Green Living Q & A

The Expert answers:

I’m finding more items at my local grocery stores. I know target and many other chains carry both Method and Seventh Generation which are eco friendly lines. I use the website www.biggreenpurse.com to find links to many online retailers. Office Max also carries a variety of recycled or biodegradable office supplies. I’ve found several books that have helped me make better decisions, my favorite it The Green Book, also found online at www.readthegreenbook.com, Easy Green Living and Green up Your Clean up. I’ve found vinegar and baking soda with a natural castile soap is about all I need to clean most surfaces in my house. Burt’s bees is a great product that can be found in many stores. To find more natural cleaners and beauty products you can usually go to Whole foods or any natural food store. I’ve found the employees very helpful.

There is a lot of confusion as to what a green product is, I believe there is a green, greener, greenest choice for many products. When I’m deciding which products to buy I consider many things, what chemicals will I be exposing myself to, what chemicals were used in it’s production, is it made from a sustainable resource, how far did it travel, is it biodegradable, does it contain items responsible for rainforest destruction, how is it packaged, what are the labor practices and how much more does it cost than conventional.

I’ve made many changes and I often have to choose which elements are more important to me. My family and health are my primary concern, so detoxing food and beauty products has a greater priority than some other elements.

The Expert answers:

You mean, you cannot find one eco friendly company in America to promote domestic jobs and prosperity? Contact an American paper company that develops post-consumer paper products, like the napkins used at Starbucks. Submit a proposal that would benefit both parties and not kill any new trees.

The Expert answers:

So only 19.5% of the people select their brand and they obviously want more people to buy their product with the advertising and labeling that the company invested on. A good rule to follow is to first state the alternative hypothesis and then do the opposite of that and add the equal sign to determine the null.

The alternative hypothesis which is what they want to find is that they sell to more than just 19.5% of the people. That would be Ha: u>19.5
The null is the opposite with the equal to sign added to it:
Ho:u ≤ 19.5

Type 1 error is rejecting the the null hypothesis(Ho) when it is true. So that in this problem a Type 1 error would occur when thinking that more than 19.5% people are buying the product when in fact 19.5% or less are actually buying the product. So in other words they would be celebrating when in fact the company is not selling more products at all. This would hurt the company because they would continue their marketing campaign thinking it was working when it was actually failing so they would just be wasting money.

A type 2 error would be accepting the null hypothesis when it is actually false. So this would be the opposite. It would mean that they would be thinking that their marketing campaign was not working and that 19.5% or less of the people were buying their products when in fact more than 19.5% of the people were buying their products and the marketing campaign was a success. They would be thinking they needed to change their marketing campaign when in fact they should be celebrating.

The Expert answers:

Amazon has a category dedicated to just green products.

Http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_2_8?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=amazon+green&sprefix=Amazon+g

The Expert answers:

1)paper
2) recycled paper
3) recycled glass
4) recycled tin
5) rain water which is stored and purified
6) recycled plastic
7) biofertilizers
8) wind energy
9) geothermal energy
10) recycled steel
11) biodesel
12) biogas
13) water heated by using solar water heater
14) emergency light which runs on solar energy
15) recycled mobile
16) biogas plant
17) gasohol
18) natural gas
19) equipments consuming less energy
20) biomass
21) engiens emmiting less amount of gas
22)solar energy

The Expert answers:

Here is a list with something for everybody
Everybody is different with different lives here are a 101 Ways To Live More Ecologically,may be you find something that applies to you

1. Avoid disposable in favor of reusable
items.
2. Avoid drying rags in a clothes dryer.
3. Avoid power appliances when handpower works.
4. Avoid highly processed foods.
5. Avoid using styrofoam—it can’t be recycled.
6. Avoid watering driveways and sidewalks.
7. Be responsible and creative with leftover foods.
8. Buy in bulk goods to reduce wasted packaging.
9. Buy energy efficient electric appliances.
10. Buy foods without additives.
11. Buy foods without preservatives.
12. Buy food and goods from sources you trust
13. Buy large quantities to reduce shopping trips.
14. Buy living Christmas trees.
15. Buy locally grown food and produce.
16. Buy organic, pesticide-free foods.
17. Compost your food scraps.
18. Discover and protect watersheds in your area,
19. Don’t burn trash or other smoky materials.
20. Drain cooking grease onto paper bags, not paper towels.
21. Drive a fuel-efficient car.
22. Drive less: walk, bicycle, carpooland use public transportation.

