Daily Loaf

I’m sure many of us have all tried in one form or fashion to become more eco-conscious and tread a little lighter on this planet. Most of you have heard about the concept of the carbon footprint (greenhouse gas emissions caused directly and indirectly by an individual, organization, event or product) and probably practice recycling, conserving water and energy in your home, etc., to try to reduce your carbon footprint. But we can always do more.

Take, for instance, No Impact Man, Colin Beavan, and his No Impact Project where he and his family tried to live with no environmental impact for one year in New York City. Think: making no trash, only eating food grown within 250 miles, using no carbon producing transportation (cars, subway) and finally, and using no electricity in their home. Of course, they didn’t go cold turkey and omit all of these things from their lives all at once, they did so through phases – and so can you.

Huffington Post is hosting No Impact Week, starting Sunday, October 18, to “give people the opportunity to examine and reduce their ecological footprint by taking part in a short and intense period of conscious consumption supported by local and online communities”. They’ve even created a day-by-day guide to help you go greener gradually and learn practices that make less of an impact on the environment. Each day will focus on a different theme (i.e.: trash, energy, food, transportation) and give you tips on simple practices you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. This doesn’t mean you have to stop driving your car or turn off your electricity – it gives simple, achievable goals for each day.
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

Sustainable beer 101: A guide to growlers- Benefits of refillable beer jugs far exceed the lure of fresh tap beer.

Refresh your mind, body and spirit by reconnecting with nature- Living in such a busy world these days overloaded with technology leaves little time to get back to the basics and connect with the planet we live on. Take some time out of your busy schedule and reconnect with nature, which will balance you physically, mentally and spiritually.

Ronald McDonald gets a pie in the face from PETA protester- Ronald McDonald takes one in the kisser from a PETA protester who is against McDonald’s “controlled-atmosphere killing” of chickens.

St. Petersburg College and Tampa Bay green building chapter announce partnership- St Petersburg College’s Corporate Training Office announced a partnership with the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter (FGCC) of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to provide a comprehensive sustainable building operations training course based on the LEED for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance rating system.
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The Issue
Hot water consumption!

The Greater Issue
Between 80 and 90 percent of the energy used to heat water is wasted.

With 110-million households in the country, that’s a lot of inefficiently used energy.

The cost of heating water amounts to 14% of your utility bill.

Be Part of the Solution
You don’t have to take cold showers, eat on dirty dishes or wear dirty clothes to conserve energy and save money.  Follow these simple steps to reduce your hot-water consumption:
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What’s the buzz on the latest issues in the Green Community? Check out what you may have missed this last week:

The Earth Charter: How ethics can change the world (video) – The Earth charter was created by thousands of people representing hundreds of countries aiming at a universal ethical code of conduct for human beings. How do we treat each other? How do we treat the world? These questions were raised and answered.

City of Tampa Green Business Designation Program- As of this week, the City of Tampa became one of just a handful of cities nationwide to start a green business designation program.  Outside of the West Coast (California and Washington state), Tampa will join major metropolitan areas like Philadelphia and Knoxville in rewarding private businesses that have become or want to become more environmentally-friendly.

Why buying recycled, repurposed products is so important- Preserving the Earth’s natural resources is vital to the future of the planet and all of its inhabitants. Buying recycled and repurposed products is a great way to make a positive impact on the environment by cutting back on waste and the resources needed to make new items.
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Do you receive way too much junk mail? Here are some tips to lighten your junk mail load:

The issue:

-Every year, each of us receives almost 560 pieces of junk mail, accounting for 43% of all delivered mail!

-Every year, the US EPA estimates 44% of junk mail isn’t even opened, creating four tons of waste!

-Every year, junk mail uses as much energy as almost three million cars!

-Every year, junk mail consumes 100 million trees or approximately 550,000 tons of paper!
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We chose the first 95. You placed your nominations for the Final Five.  THE POLLS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Congratulations to our final five:

• Grant Rimbey, Temple Terrace architect/activist
• Bill & Sharon Ezzo, Earth’s Best Natural Pest Management
• AquaFree (earth-friendly car care)
• Kurt Zuelsdorf, Kayak Nature Adventures
• Jason Green, St. Petersburg College Sustainability Coordinator

We invite all our winners and nominees to attend our Green 100 party on May 5. Details here.

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For info on the Green 95, see Creative Loafing writeups below. For specifics on the nominees for the Final Five, scroll down to the readers’ comments.

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