Last week I blogged about the worldwide climate meeting which will take place in Copenhagen, Denmark on December 7, 2009. Individuals and organizations throughout the world are involved in efforts to ensure that the gathered leaders agree on a new global climate deal aimed at protecting our planet. This week, I looked at the photos taken on October 24 that are posted at the 350.org website (see below to learn what took place). Looking at those photos made me cry. People all over the world, as sole individuals and big and small groups, took action. People do care. People do want to save our precious planet. Looking at those photos gave me even more hope. We all do count and we all can make a difference! As a sole individual at home reading this blog, you may be wondering what you can do. Well, thanks to WWF and me, here is a list of 11 Simple Things YOU can do AT HOME to help PROTECT Mother Earth!

1. If you haven’t already done so, use WWF’s global footprint calculator and and learn how small steps can make a BIG difference! Also, go to my post from last week (Week 4) and get involved by clicking on the links provided and signing your name to the various efforts.
2. Put on a sweater. Remember when you turn up the heat in wintertime, your furnace is probably burning fossil fuels. A sweater or nice warm robe and some cozy slippers will keep you even warmer and will help conserve resources and reduce climate change.
3. Put one foot in front of the other. 100 years ago, 99.9% of people got by without cars. They took the train, lived near their workplaces, and they walked to do their errands. In many parts of the world, you can still see people taking their rolling baskets on foot to pick up their groceries. Using fuel-efficient cars is important, but we can save even more fuel by simply driving less.
4. Watch your waste. Recycle everything you can’t reduce or reuse. Items you may be throwing away can contaminate the soil and water for thousands or millions of years. Your community probably has special disposal procedures for things like used oil and batteries. Ink cartridges can probably be recycled where you bought them. And many of the new super-efficient light bulbs contain mercury, so proper disposal is crucial. Check with the store where you bought them.
5. Paper NOR plastic. Bring your bags with you! By taking reusable bags to the grocery store, you can cut down on the 350 bags the average American uses each year, and reduce needless death to marine life caused by plastic bags that end up in streams, rivers and oceans.
6. BYOB. Last year Americans went through about 50 billion plastic water bottles! Fill up a reusable water bottle (preferably stainless steel) at home and bring it with you. Don’t like the taste of your tap water? Buy a filter! (Remember, much of the bottled water sold today IS filtered tap water.)
7. Flip ‘em off. Turn ‘em off. In much of America, we can’t even see the stars anymore, due in part to all the electric lights! Keep the light on in the room you’re in, but keep the rest of your house dark. You’ll find the dark is soothing. Outside lights make our home look beautiful, but once everyone is asleep, what’s the point? And…Turn off televisions, videos, stereos and computers when they are not in use – these appliances still use 10-60% of power even when on ‘stand by’. A power strip is a practical way to switch off VCR, TV and DVD player stand-by losses; you can cut off all 3 devices at once. Another tip to save energy: Don’t leave chargers for mobile phones plugged in when you’re not using them.
8. Get in touch with your roots. Plant a tree! Good for the soil, good for the birds, good for reducing climate change–and good for the air you’re breathing! Remember from what you learned in your science class…trees are our breathing partners. If you don’t remember why, do a little family research and discussion around our relationship to trees!
9. Get off. Catalogs are great when they’re from companies you like to order from. But if you’re getting catalogs from companies you don’t but from, call them and tell them to get you off their list–and that’s an order!
10. Save paper: Think before you print, duplicate, reuse and recycle. Easy actions can make a big difference for the environment. Use WWF’s tips on paper efficiency to help save the earth, reduce your carbon footprint and save money at the same time:
*Follow the golden rule: think before you print. Pushing the print button is too easy…and wasteful. So the next time you are about to press that button, ask yourself the golden rule of saving paper: Do I really need to print this?
*Use both sides of the sheet of paper
*Avoid printing out single line e-mails or unnecessary copies of documents
*Use technology to communicate
*Recycle the paper you have and ask for recycled paper products
*Save paper in your workplace. Reductions of 20% or more are possible in most offices.
11. Avoid petroleum-based products. Petroleum means oil. It can be found in personal care products, household cleaning products and more. Read labels carefully and begin using plant-based products instead.

