same petroleum-based surfactants (detergents that are not environmentally friendly) and the all natural ingredients that they contained were essential oils for fragrance. Shoppers beware-the product must read "earth based surfactants," "coconut-based detergent," "vegetable based detergent," etc.

Think Globally, Buy Locally!

Whenever you buy from local farmers, you save a lot of energy used to produce packaging, refrigeration and shipping. So get out there and shop that farmer's market!