Sustainable Living Tips by Lee Leffler

Did you know that 18% of the waste produced by a typical American family comes from the yard and garden? And 23% of all solid waste in this country could be composted. What a waste!

Reduce waste in your household by composting. If you have a little space on your property, you can start a compost pile, build a simple composter, or buy a composter. Situate the compost pile a short distance from the house if possible.

The added bonus is that composters produce humus, which is a rich black substance that enriches soil. It is not edible by humans, but plants grow strong when humus is added to the soil.

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Target stores will celebrate Earth Day 2012 by giving away 1.5 million resusable bags to their customers on April 22.

In addition to the bag giveaway, Target has provided a limited-life web page, www.target.com/earthday that lists (and has coupons for)  some products that they consider appropriate for Earth Day — but we’re not sure about the bottled water!

You can read Target’s announcement here.

Here’s  another downside to disposable plastic bags. Do you, like me, anticipate the coming of Spring by looking for signs of green in the treetops? If so, no doubt you noticed the off-white remnants of plastic, streaming from almost every tree beside a highway.

Maharishi University of Management will soon open its new Sustainable Living Center on its campus in Fairfield, IA.

According to David Fisher, head of MUM’s sustainable living department,  this will be “the most ambitious environmental building ever undertaken . . . the only one I know of to combine extensive use of daylighting, whole-tree beams, several different certifications, and planned off-the-grid features.”

The center will be built using a combination of sustainable features and certified standards such as LEED, and will be constructed according to Maharishi Vedic(SM) architecture.

With solar panels, wind turbine, geothermal installation, and passive energy features, the expectation is that this will be a net-zero energy building. And the plan for the future is to take the building off the grid completely, for electricity, heating/cooling, water, and waste.

The new center is expected to be open by April 18, 2012.

The annual EcoFair sustainability conference in Fairfield, Iowa has been renamed “EcoFairfield” in order to include all citizens of Fairfield and beyond. Out-of-town guest speakers, guest presenters and attendees will continue to be welcomed April 20-22 — Earth Day Weekend — and the slogan is to “serve, inspire and connect.”

The event is being organized now by students in the Sustainability program at Maharishi University of Management and is sponsored by the City of Fairfield, Fairfield Volunteer Center, Fairfield Public Library, Maharishi University of Management, myLocal Cooperative, and  Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

This year’s event focuses on sharing the knowledge of local experts, the excellence of local vendors and businesses, and local projects that anyone can participate in throughout the year.

The conference includes:

• community service
• education about sustainability issues
• celebrations
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The practice of “fracking” – hydraulically fracturing rock to extract natural gas – has come under fire in New York State. Environmental and health groups swarmed the state Capitol in Albany requesting a legislative ban on fracking. They are concerned that regulation cannot adequately prevent the contamination of water from fracking.

NY State Senator Tony Avella has sponsored a bill to ban hydraulic fracturing. “Fracking is the most important environmental issue this state has faced in the past 100 years,” he said.

Click to read the article in the Wall Street Journal.

Oregon State University’s Sustainable Living Project website is packed with information on the whats, whys and hows of living an environmentally responsible life. The selection below is from their page on the concept of sustainability. The site is packed with useful and practical research-based information.

What is Sustainable Living?

Our definition is “A life that is deeply satisfying, fulfilling, and appealing – and at the same time, environmentally responsible.”

To understand what sustainable living is, it helps to understand what it’s not.

First of all, it’s not about living in the woods, eating nuts and berries, and wearing tie-dyed clothes. It’s for mainstream adults – typical Americans (more…)

Cherie Soria, raw vegan chef and author of The Raw Food Revolution Diet, has taught students at Living Light Culinary Institute how to make gourmet raw vegan foods and live a green lifestyle since 1998. Soria has created a top ten list of holiday gifts from Living Light Marketplace, one of the four eco-friendly businesses she helms on the Mendocino coast of northern California.

“Our goal when we opened Living Light Marketplace was to carry products not only for the raw food chef, but for anyone who wants to make a difference when they select household items, products, and gifts for family and friends,” says Soria. “We’ve created this simple holiday list for the conscious consumer with sustainable values in mind.”

• Bamboo-one of the fastest growing renewable plant species on the planet. Try bamboo flatware or chopsticks. Cherie’s advice: “Use these plants to eat more plants.”
• More Bamboo-The Bamboo Bottle for hot or cold beverages is BPA free, durable, and 1% of sales go back to the planet.
• Acacia bowls-sustainably produced of Hawaiian hardwood are both beautiful and durable.
• Glass Dharma Straws-lifetime guarantee, and made of borosilicate class in Fort Bragg, California, where we live. It’s the last straw you’ll ever need.
• Greenware-this stainless steel water bottle is lightweight, BPA free, durable, and 1% of the sales go back to the planet.
• EcoBags Natural Tote-in durable cotton canvas with Living Light logo – great for shopping, errands and travel.
• Thai Coconut Sugar-known also as jaggery, coconut sugar is a world renowned low-glycemic sweetener favored by Mahatma Gandhi.
• Rawsome Creations Nut Milk Bag-fair trade, philanthropic, functional, and durable. Make your own nut and seed milks with this simple tool, and drink to your health.
• Guatemalan Aprons-beautiful striped, hand woven icats in a palette of rich colors and patterns in long or short styles, with adjustable straps.

Click to read the entire article

During a single weekend, you can hear from two world-renowned visionary authors, learn to grow organic food, “hydro-fracking” or how to implement wind and solar power into your home and business., either on the standard power grid or at remote sites.

All this and more is being offered at the second annual Local Living Festival, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 24 and 25 2011 at the Cooperative Extension Learning Farm, 2043 Route 68 in Canton, NY.

Click for more information.

Prince William and Kate Middleton get married – sustainably!

This article in EcoSeed – Energy | Environment | Economy explains how His Royal Highness Prince William of Wales will marry Miss Catherine Middleton in an eco-friendly way, from the wedding ring to the flowers.

Let us hope their marriage is totally sustainable, too!

Click to read the article in EcoSeed.

Have you ever heard the joke about the absurdity of putting a recreation area right next to a waste management plant?

This blog post on the New York Times website talks about a plan to open a ski park in a waste management plant. The article says, “If you’re itching to visit the new advanced waste management plant that will open in 2016 in Copenhagen, be sure to bring your skis. An urban ski park will cover the plant, which will incinerate the waste from five municipalities to generate heat and electricity for 140,000 homes.”

Imagine taking an elevator to the top of a building, then skiing down one of 3 slopes while your trash – and all the trash from the surrounding region – burns merrily inside.

Read this article to find out what these “geniuses” are thinking.

Hmm. Go skiing to take you mind off pollution.