The Air in My Basement Flushes My Toilet!

It’s true.
I have a zero-gallon/flush toilet! The air in my basement (collected by my 5-gallon dehumidifier) flushes my toilet.

The 5-gallon reservoir in my dehumidifier fills up daily in the summer (I’m in humid St Louis, MO). Then, gravity lends a hand. I pour the 5 gallons into the toilet to flush the “yellow” that we’ve let “mellow” in the first floor bathroom, at the end of the day (for all you cringers out there, it doesn’t start to smell until day 2 or 3).

#2 is done upstairs and flushed in a normal fashion each time–we’re not barbarians:)

Now, I know that this works (and that it saves water) but I don’t know how it works. For that I looked up an old yahoo answers post which explains the process (for those who want to know).

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons GNU Free Documentation License

Free, Earth-Friendly Weed Killer for Small Yards and Gardens!

With all the news (and common sense) about the harmful effects of various weed killers, I’d like to arm our readers with a free, earth-friendly weed killer.

Scroll

down

to

access

your

free,

earth-

friendly

weed

killer.

Yep, it’s your hands. I am arming you with your own hands. The thumb and index finger can work together to rid most small yards and gardens of all invasive weeds.

If you have kids and/or a partner, then you have more free weed killers at your disposal.

And you don’t have to purchase “green” products to be “green”. As Adam Shake writes at Twilight Earth; “Do Nothing - And Call it Green”. This is a perfect example of this mantra…

Now get pickin’!

Related News

EPA fails to inform public about weed-killer (Atrazine) in drinking water
Green Options Article Archive on “Atrazine”
Report: Genetically Modified (GM) Crops are Harmful to Your Health (good info on the effects of Roundup weed killer. Also, click on the links at the bottom of this article for more info.)

image credit: Wikimedia Commons under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0

Nude Pole Dancing on the Subway

Nude pole dancing on the New York subway and pole dancing on a pedicab (bike)! Two more reasons to ditch your car…

See the video here.

image credit: Wikimedia Commons–Creative Commons Public Domain

SOS: Angela Primbas Takes Pollution Clean-Up into her Own Hands

Most teenagers are busy texting their friends or playing video games. Not Angela Primbas. This teen is taking matters into her own hands when it comes to pollution. She and two friends of hers have formed Save Our Streams (S.O.S.), and new group dedicated to stopping the pollution of their backyard streams and the entire Lake Erie Watershed.

Says Angela,

When I was a kid, I can remember seeing a sign that was posted on one of the beaches at Lake Erie that said the beach was closed to swimming because of pollution. That was a big wake-up call for me. I also learned about pollution in my seventh-grade science class. Environmental issues weren’t really part of my school’s curriculum, but I was lucky enough to have a science teacher who really cared about the environment and shared with us some facts about pollution. Between those two avenues, I learned about the toll that pollution is having on our community.

You can read more of the interview with Angela at Mother Nature Network.

Image via NeilsPhotography on Flickr.

GOOD Magazine’s Water Issue–A MUST Read!

I once called Blue Planet Run a “must read“, and it is (so read it!). However, GOOD’s latest water issue* is easier to take with you, covers some new topics, and well, some people just prefer magazines.

I’m not sure if magazines can be called ‘must reads’–but if so, then this issue is (so read it!).

*The on-line edition does not have the content in its entirety, so consider buying the hard copy as well.

More on Water

Blue Planet Run
Green Options Articles tagged ‘Water’

image credit: flickr

Pollution Causes Dumb Babies

Yesterday, TIME magazine reported that pollution isnt just bad for your health - it is also linked with lower IQs in children. The study, which was published by the journal Pediatrics found that mothers who gave birth after living in places with high pollution have, on average, children with IQ scores that are four points lower than mothers who are pregnant in a clean environment.

“A difference in four points could be educationally meaningful in terms of school success,” says Frederica Perera, director of the Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health and lead author of the study. The effect is comparable, she says, to the damage seen in children exposed to low levels of the toxic metal lead.

Nearly 20 children participated in the study, which first began in 1998 and has tracked them for over a decade. Read more about it at TIME.com.

Picture via Flickr.

Ecovolunteer: A New Kind of Travel Agency

You could say that Ecovolunteer is a travel agent. But the trips we organize are not your average holidays. They bring you to places that are not accessible to tourists. Where you get the possibility to protect nature and its inhabitants.

A friend told me that she was planning an eco-vacation, so I did a little research on the subject. As it turns on, a lot of eco-tourism is more about the tourism and less about the “eco.” Then, there are companies like Ecovolunteer.

You aren’t going to relax on your “vacation” though this company. Instead, think if it like a missioin trip. You can search for options by location or by species that interests you most. You apply for the trip, rather than just booking it, and although costs are fairly low, you won’t be sipping mojitos on the beach at any of these locations.

It’s a once in a lifetime experience, though. If you can afford it, consider travel that saves the earth, not just travel that looks at the natural environment and comments on how pretty it is! To learn more, check out the Ecovolunteer website.

Picture via sxc.hu

Living Without Disposables

Most people committed to going green have switched from using bottled water to reusable water bottles, but that’s not the only disposable product you can eliminate from your life. Earlier this month, Jennifer Chait posted a long list of ways to replace your disposables. Some of my favorites:

• Instead of store plastic produce bags use cloth produce bags.
• Instead of ice pops from the store choose reusable ice pop molds and make homemade ice pops.
• Instead of new bottles of shampoo, get a refillable bottle and buy shampoo in bulk at the co-op.
• Instead of paper coffee filters use a reusable coffee filter.
• Instead of disposable razors choose an electric razor.

Jennifer lists a number of other good disposable-replacement ideas at Blisstree. Check it out today and list your own tip as a comment below!

Picture via Klearchos Kapoutsis.

Wyndham Goes Green with Wind Power

Wyndham Worldwide’s new headquarters in Parsippany, N.J. is all about renewable resources. According to Green Lodging News, the new facility is powered 100% by wind energy. The building opened in 2009 and they expect to receive a LEED Silver award.

According to Environmental Leader,

Faith Taylor, vice president, sustainability and innovation for Wyndham Worldwide, told the news site, “We really wanted to walk our green talk. We took the LEED initiative to heart. It was a collaboration of many groups.”

Picture via Flickr.

Save the Catfish: A Good Reason Not to Litter

Need a reason not to litter? How about this: just one piece of trash can create a life-threatening problem for wildlife. From JeffBridges.com:

Bill Driver, who lives in Wichita, KS, saw a ball bouncing around kind of strange in the lake and went to investigate.

It turned out to be a flathead catfish who had obviously tried to swallow a basketball which became stuck in its mouth!!

The fish was totally exhausted from trying to dive, but unable to because the ball would always bring him back up to the surface.

You can read more of the story, as well as see pictures of the poor critter, here.

Eventually, the catfish was saved, but it never would have happened had their not been junk in its lake in the first place. So remember - don’t litter! Oh, and keep your eyes out for mysterious bouncing balls found in lakes. You may be able to save a fish too.

Picture via Flickr.