What is Organic Composting?

Making compost will help you reduce pollution and reduce the use of land for waste disposal! Your Plants will grow with the healthy and fresh, this will also save you money on fertilizers. Usually we use the brown bins to accommodate leaves, grass and other that can be used as compost, which is then emptied every two weeks.
What is compost?

Garden guides often describe composting as natures way of recycling.

Composting is indeed a natural way of recycling, harnessing natural processes rather than machinery and man-made chemicals, but it takes people to do it.

Soil maintenance is at the heart of organic growing: dont feed the plants, feed the soil -- the plants will look after themselves. The extremely complex subject of soil maintenance can happily be summed up in one word: composting.

A smelly hole at the far end of the garden filled with putrefying kitchen wastes and flies buzzing round. Thats what compost isnt. No stinks, no flies, though kitchen waste is welcome.

Compost is not just decayed organic matter. Composting is applied microbiology at its most complex, involving the interactions of thousands upon thousands of different species of micro organisms in a highly complex ecosystem.

What can I compost?

If it can rot it will compost, but some items are best avoided. Some things, like grass mowings and soft young weeds, rot quickly. They work as activators or hotter rotters, getting the composting started, but on their own will decay to a smelly mess. Recycle your plant-based, kitchen and garden waste by making it into compost.

Older and tougher plant material is slower to rot but gives body to the finished compost - and usually makes up the bulk of a compost heap. Woody items decay very slowly; they are best chopped or shredded first, where appropriate.

A container or brown bin is not an absolute necessity as you can make perfectly good compost in a free standing heap as long as it is large enough. You will see later why this may be a drawback. Assuming then that we need to make a container we are faced with many choices.

Why not make or buy a compost bin? Theyre usually cheap to buy, and are available in wood or recycled plastic (that might otherwise be in your local landfill site). If youre keen you could combine it with a wormery or use a shredder which increases the amount of compostable waste. Do not compost foods such as dairy produce, meat, bread etc as these attract flies and vermin.

How do I know when its done?

That depends. What was a pile of plant material will gradually, from the bottom up, turn into a pile of dark stuff that looks like brown dirt. Eventually, none of the items you put in there will be recognizable. If youre using it out in the garden, a few small recognizable bits wont hurt - theyll finish composting in the garden. If youre using it for houseplants or to start seeds, its better to wait until its well finished so you dont have microbes attacking the fine rootlets of new plants.

Dig it in to have a healthy, fertile garden and your fruit and vegetables can be organic. Dont assume the waste is harmless and bin it. Putting it in landfill costs money and it will produce methane (a global warming gas); also it may pollute the groundwater.

Compost waste often comprises about 20-30% of your total household waste and the impact on recycling is significant.

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Alternative Energy Solutions in a Time of Power Changes

This is unofficial, but many of us around the world agree on one thing: there will be changes in energy in the future, it is very likely. All also know that energy as a big issue in the contemporary world, and we have been convinced that humanity is at a crucial Crossroads in its history because we face an energy shortage. Many experts say that alternative energy is a solution to overcome this problem.

By energy, I mean the fuel that drive our cars, give us electricity and enables us to enjoy modern amenities we feel so vulnerable without. Fossil fuels have been the prime source of energy for human society since the beginning of the industrial revolution. These fossil fuels have been the muscles, which have enabled us to

progress and develop to such dizzying heights. We face a problem in the 21st century because our stocks and reserves of these fossil fuels are running low; this news is worsened by the fact that these reserves cannot be renewed. Many governments and private agencies have started promoting Alternative Energy Solutions to overcome the looming energy crisis caused by the depletion of the non renewal's sources of energy that all fossil fuels - coal, all oil and natural gas - represent.

Alternative Energy Solutions include all prime movers that can use a renewable natural resource to produce energy. This may be wind, thermal energy from the earth, and wave action in the shores and solar energy from the sun. Alternative energy resources can also include new technology like fuel cells. However the primary fuel

humanity has long depended on has been oil. We now know from our own projections that the oil reserves in the world are slated to be unviable by 2050. Simply put, the world is running out of gas! In addition, not to mention, time.

The utilization of other forms of energy is therefore very important. When we speak of alternative energy, it usually means the production of electricity via the use of some natural and renewable resource. What are these renewables, one may ask. Someone else may extend this line of questioning and say: Are these renewable resources as efficient as the fossil fuels? Below are some answers.

Wind energy is the word that comes to mind whenever people talk of renewable energy sources. Humans have harnessed the wind to drive machines since medieval times. In the 21st century we use wind turbines to produce electricity. As a source of power, wind is an excellent option. Wind turbines generate electricity by rotary motion that is caused by the airflow.

Some of the negatives associated with wind energy and wind turbines lie in the unpredictability of wind. For example, no wind means the turbine does not rotate and electricity is not generated. Sites are another problem; rows and rows of wind turbines are just not feasible in a city of a few million people. The most important issue however lies in cost effectiveness, most power companies are still reluctant to invest in or buy their power from companies that use wind turbines. This is changing as governments around the world have started subsidizing power generation through alternative sources like wind.

There are other possible sources of renewable energy; tidal energy uses the energy of the ocean and is an effective though rather geographically limited source of power, thermal energy from the earth taps geysers and other underground sources of heat. This is a very important source of energy in places like Iceland - it is also geographically limited in its suitability. Nuclear energy can be considered a potentially inexhaustible source of power. However, it could have many dangerous complications and most environmentalists fear its use.

New technological innovations like fuel cells are still a long way off from truly becoming substitutes to the fossil fuel powered internal combustion engines that have driven us all this far down the road. Indeed looking at all the possible sources of alternate energy and especially renewable, wind and hydroelectric projects are the only two viable long term sources, solar power is a potentially huge alternative source of energy but it has a technological handicap-we do not posses the engineering expertise to make better solar cells. Solar cells are also very costly to produce and are not cost effective - even less so than wind.

Given all the setbacks we currently are unable to overcome, it will still be some time yet before we can throw away the polluting but efficient, fossil fuel guzzling machines that we so fondly know as cars. The use of alternative energy sources is a very important area of research and demands humanity's attention.

