How to have a Green...er Holiday Party

Well folks, another year… another holiday season!  As we plan our parties with friends and gatherings with family, we begin to realize… “My goodness this is a lot of work!”  On top of the usual holiday stressors of determining the number of guests entering your humble abode or deciding on that perfect menu to “WOW!” your guests, figuring out how to “green” your holiday party is typically not on the top of your list.  That’s where Be EGOlogical comes in.

There are a variety of ways your holiday party can reduce its environmental impact that can cause you to go extremely out of your way, potentially remove your guests from their comfort zone, and become costly.  Hosting a holiday party is difficult to run and maintain with little, or zero impact.  Therefore, it is all about the small steps you can take that add up to a fabulous, yet green…er holiday party. 

Try the following Be EGOlogical tips to having a “green…er” holiday party:

Food
Keep track of who has RSVP’d to your party so you can prepare just the right amount of food.  Having too little could be disastrous and having too much would be a waste of Earth’s natural fuel.

Heating
As your guests arrive, turn down the thermostat and let your guests’ body heat naturally warm the room.  This will reduce your electric and/or gas bill.

Drinks
There are two necessities for your holiday party that you cannot forget: 1) A permanent marker, and 2) Wine charms.  Wherever drinks are being served, ask guests to write their names on their disposable cup with the permanent marker and use wine charms on wine/champagne glasses.  This will eliminate the use of extra cups or washing extra glasses because a guest forgets where they set their drink and need a new one. 

Decorations
Reuse holiday decorations from previous years.  It is an extra cost of time and money to buy new decorations for this year’s holiday party.  That way you won’t have to worry about buying new items that will most likely sit in house for years and eventually end up in a landfill.  Since many new holiday decorations are made of plastic and metal, it would take thousands of years for an inflatable snowman to decompose.

Poinsettia Decorations

Avoid buying poinsettia plants.  The American culture associates poinsettia plants with the holiday season and are often used as decorations or given as gifts.  Each holiday season millions of poinsettia plants are purchased and are thrown away.  This uses up a large amount of resources to grow, package, and transport the plants to the consumer, who will throw it out when the holidays are over.  You will save money and resources by not buying them as decorations and/or gifts this holiday season. 

Hope your holiday party will now be green…er than it would have originally been.  Just keep in mind that every little effort counts and adds up to one big change!  Wishing you a happy holiday season and a Green…er New Year!   

Spring Cleaning

As the school year is coming to an end, college students often find themselves with a lot of items they need to get rid of.  Whether they are moving away permanently, for the summer, or simply want to do some spring cleaning, getting rid of items can be a hassle.  From couches to mini fridges to extra pens and binders, these are all items that can be reused and do not need to be thrown away and sit in landfills.  One option is to sell things on ebay or craigslist, however those can be a hassle and time consuming.  Another option is to use a network called Freecycle. 

The Freecycle Network is a grassroots nonprofit movement to encourage people to give things away and prevent them from ending up in landfills.  Membership is free and all you do is go to freecycle.org, sign up, find your community, and join your local efforts.  When you have something or a bundle of items to get rid of, list your items and if members in your community want them, they will contact you for pick up.  This is an easy and convenient method of cleaning out your dorm, house, or apartment.  The Freecycle Network can also work the other way when you may need an item that someone in your community is getting rid of.

By using the Freecycle Network, you will reduce the amount of resources extracted to produce new things as well as reduce the amount of pollution created during the production and transportation of those items.  Other people can benefit from what is in essence, your garbage.  You will also save money, since all items are free.  And who doesn’t love free stuff?  Visit freecycle.org to find out more information and sign up!

A New Way to Park

In today’s modern society, car usage is vital for many people to go about their daily lives.  Unless you walk, ride a bike, or have access to public transportation, you are most likely to drive a car to get around.  With rising gas prices, people are looking for ways to reduce their gas consumption.  

One way you could do this is to pull all the way forward into a parking space.  This EGOlogical tip is very simple and will help reduce the amount of carbon emitted from your car as well as save you money.  If there is no parking block in the way, go ahead and pull into the spot in front of it.  That way when you are ready to leave, you will just have to pull forward and be on your way instead of having to go in reverse, back up, maybe idle a little because you have to wait for a pedestrian to pass by, and then put your car in drive and drive away. 

All those steps may seem small, but they add up to wasting gas and emitting more carbon into the atmosphere than you would be if you took the step to simply pull into the space in front it of.  Now I know not ALL parking lots have spaces that would allow you to practice this tip, but if you ever are in a parking lot that does, keep this EGOlogical tip in mind.  

