With all the snow and rain we’ve been having this winter, it might seem ironic to be discussing water consumption, but saving water is an easy way to help the environment.  The average shower uses 7 – 10 gallons of water per minute.  The average 15 minute shower uses 150 gallons of water.

You can cut that water consumption down with the twist of your wrist!  Simply replacing your conventional showerhead with a low-flow head will cut your water use down to 2-4 gallons per minute;  in minutes, you’ve cut your shower water use from 150 gallons to 60 gallons per shower.

Another simple tip for saving water is to stack a few clean buckets in the corner of your shower or under your vanity.   When you turn on the water to let it warm up, capture that water in the buckets.  When you’re done with your morning routine,  get the kids to take the buckets outside and water your plants!

Fact:  the average person consumes about 70 gallons of water per day.  To see how your water consumption compares, click on this link for an interactive questionnaire.

The Story of Bottled Water was released by the “Story of Stuff” organization, on World Water Day March 22, 2010 to tell the story of manufactured demand for bottled water. Why do Americans buy more than half a billion bottles of water every week when we can get it practically free from the tap? Refilling a reusable bottle is cheaper and much more environmentally friendly, especially when you consider the following shocking facts:

Bottled water costs ten to 500 times more than tap water. According to OregonLive.com,  if priced by the gallon Dasani costs $5.76 a gallon (at 4.5 cents per fluid ounce); Fiji costs $7.55 per gallon. Celebrity-endorsed, electrolyte-enhanced Smartwater is $6.14. Meanwhile, Arrowhead, in an “Eco-Shape” bottle, is a relative bargain, at $4.48 per gallon. Remember the outrage when gas reached over $4 a gallon a couple of years ago?  The amount of petroleum used to manufacture water bottles each year is enough to power a million cars. Of all those water bottles created, only 20% is actually recycled into other products. The rest – some 4 billion PET bottles — is sent to landfills or incinerators. More facts can be found at the storyofbottledwater.org via their downloadable pdf.

This eight-minute video uses the Story of Stuff style to explore the bottled water industry’s attacks on tap water and its use of seductive, environmental-themed advertising to cover up the mountains of plastic waste it produces. Please click the “More” link to see the rest of the story and watch the video. » Read more

According to the U.S. Green Building Council,   “LEED is an internationally recognized green building certification system, providing third-party verification that a building or community was designed and built using strategies aimed at improving performance across all the metrics that matter most: energy savings, water efficiency, CO2 emissions reduction, improved indoor environmental quality, and stewardship of resources and sensitivity to their impacts.”

LEED is flexible enough to apply to all building types – commercial as well as residential. Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED provides building owners, operator, and builders a definable framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations, and maintenance solutions. Leed-certified projects are healthy, productive places to work and live while also being less costly to operate and maintain; with a reduced environmental footprint.

Being LEED certified means the contractor/owner has taken a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in the following key areas:

Sustainable Sites: The Sustainable Sites category discourages development on previously undeveloped land; minimizes a building’s impact on ecosystems and waterways; encourages regionally appropriate landscaping; rewards smart transportation choices; controls stormwater runoff; and reduces erosion, light pollution, heat island effect and construction-related pollution.

Water Efficiency: Builders are encouraged to use water smarter, inside and out, with more efficient appliances, fixtures and fittings, and to water-wise landscaping.

Energy & Atmosphere: LEED certified structures use a wide variety of energy-conserving strategies: commissioning; energy use monitoring; efficient design and construction; efficient appliances, systems and lighting; the use of renewable and clean sources of energy, generated on-site or off-site; and other innovative strategies. » Read more

With a simple swipe, Starbucks customers can join Conservation International to help protect forests and the life that exists within them – as well as fight climate change. Starting March 9 and through December 31, 2010, every time a customer pays with their new Conservation International Starbucks Card at participating stores in the United States Starbucks will donate five cents to Conservation International to help protect forests.

