Captain Charles Moore on David Letterman 3/15/10

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I was not able to watch this last night (fell asleep) but woke up this morning and found it on You Tube.

I wanted to share it with you all.

Captain, Charles Moore, was the first to navigate through the plastic mess in the Pacific Gyre (Plastic Garbage Patch).

Listen in as he talks about how plastic is affecting our oceans, soil,  and sea life.

Sorry it ended where it did… “plastic is a lubricant of globalization….”

anyway…

I enjoyed watching most of the interview. Hope you did to!

If you watched last night and know how Captian, Charles Moore summed up his interview…

do tell! 

Remember…

refuse plastic!

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Do You Organize Your Recyclables?

I seem to go around daily collecting odds and ends that belong in the recyclables pile. I call it a pile because I don’t have much of an organized system. We have a spot in our home that we have claimed as the “recycling center” and all of recyclables manage to make it there. Sometimes it’s tidy and other times it’s a mess.

We started out having two trash cans that we’d place plastic and aluminum into. Within the last 6  mos. my husband stopped drinking soda so it eliminated much of our aluminum waste. Not to mention, since we’ve kicked the water bottle habit we rarely have a water bottle. Overall, the waste baskets hardly get used in that manner anymore. We still end up with plastic crap to recycle…such a milk jugs and food containers and other misc. plastic recyclables though. Before, they were separate, one would fill up with water bottles and the other with cans. It’s a heap of miscellaneous recyclables now.

A lot times I’ll grab a paper bag from a forgotten B.Y.O.B. trip and fill it with recyclables throughout the week then toss it directly into the city recycling bin. It’s amazing to me how many recyclables there are at the end of the week. Our recycle bin fills up before the regular trash can that what I call amazing.  It always feels so good to empty the recyclables container because I know it’s going to be re purposed in some way.

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Carnival of the Green #194

Hello! Welcome to the Carnival of the Green. Brought to you by Treehugger but hosted by greenies, like me!

I’m happy to host this eco carnival and hope you enjoy the  green reads!

There’s lot’s of groovy green information to share this week, so let’s get started…

Last week’s Carnival of the Green was hosted by The Eco Chic. Be sure to visit and enter the current giveaways currently open at her site!

Want to start a hanging herb garden or learn to garden without much space? Micheal at the Urban Gardener will teach you how.

Kelly, at The Centsible Life gives you tips on how to keep your laundry routine green.  A must read for anyone who’s been thinking about making their own detergent!

Get your kids involved on an important issue facing our planet: climate change! Find out about the Cool the Earth program at Greening Families and green up your child’s school today!

Go back to school in eco style. Your kids will be hip and proud! Retro House Wife Goes Green talks about waste free lunches. Check out all the eco friendly fashionable options.

Also,  Humane Connection shares 10 tips for Helping Create a Humane School. What memories do you have of your childhood?

Eco Enviro Girl has a wonderful article on ways to create awe and wonder in our children and ourselves!

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World Ocean’s Day!

I’d been saving this post since January when I attended the Go Green Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center. I thought that I lost the video for it when I did a defrag on the computer but I found it this morning. Now, I can’t figure out how to upload because it’s saved as a zip file (I think). I don’t know. Serves me for being so savvy with the lappy.

Anyway, I wanted to highlight the Algalita Marine Research Foundation since it’s World Ocean’s Day. I had the opportunity to speak with Anna Cummins back in January at the Expo. She was very passionate when she spoke about what plastics are doing to our marine life. She stated that plastic is not only destroying our marine environment but also pointed out that it eventually makes it back into our systems. Her booth was displayed with the plastic debris samples and pictures of plastic trash from the North Pacific Gyre.

Anna explored The Garbage Patch in a month long expedition with Captain Charles Moore and crew from the Algalita Marine Research Foundation collecting surface samples for research and education.  In my video she mentions her fiance, Dr. Marcus Eriksen, traveled to the Central North Pacific Gyre, on what’s know as the JUNKraft.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Central North Pacific Gyre known as “The Great Pacific Garbage Patch” it is roughly twice the size of the U.S. and is completely covered in plastic pollution aka “plastic soup”. I learned about the CNPG crisis two years ago and have been trying to reduce my plastic consumption since.

