Ride your bike. Leave the fossil fuel transportation for times you need to drive. You can use a bike for local errands/chores, and just to get out, exercise & clear your head.
Wear a helmet & have lights/safety gear!
Petroleum~ Oil that is ~ is the base used to make plastic shopping bags, & water bottles.
Stage your own little revolution & don't use that stuff.
Just say no to the plastic!
5 comments:
We have to do something rather than just bitch at this so yeah for you and for this post!
:)
I notice at many stores, they just automatically reach for the plastic bags, they don't ask Paper or Plastic. It's hard to equate the plastic bag as an oil based product, or even think ahead to the fact they don't biodegrade. Pretty much the paper bags are all made from recycled paper, so no new deforestation occurs.... but at least they will biodegrade. Of course the reusable bags are the way to go, using neither trees nor oil, and not clogging up the landfills.
Since yesterday's post addressed the deadly reality of the toll on wildlife, I thought I would try to balance it out with a more positive, proactive post.
I know there have been warnings about plastic reusable water bottles
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/2009/04/28/water-bottles-health.html
Chemicals that leach out of regular plastic water bottles.
To be certain that you are choosing a bottle that does not leach, check the recycling symbol on your bottle. If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a #5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine. The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually a #1, and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it. Better to use a reusable water bottle, and fill it with your own filtered water from home and keep these single-use bottles out of the landfill.
Unfortunately, those fabulous colourful hard plastic lexan bottles made with polycarbonate plastics and identified by the #7 recycling symbol, may leach BPA. Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. For more of the science on the effects of BPA on our endocrine system etc. see these studies: Environmental Health Perspectives Journal. Nalgene, the company that manufactures the lexan water bottles also makes #2 HDPE bottles in the same sizes and shapes, so we have a viable alternative.
I worry some of the cheap MADE IN CHINA metal water bottles coming out are actually aluminum, which can cause a whole lot of other health problems.
I found LL Bean has food grade stainless steel
water bottles- they are high quality & you can put anything from water to acidic juices (orange juice) without any metallic aftertaste.
solar panels for every home and a composter in every backyard -- it's the chicken in every pot for the 21st century!
wind turbines where they make sense, geothermal instead of nukes and coal. for those who don't think it's possible, look back at all the lifestyle changes of the last century.
i've been using cloth bags for groceries for years, and i love them! when i see them on sale, i buy a bunch of them, and when i bring something to someone's house, i put it in one of the bags, and then i tell them to keep it and use it. once you use the cloth bags, you never go back to plastic. they hold so much more, you don't have to worry about then breaking and everything falling out, and you can put the heavy ones on your shoulder, so they're not as cumbersome.
i have brita filters for water, and i refill 2 1-gallon plastic bottles that i've used over and over again for months and months. it's a lot cheaper than buying water, and i don't have to lug them from the car.
i drive so little, that i went to put gas in my car on thursday (the first time in probably 2 months), and i sat there, because i completely forgot which lever opened the gas tank.
i replaced my a/c and my washer/dryer with energy efficient models, and not only am i saving energy (and my house is a lot cooler and quieter), but my electric bill is almost $200 less a month during the summer.
DK ~ Germany already went full tilt boogie w solar. We don't even have to reinvent the wheel here... follow their lead w green technology. It really would have a domino effect for jobs we desperately need right now.
Nonnie~ You go girl! I went to Wal Mart (husband had to get free work safety glasses there), made a small purchase & the lady just handed me my stuff from this rotating rack set up with plastic bags.
I asked do you have paper bags?
Yes, she answered. Then may I please have a paper bag instead, for some odd reason, I am opposed to petroleum products these days.
Also...
Starbucks have super good double wall insulated mugs. Mine always wind up looking kind of banged up because they get used every day.
I like the stainless water bottle- mine also looking somewhat beat up because I use it all the time too.
I run a pur filter on our tap to filter/clean the water.
Hey little personal revolutions give us some action we can take to put the breaks on petroleum based products.
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