Clean water should be taken more seriously
Tuesday, December 15th, 2009
Photo credit: makelessnoise
The other day I saw an article about big city water ratings in the United States, and it really got me thinking how sad it is that clean, fresh water is so hard to find. The article was brought to my attention at a good time, as just the other day I watched a program on the History Channel (I think) that spoke of the deterioration of the public infrastructure here in this country. This show was more broad in its content than just public water, but in addition to describing how the public water infrastructure is badly in need of repair, it also described roads, bridges and highway systems that are also in need of repair and in some cases close to failing.
In the article, San Diego -my current city of residence- was ranked 91 out of 100 […]
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Seals ordered to leave La Jolla
Thursday, May 28th, 2009Most everyone has heard of La Jolla, the community of San Diego, also known as the Jewel By the Sea. Well there is a place along the coast in La Jolla called the Children’s Pool, and what brings a lot of people to see this area (besides of the beauty of the coast itself) is the 50 or so seals that can be seen laying on the beach here. As most people know, there is not very much of the Southern California coast that has not been taken over by people, so for many this sort of place to see wildlife is quite a novelty.
The reason this area has attracted the seals is that a big sea wall was built many years ago to shelter this part of the beach, which is what makes it desirable for the seals. Well, the problem is that this sea wall […]
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Water Conservation – A letter to the city
Friday, January 2nd, 2009A few weeks ago, while driving into work in the rain, I noticed that the sprinklers on the side of the freeway were on. Not only is this ridiculous, but it is especially ridiculous being that San Diego is basically a desert with very little of its own water supplies, and the city has recently said that unless water usage is decreased soon we will have mandatory water rationing. So I decided to write a little letter to the mayor’s office. Here is is:
Hello Mayor Sanders,
I have read in the past months of your efforts at promoting water conservation in the city. Also, I had seen that you declared a water shortage emergency this past summer which called for residents to voluntarily cut back there usage or face mandatory cutbacks later on.
I am writing because I would like to see the city take further initiative […]
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Biodegradable and Eco Friendly Trash Bags
Sunday, October 26th, 2008
Eco friendly trash bags? A contradiction?
I had written an article on another site that continues to have quite a bit of interest, so I am putting an updated version of the article about eco friendly and biodegradable trash bags here.
Typically for my trash I actually use extra bags that find their way into my home, however I have had great luck using these eco friendly biodegradable compostable three gallon trash bags. They are called BioBags and I use them for collecting kitchen scraps and then composting, so I can vouch for the fact that these bags actually do biodegrade very quickly.
According to the product description they are “manufactured from GMO-free corn” and “are 100% biodegradable and 100% compostable. The 3 Gallon Kitchen bags work well in a small trash container or composter, but are also great for food storage. Since Biobags […]
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Apartment Composting – How to Compost when you live in an apartment
Thursday, September 18th, 2008There are many sites out there that explain composting in detail, how to do it properly, how it actually works, all that good stuff. There are also plenty that talk about apartment composting, all the equipment you need, and I’m sure that is all well and good. I’ve even listed a few below in the related links. But I decided to write this article to explain how I do it, what I have learned, and the equipment that I use. I am by no means a pro at this, and I’m not even claiming that I know what I’m doing, however I feel like I have been mostly successful with my apartment style composting, and want to share. However if you are reading this article it is likely that you don’t.
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Recycling electronics and proper E-waste disposal
Thursday, August 28th, 2008Most everyone is on board with recycling these days. But there are some items that we know we should recycle but don’t know how or where to. And then there are others that we know we shouldn’t be throwing in the trash, but we just don’t know how to dispose of them responsibly.
Batteries are one thing that many of us throw away. Electronic waste, or e-waste, is another. And I will admit, properly disposing of these items can be perplexing. I have tried to sift through some information and pass it along to you regarding these things. What I generally do with batteries is save them until I have a bunch of old ones and then bring them to Best Buy or something like that, where they usually have a bin near the front.
But here are a few links that should help you […]
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Apartment recycling
Saturday, July 8th, 2006Here in San Diego, there is a problem with trash. I keep hearing that the landfills are filling up much to fast, and that they will be at capacity soon. Ok, so recycling is the quickest way to lessen the burden on the landfills.
The problem is that approximately 80-90% of people in San Diego rent. If you’re renting a house in a neighborhood, the chances are probably pretty good that you’ll have a recycle bin provided, however if you’re like me and you live in a complex, you’ll more than likely have a dumpster only.
So once again, the city misses the boat. Recycling isn’t mandatory, and apartment owners probably choose to have only a dumpster because it’s the cheapest solution. So yet again, a place where you could make a fairly big difference, where the population density is highest, they’re not doing it.
I myself keep […]
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Too much waste in businesses and restaurants
Friday, May 19th, 2006I was sitting at lunch today, and once again I got frustrated by the amount of waste that most places generate. I am referring specifically to restaurants and businesses. Probably the two types of places that could make the biggest difference if they were environmentally responsible.
First of all, businesses blow my mind. Most places generate huge amounts of paper waste, both in the form of paper, and cardboard packaging. And unless I’m misinformed, I’m guessing it all goes to the landfill. Dumposaurus Dumpsters serve this purpose. My work is currently moving offices, and pretty much all new stuff is being bought, so all the old is getting tossed (most in the form of paper and brochures, along with smaller amounts of e-waste). And I have to say, I don’t really blame the businesses. It seems to be so much of a hassle to properly […]
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- A Life of Pleasures
- Advanced Riskology
- Anchored Nomad
- Answering Oliver
- Art of Non-Conformity
- Castles in the Air
- Exile Lifestyle
- Hobo Traveler
- It Starts With
- Liz Clark & the Voyage of Swell
- My Marrakesh
- Nate Damm
- Path to Freedom
- Plastic Manners
- Prolific Living
- Purple Panda
- Solbeam
- Tynan
- Vagabond Journey
- Wandering Dona
- Where the Hell is Matt?
- Where the Road Goes