As soon as fuel supplies run out on us, we may have to go back to that ultimate transport machine to take us places: our legs.

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California Environmental and Toxic Tort Law

Case of Environmental and Toxic Tort Law in California are is often the case with the same. in this century the omissions a big company never ended and people have seen the dangers of the environment such as global warming caused and groundwater pollution, such cases can not only provide a measure of redress to injured plaintiffs but also assist in the fight against what some entities would do to our planet in the name of profit.

Individuals in their homes, at work, in school and during leisure or recreational activities are exposed to toxic chemicals, drugs, and mercury from the places they live, work, or elsewhere spend time and what they eat and drink and the cosmetics they use.

They can be damaged by exposure to asbestos, lead, mercury, zinc, chromium, TCE, PCBs, arsenic, benzene, beryllium, pesticides, silica, manganese, formaldehyde and other toxins from places and things they would never have expected. Examples include lead-paint covered toys, toxic chemicals not only in the groundwater and the tap water used by companies to fill bottled water.

But pollution can come from the air, from the water, from the soil, and from other sources one often doesn't consider. Pollution also comes from electro-magnetic fields, cigarette smoke, and mold in the home or at work.

Air pollution includes unhealthy levels in the air quality index, acid rain, indoor air quality, and particulate pollution from construction. Smog and haze aren't just depressing, they can also be deadly when filled with types of pollution that is of particular risk to the elderly. Carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and chlorofluorocarbons are just some of the chemicals one faces in every day life. Too much of any of these can cause severe problems including cancer and even death to most anyone, not to mention other damage to the ecosystem.

Water pollution can come from wastewater, surface runoff, sewage, waterborne diseases, water quality, oil spills, ship pollution, and ocean acidification, just to name a few sources. Soil pollution can come from herbicides, pesticides and even from invasive species. Among those soil contaminants people should be most concerned with, are MTBE, heavy metals, hydrocarbons, and chlorinated hydrocarbons.

Because it happened thirty years ago, many today are unfamiliar with or have forgotten the groundwater pollution case known as Love Canal. In the late 1970s, residents in the Love Canal area of New York were suffering from high rates of cancer and birth defects. The cause was traced to chemicals that had infiltrated into the groundwater and water supply from an industrial landfill. Hundreds of families were reimbursed for their damages but had to move from the area.

Radioactive contamination is becoming more and more of a problem. There is already plutonium in the environment, radium in the environment, uranium in the environment and other environmental radioactivity. Soon we will be hearing more about alpha emitters and actinides.

Recently there has been much publicity about the increase in bed bugs in hotels, schools and homes. When one goes on vacation, one must also worry about lice, ticks and other bugs that can be carried home. When one goes to the hospital or to the doctor, one can return with a more dangerous infection or virus than the problem the patient was originally concerned about.

While not a health risk, there is also visual pollution such as that caused from billboards, to the recent addition of advertising at the gas pump, in elevators and in public restrooms, as well as light pollution.

In the health field, pollution can come in the form of contamination of blood, from the environment of the hospital, the medications, thimerosal (a preservative used to prevent spoiling in vaccines) surgical implants, the beds or from other patients.

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Crime Prevention through Environmental Design (CPTED)

What is CPTED? The official book definition is "the use of appropriate design and effective in the environment can lead to a reduction to feel fear and incidence of crime and to improve the quality of life." This is merely just a goal to reduce opportunities for crime that may be inherent in the design of structures or in the design of neighborhoods. In other words, make your home or neighborhood unappealing to burglars and Thugs.

Cities and Counties throughout the country are adopting CPTED ordinances requiring site plan reviews with crime prevention in mind. Law enforcement officers who are specially trained in CPTED are now working closely with Planners, Architects, City Officials, and Educators to ensure the proper design of structures, schools, and neighborhoods. These experts know how the design and use of the environment can control human or criminal behavior and reduce the fear of crime. They used natural means such as landscaping to deter criminals. Access control, natural surveillance, different aspects of lighting and its effects on human behavior, all deter crime.

Many landscape specialists incorporate CPTED into their layout & design of landscapes. Each of the following CPTED strategies are low cost guidelines that they apply to reduce the fear and incidence of crime and improve the quality of life.

1. Natural Access Control guides people entering & leaving a space through the placement of entrances, exits, fences, landscaping & lighting. Access control can decrease opportunities for criminal activity by denying criminals access to potential targets & creating a perception of risk for would-be offenders. Walkways & landscaping should direct visitors to the proper entrance & away from private areas. The design should create a perception of risk for would-be offenders. Walkways should be installed in locations safe for pedestrians & keep them unobscured.

2. Natural Surveillance is the placement of physical features, activities & people in a way that maximizes visibility. A potential criminal is less likely to attempt a crime if he or she is at risk of being observed. At the same time, we are likely to feel safer when we can see & be seen. The landscaping should be selected and installed to allow unobstructed views of doors & windows. The front door should be at least partially visible from the street. Shrubs & bushes near windows should not restrict full visibility of the property. Sidewalks & all areas of the yard should be well lit.

3. Territorial Reinforcement is use of physical attributes that express ownership such as fences, signage, landscaping, lighting, pavement designs, etc. Defined property lines and clear distinctions between private & public spaces are examples of the application of territoriality. Front porches or stoops should create a transitional area between the street & the home. Property lines & private areas should be defined with plantings, fences or retaining walls. Use thorny plants along fence lines and under windows to deter access by intruders.

4. Maintenance is a well maintained home, building or community, and creates a sense of ownership. A well kept area tends to make someone feel like they will be observed by neighbors or business owners as it is obvious people care about the area. Keep trees & shrubs trimmed back from windows, doors & walkways. Keep shrubs trimmed to 3 feet & prune the lower branches of trees up to 7 feet. Use exterior lighting at night & keep it in working order. Keep litter & trash picked up & the yard neat & free of items that might attract theft.

