Friday Funny

The Other Coast by Adrian Raeside

5 green resolutions that won't cost you a dime

Hope everyone had a happy and safe New Year’s Eve and a great New Year’s Day.  Here’s one more set of resolutions if you are still trying to decide on how to ‘green’ your life in 2014. 

Living more sustainably doesn't have to be expensive.

By Sami Grover                  Dec 28 2013

"Hybrid cars, solar panels, organic food. This green living thing is just an elitist fantasy."

I've never really understood this line of thinking. The more money you have, the more you tend to consume. The more you consume, the bigger your environmental footprint is going to be. Yes, solar panels and hybrid cars are an important part of our low-carbon future, but many of the most important things we can do to go green are totally and utterly free. 

Here are some resolutions that can help you live sustainably in the long run and won't cost you a single dime. 

Eat less meat
Besides home energy use and transportation, food makes up one of the largest portions of our personal carbon footprint. And meat and dairy make up by far the biggest percentage of our food-related impact. You may not be ready to follow Al Gore's example and go vegan, but why not consider starting with Meatless Mondays or a weekday vegetarian diet? Not only will you slash your impact, you'll save some money at the grocery store, too. 

Drive less, walk and bike more

Despite convincing evidence that our culture has reached "peak car," most of us (myself included) are not quite ready to go car-free. Nevertheless, we can all do our part. From walking to the store to biking to work, there are plenty of ways to cut back without going cold turkey. Like most resolutions worth their salt, however, it can be hard to stay motivated at first — so set yourself up for success. Keep an umbrella by the front door, store your bike in a convenient location (and maintain it well!), and make car-pooling plans with friends to keep you from backtracking. 

Turn off the lights, program the thermostat

LED light bulbs and fancy learning thermostats will almost certainly save you money in the long run, but there are cheaper ways to cut back. Many Americans, for example, already have a programmable thermostat — too many, however, still fail to program it. Even if your thermostat is not programmable, simply knowing what temperature to set it to can be a great way to save money. And whatever kinds of bulbs you use, just remember to turn them off when you leave the room. It's really that easy.

Start composting

I may have been singing the praises of the NatureMill indoor composter of late, but we should never forget that old hippy adage: compost happens. Setting up a basic composting operation in your backyard doesn't have to cost a single penny, just follow these easy steps on setting up a compost pile. You'll not only reduce your household waste, but you'll nurture the earth around you and cut back on trips to the garden store too.

Give things away

For all the talk of buying more sustainable products, there's a lot to be said for simply owning less too. So look around you, identify the things you no longer use or need, and then find someone who can give them a good home. eBay or Craigslist can be a great way to make a few bucks in the process — or you can opt for more community-minded options like freecycle or Really, Really Free Markets. In our neighborhood, people just leave things out on the curb that they don't want with a note to let people know that it is free. We've gotten rid of plenty of unwanted items this way ourselves, and we've scored everything from a donut maker to a bike trailer in return. 

Top Green New Year Resolutions

Happy New Year!

Can you believe it’s almost 2014?  Incredible!  As you look over 2013, were changes that made your life more sustainable and happy?  Is there a change you want to make in 2014?  If you aren’t sure, here are some New Year Resolutions that might help you decide...