23. Eat foods low on the food chain; avoid meat.
24. Eat more natural, nutritious foods.
25. Educate elected representatives on ecology.
26. Exercise regularly.
27. Explore and learn about your bioregion.
28. Grow your own food, even a small amount.
29. Hang dry some or all of your clothes.
30. Heat your home less and wear warmer clothes.
31. Heat your home more with renewable energies.
32. Hold a potluck dinner to discuss local ecology.
33. If you use a dishwasher, turn off the drying cycle.
34. Install a water-conserving device in your toilets.
35. Install a water-conserving showerhead.
36. Insulate your home to maximum efficiency.
37. Invest for social responsibility as well as profit.
38. Invest in solar power, where practical.
39. Invest in well-made, long-lived clothing.
40. Keep hazardous chemicals in safe containers.
41. Keep appliance motors well adjusted for efficiency.
42. Mend and repair rather than discard and replace.
43. Oppose meddling in ecological balance.
44. Oppose private development of special areas.
45. Oppose roadside use of defoliants.
46. Organize or join a neighborhood toy exchange.

47. Pick up litter along streets and highways.
48. Plant native trees and shrubs around your home.
49. Plant trees throughout your community.
50. Plant your living Christmas tree.
51. Practice preventive health care.
52. Practice responsible family planning.
53. Prepare only as much food as will be eaten.
54. Protect your favorite distinctive natural areas.
55. Purchase goods in reusable/recyclable containers.
56. Put a catalytic converter on your wood stove.
57. Put toxic substances out of reach of children.
58. Recycle aluminum.
59. Recycle glass.
60. Recycle newspaper.
61. Recycle old clothes.
62. Recycle plastic.
63. Recycle used motor oil.
64. Recycle your unneeded items.
65. Re-use paper bags.
66. Re-use plastic bags for storage and waste.
67. Save up for full loads in clothes washers.
68. Save up for full loads in dishwasher.
69. Shop by phone, then go pick up your purchases.
70. Speak out about your values in community groups.
71. Support efficient energy sources in your bioregion.
72. Support elected representatives on ecological issues.
73. Support energy conservation in your bioregion.

74. Support global ecological improvement efforts.
75. Support local credit unions.
76. Support local merchants before large chains.
77. Support neighborhood food cooperatives.
78. Support proper waste water and sewage treatment.
79. Support the cultural diversity in your bioregion.
80. Support the plants and animals in your community.
81. Take shorter showers.
82. Teach your children ecological wisdom.
83. Turn down the thermostat on your water heater.
84. Turn off the lights when not needed.
85. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
86. Use biodegradable soaps and detergents.
87. Use cloth diapers.
88. Use cloth table napkins.
89. Use less tapwater whenever possible.
90. Use non-toxic pest control.
91. Use only medications you trust/understand.
92. Use rags or towels instead of paper.
93. Use rechargeable batteries.
94. Use the second side of paper for scratch paper.
95. Use water from cooking vegetables to make soup.
96. Volunteer for work in a community garden.
97. Volunteer to maintain local parks and wilderness.
98. Wash clothes in cold water.
99. Wash dishes in still, not running water.
100. Weather-seal your home.
101. Work to unlearn poor ecological habits.

Http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1996/ip960321…

The Expert answers:

As in most other cities, a few business will be open on January 1st, but most will not.

The Expert answers:

No

The Expert answers:

A CFL requires 50 times the polution to “make” the bulb as opposed to traditional bulbs and every CFL is full of mercury and lead that is not present in a traditional bulb. Half of the polution savings of the energy saved is produced in making the CFL bulb so its not the bed of roses that the tree huggers hoped it is. Instead of reducing polution by 70%, considering the embedded polution at manufacturing time, it only ends up cutting pollution by 35%. (you can pay to have the mercury recycled, but it is not cheap and not anything a homeowner will want to do).

