Posts Tagged ‘water conservation’

The Air in My Basement Flushes My Toilet!


It’s true.
I have a zero-gallon/flush toilet! The air in my basement (collected by my 5-gallon dehumidifier) flushes my toilet.

The 5-gallon reservoir in my dehumidifier fills up daily in the summer (I’m in humid St Louis, MO). Then, gravity lends a hand. I pour the 5 gallons into the toilet to flush the “yellow” that we’ve let “mellow” in the first floor bathroom, at the end of the day (for all you [...]

150 Indigenous Yellowwood Trees Destroyed as Invasive Alien Species - Lessons For South Africa?

Yellowood and Wattle TreesYellowwood                                                     Black Wattle

The destruction of 150 trees by a programme that has made real impacts on South Africa’s environment is regrettable but not really serious, until the underlying cause is questioned.

Removing Invasive Alien Plants

Water is a precious resource in short supply in South Africa. One of the activities directed at the problem is the Work for Water Programme, that works to remove alien invasive species which use large quantities of water unproductively.

Invasive alien plants (IAPs) are those introduced into countries from elsewhere, that then out-compete the indigenous species. They pose a direct threat to biological diversity, water security, the ecological functioning of natural systems and the productive use of land. They intensify the impact of fires and floods and increase soil erosion. IAPs can divert enormous amounts of water from more productive uses.

Greening Hollywood: Public/Private Partnerships For Change

Business and Public Agency Leaders from L.A. and California at LABC sponsored Sustainability Summit \'09  Photo Courtesy Paige Donner

Let’s start by mentioning a few of the wonderful things that the Los Angeles Business Council and its fabulous President, Mary Leslie, are doing: They are corralling the city’s public and private heads of agencies and businesses into a forum where they can engage in conversation. This corral has taken place at the Getty Museum for the past 3 years under the moniker of the Los Angeles Business Council’s Sustainability Summit.

On August 10th, Leslie is hosting a similar event specifically for our film industry. The LABC is shepherding our City’s prominent, if not still #1, industry – the film studios – and getting them all together to talk about the business of sustainability: Sustainability and the Entertainment Community.
I’m all for conversation. When we sit down and talk with each other, a wealth of information can get shared if all parties engage and are engaged. Personally I’m convinced that it was through these types of pow-wows that the notion of “creating fire” was spread among humankind.

Green Talk Radio: Solving the Global Safe Drinking Water Crisis with Blue Planet Run

GreenTalk Radio

Blue Planet Run Foundation

GreenTalk Radio host Sean Daily talks with Sabrina Walasek of Blue Planet Run Foundation, which has a vision of a world where everyone has access to safe drinking water and healthy human beings have a chance to live up [...]

Coke Extends Commitment to Reduce Carbon Footprint

In 2002 the Coca-Cola Company used 3.12 liters of water to produce every liter of poduct. The company, which has captured the taste buds of drinkers worldwide used .57 megajoules of energy and averaged 12.54 grams of waste per liter of product. It’s no wonder that the Coke Kingdom has been less than popular among environmental groups.

GOOD Magazine’s Water Issue–A MUST Read!

I once called Blue Planet Run a “must read“, and it is (so read it!). However, GOOD’s latest water issue* is easier to take with you, covers some new topics, and well, some people just prefer magazines.

I’m not sure if magazines can be called ‘must reads’–but if so, then this issue is (so read it!).

*The on-line edition does not have the content in its entirety, so consider [...]

5 Steps to a Greener Wiener (err…love life)

Our love lives can be physically, emotionally, and environmentally taxing. You’re on your own with the first two issues; I’m here to offer suggestions for the third…

Step One: Meet
You’ll save precious time if you know where to find an equally environmentally-conscious mate. Some suggestions–head to your local farmer’s market or Green Drinks chapter, you’ll likely find a same-age/same-beliefs lover there. Other suggestions include your local library, bookstore, or Whole Foods.

Step Two: Think
After a bit of courting thoughts may turn to the bedroom. Plan for this! Even if you leave your house thinking “there is no chance I am getting lucky tonight!” Plan for ‘it’ anyway. Bring protection! Children are wonderful, especially when two people who love one another bring one (or more) into the world. So unless this is your mate for life and you are both well prepared to love your child/children together forever–bring protection (more on this below).

Wondering why this is a green tip? Visit this site.

Educating Our Children


We are influenced throughout our life by the company we keep, the groups and issues we engage in, and the people we respect and learn from. But is there anything that compares to what we learn from our parents as children?

We can see the way children imitate their parents, even as adults. Children learn habits (small and large ones), beliefs, likes and dislikes, interests, manners, and even deeply engrained ethics from their parents. It may seem superficial at times, but when you get to know someone closely, and their family, you can get to see how deep what they learned actually goes.

We put a lot into the future of our children. We want them to have a good education, good friends, want them to be polite and respectful. We hope they will learn what’s important in life and what’s not as important, and we do our best to help them learn this.

All of this being said, what do we do to educate them about the environment? We do some things on a superficial level — we might recycle and tell them how to recycle and what recycling is; we might be conservative in the use of lights and water and such resources. We give some passing mention of the importance of the environment. But is this a true environmental ethic and are we doing what we should in this field?

Green Talk Radio: Blue Gold: World Water Wars (part 2)

GreenTalk Radio

Conclusion of GreenTalk Radio host Sean Daily’s conversation with American independent filmmaker Sam Bozzo of Purple Turtle Films about his new award-winning documentary on the global water crisis, “Blue Gold: World Water Wars”.

[Courtesy of our friends at GreenLivingIdeas.com]

Click [...]

Green Talk Radio: Blue Gold: World Water Wars (Part 1)

GreenTalk Radio

GreenTalk Radio host Sean Daily talks with American indy filmmaker Sam Bozzo of Purple Turtle Films about his new award-winning documentary on the global water crisis, “Blue Gold: World Water Wars”.

[Courtesy of our friends at GreenLivingIdeas.com]

Click Play Below,Click to Continue Reading

Green Talk Radio: Protecting our Oceans and Beaches with project BLUE

GreenTalk Radio

GreenTalk Radio Host Sean Daily talks with Vipe Desai of project BLUE. project BLUE, the national initiative established to raise funds in support of ocean and beach protection, continues to gain momentum as the campaign’s second year officially gets underway.

[Courtesy of our friends at Click to Continue Reading

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