Category Archives: Environmentally Friendly

Does “Biodegradable” Really Matter?

There was a very interesting post over on Discovery the other day about whether or not “biodegradable” means Earth-friendly. In case you’re wondering, it doesn’t.

The trouble with biodegradable goods is that very few of them really are composted. They aren’t meant to go into the landfill. If they aren’t disposed of correctly, they can’t break down properly.

From the article:

But biodegradable plastics are not an easy fix for our environmental woes. In order to break down completely, a 100 percent biodegradable product needs to end up in a community-scale composting facility, which keeps proper temperature and moisture levels for long enough periods of time. Backyard bins just won’t cut it.

In a landfill, a biodegradable container will probably sit there just as long as other plastics do. If it does disintegrate, one concern is that the plastic might release methane gas, a more powerful greenhouse gas than carbon dioxide.

In an environment like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Narayan added, partially degradable plastics that are mixed with other additives are more likely to leach toxins that can enter the food chain.

“One has to be careful,” Narayan said. “If it’s only partially degradable, it’s worse. Partial biodegradability is not an acceptable option.”

It’s important, if you’re buying products in biodegradable packaging to know what conditions they need and if appropriate facilities are available in your area. There are some communities that have the facilities available now to compost true bioplastics correctly. The article notes that if we keep up the improvements, we could eventually recover 90 percent of discards.

The article notes that if you have a composting facility in your area, look for a ASTM D6400 label. This means it’s fully compostable.

In the meantime, pay attention where you can to what is compostable, especially if it’s safe to do so in your own backyard. What’s the point in waiting for community facilities if you can handle it right at home?

Is It a Good Thing That Eco Friendly is Trendy?

Lots of people are hopping on the green bandwagon these days. Eco friendly products are appearing all over store shelves, even at Walmart. You can buy cheap, environmentally friendly good and you can buy designer eco friendly products. It’s quite a change from just a few years ago.

But is it a good change?

It is and it isn’t, in a lot of ways.

It is good because it means more people are thinking about the environment as they shop. It’s good that more goods are being made from renewable resources. It’s good that more goods made from recycled materials are available.

It’s bad in that it is nothing more than a way to show trendiness for a lot of people. Being eco chic is just another kind of consumerism in many cases. The thoughts are heading in the right direction, but they just haven’t gone far enough.

It’s bad that as a trendy lifestyle some people aren’t as committed to the environment as they want others to think. They’re talking about it, but they aren’t doing. Aren’t cutting back. Aren’t planting gardens. Aren’t enjoying simplicity.

It will be interesting to see how things go over the next many years. Will eco friendly products be more or less popular? Will more people understand that you need to consume less, not just change the types of things they consume.

It is good that the current popularity of being eco friendly means more interest in things that can make a big difference. The trendiness of finding alternative energy sources gives us the chance that they will become more affordable and practical in years to come. That’s wonderful.

It’s good that businesses are realizing how much more environmentally friendly practices can save them in some areas. Not in all areas sadly, which is why products will continue for some time to be made in ways that have a high environmental and human cost.

It’s good that with the introduction to being eco friendly as a trend more people will recognize in time that there’s more to it than buying a dozen organic cotton sheets. That they need to reign in their habits as consumers.

But it’s bad that so many figure that because they’re buying eco friendly, they can keep on shopping. Keep on consuming because, darn it, they’re doing something good for the environment, right?

It takes time to get the lesson across that even eco friendly has an environmental cost. That the cost is less than conventionally produced products, bu that it isn’t zero. It’s not a happy lesson. But it’s vital.

Build Healthy Habits for Yourself, Your Family and the Environment

How active are you? Are you trying to get more active? And what about your eating habits? Ready to improve them?

Your own health should be a great motivator for having healthy habits. But if you need a little more motivation, think about how healthy habits will impact your family and benefit the environment as well.

Healthy Eating Habits

Here in the United States, most of us eat way too much meat for our health. Average meat consumption has gone up significantly in recent decades.

This doesn’t just effect your health. It effects your family and the environment.

The effect on you can be in terms of increased weight, high cholesterol and other health problems. As you probably mostly eat together as a family, these problems can potentially effect your children down the line as well.

Meat has a high environmental cost too. It takes land, water and food to raise meat animals. Their food must be grown, which means still land and water use, and most often pesticides and chemical fertilizers as well.

