Trashing Texas Beaches Isn't Cool!

The Texas General Land Office has been sending this message across the state for twenty-five years, and Texans have responded. Since the first cleanup in 1986, more than 423,000 Texas Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up more than 8,100 tons of trash from Texas beaches, some of it originating from as far away as South America.

Due to tide patterns in the Gulf of Mexico, trash dumped anywhere in the gulf is likely to end up on a Texas beach. Volunteers record information such as the source and type of debris collected on data cards provided by Ocean Conservancy. This data has been instrumental in the passage of international treaties and laws aimed at reducing the amount of offshore dumping.

Keeping Texas beaches clean and safe is an economic as well as environmental priority. Coastal tourism, a $7 billion industry, and commercial fishing, a $1.9 billion business, demand clean beaches and a healthy gulf to thrive.

The program strives to:

• raise public awareness;
• educate citizens about the source of debris; and
• generate public support for state, national and international action to clean up coastal waters.

The Texas Adopt-A-Beach Program, an all-volunteer effort, is dedicated to preserving and protecting Texas beaches. The program's success is due to the generous efforts of dedicated volunteer county coordinators, coastal community leaders, sponsors and citizens. Strong support from the private sector helps carry our message to Texans all across the state.

Finding Gold in Going Green

By: Amber Cervantes

Selling your old, broken, or unwanted jewelry is not only good for your pocket, but it’s also good for our environment.
Here’s why.
The price of gold is higher than it has been in 17 years because gold is now primarily found in very low concentrations (less than 10 grams per ton). Consider a 5 gram wedding band. It takes approximately ten tons of gold ore to produce one 18kt wedding ring.
Because gold is found in very low concentrations, the only way to extract gold is to create large open-pit mines through blasting and excavating large amounts of ore. At some of the largest mines, half a million tons of earth are moved a day and piled into new man-made mountains that are lined with irrigation hoses that seep millions of gallons of cyanide solution over the rock for years. The cyanide dissolves the gold so it can be separated and melted.
If you take your unwanted gold to a gold buying company, you can help preserve the environment simply by recycling your jewelry. Your gold will be melted down to its purest form and used to make new pieces for the jewelry industry. Recycling your gold is an eco-friendly alternative to gold mining. 

Sustainable Buildings that Produced Energy

By: Leigh Anne Geiter

With Earth Day on the horizon, here’s a wonderful design that should interest you.  Don’t you wish that where you lived and where you worked was designed this way?

 http://whotv.com/2012/04/18/beyond-green-building-produces-energy/  

Freezers... Not just for food... Not Even Close !

By: Misty Capley

There are thousands of ways we can “Go Green” and do our part to help the environment. Utilizing your freezer for more than simply storing food is one of them. It can extend the life of house hold products and thus save you money. Below is a list of ten products that one would not expect to find inside a freezer, but should have been there all along.

      1.     Candles: Most of the time candles burn quickly, especially the slim dinner table ones. Storing wax candles in the freezer will allow them to burn longer and maintain a good smell throughout the process.

      2.     Batteries: Placing batteries in the freezer helps them retain a longer charge. Freezing NiMH and Nicad batteries which are often used in electronics will extend their battery life by 90%! Although this is less true for Alkaline batteries, freezing them will still extend their charge but only by about 5%.

      3.     Plant Seeds: Not all but most plant seeds if frozen, once planted will not only keep longer but also germinate more. 

      4.     Wine: If there is to be any left – over wine, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze it. The “wine cubes” come in handy when making stock and are great for other cooking purposes as well.

      5.     Cheap Booze: Speaking of booze, storing open bottles of distilled spirits in the freezer will help them go down smoother and taste more expensive.

      6.     Pantyhose: Placing pantyhose in the freezer toughens the material and when you put them on they will be less likely to run and last longer in general.

      7.     Empty Cardboard Boxes: If you have space in your freezer, placing empty cardboard boxes will take up that space and help conserve energy. A freezer will use less energy if it has a smaller space to keep cold. They will also keep your freezer colder in case of a power outage.

      8.     Food: Food is mainly what a freezer is for but not generally for spices, coffee or popcorn. Freezing spices and coffee will keep them fresher and popping popcorn while it’s still frozen will allow it to pop lighter and leave you with less un – popped kernels.

      9.     Laundry: By placing damp laundry in the freezer after washing will make ironing them easier and show off crisp lines.