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Safe Ways to Remove Weeds

Concerns about herbicides is more and what do they doing for our environment. A large amounts of chemicals in the groundwater causes of pollution in our water supply. Chemicals and pollution in our environment are often associated with cancer and other strange diseases. So how do we control all those pesky Weeds in our perfectly manicured landscapes? I will outline several different ways to eradicate Weeds without polluting our environment.

The first and probably the simplest of all, is to roll up your sleeves, get down on your knees, and pull the weeds out! I know this seems counterintuitive in an age when we are accustomed to instantaneous and easy ways of doing things. When all we have to do is spray some highly-toxic chemical on a plant and it seemingly evaporates in less that a day! But back in the day, people used to buy tools like a hoe, or dandelion pullers to actually exert physical work to remove weeds. I prefer this method as it actually feels good to get back to our natural instincts and commune with our surroundings. Sweating in the hot sun and doing physical labor is good for the mind, body, and spirit, and with this technique, we can actually eliminate weeds!

A tip for pulling weeds is to give the weed bed a good watering the night before. With the ground thoroughly soaked, the soil will be softened and will yield the entire weed plant, root and all.

The second method is equally effective but it is more difficult to isolate a single weed in a bed of desirable plants. Simply pour hot, boiling water over the weed. The hot water will kill the weed. The next time you make a pot of tea and you have some water left over, pour it on the weeds. How about pasta water? Or corn on the cob? Plenty of boiling water left over there! While the corn is cooking or the pasta simmering, take a quick walk outside to see what weeds need to go. That way you can quickly locate them with your hot pot of water.

And lastly, you can use a string trimmer or lawn mower and just mow them down. Sure, they will grow back up but just keep whacking them down. They are green and produce lots of oxygen for your environment, and mowed down low, who would ever suspect that you have a lawn full of weeds. My lawn is full of clover and violets. Mowed down low, it looks like a beautiful lawn. However, I am the envy of the neighborhood every Spring when my lawn is covered with white and purple flowers during the month of April.

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Industrial & Environmental Chemical Toxicity

Occupational Exposure and environmental exposure to potential toxic chemicals have been reported with the frequently more in the last five years, most likely as the result of:
1. Increased public awareness
2. Improved reporting by physicians
3. Unlimited access to the information data banks
4. Regulatory support more efficient
5. Increased recognition by treating and evaluating physicians.

A physician who evaluates and treats patients with toxic exposure has to address the issue of causation. This issue of medical causation in toxic exposures has been the subject of ongoing scientific evolution over the last forty (40) years. As science evolves so does the understanding of causation and scientific evidence.

The Methodology For Establishing Cause And Effect

The evaluating and treating doctor has to establish cause and effect in the process of providing treatment, diagnosis or the evaluation of a population of patients for the purposes of consultations for forensic toxicology opinions. The methodology for establishing causation in the medical profession is not new and has been established and published in various texts, international and national conferences, and scientific peer-reviewed papers. Despite the fact that the methodology required to establish causation in toxic exposures has been well-described, the applicability of that methodology in the forensic medicine (medical-legal) arena has been a subject of deep division among experts, attorneys, and the judicial system.

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Wood Burning Fireplaces

Environmental Psychology considers two issues with wood burning fireplaces. Is this important to you? Is your home environment only for emotional support or for saving the environment?
If you plan to move to a new home or to build a home, you may draw a line through a fireplace as a necessity. Although people love the warmth, comforting crackling sounds, aromas, and moving light a wood burning fire provides, fireplaces can emit polluted air into your home and into your neighborhood.

Most home shoppers request a fireplace. Home buyers desire a hearth, which symbolizes home. Families gather around the fireplace during holiday celebrations and quiet conversations. Book lovers enjoy curling up next to a fire on a cool afternoon. Many new homes feature fireplaces in the main bedroom. After all, what’s more romantic than a fire?

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, wood-burning fireplaces emit nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, organic gases, and particulate matter. These pollutants can cause serious health problems for children, pregnant women, and people with respiratory problems. Like cigarette smoke, some of these elements contain cancer-causing properties.

Some urban cities have considered banning wood-burning fireplaces altogether to stem the flow of pollutants in the smog-filled air. Some California cities and counties have enacted local ordinances to limit the growing wood smoke problem. Mammoth Lakes, Squaw Valley, Cloverdale, Fresno, and many cities and counties in the Bay Area permit installation of only U.S.EPA certified wood-fired appliances in all new construction. Since 1991, the Bay Area AQMD has issued advisories for a voluntary no-burn program on poor air quality nights, "Spare the Air Tonight".

But wait! Solutions exist so you can enjoy your fire. To keep pollutants from entering your room air, you can install a certified clean-burning fireplace insert and a glass screen. Buy a carbon monoxide monitor and an oxygen-depletion sensor to ensure safe air. The new fireplace systems keep pollutants from leaving your chimney.

Other considerations for you to ponder include the source of heating for your home. What happens when natural gas demand outpaces production? Prices skyrocket. And if your heat comes from a coal-burning electrical plant, doesn't the burning coal produce toxins that pollute the air?

If you're building a new home, consider installing a Pellet Stove, the most efficient and least polluting of the new stove designs. Pellet Stoves provide less than 1 gram per hour of particulate emissions. Most of these stoves s require electricity and burn compressed wood waste formed into pellets.

Be kind to yourself and to the environment. Consider these environmental issues when you light up your fire.

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Sound Automotive Air Filters

When I explain to someone there about some kind of vehicle air filters that apply to the environmental sound I usually receive a quizzical look back from that people. Motorists For some the idea of environmentally compatible automotive parts is a foreign concept to them. Yet, when you think about it many parts that come standard on just about any vehicle qualifies for that title. Catalytic converter is one part that everyone knows about it, even if they do not understand exactly how a work. So, what exactly environmentally sound air filter? Let's take a closer look for all the details.

As you probably know the air filter that comes with your car is made predominately of paper with plastic molding holding the filter together. If you change the air filter at recommended intervals – once a year is common – you can easily go through 3, 5, or even 10 or more air filters depending on how long you keep your car as well as how many miles you put on your car. All of these air filters end up in your trash and then go straight to the dump. The paper in the filter will probably disintegrate quickly, but the plastic sits in place perhaps for thousands of years.

