DEBBIE 的个人资料Deb's Big Green Planet照片日志列表更多  |  工具 帮助 |
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5月21日 The smell of cleanI have three teenage athletes at home. This blessing produces lots of extra things in our household, one of which is laundry. My laundry can only be described as explosive. There has been a handful of times when I've caught up with it, mainly when all three children are at camp. Of course on their return I have another explosion in the laundry room and I'm back to where I started.
Doing all this laundry requires a lot of products, but I never go in the laundry aisle in the grocery store. Years ago my daughter developed a terrible skin irritation. It turned out to be from our laundry products. A search helped me find some natural products that didn't cause problems. Then something else happened. When we started using the natural products and went to the grocery store, we were shocked by the overwheming chemical smell of the laundry aisle. It actually was so strong it made me feel ill.
Why is it that we've been conditioned to believe that the smell of chemicals is the smell of clean? Go out to a nice woods and breathe deeply. THAT is the smell of clean. It smells fresh and, well...... like nothing. Mountain fresh air doesn't really have an overwheming smell. April fresh usually smells like moist earth to me. Pine fresh should smell like a pine woods, not like a chemical factory. These smells we are conditioned to associate with clean are actually the smells of chemical contamination. Our reactions shouldn't be "ummmm", it should be "yikes!". Why, because when you smell chemicals it means they are getting into your blood stream via your lungs and skin. This is not a good thing.
What to do? Switch to non-toxic cleaners. Use baking soda and vinegar to scrub your shower and sink. If you need convenience, buy cleaners from a reputable, earth friendly company. If you need help with recipes or suggestions for altenative cleaners, just drop me an e-mail and I will help. Let's bring a real clean to our homes and our planet. 3月2日 Spring has sprungBoy, it's been a busy week. We were blessed to have a grand child born on Wednesday. She is beautiful. Now we're blessed to celebrate the signs of new life and spring here in Western PA. Despite the cold temperatures, we decided to tap the maple trees this weekend. As we walked in the woods, we saw skunk cabbage polking through the leaves. Even though skunk cabbage isn't exactly edible or nice smelling, it is quite beautiful and unusual. It's one sure sign spring is here.
We stopped at our first tree and got out the drill. We use a hand drill because it makes no sound, we like the peace of the woods. I watched as my teenage daughter put the drill to the tree, centering her drilling above a large root in order to get the best flow of sap. I'm reminded of the many years she galloped and played in the woods with her brothers and sisters as we tapped trees. They'd all take their turn sipping sap from the newly placed spiles and skip off to play again.
She drilled into the tree with practiced skill, going into the tree about 2 - 3 inches and then drawing the frass out by moving the drill in and out of the hole. She picked up a thin twig, using it to remove the rest of the frass and smiled as the sap poured out of the tree and down the trunk. "Give me a spile" , she said. Her father handed her the stainless steel spile and the hammer. Tapping gently, she put the silver tube in firmly. The sap began to drip steadily out of the spile. She bent down and sipped the sap. "Mmm, good", she said smiling.
We hung a bucket and placed the lid. The familiar "ping" of sap dripping into the bucket is a sound I love. We moved on to the next trees, taking turns drilling. We all sipped the sap as it came off the spile. Finally cold but happy, we stood back and looked at the woods. Spring has definitely come, again. 2月27日 Have space? Share your garden!You know, I believe in lending a helping hand to others when times are rough. Giving money, clothes, time, and other goods are all great ways to help other people. But, have you ever thought of giving someone a bit of soil? Hyperlocavore offers this great idea to all of us who garden or have places to garden. The idea is just to share some of your garden space or yard with other people.
Why is this a great idea? Well, in my opinion, while giving is a wonderful thing to do, it can be pretty antiseptic. You never come into contact with the people you're helping. For some people that's OK, but I think you can really make a difference in the lives of others when you give a little of yourself. Sharing your yard or garden will probably lead to building new relationships with people in your community. The more we do this, the less likely someone is to fall through the cracks when they need help.
