With the changing of the seasons comes the changing of the clothes, the cleaning out of closets, and the charging of the credit cards. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2004-2005 Consumer Expenditure Survey, women spend an average of $1,069 on clothing for themselves every year. Add another $823 to that if you shop […]
Author Archive | Diane
Protecting the Environment is a Health Care Issue
The current debate about health care seems seriously lacking in one important way: there’s no focus on the environmental problems that make so many of us sick. Just scan the front pages of this week’s New York Times if you need to be convinced. “Health Ills Abound as Farm Runoff Fouls Wells,” documents instances of children contracting […]
Tampons- The Planet’s Most Extreme Case of PMS
If you’re like most women, you’ll use as many as 11,000 tampons during your lifetime. Add to that a couple of thousand pads and panty liners, and the ecological impact of your monthly cycle really starts to add up. Particularly egregious are the plastic applicators that come with some tampons. They can escape from any landfill- […]
“In Wildness is the Preservation of the World”
Henry David Thoreau wrote these words in 1862. Today, almost a century and a half later, they are more true than ever before. Mining, forest clear cutting, oil and gas development, and road building are destroying the extraordinary and irreplaceable wilderness that is our natural heritage. The Wilderness Act, signed by President Lyndon Johnson on September […]
How Eco Is Your Coffee Pot?
Consumers buy more automatic-drip coffeemakers than any other small kitchen appliance, so it’s no wonder they use about $400 million worth of electricity just brewing coffee every year. To make an energy-efficient but still high-voltage cup of java, start with the pot: French press. Bodum Chambord’s elegant but inexpensive model (pictured left) makes delicious coffee; the […]
Natural Weed Control: Battle the Hassle and Banish the Herbicides
Weeds! Don’t you hate em? And no wonder. Weeds are like those prank candles people put on top of a beautifully decorated birthday cake. You go to make your birthday wish –only to have it thrown back in your face when the candles refuse to blow out. No matter how often you blow, the flame […]
Shift Your Spending to Protect the Environment
We launched the “One in a Million” challenge to encourage consumers to shift $1,000 of their usual household budget to products and services that offer the greatest environmental benefit. To date, almost 5,000 people have made the shift, resulting in a $5 million impact in the marketplace. Here’s the inspiring story of Cassandra, one of […]
Is the Chevy Volt Good for the Environment?
729viewsGeneral Motors has started manufacturing an electric vehicle called the Chevy Volt. It claims the car will drive up to 40 miles on its lithium-ion battery, which can be recharged at home or work using a regular electrical outlet. According to GM, more than 75 percent of Americans live within 20 miles of where they […]