If this sort of thing disturbs you then take heart. Thanks to race car technology, manufacturers have developed reusable air filters for many production vehicles. If you purchase one for your vehicle it likely will be the last one you ever need. How is that? Because a reusable air filter can be cleaned and put back in your car over and over again. In fact, quality reusable air filters are designed to outlast your car with many guaranteed to last 500,000 miles or more, even up to one million miles!

A reusable air filter costs more, with prices running approximately 2-4 times the price of a standard air filter. If you keep your car for any length of time you will get that money back, but if do not you are still helping to show environmental responsibility by keeping our landfills free of unnecessary throw away parts.

Two additional benefits of a reusable air filter -- the type that K&N and other top manufacturers produce -- is that it will give your vehicle a boost in horsepower as your engine will run more efficiently. Furthermore, a more efficient engine burns less fuel so your fuel economy goes up too.

So, what is there not to like about a reusable air filter? In reality, not much! By installing a reusable [or performance] air filter you help the environment, realize a noticeable gain in horsepower, and you burn less fuel. A true win-win-win proposition, don’t you agree?

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Iso 14001 Environmental Management Systems

The Individuals dealing with the management system development and improvement of the frequently asked about the relative merits of independent as opposed of the combination system of the two standard - and other possibilities as well.

Avoiding the trap of siding with a particular faction within the organisation posing the question, the logical solution is to integrate the systems from the outset. Much of the required material for the environmental standard already exists as part of the quality management system, and the advantage of having one overall management task is surely a real benefit.

The inspection status of the two standards at the present time (2008) introduces a credible reason for splitting the systems, specifically with regard to the distinct difference in the focus on statutory and legal obligations made necessary by the documents. The soon to be appearing revision of ISO 9001, supposedly more similar to the recent ISO14001, should take away this seemingly anomalous condition, although it should still be kept in mind that a company is regulated by legal requirements with respect to the environment, regardless of whether or not it utilises the environmental standard.

The expense of creating a new Environmental management system for registration requirements wouldn't be much different to the expense of a corresponding Quality management system, where as the expense of combining an environmental piece to a current quality system would most likely be much less. This is simply because of a similar basic document framework with compatible requirements. A certain amount of training would be required, both for management and the employees, although any internal auditors may need a great deal of training and mentoring.

There is an additional financial benefit to putting the two systems together - particularly if both don't initially exist at the beginning of the task - the good fortune to not include any of the bureaucracy that so often results from retaining a management system with a formal registration, particularly the anomalous Quality Manager appointment. This post is a throwback to the application of Quality Assurance within manufacturing, when Chief Inspectors became managers of quality, and business continued in the way it always had. With the introduction of a combined quality and environmental management system the way is clear to dispense with the management post, redistribute responsibilities to those able to deliver results against those responsibilities, and recognize control and development of the management system to be one of Systems Integrity, with little to do with product or service delivery performance.

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The Solution to Environmental Decay

There are several activities in the entire universe need to reviewed and that activities are ongoing. That 'ignorance is a disease' is a common adage among our people. The same thing is often associated with knowledge about our environment. Ignorance about the environment we are also concerned that the disease along with human health. The environment should be preserved and kept clean.

Taking a look at the case of many developing nations of the world, there the environment is saddled with both national and man made problems that threaten the existence of man together with the classified flora and fauna around. Such problems include desert encroachment, drought, erosion, industrial pollution, illegal and indiscriminate dumping of toxic and hazardous waste, global warming, bush burning, deteriorating urban and rural sanitation, oil spillage and lots like problems.

According to the 1990 World Bank Report, major developing countries losses a staggering sum of about hundreds of US Dollars yearly to environmental related problems. Environmental education thus becomes a necessary solution to this problem. Environmental education is aimed at providing every person with the opportunity to acquire the knowledge, value, attitudes, commitment and skills needed to protect and improve the environment. To improve the nation’s health through environmental education, all hand must be on deck. Governments at the various levels in the developing nations of the world should rise up to these challenges gearing towards arresting and solving the environmental problems. In the same vein, the United Nations should increase there power and level of awareness on the affected nations through the media as a sophisticated means of passing the information. The Non Governmental Organizations (NGO) should as well be funded by the United Nations and the government of the nations involved playing a vital role to ensuring adequate health service delivery systems are installed in their local communities. This will in turn provide an orientation course for the various offices, place of works and the homes to start practicing the outlined measures to fight environmental menace. The various religious groups will also participate towards creating the awareness to a large extent hence people will in turn abide by there teachings.

The environment is basic to human existence, hence anything that affects it, will invariably affect not only its quality but also that of man’s life.

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Recycle: Composting Your Food Waste

Americans put thousands of tons of waste every year on the landfills, although the government has created a more stringent standards for waste disposal on landfills, such as eliminating items that will not biodegrade within a reasonable amount of time, lining landfills harmful chemicals so that did make it through do not end up in our water supply and so on, the fact we can do more than that.

Even though we can do more, when you present most people with the question or the responsibility of doing more to keep trash out of landfills, almost invariably the first question they will ask is, “what’s it going to cost me?

That is a fact of life and who can blame them. A lot of people are on tight budgets just to feed their families or keep a roof over their heads, so spending extra money on recycling is not an option.

So to make it clear, the information that I am about to give you, so you can help reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, will not cost you a dime. The only thing it will cost you is a couple of minutes of your day.

I am talking about recycling your food waste. You can do this in a couple of different ways. Although both ways are called vermicomposting, the first way is what deem as managed composting. This is where you build a box, or have some kind of container, and in that container you have worms known as red wigglers (commonly used for fishing). These aren’t some wild species of worms, you probably or should I say more than likely have thousands in your ground right now, and that is a good thing.