Conservation International (CI) applies innovations in science, economics, policy and community participation to protect the Earth’s richest regions of plant and animal diversity in the biodiversity hotspots, high-biodiversity wilderness areas and key marine ecosystems. The five cents donated by Starbucks with each purchase will provide contributions to support CI’s work to protect and restore forests, essential steps to addressing climate change. As a company that relies on coffee as an agricultural product, Starbucks knows firsthand the importance of protecting the environment. The company has worked with CI for more than 10 years to help support responsible coffee farming, protect biodiversity, and reduce coffee farming impacts on climate in an effort to sustain the supply of the world’s best coffee.

“The involvement of Starbucks and their customers provides a tremendous boost to global forest conservation and climate solutions,” said Justin Ward, Vice President of Business Practices at Conservation International. “We value our long-term relationship with Starbucks and we are pleased that support raised from the Preservation Card will benefit sustainable management of the world’s natural resources.” » Read more

Watt Plaza, a twin 23-story office tower complex encompassing 900,000 square feet in the heart of Century City, has been awarded Gold LEED Existing Buildings Operations and Maintenance (EB O&M) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, making it the first office building in Los Angeles to achieve this distinction in this category.

Watt Plaza is one of five buildings in California and one of 12 buildings in the United States to be certified LEED EB O&M. LEED, which stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the U.S. Green Building Council’s primary rating system for designing and constructing the world’s greenest, most energy efficient, and high-performing buildings.

The U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification system — which has become the nation’s benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high-performance green buildings — provides a measurement of performance for commercial buildings in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. » Read more

After a Starbucks customer received her coffee from the Barista, she was so inspired by the employee who thanked her in sign language that she wrote a letter to the company suggesting that all employees should do the same.

Starbucks has posted a video response at MyStarbucksIdea.com and the reader commentary there is extremely supportive.

Should Starbucks Baristas be able to say Thank You in sign language? How should Starbucks best accommodate hearing- or speech-impaired customers?

Watch the video below, and share your vote at MyStarbucksIdea.com.

You don’t have to learn sign language to tell the world you’re eco-minded!
You can help the environment by recycling your used printer cartridges and cell phones. Your inkjets, toners, and cell phones are worth more than you think!
Why not recycle them at eCycleGroup.com?

This short documentary identifies how e-waste is handled by workers in India. Circuit boards are melted over open burners and copper cables are cleaned in vats of acid while workers handle the toxic materials without any protective gloves or masks. Piles of PVC wiring are burned in public fields while nearby children play under the noxious fumes.

It’s proven that exposure to such materials causes devastating affects on the workers’ health. Heavy metals like Lead and Mercury affect the nervous system and are especially dangerous to children. Cadmium affects kidneys, while other organic chemical byproducts can affect hormones and the neurological system.

Piles of e-waste are sent to India because the reclamation costs are so low there. While recycling a computer in the United States or Europe costs around $20, the same process in India costs only a couple dollars. Low labor costs and high profit margins in India attract hazardous materials from around the world. However, the enormous cost savings is tragically jeopardizing the health of those handling the materials.

This video demonstrates why such reclamation processes need to be better regulated. Here at eCycleGroup, our products are processed domestically by reputable companies dedicated to high-quality re-fabrication procedures. We create merchandise that is comparable with original equipment while keeping e-waste out of landfills. (please click the MORE link to watch the video). » Read more

As the 2010 Winter Olympics draw to a close and athletes from around the world count up their Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals, it is also important to honor the planners of the great event with their own “Green” medal for making the 2010 Vancouver games one of the most eco-friendly and sustainable Olympic games ever.

As reported at the British Columbia Renewable Energy Blog,  The David Suzuki Foundation awarded the Vancouver Olympics with a bronze medal for its “climate scorecard.”  The Vancouver-based foundation lauded Olympic organizers for creating innovative and energy-efficient venues which use clean hydroelectric energy as well as waste heat from refrigeration systems, landfill methane, and ground-source heat pumps.

“We feel like we’ve raised the bar,” said Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson. “Some of these technologies will be a legacy for generations to come, that will benefit cities all over the world.” Such eco-friendly concerns come naturally to 45-year-old former organic farmer, who earlier ran the Happy Planet juice company, and whose primary form of transportation is a well-used mountain bike.

