For those of you who are bored at work, school, or wherever, here are some fun environmental activities that will waste some time and that are educational too:

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If any of you have ever pondered over the question “paper or plastic?” then here is an informative interactive site on MSNBC which tackles the grocery bag predicament. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23358591/ The site includes info on the resources used, recycling, current laws, and a way to calculate your impact.

There is of course, the third option, the reusable bag. You can find these almost anywhere now and they are not too expensive. I got mine for just $1 each. There are benefits of getting the paper or plastic options as well, if you reuse the bags for other purposes such as for trash, recycling, lunches, or even for your next grocery store visit. My local grocery store, Ralphs, offers discounts for all three types of bags: $0.10 each for reusable, $0.05 each for paper, and $0.03 each for plastic. Check your local grocery stores to see if they offer any of the same benefits. If you do get paper or plastic though, make sure they eventually end up in the recycling bin!

Hope this helps!

Mari

11th Hour Action Intern

The US race for the presidency is one of the focal points of the nation and for the rest of the world. Whoever wins the nomination will have a direct impact on the state of the environment for the next 4+ years. If you’re like me, on top of all the other important issues, the environment is a critical factor when you’re deciding who to vote for. Here is an article from Newsweek that discusses Obama, Clinton, and McCain’s history and voting records on the subject. http://www.newsweek.com/id/130624?from=rss

So, what do you think? I’d love to hear your feedback to who would be the “greenest” president and why.

Best,
Mari

11th Hour Action Intern

Seeing as babies seem to be one of Hollywood’s newest obsessions, I decided to do some research on diapers. Disposable diapers are extremely wasteful and harmful to the planet. Here are some facts provided by the Real Diaper Association:

- “Disposable diapers contain traces of Dioxin, an extremely toxic by-product of the paper-bleaching process. It is a carcinogenic chemical, listed by the EPA as the most toxic of all cancer-linked chemicals. It is banned in most countries, but not the U.S.

- Over 92% of all single-use diapers end up in a landfill.

- No one knows how long it takes for a disposable diaper to decompose, but it is estimated to be about 250-500 years, long after your children, grandchildren and great, great, great grandchildren will be gone.

- Disposable diapers are the third largest single consumer item in landfills, and represent about 4% of solid waste. In a house with a child in diapers, disposables make up 50% of household waste.

- Over 300 pounds of wood, 50 pounds of petroleum feedstocks and 20 pounds of chlorine are used to produce disposable diapers for one baby EACH YEAR.”

Crazy, right? Even despite the intense environmental factors, babies experience uncomfortable dryness and rash, and parents experience loss of cash due to the high costs of buying disposable diapers.

The solution? Reusable cloth diapers! Just Ducky Baby (justduckybaby.com) offers various models of cloth diapers that are extremely comfortable, environmentally friendly, and cost-effective. The woman who started the company, Heather, hand makes all of the products, along with the rest of her team. It’s nice to support a small company (though I am a little biased, since Heather is a friend…shameless plug, I know) and to help the environment.

Here’s to reducing, reusing, and recycling!

Mari

11th Hour Action Intern