Happy EARTH DAY!!

Today is the day to be super grateful for this wonderful world of ours. We may have a way to go toward sustainability and reversing climate change, but today is the day to celebrate the Earth, and the positive changes we have made.

Why not make EVERYDAY Earth Day? Do a little, do a lot, but do something to make a difference! We all can, you know. And it is up to each of us.

As Wayne Dyer says: “Practice kindness toward Earth by picking up a piece of litter that’s on your path: or saying a silent prayer of gratitude for the existence of rain, the color of flowers…”

It all counts..so Get Going, Get Green™!!

157 GetGoingGetGreen™ Blog Posts Later…

Here we are at another Earth Day (April 22) – a time to be grateful and celebrate the planet, as we renew our commitment to protecting the environment and being good stewards to the earth. So, what better time for me to reflect on these past 3 years? I have written and posted here every single Thursday since April 22, 2010. If you’re doing the math, one week I posted twice, for a total of 157.

What’s next in our Green Adventure, I wonder? There aren’t easy answers, but ones worth going after. Who has been touched by reading my blog posts? I am grateful that so many of you have found value in what I write. Now what?

Sometimes, in order to move forward, we must take a look at the past.

Creating this blog has been a fun way for me to learn about sustainability, making a difference by combining two things I love – living a greener life and writing. I have bumped into some pretty amazing people along the way – the ones who got involved, gave me ideas and insights, commented, and liked what I wrote. Even people who disagreed with me, because they helped me see another point of view. So, Earth Day marks our anniversary – Thank you everyone!

Earth Day began forty-three years ago, on April 22, 1970, when Senator Gaylord Nelson and a few other pioneers created the idea of not only celebrating this planet and all its wonders, but of sustainability and stewardship. No small feat, given that this was a time when cities were hidden under dense clouds of smoke and rivers actually caught fire.

The good news, we have taken a lot of positive steps since that first Earth Day. We’ve made remarkable progress since then in protecting human health and safeguarding the natural environment. Today, Earth Day is a time to celebrate the gains we have made and to create new visions to accelerate environmental progress as well as to unite around new actions and act to protect our planet everyday.

Why is this so important? As a Native American proverb that states “We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.” Of course, it is important that we are all better stewards of this planet and all the amazing gifts that we are responsible for. I believe it is not necessarily looking at the doom and gloom forecasts, but rather looking for the opportunities to make a difference everyday. So, how do we do this?

Get involved. Geek out over being green. Take a stand for what you believe in. Speak up. Check out GetGoingGetGreen™ on Facebook. Tell me what you would like to see covered on this site, and how you want to participate. It’s up to each of us to make a difference…

Water…Every Drop Counts

One of our most precious resources is water, and it is becoming increasingly scarce in parts of the world. Have you ever wondered about the amount of water we use?

According to The Water Footprint Network, each of us may drink 8 or so glasses of water daily, but the average American uses 32,911 glasses per day. Yes, you read that correctly. 96% of our water use is “hidden” which means it is used to make and grow the things we eat, wear and use, and for energy. And, the EPA estimates that the average family uses about 400 gallons of water daily. Even PETA weighs in, telling us that it takes over 2,400 gallons of water for each pound of meat produced. And 2,900 gallons for a single pair of blue jeans, 37 gallons of water to make a cup of coffee, 49 gallons of water to make a bag of chips! It is easy to see how this all adds up very quickly.

Of course, we have all heard about the dire conditions around the globe and the importance of clean drinking water. Over 885 million people lack access to clean drinking water. And, in California, some residents have begun to truck in water to bathe their kids. While the problem may seem insurmountable, at this point we actually are on our way to meet 2015 goals for turning this crisis around that were set by the United Nations. So there IS hope. And it is up to each one of us to make a difference.

