Contrary to what many people believe, a cat only has one life. When I was on on my morning errands today, I saw a cat that had puts it life at risk by sticking its head into a single serving snack bag that had been carelessly discarded. I pulled the car to the side of the street and got out to see if I could help it.
It was a feral cat, or at least a very unfriendly one. I could not catch it at first. The noises I was making to try to calm it down drew the attention of a big free roaming dog who came to investigate. I have no idea how cruel his intentions were, but between my admonishments and the defensive stance of the cat he decided to back off.
I was able to get next to the cat while it was more worried about the dog. Unfortunately it dodged my first attempt to grab the bag.
I could see the bag sucking in as the cat was breathing. I honestly don’t know if the cat could have removed the bag itself eventually. With the dog and cars being such an immediate threat, I figured it was important for me to try my best. I trailed along behind the cat and my chance came when it decided to try a sqeeze through a wrought iron gate in a driveway. I was able to reach through an grab the end of the bag.
There was no grateful pause, only shear panic when the bag came off.
Plastic litter can cause the accidental death of many different animals in many different ways. The six pack ring around a duck’s neck is no joke. I actually discovered the remains from this exact scenario near a levy years ago. I am quite glad to see that many breweries choose to go with boxboard instead of the plastic thing. Taking the time to cut these rings apart if you find yourself responsible for their disposal is a good idea.
There is a huge demand for the trendy canvas bags from fashion designer Anya Hindmarch. The alottment of bags at the New York Whole Foods Store was sold out pretty much before it even arrived.
There have been near riots in relation to the sale of this bag. That’s just silly. It’s just a bag.
I talked about this flashy trend and suggested plain alternatives before. In between then and now, I saw a good middle ground. If you want to pay close to a hundred bucks for a really good canvas bag, check out the recycled sailcloth bags at Vat19.com. These bags are made from used sailcloth and an inside label indicates the type of craft and the region in which she sailed. There are two styles.
For many people, an automobile is considered a necessity.
With issues like Global Warming gaining lots of media attention, we tend to be most concerned with the impact that our car has during it’s useful life. Have you ever considered what happens to the thousands of pounds of junk that your car will eventually become?
One source says that while the metals are readily recyclable, 25% of a typical automobile is unusable by the auto recycling industry and it ends up in landfills.
My family recently spent one full year without owning a car. We rented a car in order to do some necessary errands one day per month. We rented a van for about 5 days when we had family visiting. Sit down and think about whether it really is necessary for you to have a car. If you have two or more cars, think about whether you can effectively live a lifestyle that doesn’t require that number. We now own a small used car.
Choose automobiles that are reputed to have a longer useful lifespan. If durability was a major criteria for purchasing decisions, the automakers would respond to that.
Choose the smallest vehicle that will meet your needs. The second smallest car on the US market is the AVEO. It weighs 2,365 pounds. A Hummer weighs 8600 pounds.
Consider joining a carsharing plan. I have been intrigued by this concept for years, but I have never lived in an area where it was available.
Hone your skills as a driver and be responsible in your operation of a motor vehicle. An accident is bad for the environment as well as being bad for your physical well being and your finances.
‘If you live in a city, you don’t need to own a car.’
William Clay Ford Jr.,
CEO, Ford Motor Company Ltd.
Authors of a respected book on infant care have come out against plastic baby bottles in the most recent edition of Baby 411.
There concern is largely related to studies on the effects of low levels of Bisphenol A on developing humans. The first year or two of a human beings life produces a lot of plastic waste. Much of it is created in the name of convenience.
I have a few tips for parents, but I want to preface them by saying that it has been over a decade since I have been up to my elbows in infant care.
Breastfeeding is good in so many ways. If you have reasons why you don’t plan to breastfeed, examine them carefully to see if they are valid.
Glass bottles are not perfect, there is a risk of injury in the unlikely event of breakage. When you think about how much childproofing goes into a baby’s environment though, there might not be anything hard to bang a bottle against.
If you find that your best option is to use plastic bottles go here to find advice on how to minimize your child’s exposure to the harmful chemical.
CollectiveGood.com will accept the donation of unwanted mobile phones. The funds they raise with this resource go to a number of charities and you get to choose which one benefits from your donation.
Personally, I choose to keep my old phone rather than buying the latest, trendy, feature filled phone.
Green is a color that we associate with environmental responsibility and it is also a color associated with gardening. If you were to check out the piles and piles of plastic pots and bags in garden sheds around the planet, you might decide that these are two different shades of green.
If you are hooked on gardening and want to avoid consuming these piles of plastic here are a few suggestions:
Find bulk sources of soil. mulch and other gardening materials. If you live in or near a region that has sawmills, you may be able to go there and fill your trunk or truck bed with bark to use as mulch. Sometimes these resources are even free.I once lived near a facility that manufactured home heating pellets from wood waste. Gardeners in the know were taking the material that was expelled by the destoning equipment. It was mostly bark
If you have to buy gardening soil in plastic bags, save them to reuse as heavy duty garbage bags
Ask around to local greenhouses to see which ones are interested in getting plastic pots returned for reuse
Consider growing plants from seeds and eliminating the use of plastic pots altogether.
When you think about it, just about anything can be used for a plant container. I used to scrounge at a number of 50-75 year old dump sites in the Canadian wilderness and bring home enamel cookware and kettles and even bedpans to use as planters. They usually already had some drainage holes.
I once met a guy who is reputed to have poured red paint on the steps of a government building to draw attention to an issue. Mostly, he drew attention to himself. I do remember that the issue was about political interference in Central America.
Environmental issues may increasingly become the focus of the rabble rousers as the consequences of complacency become more and more apparent.
Swedish retailer IKEA is charging customers 5 cents for each plastic bag that they choose to use at the checkout.
The LA Times printed some feedback from customers. Some of them are NOT happy about the situation.
“It’s pretty ridiculous,” said Will Sisto, balancing 12 drinking glasses and two glass coffee pots in this arms as he headed to his car in the Costa Mesa store’s parking lot last week, nursing a nasty sprained ankle. “I’m not going to pay any money to get a bag.”
Ikea sells a reusable bag, called the Big Blue Bag, for 59 cents.
