5 Tips For A Green Halloween

One of the most infamous holidays is just around the corner!  Halloween is full of traditions from costumes to candy, but very few of these childhood memories are often very green.  Here are 5 fun ideas to help green your Halloween this year!

1)      Take a trip to greenhalloween.org this year to prepare yourself and your family for a fantastic night of dress-up and community.  GreenHalloween offers fun tips for parents about costume planning, party hosting, green treats, and much more; it also has several resources covering a vast array of topics and issues to cover all of your Holliday needs.

2)      Decorate with reusable options instead of the usual streamers etc.  When you focus on decorations with longevity it saves you money and cuts down on resources.  Make sure to unplug fun lanterns and lights at the end of the night.  You could always be creative and recycle things artistically that would otherwise be waste.

3)      Common household candles used for jack-o-lanterns  use paraffin wax, which produces damaging chemicals while the candle burns.  This year, make the switch to natural soy candles; they’ll be less harmful on your lungs and better for Mother Earth.  You could double up your green efforts and buy your organic pumpkins from a local farmers market!

4)      Don’t be like the other folks around!  Halloween is a huge corporate holiday – any trip to Wal-Mart will clearly identify how much money can be made by the same mass-produced plastic costumes.  Be creative, save money, and stand out by designing your own costume – you’ll be surprised what kind of recycled gems are at your local thrift store.  Most store-bought costumes are made out of plastics and vinyl’s that can’t be recycled, and let’s be honest most people don’t really wear the same thing next year despite their good intentions.

5)      Trick-or-Treating is a great opportunity to be greener than you’ve been before.  Making your children their own unique carryall for their adventures saves on plastics and can be reused – they don’t take much space to store and can be fashioned from old pillowcases for those on a budget.  On the other end of things you can promote better life choices by not providing countless calories and teeth rotting candy to the families that come to your door – there are plenty of organic and environmentally friendly treats you can distribute (many in individual packages already)!

Have a fun, green, and safe Halloween this year!  Make sure to check out Organic Bug for some of your Halloween needs from sweet treats for your loved ones to jewelry for your great costume!

4 Steps to Avoiding Green Scams

Wouldn’t it be nice if everyone was just honest and genuine all of the time?  Unfortunately for us all, we live in a society often driven by the wrong kind of green – money.  It can be difficult for the untrained person to NOT get caught up in scams claiming to be greener, safer, and organic.  Here are some hints and tips to keep you ahead of the curve.

Do Your Homework:

Did you know that consumer products in the United States need to register with the EPA?  This is a great stop for consumers to get the REAL facts about what is actually in the things that they keep around their life (food, cleaning products, etc.) – you should also steer clear of things that withhold that information.

Avoid Things:

There are some many things to avoid that listing them would take all day.  But, a good starting point would be to consider staying away from Petroleum Distillates like ethyl and methyl.  Petroleum Distillates are often used as “natural” products for kitchen cleaning – often as degreasing materials.

Don’t Believe Everything You Read:

Remember, companies are out there to make money and SELL you things.  There is no regulating process to determine what CAN and CAN’T be labeled green, and many of the mainstream options out there might only be a little more eco-friendly than their “regular” counterparts.  Ultimately, you need to take responsibility for finding the right options for you and actually reading what is in the things that you buy.

If It Sounds Too Smart Or Too Dumb It Might Not Be Green:

Just because something says that it is NEW & IMPROVED doesn’t always mean either is true.  Green Works® from Clorox claims to be 99% green – and honestly, the physical characteristics of its cleaning materials actually are derived from renewable resources, are biodegradable and the product is free of petrochemicals.  Companies that use complex “scientific” names for their products are designed to confuse the average consumer with products nearly identical to regular non-green options.

The key to being green in the marketplace is to be aware and be intelligent.  Don’t just be a consumer, be smart and succeed in being green.  Organic Bug offers leading products that ARE what they say they are.  Let us help you with some of your green purchases.

5 Fast Ways To Clean Up Your Act And Start Limiting Your Water Use

Western culture uses too much water – it’s just that simple.  We take advantage of this resource and often take it for granted, but little things can go a long way – make some changes in your life and make the world a better place.

1) The average toilet flush usually consumes about 5 liters of water.  Here is a simple way to reduce this volume AND to do a little bit of recycling: Take an empty plastic bottle, fill it with water, seal it tightly, and leave it in the tank of your toilet; this will decrease the amount of water that fills in your tank and lower each flush.

