New Year’s resolutions. We all make them, then we all don’t keep them. Well, some of us might, but not many. Maybe they’re too big and overwhelming to keep or too small to remember. Or maybe we make New Year’s resolutions that usually only affect ourselves, so there aren’t consequences if we don’t keep them.
2009 is a new beginning — we have a new president and many are optimistic for positive change. But Barack Obama has a big job ahead of him. The economy, the war and taxes aside, he faces innumerable challenges with the current environmental crisis. And even though it’s a cliché, he needs our help.
So this year, why not make New Year’s resolutions for the environment? It may sound like an idea that’s too big and impossible. But it doesn’t have to be big and it is possible (see story below). Here are some options:
— If you know you’re not good at keeping resolutions, some time this week or next, replace one light bulb in your home with an Energy Star qualified compact fluorescent light bulb. B&G Hardware in Williamsburg sells them, so call your local hardware store and check. They use 75 percent less energy and last 10 times longer than incandescent bulbs (energys tar.com), so you can replace one and probably forget about 
it for the rest of the year. It will save you money and conserve energy.
— Decorate your home with a snake plant, spider plant, gerbera daisy (right), Christmas cactus or a rubber plant. It will not only look pretty all year long — it will also remove toxins from the air so you can breathe healthier.
— Purchase one or two canvas tote bags. Store them in your car if you have one, or fold them up small enough to fit in your purse or even your coat pocket. If you have a reusable bag with you at all times, you don’t have to worry about collecting more plastic bags that take up to 1,000 years to degrade.
— And if you’re up for a commitment, resolve to recycle. It will keep bottles, cans and paper out of our landfills.
— Or, if you’re feeling generous, visit carbonfund.org and purchase carbon offsets. You can replace the carbon footprint generated from the day-to-day activities at your home, or after you’ve taken a vacation.
So this year, make a green resolution. It doesn’t have to be big, and it doesn’t have to involve much energy (pun intended). If everyone made just one green change, imagine the impact it would have.
Daisy image courtesy of Dez Pain
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A comment on this blog alerted me to the website bagnesia.com. The site sells reusable bags (pictured here) that fold up to measure 4" by 2", so you can store them almost anywhere. Also available is a "reminder kit" and produce bags.
Thanks, Alanis!
Image courtesy of bagnesia.com
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If you knew how much water you were using, would you use as much?
Here's a good way to find out: the next time you're brushing your teeth, washing your hands, or doing the dishes in the sink, close the drain so the water fills up in the sink. If you see how much water is building up, maybe you'll use less.
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Deirdre Imus, bestselling author of the "Green This!" series of books, visited PS 54 to guide students on how to reduce health effects in the everyday environment and lead healthier lifestyles.
Imus held a question and answer session with fourth- and fifth-grade students, introducing them to environmental issues, making them aware of environmental health hazards they may face in their everyday lives and encouraging them to practice healthy habits that will ensure their own wellness and the wellness of their families.
At the end of the session, the children presented Imus with a handwritten book summarizing answers to her questions and each received a packet from the Deirdre Imus Environmental Center for Pediatric Oncology with helpful green tips to use at home.
Founder of the Deirdre Imus Environmental center for Pediatric Oncology at the Hackensack University Medical Center, Imus was brought to the school by Communications Consultant Leslie Yerman of Leslie J. Yerman Communications, who is partnered with the school through the nonprofit organization PENCIL.
PENCIL builds and supports customized relationships between business leaders and principals to inspire innovative solutions to the challenges facing New York City public schools.
Photos of Imus with the students courtesy of the Marino Organization
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Here's your dilemma: Since you heard about plastic grocery bags sitting in landfills for up to an estimated 1,000 (!) years, you've switched to a canvas tote. But you still have tons of plastic bags kept in a larger plastic bag under your sink (or in your closet). And sometimes you forget to bring a reusable tote and take home a few more. Other times you (gasp!) throw one or two away because what on earth can you do with so many plastic bags?!
If this is you, you're not alone. I myself have a box full of plastic bags, some of which are three years old. So, thinking that readers might also have this problem, I Googled "what to do with plastic bags," and found some ideas. The obvious is to find a plastic bag recycling bin at your local grocery store, but this could pose a problem, because some types of plastic can't be recycled with others.
I also found several websites dedicated to craft projects made out of plastic bags. Some crafters fuse plastic bags together by ironing them, then sew those into totes, jewelry, jackets, dresses...etc. But melting and fusing plastic releases fumes that may or may not be toxic. I can't see how they could be very good for you or the environment.
Other crafters cut their plastic bags into strips and knit or crochet with them. If you know how to knit or crochet, I think this is the project for you. I searched through some sites and found a basic and easy pattern (because who wants to devote tons of time on a complicated pattern for knitting plastic bags?) and you can find it here.
If you don't know how to knit and desperately want to knit up your plastic bags, here's a step-by-step video from youtube.
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Every month, the Center for the Urban Environment holds a "Third Thursday" event, on the third Thursday of the month for a discussion about the environment and today's issues. Last Thursday the discussion was about water. Guests were invited to see what they really know about the future of New York City’s waterfront. 'City of Water,' a new documentary by the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance and the Municipal Art Society was shown. MWA President Roland Lewis and filmmaker Jasper Goldman talked about how the documentary tackled issues of development and access to the waterfront head-on. Two years in the making, 'City of Water' explores the aspirations of public officials, environmentalists, academics, community activists, recreational boaters and everyday New Yorkers for a diverse, vibrant waterfront at a time when the shoreline is changing faster than at any other time in New York’s history.
For more information, visit www.thecue.org.
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If you’re like me, watching Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth made you a little depressed. And hearing all the scientific reports about global warming makes you a little discouraged and overwhelmed. If it’s so bad, how can we possibly make a difference, right?
Well, not really. It is possible to change the course of the environmental crisis, maybe even stop it completely. And it doesn’t have to be that hard. Imagine if every person in this country started recycling his or her bottles and cans. Or if every person replaced just one light bulb in his or her house with another, more energy efficient one. The results might prove us wrong.
This is the point of a new book released by Hatherleigh Press, entitled You Can Save the Earth: 7 Reasons Why & 7 Simple Ways. A collaborative effort by several publishers, editors and writers who work at Hatherleigh — based in Long Island City — one of the editors who worked closest on the book is from Brooklyn.
Anna Krusinski has lived in Bensonhurst for three years. A recent graduate of Hunter college, Krusinski has always been an environmental activist: “I’m kind of a pain in the butt about recycling,” she laughed. “I’m passionate about it.”
So working at Hatherleigh ... read more
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it for the rest of the year. It will save you money and conserve energy.
