Grassroots

Ahh… the toilet. Where would we be without it? Crappy to think about something like that, huh? It is an amazing invention. But this little ordinary marvel is capable of wasting a LOT of water. For older toilets, each flush uses about 3 gallons of water. Newer toilets use about one gallon. And imagine what a malfunctioning toilet flapper does in terms of water waste. If a toilet is left running, that could mean up to 200 wasted gallons of water a day. That’s too much. So next time you hear that weird running sound in your bathroom, check to see what your toilet flapper’s up to. You might end up saving part of the planet.

For the strong of heart, another way to save water is by decreasing your flushes per day. Yup, that’s right. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down. The idea takes a little getting used to, but if you start out with just one less flush, it could save precious amounts of water.

Take the plunge today!

Reference: http://www.epa.gov/WaterSense/pubs/fixleak.html, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mobileweb/2008/07/30/10-facts-about-wasted-wat_n_115642.html

Photo courtesy of chazmanrocks.wordpress.com

For you guys with private jets, think about this one. Try flying on commercial planes next time! Those flights are already scheduled to go anyway, so the fuel will definitely be used up. You also won’t clog up as much airspace, and you’ll prevent more greenhouse gases from your plane being released directly into the atmosphere. It’s a little more inconvenient, but you’ll be saving the earth while you do it. And even if you don’t have a private plane, it’s still an interesting idea to think about. Maverick agrees.

Happy flying!

Photo courtesy of thefilmstage.com

Guys and gals, if you smoke… chances are you’re hurting both yourself and the environment. But I’ll spare you the physical health sermon for another day.

Turns out discarded cigarettes creates both material and chemical waste. Cigarette butts account for 50% of all litter in most Western countries. US smokers are responsible for more than 250 billion cigarette butts. And those butts leach carcinogenic chemicals like cadmium, lead, and arsenic into the sewers which lead to oceans.

I’m not a smoker myself, and I realize people may smoke for different reasons, such as to help deal with stress. But it’d really help out the environment, not to mention save you money, if smoking went out of business. Catch my drift?

Keep the Earth healthy, loves!

Reference: http://www.ucanquit2.org/facts/Environment.aspx

Photo courtesy of www.rrdentist.com

Try carpooling as often as possible! According to Mother Nature Network, carpooling reduces congestion on freeways and other heavily used areas, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and saves you gas money. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Plus, you get to bond with your car mates as you zip through the carpool lane and get to your destination faster. Awwwwww yeah!

Reference: http://m.mnn.com/eco-glossary/carpooling-rideshare

Photo courtesy of treehugger.com

mothernaturenetwork:

Massive rat sterilization in the works for NYC

Rendering mama subway rats infertile is the latest plan to tame the rampant rodent predicament.

Followed my own advice and made a t-shirt grocery bag. Whee! :D

Just another friendly reminder to keep up that recycling! According to Harmony Enterprises, Inc., the US has had a 100% increase in recycling over the last ten years. If that sounds implausible, let’s go for platinum and make it the truth!

Whether it’s not buying anything new that isn’t necessary, holding on to your plastic disposable soda cup instead of chucking into the trash can, making t-shirt grocery bags, or arts and crafts, recycling is an old yet always renewable concept.

Reduce and reuse, my loves.

References: http://harmony1.com/recycling-infographic/

Photo courtesy of www.simplystephen.ca