Category: Global Impact

America's Effort, Global Impact, Individual Change

Plastic Free Aisles

Taylor Houghton

Let’s be Plastic-Free!

If you haven’t heard the rage about plastic free products, you might be living under a rock! I am just kidding! Let me tell you!

Image result for plastic in our oceans

A lot of the products we produce are sold in plastic packages. This is a problem because plastic is ending up in our oceans and our environment! We need to do away with plastic things! 300 million tons of plastic are produced globally but only 12% are being recycled. Where does that leave the 88%? Something has to be done.

Supermarkets are now being urged to have plastic free aisles! This helps prevents tons of waste that is already effecting our Earth! Image result for plastic free aisle

Supermarkets including Tesco, Waitrose and Sainsbury’s said they would respond to the proposals once discussions with campaigners had taken place. I have also seen activists going into local super markets with their team. What ever they purchase, they take the plastic off with it and the purchase it.

Sarah Knapton from the telegraph news for science stats, “We have more choice than ever for everything. There are countless gluten-free, organic or kosha aisles, and yet we have absolutely no choice about buying food that is packaged in plastic.” Image result for plastic free aisle

It is true. How can you expect us to take part of this movement if there is way we could? Our only option right now is to buy plastic things. We must provide plastic free aisles to the public and then see the change happen!

She always tells us, “It is a double whammy problem because not only does it make us feel guilty about all this packaging we are using, but science is starting to show us that wrapping food in plastic can bring health problems.”Image result for no more plastic

If that doesn’t motivate you, I don’t know what will. Plastics are destroying our health and our home!

#ChangingOurPlanetOneAisleAtATime

 

*Check out the link below to see a video of the first plastic free store! 

America's Effort, Global Impact, Individual Change

Editable and Package Free Water Bottles!

Taylor Houghton

Editable and Package Free Water Bottles… Say what??

Are you thirsty but trying to reduce your use of plastic? Look no further. Scientists have come up with a package free and editable way to drink water. “‘Ooho’ by Skipping Rocks Lab is an edible water bottle created out of 100% biodegradable brown algae that is an environmental-friendly alternative to plastic bottles.” They are also developing colored ones or ones that have taste to them!

Image result for edible water bottle

How you drink it: 

It is a very simple process. All you have to do is peel the film/skin around the edible water and pop it in your mouth.

The editable water bottles are being tested at certain sporting events. It’s something very simple that you can just pick up and go and then just pop it in your mouth. This will help us eliminate plastic water bottles for good! They will be coming to the market soon! Keep your eyes pealed for them! I am very interested in trying one of these. My only concern is having them pop in my backpack or something. Because it has a skin that you have to peal before you drink it, it makes me think it won’t. I will let you know if I get the chance to try one!

 

Check out this video below! 

Global Impact, Individual Change

Ecosia- Search the Web to Plant Trees!

Taylor Houghton

Ecosia- Search the Web to Plant Trees!

 

The Top 7 Google Alternatives | DOZ

What? Did I read that right? Yes! Ecosia is a search engine that helps the planet! You need about 45 searches to plant a tree! Why not use this web search engine!

Ecosia is like any other search engine! Your searching up things anyways, might as well put it to good use! It also counts the each search that you make so you can keep track of your own individual efforts! Also, under the search bar there is a larger number that goes up every time someone makes a new search so you can also keep track of the number of searches the world makes! This is literally amazing!

“We want to create a world where the environment no longer needs protecting,” said the Esosia activists.

How it works: Every time you make a search from a search engine, they profit in some way. Esosia is different in this way because the profit they make for your searches goes towards the efforts to plant trees! The trees are planted in various different locations. They are being planted where they are needed most. Ecosia-Make planet greener by planting trees while you ...

The site has a option to make Ecosia your default browsers. If your searching on your phone more than your laptop, they also have a mobile app! You can also keep track of where the trees are being planted and who is being benefited. They have a little bell in the right hand

Ecosia. Plant trees while you search the Internet. · Cabo ...corner that is labeled “news” and it keeps you updated. They are such a honest search engine that they even have their financial report open to the public. They also post their tree receipts too.

 

 

 

42- year-old Sara from Mechisho, Ethiopia stated, “We plant native acacia trees, because they make the soil more fertile. With our earnings we started a communal savings account, which allows women to start their own businesses.”

