Photo credit: makelessnoiseThe other day I saw an article about big city water ratings in the United States, and it really got me thinking how sad it is that clean, fresh water is so hard to find. The article was brought to my attention at a good time, as just the other day I watched a program on the History Channel (I think) that spoke of the deterioration of the public infrastructure here in this country. This show was more broad in its content than just public water, but in addition to describing how the public water infrastructure is badly in need of repair, it also described roads, bridges and highway systems that are also in need of repair and in some cases close to failing.

In the article, San Diego -my current city of residence- was ranked 91 out of 100 in terms of water quality. There were 31 different pollutants found in the water since 2004, and 17 chemicals which exceeded health guidelines. This story is not new, as there are always cases of poor water quality surfacing around the country, as well as around the world.

But the thing that strikes me is just how apathetic people are about this. Good, clean water is the one thing that every single person absolutely needs for survival, and it seems that there is barely a place on Earth where the water has not yet somehow been tainted. People look around and see that two thirds of the planet is made up of water, so they see that there is no problem. And if you tell them that it is mostly all polluted, they just assume that modern technology can solve the problems. But it doesn't seem to strike them as outrageous that in just a few hundred years of industry, we have managed to create a problem of epic proportion.

Sure, here in the US we are lucky that we get moderately clean water that comes out of our tap, and yes, there are some remote places in the country left where the water is clean and potable. But those places are getting more and more scarce. And when we have to start questioning the safety of our public water infrastructure as well, it certainly doesn't paint a pleasant picture.

I mentioned that people think modern technology can solve these problems of deteriorating water quality, and to some extent it can. We can take toilet water and turn it to tap water, we can desalinate the ocean and make it fresh, but let me say, as someone who grew up drinking well water from 400 feet beneath my house, there is nothing like a fresh glass of real water that is clean, pure, and tasteless.

Another article I saw the other day described a scenario where there at one time was a small country stream and ecosystem which has subsequently filled in and paved over to build a housing complex. To me, hearing about and seeing these things is sickening. People need to learn before it's too late to they can't just keep destroying these natural systems, and more to the point, we need to start protecting our water sources before it is too late.

Labels: chemicals, conservation, environment, resources, water

Most everyone has heard of La Jolla, the community of San Diego, also known as the Jewel By the Sea. Well there is a place along the coast in La Jolla called the Children's Pool, and what brings a lot of people to see this area (besides of the beauty of the coast itself) is the 50 or so seals that can be seen laying on the beach here. As most people know, there is not very much of the Southern California coast that has not been taken over by people, so for many this sort of place to see wildlife is quite a novelty.

The reason this area has attracted the seals is that a big sea wall was built many years ago to shelter this part of the beach, which is what makes it desirable for the seals. Well, the problem is that this sea wall was initially built and funded by Ellen Browning Scripps in the early 30s to create a protected place for children to play in the area, since a large part of this area is rocky and has strong currents. Thus the name Children's Pool.

So the problem now is that a Superior Court judge has ruled that this should be given back to the children, for it's original purpose. So now the seals have to go. This has been an issue for many years and has worked its way through the court system, only to have this ruling just the other day.

See this article here http://www.10news.com/news/19581131/detail.html.

My problem with all this is that humans have everything, we have swimming pools and the majority of the rest of the coast. Not to mention how many other cases there are everywhere every day of animals getting screwed by human development. Why are we wasting our time kicking seals off of our beaches? Sure, the "pool" was created with other intentions, but it is one of the few places in a city this size that people, both tourists and locals, young and old, can come see a bit of nature. I say let the seals stay.

