Sunday, November 25, 2007

The end of one road and the beginning of the next

Well the semester is coming to an end which means my blog will be coming to an end as well. Luckily next semesters Can Scanners will be taking over our jobs and reporting more eco friendly tips, ideas and news to you so that you can keep up on living green. So stay tuned to The Can Scan for more up coming news.

Before this semester I had heard about going green, but I had never done anything to do so, but after learning about my own footprint on the planet I've had a change in my own life style. Trying products and different things that anyone could do in their homes is actually easy and I know that I will live a little greener in my own life. I will still experiment with different "green" products long after this class is done, possibly keep my blog to inform others of my experiments and new products to try.

Future Can Scanners, this is by far one of the best classes to take. Not only are you going to inform others about what they can do to live a little green in their lives, but you will learn a few things your self. This is a big topic, and there is always something going on. You will be able to work in either groups or alone, but make sure to keep up with your stories and don't let your teammates down. At times this class may seem over-whelming, but just breathe. You have one of the best professors and he's always there to help, you just have to go to his office. Use the equipment and the resources that are given to you in this class. This is VERY important. Speak up in class, although I'm not one to talk in class there were some projects that I may have been able to be a part of if I had spoke up. Lesson learned. I hope you all have a fun time in this class, the time will go quickly and soon you too will be writing your last blog. Good luck and best wishes!

Sunday, November 18, 2007

Room to Room

It can be easy to live just a little greener in your life even if you don't have that much money to spend. If everyone lives just a little more eco-friendly that small amount will soon make a difference. It may not be today or even tomorrow but soon mother nature is going to thank you. I am going to help give some suggestions with different rooms you may want to use some eco-friendly products in.

The Living Room:

At least for me, this is probably the room that people hangout the most in. Whether its having guests over, watching t.v. or playing video games. Using Compact florescent lighting will help you save energy. CFL's are recommended for rooms that are used often. They tend to burn faster when you turn the light off and on.
"The five highest use fixtures in a home are typically the kitchen ceiling lights, the living or family room table and floor lamps, and outdoor porch or post lamp, according to Energy Star.
Energy efficient light fixtures use 1/4 less energy than a standard light fixture.

Heating and Cooling:
Heating and cooling seems to always be a problem. There are a few things that you can do to help save a little energy while heating or cooling your house. Energy Star recommends you to clean your air filter every three months, however if they are dirty clean they may get dirty faster if you are using it more frequently.

Kitchen:

Have you heard that bamboo is an eco-friendly product? Bamboo is known as one of the most eco-friendly products in the flooring market,according to 123 Bamboo. Also, the fiber doesn't contain any chemicals and is a green natural fiber.
If you are thinking of re-tiling your kitchen think of using bamboo flooring instead. It depends on how much you want to spend on the bamboo but it can run from $2 to $8 per square foot. However, if you are going to use bamboo flooring research it to make sure you know what to look for when you go to kitchen re-done.
If you don't need your flooring re-done, but are looking to re-decorate Target and Crate and Barrel both have bamboo kitchen products ranging from plates, bowls, tea boxes and flatware.

For more great information about bamboo check out Jenna's story
Bamboo: The New and Improved Wood.

Bedroom:

The bedroom should be a place for rest and relaxation right? Well being wrapped in your bed may never seem better when you try bamboo or organic sheets. If you are someone who is sensitive to different fabrics bamboo may just right for you, according to allergybuyersclubshopping. You can find these sheets at Target, Land's End and Bed Bath & Beyond.
The fabric is extremely breathable that is made out of 67% bamboo and 33% cotton, according to Land's End

These are just a few rooms that you could be more eco friendly in. Remember one easy way to save water in the bathroom to to take shorter showers and to turn off the water while brushing your teeth. I repeat tur off the wate while brushing your teeth.

Well until next week I hope you all live just little more greener. Have a great Thanksgiving!




Sunday, November 11, 2007

Taking the Trash Out

No matter how much I try to eliminate my waste at my house I seem to throw things out way to often. Over this semester though I have become more passionate about trying to live eco-friendly and find myself at Wild Oats looking for products that are environmentally safe. Luckily this helps me with my blog.

Well this week I found myself browsing Target, another place that I find myself at when I am bored, I found recycled plastic trash bags by GLAD. Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
The bags are made out of 65 percent recycled plastic, which helps conserve natural resources. Not only does GLAD have the 65 percent recycled trash bags, but they also have a GLAD BlueBag. These bags allow people to put all their recyclables into one bag and not worry about sorting it all through.
According to GLAD some of the benefits are:
  • Materials don't blow away or fall out
  • Easy to close
  • No need to retrieve from curb after pick up
  • Available in Drawstring and Quick-Tie
For more information about these bags and if your local garbage company allows this service visit Tucson Recycles or Waste Management .

BioBag is another garbage bag that is environmental friendly. BioBag is both 100 percent biodegradable and compostable. When using a composting system, BioBags will decompose within 10-45 days, and also doesn't leave any harmful residues behind, according to their website.
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BioBags are made from Mater-Bi a product that uses cornstarch, vegetable oil and other renewable resources.

"Mater-Bi retain their properties while in use, then when disposed of into an environment containing bacteria, biodegrade to carbon dioxide, water and organic humus with no polymeric or toxic residue," according to Plastral .
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When I bought BioBags I didn't realize how eco-friendly the bags were. They work really well and I am glad a I found the bags. Its one more product I can use in my house to become just a little more greener in my life.

Sunday, November 4, 2007

Stainless Steal Tastes Better

Since I live in Tucson and it gets really hot outside I drink tons of water. I usually have water bottle piled up in my kitchen waiting to be recycled. However, this can be a waste of plastic. Most people don't even recycle their plastic bottles.

"It is estimated that Americans will drink more than 30 billion single-serving bottles of water this year. Since these bottles are non-returnable, two million tons worth of that everlasting plastic will end up in landfills...and roads, and beaches, and streams," according to Care2.
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Many people, myself included usually don't reuse water bottle in fear of bacteria growing inside.
It's really hard to clean water bottle that have small openings. However, there are reusable water bottle available that have wider openings. This makes it easier to clean.

"Both single-use and reusable water bottles should be thoroughly cleaned and dried between uses. Reusable water bottles generally have wider mouths, making them easier to clean. Dishwashing soap and hot water are acceptable to use for cleaning your water bottle," according to about.com: Walking.

Another way to go eco-friendly is to use a stainless steel reusable bottles which you can find at Reusablebags.com for $15.45.

"Klean Kanteen is made using 304 L.N. stainless steel which is grade blended specifically for food preparation, dairy, brewing, various medical uses and other applications where mineral migration is unacceptable," according to Reusablebags.com.

Ideal Bite, also has FDA approved, non-toxic aluminum water bottles. These allow consumers to reuse their water bottle over and over with other having to worry about harsh chemicals.

"Every year 1.5 million barrels of oil go to making plastic water bottles used in the U.S. and less than a quarter of those bottles end up being recycled," according to Ideal Bite.

Check out your local grocery store to find a reusable water bottle to start drinking out of instead of wasting all those plastic bottles. Then maybe we won't have to use 1.5 million barrels of oil to make plastic bottles.