Three weeks ago I eliminated all meat from my diet in an effort to test the waters and determine my comfort level in living on foods that do not include meat.  My goal is to evaluate how the test is going at the one month then two month marks.  As I approach the one month mark I am feeling very good and have been happy with my available food choices.  Remaining aware that processed foods and over packaging are major issues I continue to strive toward eating locally grown produce.

Moving on from food I wanted to make a quick note regarding the local public transit system which I looked into this past week.  Public transportation in my area is lacking and in my opinion run poorly.  Twice I checked routes from my apartment to destinations and found that they each required three separate buses and/or trains.  The distance to the destinations were less than 10 miles and in each case the first bus goes the opposite direction I want to go before transferring to the second bus/train.  If we expect any significant amount of the population to utilize public transit over private automobiles there needs to be a good deal of improvement to the system.

Making my own laundry soap is one of those experiences I never imagined would actually feel so rewarding however just knowing that it’s homemade and better for both me and the environment it actually is just that, rewarding.  The process requires very little effort and the payoff is huge; I really don’t know why everyone doesn’t make their own.

While I have made my own laundry soap for a year or so it has only been a couple weeks since I started making my own cologne, shampoo, hand soap, dish soap, and dishwasher powder.

Each of these products is very easy to make with natural and organic ingredients which again is better for me and the environment.    For household cleaning I use natural products like vinegar and baking soda which eliminates some very harsh chemicals like bleach and ammonia.  Remember not only do you breath in all these chemicals you use but they also all end up in the Ocean.

My toothpaste, deodorant, and bath soap are natural and/or organic which means my household is now officially chemical free, at least as far as chemicals I am able to eliminate.  Living in an apartment keeps me from removing carpet and other such off gassing components typically found in a household.

My use of reusable shopping bags has saved countless plastic shopping bags as I often stop by the store on the way home from work (note to self: better plan grocery shopping).  Banning plastic bags while controversial is something I support.  Just read up on the garbage patches in our Ocean and you will see why I support banning disposable plastic shopping bags.  My goal is to eliminate as much disposable plastic form my life as possible.  This is not as easy a task as one might think which you soon realize while shopping for groceries.  It seems almost everything is wrapped in plastic.  Another item I have stated using is light weight mesh bags for use in place of disposable plastic produce bags.

My quest for going green continues and I am currently considering a worm composter in order to break down food and paper waste which I can then use to fertilize my garden.  More on this once I get serious about it.

Well there are a few of the steps of I have taken toward living greener and minimizing my impact on the planet.  There are additional steps I have taken which I will share in upcoming posts.

Until next time be happy and think green thoughts!

In this post I wanted to focus on how you can help the RSF and support the foundations mission.

One of the easiest ways that you can help on a daily basis is by using iSearchiGive and iSearch. Here is a description, taken from the RSF forums, on these services and how to use them:

iSearchiGive.com is a combination of a web search engine (powered by Yahoo search) and a source for retail stores that support non-profits with donating a portion of purchases (anywhere from 0.4% to 26%) made through iGive.com to the Reef Stewardship Foundation. So there are two ways to generate money for the RSF:

1. Use iSearchiGive.com for your web searches.

For each qualified search (see below), iGive.com will donate 1 penny to the RSF. It doesn’t sound like much, but it can add up really fast! I’ve already earned 0.27 for the RSF with just my searches today and last night. Imagine if we had 100 or 1000 people signed up?

You can help the RSF through searching in three ways:

a. You can search anonymously by pointing your browser to www.iSearchiGive.com and in the box where it says “Select your cause to start giving” type in Reef Stewardship and it should auto fill to Reef Stewardship Foundation (you may have to click on it). You can then use that search box to do your daily Internet searches.

b. You can register at iGive.com and create a user account and set your cause to Reef Stewardship Foundation. This is a pretty easy process, but if anyone has any questions let me know.

c. You can download the iGive.com toolbar at: http://isearch.igive.com/toolbar.cfm

Install the toolbar and once you set the cause to the RSF, every search you do through the toolbar will count towards our total. One cool little feature is that the toolbar periodically updates the total raised for the RSF and displays it right in the toolbar, providing a constant reminder that you can do good for the RSF simply by searching

2. You can support the RSF by shopping through the iGive.com list of e-retailers.

a. Simply go to iGive.com and search for something you want to buy and purchase it through their list of participating stores. Anywhere from 0.4% to 26% of the purchase price will be donated to the RSF. Most major online retailers are included in the program, so no one should purchase from Amazon.com, eBay.com, BestBuy.com, etc. without going through iGive.com first!

b. Anyone who purchases something through a participating retailer within 45 days of joining iGive.com, iGive.com will give us an extra $5 bonus (on top of the money earned from the purchase). Only Amazon and eBay are excluded.