Some quick facts:

- Estimates of plastic in the world’s oceans exceed 100 million tons. 20% of it is derelict fishing gear, 80% comes from land from our watersheds.

A large segment of what ends up as marine debris is single use disposable consumer items!!!!

- Pieces of plastic outweigh surface zooplankton by a factor of 6 to 1.

- 90 % of Laysan Albatross chick carcasses and regurgitated stomach contents contain plastics.  (Fish and seabirds mistake plastic for food)

- Plastic debris releases chemical additives and plasticizers into the ocean.

- Plastic adsorbs hydrophobic pollutants, like PCBs, and pesticides like DDT.

These pollutants bioaccumulate in tissues of marine organisms, biomagnify up the food chain, and find their way into the food we eat.

After learning some quick facts, Anna told us her husband caught a fish while exploring the Gyre and opened it up to exam it and found 16 pieces of plastic in it. She further noted and ended our conversation with “there is no such thing as plastic throw away”.

Anna also gave me a Bring Your Own produce bag that she sewed up herself and was selling at the Expo! I could tell Anna had so much conviction about the issue of plastic and how it’s destroying our oceans. She exuded so much passion about the plastic problem that it reminded me of Beth Terry over at Fake Plastic Fish. Both of these woman are pioneers in helping to spread the word about plastic pollution.

Currently, Anna and Dr. Marcus Eriksen are riding their bikes to raise awareness about the issue of plastic marine debris. They began their “Junkride” journey on April 4th, 2009 in Vancouver, B.C. and plan to ride 2000 miles to Tijuana Mexico.  They’ll be giving away samples of polluted ocean surface to educators, organizations, and legislators to educate others about the problems and call for an end to The Age of Disposable Plastic.

Two things we can do to protect our marine life:

HOUSEHOLD CHALLENGE: (from Algalita Marine Research Foundation’s pamphlet)

* Create a 100% recyclable and compostable grocery list. Imagine all of your household waste going into the compost pile or recycle bin!

* If you must buy consumable products, choose paper, glass or bio-plastic.

This household challenge reminds of the challenge Beth at Fake Plastic Fish is hosting…

We should all take the time ti examine our plastic waste…are you up for the challenge?

Ultimately, can you limit your plastic intake?

What is the issue?

Plastic marine debris is a vector for organic pollutants that impact human health and our environment.

UPDATE: Beth, from Fake Plastic Fish tipped me off about this video- Thanks Beth!!

** I can’t get my video to work- I’m super bummed about this. A few months back I did a defrag on my computer and thought I lost the footage. I found it today and apparently it’s been converted to a zip file that I don’t know how to convert back to video if that’s even possible. I wish you could hear Anna for yourself and listen in on what she told me about plastic and their research. For now, it’s just a picture (featured above).

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**Re-Post** Catching Up On Challenges!

I’m going to join Tiffany at NatureMom’s Blog and several other green mama’s for The Big Green Spring Clean! I have several projects around here that could use a little freshening up for sure…this year it’s been a Spring Clean frenzy so far. With the limited amount of time to accomplish any task it’s starting to pile up quick. AND- Tristan’s birthday is in a couple of weekends-so, it has put more pressure on the idea of a tidy of organized home and a beautiful yard. I’m trying really hard to keep up with daily chores so that I don’t find myself having to do them all in day! This year, we have a few projects to tackle!

Luckily, we’ve already maintained and cleared out our garage- which was probably the biggest hang up! It was such a disaster and since that took place a couple weeks ago I don’t have any pics to share. Tyler brought home a storage rack he salvaged from the restaraunt their remodeling…it was doomed for the dumpster along with couple other things “our new” wooden patio cover (last summer’s save and project), and a huge potted lemon tree. The storage rack allowed for more space since we could use the shelves to store our boxes. The patio saved us a ton of money last yr.-we only spent what we needed to put it back together. We’d like to paint it and add mesh to the top to give it more appeal and add some shade (our summer project).