Same happens with the electric car. Except when the car is idling at a stop light, the electric car makes AS MUCH polution in motion as a gas car, only its poluted in advance at the power plant and stored in batteries for later use. Granted the powerplant has more efficient and greater air scrubbers then the gas engine and economies of scale means a unit of energy can be made cheaper at the powerplant as opposed to gas in your car, the greenhouse gas emissions of a electric car is only marginally lower then a gas car in long run.

I liked the “first” President Bush’s idea, where he went out and planted 2 billion trees along US Federal highways as a way to reduce greenhouse gasses. You know when a tree grows, 95% of the weight of wood is carbon removed from the atmosphere. A tree can remove a profound amount of CO2 from the air, a 2000 sq ft plot of grass can provide all the oxygen needs of 8 people, a single oak tree can provide the oxygen needs of 20 people. It was estimated that the 2 billion trees original Bush planted offset the oil burning of the area of the USA west of the Mississippee River and most of those trees are still there and still cleaning the air. Florida’s toll roads are cluttered with trees from Bush’s initiative and his example is carried on by Florida DOT which continues to plant forests fulls of trees along Florida toll roads.

The Expert answers:

Add some sound, cool pictures, and make the backgruond really pop! Thats what I do ^^

The Expert answers:

Do non-believers believe it ISN’T?

D1

The Expert answers:

Eventualluy, but it will come kicking and screaming

The Expert answers:

Natural gas in the u.s.a is a homegrown energy that will help us immensely in the near and far future, corporate types would be against it if their investments are else where (tea party), it also provides solid employment at very good wages for those in the industry.

The Expert answers:

Cap and trade is a boondoggle.  It’s a full-employment program for lawyers, accountants and lobbyists to get permits for free while others have to pay, and put the other guy’s stuff under a cap while keeping your own out.  What we need is a general tax on carbon (global) and another tax on oil (domestic).

There really are two camps here, isolated by the information sources they trust.  The “there is no AGW” camp is getting its news from the same outlets which don’t want to admit there are any other reasons to get off of oil (and coal), so they say “there’s plenty”.  Meanwhile, people in the actual oil industry are warning that the lack of investment caused by the credit crunch is going to cause serious supply problems, because the natural decline rate of mature oil fields is about 10% per year and you need continuous work to offset that.

The stuff about ANWR, the Bakken shale and such are similarly silly.  The USA is still importing over 12 million barrels/day of oil.  The USGS says that there may be – MAY be – a 5% chance that ANWR could produce 1.6 million bbl/day, but its peak production is more likely around 900,000 bbl/day.  The estimated 10 billion barrels of reserves mean it could only produce that much for about 27 years; it’s a long way from a full or permanent solution to anything.

Who are you going to believe:  people in the oil industry and the United States Geological Survey, or ideologues on talk radio?

BTW, the USA consumes 10 billion barrels of oil in a bit over 500 days.  That’s less than 18 months.  The USA also has about 3% of world oil reserves, which is not surprising as it was the first territory to be intensively explored and produced; of course we ran out first!

The 2003 Iraq war was fought over oil, specifically to get the oil fields of Iraq under control of US companies.  It didn’t work.  Trying again HARDER will just fail HARDER.

Even if AGW isn’t true, there will still be wars if we don’t stop burning oil and coal.  The acidification of the oceans from CO2 is already eating into food chains.  As people’s livelihoods die off, they will either try to migrate (a la Zimbabweans) or steal (a la Somalis) to make a living.

We need to stop using oil, period.  I would suggest starting with a graduated annual tax on gas-guzzlers and an escalating tax on fuel.  When people crush their Hummers because they aren’t worth the taxes, all the parking meters have power cords and every road has bike lanes, we’ll be there.

The Expert answers:

She doesn’t wear underwear which lends her instant credibility.

We just need to work on that Article Two in the Constitution, and the whole Age 35 business…

The Expert answers:

What about the earth encircled by tees or such? Or tees growing out of a pot like a tree? Google eco-friendly and green under google images and you’ll get lots of ideas.

