YoLadies | Environment

The Gulf of Mexico, depression, big oil...still a mess

2011-04-19T15:56:28Z

The Texas Gulf Coast got off relatively easy after the BP oil spill disaster, last year. The shorelines are clean, there are no dead baby dolphins washing up on the beach, and no chemical odors that deviate from what normally populated areas deal with anyway.

Because of the non-news coming from the area, when my husband and I went to Corpus Christi last weekend for an event celebrating environmentalism and land conservation, we fully expected to be living the spirit of "Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez" that infects the entire Gulf region. We couldn't wait to wash fresh fish down with Rum Runners and start socializing with the locals.

That's not exactly what we found, though. While the fresh fish was wonderful, the fluffy rum drink feel just wasn't there. Neither were many locals. In fact, there wasn't much there at all - just a bunch of buildings with bank logos on them, most of which were vacant. The restaurants and bars closed early because there is no business to justify staying open until even midnight.

Corpus is only one of many towns along the coast that's been hit hard by the economy and the oil spill. The businesses there thrive on oil, and with the shutdown of drilling after the spill, people had to either move away to find work or tough it out with the piecemeal work that was available. One tug boat captain I talked with said that because of the lack of work since the spill, and an influx of boats from the flooded northern states as added competition (a situation he sympathized with), he is afraid that he won't be able to continue to support his family without leaving town. He was heading to New Orleans, where oil work is on the rise.

Of course the situations from Louisiana to Florida are much worse because of the added destruction of fishing and wildlife areas. Tourism, the other big industry there, has taken a huge hit as well, adding another lash to the back an area that was still rebuilding after the 2005 hurricane season. The reminders are there for them every day, in oil on the ground, toxic fumes in the air, lack of work and now, lack of credit.

Dr. Steve Picou, a sociology professor who has studied the effects of the Exxon Valdez spill for 20 years, states that "Mental health difficulties caused by the Gulf oil spill are likely to linger through the next decade..." and that people involved in oyster harvesting and processing in areas as far away as Appalachicola, Florida were very depressed, even though they were no where near the spill area. The threat of possible future loss can cause depression and is affecting many people all around the gulf area. Although I'm not qualified to comment on any mental health statistics for Corpus Christi, there was definitely a sad aura going on, even listening to an old man doing country karaoke at Crawdaddy's, where there were two tables, including ours, enjoying the music.

If you've ever been to the gulf coast, you know the alternately laid-back and lively atmosphere, varied cultures and great food that it's known for. It's easy to forget about those who are still affected by a news story that was killed a couple of months after it broke, but the problem still exists. The warm people who take care of us on vacation, who have given us some of the best seafood in the world, and who have worked the dangerous drilling rig jobs to provide us with our oil-based addictions are as much in trouble as their land and waters are.

The NDRC's YouTube video, below, shows just how bad it still is along the gulf coast.

So what can you do? Here are some things that you can do to help the people along the gulf coast fight for their homes and livlihoods:

They need the oil jobs, so take a moment to demand that congress implement reform of offshore oil and gas drilling

Better yet, do you own a green company? Think about setting your company up in a gulf state and hiring those who have lost their jobs because of the oil spill. If given an option, I'll bet they'd love to stick it to big oil.

Travel to the gulf coast. Beaches and sport fishing tours aren't the only things those states have to offer!

Keep up with real time updates from Tulane University about the situation on the coast.

Contact BP and give them a piece of your mind. Not that it would help, but it might drive them nuts if enough people clogged their phone lines, since they offer no email.

Finally! An electric car you can truly covet

2011-04-05T05:31:03Z

Yes that's right, Rolls Royce has developed an all electric version of the Phantom. Now, you don't have to resort to noisy and cramped environs when choosing to use environmentally friendly transportation. The car reportedly is just as comfortable and fabulous as the gas powered version, and the company plans to offer test drives and presentations to enthusiasts and media soon.

According to AutoBlog Green, the car was test driven 125 miles around Lake Geneva, and the 71 kWh battery still had almost a quarter charge. Not bad, not bad at all.

Read the article from AutoBlog Green and check out the video and pics!

100% Renewable Energy by 2050

2011-03-16T09:12:18Z

If there's ever a time to think about how we power our homes, businesses and cars, this is it. There is definitely a lot of questioning and soul searching going on all over the world about whether nuclear power is really a good alternative to oil, natural gas and coal, as we watch with complete terror the repercussions of using nuclear energy.

The World Wildlife Fund created a report, this year, outlining the ways that we can move from fossil fuels and nuclear energy to 100% renewable energy by the year 2050. Wind power, solar power, replacing outdated cooking appliances with those designed to use the energy best suited for varying climates - there are some interesting and viable solutions here. Check out their report to learn more.

