GreenWorld365 » Keith Lewis

Greenopia’s Guide to Green Living — A Must Have

Keith Lewis — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 19:06:08 +0000

The green guide is loaded with information and divided into useful categories.

GreenWorld365 editors recently attended the Go Green Expo in Los Angeles California. The expo offered us a wonderful experience to meet many venders that believe in Green Living and to experience their products. One of the products that we were truly impressed with was The Urban Dweller’s Guide to Green Living by Greenopia.

This guide assists consumers in making daily green living choices. With listings and ratings of more than 1,400 eco-friendly retailers, service providers, and organizations in major metropolitan areas. I happen to have the Los Angeles edition; there is also a San Francisco and New York City edition and soon-to-be-released editions for Chicago, Denver, Seattle and Portland. (...)
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Interview: Mark Hawkins of InkPeace

Keith Lewis — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 17:20:57 +0000

Each month GreenWorld365 will spotlight people, businesses, or organizations that are making strides towards greening our world. This month we interview Mark Hawkins of InkPeace.

Founded in 2008 by Mark Hawkins and Carol Pedersen, InkPeace is an eco-friendly company, promoting the re-use of ink cartridges. InkPeace sells ink and toner cartridges for printers, fax machines and copiers. InkPeace is active in their community and are participating in the future of our city.(...)
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© swoop for Green World 365, 2012. | Similar Topics: GreenWorld365 Interview, Al Gore, Earth Day, economy, global warming, GreenWorld365 Interview, Hawaii, Ink Cartridges, inkpeace, Long Beach, Mark Hawkins, solar panels, wind turbines

Green Living: Reuse Resource For Families

Keith Lewis — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 09:22:09 +0000

Local charities are great, but there are other options re-using, freecycling or swapping goods you no longer need..

As the holiday season winds down and your children are immersed in all things new, what happens with all those old toys, games, and clothes? Are there a few things you still need and would like to find?

Parents know how remarkably fast our children outgrow their clothes or lose interest in toys. So in our quest to remain eco-friendly many of us recycle and reuse as often as we can. Raising children and maintaining a green lifestyle can be challenging. (...)
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Wines: A Fair Trade Option

Keith Lewis — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 07:45:15 +0000

In today’s world, decisions we make often have global implications. Most of us are becoming more concerned with the social and environmental impact of our decisions. Whether it’s choosing a green detergent or a fair trade coffee, we are looking for solutions that help us improve our social consciousness and green living choices. Are you aware that your choice of wine might greatly benefit and improve the lives of many foreign workers?

I recently read an interesting post from green LA girl on Organic Fair Trade Wines that she bought at Whole Foods. She picked out a couple of bottles from South African Wine maker Stellar Organics. The post stated,

…a number of different South African wines by Stellar Organics — all fair trade and organic certified (no sulfites added)…

…Curious about what makes these wines fair trade? Basically, Stellar Organics’ workers receive competitive wages, have part ownership of the company (at least 25%, according to TransFair USA, which provides fair trade certification for products in the U.S.) with a say in making larger community decisions…

According Fair Trade Certified, The United States is the second-largest wine market in the world by volume. In 2007 imported wine accounted for 31 percent of total U.S. sales making the U.S market the very attractive to international wine producers. Their website indicates,

…The most significant growth in US wine sales in recent years has been in varietals of wines from “New World” countries, including Chile, Argentina, and South Africa. However in many of these regions, it is difficult to meet the market demand for high quality wine while ensuring that grape growing communities have access to safe and fair working conditions, receive adequate pay and prices for their wine grapes, and guarantee that costs of living are covered. Fair Trade CertifiedÔ guarantees producers a set minimum price for their grapes, workers a living wage and wine producing communities funding for community development programs…

Fair Trade wines are increasingly more popular and available. A recent Google search indicated that in addition to specialty stores, retailers such as Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club are stocking Fair Trade wines.

There are approximately thirty or so wineries that have received Fair Trade certification. Although the number of certified producers is low, as demand increases the number is sure to grow.

Of course a choice of wine is a matter of taste and many of us often reach for our long standing favorite when selecting a wine. The next time you’re strolling down the wine isle keep a look out for a Fair Trade wine. You might find a hidden gem you’ll like and may be helping to improve the life of your neighbor a world away.

For more eco-friendly beverage ideas, check out this post on Green Beer.

Eating Locally — What’s your Radius?

Keith Lewis — Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:03:03 +0000

Shopping at a Farmers Market is a good start towards eating locally.

Many of us are doing our part to lead healthier lives with minimal impact on our environment. Some time ago I learned of Alisa Smith and J.B. MacKinnon, who in 2005 began a one-year experiment of completely eating locally.

