I took a trip to a Delaware State Park beach late last week to spend a few days seaside enjoying the sun and surf with my family. I was dismayed to find the beach littered with trash and believe it or not a few scattered clumps of oil (which a nearby litter cleaning volunteer stepped in and had a terrible time getting off).

After getting several notes from friends around the world expressing concern over how our country is handling the BP fiasco in the Gulf of Mexico, I found myself shocked to see the impact on such a distant shore. One particular note I received from friends in South Africa’s Cape Town, expressed their dismay over the handling of this crisis-not by our government, but by our citizens. Their note indicated serious concern that our pubic wasn’t outraged and demanding action and resolve.

I was taken aback by the accusation that we were unconcerned as a society about the situation. Taken aback, that is, until I spoke with friends, coworkers and family to gauge for myself the level of this accused apathy.

I hate to admit it, but I was more than disappointed. It seemed the accusations were on target. Few people could tell me what was going on with the spill. Almost all, however, could tell me who won the Stanley Cup, the NBA championship or American Idol. Many had no concept of the irreparable damage being done to such vast ecosystems or the potential impact not only to our fisheries, but our little known oceanic frontier.

In this bloggers opinion, if we continue to be blissfully unaware and apathetic about negative consequences of our consumption decisions, the devastation of our environment will become much more than a “Shore” thing.

If composting outside has you all hot and bothered this summer, consider the cooler indoor alternative of vermicomposting. Vermicomposting is composting with worms and is becoming increasingly popular with those interested in gardening, and minimizing their ecological footprint through a reduction of their waste stream.

To setup a home verimicomposing system, you can purchase a fancy model of worm composters available online, or you can make your own. The Environmentals created a great short film with some easy and entertaining instructions on how to build your own unit for garage, basement, or even under your kitchen counters in a few quick steps. Following their instructions and purchasing Red Wigglers online cost me less that $40 to get a home unit that nicely manages my kitchen scraps for a family of four each week.

There is no odor, and the compost produced is like magic for house and garden plants when used as a rich soil conditioner. For more detailed information on vermicomposting, check out these helpful books on worms, compost and a greener garden: Worms Eat My Garbage, The Complete Compost Gardening Guide and The Green Gardener’s Guide.

Guest Blogger Jerome Besnard, owner of Normandy Homes gives us his ideas on saving energy with your water heater and helping it last longer…

Hot water heaters are present in most homes. Tankless water heaters are becoming the green way of heating water with new installations but most homes still utilize the older water heater models with tanks.

The energy source for these models is either electric, natural gas or propane.
The following tips to save money each month apply to all models:

1. Cover your tank with insulated blankets. They can be found in any home improvement store. Make sure you don’t cover the top, especially if there is a flue for the gas exhaust. Make sure also that can still have quick access to the model number.

2. Insulate the hot water pipes coming out of the tank. Use polyethylene pipe insulation. Again, your local home improvement store supply the size (diameter) you need.

3. Turn off your hot water heater when you go in vacation! That seems like a simple idea and it is. But it will save you a lot of money. Make sure you have a visible note in your house when you come back to turn it back on otherwise the first showers will be cold.

4. Find your “sweet temperature” spot. At the bottom of each water heater, there is a thermostat. Usually it is set up to “hot”. Try to turn it down a little bit and check for your household reaction. If no one says anything about the temperature difference after one week, you can probably try to decrease the thermostat again. Repeat until someone complains. Results are better if each change is small.

How to increase your hot water heater’s life expectancy:

1. At the bottom of the tank there must be a hose adapter. It is used to empty the tank. Every 6 months, tie a hose to the adapter, make sure it ends in your sump pit or any place where water can be discharged and flush your water heater for 1 minute (you do not need to empty it). It will get rid of residue building at the bottom of the tank.

2. Each water heater has an anode inside. An anode is a metal rod that the water is meant to corrode before it corrodes the tank. Sometimes, the top of the rod is visible on the top of the water heater. Every 3 to 5 years, replace (or get a plumber to replace) the anode. Your water heater will last much longer than the standard 8 to 12 year expected life.

For more information and tips on greening your home, leave your comments below or contact Normandy Homes Inspections @ 610.222.9200 or e-mail jbesnard@normandyhomesllc.com.

by Jerome Besnard, Normandy Homes

Over 200,000 gallons of crude oil are gushing from the damaged rig in the Gulf of Mexico. If the black gold reaches the Gulf Stream, the coral reefs in the Florida Keys, not to mention the miles and miles of shoreline and fisheries in between, could be irreparably devastated and a multitude of greenbacks (no longer secured with gold) will be spent to mitigate the disaster.

