Category Archives: Environmentally Friendly

Why Are People Hostile Towards Environmentalism?

One of the things that saddens me most in the environmental movement is how hostile people can be towards it. Some people don’t just disagree with living greener; they flat out oppose it. Calling people who care for the environment nut cases or granola are some of the milder terms used.

And yet, at it’s heart much of environmentalism strikes me as simple good sense. Where is the harm in trying to use fewer resources? In trying to decrease pollution? In trying to keep more animal species from becoming endangered or extinct?

Most of the people who really cannot stand environmentalism look to the most extreme points of environmentalism and apply it to anyone who simply wants to live greener. It’s as though the more moderate stances that are far more common are invisible.

You can point all you want to the fringe environmental groups who sometimes do more harm than good in their efforts to redirect how the rest of us live, but that’s not the average environmentalist you’ll meet every day.

Sure we want practical solar power. If it can be done more efficiently and cheaper than coal, why shouldn’t we? The technology has made some great leaps this past year, and is looking promising at long last. It may have taken a few more decades to reach that point than originally hoped, but that’s technology for you. Advances cannot be scheduled.

And yes, many an environmentalist would like to see fewer pesticides used on our foods. That’s why organic produce is becoming so much more popular. And it appears that pesticides are doing a great deal of harm to our oceans. Organic farming can be done quite efficiently, and in many areas of the world would be far more cost effective than the constant use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.

If the food is healthier for you and tastes better, while production is still good, why not?

There are not many environmentalists who want all humans to go back to a primitive lifestyle. Simplification is encouraged, yes, but don’t confuse that with primitive.

And of course there’s the fuss over global warming. Yes, environmentalists consider it to be a concern. Quite probably an urgent one.

Now I ask, what is the harm in trying to avoid global warming? Investigating it has resulted in a number of inventions, in new industries. I don’t think it’s going to hurt the economy as much as some fear. But the cost of ignoring the possibility could be much higher. I’d rather take my chances on trying to make a change today than do nothing.

No, not everything I do to live a greener lifestyle is comfortable. Most of what I do as an individual really won’t add up on a scale the world will notice. But the more individuals who work at it, the more businesses who take note and make an effort, the greater the impact we can have.

That’s worth it to me.

Aloe Vera – A Great Plant for the Summer

Like a lot of people growing up, I got sunburns pretty regularly as a kid. That’s what happens when you’re pale and you burn much more easily than you tan. But I learned early on to appreciate it the year my mother bought an aloe vera plant.

Aloe vera is a succulent. It’s pretty easy to grow and very useful. You can grow it indoors on the windowsill or outside in a pot or on the ground. It likes sandy soil, like many succulents. If you get frost, keep it indoors.

Any time you scrape or burn yourself it can help. And of course it helps delightfully with sunburn.

All you have to do is snip off one of the leaves and break it open. The gel on the inside is truly marvelous. It cools the burn or scrape quickly.

It can be a bit challenging getting the gel out. You can cut the leaves open and just rub directly on your skin, but the plant has some small spikes along the edges that may scratch you. Not badly if you’re using it gently, though. If using fresh leaves, avoid the yellow part inside the leaves. This can be irritating to the skin.

I like to recommend the plant over the commercially prepared aloe vera gels for a few reasons. The first is that I’ve always had the best luck with the gel straight from the plant. The effect just seems to be stronger to me. That could, of course, just be an illusion, but it is what I believe.

I also like that if you treat it right, you can just keep the plant growing, rather than having to buy new bottles all the time. It saves some waste.

And of course, if you use it straight from the plant you know exactly what you are getting. No worries about the other ingredients added to the stuff in the bottle labeled “aloe vera”.

Some people also take aloe vera internally from prepared capsules. There are a variety of claimed benefits to this. I’ve never tried it myself and so cannot speak from experience.

For me, the cooling effect this has on sunburn is the big reason I like to make sure to have a plant on hand during the summer. I always hope to not need it, but when a burn happens to myself or someone in my family, it’s nice to have a way to relieve the discomfort.

Can You Avoid Rush Hour?

With gas prices constantly on the rise right now, anything you can do to avoid driving during rush hour is likely to be a very good thing. For anyone working outside the home this can be difficult. For at home moms like me, it’s pretty easy.

But you can try. The increasing gas prices have encouraged employers to start paying attention to the options. Some companies are becoming more open to the idea of a more flexible start time. If you can start and end your day an hour earlier or later you can avoid quite a bit of traffic in many areas.

If you don’t need to be face to face with people, telecommuting is another option you should be looking at. Even one day a week can save you a lot.

And then there’s the classic. Carpooling. My sister does this one and saves a significant chunk of money every month. She had to adjust her work schedule to go with her coworkers, as her employer already offers flexible starting times, but fortunately they had an early start time and now she not only avoids traffic and saves gas, she gets more time after work with her family.

Pretty good deal.

Public transportation works well in some areas, not so well in others. My area pretty much falls into the “not so well” category. In other areas it can be highly efficient. And even in my area I know a mom at my daughter’s school who takes the bus with her son every morning to school. She just prefers ours to the one nearest to her home. For a distance that short, it works reasonably. I wouldn’t try it long distance without a lot of need around here.

But as I said, in other places it is highly efficient. You may have light rail options as well as buses. We do have light rail, but not near me.

If you are at home, it’s best to just avoid all these entirely. Plan your errands for quieter times of the day. Makes them much faster and pleasanter. Ask for doctor’s appointments at times that will be convenient to you in terms of traffic as well as your daily routine.

And of course, walk or ride a bike when possible.

Many of these tips have the potential to save you a lot of money. The less you drive, the less often you’ll feel the pain of gassing your car up. That can’t be a bad thing.

More Reusable Bags

I wrote the other day about buying reusable bags for doing your shopping. I got a message about another company I think you might like to know about.

They’re called ReJavanate.

You might guess from their name that it has something to do with coffee, and you’d be right. They take the burlap sacks coffee is transported in, and make it into new bags. They work with The ARC and have people with developmental disabilities hand make the bags.

Just another great option when you want a reusable bag rather than picking between paper and plastic.

Choosing a Reusable Shopping Bag

Something I often find challenging is remembering to pack my reusable bags when I go grocery shopping. Not quite the habit I’d like it to be yet. I’m working on it, of course, but it just isn’t there yet.

It is wonderful, of course, how available they are now. I can’t think of any grocery store in my area that isn’t carrying reusable bags, and many are about $0.99. A couple stores carry higher quality ones that do cost more, though.

But getting something a little more stylish is always a temptation. I do enjoy wandering the reusable shopping bag selection at Reuseable Bags. In particular, I’m thinking some of the ultra compact bags would take care of that memory problem. They could just sit in my purse or car, ready for use. There are even some styles for kids, so you can start them off young.

I really need to start doing this, though. It makes much more sense to me than trying to remember to return the plastic ones for recycling, or debating if I have a need for a paper bag. Henry’s takes $0.05 per bag of your own you bring, which is a small reason, but a reason nonetheless.