Donna Goes Green Tips

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T05:52:00.000-08:00

I wish you all a very successful 2011. Thank you for supporting me in my business during 2010. I look forward to working with all of your in 2011.

Donna Loudon

Tupperware Director

Visit my website

Dishwasher or Sink

2010-07-19T03:00:00.000-07:00

Research says that a load of dishes cleaned in a dishwasher requires 37 percent less water than washing dishes by hand. While this is true, there is also something else to consider. The reason it uses less water is because we let the water run while washing dishes. If we fill the sink basin with water and wash dishes without endlessly running the water, we will actually use less water than our dishwasher. Actually, we could use half as much water. That makes a difference. So there are two ways here that we can go green while washing dishes.
1. We can fill our sink basin with water and wash dishes by hand.
2. If washing dishes by hand just doesn’t work for us, then we can put them in the dishwasher without washing them first.
Both ways will save water and money at the same time.
One more thing to think about with dishwashers: According to the California Energy Commission “as much as 80 percent of the energy your dishwasher uses goes to heat water”.
Going green is more than just saving water. It means saving energy too.
Sources
www.consumerenergycenter.org

Shower or Bath

2010-07-12T03:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, this one is hard for me. Normally I take a shower, but every once in a while I like to soak in the tub. It seems to help a lot in coping with daily stresses. So I still take the occasional bath, but most of the time I take a shower.
Here are the facts I discovered while investigating this topic:
~ How much water you use depends on your shower head
~ Older shower heads can use approximately five gallons of water per minute.
~ An average bath requires 30-50 gallons of water.
~ A four minute shower with an old shower head can use approximately 20 gallons of water.
~ A four hour shower with a low-flow shower head can use about 10 gallons of water.
~ To test whether a shower or a bath uses less water for you, perform a simple test if you have a bathtub.
o Plug the tub when taking a shower. When your shower is done, see how much water is in the tub. Is it less than you would use for a bath or more? This will tell you whether you use less water taking a bath or a shower.
Sources
www.consumerenergycenter.org

Computer Paper

2010-07-05T04:02:00.000-07:00

Computer paper can add up money-wise and tree-wise as well. One thing I have made it a habit to do is to use both sides of paper. Even paper I get in the mail, or handouts from school, etc. Anytime I get paper that is printed only on one side, I make sure to use the other side in my printer. Of course, I can’t use this paper to write personal letters, or business letters, or print out customer receipts. But there are other things I can use it for such as printing out my receipts for tax purposes and stuff like that. I am not sure how much money I save by doing this, but I know I would use twice as much paper as I do now. At $35 for a case of paper, the savings really adds up. And that is before I consider the cost to our environment by wasting paper unnecessarily.

We can take this one step further and put the paper into the recycle bin when we are done with it. Unless it has personal information on it, then shred it for your own protection.

This Tip was brought to you by
Donna Loudon
Tupperware Director
Click here to visit my website

Turn Off Your Computer?

2010-06-30T03:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes for convenience we leave our computers on at night. However, we have heard for years that this wastes energy.
Here are some of the facts I found while investigating this topic.
1. The only way that a computer uses zero energy is when it is unplugged. Otherwise, it is using 2.3 watts of power.
2. In hibernate your computer still uses 2.3 watts of power
3. In sleep mode your computer uses 3.1 watts of power.
4. In hibernate your monitor uses about 5 watts of power.
5. Your monitor uses zero power when turned off.
6. Screen savers, at a minimum, can use 42 watts; those with 3-D graphics can use as much as 114.5 watts, according to Don McCall, a Dell product marketing manager who does power measurement studies for the PC manufacturer.
7. Turning off your computer does not use more energy than just leaving it on. The amount of energy used to turn your computer on is much less that the amount you would use if you just left it on.
8. You will not wear out your on/off button by turning your computer off at night. That used to be true, but technology has advance way beyond that now.

So now that you know the facts, you can make an educated decision on what to do with your computer to preserve energy.

Sources
Do you need to turn off your PC at night? http://www.microsoft.com Monte Enbysk

Brought to you by
Donna Loudon
Tupperware Director
Visit my website

Change to Fluorescent Bulbs

2010-04-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

Change to Fluorescent Bulbs

I have heard that if every house in the United States changed all of the light bulbs in their house to Fluorescent Blubs, that would be equivalent to taking one million cars off the streets.

Now, I am not an expert so I don't know if the numbers are really that high. However, the point is we could save a lot of energy by making just one simple change.

What is sustainability?

2010-01-08T02:05:00.000-08:00

What is sustainability? It is the balance between people and the environment. Each of our actions and behaviors impact the environment; air, water, and land. These impacts can be controlled so they don't cause as much damage as they have in the past. We can live a comfortable life while still chosing sustainability. It is up to each of us as individuals to live our life with an understanding that there's much we can do to perserve our planet for future generations while providing for our own needs today.