Earth Hour 2012

Have you ever wondered how much energy the world would save if everyone shut off their lights for just one hour?  Well, as a matter of fact, this phenomenon is attempted throughout the world one day a year, for just one hour.  Earth Hour is an international event where millions of people around the world show their support for climate change action by turning off their lights for one hour.  Started in 2007 by WWF Australia, people from over 135 countries pledge to participate in Earth Hour in a community or individual setting.  From 8:30 to 9:30 pm, it is a message made and a sight to be seen that each of our actions add up to one big change. 

Set your alarms for 8:30 pm tonight (Saturday, March 31st) and turn off your lights for one hour! Here in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Strip and “Welcome to Las Vegas” sign will be shutting off its casino lights during Earth Hour.  Your local city and businesses may be participating as well.

For more information about Earth Hour, visit: www.earthour.org

World Water Day 2012

Happy World Water Day 2012!  United Nations put aside this international day to celebrate freshwater and to focus our attention on the importance of freshwater and advocate for sustainable management of freshwater resources. Each year, the UN chooses a focus for World Water Day and 2012’s focus is about water and food security.  The importance of your water footprint due to water, food, and clothing production are highlighted by providing the problems and mitigation strategies.  Everyday, water is used and polluted to produce the items we consume at an alarming rate.  Visit www.unwater.org/worldwaterday to find out more information about World Water Day.   On their website are activities and tools that will also help explain the importance of water conservation. 

One Be EGOlogical tip previously highlighted about your water footprint is to stop drinking bottled water and drink tap water.  Bottled water is literally bottled tap water and companies around the world are drying up natural sources and selling you “clean, pure, tasty, and healthy” water.  Bottled water also has many negative impacts due to the production, transportation, and disposal of plastic bottles.  The video, The Story of Bottled Water, explains the reasons why bottled water is not good for our health or the environment:

If you want to watch a more detailed documentary about the negative impacts of the bottled water industry, I suggest you watch the documentary, Tapped.  (Don't forget the Be EGOlogical tip, Don't Buy, but RENT DVD's).  You can watch it on Hulu for free or if you have Netflix it is also on there.  Below is the trailer for Tapped:

Another Be EGOlogical tip to reduce your water footprint is to participate in Meat Free Monday.  Going vegetarian would be ideal, however for those of us who are not quite ready for this step, giving up meat once a week is definitely a feasible goal.  It takes HUGE amounts of water to produce the grain/plants that are used to feed animals, so why not skip the cow and just eat the plants?

Next time you are shopping, try to be aware that whenever you buy an item you are voting.  Be conscience of your purchases, because you may be supporting things that are not good for the environment.  Spread awareness and take action by doing the little things that all add up to one big change. 

Dr. Seuss' The Lorax in Theaters Today!

     www.theloraxmovie.com

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!  In celebration of Dr. Seuss’ birthday and to kick off Read Across America Day, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax has hit movie theaters across the country!  The Lorax is a children’s book written by Dr. Seuss in 1971.  It portrays the story of the negative effects of environmental degradation in the land of the trufulla trees.  A mythical creature named, the Lorax, speaks for the trees against the Once-ler’s selfish actions on the environment.  The story sends a powerful message to its readers acknowledging the idea that it is ultimately up to us to save the Earth by fixing environmental damage and preventing further harm.  The animated movie version hits theaters TODAY!

Here is The Lorax movie trailer:

Just a little forewarning, there may be some news in the media questioning Universal Studio’s decision to partner with various companies that aren't necessarily the most committed to the environment.  For example, the movie has partnered with Mazda to promote a new gasoline powered crossover SUV by bringing a guy in a Lorax suit to schools and donating $1,000 to 21 different schools in 20 cities and an additional $25 for every kid that convince their parent to take a Mazda test drive.  Now, doesn’t this just makes you stop and question Universal’s motives?  First off, bringing marketing to schools can be controversial and also partnering with Mazda still promotes unnecessary consumption.  However, if you look at this from another angle, environmental education is the key to saving the environment.  From this program, thousands of kids that did not have any previous environmental education will now leave school with a message to change their own habits and maybe even pass them to their family and friends. 

I commend Dr. Seuss’ efforts to spread environmental awareness and to Universal Studies for continuing to spread Dr. Seuss’ message.  If you visit the movie website: www.theloraxmovie.com/, you can find out more information such as “Go Green” tips or environmental education games. You can also check out The Lorax Project to learn more about forests in danger just like the Trufulla Tree forest and more tips on what you can do the help the environment. It is up to us to make the decision to think twice about our actions and realize that every small act towards the environment adds up.  Like the Once-ler says in The Lorax, “Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.  It’s not.”  