The Expert answers:

Try to find a store that sells it marshalls does i know that for a fact

The Expert answers:

Oh my god! There’s so much you can do! =3

You can make a compost pile (gather your organic trash such as the tips of vegetables and keep them in a pile where they can decay overtime). Compost is used as fertlizer for trees and plants. You can either donate it to a nearby facility that collects compost, or you can use it on your local trees yourself. But remember not to let it touch the roots or base of the tree because it will cause it to rot. You only want to put it on a circle around the tree on the soil so that the tree can gain nutrients.

Also related to trees, water the tree and if the soil is hard rake it to soften the soil. Hard soil suffocates the tree.

Another thing is you can use public transport more often than a car because the buses and trains run whether people get on or not, but a car is optional and pollutes the air more than necessary.

Use a regular old fan as opposed to an AC in hot weather because an AC is a far bigger energy waster.

Get a green roof! It’s a roof in which plants are planted at the top. You can use a green roof to harness solar power for the household, freshen the air with oxygen, and attract wildlife.

Create a trench in the edge of your sidewalk as far down as you can go and funnel your rainwater into a container for use. Why have all that good water going down the sewers when you can put it to use?

Whenever you get a haircut, donate your hair to organizations that use it to clean oil spills. Oil sticks to hair, so you can help clean the environment and protect marine life by donating your hair.

Oh, also, recycle your paper and reuse your own paper! Put your paper into a blender with water. Yup, the one for food. Blend and chop. And then (i’m not sure where you could buy one, my friend’s dad made hers though) build a wooden frame with a metal grate in it (very much like a net). Get a basin of water with the blended paper in it and then put the grate into it. All the way to the bottom. Then take it out and you should see that the paper pulp sticks to the grate (btw, the grate should be in the shape and size of paper). Then take some felt and stick it onto the wet paper pulp on the grate. Press it on evenly. And then hold the grate upside down on a table and bang it lightly, so that the felt will come off, with the paper sticking to it. Then just let it dry, and you’ve got your own recycled paper, perfect and usable.

And keep the heat in your house as low as possible in the winter. Wearing warm clothes is better than turning the heat up.

The Expert answers:

They sell some of the stuff from this company at Whole Foods Market(s), but there’s a whole catalog on-line – it’s http://www.underthecanopy.com/108ecte.html

The Expert answers:

I like 7th Generation. It gets my clothes really clean.

Kim at: http://www.peaceful-organic-planet.com

The Expert answers:

Besides the cloth ones, and the seventh-generation organic cotton ones, there’s also the cups. They’re a little awkward to use at first but generally very effective. O.b. Is a good option also as they have the least amount of excess product waste (applications, wrappers, etc.). Check the link for the article I found that discussed all the options.

The Expert answers:

The only thing that im really worried about was plastic bags for dog poop.I watched something awhile back talking about what plastic dog waste bags are doin to the landfills…billions of bags of dog poop just sitting.

So i made the eco-friendly decision to use Bio degradable doggie waste bags.In 45 to 60days the bags completely decompose.I ordered in bulk..600 bags for 63 dollars.Its better to buy in bulk or you could pay close to a dollar a bag.Im not really concerned with anything else eco-friendly as far as pet products go.But this is a small thing I can do as a pet owner i think is great.I think we all should try to do at least one thing.

Http://www.poopbags.com/index.html

The Expert answers:

I realize this is kinda missing the point, but I gotta throw this out there. Non-consumerism is the best way to be eco friendly.

The Expert answers:

Frogs, i believe.

The Expert answers:

I interviewed an entrepreneur who has produced the same thing you are thinking. Her name is Amilya Antonetti and she has started Soapworks (http://www.soapworks.com) manufacturing hypoallergenic cleaning products. She has now grown her business into a $10 million business in three years that it has been in business. Amilya’s company now offers a line of cleaning products: Laundry Powder or Liquid Laundry, Automatic Dishwashing Powder, All-Purpose Cleaner, Glass Cleaner, and Spot Cleaner. I think her products are now distributed in Traders Joe and other establishments.

