A round-up of this week’s environmental, green and ecofriendly news and updates.
Don’t forget it’s the Blue Blood Moon tonight (Wednesday Jan 31). It’s the 2nd full moon this month so it’s a blue moon, it’s a supermoon (it’s 14% larger than normal because it’s a little closer to the Earth), and it’s a blood moon if you’re lucky enough to see the total lunar eclipse.
Not sure if you’ll be able to see it? Use this interactive map – choose your location and it will give you exact times and whether you can see totality or not.
How much thought do you give the curtains or drapes in your home? They’re often viewed simply as a decor item.
But did you know they can make a difference to your home’s energy efficiency? (And so they can save you money).
And by choosing the right type of drapes, you can improve your health too – find out how here.
My Recommendation of the Week is all about cat litter or kitty litter. I’ve noticed that some companies are producing kitty litter that they say is eco friendly because you can flush it down the toilet, and so you don’t need plastic bags. Plus, they’re often made from corn or wheat, rather than strip-mined clay.
Well, that sounds good – but it isn’t. Here’s why:
- Some septic systems can’t take flushable kitty litter
- Low-flow toilets use less water so they may not be able to flush the clumps away
- You may need to break up the clumps to make them small enough to flush, and that’s messy work
- Toilets are designed for water-soluble waste – hardened kitty litter is solid. So you can easily clog the toilet.
- Pet waste is a pollutant – if it makes out of your home and into a water treatment plant, the parasites can cause problems in the water (which we may drink).
- Those pollutants also cause problems for marine mammals.
So, you may want to avoid flushable kitty litter, even though it’s marketed as green.
I’ve also seen kitty litter made from recycled paper (good) but sadly, the tray is disposable, and as you know, single-use disposable items are lousy for the environment.
What should you use instead? A durable tray that you can keep re-using, and use litter made from recycled paper, wood shavings or sawdust.
Although cold, harsh winter weather can be horrible, there are some benefits. Like being able to snuggle under a cozy blanket or duvet, and enjoy yummy hot drinks and blazing fires.
The Danes cope with poor weather for a large part of the year, so it’s no surprise that they’ve mastered the art of Hygge.
It’s all about comfort – and it’s wonderfully easy for everyone to achieve. It will make you happier, and it’s also delightfully green and ecofriendly.
See how you can benefit from Hygge here.
I really admire these women! Nicknamed the “Ice Maidens”, 6 women from the British Army crossed Antarctica using only their own muscle power – and they made history doing so!. They endured temperatures of -40 F (-40 C), traversed deadly crevasse fields, and pulled sledges weighing 176 pounds. The all-female team wanted to inspire women to do things they wouldn’t normally do. They were told it would be impossible – but they did it! And they even used the publicity surrounding their epic adventure to raise thousands for charity – wonderful!
One of the women said afterwards that she tried “to imprint this beautiful landscape in my mind. We have called it home for close to two months now and I will, in a strange way, miss it a lot. The snow sparkles like there is a layer of pearls on the surface, and everywhere you look there is beauty and stillness. The photos just don’t do it justice.”
Global Green News:
The Winter Olympics start soon in Korea. But they may not continue in the future. Athletes are already encountering problems – reduced snowpack, melting ice and shorter winters make it difficult for athletes to find reliable places to train. It’s also more expensive.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia, athletes had to cancel practices due to a lack of snow and ice as well as inconsistent and sometimes unsafe conditions.
The Winter Olympics are now harder to host – it’s expensive to bring snow and ice to locations, and many previous host cities will soon be too warm to ever host the Games again.
At even greater risk are the Paralympic Winter Games because they’re held in March when cold weather is even less reliable.
US Green News:
The ongoing roll-back of environmental laws puts millions of migratory birds at risk. Energy companies are required to implement bird-friendly practices (and even so, up to 1 million migratory birds die each year in oilfield wastewater pits). Now even those practices are no longer required. Shocking.
Regulations to reduce air pollution by energy companies have also been removed, putting nearby communities at increasing risk of cancer, brain damage and more – but factories will benefit.
FEMA has stopped providing aid to Puerto Rico, saying it’s no longer needed. The Puerto Rican government was not not notified, and 20 percent of the island still has no power, so it was a nasty surprise.
A new report shows that for every one dollar spent on federal grants aimed at improving disaster resilience and protection against climate change, society saves six dollars. Isn’t that amazing? However, many of these grants are likely to be cut by the current administration.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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And if you’re on Twitter, get a daily green tip by following me – @EcoExpert1 . See you there!
