By Megan McLaughlin
Spring is just around the corner and although it seems a light year away, warmer weather is on the way. Its time to start planning that spring/summer road trip you’ve always wanted to take, but the tough part is figuring out how you’re going to afford it. Many people are turning to alternative solutions for travel, but these folks have turned to alternative solutions for oil!
Kopali Organics, “a mission-driven company, founded to bring you the most purely delicious, naturally nourishing and healthful food, produced in the most fair, compassionate and sustainable ways possible,” recently began an eco bus tour. They have traveled through North and South America on busses converted to run on used vegetable oil. According to their website, they “took these buses, running on fuel coming right from kitchen fryers, to meet with farmers, ministers of Agriculture, scientists, activists, political and business leaders, and members of the press.”
Since Kopali Organics and others have caught onto this concept, some students and other curious people have begun to try it out as well. Jillian Deegan and Scott Karduck, students of Penn State University, located in Pennsylvania, converted a truck and drove across the country this past summer. You can read more about their adventure here, but basically, Karduck converted a Dodge Ram 2500 to run on used vegetable oil.
According to the article by Pamela Batson, Deegan stated, “our liquid gold, took us almost 11,000 miles, and it was worth it.” It may take a lot of effort to convert a vehicle and then wade through garbage to obtain your oil, but according to those who have tried, the hard work pays off and you save some money during the process!
Veggie Oil Vacation
Green Pages
By Megan McLaughlin
If you’re still looking for new ways to turn your life into a more environmentally conscious one, the internet serves as a good source for information. However, going one step beyond that may lead you to the book store and there you can find dozens of books with tons of approaches to greener ways of living. If global warming is your number one concern, you should check out The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook by David de Rothschild.
If you’re more interested in basic guides about saving the planet one step at a time or greening your life within your own means, you may want to check out The Green Book which features various celebrity writers or The Lazy Environmentalist by Josh Dorfman.
The Live Earth Global Warming Survival Handbook, companion to the Live Earth concerts, offers over 50 skills and tips for putting an end to climate change. This book also offers a guide to resources for those who are eco-coconscious.
While global warming is certainly important, perhaps you would like to start smaller. If that’s the case, The Green Book is your best bet. The Green Book offers little, practical solutions to change – turning off the tap while you brush your teeth and refusing ATM receipts. The book mainly features celebs such as Will Ferrell, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Anniston and Ellen DeGeneres who each share their solutions to moving toward a greener lifestyle.
If these books are still too much and you are looking for an even easier approach to becoming more aware of the environment, The Lazy Environmentalist is probably the book for you. Lets face it – everything is consumer based and it may be hard to go green right now, but author Josh Dorfman offers new, eco-conscious (economical and ecological) solutions to green your life in ways you never thought possible.
Whether you’re preparing to head to a tropical destination, gearing up for summer days on the beach a little early or if you’re sitting inside, out of the cold, you should check out these books and get reading. If you are already done reading these books and looking for more, click here to learn a bit about a book that sheds light on the movement to protect our endangered species.
Recycling on the Job
By Megan McLaughlin
For most of us, recycling is a given. It is part of everyday life and it goes without question for many. However, a lot of people are surprised by the lack of recycling in the work place. For many small businesses, recycling is expensive and a full-time job itself, but more and more companies are beginning to rise to the challenge of adding recycling to their work places.
What may seem like an easy feat to those who have weekly trash and recycling pick-up right outside their front doors, recycling can be a large burden for many companies. According to Earth911.com, “Americans have been recycling paper for more than 300 years,” and, “today, Americans recover 55 percent of the paper they consume.” However, the one area in which America seems to be slacking is recycling in the work place; less than half of the millions of office papers consumed in businesses across America are actually recycled.
Removal and costs are the top concerns and what seem to be holding businesses back from taking on this seemingly small task. One way to assess your specific need (as a business) is to perform a “waste audit.” According to Recyclespot.org, “A waste audit is an inventory of the amount and type of solid waste (trash) that is produced at a location. A waste audit examines solid waste generation, collection and composition. It also addresses reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and purchasing practices.”
Once you perform a waste audit, you will have the tools you need to start recycling efficiently and as inexpensively as possible. As a company, you should determine what products you will recycle and how you will have them removed from your offices, whether it is through a waste management company, or taking the items directly to a drop-off recycling center.
To learn more about waste management and recycling, visit this page about Waste Management for a Modern World. Here you can learn more about the history of waste management and recycling and the different methods we have used in the past and continue to use presently.
Down to Earth Celebs
By Megan L. McLaughlin
Many of us admire celebrities, but there are fair shares of people who can’t stand all the buzz; celebs included! However, when it comes to being green, celebrities are some of the most eco-friendly people around.
Of course they have more than enough money to spend on solar-powered everything and the latest and greatest selection of hybrids and hydrogen-powered vehicles, but that doesn’t stop them from conveying a strong message; it is easy being green and you should try it too! With all of the time they spend in the spotlight, they know they are bound to inspire some people to join the movement.
Some of the most eco-friendly celebrities include Leonardo DiCaprio (who has been at the top of many “Most Eco-Friendly Celebrities” lists), Natalie Portman, Brad Pitt and Willie Nelson. So what are these celebs doing?
In 1998, Leo started the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation; a foundation that strongly emphasizes the effect of global warming and the preservation of our planet.
Natalie Portman has created her own line of vegan shoes and all of the proceeds are donated to The Nature Conservancy.
Willie Nelson sells biodiesel, which he calls, BioWillie® and Brad Pitt…well the duo that makes up Brangelina may just be the biggest couple of activists the red carpets have ever seen.
When it comes to celebrity gossip, most people just take it or leave it. Many people choose to leave it, but next time you’re looking for a new way to green your life, check out what some of Hollywood’s finest are doing. Looking for some more green entertainment? Check out this blog about Discovery’s Planet Green or read more about Leonardo DiCaprio’s green thumb here.
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