You add your food waste to your container of worms, cover the waste with damp shredded newspaper so the smell of the food waste does not seep out and you are done. In about 60 days the worms will have consumed all the waste, leaving behind their castings. It is these castings that you add to your flower beds, and gardens as it is the best type of fertilizer you can give them. What you have just done is keep the food waste out of the landfill, feed worms and they in turn gave you great compost. It is a win-win for everybody (or everything).

Of course the managed way will required you to keep monitoring the container so the worms are never without food. You will need a container, you will need to keep it damp as worms like moist environments, and of course it needs to stay dark at all times.

However there is an easier way. If you have a section of your yard that you use as a vegetable garden or flower bed, you can simply dig a hole about a foot to 3 feet deep (depending on the amount of food waste you have), and bury your food scraps. The worms (and bacteria, fungi and other helpful creatures in the ecosystem) will find your food scraps, eat them and leave their castings in the soil. Then all you have to do is turn your soil over to mix the castings and whoala you are done!

You should pick the scenario that best fits your situation and of course budget. But as you can see both options are very beneficial to the environment by adding much need nutrients to your soil and keeping the food waste out of a landfill.

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Recycling: Getting Double Use Out of Products

One Gallon Plastic Milk Containers
This one I must compliment on my father. This his idea although I am sure was other people around the world are also the same, but I learned this from my father, so this article is tribute for him. If you have children you'll buy lots of milk, then before you throw it in your plastic recycle bin (or heaven forbid the trash that goes to the landfill) get double use out of it first.

First things first, clean out the milk container by filling it with water and rinsing it out. Now fill the milk container with tap water up to the top. Do not put the lid on the milk container, you can go ahead and recycle that. Place the milk container filled with water in your freezer. In a day or two you will have a nice solid block of ice.

When you are ready to use it, run the frozen milk container under warm water for twenty to thirty seconds to loosen the ice off the sides and then using a pair of scissors cut away the plastic. You can now recycle the plastic milk container. Use a screw driver or ice pick to break up the block of ice to a more usable size, or if you go camping, leave it as a complete block and it will last longer.

Plastic Coffee Lids
Most coffee lids can not be recycled since they are formed from a different type of plastic compound then other plastic material. But do not fear, they can still be used for something. Take this plastic coffee lids and use them as protectors in your fridge for products that might spill and be hard to clean up later like syrup, ketchup, mustard and so on.

I also use them as coasters for my drinks. Sure they aren’t the most stylish around but they serve my purpose well and since they are just going to get thrown away anyway I mind as well get as much use out them as possible.

Large Cereal Boxes
Most cereal boxes can be recycled with your cardboard but I like this idea of using cereal boxes for another purpose. My wife and son love Cheerios. So when we go shopping she makes sure she buys the very large box of Cheerios. This large box is perfect for storing magazines. I especially like using the large cereal box for my magazines that I keep out in the garage as well as to hold of the user’s manuals for all of my power tools. I properly mark the box on the sides, remove the tops (and sometimes cut the sides of the boxes off) and my cereal box has now become a reusable resource.

Recycling is not a cumbersome task or labor intensive job, it is a new mindset. Recycling is a way for you to think of what to do with something other than its intended purpose. Get in the habit of every time before you throw something away, give a quick thought as to what you can do with it before it ends up in that landfill.

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Global Environmental Changes

One of the most into the debating nowadays is environment changes . environment Changes is the real caused by human, especially in the air and sea. Our knowledge in the attempt to comprehend the changes has evolved from pure research, mostly in the physical sciences, with the goal of understanding climate change directed towards a field of science that works, hand in hand, with other sciences such as ecology and the various social sciences. The field of studying global environmental changes focuses on the accurate categorization of the weakness and flexibility of ecosystems, that are either natural or managed, and the effects of human societies on the global change.

The Industrial Revolution and the continuous growth of human population on the planet led to more destruction of major areas of forest cover and to an increasing need to eliminate forests for agriculture and for the required expansion of cities and urbanized zones. Another point causing the changes is the increase of atmospheric temperatures as a result of the amounts of carbon dioxide that is being emitted continuously into the planet’s atmosphere resulting in what is commonly known as global warming.

Another global change in environment is the decline of fish stock. The Decline of fish stocks is mostly related to a wide range of human activities, and again we find that the growth of human population and the extended life spans of human beings in the last few decades have contributed enormously to the decline of fish stocks as commercial fishing has increased to a very large extent.

Numerous approaches to solve these problems have been developed by now, but any of them could considerably better the situation.

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Recycling Plastic Makes Economic and Environmental Sense

In the Worldwide plastic products are everywhere. As dependency upon these light weight and durable products increased, so did the needs of global innovation in recycling technologies also increases. Many recycling companies to develop the plastic waste into hundreds of products, from paint brushes to rugs and pillows, boat hulls and Railroad ties.

Calling the Consumer
The greatest challenge to recycling manufacturers is educating and engaging the public. About 75 percent of Americans recycle newspaper and cardboard while little more than 25 percent recycle plastic. Industry analysts think this low response rate might be due to a lack of understanding about the coding on recyclable plastics - the small triangle with a number in the center - that identifies what kind of plastic an item is.

The most frequently recycled plastics of the seven groups of polymer plastics are PET 01,used in soft drink bottles and smaller jars; PE-HD 02, a harder and more durable plastic used in milks bottles and large trash bags; and PE-LD 04 that's tough yet flexible and used in frozen food bags, flexible container lids and squeeze bottles.

Although the recycling rate of these and other products is not yet impressive, the numbers have been steadily rising since 1990. In 2006, about 2.2 billion pounds of PET plastic bottles were recycled and 928 million pounds of HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) containers made it to recyclers.

Innovating PET Production
As awareness of the environmental damage done by polymers increased, so too did the urgency to encourage recycling. At the same time, experimentation with processing and application rose. For example, according to a CNN report, a Ph.D. in India, Dr. S. Madhu, included shredded and melted plastic in a roadway surfacing mix. Working for the Kerala Highway Research Institute, Madhu mixed the plastic with aggregate and bitumen to create a surface that withstands the pounding of annual monsoon seasons.

