EcoAware

About me:

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Please, before you read anything else on this page, read this:

You will notice that the words "global warming" are NOT the central theme of EcoAware. While it is a (very) major problem, there are also other environmental issues that aren't getting due recognition because of global warming.

Furthermore, environmentalism should not be viewed as a political position/stance. Everyone lives on planet Earth, whether they are Republican, Democrat, any other political party, or any race, gender, or religion.

While it is my personal stance and therefore the stance of this organization that global warming is real and is at least boosted by humans, global warming is not a cause for a sudden caring about the environment. Below are some other issues, but please know that the purpose of this organization is to show people that it is not too late, we can make a difference, and together, WE WILL!

The planet we live on is just that-- what we live on. You only hear about global warming now, like it's the only environmental issue. Even if you don't believe global warming is real:

-What about deforestation?

Check out this link. From NRDC, this tells how tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, and paper napkins are destroying the environment. Or rather, how some of the major manufacturers of these items are destroying the environment. Bounty, Scott, Viva, Cottonelle, and Charmin use NO recycled paper. NONE. The alternative companies listed usually use around 80% recycled paper and a good bit is post-consumer, which means it's from people like you and I who recycled. I'll let the statistics and facts on that card speak for themselves. They're pretty powerful.

-What about the harmful effects of super-industrial agriculture?

A pesticide may be a chemical substance, biological agent (such as a virus or bacteria), antimicrobial, disinfectant or device used against pests that compete with humans for food, destroy property, spread or are a vector for disease or are a nuisance. Many pesticides are poisonous to humans.

Pesticide use has increased 50-fold since 1950, and 2.5 million tons of industrial pesticides are now used each year.

A number of research studies have found higher instances of brain cancer, leukemia and birth defects in children with early exposure to pesticides, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council

A new study conducted by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, has discovered a 70% increase in the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease for people exposed to even low levels of pesticides.

When sprayed with pesticides, many pests will initially be very susceptible. However, not all pests are killed, and some with slight variations in their genetic make-up are resistant and therefore survive. Through natural selection, the pests may eventually become very resistant to the pesticide. Farmers may resort to increased use of pesticides, exacerbating the problem

I can provide you with facts and data all day long about how terrible pesticides are. But I have one question. Take a look at the picture below, and tell me, would you want to eat something that had (and still may have) this stuff on it? Would you want it dumped into the environment? Check out all the protective gear he has to wear-- to protect himself from what goes on our FOOD!

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Consider organic options and you can also inquire at your local farmer's market about individual farmers' growing techniques to see if they use pesticides. Ideally, locally grown organic food is the best of both worlds-- fewer fossil fuels are burned to bring the food from the field to your dinner plate, and no pesticides are causing human health problems or are leaking into the environment.

Click here to see a full table of 43 fruits and vegetables that were tested by the Environmental Working Group for pesticide residue. The foods are ranked from worst to best (descending) and the chart will tell you what percentage of that particular fruit/vegetable had pesticides on it and how many pesticides could be detected on each fruit/vegetable. For example, peaches were the worst. 96.6% of peaches had pesticides on them. 86.6% of the peaches had 2 or more different pesticides on them. It's pretty scary stuff. Makes some foods seem a little less, um, peachy...

-Does what I eat affect the environment?

Our food choices heavily affect the natural world, and I don't mean organic or locally grown food this time. Many people have chosen to adopt a vegetarian or vegan diet to reduce their impact on the environment. (A vegan is a strict vegetarian, one who does not eat meat, fish, dairy, eggs, or any other animal products). Eating a little less meat and animal products can help, too, even if you don't make the jump to a plant-based diet.

It may seem strange that it's bad for the environment, because we're "supposed" to eat meat. I'm not here to argue that point, but I will say that personally I follow a vegan diet, for many reasons in addition to environmental concerns. You may feel that you "could never do it," or that "meat just tastes too good," or you may think vegans eat "weird food." Well, if by weird you mean not meat, eggs, milk, or cheese, then yes we eat weird food. My point is that we're not freaks and we have our reasoning. You may feel that veganism is not right for you, and that's okay. But before you can decide it isn't right for you, it's necessary that you become informed enough to make that decision!

The United Nations released a report in November 2006 linking animal agriculture to environmental damage. The report, titled "Livestock’s Long Shadow – Environmental Issues and Options," concludes that the livestock sector (primarily cows, chickens, and pigs) emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to our most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global. It is one of the largest sources of greenhouse gases - responsible for 18% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions as measured in CO2 equivalents. By comparison, all transportation emits 13.5% of the CO2. It produces 65% of human-related nitrous oxide (which has 296 times the global warming potential of CO2) and 37% of all human-induced methane (which is 23 times as warming as CO2).

If you want to read "Livestock's Long Shadow," click here.