Donna Loudon
Tupperware Director

Disposable Diapers

2010-01-01T18:51:00.000-08:00

What is better for the environment: Cloth diapers or disposble diapers?

Some will say that the water used to wash cloth diapers takes away any environmental savings that come from using cloth rather than disposable. However, here are some important facts to consider.

1. It has been estimated that roughly 5 million tons of untreated waste and a total of 2 billion tons of urine, feces, plastic and paper are added to landfills each year.

2. It takes around 80,000 pounds of plastic and over 200,000 trees a year to manufacture the disposable diapers used in the United States alone.

3. So-called biodegradable disposable diapers need to be exposed to the air and sun to biodegrade. Since this is unlikely to happen with a 'dirty' diaper, it can take hundreds of years for them to decompose.

4. The waste from these diapers are in our landfills that are not designed to treat this type of waste. This can cause possible contanmination to our water supply.

5. Some suggest diapers can be burned. However, incineration causes other problems such as the clorin bleach being converted to dioxin.

The decision to use cloth or disposable is totally up to you, the consumer. Hopefully, the above points will help you decide to use diapers that would help preserve our environment for future generations.

Sources:

365 Ways to Live Green by Diane Gow McDilda

Diapers, Diapers & More Diapers: "Cloth vs. Disposable"
http://www.thenewparentsguide.com/diapers.htm

The Differences Between Alternative Energy, Renewable Energy, and Clean

2009-12-21T02:42:00.000-08:00

To many people, the differences between "alternative energy," "renewable energy," and "clean energy," might not be obvious. But each term is unique and has its own individual definition. These three terms are not all exactly the same.

Alternative Energy

When we speak of alternative energy, we refer to sources of usable energy that can replace conventional energy sources (usually, without undesirable side effects). The term "alternative energy" is typically used to refer to sources of energy other than nuclear energy or fossil fuels.

Throughout the course of history, "alternative energy" has referred to different things. There was a time when Nuclear Energy was considered an alternative to conventional energy, and was thus called "alternative energy." But times have changed.

These days, a form of "alternative energy" might also be renewable energy, or clean energy, or both. The terms are often interchangeable, but definitely not the same.

Renewable Energy

Renewable energy is any type of energy which comes from renewable natural resources, such as wind, rain, sunlight, geothermal heat, and tides. It is referred to as "renewable" because it doesn't run out. You can always get more of it.

People have begun to turn to this type of energy due to the rising oil prices, and the prospect that we might one day deplete available sources of fossil fuels, as well as due to concerns about the adverse effects that our conventional energy sources have on the environment.

Of all the different types of renewable energy, wind power is one which is growing in its use. The number of users who have some form of wind power installed has increased, with the current worldwide capacity being about 100 GW.

Clean Energy

"Clean energy" is simply any form of energy which is created with clean, harmless, and non-polluting methods.

Most renewable energy sources are also clean energy sources. But not all.

One such example is geothermal power. It may be a renewable energy source, but some geothermal energy processes can be harmful to the environment. Therefore, this is not always a clean energy. However there are also other forms of geothermal energy which are harmless and clean.

Clean energy makes the less impact on the environment than our current conventional energy sources do. It creates an insignificant amount of carbon dioxide, and its use can reduce the speed of global warming - or global pollution.

As you can see, these three terms: alternative energy, renewable energy, and clean energy, are very similar. But it is important to know that there are differences.

There are many steps which can be taken to help reduce greenhouse gases in our atmosphere. Some of these steps can be taken in your own home. Many clean energy solutions can can be easily installed, and some kits are quite affordable.

Carbon emissions and other forms of pollution are not only created by heavy industrial factories. They are created in the common household as well. Energy efficiency has become an important part of our lives.

It is important to start making changes now; if we want to save our planet for our children, for the flora and fauna of the Earth, and for the future of mankind. Clean energy, to be exact, can make a big difference.

Please visit
Alternative Energy
to learn more about the different forms of alternative, renewable, and clean energy.

Source: http://www.submityourarticle.com

Permalink: http://www.submityourarticle.com/a.php?a=53198

Purchasing a New Home

2009-12-14T09:49:00.000-08:00

If you're scanning the market for a real estate investment, keep the environment in mind when making your purchase. One way to do that is to work with a real estate agent who incorporates green practices into their business. Some agents, for example, put a percentage of their commissions toward greening the homes they sell. offset the carbons they emit and partner with green designers and builders. Other ways to stay green while becoming a homeowner include refraining from buying a new property and selecting a house with green features like solar panels and water catchments.

For more information and additional tips to lead a "green life," visit http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife.