Labels: environment, news, San Diego, seals

A few weeks ago, while driving into work in the rain, I noticed that the sprinklers on the side of the freeway were on. Not only is this ridiculous, but it is especially ridiculous being that San Diego is basically a desert with very little of its own water supplies, and the city has recently said that unless water usage is decreased soon we will have mandatory water rationing. So I decided to write a little letter to the mayor's office. Here is is:

Hello Mayor Sanders,

I have read in the past months of your efforts at promoting water conservation in the city. Also, I had seen that you declared a water shortage emergency this past summer which called for residents to voluntarily cut back there usage or face mandatory cutbacks later on.

I am writing because I would like to see the city take further initiative not only to make more positive changes, but to also use itself as an example. One of the basic water saving tips that most anyone is aware of is to water lawns and plants early morning or late evening, however I often see sprinklers on city property running all hours of the day. Not only in parks but also on the sides of the freeway. This morning (Dec 15, 2008) I was on my way into work, and it was raining heavily, and I was appalled to see the sprinklers along the side of the 163 freeway running. To me this seems absurd, especially given the nature of the water issues in San Diego, and even more so considering the city and the mayor's office are attempting to promote water conservation. Changing the sprinkler schedules and disabling them during rain is a simple way to make a real difference.

On another note, I work near Petco Park and often see the park workers watering the grass all day long, to the point of over saturation on a daily basis. I am pretty certain this is not city property however, and understand that any water usage enforcement in this case would be impossible.

Soon after writing this letter, I did read something that says that these sprinklers along the freeway are not managed by the city, but by CalTrans instead. Of course this does not make it forgivable, but it does take this out of hte city's hands. Though I also saw an article that says CalTrans is the 4th largest water user in the city. Though if you look at that article, the biggest water user is the city itself.


Related Links:
Another Wayward CalTrans Sprinkler
With Water Cuts Near, Freeways Still Get Showered
Who uses the most water?
A letter to the city of San Diego

Labels: conservation, environment, San Diego, water

Eco friendly trash bags? A contradiction?

I had written an article on another site that continues to have quite a bit of interest, so I am putting an updated version of the article about eco friendly and biodegradable trash bags here.

Typically for my trash I actually use extra bags that find their way into my home, however I have had great luck using these eco friendly biodegradable compostable three gallon trash bags. They are called BioBags and I use them for collecting kitchen scraps and then composting, so I can vouch for the fact that these bags actually do biodegrade very quickly.

According to the product description they are "manufactured from GMO-free corn" and "are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable. The 3 Gallon Kitchen bags work well in a small trash container or composter, but are also great for food storage. Since Biobags breathe without leaking, they allow heat and moisture to escape, keeping fruits and vegetables fresher days longer than regular plastic. The 3 gallon bags measure 17" x 18" and are .62 mil thick."

They also go on to give the downside of using regular plastics:

Regular polyethylene-based plastic bags can take over 100 years to break down and are not compostable. Sadly, less than 2% of all plastic bags ever get recycled. Plastic bags are everywhere, littering our beaches, lakes and Ocean. Studies estimate that over 100,000 marine animals and 2 million birds die every year from ingesting or being caught up in plastic debris.

You can also use these BioBags to pick up your dog poop!

To purchase eco friendly trash bags, check out the selection of biodegradable bags here.

Related links:
Official BioBag home page

Labels: biodegradable, composting, eco-friendly, environment, trash

Visit my Green & Eco Friendly Online Store

There are many sites out there that explain composting in detail, how to do it properly, how it actually works, all that good stuff. There are also plenty that talk about apartment composting, all the equipment you need, and I'm sure that is all well and good. I've even listed a few below in the related links. But I decided to write this article to explain how I do it, what I have learned, and the equipment that I use. I am by no means a pro at this, and I'm not even claiming that I know what I'm doing, however I feel like I have been mostly successful with my apartment style composting, and want to share. Obviously if you have a yard you have a huge advantage, however if you are reading this article it is likely that you don't.
It should end up looking something like this

Photo Credit Normanack
First off, I will say that I am simple, all I use is a plastic bin (actually one of those plastic tote that is used for storage) that I bought from Target. I'm not sure the size, I would guess maybe 5 or 10 gallons. I drilled a couple holes in the bottom for drainage, but have found that it wasn't really necessary as long as you aren't overloading the big. To start, put in some dirt, sand, leaves, newspaper -- anything to line the bottom a few inches. I don't use standard newspaper because of the inks, but it would still work fine. However I do use newspaper from a mailing I get that I know is printed with soy based inks. Make sure that if you are using newspaper you tear it into pieces that are pretty small, nothing bigger than one inch by one inch.

