I maintain one ultimate truth about waste reduction: we DO what we CAN and we CAN DO it!
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Monday, April 23, 2012
Honda's Smart Home System - The Future's Future
Wow. Honda and renewable energy FTW. Honda is testing out their Smart Home System (HSMS) that controls in-house energy while utilizing energy from solar and water power. It's got a "Smart e-Mix Manager" that reduces CO2 emissions and circulates energy through the home multiple times. After reading the article, I still don't really understand how it will work but I think the gist here is:
So go! Read the article! And be happy and environmental!
This home is more efficient than your home is, can or will ever be in your lifetime.This, peeps, is the future of the future..
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| If they can do THIS then a HSMS house should be a breeze, right? (I know you will agree just to finish this article and get this horrible image out of your retinal memory). |
So go! Read the article! And be happy and environmental!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Green Pug is More Environmental Than You
Happy Earth Day everyone! And since I spent the entire day doing wedding invitations and not being particularly earth-friendly, here is Green Pug. Go Green Pug!
Recycle that newspaper! Change those CFL's! Gooooooo GreenPUg!
Recycle that newspaper! Change those CFL's! Gooooooo GreenPUg!
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Honda Will Extract Rare Earth Metals from Car Parts to Recycle
Good for them! Honda Motor Co. has partnered with Japan Metals & Chemicals Co. and will start the world's first mass-production process to extract rare earth metals from used car parts like nickel-metal hydride batteries and recycle them. Currently, China produces 95% of the global rare earth supplies and have hiked up prices.
This is good for the earth AND good for local economies. Way to go Japan...stick it to your long-time frenemy!
Read more here: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/honda-motor-to-recycle-rare-earth-metals-in-used-parts/articleshow/12699768.cms
This is good for the earth AND good for local economies. Way to go Japan...stick it to your long-time frenemy!
Read more here: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/international-business/honda-motor-to-recycle-rare-earth-metals-in-used-parts/articleshow/12699768.cms
Friday, February 24, 2012
10 Reasons Why I Can/Can't Be a Vegetarian
It's Lent now, and while I'm not really active with my Catholic roots, I think Lent is a good spiritual cleansing and can be a test of a new life style for a person. In simple terms: It's a good time to give something up and see how you can live without it. It's also good because you have buddies suffering from deprivation too.
This year, I've decided to give up 2 things: Elevators (which I've been working on anyway) and Meat except fish. It's the meat one that I want to talk about today.
The Goal: To eat no meat except fish and what I have in my house from 2 days ago until Easter. And if I'm offered/given a steak then I will eat it, but I won't go seeking out steak.
The Positive: Check out this website for all 49 reasons (take w/ a grain of salt tho)
1). Math's already a vegetarian - he can help me.
2). We already eat vegetarian at our house 98% of the time (except when I eat lunch meat and bacon and the kid eats chicken nuggets).
3). The meat industry is a pretty bad industry in terms of animal cruelty. I feel like a hypocrite sometimes because I'm all "Save the puppies and kitties! Oh MEAT?! OM NOM NOM NOM. Organic? Too expensive! Free range? Too expensive! Whole Foods? Too lazy, King Stoopids is right across the street!"
4). Being vegetarian is better for the environment in terms of fuel, water and soil conservation, more efficient use of grains, saving forests and aesthetics (think decaying animal parts).
5). Vegetarianism is healthier - all your nutrition can be gotten from plant food plus meat has hormones and all kinds of crap added to it. Also the vitamins in veggies can help prevent a lot of conditions.
6). Finances: *supposedly* veg food is cheaper, but I don't really find that to be the case. Fresh produce can get expensive if you want to get varied things and meat substitutes are definitely pocket-raping. (Though...the Qrunch burgers by Quorn are amazing!)
7). I already refuse to eat veal and try not to eat lamb due to ethical reasons, so how much more of a step would it be for me to avoid the rest? Pigs are VERY cute, anyways....
8). I know enough vegetarians that eating with them would be nice and I would have a good group to sympathize.
9). I like a lot of fake meat and vegetarian entrees and
10). some things I prefer vegetarian (like pizza/pasta). Also, I already can't stand meat on the bone (except ribs and only sometimes) and I am grossed out w/ cooking most meats.
Negative:
1). There's a lot of meat that I really like: salami, ribs, steak, crab, shrimp, baloney, pate, fois gras, prosciutto - even though I don't eat these things very often.
2). I LOVE food and love trying new foods. It would probably be the utmost of torture for me to be at a Thanksgiving dinner and not be able to eat turkey/gravy/stuffing.
3). I'm not a big fan of beans. Any kind. Refrieds are probably my favorite w/ green beans as a second but I wouldn't want to eat them very often.
