"Water, Water Everywhere..."

Water, water, every where, 

And all the boards did shrink;

Water, water, every where,

Nor any drop to drink. 

- Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Think you might lose power when the hurricane hits?  My NYC brother-in-law just shared a great and simple tip for anyone preparing for hurricane Irene.

Simply fill some plastic zipper bags with water (tap water will do) and freeze them - now.  If you end up losing power, you can use the frozen bricks to keep some of your refrigerator items cold.  I used quart-size bags.  They were easier to find room for in the freezer.  I double-bagged with gallon-size ones. (I don't want to have to clean up a mess when they defrost!)

If the stores were out of bottled water or you didn't get out to buy any, these will also serve as extra water as they defrost.   

The bags are easily reusable since you are only storing water in them.  

Stay safe, stay dry!

Keep it Clean

Free Stock Photo: FreePhotos.com

"When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's amore." - Jack Brooks 

According to the EPA, " paper and paperboard products make up the largest portion of the municipal solid waste stream in the United States and as a result, offer the greatest opportunity to recycle". 

We have taken great strides in this decade to cut down on unnecessary paper usage. Finding ways to re-use and recycle paper is becoming increasing popular in our country and recycled paper makes up approximately a third of all paper products, clearly a benefit toward conserving our natural resources.
Yet, as paper recycling becomes more commonplace, we must also remember to keep aware of the guidelines for proper recycling in order that our efforts are not in vain.  Pizza boxes, for instance, while recyclable, are good ONLY when they are clean.  Any food residue or even grease renders the cardboard merely waste.  The food or grease is a contaminant that can (and does) ruin entire batches of paper.  What does this mean to us?  It means that MILLIONS of dollars are lost each year due to contaminated recycling.
The moral of this story?  Take the time to look at your recycling guidelines - keep the grease on the wheel, not in the recycle bin.

Happy Indepence Day from the City of Brotherly Love!

Old Ben had it right - if you can do something now, get it done.  

Cut up a melon before it spoils, squeegy the shower walls before mold builds up, write thank you notes as soon as you can before you forget...  Whatever it is,  living by this simple motto is a sure way to save time, effort and waste. 

Happy 4th of July America! 

Re-Using Made Easier

"Only when I saw the Earth from space, in all its ineffable beauty and fragility, did I realize that humankind's most urgent task is to cherish and preserve it for future generations." 

— Sigmund Jahn, German Cosmonaut

Do you buy bottled water?  I do.  Not quite so much anymore though.  I bought it by the case for several years until my oldest son decided to be a conscientious objector and asked me to stop.  He was right.  There are so many re-usable bottles being made (and sometimes even handed out) now that there is often no excuse but laziness in using the plastic pre-bottled water.

There has also been some discrepancy in the recent past over whether or not it is (chemically) safe to keep freezing, re-heating and re-using all forms of plastics.  Although, it seems to be agreed that the freezing/thawing process does not release any harmful chemicals from the containers.

Whether or not the plastic bottles we use release harmful chemicals, they undisputably are creating an incredible waste issue.  A waste issue that can be remedied by a just a little forethought.  

Earth 911 reports:

• According to the Beverage Marketing Corp, the average American consumed 1.6 gallons of bottled water in 1976. In 2006, that number jumped to 28.3 gallons.
• More than 2.4 billion pounds of plastic bottles were recycled in 2008. Although the amount of plastic bottles recycled in the U.S. has grown every year since 1990, the actual recycling rate remains steady at around 27 percent.

Here's one item I just purchased to help encourage our family (and myself!) to choose the re-usable drinking containers that we own over individual disposable drink containers.

I needed some ice trays and I came across these.  

The great thing is that you can use the ice in a glass at home or grab some long cubes, throw them in a bottle and go!  It makes using the re-usable bottles fun - and no more having to freeze water bottles.  I'm happy.  Try them!

Life's A Beach

When the well's dry, we know the worth of water.

- Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard's Almanac, 1746

I just returned from a wonderful visit with friends in Port St. Lucie, 

Florida.  While there, I had the unique opportunity to walk the 

beach at night and actually spot a sea turtle that had come up on 

shore to lay her eggs!  We stayed quite a good distance away and

quickly left the busy lady alone to her labors. 

This incredible and fortunate encounter reminded me what an 

important part we, as stewards of the entire planet, play in our 

everyday lives.  There are truly so many that depend on our 

awareness and our conscious and caring efforts. 

Watch a video. 

The Ocean Conservancy group has a website that helps inform 

people about the problems that ocean pollution causes as well as 

offering ideas and opportunities to take action and be part 

of the solution. 

One of their suggestions is for boaters, but I believe it is 

something we can all try as we head out to the beach this 

summer - its called "Plus One Boating."  Here's the idea:

"Practice "Plus-One Boating" by bringing back everything you 

take out on your trip—plus one piece of litter from someone else's 

wasteful wake. Make sure to bring all food containers, cigarette 

butts, and other trash back to shore and use the marina’s garbage 

or recycling facilities to dispose of it. More than an eyesore, 

trash in the water impacts the health of humans, wildlife, 

ecosystems, and economies." 

Put A Cork In It!

What contemptible scoundrel stole the cork from my lunch?   

~ W. C. Fields

 

So, is yours one of those families who like to save corks?  Well, mine is.  It's a habit that seems to go on throughout the generations of my family.  At one point in time, I remember a scare about the worlds supply of natural cork running out and the eventuality of having only synthetic corks to use.  This, I must admit, is not something that I can verify nor have witnessed at all.  There seems to be no shortage of wine, and no shortage of natural cork.  

Still, I still continue my obsession with saving corks!  Several years back, my brother gifted us all with hotplates made from some of the corks he had collected.  This was especially appreciated since my brother's good taste afforded a nice display of a wide variety.  Kits for projects like this are available in many common house-ware stores.

It's always a good idea to have an end purpose in mind (like my brother's cork hotplates) for anything that you like to collect.  Collecting can be a fun pastime, but finding a way to enjoy and share your collections is a way to enrich your life.

  

Giving, Receiving and Giving Again

"And the tree was happy"

— Shel Silverstein (The Giving Tree)

The average American uses approximately one 100-foot-tall Douglas fir tree in paper 
and wood products per year.  - EPA Website statistic

Electronic correspondence is truly a wonder.  
We can keep in touch more than ever with our families, friends, associates, clients and acquaintences.
We are able to set up holiday, birthday, anniversary and special event reminders and then to follow up by sending an "e"-card to acknowledge them - amazing!
Yet, there are still many of us who enjoy checking the snail-mail box and and finding an actual piece of correspondence.  

For instance, the Hallmark company estimates that Americans send out approximately 57 million cards.  We will send about two and a half times that for Mother's Day.

Acknowledging important people in our lives 

in this time-honored and meaningful 

way can be a treasure more than any other "thing" we might give.

But giving doesn't have to stop there.  Our life cycles continue and it is important for us to continue to thank, honor and return the favor to the givers.

Here's how: 
Keep one manila envelope in a file.  Shred the envelopes and toss in the greeting cards you have received and are done with.  When the envelope is full, send it to St. Judes Ranch for Children to be made into new cards.  They accept all types of cards (Thank You, Get Well, Birthday, Mother's Day, etc).

The path to conservation starts on your doorstep.