Dear MBTA (Mass Bay Transportation Authority for the non-Boston area readers),
Thank you for ruining another commute to work. The other day I spent nearly two hours on the red and green line attempting to go from Dorchester to Somerville, roughly ten miles.... read more
I’ve been working for a small recycling hauler for about two years now. We collect all around Boston and the surrounding area. I have come across a lot of items that are not recyclable stashed away in our recycling containers; in the business we call these contaminants. Some are funny and some are gross. Many are interesting.
Here is short list of interesting things I’ve found in the recycling:
Women’s shoes. So far I’ve found one and a half pairs of women’s shoes. Apparently women’s shoes appear discarded in recycling bins more than you think. My co-workers have also come across a few pairs in their day. In the past twenty five years of my company being in business collecting recycling, we have found about five pairs of women’s shoes, but no men’s shoes.
Dirty Diapers. This really sucks, almost as bad as dog waste. The smell is just horrendous. I’ve seen one or two of these in my short and illustrious recycling career. Why are you dumping your kid’s stinky diaper in a recycling bin? Please, moms of the world, stop this.... read more
Just when I thought it was safe to love technology, now this. Recent articles show that using e-readers (like Kindles or iPads) may harm the environment more than reading paper books. Since I fancy myself as a green consumer I did some eco-bean counting (better known as calculating your environmental footprint) to see whether I’d go green or brown if I bought an e-reader.... read more
Will someone please tell me whether I should buy snow tires? Living in Boston, I've survived decades of commuting, carpooling, and even ski trips without buying snow tires. I just didn't need them. Then came last winter -- sidewalks like icy canyons, weeks below freezing, and I frequently found myself stuck at home when my mere summer tires couldn't get me out of the driveway. My dad said he hadn’t seen a winter like it since he was in college -- when they had cars called “Packard”. So what’s going on?... read more
Recently I have been doing a lot of research on all stuff solar – especially solar power for homes/businesses and solar water heating. But there are lots of products out there that don't require a major purchase in order to reduce your CO2 emissions. Some of them are a bit strange, but hey, I'll take it!
1. Solar Powered Bikini – Don't you hate it when your iPod and laptop run out of power at the beach? Dilemma solved. Student Andrew Schnieder designed the solar powered bikini with 1 USB input... just avoid the water.... read more
People love their bottled water in our culture, and I'm sure you know the reasons why you should stick to tap water. However, here's a little more insight into the bottled water industry. The EWG released a report and "graded" bottled water brands.
Did your favorite make the grade? You might be surprised...even Whole Foods flunked! ... read more
Earth911 gives us this astonishing fact: Americans buy 29.8 billion water bottles each year, and 80% of these end up in a landfill. Even more astonishingly, 80% of Americans have easy access to recycling programs, either through curbside pick up or community drop off bins, but choose to toss plastic bottles into the trash anyway.... read more
It is a closed-looped, symbiotic process involving fish and produce where fish waste provides a food source for the plants and the plants provide a natural filter for the water the fish live in. So that means you can raise your own fish and grow your own produce in a self sustaining nutrient system.... read more
One of the funniest little videos I have found on youtube. What to do when the powers of evil try to use too much fuel or create too much greenhouse gases... just call Eco-Boy! Sometimes not everything in the green movement is serious, sometimes it is just serious fun!
"The environmentally friendly superhero ECO BOY battles with the evil super villain POLLUTOR in an epic fight to save the world from destruction!"
I’ve been working for a small recycling hauler for about two years now. We collect all around Boston and the surrounding area. I have come across a lot of items that are not recyclable stashed away in our recycling containers; in the business we call these contaminants. Some are funny and some are gross. Many are interesting.
Just when I thought it was safe to love technology, now this. Recent articles show that using e-readers (like Kindles or iPads) may harm the environment more than reading paper books. Since I fancy myself as a green consumer I did some eco-bean counting (better known as calculating your environmental footprint) to see whether I’d go green or brown if I bought an e-reader.
