Don't Be a LitterBug ...

The other day while we were hiking, we stopped to admire a waterfall ... just a small waterfall, but beautiful. The surrounding area was serene ... birds were singing ... the sky was blue and ... a soda can sat nestled among the wildflowers. As we walked a little further, we noticed candy wrappers and cigarette buds. And we wondered ... why do some people think that this is OK?

Earlier today, in my car, something red caught my eye. I could see it bouncing across the street but couldn't make it out. As traffic began to move and I got closer, I watched a red plastic cup bounce it's way right into a storm drain. And again I wondered ... why do some people think that this is OK?

Litter is waste disposed of in the wrong place by unlawful human action. Not only is it an eye sore, it actually harms the environment. For example, cigarette buds and filters are a threat to wildlife ... fish, animals, birds, etc., mistake them for food and ingest them. Open containers such as cans and plastic cups can hold rainwater, providing a breeding ground for mosquitoes and insects. Small critters often crawl into bottles and get stuck, starving to death when they can't escape. Litter that ends up in a storm drain may end up in our waterways, polluting plant and animal life.

Here are a few interesting litter facts:

• Cigarettes are the most littered item in the world. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate tow, a plastic, and they can take decades to degrade. Not only is the toxic residue damaging to the environment, tossed cigarettes are responsible for numerous fires every year.

• Among the most common items found during litter cleanups are fast-food wrappers and aluminum cans (beer and soda cans).

• The annual cost of roadside litter control, in the U.S., is $115 million.

• According to Keep America Beautiful there are seven primary sources of litter:

1. Household trash at the curbside
2. Dumpsters used by businesses
3. Loading docks
4. Construction and demolition sites
5. Uncovered trucks
6. Motorists
7. Pedestrians

OK ... litter is bad! It's ugly, it's destructive, it's environmentally hazardous. So today's tip is real easy ... DON'T LITTER. Here's are some things we can do:

• DISPOSE OF TRASH PROPERLY!! If you don't see a trash bin, carry your trash home.

• Use an ashtray for cigarette disposal or a receptacle designed for that purpose.

• Carry a litter bag in your car, boat and on your bicycle.

• Securely cover trash containers to prevent wind or animals from spreading litter.

• Cover and secure any vehicle, truck or trailer carrying a load. Tarps can prevent litter from falling or blowing onto the roadside.

• When visiting parks and recreation areas make sure to leave the area clean.
  

• Follow the golden rule of hiking ... carry out what you carry in.

As with most green living ideas, this one is about awareness. We need to think about our actions and choose to do the right thing. The earth, and all of it's inhabitants, will thank you!

As always ... I would love to hear from you!

ASBESTOS – IS IT REALLY THAT BAD?

I recently found out that my "bloggy" friend Brian, from The New Author, is not only a brilliant author but ... an expert on Asbestos as well. Today, he is graciously sharing his knowledge with us.

The New Author is a wonderful site. It is a valuable resource for anyone who writes ... for those penning the "Great American Novel" as well as those writing a blog. For new authors, it teaches everything from crafting chapters to getting published. I recommend this site to ... well, to everyone.

A big THANK YOU to Brian for this informative article on Asbestos.


We, as a whole, fear what we do not understand. How many times have we been told not to use a particular item because it is hazardous to us and the environment only to discover that we based that decision on a misconception? It does happen; however, if we educate ourselves to the things around us we can make knowledgeable decisions and not rely on what others are telling us.

Asbestos is in this category. I know many of you have seen all the commercials on television about the lawsuits and how asbestos can be fatal. You may even know someone who has been exposed to Asbestos at some point in time. Actually, I can guarantee that you have; you just may not know it. Asbestos is everywhere. That’s right, Asbestos is everywhere. With that said, what is Asbestos? Where does it come from? Why is it bad for us? These are important questions to ask and answer.

What is Asbestos?

Asbestos is a natural silicate mineral that comes from the earth. Asbestos, when translated from its Greek origin, means miracle mineral. The Greek and Roman Empire discovered and used Asbestos for generations before they noted the health affects it had on the slaves. Asbestos was named the “miracle mineral” because it will not burn or freeze and has a tensile strength stronger then steel. The Greeks and Romans used Asbestos for everything such as: clothes, tablecloths, building materials, toys, and the cistern that housed and delivered their drinking water. There are seven types of Asbestos with two being predominately found in building materials and one being the most hazardous.

