Eco-Tip 12

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 12

Donate your books! If you own a plethora of books you would rather get rid of, don't recycle them and DON'T throw them out! Just about every library accepts book donations to put on their shelves or sell. This is not just a way to help the community but a way to help the environment. With a greater market for used books, fewer people will buy brand new books and less paper will be used, all without going through the energy-intensive step of recycling. The Reduce-Reuse-Recycle mantra is supposed to be followed in order: purchase and use less, reuse what you've already used and when you can use it no more, put it in the recycling (unless it's a battery, then recharge it.) And while you're at the library, check out their used book selection. Many are in perfect condition and sell for a very small fraction of the ordinary value, and all the money goes to the community.

Eco-Tip 11

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 11

Obey, or at least try to stay around the speed limit! Speed limits were created not only to keep us safe but to maximize our cars mileage on a given road. We all know speed limits are a drag to follow and that although driving 25 may keep kids alive, it'll make everyone behind you wish you weren't, but they're there for a reason. Do your best to obey the speed limit whenever possible, even if it's only as a suggestion. Five or ten miles above (or below - if that ever happens) the limit won't hurt, in fact it will make you pay less at the pump and help save the environment.

Wolfram Alpha

In case you haven't heard of Wolfram Alpha, it is the coolest thing in the world. Here's an intro, in case you have not heard of it or do not know how to use it. You can input statistics and it will calculate information it finds useful to you. Why is the Environmental Committee posting it? Because has statistics on carbon emissions for different countries. Try inputting "Carbon emissions UK/US" and it will divide the carbon emissions of Great Britain by those of the United States. You will notice that the graph shows the ratio is getting smaller as time progresses meaning that the UK's carbon emissions are decreasing and/or those of the US are increasing (both are true.) You can try this for a few other countries like Japan, France, Germany, Spain, Russia and more (unfortunately the People's Republic of China does not publicly release their statistics on a regular basis.) You should find the results interesting...

Eco-Tip 10

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 10

If you are on a computer with a cathode ray tube monitor, firstly, you should switch to an liquid crystal display. CRTs emit hazardous electromagnetic radiation, they are laced with toxic chemicals, they use too much energy and can even implode and cause seizures. If you cannot get rid of your CRT, at least use Blackle to save energy. Blackle is essentially the same as Google except black since CRT energy usage depends on the shade of color displayed (white is highest, black is lowest.) As for the radiation and implosions and seizures, you're on your own.

Eco-Tip 9

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 9

Although the supply of water may seem unlimited to people as fortunate as us, always remember that clean water is a very scarce resource in the world as a whole. Here are a few ways to minimize your water usage: use the water only to rinse your toothbrush, do not have it running while you brush; fill the sink basin with water to rinse your razor when you shave, rather than have it running all the while; and try taking shorter (or at least not longer) showers, if you want to take a really extended shower, just take a bath.

Poll!

So I know, the last poll was pretty bad. I'm out of ideas for surveys, so I'm going to use another community forming aspect of this blog to help get a new, better survey up soon. Just leave a comment below - you don't even need a Google account, you can leave it anonymous or not. Just leave a question you want to see on the side and possible answers. Thank you!

Eco-Tip 8

Every week we'll post another easy tip to help you be environmentally friendly.

Eco-Tip 8

Summer is (finally) coming up and, if you plan on going on vacation, you will probably be staying in a hotel. Well, you know those little shampoo and conditioner bottles they have in the shower? Although they smell great, resist using them. Why? Because containing such a small amount of shampoo in a plastic bottle is very wasteful. Imagine splitting up a big bottle of shampoo into ten smaller bottles. Where is there more plastic - the single big bottle or the all the smaller bottles? It doesn't make sense to toss another plastic bottle every day you stay at a hotel when you could just carry along your home shampoo bottle.