world environment day

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Jun 052012
 

Today is World Environment Day.  WED is all about celebrating the positive environmental action taking place around the world.  At GreenCupboards, we love to take steps every day to impact Mother Nature in a positive way but today is especially important. WED started way back in 1972 and is a program run through the United Nations. Today, WED is one of the biggest events the UN hosts to bring global awareness to the environment.  WED is not just about educating people about good environmental practices, but also empowering them to take a stand and require political action to support the environment.

This year’s theme is Green Economy: Does this include YOU? The UN says Green Economy, “results in improved human and well-being and social equality, while significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. In its simplest expression, a green economy can be thought of as one which is low carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.” The UN says people can celebrate WED in a variety of ways– street rallies, bicycle parades, green concerts, essay and poster competitions, tree planting, recycling efforts and clean-up campaigns.

Here at GreenCupboards, we work hard every day to show respect to Mother Nature. Today, we will over-deliver and show the earth some extra love. How will you celebrate WED? To learn more about the celebration or how to get involved click here.

Spread sustainability with Pinterest

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Oct 272011
 

home decor branch design

Post your interests with Pinterest!

The community of social networkers is once again spreading it’s wings with a new social networking site called Pintrest.  Instead of sharing your status, posting personal pictures, or catching up with friends, Pinterest is a place where you can categorize pictures, hobbies, quotes, or articles from your favorite websites.

So what does this new social site have to do with sustainability?  As a place dedicated to sharing people’s interests, I’ve discovered a gold nugget of sustainable themed information, crafts, and images.

For instance, I signed into my account this afternoon only to discover that a friend had “pinned” an entry from a blog that described how to hang fallen yard branches from the ceiling for interior decorating purposes in her nursery.

Last week I came home to find my roommate struggling with an old picture frame in the living room.  Inspired by John Hardy’s innovative green school and their use of old car windshields as whiteboards, she told me she had seen a similar idea on Pinterest which involved putting recycled paper in an old picture frame to make a white board.  It’s now hanging in our living room.

Currently 29,443 boards exist on Pinterest showing the people who have created a space for keeping track of clever, sustainable, green living ideas.  These include sustainable household items, designs, fashion, poetry, pictures of bikes and alternate transportation, tips on gardening, and alternative crafts that are aimed at reusing and recycling.

With the wide wealth of information that is spread over the World Wide Web, Pinterest is a snazzy way for the sustainable community to spread ideas across the globe.

Sources:

http://pinterest.com/

http://www.makeandtakes.com/wipe-off-weekly-menu-board?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+allaboutthemakeandtakes+%28Make+and+Takes%29

http://dearlillieblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/hanging-branch-tutorial.html

Images:

 

http://dearlillieblog.blogspot.com/2011/04/hanging-branch-tutorial.html

http://www.faithfullyfrugal-and-free.com/2011/09/corny-halloween-crafts.html

Natalie Portman- Living by Example

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Aug 172011
 

Natalie Portman

So who’s trending on Facebook? None other than Mark Zuckerberg’s Harvard classmate, Natalie Portman.

Sassy and sophisticated, Portman has captured the hearts of her fans, and has won her stripes as GreenCupboards.com’s sustainable “It girl”.

So what’s new for Portman?  Have you seen her engagement ring?  Unlike most celebrity bling, Portman’s ring is as sustainable as glamour can get.  Instead of sporting a memorable 6 carrot pink diamond ring such as the one Ben Affleck purchased for Jennifer Lopez, Portman wears a tasteful vintage design made with recycled metals and diamonds from conflict free mines. The four carat diamond center stone is an antique.

So what made Portman’s fiancé and former Black Swan co-star, Benjamin Millepied, splurge for a specially designed ring?  A vegetarian since childhood, Portman has used her Ivy League education and super star status to support causes to stop the destruction of animal habitats by deforestation, world poverty, and the use of animal materials in clothing and shoes. Portman even came out with her own Vegan shoe company.