Let me now tell you that I did learn quickly that this simple set up cannot handle all vegetable scraps that I generate. So I have learned what composts quickly and what doesn't, and I stick to using only those. You will figure this out soon enough. When I put too much in it started to stink and get too juicy. Another reason for this was that I didn't have enough green and brown dry matter (ie leaves, grass, etc) in there, so it stayed too wet and the moisture balance was thrown off. It will also help if you keep the food scraps very small. The bigger they are the longer they will take to break down. This means don't drop an entire banana peel in whole, make sure to break it into smaller pieces.

So now you have your container with some lining on the bottom. All you have to do now is put your scraps in, and make sure to cover them up. If you don't, the bin will attract flies and probably won't break down as quickly. Just enough to cover it so there is no exposed food should be enough to keep the flies and the stink away. Something else I do that seems to help the process is to only add scraps once or twice a week, rather than after each meal. With a container you have limited space, and if you add it piecemeal it becomes hard to keep it all covered, and if you have just little pieces of food spaced out all over in my experience it takes longer to break down than if you keep the moist scraps together. It seems to generate more heat this way, break down quicker, and then I can mix it into the bulk sooner. So if you collect scraps for a few days, then add them in and cover them, I would say within a week you can turn the mixture. This will let it aerate and again speed the process. Likely you will feel heat coming off of it, which means that it is working.

This isn't mine, but it should look something like this:

Photo Credit: You Grow Girl

I had started out keeping it covered thinking it would keep flies away, but I learned that it was unnecessary. Also, I will say that I don't actually keep this bin indoors, so I am able to get away with not keeping it perfectly sanitary. I am lucky to have some outdoor space where I can keep the bin.

Another thing that I have done, since the container is fairly small and the process ongoing is to keep a second bin for secondary composting. So when part of the bin is nice and dark and starting to look like soil, I scoop that into the second bin where I let the process continue, and in this bin it can dry out and is ready for use in my garden! This keeps the first bin actively composting, and I can always be adding to it.

It may sound confusing, but really there are just a few basics:

• Try to at least 1/3 of the content dry (leaves, grass clippings, etc)
• Always keep wet scraps covered
• Turn mixture every few days to keep the composting process active

It is pretty simple, and you will quickly learn what works for you in your area and conditions. Feel free to share any tips you have. Also, keep in mind that this is just what works for me. I am not a professional.

Related Links:

• Compost Instructions - Learn how to make compost, and why improving your soil is the best thing that you can do for your lawn and garden
• Composting 101
• Journey to Forever - Indoor Composting
• How to Compost
• Shop for composters
• Composting books

Labels: composting, environment, garden, how-to, tips

Most everyone is on board with recycling these days. But there are some items that we know we should recycle but don't know how or where to. And then there are others that we know we shouldn't be throwing in the trash, but we just don't know how to dispose of them responsibly.

Batteries is one thing that many of us throw away. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is another. And I will admit, properly disposing of these items can be perplexing. I have tried to sift through some information and pass it along to you regarding these things. What I generally do with batteries is save them until I have a bunch of old ones and then bring them to Best Buy or something like that, where they usually have a bin near the front.

But here are a few links that should help you figure out what you need to do and where you need to go:

Battery disposal guide
Earth 911 Guide for E-Waste
Guide for finding local battery recycling facilities

For more tips visit my Green Tips page here.

Labels: environment, ewaste, recycling, tips