DID YOU KNOW…
*Scientists say that 350 parts per million CO2 in the atmosphere is the safe limit for humanity. 1959 was the the first year for which a full year of precise instrument data was available. The measure in 1959 was 315.98. 1987 was the last year in which the annual CO2 data was less than 350 ppm! In 2007, the measurement was 383.71; in 2008 the measurement was 385.57; and in 2009, we are currently at above 387 ppm!
*350.org is an international campaign dedicated to building a movement to unite the world around solutions to the climate crisis–the solutions that science and justice demand. “Our mission is to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.”
*On October 24, 2009, people in 181 countries came together for the most widespread day of environmental action in the planet’s history. At over 5200 events around the world, people gathered to call for strong action and bold leadership on the climate crisis. Over 19,000 photos have been submitted so far! This was all thanks to 350.org!
*If every household in the U.S. replaced just one bottle of 100 oz. 2x ultra petroleum-based liquid laundry detergent with a 100 oz. 2x ultra plant-based liquid laundry detergent, we could save 466,000 barrels of oil–enough to heat and cool 26,800 U.S. homes in one year!
*According to 50 Simple Things, one tree produces nearly 260 pounds of oxygen each year. An acre of trees produced the amount of oxygen consumed by 18 people annually. One tree eliminates as much carbon dioxide from the air as is produced from driving a car 26,000 miles. There are about 60-to 200-million spaces along our city streets where trees could be planted. This translates to the potential to absorb 33 million more tons of CO2 every year, and saving $4 billion in energy costs.

JUST FOR TODAY…After going to all the websites posted last week and adding my voice to each, I will continue to read and find ways to get involved. I will continue to work on mine and my family’s own environmental footprint. Every little bit, every small effort adds up to making a BIG DIFFERENCE!

As I studied the WWF website these past two weeks, the topic “2009: The Year the World Decides” really caught my eye. The title alone sounded very urgent and pivotal. So what is being decided this year? Well, read on…

On December 7, 2009, the global community will meet in Copenhagen, Denmark to agree on a new global climate deal aimed at protecting our planet. WWF is hoping that 2009 will be remembered as the year the world found an answer to climate change. This is huge! This effects you and me and future generations–our children, our grandchildren and beyond! As with every crisis; however, there is opportunity. This crisis, along with the world’s financial crisis, provides us the chance “to bring the global economy back in line with global ecology” and “to put future development of the world economy on a sustainable foundation.” This is both a challenge and an opportunity that must be undertaken this coming December.

THE OPPORTUNITY as outlined by WWF is as follows:
1. The world’s climate and financial crisis have a common cause: living beyond our means.
2. Neither is sustainable.
3. Nature, our most fundamental capital asset, does not appear on company balance sheets or in most national economic data. So its depreciation goes unnoticed.
4. We cannot make another planet.
5. To make economics and ecology into enemies is to doom both. But to reconcile them is to open up the possibility of a richer, more sustainable, more profitable and fairer world!

WHAT MUST BE DONE?
WWF says there are 6 key tasks that have to be agreed upon at the Copenhagen meeting:
1. Rich countries, as a group, should set strong binding emissions reduction targets of 40% below 1990 levels by 2020. Most of those reductions should be undertaken domestically.
2. Funds and technology cooperation must be established to support the implementation of low-carbon economies in the developing world.
3. With the appropriate needs-based support, developing countries should commit to emissions 30% lower by 2020 than those they are currently projecting.
4. Actions by developing countries should include the halting of forest destruction and its concomitant emissions.
5. Rich nations need to leverage support to help the most vulnerable countries, communities and ecosystems, which are hardest hit by climate change, and finance their adaptation work.
6. All countries need to agree that global greenhouse gas emissions must be at least 80% below 1990 levels by 2050.

