Green Living Q & A

The Expert answers:

Penny’s Green Clean

The Expert answers:

Use cloth diapers. Disposable diapers are one of the most damaging products to the eco system used these days.

The Expert answers:

Dont know hairstyles, but if you need products for hairstyles then go to LUSH.
Its an eco – friendly soap shop, and has all sorts of stuff like shampoos, hair gels, even face masks and of course soap.
Everything is really good, you can cut your own size blocks, it even does henna for hair dye instead of chemical based dyes + solid shampoo bars.
Just a recommendation, it’s what I use.

The Expert answers:

Definately aussie
just look for the purple bottle
it’s the only kind i use

The Expert answers:

Saw this real sweet organic one at http://guffly.com. Check it out

The Expert answers:

More than you’ll ever dream of.

The Expert answers:

It has more to do with how it was grown/raised and processed than the actual material. If you have natural grazing animals that don’t take a lot of resources, aren’t pumped full of antibiotics and the skins aren’t tanned with toxic chemicals (which most are, that’s why the process has been shipped overseas) you would have less impact than convention cloths. Cotton is a highly sprayed crop and the dyes used on it are often extreamly toxic.

I have found trying to buy eco responsible clothes is a challenge. There are many low pesticide, natural products being used, modal (wood fibre), bamboo, organic cottons but many are shipped half way around the world and are produced in less than ideal social conditions. I usually weight the ecological impacts more than the social and transportation. My hope is that with enough interest in low impact clothes the proctice will increase and there will be better social and local choices. I don’t have much leather in my life, it is too expensive to find the stuff that wasn’t produced with toxins. I do like many animal products, silk,cashmere, angora and wool, and try to find items that were not factory farmed, they tend to be expensive, but if you take proper care of them, they will last a lifetime.

I avoid petroleum based synthetics. I try to reduce my over all consumption of oil, I avoid plastics as much as possible. I also avoid hybrids, that would be something like a poly/cotton blend. When you put a synthetic and natural product together you destine it to the landfill. A 100% polyester shirt can be recycled. A 100% cotton shirt can be recycled or biodegrade, a hybrid can’t do either.

The Expert answers:

Http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/buyingforbaby/knowhow/ecofriendly/
http://www.ecobaby.com/
http://www.ecomall.com/biz/baby.htm

The Expert answers:

I do the same things, reducing toxins and other chemicals in my cleaning supplies, and recycling.

A couple other areas to reduce your impact on the earth. Reduce food miles, buy fresh organic and local. Eat what is in season. Look at where the food you buy comes from, some so called farmers markets import food from South America, so ask if it isn’t labeled. Reduce toxins from your beauty products, buy organic and natural products there is a whole list of chemicals to avoid. Reduce packaging, look into the bulk bins at your local market and get reusable produce bags as well as shopping bags. Conserve energy and water, time your shower and cut it by a few minutes, adjust your thermostat by a few degrees, unplug chargers when not in use.

My favorite book on the subject is “The Green Book” you can check it out online at www.readthegreenbook.com I also really like “Easy Green Living” by Renee Loux. I got my produce bags from ecobags.com, but they would be easy to make.

The Expert answers:

1. Do you feel a need for more internationally inspired clothing( ex. Indian, hawaiian, european, australian,african, brazilian)? No
2. Would you buy 15 dollar eco friendly jewelry if it meant you would be saving the enviroment as well as looking great? Yes
3. Would you pay more for jewelry and clothing if you knew you were helping save the planet by purchasing it? No
4. Are you looking for unique/hot jewelry/clothes? Yes I like unique items no one else would have
5. Do you like knowing that the jewelry your wearing is one of a kind and/or limited addition? Yes
6. What your favorite thing to have in the jewelry you wear? To be long and big and look boho vintage

The Expert answers:

You should save up for something like a front loading washer and/or dryer. As the front loaders pays for itself in-terms of the water usage, they don’t really use up that much energy and they generally clean clothes better.

Cleaning clothes in hotter water doesn’t speed up the cycle, it actually slows the process due to the water heating.

Some of the front loading washers even have a steaming function, that steam cleans your clothes for that quick fresh-up and on the go. Check with your local appliance retailer for selection.

The Expert answers:

I prefer the smell of Gain but right NOW am using Tide with Bleach alternative 🙂 Smells and cleans great, and I am using SNUGGLE Fresh release fabric softener in the blue bottle… Smell greeeeat! ((sniffs shirt)) Ahhhhh! 🙂 LOL

The Expert answers:

You could get her jewellery or bracelets ? You can actually get bracelets which can look quite hippie along with those flower head bands Some bracelets you can find actually have things written on them to support eco friendliness etc. Search around.

