Step #4 - Rationalize your plastic consumption

The average time for a plastic bottle to biodegrade fully is approximately 450 years. There are many different kinds of plastic in the world, which will all take different amounts of times to biodegrade. However I think we all agree that it takes a long time for plastic to biodegrade. The main reason of why plastics are almost non-biodegradeable is because the polymers (chains of molecules that make up plastics) are too long and the bonds between the molecules are very strong to be broken down. Although today there are some “better” plastics, they are becoming most of the pollution we are putting into our planet, especially in the oceans, where the plastics break down and it’s eaten by fish (which by the way we might eat afterwards through our food chain)

Photo taken from coastalcare.org

According to coastalcare.org 260 million tons per year is our estimated plastic consumption. Our voracious appetite for plastics, coupled with a culture of discarding products that we have chosen for their inherent longevity, is a combination of lethal nature for our environment.

The ultimate symbol of our throwaway lifestyle is the plastic bag: 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags is the number consumed annually, which is about a million a minute (A MILLION PLASTIC BAGS A MINUTE!!!).

What can we do to reduce our plastic consumption?

• Do you drink bottled water? Think twice. Drink more from the tap. Make sure your home tap water is drinkable. If you are concerned about the germs, boil it. If you are concerned about dirt, filter it. Water bottles are one of the main plastic users and also one of the main plastic garbage producers. Corporations are taking over town aquifersand selling it back to the people for $2 (or more) per bottle. Shipping one bottle of water costs about 1/3 bottle of fuel. It is best to filter or distill your own water and use metal or glass containers.
• Use reusable plastic containers (or even glass or regular plates) to store your food and avoid disposable plastic wrap or bags.
• Use Cloth Grocery Bags instead of plastic bags. If that’s impossible (and make sure it’s really impossible for you) then use as few bags as possible.
• Avoid plastic lids and straws when you buy drinks at fast food restaurants (or any restaurant for that matter). Let’s face it: you are not going to spill (unless you are putting your drink in the car and driving), so why put a lid on the drink?
• Recycle. Many of the plastics are recyclable, but today only 20% of them are actually recycled by users. The other 80% ends up on garbage land fills. Make sure you put all recyclable plastics on the recycle bin.
• Refer to my previous post on reduce garbage. That has more tips on how to reduce plastic consumption.

Sources:

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_long_will_it_take_for_a_plastic_bottle_to_biodegrade

http://www.blurtit.com/q120742.html
http://coastalcare.org/2009/11/plastic-pollution/
http://thegoodhuman.com/2008/10/21/ten-ways-to-reduce-plastic-consumption/

Step #3 - Reduce your garbage print

We all produce garbage, and we probably will until we find the perfect balance of utilizing everything over and over. That’s probably not going to happen in the near future. However in the meantime, we should be conscious, and try to reduce our garbage print. 

Most of the garbage found in the Patch is in form
of debris, however big pieces can also be found.
Photo from NationalGeographic.com

As a human race we have polluted almost everything that can be polluted and a big part of our pollution is in the form of garbage: rivers, oceans, mountains, etc. The best (or worst you might say) example of the garbage print is the well-known Great Pacific Garbage Patch. For those of you who haven’t heard of it, the Pacific Garbage Patch is a huge loose, free floating dump that “lives” in the Pacific Ocean. The Patch is characterized by high concentrations of pelagic plastics, chemical sludge, and other debris that have been trapped by the currents of the North Pacific Gyre. Its size is mainly determined by the degree of concentration of debris in the water. However, the current measurements go everywhere from the size of Texas (700,000 Km2) to more than twice the size of the US continental land (+15 million Km2). In any case, whatever the agreement is on the size, you can be sure it’s huge! And this is just one of the “known” garbage disasters.

