Seventh Generation Recycled Plastic Trash Bags

There is a saying that says "Be the change that you want to see in the world," and it makes a lot of sense. A lot of people decry the state of the environment, but they may not be doing all that they can to take personal responsibility to help along the environmental changes that they want to see.

Seventh Generation is one of a new breed of companies that is doing what they can to help to green the earth, and they are collaborating with FitFuel.com, another young and dynamic, healthy living company to offer recycled plastic trash bags to eco-conscious consumers.

The problem with plastic in the oceans is devastating, and we need to take action. The utilization of recycled plastic garbage bags is a solid step in the right direction, and the purchase of Seventh Generation garbage bags at FitFuel.com is also a sign of support for companies that are trying to be the change that they want to see in the world.

Visit Fit Fuel for Seventh Generation 100% recycled plastic eco friendly garbage bags, and while you're there, take a look at their wide selection of healthy household products.

Saving Water vs Recycling and Dish Towels

Because I am presently living in Las Vegas, I frequently think about the issue of water waste. For instance, if a glass or plastic container needs considerable rinsing before putting it in the recycling bin, should I be more concerned with the water waste than the recycling? At home I have figured out a solution to this dilemma by can using the graywater from doing the dishes to rinse the recyclables. Work is another story altogether. People rinse each item before it goes into the recycling and I wonder if this is sensible. Another issue is that I feel that my efforts at work are a little stupid. We recycle all of our white paper which is great, but I brought in a recycling bin to work because this town offers only home curbside recycling, so I carry the work recycling home with me. I know this is futile, but I do it anyway.

Another issue is paper vs cloth napkins and dishtowels. I have not used paper towels for years and I have just become used to not having them. I keep a few napkins in the cabinet, but since it is not a habit I rarely use them. So I save the dirty cloth towels and napkins and do one small additional load of laundry per week, sometimes including rugs or towels. I use cold water and environmentally friendly detergent, but I was wondering if this was the best option and if paper may be the better choice. Luckily this morning I located an article which addresses this very subject in an Annie’s Green Living newsletter from Care2. The article explains all about the best options for paper towels and the paper vs cloth dilemma. It turns out that if you approach your cloth towels and napkins conscientiously, cloth is the greener option.
Image: Flicker

Here Comes the Sun

Acciona just dedicated their 64 megawatt solar thermal plant in Boulder City, Nevada. Boulder City is just outside Las Vegas. Nevada Solar One is the third largest Solar power plant in the world and produces enough power for more than 14,000 households. The site covers about 400 acres, the solar collectors cover about three fourths of that area, the size of 200 football fields. It was constructed over a period of 16 months.

Say No to "Complex Transformation"

The United States maintains hundreds of nuclear-armed missiles on high alert. Even so, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) recently published its newest proposal to upgrade the entire U.S. nuclear weapons complex. "Complex Transformation" would return the U.S. to a cycle of designing, developing, and producing new nuclear weapons. Fortunately, a mandatory environmental review allows you to submit comments on this ill-advised draft plan.

If you click on this link you can easily send a letter (it is already written, you can just edit it or not and press send) and tell the DOE that we don't need the capacity to build NEW nuclear weapons, we need to take the lead in moving closer to a world free of nuclear weapons. Peace out.
Image: Flickr

More on Ocean Dead Zones

According to researchers "dead zones" off coastal Oregon, expanding into Washington and California, are likely caused by global warming. The "dead zones" are low-oxygen waters, which are almost completely devoid of marine life. An article by Kenneth R. Weiss said, "Video images scanned from the seafloor revealed a boneyard of crab skeletons, dead fish and other marine life smothered under a white mat of bacteria. At times, the camera's unblinking eye revealed nothing - a barren undersea desert in waters renowned for their bounty of Dungeness crabs and fat rockfish."

Low-oxygen dead zones have doubled in number every decade and exist around the world.

McCain Scores Zero on Environmental Action

A few weeks ago John McCain was the only Senator to duck a crucial vote on the future of clean energy in America that would have helped make renewable energy more affordable and accessible. The League of Conversation Voters (LCV) released the 2007 National Environmental Scorecard giving Senator McCain a score of ZERO. According to the scorecard, McCain was the only member of Congress to skip all 15 crucial environmental votes scored by LCV.

River Mountains Water Treatment Facility, Las Vegas

I recently toured the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility in Las Vegas with a tour arranged through my job. I was pleasantly surprised at how interesting the tour was. They use Ozonation which is a water treatment process that destroys bacteria and other microorganisms through an infusion of ozone, a gas produced by subjecting oxygen molecules to high electrical voltages. Ozonation is effective for inactivating Cryptosporidium, bacteria and other naturally-occurring organisms. Ozonation also can reduce the formation of trihalomethanes (THMs), which I learned are a result from the interaction of chlorine and naturally-occurring organic material in the water. Ozone is a strong disinfectant, but it does not remain in water very long. For that reason, chlorine is still added to protect the water. They have a contained system so that no ozone is released into the atmosphere. The facility is actually very pretty with desert landscaped paths. It was originally designed to accommodate public tours but since for security reasons they are not open to the public.

Although the facility was interesting, I have to say it paled in comparison to the view of the valley from the facility. It sits above Las Vegas Valley and it was nighttime so you could see all the lights. It was really beautiful, even though the amount of energy used to power the city is mind boggling. The highlight of the evening though was the lunar eclipse. Up and away from all the city lights we had a fantastic view of the eclipse and that made the trip worthwhile.

It's a Desert Out There

A new study says that there is a 50% chance that Lake Mead will go dry by 2021 if global warming continues and water use is not restricted. I live in Las Vegas and I just want to say DUH! You just can’t believe the attitude toward water conservation here. Although there are incentives for removing grass and replacing it with desert landscaping, there has been no attempt to curtail growth. I am just surprised that the date is not sooner. In fact, researchers have stated that their estimates are conservative and that the water shortage is likely to be even more dire than they estimate. They say that there is 10% chance that Lake Mead could be dry by 2014.