Walking is the New Driving

By guest contributer Stacey Harman

Since greenisthenewpink.org hit the scene over a year ago, I have tried my best to incorporate “green” ways of living into my lifestyle…

I changed out all my BAD light bulbs for Eco-friendly bulbs. I started recycling, or at least reusing everything and anything I could. I unplug my cell phone chargers during the day like a good little girl. I shut down my computer when I’m not using it. I get my books from the library instead of buying new every time. I never had air conditioning to begin with so that was a non-issue. I do laundry at odd hours of the night. I drink tap water (God help me if my unborn children arrive with an extra arm or one lonely ear). And I cut back to four squares of Charmin when wiping. I figured this was the least I could do.

However…if all that sounds too difficult, yet you still want to reduce your carbon footprint (I still have no idea what that means, but it’s fun to say), if you really want to make a difference, there is one more thing you can do. It’s so simple and yet it will make a huge impact. Are you ready…?

WALK!

That’s right. You heard me…start walking. You learned the ancient art of walking when you were just one year old. You’ve been doing it for as long as you can remember, but right around 16 you learned to DRIVE (ooh - bad word, bad word) and if you’re anything like me, driving became the norm.

School was a hop, skip and a jump away but I insisted on driving my little ‘94 Hyundai back and forth everyday. Plus, if I took the long way to school, I could pass by my crush, Brian’s house, pretending I just happened to be in the neighborhood (something stalkers do). I had no idea driving two blocks here and three blocks there was actually releasing harmful toxins into the air.

If only I knew then what I know now…

DRIVING 3 miles produces roughly 1.0 KG of CO2.

Walking still sound like a drag? Maybe saving the Earth isn’t enough incentive to drive less and start walking. Here’s a little bonus incentive…

You’re getting fat. That’s right. I said it…FAT.

WALKING 3 miles burns roughly 300 calories.

• Walking the mile to the nearest Whole Foods can and WILL help you to lose those 20 aggravating pounds you’ve put on since college
  

• Walking to your favorite bar (which is undoubtedly in your own neighborhood anyway) will not only reduce your carbon footprint (heehee – I said it again), but also, stop you from “one-eyeing” it on the way home which is not only dangerous, but illegal.
  

• And here’s another brilliant idea…WALK to the gym, Fatty. I was driving to my gym everyday when finally it dawned on me…My gym is only 1.3 miles from my house. That’s 130 calories each way if I walk. My 30 minutes of cardio combined with walking the 2.6 mile round trip may just be the perfect combination for reducing my thunder thighs and saving the Earth all at once

Do your part…Save the Earth…WALK.

-Stacey is a writer who lives in Los Angeles

5 Easiest Eco Changes to make in 2008

Happy New Year! The start of a new year is a great time to reconfirm your eco-mmitment to living a more environmentally friendly lifestyle. Last month we asked our readers "What were the easiest eco changes you made to your lifestyle in 2007?" These are the top 5...


1. Change all the light bulbs in your house to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs! If you are asking yourself "why should I do this, my light bulbs are fine?" then click here. Make sure you dispose of you CFL's properly though!

2. Bring your own reusable tote bags to the grocery store and say NO to plastic and paper bags. We guarantee once you start doing this, you'll never want to use those icky plastic bags again.

3. RECYCLE- set up a bin in your home, office and even at parties you attend. Click here for information on how to get started recycling!

4. Use a reusable water bottle or a glass (the one pictured is Lyd's fav, click on the picture to order one.)

5. Walk instead of Drive. Remember when you were a kid and you would walk 3 miles to the record store to buy the new Color Me Badd tape without thinking twice about it? Let's get that spirit back in our life! Instead of driving to the gym to work out and then driving pick up your dry cleaning and dog food, walk to do your errands and kill two birds with one stone. Yes, you can do this even if you live in L.A.!

If these simple lifestyle changes feel like an old hat/wide belt/low waisted jeans to you then send this post to 5 people in your life who may need a little bit of eco-encouragement to live a more ecologically conscious lifestyle. (And Green is the New Pink's New Year's resolution is to get our info out to even more people, so you'd be helping us too!)

Hope all the Green/Pinkers had a great holiday...here's to making 2008 all of our most green year yet!

Disposing of Compact Flourescent light bulbs

Read this if you don't want to end up like Britney Spears: Crazy, Bald and Barefoot in the Public Restroom!

We know the uber energy efficient Compact Flourescent Light bulbs you bought a few months ago (because of our post on CFLs) still have a good 5-7 year life span before they burn out while using 75% less energy than regular light bulbs. However, we want you to know how to properly dispose of the bulbs when that time comes or if one were to break during installation. CFLs do take special disposal procedures because they contain trace amounts of the toxic heavy metal Mercury (about 5 milligrams).

