Be NetGreen

Add a splash of green to your summer

The Problem with Bottled Water:  As the weather warms up, our need to rehydrate increases.   It’s convenient to grab bottled water at the store when the urge strikes.  With a little planning and foresight, you can save money, reduce the materials entering landfills, and break the harmful impact of the bottled water industry.  By carrying BPA (BPA’s are plastic additives that are harmful to our health) free reusable water bottles, you can actually save money and reduce the harmful effects of private industry on water systems.  In Portland, OR we are so fortunate to have a water supply that is safe and healthy to drink straight from the tap.  Depending on your location and water source, purchasing a simple filtration system along with your re-usable water bottle will give you a constant supply of delicious and low impact water.  Here are some simple calculations that will show you the monetary benefits of purchasing a reusable water bottle and if needed, a filtration device.   Let’s say that you purchase five containers of bottled water per week.  Bottled water ranges widely in cost, but let’s take a conservative estimate of $1.50 per bottle. That means that one might spend $7.50 a week, $30 dollars per month and a whopping $360 per year on bottled water.  Think about it, $390 versus an approximate one time $20 purchase on a reusable bottle.  I recommend SIGG, it is an aluminum bottle that releases no harmful chemicals and is extremely functional not to mention nice to look at.  To learn more check out their website www.mysigg.com.  Also, to learn about the effects of the bottle water industry on our planet, check out these movies (A World Without Water, Flow www.flowthemovie.com and this website Pacific Institute www.pacinst.org)

AC:  Another important way to save energy this summer is by acting efficiently with the use of your air conditioner.  There are a couple of very simple things you can do to maximize the cool while minimizing your energy use.  First, use fans in conjunction with your AC.  This circulates the cooled air and makes your AC more efficient.  The second cool tip is to keep your windows covered and closed during the day and open in the evening.  This is a fairly obvious tip, by blocking out the warmth during the day, there is less heat to cool and by letting in the cool at night, you can lower the core temperature of your house using no energy.  Lastly, by changing the filter in your air conditioner monthly, you can reduce energy use by 5%.   If you use all three of these tips you can significantly reduce your footprint.

Picnics and BBQs:  Tis’ the season for picnics and barbeques.  When planning your fun outdoor outings, think about the materials you are using.  When you grill, there are many different types of heat sources that you can use.  Charcoal bricks are the most harmful, so choose either propane or electric grills to reduce your emissions.  The best choice is to go with the zero emissions option of a solar oven.  Also, by cutting the excess fat off your meat you can cut down on the amount of carcinogens released during the cooking process.  Now when it comes to dishware there are a couple of options for your picnic or barbeque.  The best option is to go to Goodwill and buy a stock of cheap re-usable dishware that you can store away for these types of events.  They are more attractive than disposables and reduce waste.  Cloth napkins are preferable over paper.  If these options don’t suit you, then there are plenty of compostable picnic settings available on the market.  You can check some out at www.biodegradablestore.com or check out Whole Foods Market.

Buying food locally:  The topic of picnics and barbeques brings me to my next point.  Where should I get the food?  The best option is to buy from your local farmers market.  They have the freshest most delicious produce and meat at very reasonable prices.  Not to mention the beneficial aspects of supporting local food systems.  Fewer fossil fuels are used, because these foods travel less distance to get to your table.  By investing in these local food systems, we are creating local jobs and reducing our carbon footprint.  To find the hours and location of a farmer’s market near you, go to www.portlandfarmersmarket.org or if you are not from Portland go to www.farmersmarket.com