Will humans lose out to natural selection?

2011-03-01T10:16:32Z

According to Nobel prize winning biochemist, Christian de Duve, we will. De Duve, having devoted his career to chemistry, biology and medicine, has spent the latter part of his career in the study of evolution and to "the structure and meaning of the universe." He believes that we possess an "inherent selfishness" that is concerned with the present at the expense of the future, with no apparent worry that natural selection itself has no concern for our children and grandchildren. He believes, like many, that if we don't stop depleting our natural resources, humanity itself is sealing a grim fate for future generations.

He proposes a couple of solutions, including population control via birth control methods and in giving more control to women. From the New Scientist interview: "Speaking as a biologist, I think women are less aggressive than men, and they play a larger role in the early education of the young and helping them overcome their genetic heirloom."

His view isn't radical to a lot of us - do you think it will have an effect on the reasoning of those who deny global warming and human destruction of the environment?

Good news for Monarch Butterflies

2011-02-15T06:21:20Z

For years, the plight of Monarch butterflies and their decreasing number has been well recorded. Just last year, it was noted that a mere 250 million monarchs migrated to Michoacán, Mexico - down from almost one billion. In California, only 3,800 Monarchs were recorded in Santa Cruz - a far cry from previous numbers that reached as high as 170,000.

The blame for the declining number of Monarchs mostly fell on the lack of native milkweed, where females exclusively lay their eggs. Climate change and parasites were also thrown out there to explain the lower numbers of these butterflies, especially females.

Yesterday, Reuters reported that the number of Monarchs in Mexico has actually increased by 109%, covering about ten acres of forest. While it is a good sign, scientists point out that it doesn't mean that the trouble is over for these butterflies. Along with the shrinking numbers of milkweed, de-forestation in Mexico and unusual weather patterns in Texas and the south also contribute to the troubles.

Is there something we can do to help keep these beautiful creatures around for future generations? We may not be able to control the weather, but we can do more to conserve the forest, and can even create "monarch waystations" in our own gardens. The University of Kansas' Monarch Watch has some great info on how to help take care of these creatures, along with educational information for all ages.

Let's hope that the increasing numbers reported this year will continue, and in the meantime, think about keeping around some of the natural plants in your yard - you never know how it might affect the environment by getting rid of it.

Coffee: more than just a jolt

2011-01-25T10:04:54Z

If you're like most of us, throwing out coffee grounds is a drone act that you do over and over until you've reached your caffeine threshold, and then you move on. Once you take a look at what you can do with those used coffee grounds, though, you might actually give it a second thought.

Used coffee grounds can be beneficial to you all over the house, inside and outside. It is safe and natural, so instead of putting house-hold gold into the landfills, consider this small list of what you can do instead:

1. Fertilize - mix your used grounds in with your garden soil, especially for acidic plants like Azaleas, hydrangeas, roses and some fruit. Mix with lyme for non-acidic plants.

2. Burn it in your fireplace - used coffee grounds can be transformed into low-emission fire logs. You can get them from Pine Mountain Fire Logs but if you're feeling really industrious, you could even make them yourself.

3. Stain your furniture - mix the grounds with water and use it to stain small scratches in your furniture.

4. Deodorize - wrap your used coffee grounds in cheesecloth or old stockings and use to deoderize everything from closets and drawers to athletic bags and shoes.

5. Exfoliate your skin - freshly used coffee grounds are a great skin exfolient. You can use it by itself on your face, or mix it with sea salts and a light oil on your body.

Houston to Earthship...

2011-01-05T02:43:09Z

My husband has been nagging me for years about getting an Earthship...seriously. Have you heard of an Earthship? They're actually pretty cool.

The Earthship is a fantastic, real world example of the power of recycling, re-purposing, and re-using. It is a magnificent structure created with old tires that are packed with dirt and molded into walls with cement. Used aluminum cans are also used in walls, and glass from wine bottles can create some pretty groovy window work and design detail. It is fully powered with wind and solar energy, and uses runoff and gray water for plant irrigation. Drinking water is filtered rain water, condensation, and snow. Vegetables can be grown year-round in the greenhouse, and even sewage is taken care of naturally.

I laughed when I first heard him describe it, and imagined a junk-yard looking disgusto-ville...then I saw pictures. These places are cool! You can get architecturally creative and end up with a magazine layout worthy home. Check out some of the Google Images of Earthships I came up with - there are some gorgeous ones.

These homes were designed for the climate of the Southwestern U.S., but there are now Earthships in Georgia, Virginia, England, and other non-desert climates. These cooler climate Earthship owners are having to tweak some of the design to better suit their climate, but the possibility of a structure that eases landfill space and energy usage is bound to be as air-tight as conventional homes have become in all climates.

