BECOMING ECO FRIENDLY
Table of Contents What Is Eco Friendly.......................................................................................3 Eco Friendly Automotives..............................................................................4 Eco Friendly Appliances.................................................................................5 Eco Friendly Fashion......................................................................................7 Eco Friendly Building & decorating...............................................................8 Eco Friendly Food & packaging.....................................................................9 Eco Friendly technology...............................................................................10
What used to come to mind when people talked about going “green” was the use of compost and organic solutions for insect, disease and fertility problems in the garden. But thanks to the concerns of citizens all over the globe, going green has risen from practices adopted by a few to mainstream culture. In fact, going green is often referred to now as being "eco-friendly" or environmentally sustainable, and has its own terminology and set of parameters. Manufacturers of many home and garden products have been quick to climb on this bandwagon, touting their products as eco-friendly, in the hope that you will purchase their product for this reason. What is it that makes a product eco-friendly? Eco-friendly products are products made of environmentally-friendly materials such as recycled goods, or rapid renewables. Recycled materials are those that had a previous use and are now being re-used in a new way. One example is to use salvaged materials. Another way to recycle would be to use newsprint in the garden as a mulch to control weeds. Another way is to use more rapid renewables or sustainable materials such as bamboo and cork and using rapid renewables helps to protect precious natural resources. It is usually easy and economical to quickly replace these products, sustaining a steady supply without depleting our natural resources. Products that have gone through very little processing before coming to market are considered eco-friendly as well because they consume very little energy during manufacturing. Examples include granite steps or benches, stone pavers and some wood products. Products that are handmade also tend to use little energy during manufacture, and so are considered environmentally friendly. Eco-friendly products are as free as possible from harmful chemicals and compounds. In production, the use of toxic compounds such as wood preservatives or creosote, volatile organic 3
compounds, chlorine and PVCs are reduced or eliminated because they deplete the ozone layer.
Revolutions have a way of mixing things up, as the auto world surely knows. Veggie oil is the new diesel. Green is the new black. What's a driver to believe? Well, here's one turn signal you can trust: In 2004, sales of hybrid vehicles, featuring gas-and-electric engines, shot up 80 percent over 2003, to more than 85,000. And hefty haulers like the 2004 Ford Escape— the world's first hybrid SUV—are selling faster than dealers can say "great gas mileage." But small is also the new green, especially when it comes to a hyper-efficient gas-only import that's so puny it'll fit in an SUV. Here's what's under the hood in 2005.
Smart Car This two-seat Euro buggy looks like a Little Tykes Cozy Coupe—and gets a whopping 60 mpg. While DaimlerChrysler, Smart's corporate parent, weighs whether to make the metallic pod in the U.S. A California-based electric-car-and-scooter manufacturer—has been buying Smart Cars in Europe, floating them across the pond, reengineering them to meet U.S. standards, and selling them for a base price of $19,800. They're four feet shorter in length than the Mini Cooper.
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This oven is great in the back yard, at the campsite, or even at Mt. Everest Base Camp (where it has been use)! When a Global Sun Oven® is focused on the sun, the interior of the oven can heat to over 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Direct and reflected sunlight enters the oven chamber through the glass door, which is then turned into heat energy. This heat input causes the temperature inside the oven to rise until the heat loss of the oven is equal to the solar heat gain. The light energy absorbed by the oven's dark interior is converted into
longer wavelength heat energy. Most of this longer-wavelength radiant energy can not pass back out through the glass, ensuring more efficient cooking. To use simply position the Sun Oven so it faces the sun. Unfold the reflectors and use the rear 9position adjusting leg to angle the oven so the solar heat gain is maximized. The food rests on a built-in pivoting shelf that self adjusts to keep food level inside the oven. It can cook bread, cakes, muffins, meats, fish, poultry, vegetables, casseroles, grains, and pasta.
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Environmentally conscious brands such as Simple, Terra Plana and Charmone are churning out trendy tennis shoes, sandals and, Carrie Bradshaw-worthy heels in the $50 to $300 range. It's about time. The eco-fashion craze has delivered baby-soft bamboo washcloths and runway-quality organic cotton dresses. Footwear, it seems, is the last frontier. Now, you don't have to sacrifice your aesthetics for your ethics, says Zem Joaquin, founder of the San Francisco-based Ecofabulous.com, a site devoted to great design that's good for the planet. "In terms of the way they look, there isn't even a drastic difference between the shoes I would traditionally purchase and the shoes of this modern eco-movement," says Joaquin, who wears heels from Charmone's Spice Collection. The difference is how they're made. Thanks to Birkenstock, designers know that cork, from the cork tree, makes a soft foot bed; and jute, a natural fiber from a shrub, produces fine upper material. But new shoes from Simple use crepe, a natural rubber tapped from the hevea tree, for their squishy outsoles, in addition to bamboo and nontoxic, water-based glues. All of the Santa Barbara Company’s shoes have some level of sustainability. But the Green Toes line is almost all cradle-to- cradle, meaning that the Earth's resources are used and then returned to the Earth, as opposed to the synthetics packing landfills. You'll find car tires in canvas sandals, and wool-based felt in loafers. Come July, you'll see laces made out of recycled plastic bottles. "It's like developing technology, so when we figure out these new innovations we go back and try to implement them into our older products," says Greg Nielsen, a spokesman for Simple. Natural materials such as bamboo, which is anti-microbial and a perfect insole, and hemp have long been abundantly available. Black spot Shoes uses the latter in its classic sneaker, a dead ringer for Converse AllStars; and the Unswoosher, a boot. The shoes are made from a biodegradable, vegetarian leather in a safe, unionized factory. Even the logo is hand-drawn.
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According to the EPA, indoor air pollution is a serious dilemma that contributes to a variety of health problems, including asthma, headaches, breathing problems, even cancer. One of the biggest contributors to that pollution is paint. Typical paint releases airborne chemicals knows as volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. These compounds are potential cacogenics and create problems both inside your home and out. They are most dangerous when the paint is wet, but can continue to emit harmful chemicals for years. Due to consumer demand, paint companies have worked diligently to create no or low VOC paints. Early attempts were not met with wide praise from consumers because they didn’t prove durable enough, especially after washing. Today’s no or low VOC paints are much improved. You can find them in most major paint stores and they can usually mix any color you like. We all know paint is an economical way to give your home a fresh new look. Why not make an earth friendly choice when you’re ready to pick up a brush? Many companies are joining the green game and producing furniture from sustainable materials or recycled resources. You’ll find chic designs for every room of your house. Look for wooden pieces that display labels from the Forestry Stewardship Council (FSC), the Rainforest Alliance or have a Rediscovered Wood Certification. This lets you know the wood is made from sustainable wood or wood that has been recycled. Fabrics for your home have also gone green. You can find fabrics that are certified green or look for fabrics you know are all natural. One hundred percent cotton is a good choice, as is hemp, silk, linen and wool. Another big decorating trend for 2009 is patterns that are inspired by nature. Bold floral leaf designs, and bright colors are all available in fabrics that have been manufactured without the harmful chemicals that have been used in years past. If you’re thinking of new draperies, bedding, upholstery or pillows, do the earth a favor and choose green fabrics.
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