Natural Environment Blog

There’s been a lot of talk recently about saddling our children and grandchildren with a huge national debt. But that’s not the only problem we’re creating for our kids: They’re going to inherit a nation of landfills that are packed beyond their capacity.

How about recycling more of this material and solving this problem before it gets even more out of hand?

It’s really very easy and if you take these 5 recycling tips to save our landfills, you can get the process going.

Has anyone seen the remote control batteries?

Where do you put the rechargeable remote batteries when they die? Of course, this usually happens when there are several things on TV that you want to watch at the same time, but that’s different subject. Anyway, rechargeable batteries, including the batteries in your cellphone, can be recycled and call2recycle can give you the full low down.

That takes care of many of the little batteries that haunt our lives, but what about the big ones, the lead-acid car batteries that decide to lose their last amps of energy on the coldest winter mornings? You have two easy ways to go here. Retailers who sell car batteries are one place to take them and very often community waste disposal departments have drop off sites, sometimes scheduled for specific dates throughout the year. Check your city our county’s official website or call your local auto parts retailer.

What Can I Do with my Dead Electronics?

Some of us change cellphones more often than we change pairs of Converse Chuck Taylors or Pradas (choose one). The same thing goes for game consoles, computers and other miscellaneous electronics. There are several great ways to deal with the electronic flotsam and jetsam of your life. You can drop off electronic gear that is definitely way beyond its useful life at your local Best Buy store. For gear with some life left in it eBay’s Rethink program can direct you to several charities that accept donations.

Would you Like to Get Rid of That Wood?

Guys are infamous for keeping old wood scraps around “just in case.” Of course, the “case” seldom happens. Scrap lumber can be turned into a variety of products including mulch and building materials, or used as fuel. According to the Environmental Protection Agency there are some 500 facilities around the nation that can process your wood scraps and sometimes they’ll even pay you for the privilege.

When They Ask “Paper or Plastic” do you Always Opt for Plastic?

As I write this, I’m looking out my widow at my new bird feeder. It was made from recycled plastic. There are a lot of wonderful uses for recycled plastic, whether it be your old grocery bag or a one liter soda bottle.

If you’re like many people, you cart your groceries home in plastic bags. If you find it impossible to make the switch to sturdy reusable bags, be on the lookout for stores that have a spot where you can recycle your used bags. Even if your store doesn’t offer recycling, there’s probably somewhere nearby that does.
For other plastic containers, like bottles, check the recycling code on the bottom. Your local recycling center probably accepts most kinds.

The Slippery Slope of Oil Recycling

As a child I remember my dad changing the oil in our cars. The oil sat in containers in the garage until the house was eventually sold, if my memory serves me. Recycling used motor oil is far wiser. According to the EPA, if all the Americans who change their own oil would recycle it, it would save enough oil to lube up 50 million cars each year. Further, oil that is not properly recycled or disposed gets into our waterways—like millions of little Exxon Valdezes.

Often, public waste haulers will have drop off spots for motor oil and there’s probably a garage or gas station near you where you can take it. Inquire locally so you can act globally.

And, before I slide past the subject of oil, how about your old cooking oil? Do you have any friends who are brewing their own bio-diesel? Give them a call. They might want to take your spent cooking oil.

These 5 recycling tips will help us solve our landfill problem and reduce overall pollution. Have you found any easy ways to recycle items and keep them out of our trash?

Chris Turberville-Tully is a marketing strategist for Denios, a hazardous material storage company specializing in health and safety products for chemical storage, containment, spills and more.

Mark Tercek, President & CEO  of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), has sent an email to TNC members encouraging them to help with the clean up efforts of the Gulf Oil Spill.

