Easier Recycling in Lakewood!

First off, my city is really awesome with recycling. I can recycle plastics 1-7 and paper and cardboard all on the curb. In Berea, you can only recycle plastics 1 & 2 and no paper or cardboard. Aaaannndd Lakewood recycling just got better :)

 OneLakewoodBlog tells about the new recycling procedure. We can now put paper in the same blue bags with cans and plastics!

RTA

Current gas prices are making me really wish that the RTA was more accessible.

Future of Cars

At Earth Fest, I was exposed to the technology developed by NASA that allows automobiles to run on hydrogen gas. This would create zero emissions - the only waste from the car would be pure water. The representative told me the technology is currently being used primarily on forklifts and things of that sort. Honda has come out with the FCX Clarity - FC standing for Fuel Cell. The car is currently only being leased to a few people in southern California. I can't wait until this technology hits the mainstream market!

 

 Also, it makes me proud to say that all of Honda's current/future products use alternative fuel sources. Barely anything can make me have faith in humanity to fix all of the environmental problems that we created, but this is telling me it's starting to get noticed.

Happy Earth Day!

I just had this spread on bread... delicious! I highly recommend it. I found it at Heinen's (for those of you who don't know, if you're trying to eat healthy/green/vegetarian, Heinen's is the place to go if you can't make it out to Nature's Bin or the east side).

Now, not so thrilling... a natural gas well in Bradford, Pennsylvania burst on Tuesday, spilling gallons of fracking fluid (aka harmful chemicals that the government says are safe) into local waterways. Check out the full story online... or I'm sure we will all be hearing more about it either way. It was the one year anniversary since the BP oil spill in the gulf...ironic?

The Federalist Post: Joining the wave will keep the lights on!

The Federalist Post: Joining the wave will keep the lights on!: "{sorce link http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article5167812.ece} Fossil fuels and nuclear power are efficient forms of sup..."

This post relates to my blog as well! tidal is an alternative energy source. A few problems I see has to do with the rise of "natural disasters," such as hurricanes and tsunamis. Carbon has a delay of entering the atmosphere - that is, right now we are experiencing carbon emissions from the past. So, even if we completely stop emitting right now, we will still see a rise in overall global temperatures for a little while. So, I see disasters such as tsunamis and hurricanes potentially causing a problem with tidal energy, unless these devices are built to withstand such weather.

Indigenous people of Peru/Brazil

The situation of an indigenous tribe in Brazil/Peru was brought to my attention today in class. Attached is a video and here is a link with some amazing photos everyone should check out! These people have never been contacted by the outside world.Indigenous cultures such as the one featured are in danger due to illegal logging.

West Side Market

I went to the West Side Market a couple weeks ago for the first time. My new house is within ten minutes of it! I really enjoyed it, and for those who have never been I highly suggest going. I got some awesome pasta and cupcakes, and was happy to see a place that sold a lot of vegan dairy products.You can check out information about the market on their website.

Now, there may be a question of how this relates to the environment. This is one of our problems - people do not realize that just about everything relates to the environment, including BUYING LOCAL! It's very important to buy local when you can because it helps our local economy and doesn't use a lot of gas in the transportation process. It is also generally better for YOU to buy from small farmers or organizations because you are directly supporting them and not going through another company.

reflections on earth fest

Today was earth fest at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo! I was required to go for my Environmental Sociology class to go and volunteer at a booth, but I was also able to walk around for a couple hours. The booth I volunteered at was Naturehood, for Earth Day Coalition, who sponsors earth fest.
There was a bunch of different vendors there and free samples! I got a lot of free native plant seeds and free samples of coffee and food. I highly recommend choosing earth fest day as a day to go to the zoo next year!

yess california!

Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation yesterday requiring California utilities to get 33% of their power from renewable sources. This includes things like wind, solar, and geothermal energy.

I'm thrilled about this, I hope other states follow suit :)
Here's a link to the article: California renewable energy

e-waste update

New York is the 26th state to enact a law that makes throwing away electronics illegal... why is the federal government so far behind on passing a comprehensive law dealing with e-waste?

a side note is that Ohio is one of the 24 states that does not have a law in place to deal with e-waste...hmmm..

56 West

This post will be about 56 West, or fiftysixwest, in Lakewood. I went there for the first time the other night and the food was amazing! I was so happy to find a cute, but hip, restaurant with vegetarian and vegan options. They have a build your own burger section on the menu, which is what I got. My veggie burger was topped with provolone, chimichurri sauce, caramelized onions, and lettuce, on a whole wheat bun, with sweet potato fries for a side. It was amazing and not unreasonably priced either. Not to mention, their regular menu items have interesting names, such as "one hot chick" and "one fun guy". Fiftysixwest will definitely be a weekly dinner!

our idiotic government.