Working in a highly regulated environment, conventional recycling manufacturers focus on producing a long list of common products. Although processes vary, they generally follow a common methodology. First, plastics are sorted according to their PET identification number. This is often done before the recycled products reach the manufacturer. The "dirty" PET containers are also cleaned of labels, glue and other residual materials. A dirty regrind of the PET then goes to re-claimers who process the material into a form that can be used by manufacturers. Re-claimers further clean the materials of contaminants and materials that are lighter than the plastic. The final flakes of PET are washed with a special detergent that gets rid of glues, food or dirt.

Next, the PET materials are further treated with processes that separate the heavier PET particles from the lighter ones - this is called the float-sink stage. The plastics are then dried and ready to become new products in the hands of manufacturers throughout the world.

But, new methods are constantly being developed to recycle PET products, including a de-polymerization process that "reverses" the chemical process used to make the polymer. There are pilot projects using this method, as well as other innovative processes to make plastic recycling more environmentally friendly and economical.

Demand for Recycled Products
The importance of recycled PET and HDPE cannot be ignored. The latter, heavier PET is used to make building materials that become backyard decks that last longer than wood; it becomes lawn furniture, trash cans, office products, buckets, safety cones and much more. HDPE can also be used to manufacture above and below ground water storage tanks that withstand decades of use.

Of five major classes of PET plastics, the most high-end use is to manufacture new PET bottles and containers. Other classes include plastic sheeting or plastic that's used for molding small items such as scoops for laundry detergent; strapping materials for packaging and transportation; resins that are used in molds for automobile components; and material that's combined to make fibers for carpeting, fabrics and fiber fillings.

Recycled PET can show up in unexpected places such as business cards, sleeping bags, baseball caps and the welcome mat at your front door.

In the Hands of the Consumer
Ultimately, it's all up to the consumer. Awareness of the environmental benefits of recycling plastic and the viability of manufacturing with recycled PET can mitigate environmental damage and support a global industry that returns economical and useful products to the marketplace.

In the U.S., many municipal governments have made it easier for consumers to recycle plastic. Cities accept all plastic products with the recycle symbol and do the sorting themselves before shipping off for further processing. The consumer doesn't have to deal with separating PET numbers or peeling off labels. Many states have passed legislation commonly known as "bottle bills" that charge a small fee for plastic containers. There is greater value to the consumer to recycle when there is the incentive of a redemption value. Some communities have "drop off" recycling centers and others have "buy back" centers that pay consumers for recyclable materials.

Whatever the method of recycling or the process that recreates value from discarded PET products, it's clear that the public, governments and industry share a financial and environmental stake in the practice of plastic recycling.

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"Can I Save the World?" Global Warming Easy Solutions

Much information about the global warming cause and the effects of natural disasters, whether we as individuals can do something to change? Yap!! We do not need to move mountains, but a small Pebble can really make ripples that can create positive changes world wide. Here's a few "pebbles" you can use today!

We all feel we have a purpose in life. As more of us become aware of the damaging effects of global warming, we are also concerned about practical solutions to the problem. Most importantly, how can we fit in as part of the solution, instead of the problem?

Unfortunately, many of us become overwhelmed when we watch the ever-increasing natural disasters and it starts to feel like the world is crashing around us. I remember watching the plane hit the World Trade Center over and over and over again. I remember being completely paralyzed to the television. Sleep was optional, but only in between important news breaks. I felt helpless. I wanted to understand the reasoning behind the attacks to ease my fears of possible future attacks, but I mainly wanted a sense of control back into my life.

I do not like to focus on the doom of global warming because that's not the best mindset for me to find solutions and implement actions. I truly believe we all can make a difference in our lives, in the lives of our families, friends and community. I also am a firm believer that every single action taken produces a ripple effect throughout the world. When we take a simple action such as changing a light bulb to a compact fluorescent bulb, a positive motion is set in place.

Just for fun, let's see what can happen: (this will show how the action affects others)

o That old bulb in the living finally goes out. You go to your local hardware store and see miles of shelves of light bulbs! OY! (production of CFL bulbs)

o Someone comes over to help and maybe suggest a CFL. "A what?" you ask. The assistant tells you that even though the bulb is more expensive than a basic tungsten bulb, it will last years longer, it will not burn hot, uses way less energy, thus saving you money every month AND prevents the release of more than 450 pounds of emission from a power plant normally used to light the old style bulbs into the air! (increased sales and more potential advertisement of a green product, decreased amount of carbons released into the atmosphere)

o You read the advertisement and glimpse the familiar EnergyStar sign. So, you think, "Why not!" (increased awareness of a great program)

o You go home and your kids ask you about the funny looking bulb. (educates the kids and tell their friends how smart their parents are!)

o Your friends come over for dinner and recognize the bulb, but never really considered buying one until now. (increased awareness through word-of mouth [extremely powerful!!!] and more potential sales, advertisement, decreased emissions)

o You get the electric bill the next month and notice you really did use less electricity AND saved a little money. ($$$)

o You go to buy more CFL bulbs and realize the prices dropped a bit due to increased sales! (supply and demand of a product that improves our world)

That's just for changing one bulb! Just one action really can make an impact. Just because we do not always see the immediate results don't mean they aren't there!

So what are the best solutions of global warming? Can we help save the world? Yep. I would first suggest do whatever feels right for you. The level of comfort will be different for everyone. To me, it can be summed up as: AWARENESS and ACTION

AWARENESS

My first exposure to environmental issues came about while working at Home Depot. I watch as a person chained himself to our lumber shelves and awaited the local police. His actions, maybe a bit extreme to some, created awareness to the customers, Home Depot and the media. Many of those same actions ultimately changed the way Home Depot purchased and sold lumber.

For me, my level of comfort was turning off the lights. The more I learned, the more I did to help the environment. Learning about basic, easy-to-do home repairs really made a difference and increased my confidence as well as the confidence of my customers.

Now, years later, I must say living in Thailand has taught me a lot about saving energy as well as joining together for what you believe in. I've seen Thais go to the employment office and march because wages were too low. I have witnessed the ousting of a political figure because the Thais felt betrayed.