Amilya Antonetti: How a Family Need Spurred a Profitable Business

But it was not easy. And very expensive. This is not a business you can start on a shoestring budget. To make it work, and to be able to compete with established brands in the market requires high capitalization. Unless you have the funds or investors are willing to back you up, think carefully before you start this business.

The Expert answers:

“Hedging on environmental destruction” Really you are posting this while the very nation you live in and you blow your horn about endlessly has built nuke plants in an active seismic zone with predictable results.
Tell us just how much radioactive water DID japan dump into the sea?????
You eating a whale meat sandwich while posting about republicans and the environment???
You LEFT the US go police your own chosen nation for problems.

The Expert answers:

The media is responsible for a lot of the non-sense that goes on in this society. Now all people want to see are immoral, talentless, brain-dead bimbos on television these days.

That’s why I only watch the crime channels and documentaries. At least there’s some type of substance to it.

The Expert answers:

Yes he has kept his promise to do that and for a bonus he has also bankrupted the entire country

The Expert answers:

Elwood, dont you wish 8 years ago Gore got into power. If there was ever a major political figure to go in search of alternative fuel source it was him.

The Expert answers:

Ha ha…..See, Democrats throw all this bullshit around…”we need to end our dependency on foreign oil”….”we need to lower the cost of health insurance”…etc…….blah, blah, blah. ALL THEY WANT IS TO CONTROL OUR EVERY MOVE!!!. When will people WAKE UP and realize this???? They don’t mean what they say!!! They never have and they never will!!! It’s a CONTROL thing!! They also rescinded the tax credit for putting energy efficient appliances, windows, insulation, etc…….this AFTER Obama said insulation was “sexy”……

So DAMN frustrating!!

The Expert answers:

Simple Green is an affordable all purpose alternative to most cleaning products and you can buy it in bulk from most major retailers. More information can be found here
http://dealhippie.com/green-cleaners/

The Expert answers:

I agree with you to a point, but…India has a very large population of poor people, is it fair to ask these people to pay more for products that are eco-friendly? Additionally…each person in India’s population has a smaller ecological footprint, or takes less from the environment on average than a person in a highly developed country with an economy based on consumption. It’s just not a logical place to start.

The Expert answers:

In the case of mattresses:
Foam is a petrol-based product- Alternative latex rubber comes from a sustainable tree.
Chemical fire retardants vs. Natural fire retardants.
Synthetic fibers used in mattress covers- often very chemical intensive processes-Cotton and or wool is sustainable.
Latex rubber, wool, and cotton all are biodegradable. In the end we are not burring our faces and bodies in a chemical nightmare no pun intended. This blog explains http://www.stlbeds.com/articles/2008/11/27/are-green-organic-latex-mattresses-any-good-or-just-a-sham/ if Green Organic Latex Mattresses Any Good Or Just a Sham in more detail.

The Expert answers:

If you want to shop online, i would use four green steps: http://www.fourgreensteps.com/marketplace/Home-Decor/

The Expert answers:

Are you looking for lights etc? There is ecogeekliving.com

The Expert answers:

I don’t trust him like I do Kucinich either.

But then, I wrote in Ron Paul.

Take care.

The Expert answers:

He has striking similarities. I guess that shows his hypocrisy in his comment that he wasn’t like our other presidents 😛

You should know that while the New Deal created a lot of great stuff, like highways, it didn’t cure the depression and some people think it made it worse. Alternative energy would be similar, you create a short term stimulus by creating jobs and investing in infrastructure, but when you’re done building all the solar and wind farms, all of those people are unemployed again. And worse, everyone working at nuke plants or coal plants or anything else that generates electricity is in danger of losing their jobs to the automated solar or wind farm.

He won’t legalize pot. First of all, he can’t, congress would have to write that law, and it’s not worth him risking the fallout. You certainly would not enhance society by making another narcotic vice legal. That’s not change we can believe in, and it certainly isn’t progress. He even said himself that he changed his mind on decriminalization, and that he is against it (he said because he didn’t know what it meant). Besides, you can’t tax weed anyway, it’s a weed, it grows in every climate. Why would you pay a tax on it when you can grow it at home for cheaper?