When you share with someone else you always get benefits back. My dear neighbor from childhood was the first to share her garden with me. She allowed me to help her pick peas and beans (of course I got to sample them) with her while she told me stories and just shared her life with me. That ecperience fueled my own gardening passion as I became a teenager but also the relationship with her gave me an anchor as I went through those teen years.
So, if you own a little piece of ground here's your chance to make a difference in someone's life. You will not only give them a source of fresh, nutritious food, you will give them a new friend. In the process don't be surprised if you get more than you give. 3月3日 Clean UPWell there's 12 inches of snow on the ground here in PA, but that doesn't me from encouragin America (and everywhere) to be greener starting March 1st. The Cleaner, Greener American campaign starts on that day and continues until May 31st. Check out their site for information on nationwide kick-off dates. Even if you don't have a kick-off near you, you can do your part. Clean up the road near your house or work place. Have a clean up party, clean an entire roadway and then go back to your house for a nice potluck dinner to celebrate your hard work. Even though I have to wait until the spring thaw, I can still do my part. I'll be using my cloth bags for shopping and recycling everything I can. 12月1日 The Big ExperimentIf you noticed in my last blog I was complaining that my gas bill was terribly high. Well, I decided to conduct an experiment to see if we really could make a lifestyle change here. I talked with several of my neighbors and we agreed to call each other if we either had appointments in town or if we needed something from town. For instance when I have a appointment, I call my neighbors to see if they need anything or need a ride to town. I also call them if I just need one item to see if anyone is going into town. Today, I will shop for my neighbor. She only needs two items and I have to go to town for an appointment. I'll keep you posted about how this all goes. I also saw on the news that a van service (Coordinated byCommute Info) was getting some real use by commuters from the burbs. Seems like the van is comfortable and a good alternative to driving and parking. It picks people up in a central location (like the bus does). Some enterprising person could start this in a community and do rather well I think. There is also a ride share board for Pittsburgh, this is a great idea for all our areas I think. 11月11日 The DilemaLiving in the country creates a bit of a dilema for me. Recently it has become more of a mini crisis as I face a 500.00 gas bill for gas for two cars this month. My husband works in a nearby town that is 45 minutes away. He takes his car and I'm left with a car here to transport my three teens to their various activities and to run errands. I've also had to drive to another town to visit an aunt who is ill and separated from her family (I'm now the closest person to her). All this means using more and more gasoline to get to these places.
I love living in the country but I'm seeing that I'll need to begin to make some very tough decisions here. And my children will also have to have a change in their mindset. They think nothing of having to drive to town in the evening to visit friends or go to some activity.
My husband and I have discussed moving to the town he works in but that would mean uprooting our three teenagers, selling our home, and starting all over in another community. His job is such that he can't chose to work in the town closest to us, so he can't move his job. This brings us back to staying here and adjusting our behavior to reduce our driving.
Here are a few things I've realized. We've isolated ourselves with the way we use our cars. Think about it, we used to take trains and buses (with other people obviously). My mom talks about how she used to ride to town with other people who were headed that way. She'd take care of her business and wait until her ride was ready to go. She'd pass the time by visiting with someone, going to the library, or stopping in the local soda shop to have something. Now, I have no delusions that we'll return to that slow paced life. But, things might actually slow down a bit if we have to wait for each other so we can travel together. And we might just develop better relationships with people if we have to spend time riding in the car for a while. We'll have to have much better communication between family members to coordinate errands with other trips to town. Maybe I'll have to see if any of my neighbors will want to share rides to town. And I'll have to plan my meetings to so I'm going the same direction as my children at the same time. I'm not sure but I think this is all a good thing. Uncomfortable yes, but good. 9月26日 I'm back - PA Renewable Energy FestivalHey, after a long "vacation", I am back. This past weekend I attended the Pennsylvania Renewable Energy Festival near Kutztown PA. I had to drive (unfortunately) 5 hours to get there but it was a great event. There were excellent speakers (so many I had trouble choosing), vendors, and great food and entertainment.