Grouse Mountain, Vancouver’s most visited attraction (drawing more than a million visitors annually) constructed its very own 1.5 megawatt wind turbine. Dubbed “The Eye of the Wind,”  this 213-foot tower was installed this winter and was fully operational in time for the Olympics. The force of the wind will spin the blades to speeds as high as 160 mph at their tips, and is expected to offset up to 25 percent of the Grouse Mountain’s annual operational electricity needs.

Offsetters estimates the 2010 Winter Games will create 118,000 tons of carbon emissions directly attributable to the 2010 Winter Games through venue construction, facility heating, and athlete travel. Additionally, the site estimates the event will produce 150,000 tons of ‘indirect’ emissions from flights and accommodation for spectators, media, corporate sponsors and their partners. Visitors to the event can offset their carbon footprint while attending the Games by purchasing offsets at the venue. Eco-minded Olympics fans around the world can purchase one ton of carbon offsets for $25 (Canadian dollars) at the Offsetters site and receive a commemorative certificate and a special limited edition Offsetters 2010 pin. » Read more

This week marks the beginning of Lent, a period of 40 days of penance and reflection in which many Christians prepare for the coming of Easter. The week typically begins with feasting at Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) parties as people celebrate eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season.

Ash Wednesday officially begins the season as many faithful receive blessed ashes on their foreheads symbolizing the confession and penitence of the day. The remaining days of Lent are symbolic of the 40 days of temptation that Jesus spent in the wilderness following his baptism.

According to the Journal Gazette/Times Courier “In addition to special worship services, Christians generally observe Lent with acts of introspection, self-examination, and repentance for one’s sins.” Some may fast or give up something (e.g., a food or an activity) during the time of Lent. Others spend the 40 days in prayer, practicing special devotions, or volunteering for various charities. (Technically, the time period between Ash Wednesday and Easter is 46 days, but Sundays don’t count, as each is considered to be a ‘mini-Easter.’)

This year, Reuters reports,  “Church leaders are encouraging people to give up their iPods for Lent, instead of more traditional vices such as chocolate, to help save the planet.”

What a great idea! The Bishop of London, Richard Chartres, and the Bishop of Liverpool, James Jones, are calling it a “technology fast,” and are suggesting that people give up such devices as mobile phones or iPods as a way to cut carbon emissions during Lent.

“Instead of giving up chocolate for Lent, why not fast for justice … to help those suffering from the effects of climate change,” said Jones. “There is no climate justice for the poor. The Carbon Fast helps us change the way we live; the Climate Justice Fund helps the poor adapt to a changing climate.” » Read more

According to Wikipedia, Jellyfish are found in every ocean, from the surface to the deep sea. Some jellyfish are also found in fresh water; though freshwater species are less than an inch in diameter, are colorless, and do not sting. The best-known jellyfish are the large, often colorful jellyfish that are common in coastal zones worldwide.

The presence of ocean jellyfish blooms is usually seasonal, responding to prey availability and increasing with temperature and sunshine. There is very little data about changes in global jellyfish populations over time, besides “impressions” in the public memory. Case in point: I remember seeing their bodies on the sands of Redondo Beach, California, during my childhood summers, but can’t remember the last time I saw one as an adult. Scientists have little quantitative data of historic or current jellyfish populations, so any recent speculation about changes in jellyfish populations are based on no actual “before” data. It is known, however, that jellies seem to be flourishing in areas where their natural predators have been thinned by overfishing or water pollution.

Jellyfish are popular displays in aquariums around the world. Often the tank’s background is blue and the animals are illuminated by side light, increasing the contrast between the animal and the background. (In natural conditions, many jellies are so transparent that they are nearly invisible.) The Monterey Bay Aquarium used to have a beautiful jelly exhibit, but it has been closed for more than a year. Fortunately, the aquarium still has an educational online exhibit that showcases photos and videos of dozens of amazingly colorful jellies. » Read more