You might find something she’ll like on these websites 🙂

http://www.hippieshop.com/cgi-bin/gold/category/12000B

http://peacebracelets.co.uk/

The Expert answers:

I got 2 cotton ginny

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Ethnique sounds good 🙂

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Core
Greenscape
Earthscape
Geoscape? (lol i’m stuck on scapes)

The Expert answers:

One of the keys to green living is supporting the local economy while doing what you can to protect the environment. That said if you buy a painting that is made using milk paint or non toxic oils such as linseed but on a canvas made in the UK it is a safe bet that you doing more for the environment than if its shipped around the world. As far as what releases more pollutants the one shipped around the world does… When you consider the emissions from the shipping vehicles, the emissions from the manufacture of the vehicles, the emissions from the production of the fuels ores and energy needed to create the products,shipping vehicles and place that the art work was created…

General rule of thumb… Buy all natural/organic, if you can’t buy all natural buy local made, if you can’t buy local consider if you can do without.

The Expert answers:

For the greatest Eco-friendliness, you want to select products that require the least energy and raw material to produce, systems that require the least energy to use and products and materials that preserve the air and water quality of the space.

Re-purposed materials are prime candidates for eco-building materials. For insulation, options include recycled cotton such as Ultra-touch http://www.ecohaus.com/C-121/ultra+touch. It is basically shredded blue jeans. Another option that is gaining in popularity is straw bale house construction. Straw bales are set onto wall foundations and are framed. Then the bales are covered with stucco or cement. The result is a structure made of renewable materials that has very good insulating properties. Here’s an informational site about straw-bale construction: http://www.strawbale.com/

For framing and walling, alternatives such as Wheatsheet is an eco-friendly alternative to virgin wood products. Wheatsheet is made of recycled wheat chaff instead of tree wood. It also does not off-gas (produce fumes) like some glued and treated wood construction materials, helping maintain clean indoor air.
Http://www.ecoproducts.com/top/price%20sheets/wheatsheet.pdf

For decking, recycled composite products such as ChoiceDek are eco-friendly because they use recycled plastics and wood fiber instead of virgin tree wood and they last longer than most wood products. Http://www.choicedek.com/

For floor-covering, hard surface floors are usually preferred to carpet because they are easier to clean and do not trap allergens and contaminants. Bamboo flooring is an eco-friendly option because bamboo is a fast-growing and renewable wood source. Other options are cork flooring, recycled rubber flooring, natural linoleum and recycled glass tile. If you do decide on carpeting, use carpet made of recycled PET (pop bottles) or wool–they are renewable products and do not off-gas as much as new, conventional carpeting.

There are several alternative adhesives, paints and finishes, including solvent-free Titebond adhesives, Timbertek wood finishes, Osmo Color wood sealer.

Most of this information came from Eco-products. I have a binder of theirs. Although most of the material on their website is about plates and cups, you might be able to find construction-alternatives in their site or register in the “training” section. Www.ecoproducts.com.

Also, try to make use of passive solar energy in your design. It is the simplest and least-resource intensive method of building. Strategies include using south-facing windows to heat rooms using the sun, brick or cement walls on the south side to absorb heat during the day and radiate it at night (called a Trombe wall) and properly-placed windows and skylights to provide natural lighting to every room of the house. Planting deciduous (leafy) trees around the house provides shade in the summer to keep the house cool but allows sunshine through in the winter when the leaves fall to help warm the house. The National Renewable Energy Lab has many strategies and suggestions for green building. Their visitors center employs many eco-friendly strategies: http://www.nrel.gov/visitors_center/eed_model.html

There is so much more to green building but hopefully that’s a helpful introduction. Have fun with the project!

The Expert answers:

Hi There,

Organic and Eco friendly products don’t always cost more, understanding what lies behind the terms ‘Organic’ and ‘Eco friendly’ is often the key issue and being prepared to become a greener shopper by degrees.