Stem cell research is LEGAL and has been legal FOREVER. That is not the issue, the issue is whether the government funds it or not, and I don’t think they should, because it’s a lucrative field and the private sector can manage it (and they do!) The government should be in the business of governing the people, not creating companies (like Fannie and Freddie), not managing health care, and not funding research and development.

The Expert answers:

I agree. With you .. The problem is common sence is not so common any longer .. The U.S. Is full of people that just take and not give back .. Greed is killing this country’s heart and soul… Still think the few can help the many .. At some point the United states need to learn to take care of there own before there no longer able to ..

The Expert answers:

Nothing will come of this (by which I mean no investigation of any kind, except perhaps over the theft of data).

AGW is now a fully functioning industry. There are too many jobs and reputations at stake for the whole thing to be scaled down. It’s like a kind of medieval collective madness with an attached business department.

The Expert answers:

When will ANY politician EVER have an ad that has any general substance? Do not watch all of the ads or do you just focus on the Obama ones because you don’t like him? McCain, the “Washington maverick”, puts out the same crap.

The Expert answers:

Make your own h/hold cleaners, polishers , by buying white vinegar, baking soda, ammonia and start from there, look up internet for handy hints. Have fun

The Expert answers:

Www.mygreencloset.com
www.happygreenbee.com
www.greenedgekids.com

For younger kids and babies

www.gonaturalbaby.com
www.llamajama.com

The Expert answers:

It’s very hard to be completely eco friendly living in any built up area, however there are things you can do

with cars, make sure the person driving (or when you do drive) isn’t driving too fast, an economic car can still burn a lot of fuel if you drive it to it’s limits and an uneconomic car driven at a normal speed will be more economic, although if possible walk or take public transport

don’t use any unnecessary electricity, make sure you turn your lights off and don’t leave your TV on when you’re not watching it

same goes for heating in winter, don’t turn it up too high, keep it a bit lower and wear a jumper

shower instead of having a bath and don’t spend too long in the shower, just do what you need to do

use stick deodorant rather than aerosols

don’t put your clothes in to wash until you have a full load to save water

wash dishes by hand instead of a dish washer

you can buy quite a lot of fair trade clothing on the highstreet now (if you live in the UK anyway) if not second hand is better than nothing, also donate your old clothes to charity if they’re in good enough condition and if not you can recycle them

recycle everything you can, plastic, paper, tins and cans etc and get a compost heap in your garden

not sure about eco friendly stores but there’s bound to be loads, do a search online for your local area, you can normaly do them on the yellow pages websites and things like that

there are loads of other things, it’s basicaly just being sensible about what you do and what you use

buy your food at local shops or at the very least check where it is from, lots of food in supermarkets comes from abroad so buying locally cuts down on food miles

The Expert answers:

Check amazon.com under organic clothing.

The Expert answers:

Soak them in salty, briny water. Works a treat!

The Expert answers:

That question will be debated long after your dead, I’m dead, and still no one will have a definite answer.

The Expert answers:

In terms of the actual process undertaken, glass is more efficiently recycled than plastic. For starters, the only difference in glass is the colour; plastics come in 7 different varieties, all of which must be recycled separately. There is also less energy required to recycle glass.

Obviously recycling everything you can is better than letting it clog up landfill, but the environmental rep[ercussions of using plastic are large and nasty. Stick to glass if you can.

The Expert answers:

Here are some sites to help you learn about and compare the candidates positions.

Http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21116732

http://www.selectsmart.com/president/2008.html

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/compare-candidates/index.html

http://www.votebyissue.org/election2008/q.aspx?q=5

The Expert answers:

Honestly, you’re probably better off to move somewhere that you can buy a house for cheap money, then wait till its gone up in price and sell it, so you can use that money to go somewhere warm. Cost of living in florida is fairly low, (compared to up here in New England anyways) so i’d start by looking there to see what you can afford. Are you moving alone? I’d recommend trying to find a person to room with to bring the cost down. When you first get out there it might be a good idea to room with just about anyone to save money. As you get more settled, you can be more picky about it. Good luck!

The Expert answers:

How about someone like Richard Branson or Allan Sugar? If not you could try either Ray Mears or that bloke that does the Tribe series.

Hope that is along the lines you are looking for…