5 Simple Ways Women Can Make The World Greener
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Earlier I wrote about how women have enough power to be able to change the world. Today I want to go over 5 simple things women can do to make the world greener. Of course there are many other things we can do also – some more complex – but I’ll focus on some simple, straight forward things today.
1) Teach our kids – women spend time with their kids everyday. You can incorporate learning about how we should protect the environment into your every conversations and interactions with your kids. That is the best way to do it – each and every moment, everything you say and do around your kids has an effect on the person they become and on what they value.
2) Plant green – if you live a house you probably have some sort of yard that you can control what gets planted in it. First – many people are reducing or eliminating their lawns. You can also change your lawn grass to one that is more environmentally friendly, like buffalo grass. It requires less water and less mowing and if you live in North America, it is a native plant. In the area where you have gotten rid of or reduced your lawn – plant bushes and native plants. They are better for the wildlife in your area and are easier to maintain. You can also grow a vegetable garden to help save money.
3) Recycling – yes recycling isn’t anything new – but it is still helpful. Most packaging on products is recyclable, although some isn’t. If you have the time you could also contact the manufacturers of products whose packaging isn’t recyclable and ask them to change to something that is. Get a group of friends and family to send in letters too, or sign yours. If you can afford it – yes sometimes it is expensive – you can also buy products that have been made from recyclables. I noticed that the paper towels at a store near us that were made from recyclable materials were way too expensive for us, but keep watching the prices, they may go down.
4) Energy efficient appliances – most people, like us, can’t afford to go out and buy new stuff just because it uses less energy. But what you can do is be ready – research brands and models available now – so when something does break down and needs to be replaced so you can buy something more efficient. More energy efficient doesn’t always mean cheaper. We had to replace a water heater recently – the one we bought wasn’t the cheapest out there, but it is much better insulated and efficient than many others we could have bought.
5) Transportation – if you live somewhere where there is public transportation, use it when you can. If not try to drive less or do several errands in one trip. When possible, carpool. Or walk or ride a bicycle. Of course, most of us can’t just go out and buy a hybrid right now. But when you need a new car try to choose a more fuel efficient one. Or buy a used one that will last until the new plug-in hybrids are available. Meanwhile try to start setting aside money now so that when those new plug-in hybrids come out you can afford one.
There – 5 simple things you can do now or prepare to do in the future. In future posts I’ll discuss some of the more complex and long term things you can do to make longer term changes. But right now I think what we all need and want is to do something that is within our power to do now.
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Related Posts:
- Energize your life in an environmentally positive way
- Effect the area around you in a positive way
- Extend – the use of the items you use and buy
September 8, 2008
Interview with Vered of MomGrind
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Today’s interview is with Vered! She blogs at MomGrind.
1) What do you think are the biggest challenges for women around the world today?
In a UN Conference in 2001 it was stated that “in the world as a whole, women comprise 51 percent of the population, do 66 percent of the work, receive 10 percent of the income and own less than one percent of the property”.
I would say that the challenge is to get to a place where we do 50% of the work, receive 50 percent of the income and own fifty percent of the property.
2) If more women were in positions of power do you think the world would be different than it is now? If so, in what way?
Not in the beginning, because after years of men being in power, women that do reach positions of power act like men. It’s the only way they can survive at the top.
But if society gradually shifted so that positions of power were held by women in equal numbers to those held by men, I think that gradually there would be a shift towards less acts of violence and using mainly diplomacy efforts to solve conflicts. I also think that human rights would get more protection and that the social benefit system would be more developed.
3) How does your blog help to Inspire, Dare or Educate women to Achieve and Succeed?
It doesn’t. I write MomGrind as an outlet for my creativity and for my need to share my thoughts and ideas with a larger audience than my real-life friends. I guess it could inspire women to speak their mind, since that’s pretty much what I do.
4) Do you think the U.S. will have a woman president in your lifetime?
Yes, I do.
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Thank you very much Vered!
Please take some time and visit Vered’s blog: MomGrind!
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Related Posts:
- Interview with Liz Strauss
- Inspiring, Daring, Educating, Achieving and Succeeding!
- Interview with Anita Bruzzese
September 5, 2008
Friday Favorites
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Happy Friday!
Kind of short this week for no particular reason. Maybe the holiday had something to do with it!
Health
Dr. Val interviews a mother whose healthy one and a half year-old baby died 2 days after being infected with MRSA: Deadly Bacteria (MRSA) Kill A Baby Boy, Part 1 and Deadly Bacteria (MRSA) Kill A Baby Boy, Part 2
Change
A lot of political stuff going on – I can’t even begin to fathom all the blog posts about it. I’ll just list a few here that I found recently: Another Reason I Love Gloria Steinem — Palin is Wrong Woman with Wrong Message, Fun with linguisitcs: Elite, and Apparently I am smoking crack and the world is upside down.
Parenting
Modern Mami asks: “Can you Recommend Some Cold Lunch Ideas?” for her husband, not for kids. But I think it can be difficult to come up with ideas to send with a kid for lunch too, if it can’t be heated up or even refrigerated. What do you do?