WHAT CAN WE DO INDIVIDUALLY?
WWF outlines 9 steps we can take as individuals to take effective and meaningful action in the run-up to the Climate meeting in Copenhagen. They are as follows:
1. Vote Earth! Vote Earth is WWF’s primary public campaign to get agreement from governments in Copenhagen.
*You can Vote Earth by simply declaring that you stand for ‘Earth’ over ‘Global Warming’.
*You can Vote Earth by doing something that helps reduce the impact of global warming. You might already be doing something positive for the planet – that can be your vote.
*You can register so that your Vote for Earth can be counted and shown in Copenhagen. Vote Earth builds on the success of WWF’s Earth Hour event.
2. TckTckTck! TckTckTck is a global alliance of organizations, of which WWF is just 1 partner, that together aim to get agreement from governments in Copenhagen. Just like Vote Earth, you simply sign up, and not only will your voice be combined with millions of other people, but TckTckTck will alert you to other actions and events that you can take part in during the run-up to the Climate Talks.
3. International Day of Climate Action! 350.org is calling on people around the world to organize an action on October 24 incorporating the number 350 at an iconic place in their community, and then upload a photo of their event to the 350.org website. 350.org will then collect these images from around the world and, with your help, deliver them to the media and world leaders. Together, we can show our world and its decision-makers just how big, beautiful, and unified the climate movement really is.
4. Raise Your Voice! Bring your voice to the world leaders at COP15 – the most important climate change conference in a decade. As nations seek an agreement to protect the world, they want your views from across the spectrum. What needs to be done? How do the issues affect you? Do you agree there needs to be action? Send in a video with your views, opinions and questions. The best contributions will be aired during the COP15 CNN/YouTube TV debate on December 15.
5. Seal the Deal! The UN-led Seal the Deal Campaign aims to galvanize political will and public support for reaching a comprehensive global climate agreement in Copenhagen in December. The Seal the Deal Campaign not only allows you to add your name to the UN-led petition, but also allows you to upload your own image into a photomosaic of the planet Earth.
6. Download This Video! Every download will count as a unique digital petition with people adding their names to demand world leaders reach an ambitious, fair and global deal at the UN Climate Change Summit in Copenhagen.
7. Watch More Videos! It’s not often we get a chance to have a good laugh at climate change but a bunch of young filmmakers are aiming to make us do just that. A Million Views on Copenhagen is a series of short, funny and irreverent climate change videos from the cream of the YouTube generation. Cult Youtube filmmakers including Ted Crusty, Keshen Matus and Eddsworld have been joined by emerging talent from Nepal and Namibia to create the videos which aim to attract one million views by the time of the Copenhagen climate change talks in December.
8. Hopenhagen! OK… so it is another petition…but with a twist. It asks you to become a citizen of “Hopenhagen”. It also asks you “what gives you hope for a better planet?” Then shows this on a living map along with what everyone else has said.
9. Change Something in Your Life! We can all make a positive contribution to reduce our impacts on our only planet! Even the smallest acts can add up to be something huge and planet-changing. After all, who’d have thought just leaving a TV on standby and forgetting to switch off a few lights would be some of the key contributors to the critical issues we now face with climate change?

If such small things can cause such huge problems, rest assured small things can also create HUGE solutions… Next week, I will post practical ways you can start making changes. For this week, please go to the sites above to learn more and put in your votes.

DID YOU KNOW…
*Thomas Edison (1847-1931), is quoted as saying, ”I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. …hope we don’t have to wait ’til oil and coal run out before we tackle that.”
*The term climate change is often used interchangeably with the term global warming. “Climate change” is growing in preferred use because it helps convey that there are other changes in addition to rising temperatures.
*Beethoven’s 5th Symphony stimulates the subconscious brain in ways that promote creativity and help the brain to think better; Greenpeace used it to inspire people to fight climate change and asked them to perform the first minute of the first movement, in their own style, with their favorite instrument, and to make a video of their performance. These were posted on YouTube as a video response to Greenpeace’s video and each video that included the “Date and Map” option on YouTube appeared on Greenpeace’s around-the-world map. This was done as a collective effort to inspire the work of world leaders at the G8 summit in Tokyo in July 2008. This effort was called “Sync Your Mind for the Planet.”

FOR TODAY…I will make my voice and my vote heard. I will go to each of the links above to get involved, cast my vote, and learn more. I will continue to look for ways to reduce our household’s environmental footprint and will share more about this on my blog next week.

