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Move over monster trucks, smart car has arrived New option in refinery expansion Photos: Bike path beaver's back Big West under scrutiny: Take II Small ammonia leak at refinery Sunday Cars damaged by tainted gas sold at 25 local stations Tejon Ranch's historic deal: a win-win? Buying locally-grown produce Earth Day tidbits Bakersfield shows up on carbon map January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 
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Earth Day tidbits
Earth Day is tomorrow so I've compiled a few news items here that I think are worthy of a peruse. Sign up to stop junk mail and get $1 From Greendimes: "Pankaj Shah, an “eco-preneur” who founded GreenDimes, a Palo Alto, California-based company that leads the nation in reducing the amount of postal junk mail sent to American mailboxes, is kicking his green status up a notch this week. Today Shah announced his campaign to pay 5 million people $1 each. Don’t need the dollar? GreenDimes will plant a tree for you. All he asks in exchange is that people sign up with GreenDimes to start getting rid of their junk mail. When all is said and done, Shah is just trying to do his part in the battle against global warming – and in doing so, he will prove that brands can combine consumerism with altruism, fine tuning the capitalist business model so it coincides with social and environmental good." Need a new lawn mower? The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is distributing vouchers for steeply-discounted, electric lawn mowers to valley residents who trade-in their gas-powered machine. Those who take part will get a new, $399 air-friendly mower for $150. The program runs through May 31 but supplies are limited. Green tips to teach children First 5 California is encouraging parents and caregivers to teach young children how to live “green” to help ensure a healthier future for them and the planet. First 5 is a state commission funded by tobacco taxes to provide educational information to parents of children 5 and under.
7 comments from 4 users
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posted by
witbee
on Apr 21, 2008 at 01:59 PM
mix baking soda and vinegar to create a natural cleanser for your home I'm not so sure it is a good thing to teach kids to mix household chemicals. Some could be toxic. posted by
sys_mom
on May 14, 2008 at 01:44 PM
I have been using canvas shopping bags since 1989. Here are some facts from a report my 7th grader did for English class. According to NBC’s Today Show Americans use 100 billion plastic bags per year. Manufacturing these plastic bags is like dumping 12 million barrels of oil down the drain, because that is how much oil is needed to manufacture these bags. In most cases these bags are used only once then thrown away. Currently only 5% of all plastic bags get recycled. The rest end up in landfills or dumped in the oceans. It is estimated that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic floating in every square mile of the ocean. If every American family reused just one plastic bag during every trip to the store it would keep 10 billion new bags from being needed. This would result in saving enough fuel to power 50,000 cars for a year. One million plastic bags are manufactured per minute worldwide. Here is the link from the Today Show. It is very interesting. posted by
NancyII
on May 14, 2008 at 11:02 PM
sys-mom..what do you use for trash bags? posted by
sys_mom
on May 15, 2008 at 09:57 AM
Hi Nancy II Even though I use canvas bags I still have plenty of plastic bags for trash. I get them from friends who give me fruit and I get them from friends who bring stuff to my house when I barbeque. However because I recycle so much and have a compost pile I have very little trash to throw away. If anyone finds that they are blessed with too many plastic bags the Gleaners, the Assistance League of Bakersfield, and the Kern Humane Society Thrift Store will accept clean plastic shopping bags, which they will reuse. I also take plastic bags to the pre-school in my neighborhood because they use the bags to send home wet/dirty clothes. Did you know that when you bring your own bags to use some stores will reward you? Albertson's and Trader Joes both deduct a small amount from your bill for each personal bag you use. Did you look at the video clip from the Today Show? posted by
TheDirt
on May 15, 2008 at 10:00 AM
I know the food bank also accept plastic bags, which they use to distribute food. Also, most big stores, like Vons, Albertsons and Target, have plastic bag recycling bins.
posted by
NancyII
on May 15, 2008 at 10:31 AM
I rarely turn on my TV in the morning....sometimes not all day so I didn't see the program. :-) I take plastic bags when offered and use them for many purposes also. It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to buy plastic trash bags and use cloth at the store as it means I'm using the same amount of plastic. I use them for trash obviously but also for storing shoes in suitcases and dirty clothes for that trip. I re-use them to save things to give to the kids and grandkids. I use them to keep some packaged foods a little fresher and wrap frozen meat pachages in them to help prevent freezer burn. Those, and newspaper sleeves are great for dog walking ooopsies. When the g'grandkids are here they're super dooper for pooper diapers. Even just wet ones. I put soda cans in them to save for the recycler and then they keep the bags. I never throw away a plastic bag until it's served at least one more purpose after hauling my groceries home. posted by
sys_mom
on May 15, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Hi NancyII. Here is the link to the Today Show video on grocery bags. It is from earlier this year. I found it very interesting. Please let me know if you can't get it to work.
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