Comments of Note

This month's comments were wonderful ... readers offered pertinent thoughts and ideas. In fact, the comments were so good that it was a challenge to keep the list down to ten for publication here. I'd like to say "thank you" to everyone who took the time to write!

Okay ... here we go:


From Let's get started ...

MRoth said...

Hooray! It's such a great idea to shut everything down off a power strip when it's not needed - especially kitchen appliances. Phantom loads can really take a toll on energy consumption...

I try to keep everything in the apartment hooked to a power strip. This makes it especially easy to flip it off during hours of non-use.

Alternatively, in a place like the bathroom where there is only one tiny plug, sometimes it's better NOT to have a power strip...this keeps me from plugging in anything that isn't immediately needed.

Thanks for the amazing blog! You're making green living so accessible!

-Megan

From I can see the light (a recycled article) ...

Dafthermit said...

Hi Sf

just a wee visit to say good morning

as for lights as you know i live on a bus and we use the solar lights most people use to light the garden up with and apart from the odd candle our lighting is free music to an old dafthermit

all the best from the highlands and thanks for popping over to my blogs


Andy & Mel x

From Splish Splash I was taking a bath (a recycled article) ...

Hans said...

Saving water is one of the things I really learned when living in Australia. Taking short showers and having water in the fridge are my favourites. And then of course never pour water down the zink. It can always be used for something - watering a plant for example.

Great blog!

From Mmm ... Mmm ... Good (a recycled article) ...

Yanic said...

Wonderful post! I try to make as much as possible from scratch all the time. It's my slight OCD : The lack of control in what goes into my food gets the better of me.

The great thing about freezing in small quantities is that there is no waste.

One of my favorite ways to use home made stock is when cooking rice. Instead of buying all those artificially flavored rices, you can create your own!

Another great way to make tons of it without breaking the bank is to go to your local farmer's market and buy (for a fraction of the price) veggies that have gotten bruised or wilted. They will gladly sell them for pennies and you have all the stock making materials you need!

Chourou said...

Hi,SF. Your posting this time reminds me of the way of taking broth(bouillon in French) which has been traditional and popular in Japan. It is very simple. All you have to do is that you pick up Konbu, or kelp, a sort of seaweeds, and put it into a pan filled with water and leave it. After a day, you put aside the water of the pan and keep in a bottle or whatever. When you cook miso soup, you can use this liquid as a very good basis. We call this liquid “dashi”.

Anyway, your suggestion this time is wonderful. Thank you for sharing your eco-friendly tips again!

GreenWorks said...

Great post and homemade stock is much better than the bought stuff.

On a similar note vegetables left over from a meal added to stock and blitzed to puree makes a tasty and easy meal for the next evening.

From It's a Balancing Act (a recycled article with new comments) ...

Yanic said...

I completely agree. One of the main reasons why I started my own blog was to inspire to take steps towards a greener life and that every little one of those steps count for something. If everyone would take a few steps, then the world would be a much better place. I think the problem is right now that we are at a cross-roads and the ones that are putting forth the effort feel like they have to make up for the ones that don't. Hopefully, that will soon not be such a reality.

Ways I reduce, reuse and recycle...

Recycle : Everything I possibly can! So that point is mute. Although we did build our first compost bin this year so all our compostables will soon be recycled into yummy fertilizer!

Reduce : Between the recycling and the compost bin, we have recently realized that a box of 36 biodegrable trash bags (21 in. X 26 in.) lasts us over 9 months! That is about 1 bag a week and we could not be more pleased!

Reuse : LOL! They call me the garbage lady at work! I bring all my lunch in reused yogourt containers and Mason jars.

Great tip : Reuse all your glas jars for storage! I keep all my discarded pasta sauce, condiment jars, glass bottles to store my grains, pastas, dried goods, spices, maple si=yrup, honey... They are wonderful because they fit very thightly on a shelf, are transparent and stackable!

Nana Net said...

Guilt comes in some many ways, shape, and so on. Still though I agree we all must do our part to help save this world of ours!
As for me I try to do as much as I can. Mostly by trying to becoming more aware of what I am doing wrong! Some examples that I have tried to help in saving our planet is by recycling.
That I reuse the butter containers that the butter comes in. As well as all other plastic containers that I am able to. Especially after a good washing of them first!
Another way is that I try to do large loads of laundry instead of small loads. That way I only have to do less instead of more. If that makes sense to you all. To me it saves on the amount of laundry detergent I have to use! Plus I hang my clothes out on the clothes line instead of using the clothes dryer. Nothing like fresh air to dry your clothes!
I also wash my dishes by hand and let them air dry too. I really do not like having a dishwasher.
Oh well, another thing that comes to mind is that I love watching HGTV. Now that is where I do get alot of neat ides from on "Going Green" too. Still though your blog helps me by far the most!!!!
Have a blessed day.

