Dia 10 de Outubro de 2010: um dia simbólico, para começar a cuidar do planeta Terra

A insustentabilidade da nossa civilização vê-se nas crises económicas e sociais, uma espécie inteligente não consegue montar um sistema social que produz prosperidade e tranquilidade para todos!

Ou nos desastres ambientais como o que ocorreu no Golfo do México ou o que ocorreu recentemente na Húngria. As quantidades de tóxicos libertadas foram imensas em ambos os casos, e mostra como ambas as indústrias poderiam ser especificamente substítuidas; a de extração do alumínio por reciclagem do alumínio que vai para o lixo todos os dias e é 100% reciclável. A do petróleo pelas energias renováveis.

Não são só desastres tóxicos, ou mudanças climáticas, é também, por exemplo a poluição nuclear. Existem tantas centrais nucleares em todo o mundo. O risco de um acidente existe, e têm acontecido, e as consequências são sempre dramáticas.

Não se trata de "modas ambientalistas".

A nossa civilização não pode continuar a caminhar a este ritmo galopante em nome do progresso e tecnologia, quando criámos um impacto tão destrutivo no planeta.

Depois é uma civilização que também se verga nos braços da natureza (apesar de achar que possui o planeta) aquando de uma erupção vulcânica, na face das mudanças climáticas, ou destes desastres ecológicos.

A nossa humildade deveria começar com o reconhecimento que o meio ambiente e é a nossa casa. Deveria ser nossa intenção, adoptar um estilo de vida que seja mais amigo da Terra e cuide de todos, seres humanos sem excepção, animais e plantas, e meio ambiente.

No próximo dia 10 de Outubro de 2010, ocorrerá a campanha mundial pela redução de 10% das emissões de carbono a cada ano, começando em 2010. A campanha por si só é um bom primeiro passo. Apoia, cria ou junta-te a iniciativas!

Participa! Vê as iniciativas na tua zona em http://www.350.org/

Ou também em http://www.1010global.org/

Just what is "GREEN LIVING" ?

Published first on http://thecheap-asscurmudgeon.blogspot.com

Lately, I've had a lot of trouble communicating with others about "going green." There is a wide range of what people think that really means. Is it owning a Toyota Prius...or walking to work? Is it a dual-flush toilet...or an outhouse?

When one person says they are "going green" they may mean something entirely different from what the listener thinks.

So I have taken it upon myself to start promoting "BROWN"—to give brown a slice of the green pie.

Here are the definitions:


RED—not green at all.

GREEN—new, expensive, cool stuff. Live the same life as red without wasting quite so much.

BROWN—A whole different way of living and being.

So take the Curmudgeon's "COLOR TEST" to see where you fall—are you nearest to RED, GREEN, or BROWN? Be honest now...just how eco-conscious are you? To what degree do you really care about the environment?

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Your Stove/Oven:

Is still my old, non Energy Star rated clunker, but I love it just the same.

Is Energy Star rated.

Is a solar oven. Or an earth oven and wood stove—powered by deadfall wood.






More on earth ovens HERE.

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Your Dish Washer:

Is old, not Energy Star rated, and makes noises it didn't use to make.

Is Energy Star rated.

Dishwasher? That's me!

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Your Refrigerator:

Is NOT Energy Star rated and the door is ready to fall off.

Is Energy Star rated.

What refrigerator? You use an ice box, evaporation cooler box, and/or a root cellar.

Click HERE and HERE for more on living without a refrigerator.

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Your Water Heater:


Is old, not Energy Star rated and is leaking a little out the bottom—but you figure it will go another year or so.


Is Energy Star rated. Or even greener—has solar assist.

Is solar-only, with an insulated storage tank. Or browner yet—you set your plastic jugs out in the sun to heat your water or use the wood stove/rocket stove that is already heating your house.

Click HERE for more on rocket stoves.

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Your Washer/Dryer:

Is NOT Energy Star rated.

Is Energy Star rated.

