Make a Change: Start a Petition

I found this website when I was signing a petition for something.

www.change.org/

It's awesome! You can create your own petitions for change....anything you believe in and want to get signatures for. Small. Big. Whatever! So I pinned it. But I wanted to share it on my blog too, so any of you can see where to go. It's a convenient way to digitally get your petition out there and share it through social networks and such...much faster than paper and pens walking the neighborhood.

So...find something you want to change and use this tool to make it happen (no...I am not advertising or getting anything for this. Just thought it was cool and wanted to make it accessible). :)

Low-Carbon Diet --Reducing Your Environmental Footprint

I read about this progam they've started in Park City, Utah called the "Low-Carbon Diet." Basically it's a way to make small steps using a list of goals to reduce your environmental footprint. They have action items for various areas: transportation, dietary choices, recycling and home energy.n See their website for more details: www.parkcitygreen.org

Here are a Few ideas of what you can do:

Household Energy Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2 Reduced per Year
Tankless / Demand Water Heater	1,050
Use a House Fan Instead of A/C 33% of the time	674
Rainfall Sensor for Sprinkler System	489
Window Curtains Prevent Heat Gain / Loss	393
Always Use Cold Water & Moisture Setting for Clothes Washer	1,269
Refrigerator Maintenance	651
Air Drying Dishes in Dishwasher	542
Toilet (water displacement)	474
Utilize 'Sleep Mode’ on Computer, Printer & Monitor	355
Closing Off and Not Cooling One Room in the Summer	284
Eliminate 'phantom' electricity waste from the VCR & Stereo	190
Note: The above estimates assume that electricity produces 1.34 lbs CO2 / kWh. This is in line with the national average and also the estimate used by the Low Carbon Diet workbook. Due to high amounts of coal usage, Utah’s electricity is about 58% more carbon intensive than the national average so efforts to conserve electricity prevents even more CO2 emissions than indicated.

Transportation Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2 Reduced per Year
Eliminate One of Your Household's Vehiclesa	9,312
One Less Round Trip Flight per Yearb	2,166
Two Less Round Trip Flights per Yearb	4,332
No Personal Vehicle Use for One Day per Weekc	1,330 per Vehicle
No Personal Vehicle Use for Three Days per Weekc	3,991 per Vehicle
aAssumes 25 MPG and 12,000 miles travelled per year for vehicle. Estimate assumes no additional travel in other household vehicles. The CO2 reduced estimate does not consider alternatives pursued in place of personal automobile travel (e.g., walking, biking, carpool, bus, rail, etc.).
bAssumes 1,658 miles per round trip flight (roughly the distance between SLC International Airport and Seattle). Assumes 1.3068 lbs CO2 per passenger mile per the Colorado Carbon Fund.
cAssumes 25 MPG and 12,000 miles travelled per year. The CO2 reduced estimate does not consider alternatives pursued in place of personal automobile travel (e.g., walking, biking, carpool, bus, rail, etc.).

Dietary Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2Reduced (Everyday Adherence)	Lbs of CO2 Reduced (Three Days per Week)	Lbs of CO2 Reduced (One Day per Week)
Purchase All Food Locally	304	130	43
Replace Red Meat and Dairy with Chicken/Eggs/Fish	1,628	698	233
Replace Red Meat and Dairy with Vegetables and Vegetable-based Products	2,702	1,158	386
Note: the above CO2 reduction estimates are based on one individual making these dietary changes. Multiply these figures by the number of individuals participating in your household to get a total estimate of emissions reduction potential.

Recycling Options
Carbon Reduction Options	Lbs of CO2e Reduced		Energy Saved
Material Recycled	Per lb of Material	Per Itema	Million BTU Saved per Ton Recycled Instead of Landfilled
Glass	0.35	0.19	2.13
Aluminum	15	0.56	206.42
Steel	2.02	0.28	19.97
Plastic	1.74	0.16	53.23
Residential Mixed Paper	4.18	0.04	22.94

April is Earth Month!

So, I'm giving you all advanced notice of Earth Day this month, April 22nd. However, the whole month is Earth Month. Ever since 2005 I've been wanting to do something special for Earth Day--just for the fun of it.

So this year I'm going to start my annual Earth Day Celebration. Each year I'll throw a bash to celebrate Earth Day. It may sound silly to you, but when else do we have a chance to stop and think about the Earth and choices we're making in daily life, and what their effects are?

There will be games and prizes and information about how we live better, more sustainably, etc. And yes, healthy food to snack on...and maybe even some demonstrations. I hope to eventually add some fundraisers or awareness things/pledges that we can do collectively to help in regards to Earth Day topics, but I'm still working out the details....so stay tuned.


