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San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom is proposing a law that would make recycling mandatory in the city. The law would require:
- All landlords to provide adequate recycling and composting for their tenants;
- Businesses that sell items (e.g., takeout food) to allow the public to deposit small amounts of recyclables, compostables and trash in their receptacles;
- Event organizers to site and manage sufficient groups of recycling, composting and trash receptacles;
You know that times are changing when farmers look to manure as a valuable commodity. Pretty soon, manure from a herd may be more profitable than the beef itself. Manufactured fertilizers has tripled in price in the last year, driving farmers to look for alternatives. This is certainly an indicator of a shifting economy.
1. Energy Prices
Fertilizers are a very energy intensive product. Nitrogen fertilizers are commonly made from petroleum or natural gas. The potash and phosphates in the fertilizers are derived from mining, which also requires a lot of energy. Finally, the finished product needs to be transported and we know all about high gas prices.
2. Fertilizer Demand in China and India
China and India have increasingly been depending on fertilizer, causing a spike in demand. The price of fertilizer has climbed to $750 a ton.
Editor’s note: While many will argue that there’s no such thing as an “eco-friendly lawn” (with justification), the grass covered yard is still a staple of most homes. Today, our friends at Low Impact Living have some tips for “greening” your lawn… while keeping it green. This post was originally published on May 7, 2008.
Summer is just around the corner, and this is the time of year when we really ramp up our lawn activities– watering, fertilizing, mowing, etc. And all of these can have major negative environmental consequences. Did you know that over 50 million Americans mow their lawns each weekend, and contribute as much as 5% of the country’s air pollution? And it’s staggering to realize that the average American grassy lawn can use over 20,000 gallons of water each summer! So, a major part of any green home strategy should be to embrace eco-friendly lawn and garden care.
Here are 12 ways you can make sure you have an eco-friendly lawn this summer
1. Collect rain water and use it for your plants. Getting a rain barrel or two for your yard is a simple way to collect and reuse Mother Nature’s water. Just put it under your gutter’s down spout and you’ll be amazed how fast it fills up. Click here for rain barrels.
2. Make sure you’re not over-watering. Most of us over-water our lawns. Do you have moss growing on your driveway or sidewalk or in your garden? That’s a sign you’re watering too much. Do you have pools of standing water anywhere? Another sign. You can buy a very inexpensive lawn moisture meter that will tell you if you’re over-watering. You might also consider getting an intelligent irrigation control system that attunes your watering to the weather and your lawn’s needs.
While Northerners are still hoping for the snow to melt and the temperatures to crack the freezing point, folks down South are rolling up their sleeves and slipping on their gardening gloves. Which is why the Little Creek Farm Conservancy in Decatur, Georgia, will hold one of its semi-annual “Manure Days” this Saturday.
By Joshua S Hill •
February 26, 2008
We’ve spoken often about those areas in industry that are contributing most to the current climate change. However an industry that has been swept under the radar is the agriculture industry. Not only does it too expel its own worth of emissions, but it could very well be the answer to a lot of our problems.
We’ve seen what their fertilizers are doing to the outlet of the Mississippi in the Gulf
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By Joe Mohr •
February 23, 2008
The Garbage Can died yesterday. Not really. But, what if? Could we get by? Or, would our waste fill our streets once again, as it did in the days of the industrial revolution?
We’d get by.
We’d get by with recycling (every house, city, state, and country would HAVE to) and composting.
It’s encouraging, of course, how much we hear of the former. Everyone is aware of the importance of recycling (coupled with the need to purchase goods made from recycled materials). But composting?! That’s just for gardener(d)s!
However, if we all recycled our food scraps some very fundamental changes would take place. First, we’d create less waste. Second, we’d have a home-made fertilizer better for our lawns, plants, trees, and veggies which is better than any chemical fertilizer ever created. Third, we’d once again have nutrient-rich soil (good for us, and for future generations). I’ll stop there and take a second to quote superstar writer and gardener, Michael Pollan (from his book Second Nature) on the benefits of compost:
- Compost improves the soils “structure”. Compost helps “airy crumbs” of clay, sand, and silt form and be held together by humic acid–creating “ideal” conditions for plant-life to grow.
- Compost increases the soil’s waterholding capacity. One hundred pounds of humus (the main constituent of compost) can hold one hundred and ninety pounds of water! Therefore, requiring less watering, and plants grown in it will better withstand drought.
- Compost teems with microorganisms, which break down organic matter in the soil into the basic elements the plants need.
- Compost contains nearly every chemical plants need to grow, including such elements as boron, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc, not often found in commercial fertilizer. Compost thus returns to the soil a high proportion of things agriculture takes out of it.
By Sarah Nagy •
February 15, 2008
The greenness of a building element isn’t always clearly defined. Garbage disposals are one example. Florida Green Building Coalition gives points in their new home plan for not installing one (See Section 2). Others say, in comparison to landfilling your banana peels, a bit of power and water is an efficient way to deal with non-meat food wastes. However, it seems that those ‘bits’ of power and water do add up:
“Hilton San Francisco, the largest hotel on the West Coast, removed all of its garbage disposal units in 2002, and Jo Licata, community projects manager, says it has made a big difference in mechanical and water expense.” (SF Chronicle)
So what are the alternatives? Can a single user without the ability to compost in the traditional pile way still do the ultimate recycling - turn food waste back into food?
By Gavin Hudson •
September 25, 2007
I’ll admit it, I was one of those little kids who patrolled gutters during rainstorms to save drowning worms. All these years later, I have a new appreciation for them. Honestly, what’s not to love about critters that reduce global warming, help you garden, and will eat most things that you toss their way? As pets, they may not be much to look at, and they’re decidedly bad at playing fetch. But compare them
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By Amy Stodghill •
July 13, 2007
Yes. You should pick it up. Even if no one is around. Bag it. Scoop it. Compost it. Whatever you do, please clean up that dog poop.
Leaving dog-doo on the ground is a big no-no, especially if you live within the vicinity of others. Aside from the courtesy factor, left behind 'gifts' can cause the spread of diseases and bacteria including tapeworm, roundworm, cryptosporidium, and e.coli. These can
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The U.S. is the world's leader in garbage generation with each American averaging about 4.5 pounds of garbage per day. Do the math and that adds up to a heck of a lot of waste. Try to reduce the amount of garbage you throw away each week by simply thinking before you toss it.
Create your garbage inventory. It may sound a little silly, but knowing how much and
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