As with many ideas, they did not set out to create a movement, instead they sort of stumbled onto the idea after finding themselves out of food on the last day of a cabin trip with friends and family in the Canadian wilderness. Short on food they decided to eat off the land. After a meal of salmon, freshly picked mushrooms and other fresh foods they found, they realized that for possibly the first time they knew the complete origin of their food from production to plate. Their dinner had minimal impact on the environment and potentially left zero carbon footprint.(...)
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Biodegradable Plastic Trash Bags By Perf

Keith Lewis — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 03:06:13 +0000

The editors of GreenWorld365 recently came across a company named Perf selling biodegradable plastic trash bags. The Perf representative stated that the bags are high quality, extremely strong, supplied through a unique dispensing system and completely biodegradable. GreenWorld365 purchased a few boxes of their Extra Large, Tall Kitchen Bags for a test run.

Perf claims their GO GREEN trash bags to be a 100% Back To Nature product. Their literature states that their biodegradable plastic trash bags are,

…the first truly green disposable plastics to gain mass distribution across America.

Three of us here at GreenWorld365 tested the tall kitchen bags in our households. Each of us was immediately impressed with the strength of these bags. We also discovered that the bags are fairly difficult to tear, can handle an unbelievable amount of weight, and don’t seem to leak. None of us took advantage of the dispensing system, which is essentially a heavy-duty tape strip on the bottom of the box. This allows you to store the bags on the bottom of your trash can and remove one bag at a time via the dispense system as they pop up like tissues.

Overall we were very impressed with the performance of the Perf GO GREEN biodegradable plastic kitchen bags. These bags worked as well or better than most common non-biodegradable plastic bags we’ve all used.

We learned from the box that the product is made in Indonesia from recycled plastics and the box is made from recycled paperboard. Naturally we wanted to know more. Such as the manufacturing process and what causes these plastic bags to become biodegradable. Further, we were also interested in how green the entire manufacturing, shipping and delivery process is. We checked their website seeking additional information and were unable to find specific answers to our questions. The site states,

Perf Go Green uses a proprietary oxo-biodegradable application method to produce the film for its bags. When discarded in soil in the presence of microorganisms, moisture and oxygen, Perf Go Green’s products decompose into simple materials found in nature. Through this process as well as the use of recycled plastics, the company effectively removes plastic waste from the environment.

Perf Go Green Bags will completely break down in a landfill environment within 2 years leaving no residue or harmful toxins and have a shelf life of 2 years.

I’m not too alarmed by the limited manufacturing information. That is to be expected from companies wishing to protect their proprietary process. I would have liked to have found some results of tests by independent third party sources verifying their claims or insight into how green the process is. However, this is not to infer I have reason to doubt their claims.

Some statistics have shown, in 2006, U.S. residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 251 million tons of Municipal Solid Waste, which is approximately 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day. So it is imperative that each of us do our share to reduce the waste we are producing each year.

Reducing waste must be the first step if we are going to have a positive impact and truly reduce the size of landfills. I understand the importance of using biodegradable bags and believe small steps to be extremely important. But in a perfect situation to maximize the process of lessening the harmful effects our waste has on the planet the items within the trash bags should be biodegradable also. Perf GO GREEN Biodegradable bags are a fantastic first step. When using them let it be a reminder and an encouragement to take your next step in greening your life. Identify a next step to reduce waste such as composting, recycling, reusing or anything you can accomplish one day at a time.

Perf GO GREEN Products

Perf Go Green 13 Gallon Tall Kitchen Trash Bags
Perf Go Green 30 Gallon Lawn & Leaf Bags
Perf Go Green Plastic Drop Cloths
Perf Go Green Commercial Trash Bags
Perf Go Green Kitty Litter Bags
Perf Go Green Doggie Duty Bags

All of the products are available at Amazon.com, CVS, Wal-Mart, Office Max, Drugstore.com, and Walgreen’s.

Use LED Outdoor Christmas Lights to Save Money this Holiday Season

Keith Lewis — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 14:49:03 +0000

Using LED Lights to decorate for the holidays saves money because LEDs are more energy efficient.

The days of keeping up with the Joneses may be behind us, but if you’re in competition with the Griswold’s for the most outlandish display of Christmas lighting on the block, outdoor LED Christmas lights may help keep your energy costs down.

In recent years Light emitting diode or LED Christmas lights have begun to make headway in the marketplace and become much more prevalent and desirable for consumers. Previous versions of LED Christmas lighting left consumers wanting more. The earlier versions lacked a variety of colors, shapes, sizes and brightness.

Current versions offer a wide range of colors, are much brighter, come in many sizes and shapes, have the ability to blink, and use as little as one-tenth the energy as conventional outdoor Christmas lights. (...)
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A Gerbera Today May Keep The Doctor Away

Keith Lewis — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 06:15:09 +0000

Common household plants provide a viable means for scrubbing clean your homes air, allowing you the ability to improve the quality of the air and possibly the health of you and your family.