Here are some quick facts:
www.planetpals.com (this is a cute site for kids...check out the planet pal characters link on the left)

• Each person throws away approximately four pounds of garbage every day.
• 84 percent of all household waste can be recycled.
• 14 billion pounds of trash is dumped into the ocean every year
• Here is an example of how long it takes some things take to break down:
  plastics take 500 years, 
  aluminum cans take 500 years, 
  organic materials, take 6 months, 
  cotton, rags, paper take 6 months.
• In 1995 over 200 of the world landfills were full.
• Most families throw away about 88 pounds of plastic every year 
• The energy we save when we recycle one glass bottle is enough to light a traditional light bulb for four hours
• Recycled paper requires 64% less energy than making paper from virgin wood pulp, and can save many trees. Every ton of paper that is recycled saves 17 trees 
• It takes 90% less energy to recycle aluminum cans than to make new ones
• We each use about 12,000 gallons of water every year
• Here is an example of the water we use everyday:
  3-7 gallons for toilet, 
  25-30 gallons for tub, 
  50-70 gallons for a 10 minute shower, 
  1 washing machine load uses 25-40 gallons,  (non-energy efficient)
  1 dishwasher load uses 9-12 gallons
• The 500 million automobiles on earth burn an average of 2 gallons of fuel a day--Each gallon of fuel releases 20 pounds of carbon dioxide into the air.
• Approximately 5 million tons of oil produced in the world each year ends up in the ocean.
• Computers pose an environmental threat because much of the material that makes them up is hazardous. A typical monitor contains 4-5 pounds of lead.
  
• Each year billions of used batteries are thrown away in the United States. This constitutes 88% of the mercury and 54% of the cadmium deposited into our landfills
• One gallon of motor oil can contaminate up to 2 million gallons of water. so dispose of properly!

YOU can do something simple. Here are some ideas...
1. Pledge to do at least one small thing this year:
- use reusable grocery bags
- use non-toxic cleaning products
- use a reusable waterbottle (PBA free)
- change all your old light bulbs for energy efficient ones
- reduce the amount of water, gas, energy you use (buy energy efficient appliances)
- cut down your amount of trash by recycling more (elementary schools typically have newspaper bins)
- buy bulk more or from bins, so there's less package waste (or reusing containers)
- start composting in your backyard
- cloth diaper
- buy local, organic produce and other items
- start a vegetable and/or herb garden
- bike more often and reduce your fuel emissions 


2. Contact your local Elementary School and local grocer
Coordinate getting brown bags for students to decorate for earth day and then return to the local grocer to use for bagging so customers can see and get the fun Earth Day drawn bags.

3. Pick up Trash Day
Pick up trash with your family or friends around your community

4. Go for a hike
Be outdoors and talk about how beautiful nature is. Try a new area you haven't been to before or go to a museum or library to find out more about your area's native plants and animals.

5. Family nature art event
Invite each family member to draw, color, build something with stuff laying around the house (reusing) etc. something resourceful or something about nature or their home and surrounding community. (Good Family Home Evening activity)

6. For a fun activity, go to www.greenyourhome.recyclebank.com and get clues on how to green your home room by room! It's awesome!

What and Where is a Co-op?

Co-ops are Co-operatives, where people pool together their resources to provide for a need.
There are lots of types of co-op and they are normally not-for-profits that just want to bring a service or goods to people, or bring people together.

I've done a search of Utah Co-ops to see what's available around here. I've only tried a few:
1. www.BountifulBaskets.org (available in cities all over parts of the West, check the location: AZ, ID, UT, WY, etc.)
Various assorted semi-local Produce Baskets you order the week before(and a few other food items, including organic option) and then pick up at a designated location.

2. www.utahcoop.org (4892 S. Commerce Dr (300 W) and only open Th, F, Sat for limited hours)
Discounted food/essentials store- They get good deals from grocers for cheaper food and they don't re-sell for a high profit like most grocers. Their cheese is normally only $1-3! Which is awesome. and they have various options depending on the week. But, it is hit and miss, so don't go expecting amazing things all the time.(It's like shopping at the thrift store D.I., sometimes you find hidden treasures, but it's not always the same stuff). They do sell bulk diapers for cheap, if you're doing disposables.

3.http://extension.usu.edu/
This is an educational-type of co-op. You can sign up for free newsletters which connect you with helpful info on educational classes they offer on gardening, food storage, finances, etc. They generally do a class here and there about 4 times a month at one or two downtown SLC locations. But their website has some helpful info right on it. I found a pdf document of an S.O.S.(Sauce or Soup) recipe and a list of meals you can use this with (it's a pre-prepared flavoring packet you create)--great for food storage I think..I haven't tried it yet. (http://extension.usu.edu/files/publications/publication/FNP_101.pdf)

Feel free too try them and post comments on what you've tried.

Here's a list of others I haven't tried:
1. https://www.foodco-op.net
The Community Food Co-op of Utah: Crossroads Urban CenterA self-sustaining food purchasing network along the Wasatch Front that brings people together for food, savings, and community.

2. www.crossroads-u-c.org
Goal is to provide the best quality locally-grown and supported food for the best price (generally 30-50% grocery price. You order a basket of food for about $20 and then pick it up at a designated location. They have meat baskets and such too. The only other requirement is that you do 2 hours of service a month (for anyone, anywhere, but for the co-op if at all possible). They aren't fully organic.