2) You might have some leaks between the tank and the bowl – these slow and steady problems can be huge water wasters.  Check your toilet by placing some food coloring in the tank of the toilet after a few hours of not flushing check the bowl out; if the food coloring has seeped into the bowl then you know there is a leak somewhere.

3) There may be a leak or a drip somewhere else in your house.  Set aside a 2 hour block where there won’t be ANY water used.  Check your water meter at the beginning and end – if it isn’t exactly the same… then you might have a problem to find.

4) Sure, showers feel SO good sometimes, but did you know that even a four minute shower uses somewhere in the ballpark of 30 gallons of water?  Using a timer in the shower to limit the amount of time and water used can change your water bill and help the planet!

5) Relying on your garbage disposal unit at the kitchen sink is a fairly common thing in most households.  These units require water to work properly.  Instead of dumping so much food waste down the sink you should start a compost pile; now you’re saving water and preparing better options for your gardening endeavors for the future.

YAHOO’s Green New Home for Computing

10 months ago YAHOO completed work on a big green new home in Lockport, New York housing 50,000 servers for the high traffic web company.  The appropriately named Yahoo Computing Coop (YCC) is modeled and designed based on a simple chicken coop idea and subsequently is about as green as computer server buildings come.

Just how green is the YCC? It uses over 99% natural cooler-system free air and doesn’t use any air chillers; it also uses less than 1% of the total consumed energy on cooling.  The facility uses 40% less water than conventional server facilities.  The location of the coop is also allows it to use clean hydroelectricity from Niagara Falls.   The YCC maintains a Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) ratio of 1.08 while the industry standard PUE is 2.0.

The chicken coop design is capable of providing naturally cooler air due to a few specific choices and some basic physics.  First, the building is angled to take advantage of natural wind to focus and funnel the air currents.  Next, the location provides ample days each year with preferred weather to keep temperatures cool.  Finally, the building is designed to maximize air flow by its shape, length, and structure.

The big energy efficient server home is a win-win situation for Yahoo.  Not only does the company save money on lower energy bills and the general cost of the building itself, but it is also legitimately better for the environment and substantially lest wasteful.  The company saves big by not having to build/buy massive cooling systems that use outrageous amounts of water as well.

All-in-all this is a great move for YAHOO.  They are lowering their environmental impact, helping their bottom line, and making a big difference for their potential customers who value being green!

7 Ways To Make Someone’s Day

I woke up this morning just feeling glum as can be, but I opened my email to a heartfelt Thank-You email from somebody I used to do business with and it simply made my day.  I am inspired.  I honestly can’t think of anything more organic or green than joy, love and smiles… so today, this week, this month, and this year we could all benefit from simply being nicer and actually DOING random acts of kindness.  Here’s seven ideas to get you started:

1) Compliment two people and mean it!

Surely, you can come up with two genuine compliments for two people that you see daily.  Tell people what a good job they are doing, how grateful you are to have them on your team, or how nice it is to work alongside them.

2) Pick up the next guy’s tab

It’s cheesy, I know… but it really can be nice.  In these tough times people are pinching pennies, and even the $5.00 or so makes a difference for many.

3) Tip your waiter 50%

If you’ve ever been a waiter, then you know how crummy days can be.  Sometimes, a few extra dollars can totally change the feel and flow of the rest of a shift or even the rest of the day.

4) Volunteer somewhere

Every day I am astounded at how many dot-orgs I find.  There is something in your community that you can participate and volunteer with.  Sometimes just being an extra person touches a life in a way that you may never know.

5) Send 5 Thank-You cards for services people have provided in the last month

With information traveling SO fast, participating in a “thank-you” culture as often as possible will be good for business and good for you personally.  Thank people more often for the things you do and enjoy where life can go!

6) Write somebody a sincere letter

Can you even remember the last time you received a heart-felt, genuine, and expressive physical letter from a friend or family member?  A signed and sealed envelope that IS NOT a bill is enough to make my day, but a sincere letter from a loved friend might make somebody’s whole year.

7) Tell a manager when you receive outstanding customer service

I used to work for a cellular telephone provider in a call center – it was hell.  The rare occasion that somebody asked to speak with a supervisor after our call was often a great thing as they were giving me “kudos” which were displayed and announced for everybody to see.  It felt great!

Be Amazed At Your Water Usage :: And Make A Change Today!