While it is not required you join iGive.com for searches only, we would love for people to register for iGive.com so we can keep track of who is supporting us.

You can register here for the RSF: http://www.iGive.com/reefsteward

Making purchases through iGive only adds a couple extra steps and really helps a worthy cause.

You can also buy RSF logo items from cafepress. The RSF has a great logo that goes well on all the items available. If you need a new shirt, coffee mug, or Sigg water bottle (just to name a few) head over to the RSF Cafepress store!

Additional ways to help are listed on the RSF website including a link to donate via Paypal.

In future posts I will go over why coral reefs are important to everyone and also what dangers they face. The issue is urgent as coral reefs are already gone, damaged, or threatened. Numbers vary slightly depending on the source though estimates are that 11 percent of the world’s coral reefs have been lost already and another 16 percent are severely damaged. Estimates also indicate that another 32 percent may be lost in the next thirty years.

There are numerous ways you can help and most take almost no time…so act now!

Recently I began volunteering with the Reef Stewardship Foundation (RSF) as their assistant webmaster. Here is the mission statement for the RSF: “Our mission is to foster a diverse stewardship community that protects coral reefs through collaborative action, research, education and aquaculture initiatives”.

With my love of oceans and concern for the environment I feel the RSF is the ideal organization for me to devote time to. Because I am passionate about saving the reefs you can expect posts in the very near future focusing on how you can help.

When shopping I try to buy organic and preferably locally grown fruits and vegetables. One source for this is the local coop which carries a good variety of organic or natural products of which many are grown or produced locally. Living in an apartment limits my ability to grow any of my own food which would be a nice option.

There are several community pea patches in Seattle and some surrounding areas though I have found that they are either too far away (negating much of the benefit they would serve) or had waiting lists that saw no end in sight. Just last month I learned of a local community garden (all organic) with open patches so I jumped at the opportunity. My dad and step mom also wanted to grow some of their own food so we decided to work a couple of plots together. With the growing season well under way we started with two plots and reserved one additional for next year. Here are a couple of pictures from my visit to the garden today.

It would be great to see additional community gardens so that those without a yard could have the opportunity to plant and grow some of their own food. The local food bank also benefits form the community garden by both planting their own vegetables and receiving donations of excess food grown by other gardeners.

Last week I received an email saying someone had retrieved my travel bug (previously listed as MIA) which means there is a chance that it may still be in play. I have yet to see it logged in a new cache though I am hopeful. Also last weekend I took my Dad and Step Mom geocaching for the first time. We spent part of Saturday in the Lake McMurray area of Skagit County searching for five caches of which we found four. Its a beautiful rural area and the weather was perfect for being outdoors. One of the great benefits of geocaching is that you get some decent exercise while having fun outdoors. After this week it has become obvious that I am in need of some good walking shoes.

A couple of days ago my sister recommended that I watch a documentary titled Food, Inc. so yesterday I found that Netflix has it on instant play (PBS is also streaming it) and thought I would give it a try. After about fifteen minutes I had to stop the show. For those that know me I do not like any form of animal cruelty and while I am no vegetarian it does have its draw. I only got through a small portion of the show dealing with chickens when I decided I better stop watching or risk not being able to eat the chicken currently in my freezer which would be wasteful. After the frozen chicken is used up I will again attempt to watch the show in its entirety. From what I have seen and heard it seems the type of movie I feel people should see though I would caution that it is disturbing. When thinking of how great it would be if everyone ate farm raised organic vegetables and natural free range meat I have to wonder if with the worlds population is that even possible? I would like to think that it is though I would be skeptical as to how that could be accomplished. All of this may be covered in the documentary which I will watch in the coming weeks.

