REMEMBERING YOUR THREE R's

Over the years, people have gotten into a lot of bad habits.  We use things once and then throw them away.  And why not?  There are so many things that are SUPPOSED to be used just once and thrown away.  Every day and in little ways, I try to think of new ways to reduce, reuse and recycle all sorts of objects.

* Every morning, my dad makes a cup of coffee for the ride to work and puts it in a disposable cup.  One cup a day times hundreds of days equals lots of cups.  What a waste!  For just a few dollars out of my piggy bank, I bought dad a brand new stainless steel coffee container.  He never spills coffee in the car anymore and I helped him to greatly reduce his cup waste!

* I cleaned my room this week and found a whole bunch of books that I didn't want anymore.  My friend Nick said, Throw them away!"  But what a waste!  I went to my local library and asked if they were accepting book donations.  They were!  I may be too old for some of those children's books, but plenty of kids at the library would just love to reuse them!

* My mom came home with some clothes from the dry cleaners.  Each shirt and dress was wrapped in a long piece of plastic to protect the clothing.  Off came the plastic bags and into the garbage they went.  But what a waste!  I pulled the bags out of the trash--I knew they could be used again.  My friend Ashley was having her room painted painted this week.  Instead of buying plastic at the store, Ashley used the dry cleaner bags to cover her rug, lamp and carousel horse collection while her parents painted the walls!  What great a great way to recycle one thing into something else!

What are some ways YOU have learned to reduce, reuse and recycle?

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Have you ever heard of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch?  No?  It's in the middle of the ocean, so most of us will never see it, but it's one of the largest man-made environmental disasters in the world.  It is the world's largest landfill and it's getting larger every year!

The ocean is constantly moving.  Ocean currents move the water in different directions depending on wind, temperature and other factors.  The North Pacific Gyre is a  place in the Pacific Ocean between California and Japan where many currents come together to form a giant, clockwise moving area of water.

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch, also known as the Pacific Trash Vortex, is located here in the North Pacific Gyre.  It is literally a giant, floating patch of garbage twice the size of Texas and made up of millions of pounds of plastic, chemical sludge and other debris.  Greenpeace has said that 10% of all plastic manufactured each year ends up in the ocean!

The Great Pacific Garbage Patch presents hazards to marine life.  Plastic can end up in the stomachs of marine birds, sea turtles and fish.  These toxic plastic pieces can also be eaten by jellyfish, which are then eaten by larger fish.  When the larger fish are eaten by humans, these toxins can enter our bodies!  All life on Earth is connected.  Our abuse of the environment comes back to us full circle.

Be aware of your waste!  Throw garbage in the trash, not on the ground!  Recycle plastic disposable products when you can or avoid buying them altogether!  The next time you see a piece of garbage about to blow into a sewer, a river or a stream, pick it up and throw it away.  How big will the Garbage Patch get before we start to act?

EARTH DAY - APRIL 22, 2010

The first Earth Day was celebrated in 1970 and was founded by United States senator Gaylord Nelson from Wisconsin.  This day marked the beginning of the modern environmental movement and helped promote awareness about pollution of all kinds across the country.

2010 marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.  How will you celebrate?  Here are some suggestions for things you can do on Earth Day and every day to show your commitment to a clean environment:

* Wear green!  *  Plant flowers and trees.  *  Organize a neighborhood clean up.  *  Read a "green" book.  *  Teach others what you know.  *  Make nature crafts.  *  Recycle!  *  Ride your bike!

MATTRESS FOLLOW-UP

In my quest to prevent a mattress from going to the landfill, I called several more numbers today to find a different solution.  The first number I called was a company known as "Eco-Haul" and wanted to charge me $80 to pick up the mattress and then recycle it.  I told them I was just a kid and didn't have $80.  Another company, which I will not name, wanted to charge $120 and would have just thrown the mattress into the garbage dump anyway.  (This was very confusing.)  Neither of these places had any idea what else could be done with an old mattress.

It seems as though just throwing our old stuff away is the cheapest and easiest solution.

My mother noticed my frustration and called a few friends to see if anybody wanted a free twin-size mattress in good condition.  In no time at all, she found someone to adopt it.  Somebody gets to sleep on a nice mattress and one less object is going to the landfill.  This makes me very happy--but I want to continue investigating why recycling is such hard work.

RECYCLE - EVEN WHEN IT'S NOT CONVENIENT

This week my mother wanted to get rid of a mattress.  So she put it on the curb to be picked up with the rest of the trash.  When I got home, I asked her if she would let me try to find some other place for it to go besides the landfill.  She put up a fight because she didn't want to haul the mattress back inside, but I was able to convince her.