With the arrival of the couple’s new baby, Aleph, GreenCupboards.com will be on the watch for Portman’s baby fashion advice.

Why is this green?

Natalie Portman is doing more than just throwing money at ecological issues.  She’s working to educate others and living by example.

Sources:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1361050/Natalie-Portmans-wedding-dilemma-Best-Actress-Oscar-Favourite-decide-location.html

http://www.popeater.com/2011/01/27/natalie-portman-engagement-ring-eco-friendly/

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20508170,00.html

http://wardrobewonderland.com/2011/05/02/the-red-carpet-project-sustainable-fashion-at-the-logies/

Images:

http://yeeeah.com/2009/12/02/ss-natalie-portman-in-marie-claire/

http://www.yourengagement101.com/blog/2011/02/celebrities-with-eco-friendly-engagement-rings/

The Topsy-Turvy Bus

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Jul 112011
 

This Bus is Topsy-Turvy

“The U.S. Budget is Topsy-Turvy” Is the slogan plastered all over the Topsy-Turvy bus. The Topsy-Turvy Bus is making its way across the county and is making a statement about government spending and environmental sustainability all the way. Ben, of Ben and Jerry’s ice-cream, commissioned the project which takes the form of two school busses stacked top-side bound.

Cyberbus.com gave this summary of Ben’s motivation for funding the bus:

“We [The American Government] spend enough money each year to be able to blow up all the major cities in the world about 12 times. How about if we only spend enough to blow up all the major cities only 6 times over and put the savings into something like education.”

This goal is illustrated by pie charts affixed to the bus where stop signs used to be. Topsy-Turvy runs on used vegetable oil that is picked up from restaurants all along the buses way.

The Topsy-Turvy Bus is sponsored by the Teva Learning Center, which is North America’s foremost Jewish Environmental Education Institute.

The Topsy-Turvy Bus hopes to inspire people to get involved in (or interested in) government and environmental issues. Topsy-Turvy patrons teach about their bus and their conservation efforts (including how to make an oven out of a pizza box) in the videos below.

Sources:

http://www.cyberbuss.com/topsy_turvy/part2.htm

http://www.cyberbuss.com/topsy_turvy/part2.htm

http://tevalearningcenter.org/topsyturvy.php

http://www.cyberbuss.com/topsy_turvy/article.cgi.htm

Disney’s Fireworks

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Jun 282011
 

Disneyland Castle

Disney World and Disneyland are notorious for their use of pyrotechnics in extravagant firework shows. There are over 230 firework shows a year in Disneyland. With rising health and environmental concerns Disney did what Disney does best, got creative, creating a greener, cleaner, quieter line of fireworks to use at their daily shows. Instead of using gunpowder to propel their mortar shells, they now use compressed air. A majority of consumer fireworks are powered by gunpowder.

Disney saves 30,000 pounds of explosive material a year, by having switched to compressed air propulsion. However, Disney is still using 60,000 pounds of explosive material to make their fireworks go boom. Disney switched from gunpowder to compressed air in 2004, in 2003 Disney used 90,000 pounds of explosives.  The theme parks use roughly 350 shells per show, all of which are now launched by compressed air.

Disney plans to donate their patented technology to other theme parks in an effort to reduce air pollution all around.

People who live in the residential neighborhoods surrounding Disneyland complain about the nightly ruckus caused by the fireworks shows. People living in the area say that their dogs go up in a howling frenzy every night, and some have double-paned their windows and added more insulation in order to help drown out the sound, a few neighbors have even filed lawsuits against the park. However, on the upside, residents get a free lightshow most nights. (Latimes)

Disney also receives non-noise related complaints:

“Since 1991, the South Coast Air Quality Management District (AQMD) has received 73 complaints citing smoke, ash, odor and minor property damage from falling debris resulting from fireworks shows at the Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California. While not a large problem when compared to the amount of fireworks shows given at the park each year” (All Business)

Fireworks are composed of toxic combustible chemicals, they will never be truly “environmentally friendly”. Newer technology can make the use of fireworks obsolete. Technology such as laser light shows, illuminated night kite shows, and holographic fireworks. Next time you hear the boom, bang, and awe of a firework watching crowd, take a second to consider the risk and reward of the toxic bang by asking: is the boom worth the environmental and health bust?