First principals to follow are not about the labelling at all,

1. Avoid over packaged goods and buy loose goods wherever possible, this way you cut down the carbon emissions and waste related to the goods you’ve purchased and made them more eco-friendly.
2. Try to buy goods grown or manufactured as locally as possible. For example buying organic asparagus from Peru will probably devalue the “organic” status of the product simply due to the air miles and pollution involved in getting it onto your plate if you live Manchester. Many local authorities support local farmers markets etc so you can get good produce locally, plus look to see where your food and other goods come from.
3. Join Freecycle, look in the charity shops and news papers for second hand goods, you are saving them from landfill at little or no cost to you and great gain to the environment.
4. Join an allotment association and grow your own, that way you can guarantee that at least a portion of what you eat is organic, plus you can use the allotment to help you compost your kitchen waste and grow some wildflowers to help support your local nature.

These principals are called the “New or Green three R’s” and are basically about thinking about reducing waste, and increasing recycling and re-use from the point we go out to shop.

Next regarding whether costs will go down, the answer is yes. We as consumers have the power to say no to environmental damage and to lobby our shops and governments to do better. If the market demand for green goods increases then people will need to produce these at competitive prices if we reject non green goods then the producers will either have to change their practices or go out of business.

Already many “Fair Trade”, “FSC Certified Wooden” items environmentally friendly cleaning products and products made from recycled materials cost only as much as or sometimes less than their less green equivalents. Its definetly worth getting to understand the many different eco labels and doing some price comparison.

At 40 years old I’ve had time to see this welcome change begin to happen and the likes of you and me and everyone else out there actively encouraging it may mean the world we live on has a future.

Happy Eco Shopping,
Ruth ;0)

The Expert answers:

Since you seem new to it, here are a few links. One is a book to read up on the subject and get more in depth ideas ….
The other is a website for purchasing Green items.

http://www.greenpeople.org/

The Expert answers:

This is already being done. There’s plenty of reserch goin on wind turbines, various ways of using solar, tide and wave power. Plus biodiesel, cars that run on ethanol (grain-based alcohol, really), hydrogen, hybrid and 100% electric cars.

Some of it is already rolled out. Hybrid cars are on the streets even in US, UK has biodiesel in gas stations, Brazil – ethanol cars. Wind turbines have been around a decade at least.

These things are still 30-50% more expensive than fossil fuels, that’s why rollouts are mostly subsidized by governments.

But do not worry, once oil price goes up another $30/barrel, all those alternative energy sources will go mainstream.

The Expert answers:

1- I would say something like the “Sustainable volume” or “Sustainable amount” or “Sustainable Limit”
2- ?
3- Could be both, In the UK a rare habitat may be protected as a “Site of Special Scientific Interest” and there are other EU protection designations. But, scientific evidence of the value of the habitat needs to be presented to grant these statuses, so “Both” could be an answer
4- ?
5- The ozone layer keeps out UltraViolet radiation that causes sunburn, skin cancer and can be harmful to plant life as well as animal life.
6- Well, salicylic acid was originally found in Willow bark. Penicillin is produced by certain molds. The answer could be ‘chemicals’ or ‘molecules’ – not a very well written question.
7- Biofuels
8- I think the setter is wanting ‘Electrical’ as this is what wind and hydro power actuually produce, but again, not a well set question. Indirectly wind and hydro rely on Solar energy, but then again, indirectly biofuels rely on solar energy too.

Get a better science teacher!

The Expert answers:

Money is simply a medium of exchange. It’s nothing more than a type of language for communicating value. You could say it’s “out of thin air” but only to the extent that words are; it’s true only in a particularly stupid sort of way.

What causes money to operate in this certain way is the existence of a market of private properties. Private property creates value by limiting who can control it, producing an opening for a desire of control in other people while a market is a series of rules which produce the types of values that a culture or government intends to produce. Money can be seen as a peculiar rule in this sense; it regulates interactions but only by insisting that they be mediated while not saying by what they should be mediated. In other words, I don’t just give you my turkeys for your chickens but I give you pieces of paper or coins or checks or credit cards for your turkeys which you give back to me for my chickens. Money is so powerful in this sense that even if I went back to just giving you turkeys, the turkeys would become the medium of exchange and in a very real way, “Money”.

This preface is just to point out what it is you’re proposing we get rid of. While there are other ways of regulating markets and organizing societies, it is the underlying logic of the society which causes the problems you’re attempting to address, not some symptom like money itself.

The Expert answers:

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1) I don’t get the choices for the first question: (27 meters) / (9 seconds) = 3 m/s

2) answer A.

Could the use of renewable resources as a primary energy source happen in your lifetime?