Green New Year Resolutions

1. Save money without spending a dime
   It's easier than it sounds to save money while being green: unplug electronic equipment you aren't using; turn off the lights; lower your heat and wear an extra sweater. Switching from chemical cleaners to homemade baking soda/vinegar combos can save you $600 a year, and taking public transportation saves countless money on gas.
2. Save money by investing in efficiency
   Sometimes you have to spend to save-but you still don't have to spend much. Energy monitors—like Black & Decker's version for less than $100-show you where your home is wasting energy, while a programmable thermostat could have you saving as much as 15% on your energy bill. In other cases, you might have to invest just a bit more time-making your lunch ahead of time instead of ordering take-out, baking your own bread, or learn some simple home repair and skip that next call to the Maytag man.
3. Cut clutter
   We all have too much stuff—especially if your home just received an influx of gifts over the holidays. Unclutter and update your closet by hosting a clothing swap, and keep your foyer table clear by cutting junk mail. Getting rid of excess in your home by reusing it means less waste, fewer landfills, and—eventually—less energy spent on the production of a whole lot of unnecessary junk.
4. Lose weight
   Many classic weight loss tips—eat fresh vegetables, skip the processed food aisle, cut out red meat—line up perfectly with a green lifestyle. The bad-for-you foods that are so high in calories also pack a production wallop that uses lots of energy; the packaging just creates more waste. And trading even one meat-based meal each week for a vegetarian option can help curb the effects of global warming. If you're going less than one mile, trade driving for walking; for longer distances, brush off your old 10-speed and hit the bike lane-then watch the pounds fall off.
5. Quit smoking
   Cigarettes are a huge source of litter—plus there's nothing eco-friendly about the pesticides, deforestation, paper use, and waste output of cigarette production. If you're ready to quit, replace the habit with exercise, or snacks of fresh organic veggies.
6. Get involved
   There's a lot to be said for getting out of your house and focusing your energy on others-or on the environment. Join a community supported agriculture program and, in exchange for a few hours work, or a few bucks per week, you'll have fresh vegetables all summer; volunteer at an animal shelter or for an environmental charity and you can feel good about making a difference. The key is matching your interests and talents with the right organization, and sometimes that could be as simple as starting at home and greening your community.
7. Organize your office
   Whether in your work or home office, this is the perfect chance to go paperless. Filing documents electronically and using a scanner and paper shredder in tandem means a huge drop in wasted paper—plus it's easier to store and review important bills when you need them. Even better, convince your boss to let you work from home and save money, time, and carbon emissions by not having to commute, buy lunch, wrestle with your company's recycling policies, etc.
8. Learn to recycle something new
   Sure, you're a pro at putting glass, paper, and aluminum in the proper containers, and you never leave your newspaper on the subway—but what about all the other stuff you can recycle? Computers, DVD players, televisions, compact fluorescent light bulbs and cell phones all can and should be recycled, so the metals can be disposed of correctly or, even better, reused. If you're already doing this, consider starting a compost bin for your organic food scraps, capturing rainwater for watering plants and flushing the toilet, or buying clothes made from recyclable fibers.
9. Join a TreeHugger
   Last year, an informal poll of a few TreeHugger writers resulted in green resolutions that ranged from the easy, like remembering to take a reusable bag to the grocery store, to the difficult, like not buying anything new for the whole year. Other suggestions: using the car one less day each week; spreading the environmental gospel by going up against climate change critics, or giving out copies of An Inconvenient Truth; swearing off factory-farmed meat and eating local, organic meat; and eating one fully locally-sourced meal each week. The point is, no matter what your lifestyle is like, there are enough green resolutions out there for you to choose the one that works for you.
10. Stick to it
    The most popular advice for keeping resolutions is to keep them simple: look at small changes you can make to reach your long term goals, like adding 30 minutes of bike riding to your daily routine or going to the farmer's market twice a month. And don't make too many—choose one, maybe two, goals and focus on those.

From a TreeHugger article in 2009.   

Top Green New Year's Eve Party Tips

I hope everyone is having a great holiday season so far.  Here are some "green" tips for New Year’s Eve.