From A Quick Tip (a recycled article) ...

Mysticle said...

What a great idea, that I had never thought of before. Stumbled!

In our home, we reuse water bottles and plastic bags. Take our green bags shopping. Always Always Recycle.

I like to reuse the cardboard sleeves from my local coffee shop ... just carry in my purse, no need for a new one every day.

TY, Mysticle

From Vacations ... The Eco Friendly Way ...

Mukund said...

Hey one more thing, carry a disposable bag of some sort in the back of your car to throw what you eat or drink (cans, chips wrappers etc.), just in case there are no dustbins around...
I don't about the world outside but lack of dustbins is a major problem in India...
Great to have you back small... :)

May I offer a suggestion? If you have a bit of time and would like to investigate some new sites, click on one of the people listed above ... not only have they left meaningful comments here, they write brilliant blogs.

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

Starry, Starry Nights ...

Awhile back, my friend Argentum Vulgaris, of Tomus Arcanum, published a post on Light Pollution (you can see it HERE). I first heard of light pollution some years ago while camping in the Florida Keys. We were lucky enough to join a group of astronomers who shared their telescopes ... and a great view of the skies ... with us. After a wonderful evening of sharing the sky's treasures, the leader of the group talked about light pollution. He pointed out the glow in the sky and told us how it was created by the lights of Miami ... some 132 miles away. He also pointed out that without that glow, we'd be able to see so much more.

Light pollution is a big deal to amateur astronomers, who wish to explore the constellations, as well as to large observatories where our universe is studied. It also represents, as Argentum pointed out, huge amounts of energy usage and waste. But did you know that light pollution also affects nature and our health?

In the human body, excessive light exposure can result in adverse health effects such as headaches, fatigue, stress and anxiety. It has been shown to elevate blood pressure and is considered a factor in some forms of cancer due to the suppression of the normal nocturnal production of melatonin. Simply put ... we need darkness. It helps set our circadian rhythms which determine our sleeping patterns. Our core body temperature, brain wave activity, hormone production, cell regeneration, as well as many other biological activities are all linked to sleep ... and darkness.

Light pollution is also affecting nature. All life exists with natural patterns of light and dark. Interfere with those patterns and many aspects of animal behavior change. For example, light pollution confuses animal navigation. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services estimate that 4-5 million migrating birds per year are killed when they become disoriented by the lights on tall structures. Moths and other nocturnal insects, being drawn to artificial lights, affect night blooming flowers that depend on these nighttime creatures for pollination. Lights around lakes prevent zooplankton from eating surface algae, causing algal blooms which kill off aquatic plants and destroy water quality.

One of the most well-known casualties of light pollution are the sea turtles. Hatchlings emerge from their nests and find the ocean by moving away from the darkness of the dunes. When the dunes are artificially lit by street lights or residential outdoor lighting, the hatchlings become disoriented and fatally head inland instead of toward the ocean.

Light pollution ... as with all forms of pollution ... has a negative impact on the environment and our lives. How can be help? Here are a few ideas:

• Whenever a light is not in use, turn it off. This applies inside and out. For outdoor lighting, use a timer or motion sensor. No need to light up a yard if no one is out there, right?

• For lighting, especially outdoor lighting, make sure that the lamp only illuminates the area necessary (use full cutoff light fixtures or lamp shades). For example, if you need to light a deck or patio, make sure that the sky, or a neighbor's yard, isn't also lit.

• Choose low wattage illumination. For example, deck lighting doesn't necessarily have to be as bright as a kitchen. Low wattage can actually create a very pleasant atmosphere for outside, evening activities. And don't forget to use efficient bulbs (CFLs or LEDs).
  

• Try not to use a light at all. Whenever possible, allow your eyes to adjust to the dark ... and leave the lights off.

• At work, suggest that lights be turned off ... point out the energy & monetary savings that will be realized. If you own a company ... implement policies to turn out lights when not in use.

• Get educated on the subject. For two good resources, check out the International Dark-Sky Association and Starry Night Lights.

Light Pollution ... just one more area where we can make a difference.

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