Oct
4
I got in my Greenhouse Gas Offset Certificate (check out Carbon Footprints in the Sand)! But before I can feel all self-righteous about how green I am, I still have a huge problem in that I can sum up in one word: Plastic
Like most people I primarily use petroleum based (polyethylene) plastic bags for all my food storage bags, produce, trash (non-compost) and recycling. The environmental impact of something that takes hundreds of years to decompose, does not recycle well, if at all and kills thousands of animals every year is just astounding to me. And paper sacks generate as much as 70 percent more air and 50 times more water pollutants than plastic bags…
So today I did some research today on corn based plastics. The cost is about 5-40% more than traditional plastic bags but they work about the same. They are not as durable or long lasting as high end plastic equivalent but they do work very well with fresh produce. There are two great companies that have biodegradable alternatives, Trellis Earth and BioBag.
BioBag is conveniently available through many local stores and online as such retailers like Amazon.com
. However if you don’t buying in bulk, Trellis Earth online web store has all the popular sized bags with free shipping.
May
15
I am a NPR freak. I have a long commute and listen regularly to the new. I heard on the radio today that Thursday should have record breaking weather in SF, above 90 Degrees in the city and on our beaches! Just after that they reported on how the ice packs are at 50% capacity thus mandatory rationing will likely be needed in the East bay shortly followed by a summary of a speech John McCain gave in Portland on “human-caused climate change” his plan for a mandatory cap and trade system of carbon emissions. When the Republican presidential nominee seriously talks about carbon emissions, one has to admit it really is time to do something.
Now I don’t really believe that weather or a hot day is a clear signs of climate change but it still has a visceral impact. The idea that beaches in SF could be as hot as 90 degrees in May is kind of shocking. So I felt motivated to check out my household’s carbon footprint. I did it on several different sites (PG&E had the highest estimate) and they were all about 16 Tons/year for Karen and me (glad I traded in the sports car for a hybrid 2 years ago). Short of moving closer to work and changing my landlord’s appliances in my apartment, I can easily offset my household’s carbon emission for about $200/year. It sort of feels weird to just throw money at the issue but hey, if it means more trees are planted or old growth forests are funded and preserved, then who am I to argue with the free market economy.
Here are some links:
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