While I was there I spoke with the owners of Heat Shed, Inc. They install solar systems for homes and businesses. I was unsure we had enough sun hours to produce our electricity so he referred me toFind Solar. There I just plugged my state and Electric Co. into their calculator and learned that I had a "good" site for solar system use. I could even see how much a system might cost me and how much I might save in energy costs over the years. If you are thinking about using a solar system, check out Find Solar and then call the helpful people at Heat Shed.
6月12日 Take a BreakIn the great rush of life, we often forget how important it is to take a break. Recently I had the chance to do just that and it was well worth the small effort. Every state has a state park system, but I think that people forget or don't know how wonderful a state park can be for a mini-vacation.
We recently visited several parks in North Central Pennsylvania. The first was Cherry Springs State Park, a designated dark park. There are no lights in this park at all and since it is on a mountain top and removed from surrounding towns, it is one of the darkest spots in PA. Light pollution is a problem for serious stargazers and an annoyance to those of us who just want to see the sky at night.
Cherry Springs boasts an amazing astronomy field with concrete pads to set up telescopes and weekend programs to help those who are astronomically challenged. The park is rustic so there are no showers or sinks. There are very nice composting toilets and running water at the water spigots.
Wildlife is plentiful. We saw bears, red tailed hawks, deer, cedar waxwing, and downey woodpeckers. As we lay on our backs in the field looking at the stars, we heard the howls of coyote and the calling of barred owls. The place was amazing. There are plenty of good fishing spots and clear streams for wading.
We also visited the Sizerville State Park, a park with a very small campground (I'd stay somewhere else), but a very nice free swimming pool and a great nature center.
So if you need a break, try a State Park, you might be surprised what you find. 5月1日 Simplify!Some mornings when I awake I am immediately overwhelmed by the day. My calendar looks like the scribblings of some mad scientist, with notes, arrows, and various drawings taking up every bit of free space. Every now and then there is a blank space. I love the blank spaces because they are like a window I can throw open to take breath after breath of air. When I was young, my life was filled with blank spaces. I had long wonderful days with nothing to do but lay in the yard and watch the clouds go by. What happened?
Americans are busier than ever. We work more hours than almost every other nation. But are we happier? I don't think so. People who are busy tend to use more disposable items, recycle less, and produce more CO2 gases. In addition, our obsession with work costs the environment. We are stuck in the rut of production and consumption.
It is time to simplify. You might start by "taking four windows of time" over the next 6 weeks. This would be a few hours, on 4 different days, where you did not schedule anything. We can also begin to change the "rules" of our approach to time. Let me know what you did, I might just watch some clouds.4月11日 The "Root" of EvilWhen the Bible talks about the "root" of evil, I'm not sure it had White's Woods of Indiana County in mind. It is the Biblical "root of evil" , money, that seems to be at the "root" of the problem for this 245 acres of forest. White township in Indiana County, PA, has come up with a plan to log this long untouched green space in its' borders. The resulting income will amount to $17,000 a year for 10 years for the township.
The plan is designed to remove "trees that are expected to die or are choking the growth of healthier trees". By standards of forest management, this is a legitimate and responsible plan. And, while the original intent of the purchase of this property was conservation, the term conservation can be expanded to include management practices such as the proposed logging. Forest management and conservation of this kind is a good thing if the forest is being used as a source of income or a crop.
My gut feeling though is that if there were no profit to be made from this "conservation", the township wouldn't give this project a second thought. In fact, they would not have hired a consulting forester to make a management plan if there was not some idea that money could be made from the property. So here is the question, is the resulting rather small and short term income worth the huge change that will occur in this often used piece of forest? Even the most careful logging methods will result in areas that are greatly disturbed. And while a forest does regenerate itself, and will do so in this case, it will take 40 - 60 years before newly sprouted trees reach maturity.
Some of the towns people say "No, this is not what we want" and are peacefully protesting the plan. They would like to see this forest remain untouched and allowed to progress through the stages of succession without intervention. Does this mean the forest will remain unchanged? No, all forests are constantly changing. But barring a natural catastrophe, the changes will happen slowly and gradually ( and I think quite gracefully). Logging is happening on larger scales all over this county. Keeping some forested areas untouched is also a legitimate management practice. What remains to be seen is what will untilmately win out, the money or the trees.