Meat Free Monday

Vegetarians… typically you hear how these people do something society thinks is crazy by choosing to give up meat because they want to help the animals, or that it’s better for your health, or to help the environment, or maybe for whatever social and economic goal they are trying to achieve.  As an environmentalist, I often get asked if I eat meat and I’m going to be honest, I do.  Just a little background of the environmental impact meat has on our Earth from PETA:

• It takes sixteen pounds of grain to produce one pound of meat.  70% of the grain we grow for things like cereals ends up being use to feed farmed animals.
• Requires eleven times for fossil fuels from the production to the consumption of one calorie of animal protein that one calorie of plant protein.
• One pound of meat requires 2,400 gallons of water while one pound of grain only requires 25 gallons.
• The fecal byproducts of the animals contaminate groundwater supply and the methane gas also contributes heavily to greenhouse gas emissions.
• Thousands of aces in the rainforests are not being chopped down for their trees to make paper, but to clear land to create animal factory farms. 
• Including the land used to grow the feed crops and land used for grazing, more than 30% of the Earth’s land mass is used to produce meat.
•  “According to the Environmental Defense, if every American skipped one meal of chicken per week and substituted vegetarian foods instead, carbon dioxide savings would be the same as taking more than half a million cars off U.S. roads” - PETA

Wow huh! I typically get an array of responses and I honestly feel like a hypocrite.  I have contemplated giving up meat before, but at the end of the day I come to realization that I would be giving up so many things that I love to eat and meat makes me happy.  This was my pattern of thought for a while, until my friend suggested we try Meat Free Mondays. 

Meat Free Mondays is a campaign started by Paul McCartney with his daughters Stella and Mary.  The purpose of Meat Free Mondays is not asking you not to give up meat completely, but to do your part in reducing your environmental impact associated with the meat industry.   Not only will this help the Earth, it will help your health by eating more vegetables instead of meat, and it will also save you some money too. 

Being EGOlogical isn’t about altering your life completely for environmental change, it’s about the little steps you can do that add up.  By participating in Meat Free Mondays and giving up meat simply once a week, you will be greatly reducing your environmental footprint.  A few of my friends and I have done Meat Free Mondays for the past two weeks and I must say, it is an extremely rewarding experience.  I previously felt that by giving up meat, I would be sacrificing some of my happiness not eating the things I love.  However, each Monday I now experience a different kind of happiness from knowing that I did something great for the environment and my health.  And that happiness is a whole lot stronger and much more rewarding than any happiness, or maybe I should say, satisfaction, I have or would feel from eating meat. 

This experience has been extremely rewarding so far.  I find that I am trying a lot more foods that I would have usually ignored too.  Maybe one day you will decide to be a full-time vegetarian/vegan.  But for now, giving up meat once a week is a great step.  If you would like more information about Meat Free Monday, visit www.meatfreemondays.com and find out how this small step can have a huge impact.  Good luck!

What Are Your New Year's Resolutions?

Happy New Year everyone!  2011 marked a great year for Be EGOlogical as it started to change people’s environmental awareness and impact readers from 41 different countries around the world to date!  I am extremely thankful for the support from my readers and I am excited to share more EGOlogical tips for 2012. 

A new year often calls for new beginnings or more often resolutions/goals we hope to attain throughout the year.  Popular New Year's resolutions may include to eat healthier or to spend less money, however it is common for people to lose track of the goal and go back to previous habits.  There is another New Year's resolution that most people forget about and if implemented into the things they do everyday, they will succeed.  Therefore, your 2012 New Year's resolution can be to reduce your environmental impact.  Whether that is to recycle more (or start recycling), print on both sides of the paper, or use a reusable water bottle, there are many ways to help the environment.  For some, this may not be easy because typical New Year's resolutions are for personal gain and improvement and let’s face it, helping the environment has “nothing in it for them.”  However, they are wrong!  By helping the environment, there are many opportunities for a person to learn new ways to appreciate, preserve, and conserve Earth’s natural resources for current and future use as well as save money at the same time. 

Be EGOlogical provides many tips for help people accomplish their New Year's resolution and there are many more to come.  All it takes is that first step for habits to develop and change to begin.  Just remember that every act adds up and you are making a difference.  I wish you all the best of luck and may you have a happy, healthy, and EGOlogical New Year!  

Newspaper Gift Wrapping

Happy Holidays!  Gift giving is not the most eco friendly activity since it requires buying new things that we don’t necessarily need.  However, around this time of the year it is difficult to avoid due to societal pressures and traditions.  Therefore there are some things we can do to reduce your holiday environmental impact such as buying “eco-friendly” products, making labels out of old cut-up holiday cards, or wrapping gifts with newspaper.  Watch the video, “8 Eco-Friendly Ways to Wrap Gifts With Newspaper” shown below to learn how you can give an extra flair to something as simple as newspaper.  One extra EGOlogical tip to keep in mind, use a small piece of tape to hold the paper together.  I guarantee that two inches of tape can be reduced to a centimeter and still hold the paper together and your wrapping will still look beautiful.  Good luck and Happy Holidays.  