 

Not only that but your privacy is respect as they stated this on their site. A lot search engines use your data to make a profit for themselves. Ecosia does not sell your data to advertisers and have no third part trackers. The search engine’s only goal is to encourage the public to use their search engine to plant more trees!

Over 24 million trees have already been planted, and their not stopping there! Start searching today!! ECOSIA - Planta Árboles buscando en Internet ¿Cómo ...

Check out the video below! Explains how they got the idea. Also download the app! 

America's Effort, Global Impact

Two Alternatives when Building Roads!

Taylor Houghton

Roads made from waste plastics and Solar Roadways:

I can across a video on Facebook that has left my jaw wide open. Engineering Toby McCarthey has invented paved roads that made from Image result for toby mccartney plastic roadsrecycled plastic and plastic that is in the ocean! He replaced bitumen with recycled plastic pieces and created something better than what we had before. The plastic roads are 60% stronger than the traditional asphalt roads and last 10 times longer. The popularly of these plastic roads is rising! It is time for the United States to take part!

Image result for toby mccartney plastic roadsImage result for toby mccartney plastic roads

Currently, there is over billions of liters of oil make up our roads and over trillions of plastic materials that have no use or that are just simply floating in our oceans. This is yet another great use for plastic! This will help solve some of the plastic waste problems, help reduce global carbon emissions, and in return make our roads more durable! Plastic paved roads are the future!

Another alternative this made me think of was solar roadways. It was popular a couple of years ago and I’m sad it didn’t take off because I was really excited about it. I am going to share this with you anyways! 

Solar Roadways is basically solar panels that replaced our roads, sidewalks, driveways, etc. They were invented by an engineering couple named Scott and Julie Brusaw.Image result for solar roadways

Because their solar panels, they basically pay for themselves, so it lowers the cost of energy. Not to mention these are heated! You never have to worry about ice or snow on roads! YES! That includes no more Image result for solar roadwaysshoveling in your driveway! You can ride your bike, moped and motorcycle year round! Think about the salt we put down on our roads. Not only does it destroy the roads themselves but it also rusts your car!

Solar Roadways are so easy to replace, and you won’t have to worry about filling in pot holes. They each are an individual panel. They are also pressure censored so they can warn people telling them to slow down for people crossing, deer crossing, or even branches falling. The solar Image result for solar roadwaysroadways also light up with LED lights! They light up the lane changes, warning signs, parking spots, etc. And you never have to worry about repainting them because all you have to do is re program them! It also helps with water run off. It re directs the water and doesn’t contaminant it like traditional roads do!

The best part of it all… the solar panels are made from recycle materials!

 

 

Both of these are great Eco-friendly alternatives! I am excited to see our future paved roads! 

 

Check out this video below. It goes into more details about Solar Roadways! 

America's Effort, Global Impact, Individual Change

The Last Straw!

Taylor Houghton

Straw’s Suck…LITERALLY!!!

Image result for no straw please

This week I heard about about not using plastic straws. They started campaigns called The Last Straw or No Straw Please, which I thought was very clever! I have always been one to not use a straw if I didn’t have to. I’m glad the rest of the world is finally taking notice as well!

Disposable straws are not recyclable. I actually told some of my friends this and they were surprised and didn’t know this. They often end up in landfills, oceans or our environment! According to the National Park Service, Americans throw away a half a billion straws everyday! That’s insane! It is insane to think that a tiny little piece of plastic could have such a big impact on our Earth. It is also crazy to not realize how many times you use a straw! Eight million tons of plastic enter our marine environments every year! They say by 2050 there will be more plastic then there is fish! These fish are also eating these plastic materials! This matter because we eat fish! I eat fish! This means were eating plastic! We are killing ourselves!

Image result for plastic straws in the ocean

CNN tells us that the average American uses two plastic straws a day, “Every day, Americans throw away 500 million plastic straws, enough to circle the Earth twice, or fill 125 school buses. That means the average American uses over 35,000 of them in a lifetime.” Image result for turtle and plastic straw

The movement started in 2011 by nine-year-old boy named Milo Cress. His campaign was called Be Straw Free.  It started when he went to restaurants and they gave him a straw without him even asking. He really didn’t need one and they gave him one without asking! He started going to local restaurants and asking them to not give anyone straws unless they ask. Those restaurants reported that they used 50% less straws!