I got a phone call from the World Wildlife Fund last week asking for a donation. The gentleman focused on the plight of the gorilla and told me that 2009 is the Year of the Gorilla. I wanted to get off the phone because I knew I wouldn’t be able to make a donation at this time (I have made donations to WWF in the past), but decided to stay on the line and listen to his message.

He conveyed some very disconcerting facts about why gorillas are endangered and just how precarious their situation is. According to WWF, the main reasons for their plight are:

* Hunt for bushmeat: The commercial trade in bushmeat, which occurs throughout west and central Africa, is today the biggest threat to African gorillas.

* Habitat loss: Forests are rapidly being destroyed by commercial logging interests, for subsistence agriculture and road building activities. This makes it harder for gorillas to sustain their lives.

* Hunting: Gorillas are also sought after as pets or trophies and for their body parts, which are used in medicine and as magical charms.

* Infectuous diseases: Since the early 1990s, outbreaks of Ebola hemorrhagic fever have caused large-scale die-offs of great apes. The 1994 outbreak in Minkébé (northern Gabon) wiped out the entire population of what used to be the second largest protected population of gorillas and chimpanzees in the world. Between 2002 and 2003 the virus claimed many human lives in the north of the Republic of Congo and at two study sites in and around Odzala National Park, 95 percent of the 600 identified gorillas died likely as a result of Ebola.

So why focus on the gorilla? Well, you don’t have to. What is happening to the gorilla is representative of what is happening to so many endangered species–habitat destruction and hunting are two of the biggest factors threatening their continued existence. Our over-consumption of resources threatens both the places where the animals live and the animals themselves. So pick any animal or any region that speaks to your heart–any focus anywhere is better than no focus at all!

After I got off the phone, I wondered if, in my own life in the U.S., I was contributing to the gorilla’s (or other animals’) predicament. On WWF’s website, I took a survey to see what my family’s ecological footprint is (the way we use the planet’s resources). Based on my answers, our family’s footprint is about 2.7 hectares (27,000 sq. meters–the amount of the Earth’s area needed every year to support our lifestyle). This is a little more than the average footprint for an African (1.4 hectares). The average footprint for a European is 4.7 hectares–for an American, it is 9.2!

As Americans, my family’s footprint is “soft”–however, based on my answers, I know there is more we can do to live a greener lifestyle. Directly related to the gorilla, we can make sure that any timber products we buy carry the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) label. Without the FSC label, timber may well stem from illegal or controversial sources in central Africa.

I challenge you to go to the link at the bottom of this blog and see what your own family’s footprint is. Once you do so, you also have the opportunity to decide what changes you can make and how they will change your footprint. For instance, if, in our home, we reduce our showers by just 3 minutes, our family will be sparing the equivalent of 660 square meters of land per year.

It is imperative that we all look at how we can live a greener lifestyle. WWF’s website lists many suggestions for all aspects of our lives. In the weeks to come, I plan to share much of this information on my blog. In the meantime, the more we, as consumers, can begin to pay attention to what and how much we buy–as well as where it comes from–we’re beginning to do something.

DID YOU KNOW…According to WWF:
The Cross River gorilla is currently the world’s rarest great ape, no more then 300 individuals are living.
The Ebola virus wiped 90% of western lowland gorillas in the Congo and Gabon.
The DNA of gorillas is 98%–99% identical to ours.
By 2030, less than 10% of Gorilla habitat could be left undisturbed!

FOR TODAY…I will continue to study WWF’s website, focusing on WWF’s suggestions for living a greener lifestyle. I recognize that everything and everyone in our world is interrelated–what I do does contribute to the wellness (or ill health) of our planet and its inhabitants.

Where I live, the weather has suddenly changed–the last couple nights have been in the 30’s. So, as much as I’d like to postpone the use of our furnace, the time has come to turn it on. This is the primary heat source for our home. We also have an electric fireplace in our basement and a gas fireplace in our master bedroom (which we rarely turn on because our room is above our kitchen and since heat rises, our bedroom never seems to get cold).

