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?