Direct Sources:

Barboza, Tony. “Disneyland | For Residents near Disneyland, Nightly Fireworks Shows Have Lost Their Spark – Los Angeles Times.” Featured Articles From The Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times, 03 July 2010. Web. 27 June 2011. <http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/03/local/la-me-anaheim-fireworks-20100704>.

O’Rourke, Morgan. “Disney Fireworks Go Green | North America United States from AllBusiness.com.” AllBusiness.com | Business Solutions from AllBusiness.com. Risk Management. Web. 27 June 2011. <http://www.allbusiness.com/operations/business-insurance-risk-management/1171639-1.html>.

Sources:

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/03/local/la-me-anaheim-fireworks-20100704

http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/fireworks/

http://epa.gov/oar/caa/caa_history.html#intro

http://environment.about.com/od/healthenvironment/a/toxicfireworks.htm

http://www.allbusiness.com/operations/business-insurance-risk-management/1171639-1.html

Images:

http://photos.igougo.com/pictures-photos-p461298-Walt_Disney_World_Fireworks_display.html

http://www.theqfamilyadventures.com/best-places-to-view-disney-fireworks-outside-the-park/

http://modernmessiah-photos.deviantart.com/art/Disney-Fireworks-19-87311407

http://bishsrv.wordpress.com/2010/12/29/top-5-destinations-for-new-years-eve/disney-fireworks/

http://www.disneyworldopolis.com/page/2/

http://www.orlandorentalvacations.com/

http://www.disneyworldhandbook.com/best-spots-to-view-disney-world-fireworks/

http://www.virginmedia.com/travel/disney/features/top-10-attractions.php?ssid=9

http://places2explore.wordpress.com/2010/11/04/orlando-florida-walt-disney-world-fireworks/

Continue Reading to see more videos of Disney’s Fireworks:

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Nature Box 101

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Mar 182011
 

A nice nature box model.

Hiking is a fun and healthy way to stay in shape. A nature box is a piece of art that is created from what you find on a hike or hikes. Here is how you to can go about making your very own nature box.

  1. Find a box. Use a crate, cardboard box, or pieces of wood around your house to use as your frame for the art that you will find. Your box can be any size but keep in mind that a bigger box will require more things to fill it so you may have to go on more than one hike.
  2. Go on a hike. Beaches work great because you never know what you will find washed up on the shore. Hiking for a nature box takes a keen eye and a certain amount of trail blazing. Often, however, the most interesting items are found off of the beaten path.
  3. On your hike collect things that interest you or are visually appealing. There is no limit to what you may find, from pretty rocks, brightly colored leaves, the potential is limitless.
  4. You may find things on your hike that are not part of nature that appeal to you like rusted metal, bullet casings, and shells. If you are on a beach you can find glass that has been smoothed down by the sand (do not pick up sharp glass). However, most of the things that you will find are not on this list- this is what makes a nature box original, as no two are the same and you never know what you may find.
  5. Once you have the subject pieces for your nature box, affix them into your box however you see fit. Hot glue and nails generally work great for bigger items, whereas tacky glue can do for the small things. Between these three things you can affix most anything you find (it doesn’t hurt to have a roll of duct tape handy though).
  6. Admire your box; your box is organic and unique to you. If one hike did not fill your box or you are dissatisfied by the composition, then you can go on another hike to fill it or try and re-arrange the items (if possible), or start over entirely. There is no end to what you can find, meaning the nature box is full of limitless possibility.

Nature boxes are fun, and can often lead to environmental cleanup of “junk” that is visually appealing. Remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Have fun on your hike, enjoy nature for what it is, as it does not cost a thing. Happy hunting.

