environment – Simple Ways to Change the World

America's Effort, Global Impact, Individual Change

Plastic Free Aisles

April 23, 2018 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!

http://edition.cnn.com/videos/tv/2018/02/28/plastic-free-aisle-ekoplaza.cnn/video/playlists/our-environment/

Individual Change

Environmentally Friendly Razors!

April 23, 2018 Taylor Houghton

Safety Razors!

Two billion razors are thrown away each year! This is something we don’t often think about! There is actually a razor out there that is good for the environment that already exist…SAFETY RAZORS!

Before I get into that…the two common razors that people use:

The first kind is the razor that has one set of blades on them. After a week or two of using this razor, you throw it away. And let’s be honest. Do we really get the close shave that we want. I always end up with cuts on my leg from razors like theses.

Image result for razors

The other kind is a razor that comes with about two to three replaceable razors. After you use up all the razors you throw them out. These razors never seem to get a close enough shave either. Plus their expensive!

Image result for razors

The important thing to take away is RAZORS ARE NOT RECYCLABLE! That’s right, every time you throw away a razor it is ending up in landfills. Think about how many of these razors you use in a year!! Don’t worry the solution already exists! Safety Razors will be the last purchase you’ll ever make on a razor!

Image result for razors

People are raving that:

They are getting a closer shave
No more dots on their legs
Safe to leave in shower
Their saving money
Their helping the environment

What you need to do:

Make a one time purchase of about $20 (sometimes less) and buy a Safety Razor!

For only $12, you can get 100 blades too! (This will last you for years!) You do the math of those savings!

All you do with the uses razors is out them in a can to recycle them. The company ASTRA takes care of it and reuses the materials.

The cost upfront is a bit more than a traditional razor but in the long run you will be saving money and the Earth! Think about how many disposable razors you throw away, every time your spending $10-$20…that adds up really quick! Again think about how many disposable razors you have thrown away in your lifetime, they are all sitting in a landfill as we speak.

Be the change and make the switch! Remember… small changes make a big difference!

*Check out this video below-they give you some good tips towards the end of the video of how to use a safety razor!

Safety Razors

The safety razor is the eco-friendly shaving tool we didn't know we needed.

Posted by We Need This on Tuesday, April 10, 2018

America's Effort, Global Impact

Two Alternatives when Building Roads!

April 5, 2018 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 roads recycled 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 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.

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 roadways shoveling 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 roadways roadways 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

11 Facts about Recycling

March 8, 2018March 16, 2018 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!!

11 Facts about Recycling:

The average person generates over 4 pounds of trash every day and about 1.5 tons of solid waste per year.
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.
The EPA estimates that 75% of the American waste stream is recyclable, but we only recycle about 30% of it.
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.
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.
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.
Americans throw away about 28 billion bottles and jars every year.
Over 87% of Americans have access to curbside or drop-off paper recycling programs.
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!).
In 2010, paper recycling had increased over 89% since 1990.
A glass container can go from a recycling bin to a store shelf in as few as 30 days.

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

The link is below:

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