Image result for restaurants saying no to straws

 

This campaign, however, started in our very own Seattle. The campaign saved over 2.3 million plastic straws in as little of three months! Restaurants are switching to paper straws. The city is even looking into having an official ban on straws and plastic utensils! Image result for no more plastic straws

 

I’m not asking you to stop using straws. I simply asking you to not use plastic straws! There are other alternatives like reusable glass, stainless steel, copper, bamboo, and several other kinds of reusable straws. I challenge you to go straw free for a full week! I am asking you to make the switch and say no to plastic straws!!

Image result for alternatives to plastic straws

 

Check out this video! 

America's Effort, Global Impact, Individual Change

11 Facts about Recycling

Taylor Houghton

On a previous blog post I talked about what can and cannot be recycled. I can across this neat website! They gave such interesting facts about recycling I had to share!! Image result for recycling

11 Facts about Recycling:

  1. The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year.
  2. Americans make more than 200 million tons of garbage each year, enough to fill Busch Stadium from top to bottom twice a day. Next time you’re at a sporting event or tailgate, host a trash-free tailgate using only recyclable materials sign up for Trash-Free Tailgate.
  3. The EPA estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.
  4. We generate 21.5 million tons of food waste each year. If we composted that food, it would reduce the same amount of greenhouse gas as taking 2 million cars off the road.
  5. Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to listen to a full album on your iPod. Recycling 100 cans could light your bedroom for two whole weeks. Sign up for 5 Cans Challenge to save energy and show off your creative side.
  6. The Container Recycling Institute (CRI) estimates that the 36 billion aluminum cans land filled last year had a scrap value of more than $600 million.
  7. Americans throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars every year.
  8. Over 87% of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs.
  9. In 2009, Americans threw away almost 9 million tons of glass. That could fill enough tractor trailers to stretch from NYC to LA (and back!).
  10. In 2010, paper recycling had increased over 89% since 1990.
  11. A glass container can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as few as 30 days.Image result for recycling the world

Be the change! Recycle! This may be something small that you are doing but it makes a BIG difference!!! Image result for recycling the world

The link is below:

https://www.dosomething.org/us/facts/11-facts-about-recycling

America's Effort, Global Impact, Individual Change

Saving the BEES!

Taylor Houghton

What would the world be like without bees? Image result for a world without bees

My first thought is oh no honey! I love honey but would I die if I didn’t have it? Probably not. What about coffee? Clothes? Bees do a lot more that what we think!

Image result for bee colony collapseIn US over these last 10 years, over 40% of the bee colonies have suffered Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). CCD is caused by the increased usage of pesticides. This is a problem because we won’t survive without bees!

BEES ARE LITERALLY THE LIFE BLOOD OF THE FOOD CHAIN! FOOD CHAINS WILL COLLAPSE!

Plants can’t bear fruit unless they have been pollinated. Bees pollinate 70% of the crops that feed 90% of the world! This is about 1/3 of the food you consume. Image result for bees pollinating

What kinds of foods are we talking about? 

  • Apples
  • Mangos
  • Rambutan
  • Kiwi Fruit
  • Plums
  • Peaches
  • Nectarines
  • Guava
  • Rose Hips
  • PomegranitesImage result for food we wouldn't have without bees
  • Pears
  • Black and Red Currants
  • Alfalfa
  • Okra
  • Strawberries
  • Onions
  • Cashews
  • Cactus
  • Prickly Pear
  • Apricots
  • Allspice
  • Avocados
  • Passion Fruit
  • Lima Beans
  • Kidney Beans
  • Adzuki Beans
  • Green Beans
  • Orchid Plants
  • Custard Apples
  • Cherries
  • Celery
  • Coffee
  • Walnut
  • Cotton
  • Lychee
  • Flax
  • Acerola – used in Vitamin C supplementsImage result for food we wouldn't have without bees
  • Macadamia Nuts
  • Sunflower Oil
  • Goa beans
  • Lemons
  • Buckwheat
  • Figs
  • Fennel
  • Limes
  • Quince
  • Carrots
  • Persimmons
  • Palm Oil
  • Loquat
  • Durian
  • Cucumber
  • Hazelnut
  • Cantaloupe
  • Tangelos
  • CorianderImage result for no food without bees
  • Caraway
  • Chestnut
  • Watermelon
  • Star Apples
  • Coconut
  • Tangerines
  • Boysenberries
  • Starfruit
  • Brazil Nuts
  •  Beets
  • Mustard Seed
  • Rapeseed
  • Broccoli
  • Cauliflower
  • Cabbage
  • Brussels Sprouts
  • Bok Choy (Chinese Cabbage)
  • Image result for no food without beesTurnips
  • Congo Beans
  • Sword beans
  • Chili peppers, red peppers, bell peppers, green peppers
  • Papaya
  • Safflower
  • Sesame
  • Eggplant
  • Raspberries
  • Image result for no food without beesElderberries
  • Blackberries
  • Clover
  • Tamarind
  • Cocoa
  • Black Eyed Peas
  • Vanilla
  • Cranberries
  • Tomatoes
  • Grapes

This list can keep going. Not to mention all the recipes that require these foods!