There is even an Earthship resort near Taos, New Mexico where you can enjoy a vacation with a smaller environmental footprint, all in the spiritual beauty of New Mexico.

What do you think? Could you handle living in an Earthship?

Green Tips for Winter

2010-12-20T21:51:17Z

The official first day of winter is tomorrow, December 21st. Let's celebrate with some green tips!

Find out where you can recycle your real Christmas tree - many communities offer a free pick-up service and will turn them into mulch!
Recycle wrapping paper. Don't throw it away!
Save bows and ribbons - they can easily be reused and still appear brand new.
Seal up those gaps and cracks letting the cold into your home. Walk around with a damp hand to feel where the air is leaking in. You will actually save money on your heating bill since the heater won't have to work as hard.
Make sure to keep the air filters clean on your a/c and heating unit - dirt and neglect are the main causes of system failures.
Air up those tires on your vehicle. The cold air causes tires to slightly deflate, so make sure they are filled properly for best possible gas mileage. Don't forget to check the air filter and fluids as well.
Don't forget to close the fireplace damper when not in use.
Dump your firewood ashes into your garden. It provides nutrients to the soil! If possible, use artificial logs that are made of recycled materials (such as coffee grounds). They actually burn a beautiful, hot fire for hours.
Going on vacation? Turn the thermostat down! No need to heat an empty house. If you are in an area where it could freeze, it's probably a good idea to set the heat to a low temperature so you don't freeze the house. 63 degrees should do the trick.
When you are home, bundle up with sweaters and wear socks so you don't have to keep the heater up so high for comfort.
Run your fans in reverse (while home) to help bring warm air down into the living space.
Open window coverings during the day to allow the warm sun to assist in heating your home, then close them at night to help keep the heat inside.

P.S. - If you're up late tonight, you can catch a rare winter solstice lunar eclipse!

The environmentally friendly baby

2010-12-08T15:42:18Z

As we continue to hear more about how the products we use and the food we eat adversely affects our health and the environment, parents are demanding safe and environmentally friendly products for their babies. The market is huge and hard to sift through, but here are a few products that make it easy to give babies the best with the least impact on the environment:

The organicKidz Stainless Steel Baby Bottle helps save you from throwing out plastic bottles by providing a strong alternative. It's thermal and will keep liquids warm or cold, and you can transition from nipples to sippie lids, saving the need to buy more as your child grows.

The Reusable Fresh Snack Pack is a BPA free and easily reusable way to keep snackies readily available for the little one. Great way to save money and landfill space while being safe for your child.

gDiapers are adorable and eco friendly. Either washable hemp fabric or bio-degradable disposable diapers fit into the gPants, giving you the option without the guilt. The disposable inserts can technically be flushed, but it looks like a gross process - knowing that the diapers will break down in 50-150 days, you can toss them guilt free.

Fleurville's Re-Run Messenger Diaper Bag is made with recycled plastic fabric and keeps ten plastic water bottles out of the landfill. It's fashionable and has plenty of room for mom's and baby's stuff.

Not all eco-friendly toys are made of organic hemp and wood - the Soysilk Tofu Bear fabric is made from the residue of soybeans from tofu manufacturing. Not only can you get cute stuffed animals made from Soysilk, they also make blankets, robes, and pet beds from it.

Any other suggestions for great environmentally friendly and safe for baby products?

Electric cars, coming soon

2010-11-30T15:53:04Z

In the next few months, Chevy and Kia are releasing their versions of the electric car. After reading Kiera Butler's article in Mother Jones, it's hard not to get excited about the possibilities of not only saving money on gas, but also not being forced to support big oil.

The Chevy Volt is an electric/gas hybrid, so if you run out of battery charge after the estimated 37-40 electric miles, you'll have a backup and will still get around 37 mpg. The Nissan Leaf is completely electric, and the range on that varies from 68-138 electric miles.

For those who don't drive more than 40ish miles per day, either of these cars would be great. For those of us who do, the Volt might be the best choice as there wouldn't be the need to immediately charge up or be stranded. Any readers planning to be one of the first to try out one of these cars?

What's happening in the Gulf of Mexico

2010-11-15T05:00:52Z

Ever wonder what's happening in the Gulf of Mexico today? Wonder what happened to the regular news updates on the oil spill and its repercussions? Yeah so do we. There is an occasional update from one of the news outlets, but the worst oil disaster in the US has gone the way of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - relegated to the back of the bus in hopes that the outrage will die. For the most part, it has. Does that mean that everything is okay now?

Absolutely not. The Pensacola News Journal reports that "about 17,000 pounds of oil a month that continues to wash ashore on beaches at Pensacola Naval Air Station," according to BP. Much of this oil is buried as deep as 30 inches, in some areas. Scientists found dead and dying deep sea corals near the BP well site, and although they can't say it's specifically caused by the BP spill, the irony would be too great, if it weren't.