"To place the planetary consequences of dietary choices in a broader context, note that at mean U.S. caloric efficiency, it only requires a dietary intake from animal products of ~20%, well below the national average, 27.7%, to increase one’s GHG (green house gas) footprint by an amount similar to the difference between an ultra efficient hybrid (Prius) and an average sedan (Camry)."

"For a person consuming a red meat diet at ~35% of calories from animal sources, the added GHG burden above that of a plant eater equals the difference between driving a Camry and an SUV. These results clearly demonstrate the primary effect of one’s dietary choices on one’s planetary footprint, an effect comparable in magnitude to the car one chooses to drive." (From Diet, Energy and Global Warming by Gidon Eshel and Pamela Martin of the University of Chicago. The paper can be downloaded here.)

"Meat is the most resource-intensive food on the table and eating less of it can be the single most green move a person makes."
-TH's "How to Green Your Meals"

I will not spend any more time on veganism, because that is not the purpose of this project. But I do wish to recognize the impact that our diet has on the environment. If you would like to learn more about veganism (all reasons, in addition to helping the environment), check out these links:

• Vegan Outreach FAQs

• Veganism in a Nutshell from The Vegetarian Resource Group

• The Vegan Society offers more information and vegan perspectives

• This book will answer any questions you may still have, and is helpful to new and old vegans alike.

-What happened to knowing the person that grows your food?

Check out the video below about Community Supported Agriculture.

-What about landfills?

The EPA says that we had (in the United States) 8,000 landfills in 1988 to 1,654 in 2005. Yet we produce MORE trash than we did in 1988. So quite frankly, where the hell is that trash going? The United States produces 285 million tons of solid waste every year, which is nearly 1 ton (2000 pounds!) of waste per American per year. That means 570,000,000,000 pounds of waste per year from the US alone. Now, some of that is recycled, but most of it is not. So are we not recycling enough of our waste-- or are we simply creating too much waste? I'd like to suggest that both are true.

-Why are we still using oil? Why are we still fighting over it in the Middle East and why would we want to drill for it domestically?

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is supposed to be, as its name implies, a REFUGE! Besides that, even if we COULD drill for it without disturbing the environment and ecosystems (though this is impossible!) but even if we COULD, the United States Geological Survey says that there is a 95% probability that the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge only holds about 6 billion barrels of oil. The United States currently consumes 20 million barrels DAILY. This means that if we used this oil exclusively, it will only supply us with oil for 300 days. This is less than one year.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is so precious, why would we spend billions of dollars AND ruin it, just for our addiction to oil? Why are we not spending the billions that we'd use to open up the ANWR for drilling to research alternate fuel sources?

In 2005, the government of Sweden announced their intention to become the first country to break their dependence on oil and other ‘fossil raw materials’ by 2020. In making this decision, four reasons were cited by the Government:

• The impact of oil prices on Swedish economic growth and employment;

• The link between oil, peace and security throughout the world;

• The great potential to use Sweden's own renewable energy resources in place of oil;

• The threat of climate change resulting from the extensive burning of fossil fuels.

10 Things You Can Do

1. Buy locally grown food.

2. Buy organic and fair trade products.

3. Support companies who make a commitment to the environment through grants, donations, or companies who are members of organizations such as 1% for the Planet.  Want to look for some companies that are environmentally friendly? Try this website: www.coopamerica.org/pubs/greenpages

4. Use rechargeable batteries.

5. Drive less and walk or ride a bicycle more.

6. When you buy wood products (such as pencils) look for a label that says "not made from rain forest wood." Check out this link.

7. Recycle.  This may seem obvious, but it's astonishing how many things can be recycled, even in smaller communities: aluminum and steel cans, plastic bottles, plastic bags, cardboard (shipping boxes, cereal boxes, paper towel rolls), paper (including computer paper and junk mail), magazines, phonebooks, newspapers, and even Christmas trees, car parts (motor oil, tires, etc.) and electronic equipment, such as computers or televisions. Look at this link for electronics, this one for oil, and this one for tires.

8. Reuse.  Take your own grocery bags (try www.ecobags.com for recycled and organic cotton shopping bags that are made using fair trade practices!).  Reuse shipping boxes.

9. Drive more efficiently:  

"While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas."



Also be sure to replace the air filter in your car regularly, make sure your tires are properly inflated, and keep your oil changed regularly.  All of these things not only help you save gasoline (and who doesn't appreciate that?), but doing these simple things will extend the life of your car.
*Information for this tip and the graph from www.fueleconomy.gov

10. Start a compost pile, even if you don't garden.  Most communities have a local compost stockpile and you can help save landfill space by composting fruits, vegetables, and other organic matter. Municipal solid waste (MSW) is the trash/waste created by all of us. The EPA says that 13% of the United State's is yard trimmings, most of which can be composted.   For more information about composting, visit www.compostguide.com.