Want to learn more about how trees help us? See the TreePeople. 4月3日 Make a differenceI decided that today I would make a difference in my world. I spent 5 hours picking up trash on a small stretch of our back road. The road is used as a short cut between two larger roads, so there is quite a lot of traffic for such a rural road. With the traffic comes trash. Some people can't seem to wait until they get home before tossing their junk out the window of their car. They must view the world as their personal giant trash can. To me, that is like throwing trash in your living room. I won't waste more time worrying about these people though because I doubt they will ever change. Even if they won't change though, I can change the fact that the trash is just laying there day after day. I couldn't stand to look at it any longer.
There are many things you can change even if you can't effect the way others think or act. By making small changes in your actions (what your buy or don't buy, whether you recycle, choosing to walk not drive ) you can be part of a movement to make a bigger collective impact.
This was also the conclusion of the Globe foundation, sponsors of EPIC: the Sustainable Living Expo held this March in Vancouver, Canada. Since we live in a consumer driven economy, every purchase we make can help change corporate policies and increase production and availability of products that are environmentally friendly.
Go ahead, make a difference today. 3月21日 Take a lessonWe can all take a lesson from a group of Alaskan teens who have come up with a great idea to encourage people to make a difference by making a few very simple changes. The National Wildlife Federation's Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) has started a petition for Alaskan residents (and all of us) to take the 3-2-1 pledge. Simply put, there are 3 actions that the signers agree to perform. Change 3 incandescent bulbs to compact flourescent bulbs, turn thermostats down 2 degrees in the winter and up 2 degrees in the summer, and unplug 1 appliance when it is not being used (like a VCR, stereo, or microwave).
Whether you believe there is human caused global warming or not, these simple actions also add up to monetary savings for your home. A CFL (compact flourescent lightbulb) replacing a 60 watt bulb will save the homeowner about $8.00 a year in electricity. You also save time because you don't need to change the CFL bulbs as often. You can see CFL savings broken down here (CFL calculator).
By turning you thermostat down you can save about 2% on your heating bill for every degree you lower the heat. Just by turning down the heat 10 degrees at night only, you can save about 7% on you heating bill(source:Southwest Gas). The Department of Energy has some great tips as well to help save money and help your environment.
Finally by unpluging just one of the appliances in your home that displays one of those tiny indicator lights (like on your microwave, VCR/DVD player, or stereo) you can save some money. The total amount saved from this "phantom load" is estimated to be around $74.00 a year (that would include all your appliances that continue to stay on when the switch is turn off). While that might not be a fortune, every bit of savings is money you can spend elsewhere or save for the future.
These teens are taking action to try to make a difference in their world. Why not join them, if not for the sake of preserving the place that we live, then maybe for the sake of saving some money. Sign the petition here if you live in Alaska, and here if you don't. And a big "Way to Go" to those teens in Alaska!
3月17日 A sappy story....It is maple syrup time again here in Pennsylvania. Some people began tapping in January because of the warm temperatures, but we waited until the early spring. The trees we had used for the 20 years we've lived here were cut last winter. The trees were not ours, we just borrowed them to make maple syrup. Nearby neighbors who have a small forest offered us their trees, so we were back in "business" again this year. When the weather turns warm in the day but is still below freezing at night, it is time for us to tap the trees.
A hole is bored in a maple tree over a major root about 3 - 4 feet above the ground. The hole is made in the sapwood layer of the tree with a hand drill. The frass (wood shavings) are scraped out and at that time you can begin to see the sap collecting in the hole. We use metal taps, so these are gently hammered into the hole making a tight fit. The sap will almost immediately begin to drip out of the tap. It is sweet and we all take a turn having a sip from the tree.