 Top Green New Year's Eve Party Tips

1. Beat the crowds
   There's a certain excitement to being out in a group on New Year's Eve, but if you stay home and host your own ring-in-the-new shindig, you'll save transportation emissions—and, of course, money. You'll also be able to better control the environmental impact of your night, from sending out email invitations to preventing the food and paper waste that comes from bars and restaurants. (Oh, and you can let your friends crash so no one has to drive.) Even the Times Square ball is a little greener since switching to LED bulbs in 2006—isn't it time you were, too?
2. Choose glass over paper
   Once you've decided to have everyone over for the big event, you'll have to find a way keep them all fed and hydrated—without ending up with a pile of wasted plastic cups. Look for brands made from recycled paper—like those from Treecycle who makes biodegradable dishes and cups from sugarcane fiber—and make sure you compost those after the party. Even better, if you don't own enough china and glassware for all your friends, rent some: they look nicer, they're reusable, and you still won't wake up to a sink full of dishes. Check Rental HG to find a rental location in your area.
3. Satisfy the appetites
   Your guests will need some food to counteract the effects of all those drinks. Keep it simple with a spread of easy appetizers, homemade salsa or hummus, and fresh fruit and vegetable trays-with organic ingredients grown as close to you as possible (preferably from within 100 miles can help you track down a farmers market or community supported agriculture program in your hometown or, if you live in parts of the world where markets close for the winter, you can order online from Local Harvest's vendors—you can buy some carbon offsets to balance out the shipping expenditure. And you don't have to spend your entire year-end bonus, either—your party can be festive and fun without breaking the bank.
4. Pour some green drinks
   Get your guests in the party spirit with a bar well-stocked with eco-friendly cocktails—whether it's organic vodka mixed with juice from your local orchard; beer from the brewery one town over; or biodynamic wine. Or make your own: Our How to Go Green: Cocktails guide offers recipes for easy DIY gin and ginger ale, plus specialty drinks like a Lemon Drop or a Rusty Nail, which tastes way better than it sounds, we promise.
5. Decorate responsibly
   This is the year you can finally forego those plastic 2009 glasses, the cheesy top hats, the disposable noisemakers, the paper streamers. Try making your own decorations out of recyclable materials, from soda can lanterns to plastic bottle snowflakes; for a more elegant look, put together centerpieces and place settings that are stylish and eco-friendly. Skip the throw-away noisemakers and replace them with nutshells in a can or cardboard tube, or with dried beans rattling around inside two stapled-together paper plates.
6. Toast with organic bubbly
   Champagne has long been the drink of special occasions, whether anniversaries, wedding receptions, or job promotions. Raise your glass to '08 with champagne and sparkling wine made from organic grapes and without synthetic additions-then make sure to recycle (or reuse!) your bottles and send your corks off for reuse in Design Within Reach's chair design contest or for recycling through Korks 4 Kids.
7. Pucker up
   What's New Year's Eve without someone to kiss at midnight? Keep your lips soft with all-natural lip balm, like those from Revolution Organics or J.R. Watkins, and banish bad breath with organic breath mints from St. Claire's. Still single? No problem. Dating sites like Green Passions, Green Romance, and Planet Earth Singles will have you watching the ball drop with a fellow treehugger in no time.
8. Cure the hangover
   No matter how much fun you had the night before, spending all of January 1 feeling like death on toast is no way to start the new year. Start the detox with a blend of organic herbs and seasonings, like those in Lotus Root Cooler or Ginseng Licorice Tea. Drink plenty of water—but not from disposable bottles—and fight headaches with thyme or peppermint tea. Tea alone won't help your body recover from last night; fill up on organic, free-range eggs, too, since they contain plenty of cysteine, which breaks down toxins in the liver. Other hangover helpers include bananas (for their potassium) and fruit juices (for their energy-boosting natural sugars and vitamins). Don't depend on coffee, burnt toast, or more alcohol—none of these will help your body replenish its stores. Fried food, while delicious, is better as a hangover preventative—it slows down the rate of alcohol absorption.
9. Help keep food tradition alive (with a green twist)
   Different cultures and regions each have their own version of a lucky New Year's Day meal—black-eyed peas in the South, pork and sauerkraut for the Pennsylvania Dutch, 12 grapes eaten at the stroke of midnight in Spain. Other favorable foods include cooked greens, legumes, fish, and pastries or cakes. No matter which meal you choose, support local farmers and markets when you shop for ingredients, and choose free-range meat, organic fruit, and other natural supplies whenever you can.
10. Make some resolutions
    Many of the same resolutions we make year after year—lose weight, eat healthy, stop smoking, get organized—aren't just good for you: they're also good for the environment. Read on for foolproof ways to do the Earth some good while (finally) sticking to your new plans.

Happy Holidays!

Wow, Christmas is tomorrow with Boxing Day and the first day of Kwanzaa following on Thursday.  Thanksgiving and Hanukkah seem so long ago!  And can you believe that a week from now we’ll be welcoming in 2014! 

I hope everyone has had a happy, healthy and green holiday season so far and it will continue through the New Year! 

Remember the important part of the season is not presents but presence!  Make sure you get to spend quality time with family and friends and make memories that will last!

I hope that something you read here in the past year has enabled you to make a ‘green’ change in your life and you will make Gene’s Green Scene a part of your green routine in 2014. 

Happy Holidays!

Gene

What to do with your greeting cards

Recycled Card Program

We Accept New and Used, All-Occasion Greeting Cards Year-Round!!

St. Jude's Ranch for Children recycles your used greeting cards and creates new holiday and all-occasion greeting cards. Recycled cards are sold to support our programs and services for abused, neglected and homeless children, young adults and families.

The program is beneficial to everyone – customers receive fun, "green" holiday or other occasion cards they can feel good sending to their friends and loved ones, and the children at St. Jude's Ranch receive payment for their work and learn basic job skills and the importance of recycling.

Recycled Card Program History

More than thirty years ago, wishing to show our donors appreciation for making St. Jude's Ranch for Children possible, the idea was conceived to turn the previous year's Christmas cards into "new" cards for the coming season. The recipients were so delighted when they received the unique "thank you," that they requested to purchase the special cards. The program soon expanded to include all-occasion greeting cards.

How It Works

Operated by Kids' Corp., a program designed to teach entrepreneurship skills, the children at the Ranch participate in making the new "green" cards by removing the front and attaching a new back. The result is a beautiful new card made by children and volunteers.