What can we do, right now, to make a difference? Hey, if everybody saves even a few glasses daily, it will all add up. Here are a few ideas to get us started:

Donate money. A couple of good places are Matt Damon’s charity, water.org and The Nature Conservancy.
Fix leaks - Earth 911 tells us how. They also mention that according to the ”U.S. EPA, the average American home leaks more than 10,000 gallons of water per year – enough water to wash 280 loads of laundry, take more than 600 showers or meet the average family’s water needs for a month.”
Recycle paper. Savings – 3.5 gallons of water for every pound.
Stop junk mail.
Buy a candle. Aveda, as part of their celebration of Earth Month is selling their Light the Way™ candle for $12 – and if you buy just one candle, it will provide a year’s worth of clean drinking water for a person living in Madagascar.
Use your own water bottles, It takes 3 times as much water to make a plastic bottle than will fit inside.
Think meatless – cattle are the number one water-users. (So think leather-free as well)
Eat sustainable fish.
Basically, eat healthy.
Turn off the faucet when not needed while you are brushing your teeth, shaving, even washing dishes.
Cut shower time by 5 minutes and save 20 gallons of water.
Plant your garden with plants that need less water.
“If it’s yellow, let it mellow.” Don’t flush every time.
Find a car wash that recycles water.
Get creative…

It is up to all of us to make a difference, starting today. What ideas do YOU have? We’re all in this together!

Wine Barrels…sustainable?

Over the last couple of years, I have written about the virtues of organic wines, recycling wine bottles, and even recycling the corks. But, I have to admit, I never even considered the wine barrels themselves.

Have you ever stopped to consider how long a typical wine barrel lasts? It varies depending on the winemaker, and when they determine that the barrels lose their desired flavor, typically 3 – 5 years. Now, add that to that the fact that approximately 200,000 hand-crafted oak wine barrels made from 200- to 300-year-old trees are discarded by annually by California wineries alone, we can begin to see the scope of the sustainability challenge.

200,000 barrels discarded in California alone…That’s a lot of barrels. They come with a sense of history, and if they could talk, I bet they would have amazing stories to tell.

There is hope that they don’t end up in the landfill. In fact, according to Used Wine Barrels in Sacramento, CA, a new barrel costs between $450 and $700. The recycled, used barrels – some still stained burgundy from the wines – go for around $225. This is good news, because the price makes them to economically valuable to just discard. This site not only sells used barrels, but also all manner of things made from them, including pet beds, lighted wine racks, artist easels, half barrels, quarter barrels, and even wall hangings with engraved logos.

Sometimes used barrels are used to make other liquors such as brandy. They may become planters, trash cans, water barrels, furniture, decoration or may even be used to hold grain for livestock.

Some of the more innovative uses include, taking the barrels apart, and reassembling the staves to make a beautiful outdoor shade structure. Another use it to make outdoor furniture such as tables, chairs and even loungers.

Wouldn’t it be a – ahem! – barrel of fun to own one yourself?

What’s your Ecological Footprint?

Do you know your ecological footprint? Mine’s 2.27 Earths, which means it would take 2.27 Earths annually to sustain it. Yikes! The really scary thing about this statistic is that I am well below the national average for the United States, which is more than double that amount. To put things in global perspective, the average for the entire planet to be able to maintain its present level of consumption is 1.5 Earths.

Not to scare anyone, but how long can we keep this up? One of my coaching colleagues (who is also a beautiful nature photographer and ecologist) Chris Dewey, kindly passed along information about the Ecological Footprint Quiz which I found fascinating. This quiz measures so much more than just our carbon footprints.

In fact, when I first measured my footprint a year and a half ago, I felt pretty satisfied with the results, and my old measurement – 3.59 Earths! – put it in perspective. In addition to our Carbon Footprint, the Ecological Footprint also measures our Food Footprint, our Housing Footprint and our Goods and Services Footprint. I discovered I was doing a good job with my carbon, goods and services footprints, and an average job in the areas of food and housing. Great! This gave me something concrete, measurable and specific to focus my eco-efforts on. And, taking the test today, I can see that I have improved – I have reduced my footprint by 1.32 Earths! Even better – I can see the places where I can keep improving.

In the words of the folks at Ecological Footprints, the purpose of the quiz is to: “measure humanity’s demands on nature. Everything we do has consequences. The Ecological Footprint Quiz estimates the amount of land and ocean area required to sustain your consumption patterns and absorb your wastes on an annual basis.”