Recycle Codes

2009-12-07T02:27:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what all those codes at the bottom of plastic containers actually mean? I did and found a list that explains them. Hope you find the list informative.

Material Abbreviations:

LDPE: Polyethylene, mainly of the Linear Low Density Polyethylene LDPE

PP: Polypropylene; can be either Homopolymer, Random Copolymer or Impact Copolymer

PP-TLDPE: PP Thermoplastic Elastomer

PC: Polycarbonate Bisphenol A (BPA) is a key industrial chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic, epoxy resins and other
products.

PA: Polyamide

Raw Material Symbols:

LDPETE: Polyethylene terephthalate ethylene, used for soft drink, juice, water, detergent, cleaner and peanut butter containers.

HDLDPE: High-density polyethylene, used in opaque plastic milk and water jugs, bleach, detergent and shampoo bottles and some plastic bags.

PVC or V: Polyvinyl chloride, used for cling wrap, some plastic squeeze bottles, cooking oil and peanut butter jars, detergent and window cleaner bottles.

LDLDPE: Low density polyethylene, used in grocery store bags, most plastic wraps and some bottles.

PP: Polypropylene, used in most deli soup, syrup and yogurt containers, straws and other clouded plastic containers, including baby bottles.

PS: Polystyrene, used in Styrofoam food trays, egg cartons, disposable cups and bowls, carryout containers and opaque plastic cutlery.

Other: Usually polycarbonate, used in most plastic baby bottles, 5-gallon water bottles, "sport" water bottles, metal food can liners, clear plastic "sippy" cups and some clear plastic cutlery. New bio-based plastics may also be labeled #7.

A Surprise To Me

I always thought these symbols implied that an item is recyclable, but that is not the case. The symbol simply identifies the plastic resin contained in the product. Whether it is recyclable is up to the center we take it to.

Sources

Test Valley Borough Council

This article was composed by
Donna Loudon
Tupperware Director
Visit her Tupperware Website

Permission is granted to use this information as long as all names and links are left in tact.

America: The Queen of Trash

2009-12-01T15:18:00.000-08:00

Did you know that America is a country that WebEcoist calls "the queen of trash"?

Below is a quote I got from their website:

"Every day in the U.S., we produce enough trash to equal the weight of the Empire State Building. We throw away 2.5 million plastic bottles every hour, produce enough styrofoam cups annually to circle the earth 436 times and trash enough office paper to build a 12-foot wall form Los Angeles to New York City. We throw away 570 disposable diapers each second, and toss out enough aluminum cans to rebuild our commercial air fleet every three months. Each year we fill enough garbage trucks to stretch from Earth halfway to the moon." (WebEcoist)

Wow! I knew that we were bad, but I didn't realize the numbers were so high. What will happen if we continue this way? What hope does this provide for future generations who must live on this planet long after we are gone? What kind of footprint are we leaving?

So here are some simple solutions I came up with. They are not the complete answer, but perhaps a good start. If we all just did a little bit, what a difference it could make.

Possible Solutions

Learn to Recycle

Buy drinking containers that you only need to buy once. Example: Tupperware insulated tumblers and commuter mugs

Cut down on printing. Make your to-do lists on the computer.

Use tote bags when you shop rather than the paper or plastic bags you get at the store

Purchase ebooks or Kindle books from Amazon

Use rewashable diapers

My Philosophy

Never buy anything that I can only use once. Buy items that I can use multiple times or at all times. This cuts down on trash and also saves money in the long run.

Sources:
WebEcoist

Author
Donna Loudon
Tupperware Director
Visit Donna's Website for containers you only need to buy once

Plastic Storage Bags & Aluminum Foil

2009-05-29T10:02:00.000-07:00

Storage Bags, Sandwich Bags, Freezer Bags, Aluminum Foil, Plastic Wrap and Disposable Food Containers can take up to 1,000 years to decompose in our land fills. In addition, they can cost an average American family over $70 a year.

Simple Solution

Use containers that you only buy one time and reuse them. Again, Tupperware is great for this. You buy their food storage containers one time and they have a lifetime warranty. If your container breaks, you give it to a Tupperware representative and get a new one. The old container is then recycled. For lunches try their sandwich keepers, snack cups, tumblers, microwave reheatable containers, and modular mates.

Author: Donna Rivera-Loudon
Donna's Tupperware Site

More on Recyclable Water Bottles

2009-05-16T12:24:00.000-07:00

Recyclable Water Bottles

The average American use approximately 167 water bottles a year. While the majority of these water bottles are recyclable, it is estimated that only 12 percent are actually recycled. Want to hear a scary fact: One Plastic water bottle take approximately 1,000 years to bio-degrade. Imagine the impact on land fills when all of these plastic bottles are added each year.