I don't even have hot water hooked up to my washer, and I dry all my clothes outside on a clothesline. (Believe it or not, clothes will dry outdoors even in sub-zero temperatures.)

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Your Shower:

You're still using that leaky old shower head.


You've installed a new water-saver shower head (1.5 gallons used per minute).





You use a solar shower (1.5 gallons used per shower) or a "beer bottle" shower.









More info Here

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Your Toilet:

You use an old 3-5 gallon flusher, but boy does it flush great!




You use a new 1.5 liter flusher; or even greener—a dual flusher.













You use a manufactured power composting toilet; or even browner—a handmade non-powered composting outhouse.

Click HERE for more info on a composting outhouse and HERE for info on the book.

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Your Sewer Drains...

...into your city's sewer system.

...into your septic system (the leach field waters some plants). Or greener yet—your black water goes to your septic system and your gray water goes to a planter bed.

...What sewer waste? (You use a composting toilet and all gray water is reused or waters your plants.)

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Your Water Supply:

All comes from your municipal water system.

Is power pumped from a well. And greener yet—you also water your plants from a rain water catchment system. ($$$)


You hand pump your water from a well and water your plants from that wooden barrel at the end of the downspout.

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Your Power:



All your power comes from the electric plant.





Some of your power comes from that $30,000 solar voltaic system you installed last year. Or greener yet—ALL of your power comes from that $70,000 system you just installed.


Your only power needs are your 12-volt lights which run on one 40-watt solar panel and a car battery. Or browner yet—you go to bed early and read by candlelight.

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Your Swimming Pool:

You just love relaxing by your nice big heated pool.

You have a small unheated pool. Or greener yet—your pool is now a koi pond.

You turned your pool into a planter. Or browner yet—what pool?

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Your Heating:

You're still heating your entire house with its original furnace.

You only heat the parts of your house that you are using with zone heating. Or greener yet—you get by mostly on a combination of your home's passive solar design and radiant space heaters which only heat your body, right where you are.


Your house has large amounts of thermal mass and is passive solar in design. When needed, you heat it with a rocket stove or box stove. And browner yet—you wear more clothes and use more blankets.

Click HERE for more on rocket stoves.

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Your Cooling:

Central Air...what a godsend. You use it all summer long.

Central Air is nice but you get by some of the time with evaporative cooling. Or greener yet—you have no air conditioner. You only use an evaporative cooler and a few fans.

You get by on thermal mass, passive solar design, and cross ventilation. You open your windows at night.

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Your Garbage:


ALL goes in the same can and from there...into that big truck with the huge back-side. It all goes to the same place anyway.


Is carefully separated into separate recycling and garbage cans, then set out for the garbage man. And greener yet—all the table scraps are composted.

ONLY recyclable waste leaves your home. You find a use for EVERYTHING else and you compost your scraps.

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Your Transportation:



You drive a normal car/truck. Or redder yet—you drive a big SUV.




You drive a hybrid. Or greener yet—an all-electric vehicle.




You don't have a vehicle. You ride a scooter or take public transportation. Or browner yet—you ride a bike. Browner still—you walk.

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By now you should have a pretty good idea where you fall. Are you RED, GREEN, or BROWN?

Most of us will fall somewhere in between colors.

Ask yourself: What color am I now? What color do I want to be?—Are they the same color?

Some would call BROWN "hardcore"—and not living in the real world.

Others would call GREEN "wimpy"—and not living in the real world.

Still others would call both BROWN & GREEN "tree-huggers"—and not living in the real world.

And others would call RED $#@&!—and not living in the real world.

Time will tell who was more correct.

In the meantime, maybe we can get the term "GOING BROWN" started. At least that way, the greenies and the brownies won't get so confused when talking to each other about environmental issues and saving the earth.

There is no symbol or organization for BROWN at this time. There's no money in it. But maybe we can come up with our own someday. I, for one, would love to live in a LEED certified BROWN house!

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Addendum: After all that, there still are questions out there about what I mean by the term BROWN, so here are a few examples of what it is and what it isn't:

BROWN—means small, inexpensive, hand-built, organic, natural, earthen, and one-of-a-kind. Artistic, sculpted, original, quaint.