Image Sources:

http://lemoncholys.blogspot.com/2009/07/typesetter-drawer-shadowbox.html

http://artpropelled.blogspot.com/2009/09/nature-walk.html

Lets Talk About Pot, Reefer, Marijuana, and what it can do for you.

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Jan 122011
 

For those of you who do not know, this is what Marijuana bud looks like.

America’s favorite illegal pastime, Marijuana. In 1492 Christopher Columbus brought the weed to the new world (America), and it was required for settlers to grow the plant in this country’s first colony, Jamestown. It was not until 1937 that federal law bans Marijuana. Today, every 38 seconds someone is arrested for breaking the cannabis law. Samuel Caldwell was the first man ever arrested for possession, he served 4 years in prison. At current there are 22 million active users in America, and some 70 million have tried it. The weed is this country’s number 1 cash crop, brining in 36 billion a year.

Now that you have some background on the pot, I can go into the main focus of this article: Marijuana and its effect on the environment. Marijuana has been putting indents in couches for years, but now it could take some of the stain off of our forests.

Hemp, which is the stalk, or stem of the Marijuana plant was used way back in 8,000 B.C. it was used as the first ever fabric. Hemp was also used in making the first paper in 105 A.D. (in fact the declaration of independence was written on hemp paper), and the model T ford (the first car) was run off of cannabis oil. Hemp is an extremely useful plant, yet it is not used in mainstream manufacturing because of its legal standing.

As Marijuana’s nickname suggest, the plant is a weed. As many people may already know, trees are not weeds. The definition of weed via Mac dashboard dictionary is as follows: A wild plant growing where it is not wanted in competition with cultivated plants. Marijuana is a weed because it can grow almost anywhere in a variety of conditions. It is safe to say that depleting the amount of Marijuana plants in the world would not hurt the environment; in fact, it would be more sustainable to do just the opposite.

Stop cutting down the Amazon rain forest and other forest to be turned into toilet paper, and start growing Marijuana to be harvested for paper.

Stop cutting down the Amazon rain forest and other forest to be turned into toilet paper, and start growing Marijuana to be harvested for paper. The weed can be easily re-planted after harvest and will be ready for harvest again in just a few months.

With Cotton prices rising, Marijuana may be able to also be used as an alternative fabric that could be cost competitive with other major materials like cotton.

Cannabis oil can be used in place of any other oil in a recipe. This out of all the other uses for the weed is the least likely to go mainstream because the oil may still contain THC, which is illegal, as is the plant.

The legality surrounding Marijuana is what prohibits its use in everyday materials. It is hard to grow a large amount of marijuana (several acres), without having the feds bust in. Even if you have permits to grow the weed, or even use the weed medically, the fact of the matter is Marijuana is illegal in the United States and so if they (the feds) really want to bust you, they will bust you. A medical card signed by a fly-by doc will do you no good.

For those who already grow Marijuana, they must do it in hiding and often seek refuge in National Forests and Parks. Coming across these sites after they are used is anything but eco-friendly, pesticides, generators, and poisons to kill smaller rodents. These toxins leak into the forest and kill many un-intended victims both plant and animal alike.

If the plant was made legal, it could be used in mainstream production of fibers and fabrics. And those who do it illegally now will now be able to come out of the forest and do it more sustainably and respectfully. Every pothead in America would have a backyard garden and the price of marijuana would plummet. The government would take a share of the new industry in the form of taxes. It is estimated that California alone, if Marijuana was legalized, would make 20 million in taxes the first year.

Products like this may be made available if Marijuana were legal.

Another aspect of legalizing marijuana is freeing up space in prisons. Majority of Marijuana offenders imprisoned for possession are non-violent offenders, whose crime is nothing more than hitting the bong like Cheech n Chong.

According to one source, legalizing Marijuana would “save the government $150 billion on policing and courts, since 47.5% of all drug arrests are marijuana-related.”