And it’s not just produce that is at risk here! Were talking about: beef, milk, cheese! We wouldn’t have these either! Bees pollinate alfalfa and guess what? COWS EAT ALFALFA! Think about how much beef you eat? Do you see how these relate?  Image result for cows eat alfalfa

 

Farmers would have to convert to growing wheat and corn because they are wind pollinated. Our diets would lack nutrients, there would be health complications and have less diverse foods. Our economy would be effected as well! Crop prices would raise so much that their prices could be equivalent to gold!! I already think fruits and veggie prices are high enough! Even beautiful plants wouldn’t be able to grow without bees! Trees would even be effected! The Earth would be so bare and look like a desert. Image result for what would the planet look like without bees

Without bees we would have shirking food resources (plants and animals), lack of nutrients, famine, fertility rates would stop…this would eventually lead to extinction! We would BE dead without BEES!

What are the possibly solutions?

Hand pollination, scientist building robotic bees, pollinator drones? These are all being tested but might not be enough. Image result for hand pollination

What can we do? 

Plant flowers without pesticides! Image result for what would the planet look like without bees

 

Check out this ted talk about bees!

 

America's Effort, Global Impact

Do other Countries Recycle better than the US?

Taylor Houghton

Recycling in the US had become more and more common as the years come. I don’t remember recycling when I was little. Now, I don’t see a house in my neighborhood that doesn’t recycle. My family even adapted to the system as well. They have now have a indoor recycling bin when before they didn’t. I also remember everyone have different sizes of garbage bins. I may be wrong but I believe it is so the garbage truck can pick up the can easier. Also, at the same time, they also distributed recycle bins. I think that is truly when my family started to recycle and so did the rest of the US.Image result for recycling bins on road

Image result for recyclingTwice as many Americans recycle now, verse 20 years ago. According to IPSOS survey, younger generation’s poor recycling habits compares to 57% of adults of 55 years and older. But… that same survey found that college graduates recycle slightly higher than the average US. I was happy to hear this because college graduates are our future generations. I am soon to be a college graduate and I’d like to think my fellow classmates are taking notice on our environment. I think we are more inform today, then we were in the past. There is hope. I’m glad that recycling has become more prominent in the United States, but thankfully we are not the only country who is. There are actually other countries that recyclable better than us! In fact, the US doesn’t even make the top 10 list.

 

TOP 10 Countries that Recycle

1. Austria is the first country on the list. They have the highest rate out of any other country in the world. 63% of their waste is diverted from

landfills!! They have kept this high rating for the past decade! That’s impressive Austria! Keep it up!

2. Germany comes in a close second with 62% of their waste being diverted from landfills!

3. Taiwan– 60%

4. Cairo– alternate approach

5. Egypt-alternate approach

6. Brazil-alternate approach

7. Singapore– 59%

8. South Korea– 49%

9. United Kingdom– 39%

10. Italy-36%

11. France-35% (Number 11 but very close to Italy).

Now if we look at the United States we only divert 34.3 percent of waste. We as Americans generate about 254 million tons of trash and recycled and composted about 87 million tons of this material. We generate about 4.40 pounds of waste per person per day. Now if you ask me, that’s a lot of waste! On the other hand we recycle and compost about 1.51 pounds of that waste. That’s less than half. We can do better. Image result for recycling in us

Although, America has come a long way from where they started. I believe are efforts have just begun. When my grand-kid’s kids are born, my hope is that the trend continues and the United States strides of recycling continue to increase and our waste in landfill decreases. This will be a positive development! The world is taking notice.

Below are two interesting videos that I found about other countries recycling! Check them out!!! 

Recycling in Norway: Recycling = $$… watch below to find out why! 

 

Sweden is so good at recycling, their taking other people’s trash?? Watch below to find out! 

Sweden recycles

Sweden is so damn good at recycling, it just ran out of trash.

Posted by Mic on Thursday, December 15, 2016