In all of my efforts to be green, I still find ways to improve!  I was just turned on to WECalc.org, and I am completely dumbfounded at the results for even my personal life… honestly I am a bit too embarrassed to share them right now, but I learned so many great ways to cut down on my water use and water-related carbon footprint.

WECalc is all about water and how you are using it – even unconsciously.  First, the program gathers several obvious pieces of information about your household water usage; it goes deeper than surface level considerations of regular water usage.  Most importantly, however, is that WECalc.org provides reasonable results for you on how to not only save the environment, but also how to save money.

You’ll have to do it for yourself to see just how cool it is!  Here are some cool facts about water conservation that I learned while doing this for myself.

• Shortening Showers by 1 minute per day (at my household usage) can save about $19.00 per year, decrease my water usage by 4.37 gallons per day, and decrease my CO2 emissions by 184 lbs. per year.
• Installing 1.5 gpm faucet aerators costs about $1.00-$4.00; this will save me 17 gallons of water each day, decrease my carbon emissions by 439 lbs. annually, and could save me $53.00 this year.
• Rinsing clothes in COLD water lowers CO2 output by 206 lbs. each year and can save $15.60 annually.
• The global average carbon footprint (emissions per person) is: 5.4 metric tons, or 12,000 lb of CO2-eq emissions per year.
• Installing a Solar Hot Water Heater may seem expensive, but it can cut CO2 emissions 16.3% annually from the global average.  It also can save you around $150.00 each year.

I learned so much more about water usage than I could begin to adequately share here; please investigate this for yourself!  It will also challenge you to think more actively about how everything that we do is related to the footprints that we leave behind us on the Earth.

September To Change the World

Peace! Sometimes I wish “peace” didn’t seem like an idealistic dream that’s out of any of our reach and control. Perhaps, the dream of peace is not as far out of reach as we may believe it to be. This September, 21 the world will celebrate the 28^th International Day of Peace will be a testament to the positive strides we are making as a world culture toward building a legitimate and lasting peace. Sure, true and real peace might not be tangible in this lifetime, but the positive strides forward are enough to put a smile on my face for now!

In 1981, a United Nations resolution established the International Day of Peace on the third Tuesday of September 1982. On the 20^th anniversary of the IDP (2002), the UN officially established that September 21^st would be recognized as the permanent date.

Across the globe this September 21^st human beings from all walks of life in all of the countries in the world will be doing things to recognize and promote peace. International Governments will respect a ceasefire, and personal grudges will be put aside (even for one day) in hopes of promoting and propagating peace. Nations are urged to respect the ceasefire as well as non-violence for 24 hours as to encourage more diplomatic means of resolution (you can contact your elected officials here to urge them to support and promote the ceasefire as well as the IDP).

Most importantly, this September 21st already has hundreds of registered events worldwide! From Argentina to Uganda we as a species will cry out for peace vs. violence and war. No matter where in the world you are, you will hopefully be able to find something relatively near to you; if you have an idea to promote peace, then you too can register for an event to make this International Day of Peace truly special.

Now is the time to remember that wishes really DO come true, if we believe in them. The world that we live in can be a peaceful one, and this September 21^st we should catch a glimpse of what that may look like.

Donate Your Denim And Make A Difference Today!

When I started putting this blog together I wanted to do something fun like “5 Totally Hot Ways to Ditch Your Denim & Be Green About It…” Yes, that was actually the original title.  But as I researched, I came across something so very cool, that I couldn’t wait to share it with YOU.

I found COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.^® denim drive changing the world one pair of jeans at a time.  In 2006, a grassroots student organization took off educating students about the green and renewable values of denim.  Just one year later 14,556 articles of denim had been collecting, which nearly doubled the initial estimates.  The collected denim was then sent to a leader in the recycling community, Allen Company.  The denim was compacted into 1,000 lbs. bales and then shipped off to JBM Fibers where they would return the denim to its original cotton fiber state.  But, the quest isn’t quite over for the denim.  Finally Bonded Logic Inc. converts the denim into UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation.  The insulation is then used in houses built by Habitat for Humanity.

UltraTouch™ is composed of 85% recycled cotton fibers; it is an environmentally safe, itchy-free insulation that doesn’t have carcinogenic warnings, formaldehyde or chemical irritants.  It even insulates and absorbs sound up to 30% more than typical fiberglass insulation.  Most importantly, it is one of the ONLY insulation products with an active mold/mildew inhibitor.