I highly suggest this film: American Experience: Earth Days

Did you know that the first hybrid car was developed in the 60s or 70s?
Did you know that the white house had solar power water heaters in 1979?
...They were taken down by Reagan in 1986.

There is no excuse that these technologies have not been made nation-wide policies.
The fact that hybrid cars and solar panels were developed before the cell phone and we have come so far with cell phones, but still hybrids and alternative energy systems are rarely seen tells me a lot.

Why are we still using oil?

For the past couple years, I've been saying that I really want to go to community college for auto mechanics. Last night, I started wanting to do that again. I really want to convert my Saturn SC2 into an electric car. I'm not sure about all the details, but I know they sell conversion kits and have a lot of information about how to do it. Does anyone know anyone who would want to help me or have any thoughts on this?

Fracking, again.

Hydraulic fracturing is a process to release natural gas from shale by pumping thousands of gallons of water mixed with sand and other chemicals into the ground, cracking the rock and releasing the gas.
Residents living near fracking sites have been able to light their tap water on fire, which 'bubbles' when it comes out of the faucet. Oh, and the returning mixture of fluid and natural gas also brings up radioactive elements from the shale. Lovely, considering we don't know what these chemicals could be doing to our health.
Fracking companies, such as Halliburton, have been able to get through loopholes in many environmental regulatory acts, such as the clean water act.
While states such as New Jersey and Maryland are pushing legislation to outlaw fracking, in Ohio Governor Kasich is pushing for MORE fracking, in parks and public places.

*all the links above redirect to recent articles outlining the states' views on fracking.

Earth Fest 2011!

Earth Fest 2011 will be held on April 17 at the Cleveland Zoo. I highly recommend attending if you are interested in environmental issues, health issues, or if you're just looking for something different to do! I haven't been before, but I will be volunteering this year at the Naturehood booth, where we will be making seed balls with native plants. Earth Fest is put on by Earth Day Coalition, and you can find more information on their website, here. Or you can just ask me if you have any questions, since I will be representing them at one of the booths!

P.S. My lovely company of Starbucks Coffee will also have a booth there  :)

oops, it's been a while.

I haven't posted in a while because I am in the process of moving! I moved into a house in Lakewood on the 15th, so I have been busy with moving and setting up utilities. I can relate this to the environment though!

When getting settled into my new house, I learned that the city of Lakewood has a mandatory recycling program. You can recycle paper and cardboard with your curbside glass and metal recycling - something Berea, my current city, doesn't offer. Currently, if you want to recycling paper or cardboard, you have to take it to a special facility, usually found in the metro parks.

What does everyone think about mandatory recycling?

E-Waste

Wonder what happens to all those old electronics you throw away? When you get a new phone every two years?

Please buy organic dairy!

I found an article by friendsEAT that discusses the recent confession from Kraft foods that recombinant bovine growth hormones are present in their food (rBGH).

What is rBGH and why should we care?
Introduced by seed monopoly Monsanto, rBGH is injected into cows to make them produce more milk. Our food is not labeled if it contains this hormone because of the "revolving door" between Monstanto and the government. (Monsanto has people in the FDA, etc. etc.)

rBGH is illegal in every country except for the United States and Brazil. It's illegal everywhere else for good reason... "milk from cows injected with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) increases risks of breast and colon cancers in humans. (friendsEAT)"

Not to mention the increase in PUS in cow's milk, along with other nasty things.

So, if you want to avoid this, first and foremost, organic dairy needs to be hormone free, such as Organic Valley. So, you can buy organic dairy, but there are a few non-organic brands as well that do not have rBGH in their products. A sample list:  General Mills (Yoplait yogurt), Dannon yogurt, Costco's "Kirkland Signature," Target's "Archer Farm," Sam's and Walmart's "Great Value," Safeway’s "O," Publix’s “High Meadows,” Giant's "Nature's Promise," Fresh and Easy store brand, and Kroger store brand (Natalie Lovins).

Here's a great link to rBGH free products by state. I highly suggest that everyone takes a look at this and starts buying organic/rBGH free. After all, in a market economy, if we buy more organic, more organic things will be produced! :)

This blog is turning into a blog about vegetarian eating...

I've been slacking on my posts! But some more delicious vegetarian foods...
I got take out from Wah Fu in Middleburg Heights the other day... Tofu and Vegetables. 7.25 for a hugeee container... also the BEST tofu I've ever gotten from a restaurant. I definitely recommend it for anyone. If you've never had tofu but want to try it, this is probably your best bet for your first tofu meal.