Organic Veggies

The other drive will be sent to a data recovery service to retrieve whatever data possible.  Having learned a painful lesson (that I was all to aware of before this) and will be setting up time machine this week.  In addition to time machine I will backup photos and important documents on DVD’s at regular intervals…I will not go through this again.

This weekend I went to Sorticulture which is a local garden arts event here in Everett.  This is something I have not previously attended and had thought that it would be small with relatively little to see.  After arriving I was surprised to see a large variety of booths with mostly hand crafted garden art and rare plants.  If I had a yard, blasted apartments, I would have purchased numerous items.  Going to events like these inspire the creative side of me which has largely been suppressed for years.  Now I just need to figure out what to make…this is the hard part.

I enjoy and respect the people at these type of events as they tend to be very creative and concerned about the environment.  Most of the items are made in environmentally friendly ways and reflect nature in their form and function.  As we approach the summer solstice I am looking forward to finding similar events and hope that they will help spur some ideas for my own creative outlet.

The trash compacting bins can hold 8 times the waste of an average waste can and are powered entirely by solar energy.  An article in philly.com mentions another pretty cool feature of the bins:

As the bins fill, a sensor will shift from green to yellow to red, and the BigBelly’s wireless device will phone Streets Department headquarters with the news.

I pictured ET phoning home as I read that part.  This is a great feature given the personnel responsible act when the alert is received.

Prior to posting this I read a total of four articles on the BigBelly’s and at least two had several comments challenging the projected savings and the city’s choice in purchasing such devices.  Having seen more than my share of parks with over flowing trash cans I personally welcome such purchases.  While the short term investment is more than the typical trash can the savings in bettering our parks would seem ample ROI in and of itself.  Beyond the aesthetics of a clean park the staff time previously used to empty the bins more frequently can be allocated to other neglected tasks.

As I visit more local parks in the coming months for geocaching I hope to see more and more of these BigBelly’s making an appearance.

I read an interesting article today discussing a new vehicle in development that runs on compressed air which is generated using a small conventional engine. The vehicle is said to get an estimated 100mpg.  I would love to have a vehicle that gets 100mpg for both environmental and monetary reasons.  There are numerous critics of the new vehicle. One critic says “Air compressors are one of the least efficient machines to convert electricity to work”.  The car also must be plugged in at night so that the compressor can charge the air tank.  Living in an apartment with no external plug-in for residents this feature would eliminate it as a possibility for me.

The Smart car has always been appealing to me though it is not a hybrid and the gas mileage is not as impressive as I would have thought (33mpg city/41mpg highway).  None the less I would be more than happy to drive one should the Smart car manufacturer desire to donate one to me.  As that is unlikely to occur I will continue watching for advancements in fuel efficient vehicles.

On the social media front I missed the Seattle social media club event that occurred earlier this month and was disappointed by that.  Now I am looking forward to the tweetup scheduled for June 14^th in Seattle and I am hopeful that nothing will prevent me from attending.

I actually agree with the fact that Earth will continue to exist in some form while human, and most animal life as we know it, will become extinct by the environmental travesties that persist. As for Earth day or environmental efforts in general being a waste of time I disagree. It would seem to make sense that we would do our best to delay such extinction as long as possible for the sakes of future generations. While our efforts at this point may well be that of delay tactics there could be a scientific discovery during this period in which the delay is made permanent by a “cure”.

Continuing at our current rate of environmental decline with the attitude of “nothing can stop the destruction” is really no different than suicide on a global level. You could say that the Earth has a terminal disease (environmental degradation) and yet there are new cures found for what was previously called terminal so why not work to slow the spread while a cure is sought?

I care deeply for the environment and all that it entails. There is of course much more that I could do to lessen my impact and each opportunity I have to do so will be met with open arms. Switching from CFL to LED lighting, using environmentally friendly cleaners (such as vinegar), limiting my driving (especially alone), and the list goes on and on. The point here is that each small step taken by an individual makes a difference especially when you multiply this by all the other individuals taking similar action.

Many will take this as the rambling of another “do gooder” and that is fine with me…as one in a hundred taking action is better than none.

Happy Earth Day!