So, take the quiz. I dare you. Post your number. If you are like me, you will be surprised at just where your weak areas are. Then, make the commitment to change. Start with just one thing to bring your number down. Me? I am taking on turning off and unplugging things when I am not using them. Lights out before it is really LIGHTS OUT! Together we can do this…

Earth Hour 2013

“Together we can find the energy to turn the inspiration of one hour into the actions of every hour.” ~ Andy Ridley, co-founder of Earth Hour

On Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 8:30 PM Local Time more than 150 countries, over 7,000 cities and hundreds of millions of people all around the world, as well as landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower, the International Space Station, the Golden Gate Bridge and the Las Vegas strip will all be celebrating the 7th annual EARTH HOUR . I hope you will be celebrating, too!!

What exactly is Earth Hour? Basically, it is a great opportunity to show your commitment to change as part of a global interconnected community. Once a year, at 8:30 PM local time, hundreds of millions of people turn off their lights for an hour. We may do this at home, or may participate in local events celebrating the environment. Of course, that saves a whole lot of energy, and everyone has the chance to practice sustainability for one hour.

It is so much more that just the hour. In fact, the hour is just the beginning. The object is to raise awareness, and go way beyond the hour by making lasting changes in our lifestyles that will support a more sustainable environment. Last year, the challenge was taken to the next level when each of us was asked to declare: “What are you willing to do to save the planet?”

Known now as “I WILL IF YOU WILL” – individuals, businesses, schools, governments, leaders commit on the website what they are willing to do. Everything from I will dye my beard green for a week if 500 people will recycle to governments in places like Uganda and Botswana planting a million trees in the first Earth Hour Forest. No challenge is too big or too small. Commit. Make a challenge or take up the challenge someone else has posed.

You may be wondering why I am sharing this with you, and encouraging you to participate. I have been a part of this for several years, and it is a powerful opportunity to make a difference. In fact, sharing this with you is the “I will” of my challenge. What I am asking each of you to do, “if you will” is to accept the challenge and tell people about Earth Hour. Get engaged, participate for the hour. Get involved, and make a challenge of your own beyond the hour. It’s fun – and it feels great to be able to do something positive!

Called “The world’s largest voluntary action for the environment,” Earth Hour is a stunning testimonial of how much we can achieve if we are focused, caring and good stewards of the planet.

“There is no doubt about it: the world is facing some of the most critical environmental challenges in its history. That may make the journey to a sustainable future seem difficult to imagine, but it is far from impossible. Change this big needs you. It needs every one of us. Together our individual actions add up to make a difference collectively.” ~ from the WWF Earth Hour website

It is truly amazing that, in only 7 years, this grassroots effort has grown into something that has a such a positive global impact. It is humanity coming together to support the sustainability of our planet and it demonstrates the power of a group of committed people working for the greater good.

According to EarthHour.org, “Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries/territories participating. Global landmarks such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, CN Tower in Toronto, Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and Rome’s Colosseum, all stood in darkness, as symbols of hope for a cause that grows more urgent by the hour.

This year, hundreds of millions of people in more than 7,000 cities in at least 152 countries/territories will officially switch off to pledge their support for the planet, making Earth Hour 2013 the world’s largest global climate change initiative.

Powerful stuff. Turn off the lights and take the challenge…I WILL IF YOU WILL!

50 Ways to Love your…Vinegar

Thanks to a post on my daughter Bridget’s Facebook page, I was re-inspired by the wonders of vinegar. Here is the tip she shared – I can hardly wait to try it:

“Put orange peels in a jar, fill with vinegar, let sit for 2 weeks and presto, you have natural all-purpose cleaning solution. Transfer to a spray bottle and enjoy a clean fragrant home.”

Doesn’t that sound great? So, it got me to thinking about white vinegar. I know apple cider vinegar is made from apples, but what is white vinegar, exactly?

Basically, white (distilled) vinegar is made from grain and water. The grain and water combination makes alcohol. Vinegar makers turn the alcohol into full strength vinegar by fermenting it. Then, they dilute the vinegar with water until it is at about 5% acidity, so it can be used for purposes like cooking, or cleaning.