 

My other good vegetarian food shout out goes to Dominex! They make a bunch of frozen eggplant foods. I got the eggplant vegetarian meatballs, they were delicious.

 

2050

the planet could be 'unrecognizable' by 2050, according to experts.
"we will need to produce as much food in the next 40 years as we have in the last 8,000," to sustain the growing population. The article linked makes a clear and concise case for the need of a more vegetable-based diet and increase in funding for family planning.

some delicious vegetarian recipes :)

Yum! I made this chili using the recipe on the back, substituting Morning Star meal starter crumbles for ground beef. The only other ingredients were diced tomatoes and kidney beans. It was very easy and took about 15 minutes to make, cost about 7-8 dollars (using organic beans and tomatoes), and made me lunch for three days. You can just freeze the left overs! Cooking at home is so much healthier and cheaper than eating out!
Delicious, vegetarian, cheap, and easy :)



This sloppy joe mix is very good as well - you only need to add oil and tomato paste. The soy crumbles come with the mix and i believe it's only 3-4 dollars a box!

Planned Parenthood

The House passed a bill to remove all federal funding from Planned Parenthood an other family planning clinics... here's the link to the article, everyone should read it:
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2011/02/house-passes-bill-to-defund-planned-parenthood.php
 For everyone who doesn't know... Planned Parenthood does a lot more than just abortions, which the House is mainly basing their argument off of.  If you want to take action because you hate this idea as much as I do, follow this link.

 For those of you in my class who don't understand how this would relate to a blog about sustainability, family planning is an essential part of sustainability that is most often times overlooked. The population is way over earth's carrying capacity and continues to grow due to lack of family planning. The availability of services that are offered at Planned Parenthood are ESSENTIAL to low-income families. Planned Parenthood is also a good resource for teens and young adults who are still on their parents' insurance... they can have access to STD testing/birth control/other sexual health services with complete confidentiality.

You need to watch this.

This is disgusting. Watch it. It's going on RIGHT NOW. We know how the water has been undrinkable before, in Atlanta and such, which led to privatization of water. But this is RIGHT NOW... Obama, why aren't you doing anything about this?

what can be done?

Love Hookers?

Hahah. No really, in honor of studying for my environmental politics exam, this post is going to be dealing with the incident at Love Canal.

First, let me tell a little about myself, because I failed to do so in my first post.
My name is Michelle, and my life consists of school and Starbucks. I'm majoring in sustainability and have a minor in psychology. What do I want to do with my degree? I have no idea. But I know I love my internship. I've been interning/volunteering at the Lake Erie Nature & Science Center for nine months. There, I help out in the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center. I also know I love my job at Starbucks. I'm a shift supervisor there, and I make really good money for someone my age, I get good benefits, and I love my customers and the people I work with. The only thing is I have to wake up at 3:30am a few days a week.


Okay.. now back to hookers.

Between 1942 and 1952, Hooker Chemical Company dumped 22,000 tons of toxic chemical waste into the Love Canal (named after the man who dug the canal for industrial purposes). Love Canal is located in Niagara Falls, where the toxic waste site was covered in 1952 and the land was sold to the city to build a school on top. The school and homes were built (with basements, which permeated the cement layer originally build on top of the toxic sludge to attempt to hold it in), and, of course, kids got sick. Rashes, respiratory illnesses, and burns from debris were a few issues. Although Hooker Chemical Company warned the city of some of the toxins buried in the ground, the city continued to develop it, and the residents were not warned. It was not until a reporter published a story about it that the citizens had an explanation for all of the illnesses and black goop that permeated their basement walls.

animal cruelty

misdemeanor charges?! really?!

eating vegetarian?

Applebee's, you suck.


looks delicious, right? yeah, I heard an ad for an all you can eat soup and salad at Applebee's. Being a vegetarian, you have to be careful with soups (Panera Bread's broccoli and cheddar is made with chicken base... a lot of canned "vegetable" soups are too). But even at Panera, and every canned version I've seen, tomato soup has always been vegetarian so I figured that would be okay, plus I assume everywhere has to have at least ONE vegetarian option... wrong! If you're a vegetarian you're virtually unable to participate in this wonderful $5.99 lunch buffet.


Ironically.... Denny's! You rule. Second best veggie burger I've ever gotten at a restaurant?

"Amy's^® Veggie Burger made from fresh organic grains and vegetables with protein-rich soy.  Topped with melted Pepper Jack cheese, fresh spinach, tomato and grilled mushroom on a wheat bun.  Served with a side of balsamic vinaigrette." (taken from the menu).
Organic? Denny's? Yes. MindBodyGreen recognizes this accomplishment of the restaurant chain too.