Are you buying the right cotton balls?

Hey everyone!

     

      Are you buying the right cotton balls? Today's challenge is to check if you're buying the right cotton balls because many people buy cotton balls that aren't even made of cotton! Some cotton balls are made out of polyester which is a synthetic material that is related to plastic. First of all polyester uses 67 % more energy than the production of cotton. Second of all polyester is not organic...it is completely not Eco friendly! Also, consider buying cotton balls that are made f organic cotton or cotton balls bleached without chlorine because they are better are better for the environment, and they are better for your health!

Did you know?

     It is not good to use chlorine just to make cotton balls white. Choosing to buy cotton that is whitened by Eco friendly substances such as hydrogen peroxide is a much better option. Also, did you know that cotton keeps the body cool in the summer, and warm in the winter because it is a good conductor of heat?

PS: be green!
By: Stella E.

Use Rechargeable Batteries!

 Hey everyone!

      I know I haven't been posting and I just want to say that I'm really sorry about that.today's challenge is to use rechargeable batteries instead of using regular ones. You might be thinking that I forgot that we can recycle regular batteries, but most people don't, and even recycling creates pollution on its own. Rechargeable batteries are also better for your economy because you only buy them once and just recharge them once your finished with them. Also by buying less batteries you reduce the amount of waste there is.

     I also would like to mention that as you are doing this challenge, you're probably going to find old batteries (regular ones). Go ahead and recycle those. I know I just mentioned that recycling alone creates pollution, but it's much better than just throwing something in the waste.If you already use rechargeable batteries...That's great!!! Continue your great job and spread the word!


                                                      

 Did you know?

      Americans purchase nearly 3 billion batteries every year to power radios, toys, watches, laptops, tools and more (That's why rechargeable batteries are better for the environment and your economy).    

 PS: Be green!

 By: Stella E.

Paper Towels

Groceries
Hey everyone, today's challenge is to buy paper towels with smaller-size sheets. If you can, select paper towel rolls with smaller-size sheets in order to extend the life of each roll you buy. ( To determine the size, check the package label for paper towel sheet sizes.) A decrease in U.S. household consumption of only three rolls  per year would save 120, 000 tons of waste and 4.1 million landfill dumping fees! So next time you go to do your shopping, don't forget to buy the smaller-size sheets for your paper towel rolls.

Ps: be green
By: Stella.E

Canned Goods

Groceries
Hey everyone, today's challenge is to try to buy less cans of the same product. If you are planning on purchasing several cans of the same product, look around to see if a larger can is available. If you buy a 28-ounce can of stewed tomatoes instead of two 14.5-ounce cans, you will save up to 50 percent on the price, but you will also reduce waste and conserve resources. If every month each U.S. household substituded a larger can of the product for two smaller ones, the annual savings in steel could build an Eiffel Tower on  each of the six continents!

Ps: be green
By: Stella.E

Biking

Outdoor Exercise
 Instead of using your car or motorcycle bike to work, to school or anywhere you are planing to go to and stay on marked paths. You can your intake of fumes by staying on the edge of traffic zones, such as in bike lane s or on bike paths, and you can reduce your exposure to air pollutants by doing the majority of your outdoor exercise in the morning when pollution levels are lowest and by using your bike more often you are decreasing the amount of air pollution. If you want you can bike with family or friends to make a larger difference.

Ps: be green
By: Stella.E

Junk Mail

In the living room:
Get rid of your junk mail---or at least recycle it. The average U.S. household receives 1.5 trees worth of junk mail each year, and many of these trees are thrown right into the trash. For the junk mail you continue to receive, remember to toss it in the recycling bin instead of throwing it out in the garbage. You can even recycle plastic window envelopes so why not give it a try. If all Americans recycled their junk mail, $370 million in landfill dumping fees could be saved every year.

Ps: Be green
By: Stella.E

Composting

In the kitchen:
Keep your kitchen scraps from fruits, vegetables, and coffee grounds in a composting bin or container. You can even try adding them to your garden or starting a compost site in the yard. You'll grow a better garden, create deeper topsoil, recycle nutrients, and save some landfill  space. If, over the the course of a year, everyone in the United States composted their kitchen scraps instead of sending them away with the trash, the organic waste diverted from landfills could make a three foot-high compost pile to cover the city of San Francisco.