      10.  Wood: If a small piece of wood or whatever will fit in your freezer has been attacked by woodworms, placing it in the freezer for a few weeks will kill off not only the woodworms but their eggs as well.

 With these unusual ideas you can save money and get the most out of the products you purchase on a regular basis. Even the smallest of actions can make the environment a safer and better place for all present and future generations. 

Greener Offices

By: Rene Hernandez
Greener homes are in the spotlight these days, but what about the other places where many of us spend huge chunks of our time--our offices? Some simple changes of habit can save energy and resources at work, and these small steps can be multiplied by persuading the powers-that-be at your workplace to adopt environmentally friendly (and often cost-effective) policies.

1. Be bright about light

Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings.

> Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can.

> Make it a policy to buy Energy Star-rated lightbulbs and fixtures, which use at least two-thirds less energy than regular lighting, and install timers or motion sensors that automatically shut off lights when they're not needed.

2. Maximize computer efficiency

Computers in the business sector unnecessarily waste $1 billion worth of electricity a year.

> Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil. (Check with your IT department to make sure the computer doesn't need to be on to run backups or other maintenance.) During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Remember, screen savers don't save energy.

> Make it a policy to invest in energy-saving computers, monitors, and printers and make sure that old equipment is properly recycled. Look for a recycler that has pledged not to export hazardous e-waste and to follow other safety guidelines. Old computers that still work, and are less than five years old, can be donated to organizations that will refurbish them and find them new homes. (You may even get a tax deduction.)

3. Print smarter

The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year.

> Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.

> Make it a policy to buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content. Also consider switching to a lighter stock of paper or alternatives made from bamboo, hemp, organic cotton, or kenaf. Recycle toner and ink cartridges and buy remanufactured ones. According to Office Depot, each remanufactured toner cartridge "keeps approximately 2.5 pounds of metal and plastic out of landfills...and conserves about a half gallon of oil."

4. Go paperless when possible

> Make it a habit to think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item.

> Make it a policy to post employee manuals and similar materials online, rather than distribute print copies. They're easier to update that way too.

5. Ramp up your recycling

> Make it a habit to recycle everything your company collects. Just about any kind of paper you would encounter in an office, including fax paper, envelopes, and junk mail, can be recycled. So can your old cell phone, PDA, or pager.

> Make it a policy to place recycling bins in accessible, high-traffic areas and provide clear information about what can and can not be recycled.

6. Close the loop

> Make it a policy to purchase office supplies and furniture made from recycled materials.

7. Watch what (and how) you eat

> Make it a habit to bring your own mug and dishware for those meals you eat at the office.

> Make it a policy to provide reusable dishes, silverware, and glasses. Switch to Fair Trade and organic coffee and tea, and buy as much organic and local food as possible for parties and other events. Provide filtered drinking water to reduce bottled-water waste.

8. Rethink your travel

> Make it a habit to take the train, bus, or subway when feasible instead of a rental car when traveling on business. If you have to rent a car, some rental agencies now offer hybrids and other high-mileage vehicles.

> Make it a policy to invest in videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel.

9. Reconsider your commute

> Make it a habit to carpool, bike, or take transit to work, and/or telecommute when possible. If you need to drive occasionally, consider joining a car-sharing service like Zipcar and Flexcar instead of owning your own wheels.

> Make it a policy to encourage telecommuting (a nice perk that's also good for the planet!) and make it easy for employees to take alternative modes of transportation by subsidizing commuter checks, offering bike parking, or organizing a carpool board.

10. Create a healthy office environment

> Make it a habit to use nontoxic cleaning products. Brighten up your cubicle with plants, which absorb indoor pollution.

> Make it a policy to buy furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won't off-gas toxic chemicals.

GREEN IDEAS FOR SPRING

~ By Leigh Anne Geiter

Spring is, by far, my favorite time of year.  It is the time of year that signals renewed hope and renewed growth.  It also means that Spring Cleaning is usually upon us.  It’s time to spruce up a little bit and create a special place where you feel renewed.

At this time of the year, all of the home improvement stores are full of ideas to help you get there, and the internet is full of ideas on how to create great recycled and upcycled projects for your home and garden.

The City of Corpus Christi now offers quarterly glass recycling, and glass recycling is more than just materials for  road construction.  Did you know that countertops can now be constructed from recycled glass?  This is true upcycling!  The glass counter tops are stunning and, I think, put the granite and concrete counter tops to shame.

For more great ideas, like converting an old dresser into an herb garden (seriously!), check  out http://www.facebook.com/#!/RecycleBank