Unfortunately, in our home, we are still reliant on conventional power generated from fossil fuels and are not yet using green power generated from renewable resources like water, wind or solar energy (which are all better for the environment). After doing a little investigation, I’ve found some green suggestions to save money and reduce our carbon footprint (based on our CO2 emissions) while still using our conventional furnace.

According to GreenerChoices.org, here are some steps to take:

1. Seal and insulate our duct system: sealing the ducts in our home and insulating any portions that pass through unconditioned spaces, such as the attic, basement, or garage, can reduce CO2 emissions and our heating (and cooling) costs by up to 40 percent.

2. Control heating temperatures: For every degree we lower our thermostat, we can cut energy use by about 3 percent. Turning down our thermostat by a constant 1 degree can save up to 240 pounds of CO2 annually. By lowering the heat by 5 degrees for 8 hours at night and 10 degrees for 8 hours during the day, we can save about 3,150 pounds of CO2 annually.

3. Use a programmable thermostat: A programmable thermostat can help us cut energy costs as much as 20 percent by automatically raising or lowering temperatures at night and when we’re away. Choosing a model that is easy to program is an important consideration. Using a programmable thermostat can save us about $100 annually.

4. We need to make sure that we are not losing our heat unnecessarily so we need to check windows and doors to make sure everything is sealed tightly. Foam stripping (which is very inexpensive) and caulking can help cut our heating bills by 5 to 30 percent!

5. We need to change our furnace filter at the beginning of the heating season and at least once during the winter. According to energyhog.org, we should check our filters monthly and change them whenever they look dirty. A dirty filter causes the heating or cooling system to work harder (using more energy) to push air through to heat or cool your home. Clean filters will extend the life of our heater.

6. Our furnace is still in good working order; however, when the time comes to replace it, it will be important to get the most efficient equipment possible or one that has the ENERGY STAR® label. Our home is already insulated, but if by the time we need to purchase a new furnace, we’ve added any insulation to our home, installed new windows, or made any other energy improvements, we may be able to get a smaller sized heating or cooling unit, and smaller units use less energy, and cost less to operate.

7. A conventional fireplace (which we do not have) draws a small gale out of the room and sends it up the chimney. When the indoor air has been warmed by the central heating system, that means our energy dollars are going up the chimney too. So, if you have a conventional fireplace, consider a direct-vent, sealed-combustion gas fireplace. Consumer Reports has found that those units have an energy efficiency of about 70 percent.

DID YOU KNOW…

One of the most effective ways to reduce CO2 emissions is to decrease the proportion of electricity generated from fossil fuels. Currently, about 70 percent of America’s electricity comes from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil, which release significant quantities of CO2.

The level of CO2 has gone from about 280 parts per million (where it was before the industrial era began) to more than 350 parts per million today and is increasing quickly.

According to recent government estimates, an individual’s carbon footprint is about 22,000 pounds (11 tons) on average each year! That amount will vary depending on where you live and your particular lifestyle.

Personal activity–as opposed to industrial activity–accounts for more than 30% of all CO2 emissions in the U.S. (that’s you and me)!

FOR TODAY… I will make sure we do the following: change our furnace filter as we start into the heating season and check our filter monthly to see when it needs to be replaced, check that all windows and doors are sealed adequately, and program our thermostat so that the temperature is lowered at night by 8-10 degrees and during certain hours of each day by 5-10 degrees.

At my request, we had a “pest control” company come and talk to us about IPM yesterday. In my last Green Challenge post, I defined IPM as Integrated Pest Management. But what does that really mean in a very practical sense?

According to 50simplethings.com, IPM “is an effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most economical means, and with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. The IPM approach can be applied to both agricultural and non-agricultural settings, such as the home, garden, and workplace. IPM takes advantage of all appropriate pest management options including, but not limited to, the judicious use of pesticides. In contrast, organic food production applies many of the same concepts as IPM but limits the use of pesticides to those that are produced from natural sources, as opposed to synthetic chemicals.”

