Your carbon footprint is a tabulation of all the CO2 emissions you’ve created throughout your life, due to the gas you’ve used, the oil, the heating, and even some of the food you’ve eaten. Keeping track of your family’s carbon footprint opens your eyes to how much energy you’re wasting and how it impacts the planet. Only by knowing the part you play in creating greenhouse gases can you become more eco-friendly.
You’ve decided to go green. Maybe you bought a hybrid, or are installing energy-efficient appliances throughout your home. These big-ticket items are a great way to do your part for helping the environment, but it doesn’t have to stop there. Your eco-friendliness can extend throughout all rooms of your house—even into your bathroom.
California’s startup auto company Tesla just won the 2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year for its Model S, an electric car. Analysts have lauded the start-up for winning against bigger established automotive companies. Not only did the Model S win this prestigious award, but it also exceeded its projected sales by 250 units. Tesla expects to be profitable for the first quarter of 2013 and shows incredible promise as a start-up headed for long-term sustainability. And according to Phil Lebeau of CNBC, the model S outsold the Nissan Leaf and the Chevrolet Volt last month. So, the question on everyone’s minds: how long / will it last?
In a recent study conducted by UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health, researchers discovered a possible link between traffic-related air pollution and several rare childhood cancers. The study, led by Julia Heck, an assistant researcher in the Fielding School’s epidemiology department, collected data on almost 4,000 children who were born in California between 1998 and 2007. Pollution exposure was estimated for the various areas around each child’s home and cancer risk was determined using statistical analysis. The study showed that children exposed to more pollution were those more prone to developing cancer.
Spring has arrived and there are many lawns to be mown. For most Americans, this also means there are skies to be polluted and an excess of water to be sprinkled. With one simple change, homeowners can make a significant difference to the environment. Toss out your power mower and eliminate reliance on fuel with these ecological lawn mowers.
Sure, we all know that April is “Taxes Due” month. It’s also the month when rain showers are eminent (after all, April showers do bring May flowers). However, did you know that April is Stress Awareness Month as well? When you’re stressed out about getting that tax check to Uncle Sam in time or tired of driving in torrential downpours, know that you don’t have to be stressed for long: Mother Earth has a treat for you, and by taking advantage of what she has to offer, you’ll actually be treating her in return. Here are a few green ways to relieve stress this month.
Although the sport of go-karting began getting noticed in the 1950s, it’s showed no signs of slowing down since then. The activity is popular not just in the United States, but around the world. According to a study from the Netherlands published on a National Institutes of Health database, indoor and outdoor tracks welcome thousands of people every year, and some enthusiasts even begin racing go karts first before graduating to Formula One racing
Americans use paper products in almost every part of our lives, from the kitchen to the office, but paper products as a whole are not green. If you want to make a difference in your own home, you don’t need to make a dramatic shift in your paper usage. By changing a few aspects of your paper use, you can make the difference.
Got too carried away drinking alcohol last night? It seems like fun to go wild for the moment, but the after effects are certainly not. Alcohol affects your mind and body in a number of ways. Heavy bout of alcohol consumption leads to a bad hangover. You wake up with a pounding headache, body pains and a dry mouth. You will be all dazed and dizzy to make out what’s going around. In addition to the physical symptoms, you may also experience uneasiness, depression, anxiety, regret and embarrassment.
Sure, heading out to the local park to do some recycling or to plant some trees can earn you some “greenie” points in Mother Earth’s book this spring, thus leaving you off of her blacklist. However, simply being at home and chowing down can do the trick, too—if you make the easy effort to start being more eco-friendly in some quite interesting, nonconventional, food-related ways. Outside of simply getting a programmable thermostat or installing rooftop solar panels, here are a few unique methods in which you can “green” your humble abode rather effortlessly at meal time.
