Green Patchwork

I recently posted about Canada’s oil fields and the major pollution being caused by it. But now I would like to write about something closer to home, right here in the U.S., and literally right in people’s backyards. In Brooklyn, NY., particularly Greenpoint and Williamsburg, there are neighborhoods of people living right next to major oil spills, buildings full of garbage, and nuclear chemicals. About fifty years ago there was a major oil spill larger than the Exxon/Valdez, but it was not taken care of and continues to be a problem today. If you have about 45 minutes to watch the whole series, Toxic Brooklyn on VBS.tv, you’ll be just as surprised as I was to find out how much our oil companies are getting away with.

To find the show, scroll through the ride side bar to find Toxic Brooklyn.

According to Caboodle Cartridges’ website, it takes approximately 3.5 quarts of oil to manufacture one printer cartridge and it takes about a 1000 years to decompose. When ink cartridges are thrown into landfills toxins from the inks and chemicals used to make the cartridges seep into the groundwater and soil and cause more pollution. Instead of throwing your cartridge away have it refilled. I started taking my printer cartridges to Caboodle some years ago and I discovered that along with not polluting the landfills I am also saving money. When I take my empty cartridges to Caboodle I exchange my empties for new ink cartridges that are compatible with my printer and I pay about the half the cost of new cartridges. You can read more about Caboodle’s cartridge procedures at their website.

Madison’s Caboodle store is located at 2858 University Ave in the University Station plaza, next to Dairy Queen and the old Magic Mill.

Not every city has a Caboodle, but there are other companies recycling ink cartridges. Just do an online search to find your nearest retailer. A little time and searching is worthwhile in the long run, don’t give up and throw out your cartridges. Think about the future generations everytime you throw something away.

Last month I wrote a post about the Alberta tar sands which currently is providing the U.S. with 16% of their oil imports. I found another article on the topic in OnEarth magazine and what I read gives me a feeling of great sadness. Canadians are destroying a forest the size of Florida and creating a toxic wasteland that is unsafe for wildlife and will continue to emit greenhouse gases for a temporary oil fix. Read the article “Canada’s Highway to Hell”.

I was just looking around online as usual when I found an interesting post at The Labratory and it’s titled “Robin Day on Good Design”. I think he has offered us something to think about and take to heart.

Many years ago I decided to wrap all of my X-mas gifts in decorative scarves and fabrics, and I was thought of as an extreme environmentalist. But now if I wrap a gift in fabric or a fancy silk scarf most people appreciate the extra attention to their gift and think i’m being creative (and not just a crazy hippie).

I love receiving gifts wrapped in unique fabrics and luckily the trend has picked up speed. I was just browsing the Inhabitat site and found a posting on silk scarves being sold as something to wrap gifts in, similar to a furoshiki. I hope you don’t start thinking you have to only use fancy silk scarves as wrapping material, because you can use any interesting fabric that you find to wrap a gift. Check out thrift stores or buy a yard of fabric at the craft stores to use for wrapping a present. Handkerchiefs and bandannas work great too and are always appreciated when someone catches a cold.

I would like to know how all of you define “green” as. There seem to be many opinions and ideas about the matter, but I would like to know what you think about it. I would appreciate your thoughts and words on the topic, and it would help me a out a bit with a school project too. Thanks.

I’ve been wanting to write about one of Madison’s hippest group of people who make up the Underground Food Collective. This group of 5 plus some caters parties and serves up some pretty mean breakfasts at the Saturday Farmer’s Market using seasonal foods and sustainable meats. If you’re lookin’ to find a catering crew that is creative, unique, and willing to cook in a non-traditional kitchen then look no further.

When I discovered the website Free Rice I couldn’t get away from it! Free Rice is a sister site of the world poverty site, Poverty.com. Their goal is to help people build their English vocabulary for free and help end world hunger by providing rice to  hungry people for free.

Go to the site and test your vocab knowledge. If you can’t stop earning rice it’s your own fault! You’ll understand what I’m talking about when you go to the site.

Check the number on the bottom of your plastic drinking bottle the next time you drink from it. Chances are you will see #7 on the bottom. If that is the case then read this article from National Geographic, simply titled Plastic Containers. Much of the plastic we use leaches toxins into our food and drink, but if you are aware of the types of plastics on the market you can steer clear of those horrible nasty chemicals. I gave my Nalgene bottles away when I found out they were possibly leaching chemicals into my water, and replaced them with food-grade stainless steel bottles. I never get that plastic taste in my water anymore either.

Check out this link for alternatives to plastic bottles, they carry many sizes and styles for your drinking water needs.

Did you ever think you would be able to purchase a laptop with bamboo paneling? Me neither, but someone sent me the link to Asus’ new EcoBook. You gotta see it to believe it.

Also, Greenpeace has put out a guide to green electronics- see how yours compares to others. Electronics have become part of our daily lives and even though they are not eco-friendly we buy them anyway. I’m glad to see companies are listening to consumer demands and are making the effort to lessen their environmental impact.