Chrysotile is a white fluffy mineral that is serpentine in make up. This form of Asbestos was found in a vast majority of building materials.

Amosite is brown Asbestos that was predominantly used as insulation of water boilers and steam lines. This form of Asbestos can be found at shipyards and steam plants.

Crocidolite is blue Asbestos and although it is rare to find in use this Asbestos is the most hazardous to humans due to its formula. The blue color comes from that amount of iron within the Asbestos.

Why is Asbestos bad for us?

Asbestos is only a hazard when it is airborne and can be inhaled.

As seen in this picture of Chrysotile there are many strands hanging off this piece of limestone. Each of those strands is made up of millions of asbestos fibers that look like little spears. What we breathe in are those tiny little fibers that pass through our lungs to the point where our cells transfer the oxygen to our blood. Once there these fibers literally spear the cells at which time our body begins to fight it much like we fight a virus. This is where the trouble begins because the fibers are so small that our body cannot expel them so our body makes mucus to bind the bad cells to the wall of our lungs. This is how Asbestosis, lung cancer, and Mesothelioma begin. The more Asbestos fibers we inhale the more mucus and scar tissue are made. After a length of time of exposure our lungs will simply fail because the scar tissue will not allow it to expand and contract properly or we can literally drown in our own mucus.

How much exposure to Asbestos is too much?

This is a difficult question to answer because doctors and scientist alike cannot determine the amount of exposure before symptoms begin. We are all different and respond differently to Asbestos. There have been reports that some people develop lung cancer from a very limited amount of exposure and other people have worked around or with Asbestos for years and never developed symptoms. However, what is known is that a smoker who is exposed to Asbestos is 40 times more likely to get Asbestosis, Mesothelioma, or lung cancer as compared to a non-smoker. The fact that this question cannot be answered is one reason why Asbestos was banned in the United States and why Asbestos has more laws and regulations then any other hazardous material.

How do I identify Asbestos and keep my family safe?

From a legal standpoint Asbestos can only be identified through a sample analyzed by a certified laboratory. If you suspect that you have Asbestos in your home you can have it sampled. If you have Asbestos around you or in your home you can have it removed; however, this can be expensive. There are other ways to protect you from Asbestos exposure. You can apply a covering on it or cover it with an adhesive. For example, if you have Asbestos in your linoleum you can simply place another sheet of linoleum over it or cover it with another flooring material. If you have Asbestos exposed in your basement you could build a case around it or spray it with adhesive. The point is to NOT disturb it. If you think you will disturb it while working around it then spray it down with water first. The water will prevent it from becoming airborne. Do not cut, sand, break or pulverize Asbestos as this will release fibers into the air. Once the Asbestos it protected simply leave it alone. Again, you so not want to disturb it.

Is Asbestos really that bad? In my opinion we should not fear Asbestos. However, it demands respect and so we should respect it. Remember, Asbestos is harmful when it is airborne and that happens when it is disturbed. Are these terrible diseases we can get from Asbestos? Absolutely, my heart goes out to those who contracted any of the diseases caused by Asbestos exposure and their families. Be mindful of your surroundings and be safe.

I hope this article shed some light on Asbestos and you found it informative. Knowledge is power and perhaps this knowledge will help you keep your friends and family safe from the danger of Asbestos.

I'd like to, once again, thank Brian for sharing his knowledge with us.

As always ... I'd love to hear from you.

Comments of Note

This has been quite a month ... we had the wonderful opportunity to hear from three fabulous guests who taught us and inspired us ... we've talked about the rainforest, roadblocks to living green, earth day, Eco-friendly printing fonts and vegan recipes ... and we took a field trip. We also heard from many of our Reduce Footprints "family" ... in fact, choosing ten comments for this monthly post was difficult.

I'd like to thank everyone who left a comment this month. Here are our Comments of Note:

From: Vegan Recipe - Black Bean and Quinoa Salad

gbenton789 said...