Big Oil is big industry and with industrial size comes Power. (My mother was right in that respect when she told me size matters!) …pardon my crude comments (and poor puns). With this power comes responsibility. The responsibility, however, isn’t to be shouldered by the suppliers alone. As an oil guzzling society, we bear much of this responsibility because of our demand for oil and its many derivatives. Just try to go a day without using or consuming something that requires or is derived from oil.

Though going oil free overnight is unfathomable, to be responsible, we need to begin to rethink our oil consumption decisions and our dirty love affair with this dark source of immeasurable wealth.

Increasing demand for products sourced from sustainable and responsible industries is a key component of decreasing our reliance on oil. If the profit made from the sale of oil is decreased by decreasing demand, and demand for other sustainable fuels increases, then technologies will be developed in these areas because, though we may have a fondness for oil, it is only such that it assists us in achieving greater monetary gains. If there are more gains to be made by working in sustainable fields, then that is where leading business and industry will shift to maintain profitability.

What are your thoughts on the current eco-disaster? Are sustainable fuels the answer?

Beyond purchasing Carbon offsets for a trip, how can we be more eco-savvy when we fly? With my love of travel, I’ve found the following pointers help lessen the environmental impact of my adventures:

1. Pack snacks and a light meal in a reusable container. I know with the weight restrictions on baggage, packing anything extra raises a few eyebrows, but I maintain that taking the time in advance to pack a few key items can make the entire experience less of a hassle and more eco-friendly. Granola, a light sandwich, some fruit (especially dried pineapple or mango) packed in a snack sack or light reusable container has helped me on many occasions. When (inevitably) you are stuck on the tarmac, and there is no drink or food service while you wait for plane maintenance, a few late passengers, or a freak storm, having your own favorites to snack on can be a comfort. Besides easing some tension, it doesn’t waste all the resources involved in buying the typically unhealthy and non-recyclable packaging-heavy airport snack food you can purchase from the chain restaurants in the terminal.

2. Bring a reusable steel water bottle (might I suggest the fantastic flying EcoSports bottle?) or thermal drink container. I bring both. This helps make it easier for me to say no to the Styrofoam and plastic cups that are pushed in-flight.

3. Pack less. I know this is easier said than done. Less weight on board, however equates to less fuel needed for the trip. This in mind, I find it a bit easier to leave behind excess clothing that I may or may not need. Packing layered easy to hand-wash clothes and only 2-3 pairs of sensible shoes (I know this is a challenge for many of my female friends!) makes packing for a two week trip in a carry-on a snap. Be wary however, Spirit just announced a fee for carry on’s!!

4. Ask. When you book your flight, always inquire if the airline recycles. If not, and you choose the airline anyway, follow up with a quick letter to the airline about why it is important to you as a customer that they institute a recycling program to assure your continued patronage.

5. E-book it. If you are an avid reader/traveler, consider the purchase of a Kindle or other such e-book reader. I’ve not made this leap yet, but am envious of those who have as they seem to have a virtual library at their disposal! (Dad, Mom, if you are reading this…my birthday is coming up…)

A last way you can vote with your greenbacks to support eco-friendly in air attitudes is to patronize companies that are making efforts to keep the skies blue by going green. Tripadvisor has an overview where you can learn a bit more about their top rated eco-conscious airlines. Other articles I found rated Continental and Delta as leaders in the green flying movement, and most had US Airways at the bottom of the list with the most room for improvement.
What other ideas do you have or stories to share on how to be an eco savvy airline passenger?

Betterworldbuys.com is transitioning to a new systems approach in the operations of our business. The systems approach is being taken to assure that as a company, we are focused not just on sales or profits, but on our interconnectedness with our stakeholders and our planet.

As a quick primer, to the science of systems thinking, I give you the late Donella H. Meadows explanation of systems thinking via her Slinky example:

“A Slinky is a toy—a long, loose spring that can be made to bounce up and down, or pour back and forth from hand to hand, or walk itself downstairs.

I perch the slinky on one upturned palm. With the fingers of the other hand, I grasp it from the top, partway down its coils. Then I pull the bottom hand away. The lower end of the slinky drops, bounces back up again, yo-yo’s up and down, suspended from my fingers above.