NOTE: We currently have an increased need for both Birthday and Thank You card submissions. You may purchase cards in our online store or call (877) 977-SJRC (7572)

Cards are sold in packets of 10 for $17.00 including shipping and are available in the following categories:

• General Christmas Cards
• Religious Christmas Cards
• Easter Cards
• Birthday Cards
• Thank You Cards
• Sympathy
• Thanksgiving
• All-Occasion Blank Greeting Cards

To Donate Cards:

Year-round, we happily accept used all-occasion greeting cards. Please review the following tips before sending in your donation.

• Only the card front can be used (please check to be sure the backside of the front of the card is clear of any writing, etc.)
• We cannot accept Hallmark, Disney or American Greeting cards
• 5″ x 7″ size or smaller is preferred
• To mail large quantities in the least expensive way, use a USPS (United States Post Office) Flat Rate Box (available at your local Post Office), which holds up to 70 pounds

• Mail donations to:
  St. Jude's Ranch for Children
  Recycled Card Program
  100 St. Jude's Street
  Boulder City, NV 89005

https://stjudesranch.org/about-us/recycled-card-program/

How to grow and re-bloom poinsettias

JPinching them back, giving them good sunlight and a night rest in the fall are the keys to re-blooming the signature plant of Christmas.

By Tom Oder

Dec 29 2011

Year in and year out, Americans buy more poinsettias than any other type of flowering indoor potted plant. Last year, for example, 36.1 million pots of poinsettias with a wholesale value of $146.1 million were sold in the United States, according to the USDA Floriculture Crops 2010 Summary. 

Sales of spring flowering bulbs were a distant second at 22.5 million pots with a wholesale value of $59.8 million, according to the same report. Orchids were third in pots sold at 21.1 million, but, interestingly, had the highest wholesale value, $170.1 million. No other indoor flowering plant — Easter Lillies, African violets, florist chrysanthemums, azaleas or roses — came close to poinsettias in either number of pots sold or value.

After the holidays, what are homeowners to do with all of those poinsettias?

Many will throw them away. However, with proper care, poinsettias can be grown as perennials in outdoor gardens in frost-free areas or as house plants elsewhere.

Here is a guide to keeping your poinsettia fresh during the holidays and to re-blooming it next Christmas.

Holidays, winter

Place the plant in a sunny room but avoid areas with cold drafts or excessive heat. When the soil is dry to the touch, take the plant to the kitchen sink, remove any decorative wraps and water it until the water drains through the bottom of the pot. Do not let the plant sit in water and do not fertilize it while it is in flower.

Spring

In March or April, cut the plant back to about eight inches high. Water regularly, keeping the soil moist but not soggy. Fertilize once a month with a balanced, all-purpose fertilizer. By the end of May, the plant should be growing vigorously. Be aware that in its native habitat of Mexico and Central America the poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) can grow as large as a small tree, up to 16 feet tall.

Summer

In early June, re-pot your plant in a larger pot, but make sure the new pot is no more than four inches wider than the original pot. Use a potting mix high in organic matter, such as peat moss. In frost-free zones, it can be transplanted into the garden. Best results will be obtained in a bed rich in organic matter that has good drainage and receives strong sunlight.

For potted plants, place outdoors in a bright location after all danger of frost has passed and nighttime lows are 55F or higher. Continue watering regularly, keeping the soil moist but not soggy. Increase the frequency of fertilizing to every two-three weeks.

Frequent pruning will be required to keep the plant bushy and compact. Each time a new shoot gets four-five inches long, just pinch off the growing tip. Pinching forces the plant to branch, creating the bushy look it had when you bought it. Do not pinch off any growths after September 1.

Fall

This is the most critical period. Decreasing hours of daylight and increasing nighttime hours cause poinsettias to set buds that produce flowers. (Note: What look like brightly colored flowers are really leaves. The flowers are the yellow buds within the colored leaves.) Starting October 1, plants must have complete darkness for 14 hours every night. It is this long period of darkness that causes the leaves to change colors. Homeowners have tried a variety of ingenious ways to accomplish this – from putting them in a closet to covering them with a box. Use whatever “trick” works for you.  But, be aware that any stray light from a street or household lamp or other source could delay or stop the color-changing process.

From October to December, give the plants strong light (this is what gives the leaves their bright color) but do not keep them outdoors if the temperature falls below 60F. Continue watering and fertilizing them as you did in the summer. If all goes well, the plants should flower in 8-10 weeks, just in time for the holidays.

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/stories/how-to-grow-and-re-bloom-poinsettias