Now on a drug level, a comparison to the last remaining legal drug alcohol. You cannot overdose on THC (the active chemical in Marijuana), it has never happened. Alcohol, is poisonous, it can lead to vomiting, loss of muscle mobility, and even death. Police would rather respond to a Marijuana related call verses an alcohol related one because those baked on Marijuana are generally calmer than those drunk on alcohol. Also, Alcohol is addictive; Marijuana can lead to habitual use but is not physically addictive. It is often said that the most harm that can come from Marijuana is being caught with it, as it is a relatively harmless drug.

Marijuana is also prescribed medically, sometimes more legitimately than others. The weed is used to ease pain and relaxA new book on the issue. those who are in an uncomfortable position due to illness. One of the most prominent diseases in America, is depression, one million people commit suicide in America every year. These lives may or may not have been able to have been saved by artificial happiness, Dopamine. Dopamine is the happiness drug that is released in your brain by THC.

We may one day live in a world where many things are made from hemp do to its renewable-ness. We may one day be forced to use hemp because we (the people) have used up everything else, it may be the only thing that can grow efficiently wherever it is needed. Medical Marijuana may come out of the shadows, and be available over the counter upon request at your local Wal-Mart. The Feds may one day lift the ban on Marijuana.

That day is not today, this article has facts but whilst Marijuana is still illegal it is all as useful as fiction.

Tell me what you think and get in on the Marijuana debate.

Sources:

http://environment.change.org/blog/view/marijuana_legalization_good_for_the_environment

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/02/legalize-marijuana-california-environment.php

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/04/the-benefits-to-legalizin_n_246356.html

http://washingtonexaminer.com/node/123491#ixzz0gmtm73ZJ

Images:

http://de-adiction.blogspot.com/2009/07/california-medical-marijuana.html

http://www.my-island-jamaica.com/the-big-tree-marijuana.html

http://declubz.com/blog/2009/10/10/marijuana-marlboros-what-if/

http://www.hotindienews.com/2010/07/21/1028495

Bullets to Kill a Man, Not the Planet.

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Jan 032011
 

jokes

“[A bullet] that can kill you or that you can shoot a target with, [but] which is not an environmental hazard” is priority for the pentagon, as stated by a spokeswoman to the First Post.

Lead is poisonous. Lead poisoning is serious; it can lead to learning disabilities in children and make an adult weak of mind and body. In the environment, through the soil and natural decomposition, lead will stay for a long time (1000 years +). Lead, if not removed will stay where it is. That is why the military is trying to reduce its use in their weapons. For if the bullet should not find itself in a body as intended, and should hit a tree and fall to the earth, that bullet should not cause any further damage.

What is Marine Corps the Major General Richard Zilmer asking for? “A renewable and self-sustainable energy solution” (Strickland 14). The argument is simple; by reducing energy consumption the Marines can dramatically decrease the number of fuel baring convoys it needs.

Answering the call in Hawaii’s Kaneohe Bay, the Marine Corps is researching Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). OTEC uses the warmth of the ocean’s surface to produce steam to turn a turbine. Cold ocean water then re-condenses the steam into liquid so that the process may be repeated. If implemented, this would be a zero-emissions practice.

“The Air Force: It accounts for more than half of the defense departments fuel purchases, gulping down about 2.5 billion gallons of jet fuel each year” (Strickland 15). All departments of military need fuel and energy. This means that the military could dramatically cut their cost by reducing dependence on oil, a greener way of warfare.

Explosives are being designed that will turn into compost after detonation. An Ironic remark made by the First Post “Well, the people whose village has just been destroyed by a BAE-made explosive will no doubt be very grateful for the compost left behind. They can grow carrots.” Comedy aside, environmental sustainability is important and any effort made to ensure that should be respected.
Warfare is getting friendly, or at least eco-friendly. As nations combat, now, they will leave no waste left behind; other than carnage and destruction.

http://www.thefirstpost.co.uk/56728,news-comment,news-politics,how-to-kill-and-maim-but-keep-it-eco-friendly

Strickland, Eliza “Cleaner, Meaner War Machines” Discover. November 2010. Print.