BROWN—means incorporating obtainium (found objects) into all aspects of living and building. It's public transportation, riding a bike and using your library.

BROWN—is NOT about LEED certification, bamboo flooring, dual-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads, no VOC paints, expensive solar voltaic systems and fancy rain water catchment systems.

It's an old wooden barrel under a downspout and a hand-built composting toilet. It's a thatch, rusty tin, or sod roof. It's walls made of mud, paper, straw, stone, tires, bottles, cans, and/or anything else you can get for free. It's rocket stoves, box stoves, passive solar, sun showers and gray water.

It's...well, you get the picture.

Combater a poluicao humana e mudancas climaticas: É preciso mais que accoes individuais, é preciso um movimento massivo dos politicos e da sociedade

http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/lifestyle-choices-wont-win-the-battle-against-global-warming-921458.html

Lifestyle choices won't win the battle against global warming

In a new book on climate change, Jonathan Neale argues that solutions are within reach but the political will is lacking – a mass movement is needed to make governments take the lead

"Should you feel guilty about flying [or cars]? A lot of people would say you should. After all, the danger of runaway climate change is real. No one knows how far away that is. We probably have 10 to 30 years, but we may have longer, and we may already have passed the tipping point. (...)

The solution, then, is government investment and regulation. But that's the problem, too. It's not technology; it's politics. (...)

There's an even bigger problem, though. Many mainstream politicians have woken up to the dangers of climate change – Cameron, Merkel, Sarkozy, Gore and the Terminator. So have many bankers and corporate leaders. They now understand the science. They have children and grandchildren. And they own the world – they don't want to destroy it. (...)

That's where guilt comes in. The governments should be solving the climate problem. They aren't. So an avalanche of propaganda is coming at us - saying it's all your fault.
Almost everything about climate is put in terms of individual lifestyle choices such as green tourism. But no one really thinks that will insulate the houses of the poor, build wind farms around the world, or cut emissions in China. (...)

What we need is a mass movement to change government policies, or replace the current politicians with people who will take action."

Novas fotos no cantinho-verde

Prometo, em breve, postar algo mais filosófico, sobre o sentido em que as nossas vidas podem melhorar para reconhecermos verdades maiores e vivermos uma vida mais natural, harmonia e cheia de amor e coração

Para já, e antes de postar, alguns pensamentos mais espirituosos e outros mais ecológicos, deixo-vos as novas fotos que podem ver no meu blogue sobre o cultivo que tenho feito de vegetais e ervas medicinais na minha varanda em Braga.

Alfaces e alhos, um dos cerca de cinquenta vasos que cultivo

Mais fotos em www.cantinhoverde.blogspot.com

Qualquer dica que precisem, é só perguntar

O que podemos fazer nós pelo ambiente?

Com mais impacto, será: evitar transportes pessoais e avião, em opção dos públicos, especialmente comboio ou metro, ou bicicleta/andar a pé

Evitar construção exagerada nas cidades e promover os espaços verdes

Reduzir ao consumo nas nossas vidas, reduzir às indústrias poluentes ou de poluição química

Em casa, promover práticas ecológicas, seja em alimentação (menos processada, menos plásticos, menos carnes e peixes para evitar práticas menois ambiuentais desses alimentos), poupança de energia e água, ou tratamento de lixos (como reciclagem ou compostagem)

Políticamente, promover medidas mais cautelosas e para ajudar o planeta no que toca à energia, água e recursos (por exemplo, promover energias limpas, poupar recursos, preservar florestas com diversidade, proteger os rios e promover a todo o custo a sua limpeza e transparência, aproveitar energias como a das marés ou geotérmica, do calor do planeta, do subsolo)

Limpeza em casa, amiga do ambiente

Não digo que sejam as melhores, menos poluentes e mais saudáveis alternativas, mas decerto são bem mais saudáveis, simples e amigas do ambiente que os produtos de limpeza convencionais!