What can we use white vinegar for? Here’s a list of 50 ways, not including the orange scented cleaning spray I mentioned:

Takes the sting out of jellyfish stings.
1 cup, run through your dishwasher monthly, removes soap scum and odors.
Prevent ants by spraying around windowsills, doors, or wherever ants enter the house.
Set out a dish of it to clear fruit flies.
Kill germs with a full-strength spray.
Make your own air freshener with 1 cup water, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon vinegar.
Get rid of carpet stains by rubbing a paste of 2 tablespoons vinegar and one-quarter cup baking soda into stain. Let sit overnight, then vacuum.
Shine pennies.
Rug equal parts cooking oil and vinegar with the wood grain to remove white water rings from wood surfaces.
Boil old paintbrushes in vinegar to removed hardened paint.
Removes cat urine smells and stains in carpets.
And, spray in places outdoors to prevent kitty from marking his territory.
One more cat tip – soak the liter box with a half-inch of vinegar weekly to remove odors.
Use distilled vinegar to clean white tile grout.
Use to clean mineral deposits in your coffeemaker. Run vinegar through a complete cycle, then run a cycle with plain water.
Car windows will be frost-free in the winter if you coat them with a solution of 3 parts white vinegar and 1 part water.
Clean DVDs with a cloth that has a few drops of vinegar on it.
To clean gold jewelry, soak for 15 minutes, and then dry completely.
Soak stained coffee cups overnight with full-strength vinegar.
Add a bit of vinegar to the rinse when you hand wash pantyhose to make them last longer.
Use to pre-treat stains such as perspiration, ketchup, mustard, barbecue and spaghetti sauce before laundering.
Add half-cup vinegar into your wash cycle to remove lint from clothes.
You can replace fabric softener by using a quarter cup in the final rinse cycle.
Sunburned? Apply vinegar to soothe skin, and prevent blisters and peeling.
Use on athlete’s foot.
Rinse your hair with white vinegar to help dandruff.
Put it on your skin to fade sunspots.
Use undiluted as an aftershave lotion.
Brush your teeth once or twice weekly with undiluted white vinegar for fresh breath and white teeth.
Make a toner for your face with equal parts vinegar and water.
Add 2 cups to your bath to soothe sore muscles.
Keep fleas off your dog or cat by adding a bit of white vinegar to their drinking water.
Spray drapes, carpets, etc. with vinegar to eliminate lingering cigarette odors.
If your car smells like smoke, pets, kids, etc. put an open container with a cloth soaked in vinegar on the floor for 24 hours or so. Repeat as necessary – this one works like a charm!
Keep cut flowers fresh by adding one teaspoon sugar and two tablespoons vinegar to the water.
Rub white vinegar on your hands to get rid of berry stains.
If you have a problem with rabbits in your garden, put containers with white vinegar at intervals between the plants.
Add one ounce sugar, and one ounce vinegar to one pint water to make plant food.
Sanitize patio furniture with full strength white vinegar.
Stop the itching from insect bites by dabbing with white vinegar.
Use vinegar while cooking inexpensive cuts of meat to tenderize.
Freshen up wilted veggies by soaking in cold water, with a little vinegar added.
When you wash your veggies, add a bit of white vinegar.
Make pasta less sticky by adding a little vinegar to the cooking water.
When you poach eggs, add a little distilled vinegar to help them cook better and keep their shape.
When you boil eggs, add a little distilled vinegar to the water to keep the shells from cracking.
Clean up foods stuck to pans by soaking for 30 minutes in undiluted vinegar.
Add a spoonful of distilled vinegar when cooking cauliflower, broccoli or beans to reduce the gassy elements.
If you used too much salt in a recipe, add one teaspoon vinegar and one teaspoon sugar to correct the taste.
To shine chrome fixtures and remove lime deposits, use a paste of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon distilled vinegar.

Some of these I swear by, some I haven’t tried. But I am intrigued and inspired…how about you?

Ah CHOO!! Spring Allergies are Coming!

Spring is that wonderful time of year when plants, trees and flowers burst into bloom. Pollen is blowing like crazy in the March winds, pollinating the landscape, and making millions of seasonal allergy sufferers miserable.

While there are all kinds of chemicals and pills on the market to deal with allergies, we can make a healthy, greener choice. There are many natural ways to combat the itchy eyes, runny noses, sneezing, wheezing and all the other symptoms that make us miserable.