So what can we do today to reduce our garbage print and reduce our already generous contribution to the planet’s pollution? Here are some suggestions to reduce your garbage, which could save you time and money at the same time:

• When shopping look for minimum packaging. Choose aluminum, tin, or paper as they’re easily recycled.
• Don't take a bag unless you absolutely need one.
• Watch your plastic bags. Get your own bag and bring it with you to the grocery store.
• Avoid disposables. This only translates into more money for companies and more waste in our landfills. Always use items that last.
• Avoid buying foods in single serving packages.
• Buy in bulk. The more you can buy in one package, the less packaging you’ll waste.
• Reuse when you can. When possible, put old packaging and goods to use.
• Borrow or rent—don’t buy. If you only need a big ladder once a year or so—borrow it from a neighbor.
• Keep things in good repair. Many people throw out old things because of a fixable problem, or simply because they aren’t wanted anymore. Instead of throwing repair or give away.
• Compost. When you do yard work, don’t put your old leaves, grass clippings, and branches in a plastic bag. Instead, create a compost heap and decompose old yard waste. Your compost heap can become a healthy soil for your garden.
• Recycle. Recycling has never been more important than it is today. Your cardboard, paper, glass, and aluminum can all be recycled.
• Get off junk mailing lists. Many of us get lots of junk mail every day—and we automatically throw it away.

Sources:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/09/photogalleries/pacific-garbage-patch-pictures/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Pacific_Garbage_Patch
http://www.professorshouse.com/Your-Home/Environment/Recycling/Articles/How-to-Reduce-Your-Household-Garbage/

Step #2 - Commute efficiently

Every year we are adding more than 55 million gasoline based cars to the world. About 25% of today’s greenhouse gases are produced by cars and trucks. Addressing a more efficient commute might be one of the most impactful ways to change the course of the world’s environmental crisis.

I’ve found many facts on how cars have polluted (and are polluting) the planet, so I have picked a few of the most shocking ones for this post:

• The world uses nearly 800 million gallons of gasoline every day  
• Idling in traffic uses over 16 million gallons of gasoline per day
• In a 3500 lb car with a 150 lb driver, about 96% of the gas is used to move only the car
• Today there are +750 million cars in the world
• Car washes make our cars shine, but put pollutants into streams, waterways, and eventually drinking water.                                                                                               
• Air Particulate Matter pollution kills an average of 40,000 per year in the U.S. and up to some 200,000 in Europe.
• 1996 EPA report: cars, trucks, and buses produce over 3,000 cases of cancer.
• Car exhaust has also been linked to asthma, bronchitis, and other health hazards.
• If you think bad air affects only other people, think again. New information shows that air pollution from traffic increases the chance of heart attack for everybody breathing that air. The results are in the Journal Lancet.
• Intensive Car and truck pollution is shown to increase the risk of premature birth by 30%. The Univ. of Ca. Reports from traffic related air quality data in In Los Angeles.

Here are some advices on how to commute more efficiently:

 

• Drive as little as you can – or don’t drive. Work from home, ride a bike, walk. Live close to work. Try not driving once a week. This will save you time (no traffic or commute) and money
• Get a more efficient car – if you can’t afford it, make your car as efficient as it could be (tune it up, check tires, synchronize)
• Carpool – if you need to drive a lot, find someone else that can make your ride more efficient
• Ride public transportation – there are buses and trains going around anyway, why not riding them and saving some gas (and money)
• Drive a hybrid – hybrids are getting very efficient. Some have up to 50 MPG
• Drive an electric car – ideally, this would be the best bet for no emissions, no gas. More now that sustainable energy plants are being broadly developed

What are you doing to save the planet today?

According to fueleconomy.gov here are the least fuel efficient cars:

Vehicle Description /Fuel Economy Combined MPG
Chevrolet Colorado / 16 MPG
GMC Canyon/ 16 MPG
Nissan Frontier / 16 MPG
Suzuki Equator / 16 MPG
Ford F150 Pickup/ 13 MPG
Chevrolet Suburban 2500 / 12 MPG
GMC Yukon XL 2500 / 12 MPG
Toyota Sienna AWD/ 19 MPG
Chevrolet Express 3500 / 11† MPG
GMC Savana 3500 / 11† MPG
Ford E350 Wagon/ 11 MPG

Sources:

http://www.evsroll.com/Car_pollution_facts.html

http://fueleconomy.gov/feg/best-worst.shtml
http://www.worldometers.info/cars/

Save the planet one step at a time - Step #1 - Take care of the water

What are you doing TODAY to save our planet?