Science 101
Re: Mercury (earth911.org)

Why is mercury so dangerous?
Ever wonder where the old saying “mad as a hatter” came from? Or, what made the Mad Hatter in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland “mad”? Why did these hat makers or “hatters” have a reputation for strange, unpredictable behavior? Because they were suffering from chronic mercury poisoning.

In the 1800’s, mercury nitrate was used in the felting process. Exposure to the chemical affected the workers nervous systems, causing them to display symptoms of chronic mercury poisoning: excitability, mental instability, a tendency to weep, fine tremors of the hands and feet, and personality changes.

Mercury is no longer used in the felting process, but it is still a common ingredient in many household and workplace items. If these items are broken or managed improperly, they can release mercury vapors into our homes, workplace, and environment.

Mercury affects the brain, spinal cord, kidneys, and liver. It affects the ability to feel, see, taste, and move. Long-term exposure to mercury can result in symptoms that get progressively worse and lead to personality changes, stupor, and coma.

How does mercury affect the environment?
Mercury emissions in the air can come from both natural and man-made sources. Coal-fired power plants are the largest man-made source because mercury that naturally exists in coal is released into the air when coal is burned to make electricity. Coal-fired power generation accounts for roughly 40 percent of the mercury emissions in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency is implementing policies to reduce airborne mercury emissions. Under regulations EPA issued in 2005, mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants will drop by nearly 70 percent by 2018. The use of CFLs reduces power demand, which helps reduce mercury emissions from power plants.

Is this related the mercury levels in my spicy tuna roll?
Mercury is the only metal that is a liquid. Mercury released from broken devices can vaporize, contaminate the air in our homes, and sometimes go down the drain. Mercury vapor eventually reaches the atmosphere. From there, mercury can mix with rain and snow and fall into lakes and waterways were it can mix with bacteria and be converted into methyl mercury. Methyl mercury contaminates the food chain and builds up in the tissue of fish and of wildlife and humans who eat the fish. Because of high mercury concentrations in the fish, many states issue advisories cautioning people to limit how much fish they eat.

These are the official recommendations from the EPA about handling and disposing of CFL's
CFLs are made of glass and can break if dropped or roughly handled. Be careful when removing the bulb from its packaging, installing it, or replacing it. Always screw and unscrew the lamp by its base (not the glass), and never forcefully twist the CFL into a light socket. If a CFL breaks in your home, follow the clean-up recommendations below. Used CFLs should be disposed of properly (see below).

What should I do with a CFL when it burns out?
EPA recommends that consumers take advantage of available local recycling options for compact fluorescent light bulbs. EPA is working with CFL manufacturers and major U.S. retailers to expand recycling and disposal options. Consumers can contact their local municipal solid waste agency directly, or go to epa.gov/bulbrecycling or earth911.org to identify local recycling options.
If your state permits you to put used or broken CFLs in the garbage, seal the bulb in two plastic bags and put it into the outside trash, or other protected outside location, for the next normal trash collection. CFLs should not be disposed of in an incinerator.

ENERGY STAR qualified CFLs have a warranty. If the bulb has failed within the warranty period, return it to your retailer.

How should I clean up a broken fluorescent bulb?
1.Open a window and leave the room for 15 minutes or more.

2.Carefully scoop up the fragments and powder with stiff paper or cardboard and place them in a sealed plastic bag. Use disposable rubber gloves, if available (i.e., do not use bare hands). Wipe the area clean with damp paper towels or disposable wet wipes and place them in the plastic bag. Do not use a vacuum or broom to clean up the broken bulb on hard surfaces.

3.Place all cleanup materials in a second sealed plastic bag. Place the first bag in a second sealed plastic bag and put it in the outdoor trash container or in another outdoor protected area for the next normal trash disposal.
Note: some states prohibit such trash disposal and require that broken and unbroken lamps be taken to a local recycling center. Wash your hands after disposing of the bag.

4.If a fluorescent bulb breaks on a rug or carpet: First, remove all materials you can without using a vacuum cleaner, following the steps above. Sticky tape (such as duct tape) can be used to pick up small pieces and powder. If vacuuming is needed after all visible materials are removed, vacuum the area where the bulb was broken, remove the vacuum bag (or empty and wipe the canister) and put the bag or vacuum debris in two sealed plastic bags in the outdoor trash or protected outdoor location for normal disposal.

The benefits of CFLs far outweigh the concern of mercury if you handle and dispose of them properly. Don't you want the next generation to be able to eat tuna tartare?

If you suspect or are worried about mercury exposure or poisoning--or any other heavy metal toxicity--get a Hair Analysis test. Yes, the same one they are always ordering in your favorite House episodes. It's simple, pain-free, reliable and inexpensive (about $50). Visit gdx.net for more details.

