Carbon Footprint

By: Misty Capley

A carbon footprint is the impact of our habits and actions each day on the environment. Each of us contributes to the greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. Yet, there are many things every individual, can do to reduce our carbon emissions. The daily choices we make in our homes, our travel, the food we eat, and what we buy and throw away all influence our carbon footprint and can help create a stable climate for future generations.

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx

Use this carbon footprint calculator to see how you individually or as a household are contributing to the increase of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the environment each year. Also learn small ways to do things a little differently that can make a big impact for generations to come. 

Green Cleaning

By: Rene Hernandez

Next time you go to scrub down your garage door, don’t use chemical filled cleaning supplies. Instead, try using cleaning supply recipes made up from ingredients you have lying around the house.

Enjoy these easily made green cleaning products.

Baking Soda and Water

Perhaps no home-made cleaning supply is as notorious as good old-fashioned baking soda and water. Baking soda and water is a cleaning secret our grandmothers used before us, and possibly their grandmothers used before them.

Baking soda and water is excellent for cleaning porcelain tiles, as are typically found in bathrooms and kitchens. This concoction can also be used to clean kitchen counters, oven tops, stainless steel sinks, refrigerators, cutting boards and plastic storage containers. Simply sprinkle the surface you wish to clean with baking soda and scrub with a damp sponge or wash cloth.

For areas with stains, work the baking soda and water into a paste and let sit for a while before scrubbing. If you’re dealing with a surface containing tougher grime, you can add a bit of kosher salt to the mixture. This will create a slightly tougher, more abrasive cleanser.

Lemon Juice or Vinegar

Another one of grandma’s secrets is using lemon juice or vinegar for getting rid of stains, grease streaks or mold. The acidic qualities of lemon juice and vinegar makes both natural degreasers. Lemon juice is also a natural bleach when used in the sun.

Vinegar can be used as a fabric softener- simply add a little to your washing machine during the rinse cycle. Vinegar can be used to mop floors, remove stains, and can be combined with baking soda to use as a toilet cleanser. Lemon juice and baking soda can be used to remove tarnish from silverware and jewelry.

Disinfectant

Rather than using bleach or other harsh chemicals, try making your own eco-friendly form of disinfectant. Combining two cups of water with three tablespoons of liquid soap and 20-30 drops of tea tree oil makes an excellent disinfectant that is non-harmful to the environment.

Another green disinfectant is hydrogen peroxide- especially if you need to remove blood stains. Peroxide has long had a reputation for being one of the best blood stain removers available.

As with any typical household cleaners, take care when mixing ingredients. Clean bottles should always be used, and storage guidelines followed. Cleaning your home doesn’t have to be harmful to the environment, as long as you use eco-friendly ingredients found around the house.

Going for Olympic GREEN!!

~By Leigh Anne Geiter

         By all accounts so far, the London Olympics have been a smashing success and through their planning committee, London has achieved not only a bang up Olympics, they’ve set the stage for Green achievement by using the site of a previous toxic waste area, cleaned & upcycled materials and constructed buildings and venues that will be environmentally sustainable!  Read & see more below, including the link to the video on how this Olympic Dream was created… Going for green – Britain’s 2012 dream.  

          From reducing carbon emissions to minimising food waste, London 2012 has set out to be the greenest games of modern times.  The result has been ground-breaking reductions in CO2 emission and new approaches to venue design, recycling, rainwater harvesting and supply chain management on the Olympic Park.

          The film "Going for Green – Britain’s 2012 Dream" was commissioned by the Foreign Office, and tells the story of how the Olympic Park was built in an environmentally sustainable way, in accordance with the legacy objectives as set out in the original London 2012 bid.  The film highlights British creativity and excellence in construction, as well as the cutting edge 'green' technology used for the build of the Olympic Park. Watch four clips from the film below, on Parklands, Soil Cleaning, the Aquatics Centre and the Velodrome or view them on YouTube.  Or the interactive article at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/global-issues/london-2012/going-for-green     

  

'Going for Green - Britain's 2012 Dream'

          Praised by the United Nation and the Independent Commission for Sustainable London 2012 for its approach, some examples of sustainability in action during the London 2012 project include:

Waste management -

          98% of material from Olympic Park demolition work was reclaimed for reuse and recycling – exceeding a target of 90%.  2 million tonnes of soil were cleansed of pollutants and more than 80% of soil was reused on site in the UK’s largest ever clean-up of contaminated land.

          Use of temporary structures that can be dismantled and re-used after the Games – in particular, the Basketball arena, one of the biggest temporary venues ever built for a Games.

          4,000 colour-coded recycling bins and composting bins have been placed through venues and Olympic Park, aiming to achieve 70%re-use, recycling or composting during the Games.

Sustainable design and venue technology -

          Unique design of the Olympic Stadium enabled it to be created with just 10,000 tonnes of steel – the lightest    ever.

          The Velodrome has been built with 100% sustainably sourced timber, and featuring unique meshing that holds roof in place with a third less steel.

          88 ‘light pipes’ in the Copper Box let natural light into venue, achieving annual energy savings of up to 40%.

          Rainwater harvesting system in the Copper Box and filter backwash measure at the Aquatics Centre are reducing water consumption by 40%.

Transport and supply chain management –

          64% of construction materials were transported to the Olympic Park by rail or water, thereby reducing the project’s carbon footprint.

          London 2012 is the first genuine ‘public transport Games’ and includes the Active Travel Programme to get tens of thousands of people cycling and walking to venues.

          Centralised procurement, early supply chain integration and extensive trials and testing of  various sustainable concrete mixes, were key to reducing the overall environmental impact of concrete on the Park.

          LOCOG will be providing14 million sustainably sourced meals during the Games, showcasing the best of British food and featuring Red Tractor Farm Assured, MSC certified fish and certified Fairtrade produce.