Ps: Be green
By: Stella.E

Reuse creatively!

Hi everyone, today I was thinking that the daily challenge should be more creative than usual. So basically try to reuse things to create new ones... Down below I will add a couple of pictures to inspire you. The first picture is a bag that I got my birthday present in a couple of years ago. This bag is made out of milk cartons and the bag itself can prove that. The other two pictures are crafty ways of re using different items that you would usually throw in your recycling bin like toilet paper rolls, cardboard, paper,water bottles...Have fun getting crafty!! :)

 

Did you know:
By choosing to buy environmentally friendly products, you become an eco-consumer.


Ps: Be green 

                                          By: Stella.E                                                                                                                             

A Weekly Challenge!

Hi everyone, today I will give you guys a weekly challenge! So basically this week you will be celebrating Earth Hour a bit everyday. Not by turning off all the lights in your house for one hour every day (well if you want to you can) but you can do this by doing one little thing you usually would do on Earth Hour.   ( By the way if you don't know what Earth Hour is, I made the previous post talk about Earth Hour).Here I will list five examples of what you can do on a daily basis ( at least for this week)

1. Turn off your lights: This is an easy one because that is what Earth Hour is
   all about.
2. Unplug your electronics: Earth Hour is not just about turning of lights in your
   home, it is also about energy conservation. Unplugging your electronics is
   a good way to conserve energy in your home.
3. Turn off the television: When was the last time your family and you sat around
   with candles, just talking, playing a game, or reading? The television
   uses energy, so turn it off for the hour and discover the art of
   communication and reading again.
4. Replace incandescent bulbs with CFLs: CFL bulbs not only use about one-fifth of
   the energy that a typical incandescent light does, they also last up to
   ten times as long.
5. Turn off the porch lights: Some homeowners only turn off the lights inside
   their house, while leaving their porch light on. For Earth Hour, how about
   turning off that light too?

Ps: Be green and don't forget to celebrate Earth Hour on March Saturday the 29th 2014!!!By: Stella.E

Earth Hour!

1. What is Earth Hour?
   Earth Hour is a wdorldwide grassroots movement uniting people to protect the planet, and is organised by WWF. Engaging a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues, Earth Hour was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007.  Since then it has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement
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3. What is Earth Hour Blue?
   Earth Hour Blue is an all-new digital crowdfunding and crowdsourcing platform for the planet launched in 2014 to capture the power of the crowd and engage people around the world beyond the lights out event. The crowdfunding section of the platform allows participants to financially support and deliver positive, tangible changes to the environment and communities all over the world. Individuals can also use Earth Hour Blue’s crowdsourcing platform, which will call for people to add their voice to some of the biggest environmental campaigns across the world.
4. When does Earth Hour take place?
   Earth Hour 2014 will be held on Saturday 29 March between 8.30PM and 9.30PM in your local time zone. The event is held worldwide towards the end of March annually, encouraging individuals, communities households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet. Earth Hour 2015 will take place on Saturday, 28 of March at 8:30PM to 9:30PM in your local timezone.
5. What does Earth Hour aim to achieve?
   Earth Hour aims to encourage an interconnected global community to share the opportunities and challenges of creating a sustainable world.
6. What does Earth Hour ask people to do?
   The first thing anyone can do to get involved is to turn off their lights on Saturday. But there’s much, much more. But our full ambition is for people to take action beyond the hour. Whether it’s supporting a crowdfunding or crowdsroucing campaign onwww.earthhour.org or getting involved in Earth Hour campaigns in their own country, or starting the movement in their own community. The vision is always to do more, so make the light switch the beginning of your journey.
7. How long has Earth Hour been going for?
   The first Earth Hour event was on March 31 2007. WWF-Australia inspired Sydney-siders to show their support for climate change action. More than 2.2 million individuals and 2,000 businesses turned their lights out for one hour in the first Earth Hour event.