We place a sap bucket on the tap and cover the bucket to help keep debris out of the sap. On good day, the sap run will fill the buckets twice in one day. We empty the buckets into a container and transport the sap to our house where we boil it in a stainless steel open pan. It takes 40 - 60 gallons of sap to make one gallon of syrup. Since we are just a home use operation, we boil down the sap outside, pour it through a filter into a smaller pan, and take it inside to finish it on the stove. A professional operation will use a hydrometer to tell when their syrup is finished. We just check it by looks, filter it one last time, and can it in canning jars.
There is absolutely nothing like homemade maple syrup on waffles or pancakes. If you can get to a maple festival, I would encourage you to go. If nothing else, support your local maple producer (if you are fortunate enough to have one) 3月16日 Is Pat Sajak gambling with our future?Pat Sajak is apparently unconvinced that humans have anything to do with the warming temperatures we are experiencing. I find this to be true of many people as they are faced with the possiblity that what they do actually effects the world around them. Pat's main concern in his article though is not the argument over whether man is or is not responsible. His main concern is with his observation that the leadership in the country is behaving in a hypocritical way concerning global warming. On the one hand, government officials (and others) are crying loudly that we all must change our lifestyles to stop global warming. While those same people continue to live extravagantly wasteful lives.
I do concede that Pat has a point. Sort of. It is hypocritcal to insist that everyone else change their lifestyles and then do nothing personally to lead in those changes. We really do not see the movie stars and politicians who are loudly promoting change, doing anything notable to change their lifestyle. We don't see these people moving in to smaller more energy efficient houses, walking instead of driving, moving closer to their work so they use less gas, or refusing to fly in private planes to save on fuel. But here is where I do not agree with Pat. I don't think I need to wait for those famous, public people to make changes before I do what I know is right.
I actually don't care if I can or cannot prove that my actions are the cause of global warming. I am not going to "wait and see" because if I do nothing and I am wrong, the damage will be done (maybe permanently). I am not willing to take the chance just so I can keep my lights on in empty rooms. The truth is, we are polluting the very place we live. It is like dumping garbage in your own living room. We are dumping garbage in our own "house" when we pollute the world around us. Just how long does Pat think we can put toxic gases into the air without the air becoming poison? Maybe he is like some of my friends who don't care because they won't be here by that time (or so they think).
Am I also a hypocrite? Probably I am. I am sure there are things I could be doing to cut back on the amount of pollution I cause that I am not doing. However, I have made changes and continue to make them as I am able. I can't afford another car right now, so instead I try to drive less. I can't afford to install alternative energy sources in my house, so instead I keep lights off, things unplugged, and use more efficient lighting. And I will continue to look for ways to lessen my impact on this planet. Maybe being a hypocrite is really another way to describe someone who is making the transition from thoughts and words to actions. 3月13日 Question to all - Playing outdoorsQuestion: Did you play outdoors when you were little? If you did, what are your memories of playing outside? 3月6日 A bit of "light" newsNow for a bit of "light" news. First, in Reuters, it is reported that Australia has seen the "light" and decided to make some changes in policy to reflect their new found understanding. Australia is apparently suffering from drought and so climate change has become an issue in the recent election year. Australians (per person) are some of the biggest greenhouse gas producers in the world.
With this in mind, the Australian government has decided to pass legislation that would ban incandescent bulbs by the year 2009 and replace them with fluorescent lighting. This will help cut greenhouse emissions by 800,000 tons by the year 2012 and reduce household lighting costs by 66%. I wouldn't mind reducing my lighting costs by that amount.
That brings me to a new company that will help us all reduce our lighting costs. Bulbme is a company dedicated to providing high quality, efficient lighting solutions. They offer many different types of lighting including compact fluorescent lighting (CFL), fluorescent lighting (linear and U-shaped tubes), light emitting diode (LED) lighting and cold cathode lighting as well as the necessary accessories for each group of products.
In addition to their products, they offer help in determining the correct lighting for you needs. They offer many different services for businesses , homes, and even RV's. When I e-mailed a question about my home lighting, they answered my question quickly and made suggestions to help me chose the right product. Using this energy efficient lighting can save you money and save energy. It seems like a win-win situation to me.