For more information on all sources of mercury, visit http://www.epa.gov/mercury.
For more information about compact fluorescent bulbs, visit http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=cfls.pr_cfls

5 Easy Home Energy Saving Tips: The Fempire

Hi Green/Pinkers!

Many of you may know this or have basic powers of reason to infer that subscribing to the online version of your favorite magazines and newspapers is an easy way to save paper/fight global warming. Why don't you go online right now and subscribe to your newspaper online and cancel you daily paper subscription?

Speaking of online magazines... did you know that we (Jess and Lyd) are environmental correspondents for a super cool online magazine called TheFempire.com?

Here is a link you our first Green is the New Pink video post for TheFempire.com. We demonstrate 5 easy ways to make your home or apartment more energy efficient. Some of them you may already know, some may be new for you...but none of you have ever seen the super-uncoordinated high five we attempt at the end of the clip.

If you enjoy your visit to TheFempire.com make sure to sign up to receive the online magazine every month. It's a multimedia wonderland and you will all enjoy it immensely.

Enjoy!

Finally, a New Year's Resolution You Can Keep

Looking for a meaningful New Year’s resolution that you can actually stick to and brag about at dinner parties? No, it’s not losing weight, cutting bangs or converting to Scientology. Those things are hard. This, dear friend, is a resolution that is easy to incorporate into your life and will work for you all year long (actually 7 years or more, but we’ll get to that…)

Switch all the light bulbs in your house to Compact Fluorescent Bulbs! It’s honestly sooooo easy and this one tiny life change will have HUGE effects and drastically help reduce your personal carbon emissions.

We know some of you may have heard about these “low energy” bulbs, but you never followed through. Maybe you didn’t realize what a difference they made, maybe you didn’t know where to start—-where do you get them, can they fit in your favorite lamp, are they expensive? Now you’ll have no excuse…

Quick Facts about compact fluorescent bulbs

• They use 1/3 the energy of average light bulbs! If you replaced just 3 of your bulbs for CFL’s, you’d save 300 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. The more bulbs you replace, the more carbon emissions you reduce.

• They last about 10 times longer than an average bulb, approximately seven years. (An amazing thing if you’re like us and absolutely hate changing light bulbs all the time!)

• They produce 70% less heat than an average bulb, saving your need for air conditioning due to excess heat from you light bulbs.

• The come in all the same wattages as regular light bulbs and they fit in all your standard light sockets.

• The lights in our homes contribute 10%-20% of our overall energy costs. If you replace just 5 bulbs, you’ll save over $100 on electricity bills over the course of the year.

• You can find them in the grocery store, drug store and hardware store right next to the incandescent bulbs. EVEN BETTER, they sell them on Amazon, too. So you can click on the Amazon link on the sidebar RIGHT NOW and start your New Year’s Resolution today….

Choosing the Right Compact Florescent Light Bulbs
So, you need to teach yourself a new light bulb language with the Compact Florescent Bulbs (CFL’s). Since they use so much less energy to operate than incandescent bulbs, a 15 watts CFL puts out the same amount of light as a 6o watt traditional light bulb. Most boxes will say what the conversion is, but you can also look for the lumen rating (a lumen rating is the measure of light the bulb puts out,) on your old bulbs to find the compact fluorescent that gives the same amount of light.

Is this fluorescent light going to make me look fat?

No!! This is not the fluorescent light from your middle school bathroom or Nordstrom’s dressing rooms. These bulbs actually have a few different color temperatures for you to choose from. From “soft and cozy” to “daylight” you will find a bulb glow to fit your needs.

Size does Matter

There are tons of different kinds of Compact Florescent Bulbs in many shapes, sizes, wattages and colors to fit your every need, whether it’s a ceiling fan, your romantic dimmer lights, sconces or even outdoor flood lights. We found THE MOST HANDY GUIDE EVER to help you find the best energy efficient light bulbs for you and make sure you’re never caught in a patch of bad lighting again. (“I don't get it. Did my hair get flat? Did I stumble into some bad lighting? What's wrong with me?” Cher, Clueless)

Are they hard to find?

No. They are sold in all locations regular light bulbs are sold! Or order from Amazon.com if you’re the type that doesn’t like leaving the house. Also, price-wise they are pretty comparable to the incandescent bulbs…but if you do end up paying a few dollars more for them, you will more than make up for it in your electricity bills.

Your First Successful Resolution Ever.

If every U.S. household made a "5 light change", together we'd keep more than one trillion pounds of greenhouse gases out of our air--the equivalent to taking 8 million cars off the road for an entire year.

So, say it with us, “In 2007 I will replace all the light bulbs in my house with compact fluorescent bulbs.” Now get to it.