Al Gore says: " We are the generation about which a 1000 years from now [artists] will celebrate by saying they were the ones that founded within themselves to solve this crisis and lay the basis for a bright and optimistic human future".
I would add: if we don't do anything today, we can also be remember as the generation that [almost]dissapeared because we were so stubborn that never took action, having all the technology, ideas and the opportunity we needed!

Today I am starting a journey to make my contribution to save the planet by coming up with 50 steps to save the planet. Right now I can think of 15 maybe 20, so I would need help from the people that reads this blog to come up with the remaining ones.

Step #1 - take care of the water
You might say preserve, use wisely, conserve, save, etc. the water. The idea is that if we don't take care of our water resources we are going to face a huge water crisis, so we might want to start using it wisely. According to ehow.com (which also references data from the American Water Association) the average consumption of water per person is 70 gallons a day. Here are the main sources of water consumption and I added some advices for how we can save water (and money).

• Toilets make up the largest percentage of water consumed per person per day. At an average of 18.5 gallons, water used by toilets makes up approximately 26.7 percent of daily water use, according to the association.-
• ADVICE - when you use water that doesn't get to dirty (washing fruits/veggies, showering, etc) try to reuse that water for toilets.
• Clothes washers come in second at 15 gallons per day. They make up 21.7 percent of daily water usage.
• ADVICE - wash clothes when they need to be washed. If you use a sweater for 10 minutes, don't put in on the laundry. Always use full capacity of the washing machines. And try to use the most energy/water efficient appliances
• Taking showers is the third greatest source of water consumption. At 11.6 gallons per day, showering make up 16.8 percent of daily water consumption. On the other hand, baths take only 1.2 gallons, making up 1.7 percent.
• ADVICE - reduce your shower time by 20 seconds, 45 seconds, 1 minute or what ever you can reduce. It's going to save you water, time and MONEY!
• Faucets and leaks make up the last two large areas of water consumption at 10.9 and 9.5 gallons, respectively.
• ADVICE - check your faucets, make sure there are no leaks. it's literally money down the drain!

Make a comment - what are you doing to save the planet? share your thoughts and your ideas with others.

  

Sources of information in this post:
www.ted.com
http://www.ehow.com/facts_7208108_average-water-consumption-per-person.html

World facts - we need to take action

If we don't act now, there might not be a world to save in the very near future, probably within our lifetime. I've watched, read and heard a significant number of videos, talks and people, that talk about the situation of our world and what might happen if we don't take the step to save it now. For this post I am listing a few facts that might make you think twice before disregarding the fact that we are in bad shape....really bad shape.

• By 2050 a projected population of +9billion people will require 80% more energy than what we use today (from which 85% might still be fossil fuels). Populiation keeps growing by ~75 million people per year.
• If trends continue as they are today, on 2050 the global temperature will rise about 6°C (about 10.8° F). Think about the consequences we are seeing in today's climate and do multiply
• Fossil fuels are projected to remain cheaper than renewable sources. However oil and gas production are expected to peak by 2050 due to resource depletion.
• Air pollution will overtake contaminated water and lack of sanitation as the prime cause of premature mortality in the world.
• +40% of earths' land is used for agriculture (calculation that includes deserts and unusable land) and irrigation is the biggest use of water on the planet. The Aral sea is the "best" (ugliest) example as it has almost dissappear turning into a desert.
• Greenhouse gases are mainly produced by agriculture 30% and car emissions 25%.

The summary is climate, environment, food, energy and moral crisis.

Shai Agassi, CEO of Better Place said (paraphrasing a little): "We need to go to 0% emissions before the world ends.....we said we need to send the man to the moon ....we didn't say we are going to send him 20% to the moon and then there will be about 20% chance to recover him"

WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO SAVE THE WORLD? Share your thoughts in this blog.

This information is taken from
- The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development recently published report
- A presentation from Jonathan Foley found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJhgGbRA6Hk&feature=player_embedded#!
- Shai Agassi Ted talk here: http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/shai_agassi_on_electric_cars.html