To give a historical perspective, issues surrounding pesticide use have been debated since the book “Silent Spring,” written by Rachel Carsen, was published in 1962. At the center of this continuing debate is a concern that pesticide users are not adequately protecting the food supply, the environment, and farm workers from unintended adverse effects. My family and I saw cause for concern first-hand during our trip to California. Even though the workers who sprayed were covered, was that protection really adequate? And what about the workers picking the fruit? They appeared to have no protection from what had been previously sprayed.

Other issues with pesticide use include the increasing pest resistance to pesticides, the loss of economical pest control products due to regulatory actions and market forces, and higher costs of new reduced risk pesticides. Safe and effective IPM systems can increase farm profitability, reduce environmental and human health risks, and protect natural resources.

So what does all this have to do with me as a homeowner? Well, I believe IPM systems should be used in our homes. Think about the various ways we each may be using chemicals and pesticides in and around our homes, gardens and lawns in order to keep them beautiful and pest-free. We may not think that our little home has an impact on the environment, but don’t forget that everything that runs off your yard or that goes through your home’s plumbing ultimately ends up in the sewer system which eventually makes its way to our waterways. And most importantly, IPM systems can help us keep our home environment as toxic-free as possible. I want to make sure that when my children or pets are indoors or in our yard, they are not being exposed to harmful toxins.

As my husband and I look for the right company, I want to hear how they propose to manage the pests. We want to prevent pest occurrences (e.g., how do we make sure the field mice don’t re-enter our home?) and we want to control any infestations (when they do get in what do we do about it?). I want a service that will take into account the behavior patterns and life cycles of pests, will use non-toxic treatment methods in most instances, and will only consider and discuss with us the use of pesticides and chemicals as a last resort. When a chemical treatment seems warranted, I want to know that we are using the least harmful for ourselves and our environment.

There are companies willing to work with customers to create an IPM plan, but you’ll usually have to ask about IPM to find that out. Most companies don’t offer IPM as their first option because IPM is more time-consuming and the products and methods may be more expensive. But don’t give up–the company I’m currently talking to apparently cares more about having our business for the long haul and has become willing to really make an IPM plan with us that works for all of us. I’ll keep you posted!

DID YOU KNOW…

In 1962 Rachael Carson’s book Silent Spring exposed the hazards of pesticides and motivated research into Integrated Pest Management.

An IPM method called “adaptive pesticides” uses beneficial insects to prey on pest insects. This approach helps reduce or eliminate the need for toxic pesticides by providing natural pest control for your garden. Doing this also avoids the issue of pests developing resistance to pesticides since the beneficial insects evolve right along with the garden pests.

FOR TODAY…I will continue to dialogue with the pest control company we have identified to create an IPM plan that I feel comfortable implementing, taking into account my family and the environment.

One of the disturbing images from our trip to California was seeing how non-organic fruits and vegetables are grown.

But let me digress for a moment…My teenage daughters have, for the past few years, believed that I am a little off my rocker. They actually call me “voodoo mom” because of my beliefs when it comes to the foods, household products and body care products I am willing to allow in our home. I admit that I’ve had to relent a bit in the past couple years to keep a certain amount of peace in our home (as much peace as is possible with twin teenage daughters). However, I am still very careful about most of the food we purchase in our home–especially when it comes to fruits and vegetables. I believe that we should be eating organic produce and therefore that is what’s in our home.

So…back to our vacation. Quite a bit of agriculture is farmed along Highway 1 in California. While staying at the beach, we were very close to some of those farms which were primarily growing strawberries. During the week, we witnessed at least two days of ground spraying and an additional day of aerial spraying using helicopters over the same fields. We noticed that the people doing the ground spraying wore protective clothing–gloves, masks and headgear. My teenage daughters were shocked and frightened by what they saw. And they finally “got it!” They realized why I have not in the past wanted to buy the less expensive non-organic fruits and berries. They also commented on the farm workers who were picking the ripened fruit–they noticed that the workers wore no protective clothing and were actually concerned for them.

I am proud to say that I didn’t do a big “I told you so” but discussed with them what we were witnessing and why this is of such concern.