I have greater respect for Thais and for others I've met from different countries. Their views and actions have taught me so much about global warming. I also have greater appreciation for our abilities as Americans to make changes worldwide.

So to further answer people's question - "What are the best solutions to global warming?" My suggestions are all easy to do, but the main factor lies with what is comfortable for you. If I am given a great idea, but is too time-intensive, I probably won't do it. But if it's as easy as hitting the enter key, now you got my attention!

Ok. We are much more aware of what's going on. We understand we have a problem. Now what?

ACTION

I started with small steps. As I learned more, I found the bigger steps easier than I realized. I discussed my views with others and listened to their ideas.

My friends in Alabama recently installed solar heaters and a tankless water heater. Businesses are seeing the advantages of doing the right thing and stepping up their environmental cleaning efforts People from all walks of life have created petitions requesting a more proactive government. Even the 2008 Presidential Candidates are listening. Many are now including global warming as their primary issue.

Need some ideas to get your creative green juices flowing? OK! Here you go! Enjoy!

o Get the family involved - make it fun and educational.

o Make it a project during your child's science fair.

o Chat with your friends - they may have some unique ideas.

o Add a signature tag to your emails. I have a personal account with Yahoo. Whenever I send someone an email, my signature message or quote is at the end of the page. I create the signature once and forget about it. If you see a quote you like or have a message to share with others - signature it!

o Find out what tax incentives or refunds are available to you, i.e. hybrid car tax incentives, toilet replacement rebates, deduct the costs of energy-saving appliances and energy renovations in your home.

o Support greener businesses. Our money dictates what businesses sell. Our support encourages businesses to continue doing the right thing.

o Want to invest in the stock market? What companies are moving forward in clean-up? Researching new technologies? Contributing portions of their profits to support environmental organizations?

o Vote. What candidates are fighting for positive changes in the environment? Who seems to be making global warming a primary focus in their campaign? How does the candidate balance global warming and the economy? Does the candidate understand the threat and what solutions does he or she offer?

o Join others online and become a part of something bigger. In the past, petitions involved going door-to-door or standing near the mall entrance. Thanks to the internet, a letter to Congress has never been easier - or more effective! Read the letter already prepared. If you agree with it, type your name and hit ENTER !

o Submit your ideas to websites. I would love input from you! Your ideas can be just what someone else needed! Many websites would also benefit from your thoughts and appreciate the communication!

o Start a discussion group in your community. Barnes and Noble or Borders are excellent meetings spots. It's a great way to meet others and bounce around ideas.

o Help improve your neighborhood. In Tampa, there's a wonderful community group that has a Project Lottery. Each participant chooses a project they need completed on their house. A name is pulled every month. The neighbors spend one weekend on the project. The lucky owner provides drinks and snacks to the neighbors volunteering.

o Create a website of your own! Everyone has a voice. Today, websites are effective communicators and very inexpensive. Get the kids or the community involved. Let your voice be heard too!

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The Effects of Consumerism on the Environment

We are at present in a situation where the planet's ecological structure is not coping with all the pollution because of a huge, continuously increasing, consumer demand. This excessive demand for consumer products has created most of the current environmental imbalances. These imbalances will become a much greater problem than most people expect this to be. These imbalances have already caused ecological disasters in different places all over the world, with many more to follow.

This rate of consumption is increasing at an alarming rate. This will cause enormous environmental devastation in the future, to the extent that around 2025, people will need to complete major changes in their lifestyles to avoid the worst possible scenario.

The greenhouse gas effect is now so great that around 2015, the whole planet will experience the aftermath of rising temperatures in a far more severe way than most will expect.

While most people have begun to notice that the climate is changing they may not have understood that these climate changes are the forerunner of a much more serious problem. As a result most people are not changing their lifestyles, reducing their ecological footprint, resulting in a further increase of the present ecological imbalance.

With the ever continuing increase in environmental damage there will come a time where this will reach a point of no return, whereby the planet will no longer be able to support its own functioning. It is expected that by 2025, the planet will no longer be able to cope with the severe ecological damage. This will mainly be caused due to present geological stresses, further increase of global warming, and further destruction of the planet's ecology which is so needed by the planet to provide support for its overall functioning.

It is of benefit for people to look at how they live their life and what they can do to change their lifestyle, so that an excessive need for goods and products will not become a major drive in one's life. This may be difficult to do while the overall consensus is to buy more products. However, this is not reducing consumerism. At times, products may be needed to improve a lifestyle; however, people often wish to increase their buying and spending power and buy more products so they can feel better or can keep up with others. Thus, this need for an increase in products in the household creates an increase in the number of products manufactured, which in turn often results in an increase in environmental damage.

While humanity needs consumer goods, the impact these products or the production processes can have on the ecology has to be reduced. To save the environment humanity can no longer continue to increase its consumption of goods and, this should therefore not be encouraged. The human race needs to envisage a future whereby people still have their comforts but without the throw-away and polluting aspects of living, as is happening in most modern-day societies.

It is important that the planet's worsening environmental crisis is taken seriously and action is taken to make adequate change to prevent a looming ecological crisis within the next twenty years. A simpler, less polluting lifestyle will result in a more manageable, sustainable environment, which as a result can function better as a support structure for the planet's overall functioning.

Several years ago Mia was told by Spirit that by 2009 major climate changes would begin . This information can be found in her book - New Concepts for Business and Humanity. Chapter 1 can be downloaded for free from her website www.miadenhaan.com.

About The Author:
Mia is able to communicate with Spirit. Her channeling ability has been recognized by many people who received personal guidance. Her latest book "New Concepts for Business and Humanity" contains information about the future of humanity.

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Have A Clean Air Quality?

Does it seem like your asthma, or a family member's asthma, is giving you more and more problems? If so, it is not just your imagination.
It is no coincidence that asthma cases have increased by more than 100% over the past 20 years. Or that death rates due to asthma have tripled since 1976. Or that hospitilization and doctor office visits due to asthma have risen dramatically in recent years.