   Earth Hour 2014 will mark the eighth year of the campaign.
8. Is Earth Hour an annual event?
   Earth Hour is more than annual event – it is a movement that culminates in an hour of inspiration across the world held towards the end of March each year. 
9. What exactly has Earth Hour achieved before launching Earth Hour Blue?
   • WWF Uganda started the world’s first Earth Hour Forest
   • More than 250,000 Russians voiced support for better protection of their country’s seas and forests
   • Argentina used its 2013 Earth Hour campaign to help pass a Senate bill for a 3.4 million hectare Marine Protected Area in the country
   • Thousands of wood-saving stoves were distributed to families in Madagascar
   • Solar-powered lights were installed in three villages without electricity in India
   • In Paraguay, WWF used the Earth Hour platform to build public support to gain an extension of the logging moratorium, helping to reduce deforestation
   • Education programs for schools were launched in Thailand and Taiwan
   • Hundreds of thousands of LED lights were installed by girl scouts in the USA
   • More than 2123 mitigation actions submitted by Earth Hour City Challenge 2014 participating cities

   But this is just the start, there’s so many more Earth Hour stories out there we’re still discovering, and of course much more to do.
10. Back to the event. Isn't switching the lights off dangerous? What about public safety?
    Earth Hour only asks people to turn off the non-essential lights for one hour - not lights that affect public safety. Earth Hour is also a celebration of the planet so it’s important to enjoy the moment in a safe environment.
11. What lights can be safely switched off?
    That is a decision that has to be made individually but usually the overhead lights in rooms (whether it is your house or a business), outdoor lighting that does not impact safety, decorative lights, neon signs for advertising, televisions, desk lamps, the list goes on and on.

    There are a few lights we can say with certainty that should NOT be turned off, including safety lights in public spaces, lights for aviation guidance, traffic lights, security lights, just to name a few. We ask people to use common sense. Before you turn off any lights for public spaces, Earth Hour recommends you check with local officials or community centres.

    In your own home, use common sense with respect to safety. Keep small night lights on for basic safety especially in halls and on stairs. Make sure you have alternative light sources handy before Earth Hour starts, like torches or flashlights. That way if you need to see, you have a light source close at hand, and you can still respect the spirit of Earth Hour and keep yourself and your family safe.
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13. What candles should I use for my Earth Hour event?
    If you plan on burning candles during Earth Hour, make sure you use 100% beeswax candles or soy candles, which are gentler on our planet - smoke free, non-toxic and non-allergenic. They are also made of natural products, not petroleum-based materials, so they are effectively carbon neutral (the CO2 they emit has already been taken from the atmosphere to produce the wax). Many communities are now replacing candles with LED lights for their event, as a way to promote energy efficient lighting - a key for any sustainable future. If you're using candles, though, make sure you take care. If you would like to get  candles for this event or other events go on www. pariscandles.com and go ahead and celebrate earth hour.
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15. Don't forget to be green
16. By: WWF and Stella.E (this information has been used from WWF)

Snip six pack rings

Hi everyone, the challenge that I am about to give you is a challenge for every day. This challenge is not even hard. It doesn't make a change to you but it can if we all participate. We've all seen plastic six pack rings, the little plastic circles that hold together six packs of canned drinks. Most people throw them as soon as they are done using them, right?

 Well, believe it or not that is your chance when you can help save sea life. The reason why we are doing this challenge is because a lot of sea creatures get harmed by these six pack rings and also from other horrible things. Many six pack rings wind up in the ocean because sometimes people leave them on the beach or other times they are put in dumps near the water and the wind blows them into the sea.That is when animals get stuck in them and suffer then eventually die either starve or get strangled.What you have to do is very simple, before you toss six pack rings in the garbage, snip each circle with scissors. Once the rings are cut, no animal can get caught in them!

 One more thing, when you are taking a walk, and you see six pack rings pick them up snip them and throw them in the garbage. You see it is not that bad.
(Sorry I couldn't put any pictures)
Ps: be greenBy: Stella.E

THINK OF THE TREES!!!

Hi everyone I just felt like showing you all this little quote that my cousin thought of. I decided to show it to you guys because I thought it was sweet and she does has a point. You will understand as you read it.

"Trees have hearts so please save them"
    
       - Georgia.A

Don't forget about plants because first of all trees are part of plants in general and because they are special also!

Ps: Be green

By: Stella.E

It should be off if you are not using it.

Hi everyone, today I want to do a challenge but I mainly want to focus on air pollution. I mainly want to focus on air pollution because this is a big problem all around the world!

 

 

 So I think that todays challenge should be that if you are driving your car and you want top pullover to wait for a friend to come or for any other reason don't leave the engine running for  no reason. This is not only todays challenge, it is also tomorrows challenge.

Ps: Be green

By: Stella.E