Doubtful. Were still using late 1800’s technology (that is petroleum) to power 99.999% of cars, with essentially the same internal combustion engine. If big business is making big profits then there is almost no way to change the status quo. Theoretically, if the efficiency to generate electricity from some renewable energy sources increases (as expected) then renewable energy can make a significant impact.
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The Expert answers:

I think a breakthrough in either battery energy density, or battery recharging rates would make the biggest environmental difference in the short term. It’s these two things which make fully electric vehicles undesirable to consumers, which is the only reason they aren’t abundant. So, chemical engineering is a good choice.

Going into politics could also have important short-term effects.

If you want to plan for the long-term, bio-engineering and aerospace are where it’s at. Humanity will eventually control its own evolution, and become a space-faring civilization.

The Expert answers:

If by non promotional you mean not a gimmick or infomercial type thing I would look at faucet aerators and low flow shower heads. Average modern shower uses 2.5 gallons per minute they have spa quality shower heads that use 1.5 gpm saves a gallon of hot water every minute. Plus the one I bought (brand named EVOLVE) has what they call showerstart tech that saves on hot water.
Insulation in the form of caulking, weatherstripping, and gaskets that go around electrical outlets and light switches are very inexpensive and pay for them selves.
CFL and LED lighting pay for themselves well inside of a year if the light is used more than 4 hours a day.

If you were not talking about the money side of things and just want to be environmentally conscious stop using single use items whenever possible, This includes bags, be they paper or plastic (use canvas or anything reusable) water bottles, and paper/plastic dinnerware.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

The Expert answers:

For girls- simple cloth handbags are eco-friendly and durable. They could replaced with other bags that are made of non-biodegradable materials.

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs are also good, and can be a replacement to incandescent bulbs at home.

Some more items:
http://www.evo.com/content/kate_aspen/33068/silk_orchid_gel_candle

http://www.nunoorganic.com/product.asp?organic=coloringpencils&cat=toys&groupid=429

http://www.evo.com/content/get_hip_get_green/43017/love_this_planet_kanteen

http://www.evo.com/content/avalon/26761/organic_lavendar_hand_body_lotion

http://www.evo.com/content/avalon/28919/organic_lavender_conditioner

With the extra savings, you should have enough to buy the trees. If your group can also walk to a local park and pick up trash + recycle, that’s another fun thing to do. Placing bins around the school for recycling is also another way to help the environment. 🙂

The Expert answers:

It might help if you clarified whether you want speaker the stereo equipment, or speaker the human being.

If it’s the former, Jeff’s link should help. If it’s the latter, I’d suggest you let your fingers do the walking, and find a local manufacturer or retailer of eco-friendly products. Someone local may be more willing to speak than someone who has to travel for it.

The Expert answers:

Http://onebackroadatatime.webs.com/

This is my website that encourages all to clean up the Earth, one backroad at a time! It’s brand new, but I hope it helps!

The Expert answers:

Ojon haircare uses ecofriendly products and they also help to employ South American tribes plus their stuff is great. You can learn more at http://www.ojonhaircare.com and then there is Jonathan Product who’s stuff is a little bit more L.A. But his stuff isn’t animal tested, it’s celebrity tested and it uses natural ingredients his site is http://www.jonathanproduct.com and I was just sent an email from Sephora about Cargo making a brand of lipstick that is made from corn so it’s biodegradable, and the package has flower seeds in it so after you’re done you wet the package and plant it and flowers will grow. It’s really cool, Also Stella McCartney has a new line of facial products that eco-friendly as well. You can find those and other lines at http://www.sephora.com

The Expert answers:

Use the Method brand cleaning wipes – they are antibacterial and environmentally friendly.

Lemon juice is considered nature’s bleach – it kills lots of bacteria.

Shaklee has a lot of good non-toxic, biodegradable, hospital grade cleaners that work well. ‘

Lemon juice, baking soda and vinegar still remain my favorite.

In fact, those chemical cleaners you are using are worse for your health than the germs you are so worried about getting rid of.

P.s. Purchase different color microfiber cleaning cloths and designate them for different rooms – that way your toilet one is never used on anything else. If you can’t find them in the cleaning section, look in the car care section – they are designed to clean windows and shiny surfaces like car exteriors and countertops.

Additionally, you can wash those in your laundry, and you are not putting disposable anything into a landfill to leech chemicals and breakdown toxins for the next 1000 years.

Read the health report article I also included in the source list…….very enlightening.

The pacificsands link lists the chemicals that are in those cleaners and what they can do to your body over time…..very scary

The Expert answers:

Cloth Diapering

Some statistics say each child creates 2 tons of waste from disposable diapers! Since caring for a baby can be so time consuming, it is easy to see why parents choose the perceived convenience of disposable diapers. They just toss them in the garbage bin and forget them right? Well, eco-friendly parents cannot forget that diapers account for an enormous amount of landfill waste that is not biodegradable.

