A Greener Way to Cut that Green Grass

Today, you might want to cut the grass before the next rain, right? So here comes the clunky gasoline powered lawn mower, I can just hear the CO₂ coming out of that thing. Maybe you should try a green alternative to that mower. How about a reel mower or an electric one? The grass would be much greener without all that gas. Gas-powered lawn mowers account for almost 5% of U.S. air pollution, not to mention all the fuel that gets spilled. Each year, Americans spill more fuel from lawn mowers than was spilled in the '89 Exxon Valdez oil spill. People made a big deal about that, so you should be making a big deal about this, too. Not only is this a green option, but it will also help you save some green, too. With a gas-powered mower you spend $5 on fuel every other mow. With an electric mower you spend that much in an entire years worth of mows and with a reel mower it is completely free. So trash that old clunky gasoline mower and go buy a green one!

Tackling Weeds: The Green Way

Okay, so we're halfway through spring now and you have probably planted some vegetables or at least some flowers or potted plants. Right about now those pesky green weeds start springing up from under the ground and detract from the natural green beauty of your garden. So you say, "Where did I put that weed killer?" It must be around here somewhere. Next thing you know you are spreading harmful chemicals all over your garden, trying to kill off those weeds. Maybe you should try something a little more green.

Herbicides are not green at all and are very bad for the Earth. The majority of the herbicide you spray on weeds don't actually go towards killing the weeds. It spreads through the soil killing off worms and being taken up by the roots of your flowers. It basically goes on a very un-green rampage through your garden. In addition to that there are about 110,000 human poisonings every year from herbicides, not to mention Fido your curious dog who is out there devouring the chemical coated plants right now.

Here is a much more green option: Deadeye, a vinegar based spray formula. Try it and remember to keep being green.

A Green Earth Day

I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to post on Earth Day. I have been rather busy lately. I hope everyone did their part to be green on Earth Day. And even though some may say that one day isn't going to make a difference (you know who you are), it will trigger action among people and make them more aware of our environment. I think we should do our best to make everyday Earth Day. Everyday it seems is about us as humans and what is best for us. But without a green Earth there is no more us. So do your best to keep the Earth clean and green everyday.

Garbage Disposals Are Not Green!

It has been a long time since I have posted. I didn't even post on Earth Hour Day! But I did participate and I all of you did, too. Anyone who turned off their lights is spreading a green message to the whole world.

Anyway, we all know the three R's of recycling, right? Reduce, reuse, and recycle - in that order. When we're talking about food sometimes it's hard to do any of those. Maybe you are already buying food at a minimum due to the rough economy, so you can't reduce the amount of food you use. The easiest way to reuse food scraps is to compost it. (Do not feed the extra food to your dog just to be green!) But sometimes it isn't easy to start composting. Recycling is pretty much out of the question for food. So what to do?

I know, Put it down the garbage disposal! Wrong! Garbage disposals are not green at all, not to mention you could lose a finger. If you can't reduce, reuse, or recycle the food you eat, make sure it goes into the trash, not the garbage disposal. The garbage disposal wastes water and energy. To be exact, everyday Americans waste 500,000 gallons of water due to garbage disposals. In addition, all that ground food is going straight to the water treatment facility where it might leach into the environment and do more damage there then it would in a landfill.

So, if you want to be green...don't use the garbage disposal!

Landmark!

Today we reached 1,000 hits! That is the first major landmark in this blog's history! Don't forget to tell everyone about this blog so we can have a greener world! It Is Easy Being Green!

Another Green Look into the Future: Cars

So, you have probably heard all about alternative fuel for cars in the past few years. But you might be confused because you have heard about all sorts of fuel sources. For example there is ethanol, hydrogen, electric battery, bio-diesel. What are future cars going to run on? Futurists might be able to give you an answer, but in the end it will come down to the car makers and the public's preference. You may have heard of the new concept car, the Chevrolet Volt. This car has something called an E-Flex fuel system. It is able to switch between ethanol, hydrogen, and electric battery. So whatever the future might bring GM will be ready. Personally I would go for hydrogen. I think it is cool that the only byproduct is water. And it has already started to make an appearance in California and some foreign countries. What do you think?

Update on Home Composting

A couple months ago I posted an entry on home composting. Hopefully you might have started to make some. In that case, a great thing to add to it are the ashes from your fireplace.  After enjoying a nice fire, let the ashes cool and then mix them into your compost pile. The leftover ashes are a valuable component and will help nourish your garden.

Green Getaways

Right about now we start planning for spring vacation. Why not make it a green one? It might be a little inconvenient to be as green as possible while on vacation, so make your plans right now so that your vacation can be as green as possible. First you should research a green hotel. The Green Hotels Association has a list of hotels that have implemented programs to conserve resources and reduce waste. When you arrive you should ask housekeeping to turn the heat or AC off while you are out. While on vacation you should try to use public transportation or travel by foot but if you absolutely have to rent a car you should research hybrid rental cars. Most major rental companies have fleets of eco-friendly vehicles. Besides using less gas hybrid vehicles also emit less carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxide, the gas that contributes to depletion of ground-level ozone. Do your best to make every vacation a green one.

Preventing Slippery Sidewalks

It's that time of year when the snow starts to fall and the everything seems to freeze. The snow plows and salt trucks come to clear the mess but it turns out that using salt to melt ice isn't very green. Salt can kill trees and increase the acidity of water. Not only that but it attracts wildlife which makes for collisions on the roadway when they smell the salt. Sand is a chemical free alternative that works just as well. So if you plan on trying to melt the ice on your driveway and porch, use sand not salt.

A Look into the Future: Vertical Farms

Today, I am going to do something a little different. Rather than giving you a tip to further green your life, I will give you some insight into a relatively new idea called vertical farming. By 2050 the population is expected to increase by three billion people. This means that we will need a piece of arable land the size of Brazil in order to feed the additional population. The world cannot spare this land. So a new idea called vertical farms is being developed. A vertical farm is a farm inside a skyscraper; each level has an expanse of crops, fish, and chicken. A year round crop production level in one acre of indoor land is equal to four to six acres of outdoor land. Although there are some obvious obstacles that need to be overcome (like $), vertical farms are the future for farming. It will soon become evident that vertical farms will be necessary in order to feed the growing population. Find out more about Vertical Farms.