Click on a label to read posts from that part of the world.
Recent Comments:
The older the home, the smaller the butt {Green Daily}
Jul 31st 2008 7:57AM Might also be the fact that older houses require more work/upkeep, which means more exercise! :-)
More reasons not to like fireplaces {Green Daily}
Feb 8th 2008 8:49AM We heat our home almost exclusively with wood, but we do have a high-efficiency fireplace insert. If you don't know what you're doing, yes, heating with wood can be very polluting. For example, we have glass doors on the insert, and they almost never get dirty (blackened). If they do get black, that would mean that we're not heating properly and creosote builds up. So those doors are our "efficiency indicator"! I think (but correct me if I'm wrong) that if you burn this way, you're not polluting.
I'm in chilly Ontario, Canada, and by heating with wood, we manage to have electricity bills that are only slightly higher than our summer bills (and we have no AC). We buy our firewood from our neighbor, so there's not much transport involved and therefore no pollution due to (fuel) transport. And lastly, the wood he collects (and dries for almost a year before selling it to us) helps to keep his forest healthy through selective cutting.
It's all good! I do realize that not many people are in this situation, though. :-/
5 surprising facts about plastic bags {Green Daily}
Feb 8th 2008 8:40AM That's so depressing! :-( I live in Canada, and I'm pretty sure curbside recycling pickup is available everywhere here.
I visited my snowbird parents in Florida last year and almost had a stroke when I saw them put ALL their garbage (paper, plastic, etc.) in the regular garbage bin. They said they hadn't seen any recycling bins anywhere. I was just flabbergasted... They're going back there this week, so I'll beg them to look for recycling possibilities.
5 surprising facts about plastic bags {Green Daily}
Feb 7th 2008 8:18AM I find a lot of the facts misleading in the way they're worded. It says paper and plastic bags take about the same amount of time to biodegrade, and I found that rather hard to believe. I followed the link to the original article, and there they add "in a landfill". I mean, sure, if you put a paper bag in a plastic garbage bag, it won't decompose until the plastic bag does. Duh. But seriously, in 2008, does anyone still put paper in the actual garbage that goes to the landfill (rather than the recycling bin)? If so, then I'm even more worried about our future than I already was!!
Sundance goes green online {Green Daily}
Jan 25th 2008 9:24AM Hi there,
I love Green Daily, so this is a rare complaint indeed:
Would it be possible to not have video clips that auto-play? Some of us have daily download limits... Thankfully, this was a short clip, but they do add up. Many thanks!
Lou
The ways of a green kitchen {Green Daily}
Jan 4th 2008 9:11AM I was faced with the same problem when I finally got into the habit of bringing my reusable bags with me to the store. I used to use a bag a day for my kitty litter, then as I started to run out of bags, I began reusing the same bag for a few days. Finally, I got to the point where I was using only one bag a week. As you mentioned, you can use bread bags. You can also use veggie bags, or buy compostable/ biodegradable bags. Another option is to just use a container with a tight-fitting lid (like those containers kitty-litter sometimes comes in, actually!) and to empty it directly into the big green garbage bag on garbage day.
Good luck with your resolutions!
Band on the Run: Farewell from New York's Chinatown {Gadling}
Oct 18th 2007 7:47AM Wow, cool new look, Gadling!! :-D
You know, Ember, I still check this site every day in hopes that there will be a new post from you. Even though there hasn't been, I usually end up checking some of the "most commented on" posts, so not all is lost. So you're still good for Gadling traffic, LOL!
So, tell us, now that you're back in China... any chance you might start a new blog?
Keep us posted! (Get it? Posted? *cue groans*)
Lou
Band on the Run: Farewell from New York's Chinatown {Gadling}
Sep 21st 2007 4:58PM A beautiful last post, Ember! Thank you. It was indeed a perfect "loop" post.
I'm glad you got to share this experience with your sweetie. :-)
Lou
Band on the Run: The Defiant Nature of Rte 4, Fort Lee, NJ {Gadling}
Sep 20th 2007 8:11AM oops, sorry Lauren, I meant comments 1 and 2; you and I posted almost at the same time.
Band on the Run: The Defiant Nature of Rte 4, Fort Lee, NJ {Gadling}
Sep 20th 2007 8:10AM How ironic that the comments before me (apparently random advertising posts) are for weed-killers, when actually the nature ('scuse the pun) of your post is that you saw the "invasion of weeds" beautiful. :-b
I find the last few (7) lines of your post really beautiful. I'm having a hard time seeing the spot as beautiful, though (although I do see beauty in the "process").