Luckily cloth diapers have become just as easy and convenient as disposable diapers. Forget the flat diapers you need to fold and pin together (although those are still around if you are so inclined). Cloth diapers today are fitted with elastic, close with pins or Velcro, and are easy to clean. For those that do not have the time or the desire to do diaper laundry, diaper services widely available. Cloth diapers can last for years and be used by more than one child. Flushable diapers, such as gDiapers, are another eco-friendly diapering option.

Feeding Your Baby

Not only is breastfeeding the perfect food for baby, it is also the most planet friendly way to feed your baby. By simply breastfeeding your baby you eliminate the need for formula cans and baby bottles. Breastfeeding is waste free! If however you need to pump milk and bottle feed there are eco-friendly options for that, too. Glass baby bottles are reusable and can be recycled or donated, unlike their plastic counterparts which are prone to breakage and do not biodegrade. Furthermore, plastic baby bottles may contain BPA, a chemical that leaches into the milk and can cause hormone disruption. Helpful products for mom such as wool or cloth breast pads and organic creams are also available.

When your baby is old enough to eat solids you can continue to feed “green” by making your own baby food from organic fruits and vegetables that you are already eating. There is no need to buy boxes of baby cereal or tiny jars of baby food when you can mash or puree family foods and feed them those. They can be frozen inside ice cube trays for later use and convenience. A useful reference is Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron. That was my feeding bible for my last two children. A book that I wish had been around when I still had babies is Baby-led Weaning: Helping Your Baby to Love Good Food.

Clothing Your Baby

Farming with chemicals is hazardous for our planet and very unsustainable. When you buy clothing for your baby try to buy clothing made with sustainable fibers. Organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, and wool in natural colors or dyed with low impact dyes are all good choices. The absence of chemicals is also better for your baby’s tender skin. Here is one source of natural baby clothes.

Consider buying used clothes instead of new. Buying second hand clothing that someone has recycled is much more sustainable an option than buying brand new. Look for used clothing at thrift stores, on local lists such as Craiglist, eBay, or through family and friends. This option is also much easier on the pocketbook.

When we bring a baby into the world we want that world to be as friendly and hospitable as possible. These are just a few eco-friendly tips for raising babies and ensure that that world remains friendly and hospitable for generations to come.

The Expert answers:

Here’s a few. Good luck.

The Expert answers:

I put mine on the line, if the weather looks bad I hang it on a clothes horse in the conservatory or in the garage. Never had a tumble drier and never hang clother over the radiator. 3 loads washed and dried yesterday before dinner (line dried)

The Expert answers:

Vinegar! Regular white vinegar. You can get it in gallon sizes and it’s pretty cheap, so bonus!

I had the same problem.. I use a drying rack instead of the dryer, and when I switched to eco-friendly detergent, my clothes smelled mildewy.. I tried different things, but then I tried vinegar, and it’s excellent. It also helps my clothes feel softer.

I mix the vinegar with essential oils, but I think it would work just fine without them. Mostly I do it because I like the smell of them drying – the aroma doesn’t stick around much longer than that anyway. And the vinegar smell itself usually just hangs around for a few minutes.

I never measure it, but I’m guessing I use around a 1/4 cup per wash. I pour it into my bleach spout because it’s the closest thing I have to getting it in with the rinse cycle.

The Expert answers:

Wear comfortable clothing and comfortable shoes because you’ll be walking a lot. You’ll also need to wear sunblock and maybe sunglasses if you’re going to be out in the sun. You can do whatever you want with your nails because they won’t care.

The Expert answers:

Hi, i jus did my graphics GCSE this year and got an A*!!
Your brief seems a bit strange considering its graphics where you usually design packaging, but the presentation definately needs to be well organised with a consistent style (very important) if u want top marks.

The quality of the content is the main aspect of this coursework, it doesnt mean you have to load a lot of useless junk, make sure that anything you write in the page is absolutely relevent, again for top marks. My coursework only had around maximum 15 pages, and was worth and A*.

Alot of the coursework is based upon how you approached every hurdle in your product, from designing, making and testing, and you have to account for every little detail which you had to do, which can seem very long winded, but the key is to write this while your actually doing each thing like designing, oh, and u need evidence like screenshots, pictures or drawings, something i didnt do which doing after made it more difficult.