I’ve also weeded out Tristan’s clothing and bagged it so that I can give it away. While sorting through his clothing I also put together a bag for donations of his misc. baby accessories. The bulky toys he grew out of are also awaiting a new home and are sitting his bedroom. I  used Caldrea, Sweet Pea spray to clean them and the smaller toys. I love cleaning with this yummy stuff…it leaves everything smelling so fresh and airy. I may sell the toys to the consignment/thrift shop up the street- it’s worth the trade for baby items or clothes!

Projects left to tackle:

• Kitchen- organize and toss out tupperware/plastic containers and replace with glass storage bowls or recycled jars
• Backroom- wait until you see the picture of this hazardous zone…it looks like a bomb exploded in here. Objective here is to clear and clean out and set up sewing camp! We’d like to turn it into a functional sewing room for crafting and continue to use it for misc. storage..mainly keepsakes and items we had to box up when we found out we were expecting. Before Tristan’s arrival his room was our computer room. We live in a 2 bdrm. home the backroom is actually an out-building in the backyard. Our home is tiny so were very limited in space which is why a lot of our belongings are in boxes.
• Backyard transformation for Tristan’s party- remove dirt pile, organize recycling area, and lay concrete!
• Bay Window- plants need trimming- wipe and clear shelving and pot and plant a few baby spider plant offshoots.
• DETOX HOME- rid of lingering chemicals!!
• General Organization & reduce, reuse, and recycle along the way!

Exactly what do I hope to achieve? Essentially, less clutter, less dust- toxic pollution, a happy healthy homefront  and organization will be key! The result should create productivity and ease our minds. Along the way I’ll share natural cleaning tips and ideas. We also have to get our backyard looking like a backyard before the wiggle worm’s birthday…I’ll try to get before and after pics of that too! Let the frenzy continue…Join me for The Big Spring Clean- every Thursday until completion!

Thursday’s Eco-Green Tip: Use tissue paper to line dresser drawers- take it a step further and create a scented pouch by adding dried flowers (I used lavender) and staple together! After Tristan’s shower I had tissue paper for days…it was the perfect way to spruce up his dresser and add a personal touch.

OPERATION OUT WITH THE PLASTIC!

This weeks Spring Clean project is focusing on clearing out the plastic. My kitchen is littered with plastic! I never really thought I had so much until now! Almost 30 individual containers. I’m squashing my plastic storing ways and we are now planning to keep everything in glass OR other earth/health friendly option such as bamboo. I know, I know, why glass, it’s breakable? Major reason- no toxic chemicals entering your system! Plastic is definitely as HUGE player in pollution and landfill waste..I certainly don’t want any part of that!

With Tristan, I’m so eco-conscience that if it means storing his food in glass jars/bowls/containers…then so be it! I won’t let him handle glass!! With all the chemicals and ENERGY used to make plastic, no thank you- not anymore!! NEXT, I’m planning to go plastic baggie less. I’m going to sew up some produce bags and maybe some mesh ones for fridge storage!  I also cleaned out my refrigerator and the cubboards. Everything is shiny & fresh…smells great too!!! As for the plastic containers…welll most of them are going to be recycled, fortunately!

My sister signed me up to be an Earth Day guest speaker for my niece’s 2nd grade class and I’d like to possibly RE-USE 12 of the 30 containers for a project! ANY IDEAS???

– Save money going to the florist- plant a bouquet of bulbs in pots and when in bloom you can make your own floral arrangement. Can be done with herbs too-dry out for future use! You also want to be water wise by xeriscaping your yard…planting native plants will also help build an natural habitat for wildlife!!

- Don’t ask for ATM Receipts- If everyone in the U.S. refused their receipts, it would save a roll of paper more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the equator 15x’s!

- Try to use your sprinklers in early morning or evening. The average lawn needs only one hour of watering per week! That breaks down to about 8.5 minutes a day! Set a timer so you don’t forget!

-  With the Eco-Craze of water bottles  vs. plastic bottles- you’re filling up your new SIGG and are guilty of not drinking it down to every last drop…what do you do with the extra water? Feed your plants, of course! Recyle and conserve water it’s a precious natural resource!!  You can do the same with fish tanks- plus, this water will contain nutrients!!!

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