Man, it’s been a busy as heck couple of months. First, I’ve been busy with a brand new job, developing the web software of tomorrow, today.
Second, I just yesterday got back from mi luna de miel. What with that and helping with wedding planning, my life was purty dang busy.
Anyhoo, enough about me. What I bring to you today is a good video from TED Talks showing time lapse proof of extreme ice loss.
James Balog, a photographer, founded the Extreme Ice Survey to capture the changing glaciers by time-lapse photography and video. His goal is to show everyone visual proof of just how fast glaciers are melting.
You know those lil’ paper cups of latte that you get from coffee shops? Think about how many people get one of those lattes every day. How much water does that take?
Welp, it turns out that to make each cup o’ latte, it takes 200 liters of water. That’s over 50 gallons of water for each latte!! Hot dang!
Besides just the water you see, lots of water is also used for the coffee production, milk, disposable cup and sleeve, lid, and sugar. Check out this here video from WWF for more information…
Deep in the sprawling Peck Estates there is a meandering brook, full of plants, wildlife, and brisk, babbling water. Whenever I grow weary of my toils to better this planet called Earth, I cast my eyes upon this creek, and tears of wonder carve clean trails down my dusty face.
But it’s not “all good in the hood”, as Mister Rogers would say. Over the last month or so, I’ve cleaned out a LOT of litter just from my small part of the creek. The litter has ranged in size from tiny shards of broken glass to a metal chair to a freaking stop sign.
After cleaning all that mess out, me and Tiff decided to make some creek animals out of the junk, since all the trash had come from the creek. What follows may shock and even horrify you. Prepare to look upon the creek creatures. CLICK THE PICTURES TO SEE A BIGGER PICTURE
Glassy the Turtle
Tiff’s abstract masterpiece.
Turkey Thing
Made from a gen-u-ine 40 bottle (and maybe an old racquetball?).
Glass Frog
If you use your imagination, this pile of reused glass might look remotely like a frog.
Simple Snail
Another Tiff creation. My blurry picture does not do this glass snail justice.
Parrot with Coke Bottle Body
He’s all spirally and mess.
Snake made from Broken Glass
That’s his tongue on the left.
Glass Hell Monkey
Its tail is made from a LipSmackers brush. He is one menacing mamma jamma.
We recycled all the leftover broken glass and old cans and bottles. All in all, it was a good way to reuse some litter, and make some “art” from it. If anyone else has done cleaned up litter from a creek or stream and made something from it, por favor let me know!
This made the front page on Care2, vote for it with all yer might!
When many people think about a “green” house, they picture a small hut made out of mud where people sit on dirt floors, desperately trying to not use any energy. But by doing some careful planning and designing, and paying about 10% more on construction costs, this family’s home uses 50% less water and a whopping 90% less electricity than a similar-sized “normal” home.Some of the things they did are:
capturing rainwater and snow melt to flush toilets or water the lawn
“recycling” heat from hot water to help the water heater
If you’re thinking about building a home in the near future, and you’d like to cut the water bill in half and the electricity bill by 90%, then here’s how. I plan on one day following some of the tips in the video to make my house as cheap (and eco-friendly) as possible, while maintaining that normal home look.
Until today, it’s been illegal for North Carolinians to water their lawns with gray water. But it looks like the extended drought and water restrictions have been enough to change lawmakers’ minds. According to the The News and Observer, state officials will “tweak state laws that suggest it’s an illegal practice” to reuse gray water from bathing or washing dishes.
So if you’re trying to conserve water, and you live in North Carolina, feel free to grab a bucket and collect and reuse gray water from washing dishes or bathing or taking a shower (perhaps a Navy shower? Yeah?). Dump it on your yellow, withered stalks of grass, pour it under a brown, crackly bush, or use it to wash yo’ dusty car. Just remember, you can do this with GRAY water, but please don’t reuse BLACK water (water from toilets). That’s still illegal in “The Old North State”.
BBC has an interesting article today about people’s impact on the world’s oceans. Give it a looksie.
One thing I wish they’d done differently is to say exactly what criteria they used for their ratings. Anyhoo, scientists figure this map will be useful for determining what areas of the ocean most desperately need help. These scientists are now in consideration for the prestigious Eco Hero award.
Here in North Carolina we’re in the midst of a good ol’ drought. As my backyard slowly turns into desert, I wonder if there’s a way to clean my car without using water.
Well now there is. It’s called Dri Wash n’ Guard. Apparently, you don’t need to use water with it, which means:
You’re saving water (and money)
You’re avoiding washing all the oil, dirt, and soap into the environment.
But how well does it really work? What if it’s a rip-off? Luckily, you can get yourself a free sample of Dri Wash n’ Guard here. I’m waiting to test mine out whenever I get it.
Until today, it’s been illegal for North Carolinians to water their lawns with gray water. But it looks like the extended drought and water restrictions have been enough to change lawmakers’ minds. According to the 
Here in North Carolina we’re in the midst of a good ol’ drought. As my backyard slowly turns into desert, I wonder if there’s a way to clean my car without using water.