“What made the slinky bounce up and down like that?” I ask students.

“Your hand. You took away your hand,” they say.

So I pick up the box the slinky came in and hold it the same way, poised on a flattened palm, held from above by the fingers of the other hand. With as much dramatic flourish as I can muster, I pull the lower hand away.

Nothing happens. The box just hangs there, of course.

“Now once again. What made the Slinky bounce up and down?”

The answer clearly lies within the Slinky itself. The hands that manipulate it suppress or release some behavior that is latent within the structure of the spring.

That is the central insight of systems thinking” (Meadows, 2008, p.1).

The betterworldbuys.com transition to a systems approach will be transparent to our clients. Within our organization, however, we will focus on concepts of personal mastery, understanding our mental models and how they influence our perceptions of the world, building a shared vision, learning as a team, and systems thinking to enable us to see the impacts of our actions on our stakeholders.

We aspire to use this new approach to more effectively promote self-awareness and environmental and social consciousness through responsible consumerism.

For more information on systems thinking and the benefits of an organizational systems approach, you can refer to Meadows text referenced below or to these online resources: Creative Learning Exchange at www.clexchange.org, The Systems Thinker and Leverage Points newsletters published by www.pegasuscom.com.

Meadows, D. H. (2008) Thinking in systems: A primer. White River Junction:
Chelsea Green Publishing.

I’ll admit it. Though I have real human children, I often tell people that my dog Ella was my first born. For the birth announcement of my first real child, I dressed my 85 pound boxer (pictured above)in a big doggie diaper and included her photo on the note to friends and family sharing the news of the new addition. Ella has her own special bed with egg crate padding, more toys than I can keep track of, and is often fought over by the grandparents when determining who will get to keep the “grand-dogger” while we travel.

When she was just a puppy, we found that poor Ella had some serious allergies causing her to require very special (and expensive!) food, treats, toys and bath products. Through the years she has gone through various phases of likes and dislikes with the few things that she can tolerate without adverse reaction. We of course, obliged by indulging her whims.

It seems that my plight with my beloved Ella is not unique. Based on similar issues with her beloved pooch “Ruger”, Tonda Woodling developed dog treats with canine allergies in mind.

Tonda, in collaboration with my favorite local chef (Michael Falcone of The Funky Lil’ Kitchen in Pottstown, PA) created a line of dog treats out of healthy ingredients that are 100% natural and human grade. These treats are grain free and hand baked in a health board regulated kitchen!

All ingredients used in these yummy treats are carefully selected based upon their hypoallergenic nature, natural attributes and flavors. For even the most allergy sensitive of dogs, these treats contain no gluten, no corn, wheat or soy, no meat or dairy, no added salt or sugar, no artificial colors or flavors, and no preservatives. The treats come in two varieties: peanut butter oatmeal, and toasted coconut. In addition, they are sold in recycled and reusable steel tins and biodegradable/compostable refill bags. They get the betterworldbuys.com paw print of approval for planetary positive pet products and are something worth barking about!

Do you have a pampered pooch with allergies you’d like to tell us about? Try out our hungry puppy treats and share your comments and ideas on how to help our allergy prone furry friends.
As Tonda says, “Lets face it, our dogs are not only our best friends, they are part of our family and they deserve the best!”

In the beginning of the summer, I began an experiment to determine if I could afford to pass on the new Prius. In my heart of hearts, I wanted for my experiment to be a failure so I could somehow justify the expense of a lovely silver 2010 model with all the bells and whistles.

Alas, it was not to be.

In an effort to make an environmentally and socially conscious decision, I needed to become more aware of the impact of my choice. I spent the summer dedicated to driving less, and increasing my fuel economy when driving was a necessity. As a result of my efforts, I’ve increased my mpg average by approximately 2.

I began in early June with an average mpg rating of 24.0 and by July was up to 25.9 mpg. Presently I’m able to maintain 26.0 mpg when I’m diligent about slower acceleration, proper tire inflation, and the appropriate time to coast. Beyond mpg, however, I have learned more about the ecological footprint made through the resource consumption required to create a new vehicle and have determined that the fuel, and fuel related financial impact over the next 4-6 years is minimal compared to the footprint of a new vehicle construction (and old vehicle destruction).

And so, (insert a heavy sigh), I’m passing on the Prius…for now.