2月19日 Tooting the hornI can't help but "toot the horn" of a new line of products from my distribution source. I loved the old products because they were just what I was looking for in environmentally safe, non-toxic cleaners. They worked great, were economical, came from a company with a great environmental record, and were delivered right to my door. Now, the company has introduced a whole new line of cleaners called "Get Clean" that are even more concentrated and are still safe for the environment. Here's what you get if you order the whole line of cleaners. First there is a cleaner called Basic H2. Just mix 1 - 2 grops of Basic H2 with 16 oz of water in the provided spray bottle and you have window and glass cleaner that works as well as the amonia glass cleaners (see test results on the Get Clean site). Mix up a second bottle of all purpose cleaner by using 1/4 teas. with 16 oz of water in the provided spray bottle. This works on everything else. I've cleaned painted walls, carpet spots, counters, and spots on my clothes with this mixture. There is also laundry detergent, dryer sheets, fabric softener,Basic H2 cleaning wipes, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent, and liquid hand wash. All the products have a light, pleasant scent and they don't hurt your hands or skin. The kit also comes with dispensers for the products, micro-fiber cleaning cloths, and a "super sponge". "Get Clean" has been reviewed by green editor for House and Garden magazine, Zem Joaquin in her blog Ecofabulous (You need to scroll down about 4 entries to see Get Clean). Watch for reviews of Get Clean in other popular magazines. I don't like cleaning, but I feel a lot better about doing it knowing I'm not hurting my family or the environment. BTW, a study presented at the Toronto Indoor Air Conference reports that women who work at home have a 54% higher death rate from cancer than women who work outside the home. They concluded this was a direct result of being exposed to toxic chemicals many which were found in common household products. For the sake of your family and yourself, think of switching your cleaning products to non-toxic versions. Get Clean is one choice. 2月16日 Just like GrammieChunter's comments reminded me of how I came to be who I am today. Yes, I am pretty green in many ways. I'll admit I have a lot to learn about the environment and balance. Things are so interelated. My life is interelated with my dear Grammie (Grandma). She was of French heritage, born and raised in PA with French speaking parents in a French community. But, she really lived with the earth, probably because she had no choice. In her time, you raised your own food and made your own clothes or you died. I can remember her making her bread every day. When I was little I thought it was strange, why not just go to the store and buy bread (I'll admit her bread was better than any we could buy at that time)? When I was a teenager, I thought she was cool because she could make her own bread. And when I became an adult I admired her because she continued making her bread and living her life the way she did even though it would have been easier to just buy the things she needed. By that time, I realized the real value of what she was doing. She was living with the land, interelated with it, like it was a part of her. She could predict the weather by just observing what was happening around her. She knew when there would be a late frost or an Indiana summer. I guess when I grow up, I just want to be like her.
Interelationship reminds me of something I just read about PA flying squirrels. It seems there are two kinds of squirrels, the Northern flying squirrel and the Southern flying squirrels. Both live in PA, but unfortunately, the Northern flying squirrel is not too common outside of PA. This particular squirrel likes the old growth or mature conifer forests that PA was once noted for. Unfortunately, between logging, road building, and the hemlock wooley adelgid, we are losing our big stands of conifers. This little squirrel lives an interelated life with conifers, especially the hemlock (the PA state tree). It nests among these trees and likes to eat a fungus that grows on the roots of the tree. The fungi are important to the hemlock because it helps the tree absorb nutrients. The little squirrel apparently helps spread the fungi spores around to other trees, so there is a continual "reseeding" of the fungi. So as the trees dies out, the Northern flying squirrel dies out, the fungi die, etc. In addition, the Southern flying squirrel, who lives in the deciduous trees, is now crowding out the Northern flying squirrel. The Southern squirrel also carries a parasite that kills the Northern flying squirrel. Things aren't looking good for the little guy. Again, I probably can't keep the little squirrel from becoming extinct, but I aim to try to encourage people to leave the old growth stands alone and to support our conservation efforts here in PA. How will saving a squirrel relate to me directly? Only time will tell. |
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