The fact is, worsening asthma cases have coincided with the emergence of the indoor air quality epidemic. As the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) warns us, indoor air quality has become the nation's number one environmental health problem, anywhere from 2 to 10 times worse than outdoor air pollution.

How do we know that indoor air quality is the main culprit?

1) First, consider that during the last 20 years, we have improved asthma medication (although many still cause a variety of undesirable side effects) and our understanding of asthma tremendously.

2) Secondly, we know that genetics is not the cause of the recent alarming growth in asthma difficulties, since 20-plus years is nowhere near long enough for such a dramatic genetical effect to take place.

In which case, this leaves us with the conclusion that the cause is environmental. This makes perfect since, considering that most asthma attacks are triggered by environmental triggers, or airborne contaminates and allergens.

Many would believe that the air in the great outdoors poses the greater risk for asthmatics, since pollution and allergens are commonly associated with "outside".

However, it is the air in our homes, schools, workplaces, and other indoor environments that have the most severe impact on our respiratory systems. To begin with, indoor air is several times more unhealthy than the air outside, as the EPA states, even though it may seem to be clean.

Every indoor environment, irregardless of how clean it is, will be filled with sources for microscopic dust mites (over 50% of the weight of the average pillow is dust mites), chemical vapors (your home may seem clean, but what did you clean it with . . . chemically-based household cleaners!), floating dead human skin (guess what over 80% of what you see floating in ray of sunshine entering your home!), and countless other pollutants from numerous sources.

The reason indoor air pollution is more severe than outdoor pollution is that nature's most powerful air-cleansing agents (negative ions and low-level ozone) have a chance to break down pollution outside.

However, our air-tight, energy-efficient homes block these natural air cleaners out, while trapping and recirculating airborne pollutants inside.

It's interesting that air-tight, energy-efficient homes and buildings became a standard about 20 years ago, in the wake of the energy crisis of the 1970s, around the same time that asthma problems began rising sharply.

Plus, people spend over 90% of their time indoors, meaning that indoor air has a far greater impact upon our health one way or the other.

Furthermore, a recent study found that the allergen level in super-insulated homes is 200% higher than it is in ordinary homes.

As the indoor air quality epidemic grows worse, air purifiers become more popular. However, most air cleaners on the market are simply inadequate, while very few actually make a difference (air purifier buying guide).

Also using diffuser-based aromatherapy solutions, not candles can reduce the risk of asthma and improve indoor air quality.

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Waste Solutions for an Ever Changing World

In all nations he public and their servants are continually seeking out new environmental waste solutions. As time goes on these are becoming more and more sophisticated in order to protect our environment.

The problem is that once an environmental waste solution has been found for one problem science and industry tends to create a new chemical or product which in some way is hazardous and needs a new environmental waste solution to avoid damage to the environment.

Waste is generated in all sorts of ways. Its composition and volume largely depend on consumption patterns and the industrial and economic structures in place. Waste is considered to be the by-product of both natural and artificial processes: manufacturing, chemical reactions, and even events in biochemical pathways.

But how do we distinguish the main products of an activity from its by-products? Waste is directly linked to the human development, both technologically and socially. The composition of different wastes has varied over time and location, with industrial development and innovation being directly linked to waste materials.

Waste is not just waste - it can also become a resource and a material supply for another person. The underlying philosophy for the European environmental policy is now to regard waste as a resource, and if this is pursued to its logical conclusion it can in theory provide an environmental waste solution by effectively eliminating waste.

However, one waste for which most of us would say there is no satisfactory environmental waste solution is nuclear waste. Nuclear waste is not just the material left after it has been used and becomes ‘spent’. Nuclear power stations and reprocessing plants release small quantities of radioactive gases (e.g, krypton-85 and xenon-133) and trace amounts of iodine-131 to the atmosphere. However, they have short half-lives, and the radioactivity in the emissions is diminished by delaying their release.

Nuclear power then also leaves us with those spent reactor core materials to dispose of. If you carry out controlled fission in a nuclear power station, you get long-lived radioactive waste, and that poses a long-term hazard to the environment unless it is dealt with properly.

E-waste is another form of waste material for which society is seeking satisfactory environmental solutions. E-waste is a popular, informal name for electronic products nearing the end of their "useful life". Computers, televisions, VCRs, stereos, copiers, and fax machines are common electronic products. Most of these are laden with toxic heavy metals such as lead, mercury and cadmium that can leach into water, soils and the atmosphere, posing significant environmental and human health risks. However, many of these products can be reused, refurbished, or recycled so the obvious waste solution is to return these goods to the original manufacturer who can best reprocess and re-use the materials and by so doing also save on use of the earth’s resources.

Plastic is an increasing burden on our landfills and recycling efforts. Wouldn't it be great if we could just zap the plastic and make it go away? That’s is not going to happen of course, but the all pervasive nature of plastic bags for example in the sea and daily injury being to thousands of all types of creatures through ingestion and stomach obstruction, even sometimes suffocation, is alarming. If we knew years ago the damage and the extreme difficulty in finding an environmental solution to the plastic litter problem we would maybe not have allowed these bags to be sued as much as they have been.

Municipal waste, when properly managed, does not pose an immediate threat to human health or the environment. This one of our society’s environmental waste solutions is carried out at high cost but is being done quite satisfactorily in most developed nations. Many municipalities are said to now spend 40% of their operational budget on waste-related activities according to one internet report, and the worry is that these are services which often in some poorer nations benefit commercial, high and middle income areas only. Other internet sites suggest that estimates show that 10 million chronically poor people rely on waste picking for their day to day survival - and that definitely needs an environmental waste solution and fast!

So once we have created the waste, there is no easy environmental waste solution to its disposal. The only answer is not to create waste in the first place. Zero waste is a great concept as an environmental waste solution which also produces more jobs for less investment than any other waste management strategy. It also reduces toxic pollution as it incorporates clean production. Zero Waste is a way of thinking, and a path to travel, rather than an absolute. Subscribing to Zero Waste does not mean instantly eliminating every last piece of waste whatever the cost.

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