The COTTON. FROM BLUE TO GREEN.^® denim drive has rendered 270,617 articles of denim; these have produced over 585,000 sq feet of UltraTouch™ Natural Cotton Fiber Insulation and are now warming 540 homes in communities in need.  The denim drive was so successful that the organization has had to temporarily suspend collections.

Since collections have been suspended, start putting your old jeans aside now for when this gets going again.  If ever there was a fabulous and worthy cause that we could use our old clothes for, then this is it!  Donating your old jeans here not only renders a green and eco-friendly product, but it also specifically goes to help human beings build a home to stay safe and protected in.  I truly can not wait to donate my denim to them as soon as possible!

How We Can Make A Difference In A World Water Crisis

I am truly touched and affected when I come across companies and organizations doing something to actually change the world and save lives.  Today I was directed to CSDW.org (of Proctor & Gamble), and I learned some staggering facts as well as some fabulous resolutions.  CSDW (Children’s Safe Drinking Water) is a program designed to bring safer water to a big part of the world.

It took a while to process some of the following information and how terribly dangerous many communities water supplies are.

• More than one billion people do not have access to safe water.
• Diarrhea caused by drinking contaminated water remains a leading cause of illness and death among infants and children in the developing world.
• About 1.8 million children die every year due to diarrheal diseases.
• More children die from diarrheal illnesses like cholera and dysentery than from HIV/AIDS or malaria combined.
• P&G has collaborated with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) since 1995 to develop safe drinking water systems that people can easily use in their homes.
• There is conclusive evidence that simple, low-cost interventions at the community level can dramatically improve the quality of household stored water and greatly reduce the risk of diarrheal disease and death.
• It is well documented that simply providing safe, clean, drinkable water can reduce deadly diarrhea and other devastating diseases by about 50%.

To combat this hazardous situation, the CSDW is distributing the PUR Packet (a product of PUR), to clean up to 10 liters of water at a time.  The PUR Packet is exceptionally more useful in these cultures because a little bit goes a long way; they are also a greener response to this problem by saving on the countless water bottles sent to these struggling cultures. P&G works with organizations like PSI, CARE, World Vision, Aquaya Institute, USAID, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the International Council of Nurses, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, Save the Children, Samaritan’s Purse, and Americares; these organizations and the CSDW are over half way to their goal of cleaning 4 billion liters of water before 2012.

If you would like to help this global movement, then don’t wait another minute.  The CSDW accepts PayPal.  Even small contributions can make a huge difference.  One PUR Packet cleans 10 Liters of water, and costs 10¢.  $1.00 will provide one child with clean water for 50 days, $7.50 can provide that same child with clean water for a year, and $30.00 gives one family clean water for a full year.

3 Alternative Energy Sources To Follow

This morning, I found a great article from Fast Company discussing the world’s largest Tidal Turbine; I got really excited about how alternative energy is evolving, and I did some research.  Here are three things cool new developments for alternative energy:

1)      Hydroelectric Power & Tidal Turbines

Hydroelectricity has been around for quite some time; it’s probably best recognized by harnessing the power of rivers through turbines and dames, but in 2008 the first commercial tidal turbine went live in Northern Ireland.  The next big step for hydroelectricity looks like a $7.5 million and 130 ton machine that will immediately generate 1 MW (energy to power 1,000 homes); it’s name: The AK-1000.  By 2020 this machine should generate 700 MW.  Check out the Atlantis Resource Corporation for more details!

2)      Solar Thermal Power

Beyond traditional solar power, solar thermal power plants focus the sun’s energy using parabolic troughs to feed into a steam cycle around 700 ° F.  The steam powers turbine generators that can generate up to 250MW.  Using thermal storage technologies, energy can be stored and released on demand.  If you want to know more about Solar Thermal Energy, a leading US company Solar Trust of America is doing some incredible stuff.

3)      Algae-Based Fuels

Just last week, the New York Times published a blog about a $52 million deal for just one San Francisco based company (Solazyme) to commercialize their algae-based fuel.  Solazyme is also contracted to the US NAVY for 20,000 gallons of fuel for ships while creating and generating new jet fuel.  The University of Tulsa also received $1 million in funding three years ago from San Diego-based Sapphire Energy Inc. along with a $750K federal grant for algae-based fuel research project focusing on energy for automobiles.

Most of these alternative forms of energy have been in development for some time now, but with increasing awareness from the rest of the world due to events like the Gulf Oil Spill we are seeing faster improvements toward a greener future.

Organic Bug strives to provide goods that are eco-friendly and organic as our part to make tomorrow a better place.

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