* Contribuámos para que a Terra seja protegida do uso de químicos nefastos para o ambiente e para a nossa saúde * A responsabilidade é nossa *

Household Product substitution:
To make Furniture polish: 1 tablespoon lemon oil + 1 pint mineral oil
To make Window/glass cleaner: ½ cup vinegar + 1 gallon of warm water
To make Extra-strength, all-purpose cleaner: ¼ cup baking soda + ½ cup white vinegar + ¾ cup ammonia + 1 gallon of warm water
To remove Coffee or Tea stains on your pot or mug: White Vinegar
To make Scouring powder: Baking soda
To make Drain cleaner: Plunger followed by ½ cup baking soda + ½ cup vinegar +2 quarts boiling water
To make Floor cleaner: 1 cup vinegar + 2 gallons of water
To make Grease remover:Borax on damp cloth
To make Toilet bowl cleaner: Paste of borax + lemon juice
To make Tub/tile cleaner: 1/4 cup baking soda + ½ cup white vinegar + warm water
To make Rug/carpet cleaner: Club soda
To make Window cleaner: ½ cup vinegar + 1 gallon of warm water
To make Upholstery spot remover: Club Soda
To make Oven cleaner: 2 Tbsp liquid soap + 2 teaspoons borax + warm water
To make Jewellry cleaner, removes tarnish and corrosion: 2 Tbsp laundry softener + 2 teaspoons salt + 1/2 hot water, mix in an aluminium tray and soak your jewellry in it for 5 mins
To make Mildew remover: Equal parts of vinegar and salt
To remove odour from shoes: Put 1 tsp of baking soda in each shoe, shake so that it coats the inside evenly and leave over night.

Laundry:
To make Laundry Detergent: Basic soap
To make Laundry pre-soak: Paste of baking soda + water - apply to stains and spots
To make Oil stain remover: Rub white chalk into stain before washing
To make Ink spot remover: 1 Tbsp cream of tartar + 1 Tbsp lemon juice
To make Ballpoint ink remover: Hair spray
To make Bleach: Borax + water

Gardening:
To make Ant repellent: Red chili powder at entry or mix some jam with borax powder and place it on the ant trial, this
To make Fertilizer: Compost
To remove aphids on plants: Soapy water on leaves, then rinse
To make Slug/snail repellent: Plant Onion & marigold plants in your garden

Pet Care:
Flea Repellant: Feed pet brewer's yeast, vitamin B or garlic
Canker Treatment: Dust the dogs ear with borax powder
To make Pet odor remover: Cider vinegar

DIY:
To make a Paint brush softener: Hot vinegar
To make Rusty bolt/nut removal: Carbonated beverage
To combat Car battery corrosion: Baking soda + water

De momento, ainda estou a pesquisar as melhores alternativas para higiene dos dentes e para a limpeza da casa e louça, que sejam mais naturais que os próprios produtos naturais. E também nas alternativas de sabão natural à base de cinzas e à base da planta saponária.
Se querem rir-se um bocado e até ficar surpreendidos leiam a história das pastas dos dentes em http://www.toothpasteworld.com/history.htm

Uma outra lista também muito interessante, em português:
Em letssaveourworld.blogspot.com

Plantas para purificar o ar das nossas casas

Houseplants are not only beautiful in the home, they also help cleanse the air. Bamboo palm, Spider plant; flowering Mums; Peace lily plant and Mother-in-laws-tongue, are just a few of the best houseplants for purifying air in the home, according to an ongoing two-year study by NASA and the Associated Landscape Contractors of America (ALCA).

Formaldehyde is found in virtually all indoor environments. Its major sources include urea-formaldehyde foam insulation, particle board or pressed-wood products. Consumer paper products, including grocery bags, waxed paper, facial tissue and paper towels, are treated with urea formaldehyde resins. Many household cleaning agents contain formaldehyde. It is a toxic chemical. Trichloroethylene and benzene are two other toxic chemicals that can be residual in the air of our houses, since it is presented in things such as paints, inks, plastics and adhesives.

