http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237 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: &quot;Pankaj Shah, an &ldquo;eco-preneur&rdquo; 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&rsquo;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 &ndash; 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.&quot; 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. For more information, call the air district at 326-6900 or send an e-mail to public.education@valleyair.org. Vouchers will be mailed along with information on how to surrender your gas mower. Green tips to teach children First 5 California is encouraging parents and caregivers to teach young children how to live &ldquo;green&rdquo; 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. No Gushing While Brushing: Teach children to turn off the water while brushing their teeth during the two-minute brushing time dentists recommend. Walk The Walk: Instead of taking the car, walk! By walking, you will not only help cut down on pollution, but provide good exercise for you and your family. Fresh Is Best: Go to a farmers market and teach your preschooler how to choose local seasonal produce for healthy snacks. A farmers market is eco-friendly because it offers fresh produce that has not traveled a long distance and isn't wrapped in a lot of packaging. Don&rsquo;t forget to bring a reusable bag to carry your groceries home! &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lights Out: Tell children to turn off the lights when leaving a room and help them open curtains and blinds to let in the sun&rsquo;s natural lighting during the day. Switching off lights helps conserve energy &ndash; and lower your home energy bill. Recycle Over and Over: Teach your kids the value of recycling &ndash; newspapers, magazines and junk mail are just a start. You can even turn this into a fun activity like creating a newspaper and magazine photo collage.&nbsp; Green Thumb, Here We Come: Most kids love to play in the dirt. Turn this into a fun gardening experience to grow plants and herbs &ndash; all it takes is a small plant container or empty egg carton.&nbsp; As an extra bonus, indoor plants help clean the air in your home.&nbsp; Take a Hike: Play as a family outdoors. Throw a ball around or play tag instead of playing with electronic toys. Think Artsy: Bring to life the artist in you and make crafts from objects you were planning to throw away. Make homemade wooden toys or create new outfits for your child&rsquo;s dolls from old clothes and linens. Give Bottled Water the Boot: It is important for kids to drink plenty of water every day. To cut down on trash, refrain from buying bottled water. Instead, show your child how to fill up reusable bottles and thermoses with filtered tap water. Turn Household Chores Into Playtime: Kids are natural scientists and love experimenting with things, so show them how to mix baking soda and vinegar to create a natural cleanser for your home. Not only will you replace unhealthy household toxins found in traditional cleaning supplies, you will turn a household chore into a fun activity for your child. 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: &quot;Pankaj Shah, an &ldquo;eco-preneur&rdquo; 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&rsquo;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 &ndash; 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.&quot; 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. For more information, call the air district at 326-6900 or send an e-mail to public.education@valleyair.org. Vouchers will be mailed along with information on how to surrender your gas mower. Green tips to teach children First 5 California is encouraging parents and caregivers to teach young children how to live &ldquo;green&rdquo; 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. No Gushing While Brushing: Teach children to turn off the water while brushing their teeth during the two-minute brushing time dentists recommend. Walk The Walk: Instead of taking the car, walk! By walking, you will not only help cut down on pollution, but provide good exercise for you and your family. Fresh Is Best: Go to a farmers market and teach your preschooler how to choose local seasonal produce for healthy snacks. A farmers market is eco-friendly because it offers fresh produce that has not traveled a long distance and isn't wrapped in a lot of packaging. Don&rsquo;t forget to bring a reusable bag to carry your groceries home! &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Lights Out: Tell children to turn off the lights when leaving a room and help them open curtains and blinds to let in the sun&rsquo;s natural lighting during the day. Switching off lights helps conserve energy &ndash; and lower your home energy bill. Recycle Over and Over: Teach your kids the value of recycling &ndash; newspapers, magazines and junk mail are just a start. You can even turn this into a fun activity like creating a newspaper and magazine photo collage.&nbsp; Green Thumb, Here We Come: Most kids love to play in the dirt. Turn this into a fun gardening experience to grow plants and herbs &ndash; all it takes is a small plant container or empty egg carton.&nbsp; As an extra bonus, indoor plants help clean the air in your home.&nbsp; Take a Hike: Play as a family outdoors. Throw a ball around or play tag instead of playing with electronic toys. Think Artsy: Bring to life the artist in you and make crafts from objects you were planning to throw away. Make homemade wooden toys or create new outfits for your child&rsquo;s dolls from old clothes and linens. Give Bottled Water the Boot: It is important for kids to drink plenty of water every day. To cut down on trash, refrain from buying bottled water. Instead, show your child how to fill up reusable bottles and thermoses with filtered tap water. Turn Household Chores Into Playtime: Kids are natural scientists and love experimenting with things, so show them how to mix baking soda and vinegar to create a natural cleanser for your home. Not only will you replace unhealthy household toxins found in traditional cleaning supplies, you will turn a household chore into a fun activity for your child. en-us <p><i>&nbsp;mix baking soda and vinegar to create a natural cleanser for your home</i></p> <p>I'm not so sure it is a good thing to teach kids to mix household chemicals. Some could be toxic.