Say NO to Consumerism and Support Buy Nothing Day

     http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/

     http://www.buynothingday.co.uk/

Happy Thanksgiving 2011!  Thanksgiving is a time to spend with your family and friends to eat a wonderful meal and give thanks to the Native Americans for helping the early settlers survive in the North American harsh lands.  However, Thanksgiving holiday has turned into not only a time to give thanks, but a time to spend a lot of money on stuff.  Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving and is known for being the number one day of the year that has the best deals.  People wait in line for hours or even days to snag these deals, but what for?  Do we really need to buy a bunch of stuff we don’t really need?

Well, I hope after eating all that turkey you are ready to fall asleep because that is exactly what you should do!  Instead of going shopping on Black Friday, say no to consumerism and support Buy Nothing Day.  Buy Nothing Day is a day to “unshop, unspend, and unwind.”   Just relax and do nothing for yourself or the economy for the day.  All the ads may say that these are the “lowest prices of the year and you cannot miss out on these steals!” but why give in?  By supporting Buy Nothing Day, you will be saving many resources that must be extracted to produce stuff and you will also be saving a lot of money since you won’t be tempted into buying these “amazing deals.”  Buy Nothing Day is not about changing your lifestyle for just one day, it’s about making a commitment for one day to hopefully open your eyes to make smarter choices for your future consumption choices.  I know this may be hard, so if you can’t ultimately support Buy Nothing Day, then try cutting back on buying only the things you need.  This will still save excess resources and some money in your wallet.  Visit the Buy Nothing Day website to find out more information. 

Say NO to Sunflower Seeds

When you’re out, a common snack or a way to stay busy is to eat sunflower seeds.  Now with sunflower seeds, the only part you eat is the inside and then you’re left with a broken shell covered in your nasty saliva.  The shells become very messy and a common way to containing them is by spitting them into an empty water bottle.  Whether you’re a baseball player eating seeds in the dugout or eating seeds in a car while on a road trip, avoid spitting the seeds into a bottle.  Or you can simply say NO to sunflower seeds. 

Sunflower seeds have little nutritional value, so getting rid of them in your diet will not severely affect you.  It may even help you because there is a large amount of salt on the shells of the seeds that provide an excess amount of sodium in your diet.  Also, you will be saving money by not buying them.  By saying NO to sunflower seeds will reduce the amount of pollution created during the production of sunflower seeds and it will also reduce the amount of waste generated by the shells.  When the shells are thrown in empty plastic bottles, they will not be able to decompose for hundreds of thousands of years until the plastic bottle decomposes.  This creates a build up in landfills that create a large amount of methane gas.  Sunflower seeds are also a hassle to clean up in public areas where they are thrown on the ground and can eventually cost taxpayers a lot to clean up the litter.  


I understand that eliminating the consumption of sunflower seeds may be difficult, therefore you can reduce the amount you eat maybe find a reusable brown paper bag to spit them in.  That way the shells can biodegrade at a faster rate than if they were spit into a plastic bottle.  If you choose to eliminate eating sunflower seeds and you are craving a snack, try eating a healthier alternative that does not create any waste.  Ex: Apples (and be sure you eat the ENTIRE apple)

Happy (EGOlogical) Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!  Today is the day we get to dress up in crazy cool costumes we will only wear once and knock on people’s doors to collect candy that creates a lot of garbage waste after its eaten!  Sounds harmful to the environment, but since Halloween is more like a societal tradition it is difficult to expect people to change.  Therefore I am going to point out a few things you can do to have a more EGOlogical Halloween.  From the costume to the candy, the idea is not to enjoy Halloween at all, but more how to reduce your environmental impact your Halloween celebration.

Costume: Try searching thrift stores to put together a costume using used clothing or props.  This will reduce the amount of resources extracted and pollution created during the production and consumption of the product.  Also, use recycled products such as cardboard or plastic bottles to create a neat homemade costume.  You can also spread awareness with your costume by being something with an environmental theme like a Recycle Cop or a Mermaid hit by pollution.  Visit Do Something to view a list of environmental Halloween Costumes.  Be creative! 

Candy: The amount of candy received can add up and create a lot of garbage waste.  Most candy wrappers cannot be thrown into your recycle bin, so they get thrown into the garbage.  However, there is a company that does recycle candy wrappers called Terracycle.  Terracycle works by mailing in your recyclables in a box and shipping it to them where you will receive a certain amount of credits towards purchasing Terracycle products or you can donate those credits in dollar amounts to your school or charity of choice.  Terracycle pays for your shipping too so all you have to do is just collect the waste and you and the environment receives the benefits.  Visit www.terracycle.net to learn more and find out how you can start recycling your candy wrappers!