What a great salad. In addition to delicious, you Quinoa and White Corn are native to North America and have tremendous benefits to the environment as well as being delicious and great for us. Add heirloom bell peppers, jalepenos and tomatoes and you've got a salad that is especially healthy and great for the planet and sustainability! Five Stars*****

From: This Idea is Full of Holes

Every Photo Tells A Story said...

Voted! What a Great and Innovative idea. This is one of those inventions that comes around too frequently.

P.S. If I may vent. There is another issue that drives me crazy and wastes paper like crazy. Many people don't realize that there is a way to manually select the page they need to print out. Sometimes we search for an article, and many only need page 2 of 25 for our research, etc. So, what most people do is just automatically print "all". When they can simply print page 2 of 25. Doing so can reduce so much waste. You may have already touched on this issue. If so, thank you for letting me vent:)

From: Rainforests - Part One

Argentum Vulgaris said...

SF, as usual you touch the wick. I look forward to the rest of the series. It is, without doubt, the most important of all the issues we face at the moment.

I your list of rainforest products, don't forget rubber which came originally from the Amazon until stolen by the British and propagated in Kew gardens from where it was exported to Malaya. For some great info read a book called One River(can't think of the auhtor's name offhand). He was an ethno-biolgist who spent 50 years in the Amazon and surrounding areas.
AV

Ysabet said...

Recently I posted on a related topic, how forests (especially rainforests) generate wind and rain:
http://gaiatribe.geekuniversalis.com/2009/04/08/how-forests-generate-wind-and-rain/
So destroying the forests can disrupt weather patterns to the point of drying out an entire continent. It is hypothesized that this may explain Australia's condition.

Project Savior said...

You touched on it in post but maybe the most important reason (for humans) to save the rainforests is the scientific research into the properties of various exotic plants hold the keys to all sorts of new medicines.
If the rainforests are destroyed those cures are destroyed as well.

Lesley said...

Excellent post Sf. I hate to see those photos of vast areas of the rainforest that's been cut down...... miles of barren land with the remains of tree stumps.... and then compare it to the lush growth and the infinite number of species that once lived there. It's heartbreaking.

The thing is though that local people make their living from the palm oil plantations, etc. They're poor people and want to enjoy the pleasures that people from other countries enjoy, so they're going to take what work is on offer. I think one of the most important aspects is to try to develop alternative means of income for those people, so they can enjoy a good standard of living without harming the environment.

I look forward to reading your future posts on this subject. :)

From: Rainforests - Part Two

harri pao said...

I'm agree with choosing wood products that don't contribute to destruction of the rain forest is not easy...one of opportunities, in Indonesia, especially in Java where is huge population and scarcity of forest wood...we've been used village-wood from trees planted surrounded the village. But restoring the rain forest have to take action...Your articles, part one and two, are comprehensive enough, keep working!

From: Earth Day

Pseudonymous High School Teacher said...

Thanks for the heads up on these events. FOr Earth Day, a friend of mine is having a clothes swapping party. We bring all the clothes we clean out of our closets and have a potluck. We leave with clothes that feel "new" to each of us without buying anything.

From: Guest Blogger - Kimberly B. Keilbach

Afternoon Tea Break said...

Well said! Thank you for posting this article about the need to be green and the need for companies to actually live up to their "corporate social responsibilities" rather than just having it as a meaningless catchphrase spicing up the annual reports. Is that Barack Obama letter at the bottom real by the way?

Recently in the UK I try to support the local community by buying as much food as possible from local farmers' markets rather than big supermarket stores, and I'd advocate everyone to do the same: not only is it better on the wallet, it tastes far better and lasts a few days longer than supermarket-bought food too. I'm glad your blog encourages others to do the same.

Feel free to follow me on http://creditcrunchcareerchange.blogspot.com

Ron said...

Before commiting myself to the corporation I currently shoot for, I never knew such companies cared so much about the world outside of their boardrooms. It's truly amazing. I think what these companies should do is all come together and work together to solve some of the worlds most daunting problems--only then can we see MORE change. Just my opinion...

Great tips from Kimberly! Thank you!

Again, I'd like to thank everyone who commented this month.

"See" you on Monday.