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_227590 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_227590 <p><i>&nbsp;mix baking soda and vinegar to create a natural cleanser for your home</i></p> <p>I'm not so sure it is a good thing to teach kids to mix household chemicals. Some could be toxic.</p> <p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: small"> I have been using canvas shopping bags since 1989.  Here are some facts from a report my 7th grader did for English class.</span>  <span style="font-size: small">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.</span></p> <p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753</a></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238007 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238007 <p style="text-align: justify"><span style="font-size: small"> I have been using canvas shopping bags since 1989.  Here are some facts from a report my 7th grader did for English class.</span>  <span style="font-size: small">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.</span></p> <p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753</a></p> <p>sys-mom..what do you use for trash bags?</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238284 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238284 <p>sys-mom..what do you use for trash bags?</p> <p><span style="font-size: 9pt">Hi Nancy II&nbsp;&nbsp; Even though I use canvas bags I still have plenty of plastic bags for trash.&nbsp; I get them from friends who give me fruit and I get them from friends who bring stuff to my house when I barbeque.&nbsp; However because I recycle so much and have a compost pile I have very little trash to throw away.&nbsp; 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. &nbsp;I also take plastic bags to the pre-school in my neighborhood because they use the bags to send home wet/dirty clothes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Did you know that when you bring your own bags to use some stores&nbsp;will reward&nbsp;you?&nbsp; Albertson's and Trader Joes both deduct a small amount from your bill for each personal bag you use.&nbsp;&nbsp;Did you look at the video clip from the Today Show?&nbsp; </span></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238406 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238406 <p><span style="font-size: 9pt">Hi Nancy II&nbsp;&nbsp; Even though I use canvas bags I still have plenty of plastic bags for trash.&nbsp; I get them from friends who give me fruit and I get them from friends who bring stuff to my house when I barbeque.&nbsp; However because I recycle so much and have a compost pile I have very little trash to throw away.&nbsp; 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. &nbsp;I also take plastic bags to the pre-school in my neighborhood because they use the bags to send home wet/dirty clothes.&nbsp;&nbsp;Did you know that when you bring your own bags to use some stores&nbsp;will reward&nbsp;you?&nbsp; Albertson's and Trader Joes both deduct a small amount from your bill for each personal bag you use.&nbsp;&nbsp;Did you look at the video clip from the Today Show?&nbsp; </span></p> <p>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.</p> <p> </p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238409 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238409 <p>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.</p> <p> </p> <p>I rarely turn on my TV in the morning....sometimes not all day so I didn't see the program.&nbsp; :-)</p> <p>I take plastic bags when offered and use them for many purposes also.&nbsp; It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to buy plastic trash bags and use cloth at the store as&nbsp;it means I'm using the same amount of plastic.&nbsp; I use them for trash obviously but also for storing shoes in suitcases and dirty clothes for that trip.&nbsp; I re-use them to save things to give to the kids and grandkids.&nbsp; I use them to keep some packaged foods a little fresher and wrap frozen meat pachages in them to help prevent freezer burn.&nbsp; Those, and newspaper sleeves are great for dog walking ooopsies.&nbsp; When the g'grandkids are here they're super dooper for pooper diapers.&nbsp; Even just wet ones.&nbsp; I put soda cans in them to save for the recycler and then they keep the bags.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I&nbsp;never throw away a plastic bag until it's served at least one more purpose after hauling my groceries home.</p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238425 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238425 <p>I rarely turn on my TV in the morning....sometimes not all day so I didn't see the program.&nbsp; :-)</p> <p>I take plastic bags when offered and use them for many purposes also.&nbsp; It doesn't make a lot of sense to me to buy plastic trash bags and use cloth at the store as&nbsp;it means I'm using the same amount of plastic.&nbsp; I use them for trash obviously but also for storing shoes in suitcases and dirty clothes for that trip.&nbsp; I re-use them to save things to give to the kids and grandkids.&nbsp; I use them to keep some packaged foods a little fresher and wrap frozen meat pachages in them to help prevent freezer burn.&nbsp; Those, and newspaper sleeves are great for dog walking ooopsies.&nbsp; When the g'grandkids are here they're super dooper for pooper diapers.&nbsp; Even just wet ones.&nbsp; I put soda cans in them to save for the recycler and then they keep the bags.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; I&nbsp;never throw away a plastic bag until it's served at least one more purpose after hauling my groceries home.</p> <p>Hi NancyII.&nbsp; Here is the link to the Today Show video on grocery bags.&nbsp; It is from earlier this year.&nbsp; I found it very interesting.&nbsp; Please let me know if you can't get it to work.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753</a></p> http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238432 http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheDirt/25237/#c_238432 <p>Hi NancyII.&nbsp; Here is the link to the Today Show video on grocery bags.&nbsp; It is from earlier this year.&nbsp; I found it very interesting.&nbsp; Please let me know if you can't get it to work.&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753" target="_blank">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/22839753#22839753</a></p>