Though my heart and mind are working together to be “green”, my thumb hasn’t followed suit. I’ve tried for the past few years to fumble my way through a meager kitchen garden with tomatoes, peppers, basil, radishes, zucchini and a very failed attempt at a blackberry bush, but with few successes. Basil seems to be the only thing I can grow with sustained success…and as a pesto fanatic, thank goodness for that. As I struggle to find affordable local and organic produce options however, I needed some help in the backyard kitchen garden department. Enter: my friendly neighborhood green garden guy!

Green garden guy lives a few blocks away and has such an enviable and prolific backyard garden that he often puts the excess harvests on a small table in front of his home with a little cash box and a sign requesting donations for the fruits (and vegetables) of his labors. I noticed him out walking the other day and stopped him. Casting an embarrassed glance at my shriveled slumping tomato plants and my teeny tiny pepper plants, I asked him the two questions that were on the top of my mind: 1: “Do you use pesticides on your plants?” I blurted. I had on occasion bought his veggies and enjoyed them but as I had no idea if they were sprinkled with any special help-em-grow chemical soup that would hamper my children’s procreative potential I needed to know. Thankfully, I could sigh with relief because he answered that he never used pesticides or chemicals in his garden. This then led to my second burning question (and another embarrassed look back at my garden), “Well then, what is your secret?”

The secret, it turns out, is no big secret. Nature’s way is tried and true. Green garden guy uses the leaves that come down from his trees in the fall to mulch in with his garden soil. Keeping the soil loose so the roots have a place to expand as they grow was the key to stronger healthier plants. In a handy book by Lori Bongiorno called GreenGreenerGreenest; A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of Your Life, she provides a brief section on Organic Gardening in which she recommends having your soil tested to see what it might need (or to see if it contains any toxins that you obviously don’t want or need) by seeking out your local cooperative extension. In addition, she mentions that “mulching stabilizes soil temperature, prevents weeds, feeds the soil and helps conserve water” and that “you can mulch with leaves, aged wood chips, compost or other organic matter” (Bongiorno, 2008 p. 229).

Green garden guy seems to be on the right track with his mulching magic. I referenced the online organic garden guru and it seems like all signs point to mulching as the way to go. Do you have any organic, environmentally friendly and/or sustainable suggestions to share that may have worked in your backyard gardens?

While enjoying the sights and sounds of a lovely Fourth of July weekend, I was overcome with a surge of gratitude for the freedoms I am blessed with as a citizen of the United States. I got tingly thinking of the Star Spangled Banner and watching the children hop around on the lawn in anticipation of fireworks.

As with everything, I can remember the Fourth of July at the Lake where I have spent summers all my life as getting bigger and bolder and grander each year. The festive cottagers seem to compete to outdo one another with beautiful blasts that illuminate the night sky, reflect off the stillness of the lake and reverberate from the mountains in a magnificent echo. The bats go ballistic as the blasts resound and we can’t help but to “oohhh” and “ahhh” from our lakeside lawn chairs.

The crackling, hissing and screeching went on for well over an hour, and when I finally turned in, I thought of how ironic it is that we celebrate independence and an end to a war with something that sounds like we’re under attack.

The next morning when the mist rolled off the lake and I put in the kayak for a peaceful paddle, I was greeted with the shells from the previous evening’s patriotic parties along with some floating fish, no doubt the casualties. It was then that my grateful feeling turned to guilt.

Have our freedoms made us too frivolous? How fair were our fireworks to friends, and fish? According to a study cited on treehugger.com, “The EPA studied a lake in Oklahoma last year and found that within 14 hours of the fireworks display, perchlorate levels were 1000 times higher than background. (Perchlorate inhibits the workings of the thyroid gland).” Beyond perchlorate, other interesting articles consider accidents associated with fireworks, noise pollution, air pollution and the waste generated by the displays. Knowing that my children swim in the lake, and hoping to preserve it for them and future generations, I am wondering if I can continue to revel without remorse.

I’m not willing to give up my role as observer of the displays, but for myself, and our cottage, I think it’s safe to say we will opt out of contributing to the explosive excitement of the evening and be content to watch from our lawnchairs, encourage friends to be aware of the implications that come with celebrating independence on such a grand scale, and help pick up the aftermath on July 5.

What are your feelings on fireworks?

Below are some additional articles on the environmental impact of fireworks.
Taking and Importing Marine Mammals; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to Coastal Commercial Fireworks Displays at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, CA
A greener July Fourth?
Fireworks above, trouble below: After sparks fade, perchlorate and particulate matter linger in air, water