If you want to help with the clean up effort, but you’re not sure what you can do to help, here are 3 things Mark asks you consider:

• Make a donation to help The Nature Conservancy restoration efforts in the Gulf — your contribution to our Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration will help TNC determine both the extent of the spill and the necessary long-term restoration work in the Gulf and states along its coast.
• Second, tell your friends about The Nature Conservancy’s blog and what’s at stake for the Gulf Coast. Forward them this post, post it to Facebook or tweet on Twitter. Get the word out that the plants, animals and people in one of North America’s most treasured places will need our help.
• Third, consider being a volunteer. The Conservancy is still assessing what volunteer opportunities will be needed and coordinating with groups like gulfresponse.org.

And in case you’re interested, here are the contents of the email:

Thank you. It’s hard to express how much all the phone calls and emails in the wake of the Gulf Oil Spill mean to me and to all the Conservancy’s staff — especially those working long hours in the Gulf states.

Many of you contacted us again after reading our Alabama director of conservation’s blog posts in yesterday’s e-newsletter, asking what you can do to help Bill and his team respond to the spill.

Here are three things you can do today to help the Gulf coast, its wildlife and the people who depend on it.

• Make a donation to help our restoration efforts in the Gulf — your contribution to our Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration will help us determine both the extent of the spill and the necessary long-term restoration work in the Gulf and states along its coast.
• Second, tell your friends about our blog and what’s at stake for the Gulf Coast. Forward them this email, post it to Facebook or tweet on Twitter. Get the word out that the plants, animals and people in one of North America’s most treasured places will need our help.
• Third, consider being a volunteer. The Conservancy is still assessing what volunteer opportunities will be needed and coordinating with groups like gulfresponse.org.

Already, we’ve put to work The Nature Conservancy’s best knowledge and expertise in the Gulf region.

Our Fund for Gulf Coast Restoration will help us do even more and will be put to use by the Conservancy and its marine scientists and staff knowledgeable about the Gulf and about oil spill impacts to help the long-term restoration of this critical ecosystem.
Currently, our Louisiana staff is conducting flights over the coast with federal, state, and some of our non-governmental partners to help determine the extent of the spill and are working to protect critical oyster reefs in the Grand Isle, Biloxi Marsh, and Vermilion Bay areas.

I am in the Gulf region today to assess what more the Conservancy can do to respond and support our staff members who live along the Gulf and work every day on conservation here.

As you know, this is not just about the shrimp, the oysters, and the crabs. It is about both the Gulf’s marine ecosystem, as well the local economy and the people who depend on it.

I hope you will continue to follow Bill’s work and our progress on our blog.

Thank you for your offer to help and your critical support,

So, go ahead and take action now!

Sometimes it seems that just about everything we buy these days ends up being bad for the environment. I mean, even the clothes we’ve all been buying and wearing for so many years have turned out to be bad for the environment…

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that wearing clothes is bad for the environment! The problem lies in the fabrics that are being used to make our modern day clothes. These fabrics tend to be far from eco-friendly. Here are some examples:

• Cotton: The production of (non-organic) cotton destroys farmland and pollutes waterways. The production of a simple T-shirt requires two pounds of pesticide!
• Dyes: Most common dyes that are used in fabrics contain heavy metals that can be harmful to animals, the natural environment, and ourselves.
• Synthetic polyesters and nylons: These are made from petrochemicals via a process of refining crude oil, which creates horrible pollution.
• Silk: Commercial silk is made by boiling the silkworms’ cocoons, then unwinding the single silk strand onto reels. This results in the silkworms being boiled to death in their cocoons.

What’s more, many fabrics cause further environmental problems when they’re dumped in landfill. Fabrics can typically take hundreds of years (or more) to break down in landfill.

But there is hope. Many major clothing companies are recognizing the environmental problems caused by traditional fabrics, and they’re starting to do something about it. These companies are now producing clothes that are made from eco-friendly fabrics.

Unfortunately, eco-friendly clothes still tend to be the exception rather than the norm. That’s why it’s so important for us, as consumers, to start searching for clothes made from environmentally friendly fabrics. The more of us that do this, the more commercially viable it will be for companies to use eco-friendly fabrics in their clothing lines. Here’s an example of one major clothing company doing just that.