Career and Business
Wendy Piersall asks What Will Barack Obama Do for Small Businesses & Entrepreneurs as President? She has a real good summary – if you have a business I recommend reading it.
If not, Anita Bruzzese has 20 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself if You Want to Smarten Up About Your Career
Inspire
Liz Strauss asks: “What Do You Do When the World Makes You Feel Small?”
Fun
Cute picture of a Least Grebe – really, it may not have a cute sounding name, but I think it is really cute and has cool eyes.
Have a great weekend!
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September 3, 2008
10 Reasons Why Sarah Palin Should Not be the VP of the U.S.
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Here’s 10 good reasons why Sarah Palin should not be the VP of the U.S. – and absolutely should not be just a heart beat away from the presidency!
1) She’s doesn’t have the experience – her experience consists of being a sports reporter, mayor of a town of 6000-8000 people, then governor of Alaska – a state with a population of only 670,000 – for less than 2 years.
2) She doesn’t have enough education – she has only a Bachelor’s degree in journalism – no advanced degrees. On July 31, this year – she asked: “What is it exactly that the VP does everyday?“.
3) She’s anti-choice – She opposes abortion even in the case of rape and incest.
4) She’s anti-environment – she wants polar bears taken off the endangered species list, wants to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and doesn’t believe human activities are responsible for global warming.
5) She’s anti-science – she doesn’t believe human activities are responsible for global warming, wants creationism to be taught in science classes and is against life saving stem cell research.
6) She doesn’t know this country’s history – her opinion of the phrase “Under God” being in the Pledge of Allegiance: “If it was good enough for the founding fathers, its good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance“. But of course the phrase “under God” was not added to the pledge until 1954, and had nothing whatsoever to do with the founding fathers.
7) She’s lied – she said she opposed the bridge to nowhere, but in reality she supported it while campaigning for governor.
8 ) Her policies don’t work – she’s believes in abstinence-only sex education which studies have shown doesn’t work and as a perfect example of their failure, her own 17 year old unmarried daughter is pregnant.
9) She’s tied to big oil just like the current administration – her husband works for British Petroleum and she wants to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
10) She was involved in an Alaskan secessionist organization in the 1990’s – the Alaskan Independence Party. A group whose founder, Joe Vogler has stated: “I’m an Alaskan, not an American. I’ve got no use for America or her damned institutions.”
Still not convinced?
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Related Posts:
- Change – Information and Involvement
- 88 years and 3 days later …
- Friday Favorites – 4th of July Edition
September 2, 2008
3 Reasons Why Science is Important in This Election
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More than ever science research and technology affects our lives. And in particular with this year’s election it is very crucial that we elect a president that values evidence and reason over fear and superstition.
What is at stake is the very existence of us as a species on this planet as well as our ability to greatly reduce the amount of suffering that many around the world endure.
Many issues that have been debated all across the country the past few years require some amount of basic scientific knowledge to really understand. Do the candidates have that knowledge? Are they willing to learn?
The following are the 3 main reasons why science is so crucial in this election:
Climate Change and Energy: Global warming due to the use of fossil fuels is changing the earth’s climate. Even a small overall increase in global temperatures will result in the flooding of coastal areas where a large percent of the population lives. We need to reduce or eliminate our reliance on fossil fuels and replace them with truly clean energy sources like solar, wind and geothermal. Are the presidential candidates ready for this challenge? Or will they dig us further into the current mess we are in now?
Health and Medicine: We will have the ability to greatly reduce or eliminate much of the suffering millions of people endure due to cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and many other diseases if we keep moving ahead with health and medical research. But yet much of that research is being delayed or inhibited altogether because some small percent of the population believes that a blastocyst consisting of 150 cells – with no brain or even neurons – is more valuable than a person suffering or dying from a painful and/or debilitating disease. Will the next president prolong that suffering or take the necessary steps to relieve it?
Education and Innovation: The U.S. is not doing a good job with making sure all its citizens receive an adequate education in general, but we are especially failing in science and math “A comparison of 15-year-olds in 30 wealthy nations found that average science scores among U.S. students ranked 17th, while average U.S. math scores ranked 24th”. Why does this matter? Much of the growth in the U.S. since WWII is due to our innovation in science and technology. We will be able to sustain that growth if our educational system is not preparing students for careers requiring science and math skills?
Back in November 2007 a small group of people created the organization Science Debate 2008 to get the presidential candidates to discuss all the above and many other science issues. Both candidates have now agreed to answer 14 questions about science and this country’s future!
Update: Obama has answered the 14 questions!
How can you help make sure the candidates understand how important these issues are?
1 – you can Digg this question.
2 – Keep checking the Science Debate 2008 site for the answers the candidates give.
3 – If you have a blog, you can join the Blogger Coalition.
Remember – our futures and the futures of our children are at stake!
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Related Posts:
- Energize your life in an environmentally positive way
- Drug Safety: Balance and Discretion Needed
- Strong American Schools
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