Our homes contain many irritants both seen and unseen, which contribute to poor indoor, air quality. Invaders such as molds, bacteria, pollen, dust, and pet dander seem to be the most prevalent culprits. Often contributing to the development of chronic respiratory diseases as well as headaches, nasal congestion, nausea and fatigue.

According to the American Lung Association, many homes also contain common chemicals such as Radon, Formaldehyde, Carbon monoxide, and many others. Often our favorite household items like pesticides, cleaning products, paints, and solvents may be sources of potentially harmful chemicals. These chemicals have been known to contribute to chronic health problems including lung cancer.(...)
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Portobello Steaks And Burgers

Keith Lewis — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 03:32:24 +0000

This recipe is from the book Raw Food Life Force Energy by Natalia Rose. I’ve made this portobello burger and really enjoyed it. Although the recipe say’s that it makes 2 burgers, I was able to make 4. It all depends on the size of the portobellos.

Makes 2 Burgers

4 portobello mushrooms, stemmed and left whole

1/4 cup of Nama Shoyu or regular soy sauce

1/4 cup pure grade B maple syrup

2 sprouted-grain burger buns

2 beefsteak (or any large) tomatoes, sliced

4 leaves organic lettuce

1 large sweet onion

4 tablespoons Dijon mustard and/or natural ketchup and/or A1 steak sauce

In a bowl, mix the Nama Shoyu and the maple syrup. Place portobellos in the mixture and marinade for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put portobellos in a baking dish and bake in the oven for approximately 20 minutes, or until they start to look plump and juicy. Toast the buns. Place two portobellos on each, then layer on the vegetables and condiments. Serve like a regular burger.

6 Resources for Green Gift Ideas For The Holiday Season

Keith Lewis — Sat, 02 Jul 2011 02:29:16 +0000

It’s that time again, the holiday season is upon us and thoughts of gift giving have invaded your ever-waking moment. Where does one go to obtain green gift ideas or buy green gifts for our friends and loved ones?

A variety of things must first be considered when selecting a gift you deem to be a green gift. First you must determine what your barometer for green is? For many people being green can consist of many definitions.

Much like those that claim to be vegetarians, being green may encompass a variety of shades. I’m sure we all know people that say they are vegetarians that eat chicken or fish. There are some that will consume eggs, cheese and milk? And there are vegetarians that eat no meat or dairy at all. Shocking! My point being that I’m not the judge of what you choose to call yourself, but you have to decide what being green means to you and then the selection of a green gift becomes a little easier to decide.

First determine your primary concerns. Such as, are the materials used to manufacture the item bad for the environment? Are they sustainable? Is the environmental cost associated with transporting the item from the factory to your doorstep too great?

Once you have determined your sense of green you are ready to set out and explore your green gift ideas. Leave no options off the table. Frankly I think Recycle, Reuse, Repurpose is a good place to start. Whether it is something that you already have or you obtain it from a second hand store or thrift shop there has been no new environmental damage to produce the item and it is not sitting in a landfill somewhere.

One thing to note when gifting via the Reuse, Recycle, Repurpose method, be sure the recipient is into the green movement, or be ready to educate them because some tend to feel slighted if their green gift isn’t sparkling brand new.

Another good option is a local art walk or craft fair. Many local artist and crafters are environmentally conscious and are producing a lot of handmade pieces that will make wonderful green gifts. At events such as these you often have the opportunity to talk to the person that created the art and ask what products were used and how they were obtained. Most of these artists are extremely passionate about their craft and the environment. They truly enjoy telling you about the process used to create, and their own green gift ideas. Usually the participants are locals so you are also supporting someone in your own community.

Although you must do a bit of research of your own as to the claims of companies about being green, there are many businesses that are dedicated to selling items that fit one version of green or another. Some of the sites that have a fairly decent reputation as to their claims are sites such as the following:

Etsy – Mostly handmade items for sale, and you can email the seller if you have any questions.

Zwaggle- A source of mostly children’s toys and clothing being traded or bartered.

Greenfeet – Products selected for their practicality, eco-friendly attributes, quality and usefulness.

The Daily Green - Lists over 100 green gift ideas featuring the season’s best sustainable and nontoxic gifts — safe toys, gadgets, outfits, and the most outrageous green gifts.

These are but a few green gift ideas and a few sites to help make obtaining green gifts a little easier. But as with the spirit of the holiday season, it’s the thought that counts. So let your creativity and imagination take the lead on this. One important thing about giving green gifts is making the earth a little bit better each day and spreading the word that staying environmentally aware of what we chose to do and how we chose to do it has a lasting impact on our world.