Eating less meat or cutting it out entirely means that the impact of your eating habits on the environment is less. It often means you’re eating healthier foods as well. That means you’re probably also teaching your family better eating habits.

Certainly there are ways to have unhealthy eating habits without meat, but if you are conscious about what you’re eating in general you’ll develop good habits.

Try growing a garden or buying your produce from a co-op, CSA or at the farmer’s market. Get lots of fresh produce into your diet. Fresh produce is very different from produce that was picked too early to make it to the supermarket.

Eco Friendly Fitness Habits

Getting fit doesn’t have to take place just in the gym. It’s a lot more fun to do some exercises outdoors.

Most gyms aren’t precisely environmentally friendly. There’s a benefit to using gear that is used by others rather than having a home gym certainly, but gyms use other resources as well, such as water and electricity. Most don’t have a focus on keeping things at all green. It’s about exercise.

Find a good place in your area to walk, ride a bike, go hiking and so forth. Some communities even have fitness routes set up with stations to help you with basic exercises.

Exercising outside has a lot of advantages. It’s essentially free. You can take the kids along if you like for no extra charge. You don’t have to feel as though you’re the least fit in the area. You probably won’t have to wait in line to do any part of your workout. And of course you can find a truly beautiful place to exercise. There’s nothing like building an appreciation for nature as you get fit.

Why and When Should You Buy Eco Friendly Products?

If you’re concerned about climate change, pollution or other damage we’ve done to the environment as a species, you’ve probably thought about how you can be more eco friendly. Shopping habits probably immediately come to mind. Those organic bamboo sheets look awfully nice, perhaps?

Should you be buying them?

There’s a right and a wrong way to go about buying eco friendly products. Certainly if it’s something you need, get the eco friendly version whenever possible.

But if you’re just replacing something you already own, think more carefully.

It’s good to buy eco friendly when you’re shopping, but that doesn’t mean you can just shop for whatever you want. Even eco friendly is not an excuse for consumerism.

You also want to be aware of greenwashing. So many products claim to be green, but the claims are pretty thin. Many of these claims aren’t regulated and can be put on just about anything. Don’t assume that terms such as “natural”, “green”, “nontoxic” and similar terms mean much at all. “Organic” and “recycled” are much better terms as there is some oversight on them.

You can also research the claims online. Companies that are offering products they claim are eco friendly will probably share details online, even if there’s not much information on the packaging. If not, you can probably get some good information just by searching on the product name. It’s amazing what some people can find out and will share quite freely.

Certification is good to look for too, so long as it’s a real one such as Energy Star for saving electricity.

For personal care products, check out Skin Deep’s Cosmetic Database. You’ll find out if the products have a lot of unsafe ingredients.

Do buy foods, personal care products and cleaning products in eco friendly versions when possible or make your own. These are things you use up and so you’ll probably be buying pretty regularly.

Don’t go replacing perfectly good but non-eco-friendly products just because you want the green version. If it’s still good it’s probably more green to keep it than to replace it even with the eco version. If you do get rid of things that can still be used, make sure they head to a thrift store, get sold at a garage sale or are offered on Freecycle. Someone else may still appreciate what you don’t want anymore.

There’s a balance to be had in buying more eco friendly products and in being too much of a consumer. Keep an eye on your habits so that you don’t fall into that trap.

I Need to Go Shoe Shopping?

I’m not a big shoe collector. Most of the year in Poway I got by in my sandals, occasionally wearing sneakers when we were lucky enough to get rain. I wear heels even more rarely, although I do have some.

I’ve come to realize that here in Yucaipa boots might just be a good idea for winter.

The thought occurred to me the other morning while walking my daughter to school. I could feel the cold air on my feet even through my sneakers. That’s on a dry morning, temperatures in the 40s, and it’s not really even winter yet.

So I’m starting to look at boots. Seems strange to me, even though I already bought some for the kids. I haven’t had boots in years.

I kind of like the looks of Earth’s Mirage 2. Looks nice and warm. But then there’s the Keen Kaley, which looks more stylish to me.

They’re honestly both a bit more than I’d like to spend. I haven’t spent that much on a pair of shoes in a long time. I’m trying to keep this one reasonable for our current budget, while balancing style, environmental friendliness and function.

Oh, and I have no intention of driving all over town for the right shoes, wasting gas. Thank goodness for the internet, where I can figure out what I’d like and if it can be bought on a regular errand or if I have to have it shipped here.