Residents are experiencing health problems more and more as a result of exposure to the toxic chemicals from the spill, and areas of Plaquemines Parish in Louisiana continue to find more oil as the tides recede.

Is this being largely ignored today because the painful feeling of helplessness is unbearable, or because we're a fickle and easily bored nation? Either way, the fact that this issue is buried under DWTS updates bodes poorly for the Gulf region. When we aren't reminded that a percentage of our country - the one that still bears scars from the 2005 hurricane season - is struggling, we stop wondering how we can help or what future prospects we should look at to prevent another devastating spill like this from happening again.

In this economy, not everyone can give money, or even donate canned goods for the human beings involved and Dawn dish washing liquid for the animals. What everyone can do is ask the media to push this to the front of the line, to remind us that even though we might be in our own pain, a limb of our country is suffering and needs help. We can demand more products that don't require oil, consciously try to cut back on the oil we consume, and keep the companies that caused this devastation honest. Let BP, Halliburton and the rest know that we expect them to be responsible not only for the environment but for the people who relied on the Gulf for their livelihoods.

Toilet Paper Company Rolls Out Change

2010-10-31T23:52:36Z

Scott's is changing a product that has actually changed very little in the last century. The cardboard tubes in the center of consumer toilet paper are no more according to Scott's who will began to sell their new product next week. These cardboard tubes that most people throw out account for about 160 million pounds of waste each year. Hopefully with positive consumer feedback, the new tubeless toilet paper rolls will catch on and the old cardboard tubes will be phased out. I can't wait to give them a try! Learn more about Scott's exciting new product here.

Being Green this Halloween

2010-10-23T19:17:54Z

Racking your brain trying to figure out what to be for Halloween? How about getting creative and making your costume out of items around the house? Think of the different textures and shapes that can come together to create classic characters and creatures: Plastic bags, cans, packing material, old clothing, paints/dyes, umbrellas, sheets, and so on

Challenge yourself to come up with something amazing using materials lying around the house! Heck, you can even take apart old costumes and use the parts and pieces to enhance a new look! Need some inspiration? Check out these great costume ideas made from recycled material.

Here are some more great resources for being green this Halloween:

8 Tips to Green Your Halloween

Create Your Own Halloween Decorations

Scary Recycling Facts

David de Rothschild Does it Again

2010-10-12T00:16:32Z

Back in April, I posted an entry about a great environmental book authored by David de Rothschild. I've also featured his website in the Green Links on the right side of this blog. Starting at a young age, de Rothschild has made an astonishing impact on bringing awareness to today's environmental issues. Not surprisingly, he's done it again in a huge way.

It's called Plastiki. It's a boat made from plastic water bottles and other waste materials. David de Rothschild and a crew of experts, scientists, and creatives sailed 8,000 miles across the ocean on Plastiki. Why did they do this? To draw awareness to what the human impact is on the Earth and to inspire others to start changing to more environmentally-friendly ways (reduce, reuse, recycle). Heck, if he can turn plastic water bottles into a sustainable boat, then why are we trashing such materials each day?

Learn more about this adventure on National Geographic's website (each photo takes you to a different web page with more info). Oh, and don't forget to stare at the pictures of David with his shirt off!

Dysfunctional Landfills

2010-10-05T00:45:39Z

I was thinking of an article I read about research that was done to learn what happens to trash in landfills decades later. In some instances, it was found that trash deep under a landfill doesn't decompose away as you would expect, rather it's preserved due to the lack of oxygen and light. Lettuce was actually found from the 1960's still in a recognizable state. Intact newspapers from the 1960's were found in this same layer, and that is how the lettuce was dated. The biodegradation rate slows even more in hotter climates, such as in Arizona.

I began to wonder of ways to improve the situation of overloaded landfills across America. There is the obvious, of course, which is at the individual level where households should reduce, reuse and recycle as much as possible. The three R's are always a great thing to do, but what if there was a way to do this at a grander scale? We all pay for sanitation services in our communities, but what if these services could do more for us than just to take our trash from the curb straight into the landfill? What if our trash was sorted before it all goes to the landfill?

The idea of a compost field came to mind. Since food obviously doesn't decompose very quickly over time (as stated in the lettuce example above), it could be sorted out of our trash and brought to a field specially designed for that reason. As for the rest of the trash material, since not all people know what is recyclable, the plastics, metals, glass, paper and so on could be sorted out and then reused/recycled.

I realize that these ideas would probably cost us more in tax dollars, but in the end it could be feasible and worth it to clean up the environment. Plus, we'd have a lot higher rate of materials being recycled and less land destroyed by landfills. I can't discount the fact that this would be a VERY dirty job, but where there's work, there's money!