Since I already buy organic produce, I’m thinking about what more I can do with regard to pesticide usage. One area I have begun to research is how we handle “pests” in and around our own home. We normally avoid spraying or using any chemicals and pesticides; however, occasionally we are faced with the need to take action for specific infestations. I am looking into IPM and talking to a company that will work with us using IPM practices. IPM stands for Integrative Pest Management–it is the best way to prevent pest problems without routine spraying of herbicides, insecticides, rodenticides or fungicides. As I learn more and make decisions for our home, I will share my findings here.

DID YOU KNOW…

More than 500 insects and 270 species of weeds have now developed resistance to one or more pesticides.

In 2005, San Francisco successfully fought the West Nile Virus with IPM. Instead of aerial spraying with pesticides (which I personally experienced in the Bay Area in the early 1980’s), they trained bicycle messengers to drop packets of biological insecticides into the city’s 20,000 storm drains. The insecticide acted as birth control for the mosquitoes.

FOR TODAY…I will continue my research on IPM. I will pursue a partnership with a company willing to help us manage pests in and around our home through non-toxic, earth-friendly means. I will continue to buy organic produce, food, and personal care products. I will also look into buying organic clothing, bedding, linens, garden supplies and plants. Buying organic is healthier for people, wildlife, and the future of agriculture!

The first week of September, my family and I had the chance to spend a week on a beach near Santa Cruz, California. After spending time there and being close to some of California’s agricultural lands, there’s a lot on my mind.

One of the areas to look at further is plastic–I can’t seem to let this subject go. When it comes to plastic and our oceans, there’s even more to think about. According to the book, 50 Simple Things, the United Nations estimates that there are 46,000 pieces of plastic per square mile in the world’s oceans. Plastic bags in oceans kill a million seabirds and 100,000 sea mammals a year.

As we walked along the beach, we didn’t see much garbage there. It seemed that our stretch of beach was being cared for on a regular basis. But I know that’s not the case everywhere. And the worst offenders, when it comes to the garbage that ends up in our oceans and on our beaches, are plastic bags. According to Greenpeace, Americans discard 100 billion plastic bags a year–only 2% of which get recycled. The rest end up in landfills and often in our oceans. So, the solution of course should be an easy one–if we use less plastic bags, fewer will get into our oceans.

I realize it can be difficult to stop using plastic bags. Look what happened to us in California–we didn’t bring our reusable bags in our suitcase and one of the stores we shopped at only offered plastic. We weren’t able to find a Whole Foods nearby (they no longer provide plastic bags at checkout). But…if every shopper takes just ONE LESS PLASTIC BAG PER MONTH, hundreds of millions of plastic bags could be eliminated as garbage each year! And if we each bought net bags to use for produce purchases, think how many less plastic produce bags we would use each and every week!

Of course, this comes back to practicing new habits. Today my husband went to the store for our family and forgot to take the net bags. Unfortunately, we ended up with about 10 undesired plastic bags in our house. So now what do we do when this happens? Well, we can rinse out the bags and reuse them. We can also use them for our pet’s waste. It’s not a perfect solution but at least we’ll do something more with them than simply toss them immediately in the garbage. And we will put them in the garbage rather than risk that they somehow enter our waterways. Next time my husband does the shopping, I’ll just have to make sure he has everything he needs to help us be environmentally supportive.

DID YOU KNOW…

Though oceans cover over 70% of the world’s surface, 80% of the pollution in them–including garbage–originates on land.

The North Pacific Garbage Patch near Hawaii is a vortex made up of 100 million tons of trash–90% of which is plastic–that is drawn by winds and currents from land sources. This whirlpool of plastic, junk, and dead sea life is now larger than the continental U.S.

Though plastic bags take 1,000 years to completely degrade in the ocean; sun, wind, and water break them into tiny bits–which sea creatures mistake for plankton, a main food source. There are now 13 lbs. of plastic for every 2 lbs. of plankton in the vortex!

Last but not least, persistent pollutants bond to these tiny pieces of plastic, making them toxic. These toxins end up in the fish which end up on our plates and in us!

FOR TODAY…I’m going to try and go the rest of this week without accumulating any new plastic bags. That means, no matter which store I and my family go to this week, we will not take a plastic bag from them. We’ll either just take our purchases in hand or bring reusable bags along.