Hope this helps!!

The Expert answers:

Yes, if you asked me politely to do so..

The Expert answers:

I would say 3. A lot of the other comparisons seem like a reducio ad absurdum sort of thing. (I think you’re violating some human rights on 7 there.)

The Expert answers:

Sell your car, buy a bike.

The Expert answers:

Your question reads like an oxymoron…lol.

Vinegar kills them but won’t keep them away. The only true way to keep them away is to spray around the outside of your home thoroughly. If you can observe them and figure out how they are getting in that would be better. Usually it through some obscure tiny opening in a window or through a hole behind cabinets, etc. Ants were getting in my kitchen through my kitchen window and I had to have a bug man point it out. I sealed the area and no more ants driving me nuts in there! Now I just have to figure out where they are coming from in the bathroom. =/

The Expert answers:

Whole Foods
Trader Joe’s

The Expert answers:

Yes

The Expert answers:

Eco friendly home décor is the best way selection of home décor. Greenamericadecor provides best eco-friendly products. Luxurious bedding, towels are composed of an exotic blend of eucalyptus and cotton-polyester fibers. It providesexpansive and innovative products of Lutron Lighting, to help maximize the possibilities of saving energy in residential, hospitality and commercial settings. Also providing PVC free wall coverings.

The Expert answers:

Check out Livingecho.com. Sounds exactly what you are looking for. They have credit card merchant services, order tracking, order processing, and order management in a back-end web application. They are also a great resource for eco-related news and video media. They have loads of categories, and you can sell business to business, or business to consumer.

The Expert answers:

Local bank.
Family and Friends
SME loans

Plenty of options available, just google it.

The Expert answers:

I know juicy has some eco friendly shirts
and canvas bags

here is a link to the canvas bag
ttp://www.shopbop.com/green-icon-tote-juicy-couture/vp/v=1/845524441816383.htm?folderID=2534374302090232&fm=browse-brand

The Expert answers:

Yeah but

1. Ppl wont pay to have their clothes dried outside when they could do it for a free

2. It takes to long most ppl that go to laundry mats want to be in and out asap

The Expert answers:

Hi!
I’m 16, and I’m graduating and plan to study environmental science.

I would start by taking some classes, I took AP Environmental Science, and it’s a BREEZE. Really easy class that you learn a TON in.

3 main rules to follow
Reduce
Reuse
Recycle.

Buy less of whatever you can, and if you don’t NEED it don’t get it. (i know…it’s hard)
Take shorter showers, turn off water when brushing teeth, and something you may not often hear…your toilet probably uses about 5 gallons of water EACH FLUSH. You may not be able to get a new toilet that is more water efficiant, but lessoning the amount of water in the tank should be sufficient. This can be done with a brick or something like this.

Anything you can reuse go for it! =] Avoid paper plates and especially styrofoam products (takes thousands of years to break down)

Plastics have codes on the bottom of them that let you know what you should do to dispose of them. It helps to know about the plastic codes, because they can be toxic too! There are a lot of “toxic wastes” too. (you would learn all about this in Environmental Science-offered in high school)
These include tires, batteries, oil, some metals, and a lot you could easily google or wiki for.

Some appliances are called “energy vampires” this means even when they are off, they suck energy. A good example would be a sterio that shows the time when it’s off. It’s better to unplug these things when you are not using them such as: microwaves, radios, tvs, straighteners, etc.

Also, every city has a council that meets once a month to cover environmental issues. You can find this on your community’s website or community center. Also available in these places are vollunteer projects. Fun and helpful!

Becoming a vegitarian is far from necessary. Focus more on where your food comes from, believe me this can be a challenge to find out, but I cut out meat, and at your age you are just TOO YOUNG. PETA can tell you all about meat and dairy and what you can do to make sure you are chosing the right products…

Check out http://www.peta.org/
http://www.epa.gov/earthday/tips.htm

and google the EPA (environmental Protection Agency) they can tell you more than anyone else.

The most important thing is SPREAD THE WORD. Not everyone is as fortunate as you and finds this stuff out. Try your best, and talk to your friends and school about what you can all do.

GOOD LUCK!! AND I’M GLAD TO HEAR YOU ARE TRYING TO HELP!

The Expert answers:

Well, to be fair the greenest clothing is no clothes at all! Try looking at undyed or unbleached clothes, or things made from bamboo fiber and organic cotton. Below is a good blog of eco-clothing you might like.

Http://www.whiteapricot.com/