My first idea was to donate the mattress to a charity.  It's in good condition and nobody has even slept on it for the past few years.  To my surprise, the Salvation Army branch in my town told me that they didn't accept mattresses.  I guess they're worried that the mattress might be dirty.  Next I called several bedding companies to ask if they knew of any mattress recycling locations nearby.  All three places I called treated me as if I was crazy.  I was confused.  Why would a business that sells mattresses not have any suggestions for what to do with an old one?

I found a few other numbers in the phone book and I will try them on Monday.  I hate to think that sending a big mattress to a landfill is the only option, but so far I have had no luck.  It turns out that going green isn't always convenient and getting the right answer may not happen on the first try.  Environmentalism takes work.

RECYCLE BY NUMBER - PLASTIC RECYCLING SYMBOLS

The next time you use a plastic disposable item, take a look at the symbol on the bottom to see what kind of plastic it is.  On most plastics, you'll see the recycling symbol (three arrows chasing each other in a triangle) and a number 1-7 in the middle.  Below you'll find information about each type:

Plastic #1:  RECYCLED?  Often. IS IT SAFE?  Yes.  However, it is known to have a porous surface that allows bacteria to accumulate, so don't reuse these bottles again and again.

Plastic #2:  RECYCLED?  Often.  IS IT SAFE?   Yes!  Very safe and has low risk of leaching.

Plastic #3:  RECYCLED?  Rarely!  IS IT SAFE?  No!  There are chemicals in this material, called phthalates, that interfere with hormonal development.  You should avoid the use of #3 plastic around food and never cook using food wrap, especially in a microwave oven.

Plastic #4:  RECYCLED?  Rarely!  IS IT SAFE?  Yes.

Plastic #5:  RECYCLED?  Sometimes, depending on your location.  IS IT SAFE?  Yes.

Plastic #6:  RECYCLED?  No!  Polystyrene, or Stryofoam, is difficult to recycle and most recycling programs won't accept it.  IS IT SAFE?  No!  Lots of evidence suggests that this type of plastic leaches potentially toxic chemicals, especially when heated.  Avoid Plastic #6!

Plastic #7:  RECYCLED?  Rarely.  It is difficult to recycle this weird mix-up plastic and most programs won't accept it.  IS IT SAFE?  Uncertain.  Use of #7 plastic is at your own risk, since you don’t know what could be in it.  You should dispose of any food or drink related product, especially for children, that is known to contain BPA.

A NUCLEAR ENERGY UPDATE

United States Secretary of Energy Steven Chu and President Obama announced this week funding for the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Georgia.  This facility will be the first nuclear power plant in the United States to be built in thirty years!

Environmental activists do not often support nuclear energy, but this plan may be a step in the right direction—a direction away from fossil fuels.  Remember that nuclear energy results in no carbon emissions!  This new power plant will cut carbon pollution by 16 million tons each year when compared to a coal-fired power plant.

However, the one major problem still to be solved with this type of power is how to get rid of nuclear waste.   President Obama says we must “accelerate our efforts to find ways of storing this waste safely and disposing of it.”  Secretary Chu has said that he is “convinced that the nuclear waste issue is solvable” and has talked about ways that nuclear waste can someday be recycled.

More information on Nobel-prize winning Energy Secretary Steven Chu to follow!

A WORD ABOUT THE PLASTIC BAG

Did you know that each American uses between 300 and 700 plastic bags per year?  Most of these bags are used only one time (some of them for mere seconds!) before being thrown away.

Did you know that only 1% of plastic bags in the U.S. are ever recycled?

Did you know that it takes 10-20 years for a single plastic bag to decompose?  Of course, this is only if it gets caught in a tree branch or sits on your lawn all that time.  Plastic bags buried in landfill can take up to 1,000 years to decompose!

Did you know that when garbage items (including paper products) are buried, their decomposition slows almost to a halt because they are not exposed to air or sunlgiht?  In digs through old garbage dumps, newspapers from the 1930s have been found that are still completely legible!



If you really want to jump aboard the “green” bandwagon – you should start using canvas bags when you go shopping!  Keep some in your car, your garage, your trunk, your desk, or inside your carry-all bag so you never forget to bring them with you!  

Make a pledge that you will make this green change today!  Don’t be embarrassed to carry reusable bags!

And the next time a cashier asks if you’d like a bag to carry that single item to your car, don’t feel weird to say, “No, thanks!” We should all start feeling weird when we waste!