Simple Solution

Also, imagine the impact on our pocketbook. 167 water bottles times $2 a bottle amounts to $334 a year. Why not purchase a reusable water bottle rather than a disposable one. The one I purchase from Tupperware cost me $21. It is insulated so it keeps my water cold and it doesn't sweat. On top of that, it has a lifetime warranty. So not only am I saving over $300 a year, but I no longer have that tinge of guilt every time I take a sip of water from my bottle.

Author: Donna Rivera-Loudon
Donna's Tupperware Site

You have permission to use this article on your blog, ezine, or website as long as the author's name and website are included.

Paper Towels and the Environment

2009-05-06T09:43:00.000-07:00

Paper Towels

If each family in America used one less roll of paper towels a year, we would save over half a million trees.

Simple Solution

Use microfiber towels. Several companies have them. The better the quality the longer they last. And they tend not to leave behind that awful lint you get with paper towels. My favorite are the one's you get from Tupperware. Good quality microfiber and they are green to represent going green.

By Donna Loudon
Tupperware Director
You may use this article on your website, blog, or ezine as long as the author and her website are linked.

Recycleable Water Bottles

2009-03-06T21:11:00.000-08:00

Written by Donna Loudon

We all hear about the importance of recycling. Knowing doesn't always mean doing. It has been estimated that only ten percent of recyclable water bottles are actually recycled. The rest go straight to our land fills. Since it can take over 1,000 years for these bottles to biodegrade this presents a serious problem for us today as well as for the future of our planet.

Just imagine if we drink only one bottle of water a day. That amounts to 365 bottles a year. Multiply that by all the water drinkers on this planet and we have land fills full of mountains of empty water bottles that are going to take a very long time to bio-degrade.

Possible solutions

1. Recycle the water bottles you use

2. Use a multi-use water bottle, such as Tupperware's Sports Bottles. You can purchase one for less than $15 and since they have a lifetime warranty, we don't have to worry about seeing them in landfills.

3. When home, use glasses or tumblers for water. Buy your water in bulk either in large gallon bottles or from a water delivery service, such as Sparklett's or Arrowhead.

We are encouraged to drink eight glasses of water a day for our health. Let's not do this at the risk of harming our planet for future generations.

Earth friendly disinfectant

2009-03-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

Greener disinfecting agents

Store bought disinfectants used in cleaning can contain all sorts of nasty chemicals, some of which should really only be used in controlled settings such as hospitals.

The reason for this is that when used around the home inappropriately, they can actually help bacteria become resistant to the chemical, creating superbugs.

The heavy duty disinfectant artillery should be left to health professionals as a last line of defense. As has been noted in the case of staph, the excessive and inappropriate use of antibiotics has created super-strains which are now resistant to practically *all* antibiotics.

Some of the chemicals used in commercial preparations can also have a negative effect on aquatic life as water treatment facilities can't filter them out.

A chemical of particular concern is triclosan. Used in everything from bar soaps to toothpaste, it can also be found in some commercial disinfectants. According to Beyond Pesticides, researchers who added triclosan to river water and shined ultra violet light on the water found that between one and twelve percent of the triclosan was converted to dioxin.

In a U.S. Geological Survey study of 95 different organic wastewater contaminants in U.S. streams, triclosan was one of the most frequently detected compounds.

Greener disinfecting alternatives

Making your own environmentally friendly disinfectant is very cheap and extremely quick to do using just eucalyptus oil and water.

Simply mix 1.6 oz of eucalyptus oil with a litre of water. Be sure to shake well before use and use as you would a store bought disinfectant.

Not only will you have a greener disinfectant, but by making your own, you're more likely to use the same container, therefore cutting down your plastic consumption.

Eucalyptus oil is amazing stuff and you'll see it mentioned regularly throughout this site. I've read that European doctors used to use eucalyptus oil to disinfect and sterilize their equipment. Do be careful when handling eucalyptus oil as it's quite potent and can cause skin irritation in it's undiluted form.

Here's another disinfectant recipe if you're not particularly fond of the smell of eucalyptus:

Grapefruit Seed Extract Disinfectant Spray

Ingredients:

1 gallon warm water
20 drops grapefruit seed extract
Mix and pour in a spray bottle

That's it!

Some other earth friendly disinfecting agents:

- Vinegar with a few drops of essential oil to mask the smell.

- 3% Hydrogen peroxide

- Grain alcohol mixed with 30% water to stop it from evaporating too quickly (or even cheap vodka!)

If you have some earth friendly disinfectant tips you'd like to share; please add them below!

Michael Bloch
Green Living Tips.com
Green Living Tips is an online resource powered by renewable energy offering a wide variety of earth friendly tips, green guides, advice and environment related news to help consumers and business reduce costs, consumption and environmental impact .