Of course, it makes sense to limit our time outdoors during peak pollen season, and that applies to having open house or car windows as well. Here are a bunch of other ideas to try, in no particular order:

Eat a spoonful of local honey every day.
Use a humidifier.
Take your vitamins. Especially effective are Vitamin C, A, B5, CoQ10, along with Omega-3 fatty acids.
Licorice Root
Astragalus
Capsicum
Eyebright
Stinging Nettle
Saline nasal rinse (try a Netti pot)
Air purifier with a HEPA filter
Probiotics
Quercetin
Acupuncture
Steam Inhalation (add a few drops of these essential oils: eucalyptus, rosemary, tea tree)
Breathe Right nasal strips
Rest and relaxation

Hang in there – in a few weeks the peak season will be over…until the fall allergies kick in, that is.

Telecommuting – The Way to Working Greener

It seems more and more of us are working from home – telecommuting to our jobs, sometimes across the country or world. It makes sense. Employee retention is higher, people are more productive, take less sick days (which they often take for other things, such as personal days, sick kids, stress, etc.) Another major plus for working at home is the reduction of carbon emissions that driving to work produces.

Which makes it so surprising and dismaying that the CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, has placed a ban on telecommuting for all of their 11,500 employees.

In fact, Inhabitat calls this move a “Devastating blow to the environment and working parents.” They go on to say “Using data published by the US Department of Energy, the Sierra Club worked out that if one employee drives a 12.6 mile commute in an SUV that gets 15 miles per gallon, then that vehicle alone is racking up an annual carbon footprint of four tons. Multiply that by the 11,000 or so employees currently working for Yahoo, and that’s a lot of CO2 emissions from one office.”

For those of us fortunate enough to work at home, we have a responsibility to the environment as well. Making sure we have a green office is key, such as using rechargeable batteries, recycled paper (when we need to use paper at all) and all the other things that makes our workplace environmentally friendly. Using devices that require less energy, such as LED lightbulbs, power strips that we can shut off, and even switching off lights when we leave a room all count. If we need to run errands, clump them together. Turning down the thermostat and putting on a sweater in the winter. Get houseplants to help clean the indoor air. And, so much more – you get the idea…

Together we can create a Greener workplace. If you work in an office, what green practices can you put in place? Be creative, get others involved. Ask to telecommute, even a day or two a week can really help.

I’m curious – what can you share with us about making your workplace greener – no matter if it is at home or at an outside office?

Good for You, Good for the Planet…Eat Your Veggies!

There’s nothing like a nasty bout of food poisoning to have one looking at food in a whole new way. Recently, I got a case of E. coli which had me down for the count. As a result, as I move off the B.R.A.T. diet (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast) I am very conscious that each choice I make regarding my diet has a direct impact on my health and well-being.

I am beginning to take a more serious look at a more plant-based diet. In November, I spent a couple of weeks visiting my daughter and her new husband, who are vegan. I embraced their choices and was introduced to many wonderful new options in healthy (and yummy) eating. And, whenever she visits, we eat vegan. You know what? I feel really good eating like this – who knew?

According to Earth 911, “Plant-based diets are growing in popularity with every passing day. An estimated 5 percent of the U.S. population was vegetarian or vegan in 2011, compared to a mere 0.04 percent in 1985. Diners choose a plant-based diet for a variety of reasons; some for animal welfare benefits, others for health purposes.”

So, if eating more of a plant based diet is good for us, what about the planet? There are many ways that this choice is good for the planet, too. Here are a few from Earth 911:

Reduces water use. It takes between 1,000 and 2,500 gallons to produce one pound of beef, 500 gallons for one pound of chicken, and 25 gallons for one serving of rice or grain.
Cuts down on GHGs (greenhouse gases) Animal agriculture makes more GHG than all our cars and trucks.
Protects land from being converted into farming. If you eat vegetarian once a week, you can save 8,000 square feet from being converted to farmland.
Stops topsoil erosion.
Saves fossil fuels. By cutting meat out of just one meal per week, you can save more than 15 gallons of gas per year.
More to compost.
Less packaging, especially if you carry reusable bags.

Even if we don’t go all vegan or all vegetarian, why not ease into it a couple of days a week to start?

Here’s what I am committing to – largely plant-based diet, some days vegan, some vegetarian. On the odd occasion I chose to eat animal protein it would look like: no red meat at all, minimal chicken and fish.

What can you commit to?