In the NASA/ALCA research it was determined that some plants are better than others for purifying the air indoors.
Gerbera daisy, Dracaena Marginata, Peace lily (Spathiphyllum), Dracaena 'Janet Craig' and Bamboo palm in order were the five most effective plants in removing Trichloroethylene concentrations from the air.
Gerbera Daisy, pot Mum, Peace lily, Bamboo palm, Dracaena Warneckei, English ivy and Mother-in-law's tongue are the seven top houseplants for removing Benzene concentrations in the air.
Bamboo palm, Dracaena 'Janet Craig', Mother-in-law's tongue, Dracaena Marginata, Peace lily, green Spider plant, and golden pathos are seven of the top plants for removing concentrations of Formaldehyde in the air.

Em suma, algumas das melhores plantas para purificar o ar do seu quarto de químicos são a palmeira de interior Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, o aloé vera, a hera comum, o bamboo (uma das melhores), as Dracaena, a Chlorophytum, as gerberas, a Ficus robusta ou macleilandii, a Aglaonema ou a Spathiphyllum.


Chrysalidocarpus lutescens, uma vulgar planta de interior

No impact project

Mais um exemplo ecológico.

O casal em questão está a tentar levar a questão ecológica ao limite, mas naturalmente muitos insights uteis para preservar o planeta já estão a tirar!

Tentar não ter qualquer impacto ecologico negativo no planeta
http://noimpactman.typepad.com/blog

De louvar.

Reciclar Plástico

O plástico é das matérias mais poluentes e dos materiais mais usados na nossa sociedade e todos temos o dever a reduzir ao seu consumo, reutilizá-lo para outras coisas se possível ou reciclá-lo em vez de o deitar ao lixo normal!

1. Choose goods with minimal packaging.
2. Try to reduce the need to throw away plastics. For example, take a reusable shopping bag to the supermarket or corner shop. Don't accept a bag if you don't need one.
3. Rather than throwing them away, give plastic toys or containers to stores.
4. Use plastic containers and bags again or make them into something else. For example use yoghurt pots to grow seedlings, use the top part of drinks bottles as cloches for plants.
5. Buy products that are refillable.
6. Ask your local authority recycling officers which materials are currently collected or may be collected in the future.
7. Look for products, made of recycled plastic.
8. Separate and put all plastic in the recycling bins.

1. Escolher productos com o menos embalagem possível.
2. Reduzir o acto de atirar plásticos para o lixo. Por exemplo, reutilizar um saco para ir às compras ou não aceitar sacas plásticas se não forem necessárias.
3. Em vez de atirar para o lixo, doar ou fazer outrautilidade de coisas de plástico antigas como brinquedos.
4. Usar objectos de plástico que iriam para o lixo para outros fins como caixas de iogurte para crescer sementes ou a parte de cima das garrafas para servir de miniestufas para plantas.
5. Comprar productos que possam ser enchidos novamente.
6. Pedir às autoridades locais meios de recolher plástico inutilizado ou criar essas infraestruturas.
7. Procurar produtos feitos de plástico reciclado.
8. Separar e por na reciclagem todos os produtos à base de plástico.

Conselhos ambientais

Um bom site e bem ilustrado da Comissão Europeia sobre comoa juventude pode actuar para mudar o nosso futuro para melhor, preservando assim mais o nosso planeta.
Vejam, que é bastante simples!

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/climat/campaign/index_pt.htm

Participem também na marcha pela Paz do próximo Domingo no Porto que o Lécio apresentou no post a seguir!

101 Dicas para viver mais ecologicamente

http://www.lib.niu.edu/ipo/1996/ip960321.html

Como:
1. Avoid disposable in favor of reusableitems.
7. Be responsible and creative with leftover foods.
16. Buy organic, pesticide-free foods.
35. Install a water-conserving showerhead.
49. Plant trees throughout your community.
58. Recycle aluminum.
86. Use biodegradable soaps and detergents
85. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth.
93. Use rechargeable batteries.
98. Wash clothes in cold water.
101. Work to unlearn poor ecological habits