4). And I HATE most veggie burgers
5). I'm worried that I'd end up eating a lot of pasta/rice/potatoes which I know from experience will make me fatter. I'm lucky enough to have the "italian fat pasta" gene. (It's a term I'm coining.)
6). Just thinking about going 40 days w/o meat is making me crave it more.
7). Eating out at a lot of places would involve eating carby stuff like fries, pasta, rice, potatos or salads which might make me want to kill myself.
8). I'd have to give up steak. I know I said it above, but I want to reemphasize...I love steak. LOVE it.
9). I take pride in my flexible eating habits. You know, don't make your friends cook you something special if you're coming over for dinner etc. And don't want to become an obnoxious vegetarian. I'm already super against the circus and pretty much told Math's mom not to take the kiddo there.
10). I'm too lazy to go veg. For Example, if I go to a chinese restaurant, I don't want to ask if their miso soup or sesame tofu is made with meat broth.
This year, I've decided to give up 2 things: Elevators (which I've been working on anyway) and Meat except fish. It's the meat one that I want to talk about today.
The Goal: To eat no meat except fish and what I have in my house from 2 days ago until Easter. And if I'm offered/given a steak then I will eat it, but I won't go seeking out steak.
The Positive: Check out this website for all 49 reasons (take w/ a grain of salt tho)
1). Math's already a vegetarian - he can help me.
2). We already eat vegetarian at our house 98% of the time (except when I eat lunch meat and bacon and the kid eats chicken nuggets).
3). The meat industry is a pretty bad industry in terms of animal cruelty. I feel like a hypocrite sometimes because I'm all "Save the puppies and kitties! Oh MEAT?! OM NOM NOM NOM. Organic? Too expensive! Free range? Too expensive! Whole Foods? Too lazy, King Stoopids is right across the street!"
4). Being vegetarian is better for the environment in terms of fuel, water and soil conservation, more efficient use of grains, saving forests and aesthetics (think decaying animal parts).
5). Vegetarianism is healthier - all your nutrition can be gotten from plant food plus meat has hormones and all kinds of crap added to it. Also the vitamins in veggies can help prevent a lot of conditions.
6). Finances: *supposedly* veg food is cheaper, but I don't really find that to be the case. Fresh produce can get expensive if you want to get varied things and meat substitutes are definitely pocket-raping. (Though...the Qrunch burgers by Quorn are amazing!)
7). I already refuse to eat veal and try not to eat lamb due to ethical reasons, so how much more of a step would it be for me to avoid the rest? Pigs are VERY cute, anyways....
8). I know enough vegetarians that eating with them would be nice and I would have a good group to sympathize.
9). I like a lot of fake meat and vegetarian entrees and
10). some things I prefer vegetarian (like pizza/pasta). Also, I already can't stand meat on the bone (except ribs and only sometimes) and I am grossed out w/ cooking most meats.
Negative:
1). There's a lot of meat that I really like: salami, ribs, steak, crab, shrimp, baloney, pate, fois gras, prosciutto - even though I don't eat these things very often.
2). I LOVE food and love trying new foods. It would probably be the utmost of torture for me to be at a Thanksgiving dinner and not be able to eat turkey/gravy/stuffing.
3). I'm not a big fan of beans. Any kind. Refrieds are probably my favorite w/ green beans as a second but I wouldn't want to eat them very often.
4). And I HATE most veggie burgers
5). I'm worried that I'd end up eating a lot of pasta/rice/potatoes which I know from experience will make me fatter. I'm lucky enough to have the "italian fat pasta" gene. (It's a term I'm coining.)
6). Just thinking about going 40 days w/o meat is making me crave it more.
7). Eating out at a lot of places would involve eating carby stuff like fries, pasta, rice, potatos or salads which might make me want to kill myself.
8). I'd have to give up steak. I know I said it above, but I want to reemphasize...I love steak. LOVE it.
9). I take pride in my flexible eating habits. You know, don't make your friends cook you something special if you're coming over for dinner etc. And don't want to become an obnoxious vegetarian. I'm already super against the circus and pretty much told Math's mom not to take the kiddo there.
10). I'm too lazy to go veg. For Example, if I go to a chinese restaurant, I don't want to ask if their miso soup or sesame tofu is made with meat broth.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
World Spay Day 2012 Online Pet Photo Contest
I know this is only loosely related to sustainability, but hey...fuzzy animals need our support!
Monday, February 6, 2012
Alternative Fueled, Non-Hybrid cars
Since the Honda Civic Natural Gas (NG) came out last year, we are seeing all kinds of interest in alternative fuel cars that have NOTHING to do w/ fossil fuels.
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| Honda Civic NG |
Recently Honda released its first all-electric vehicle (EV) in the US to three businesses in CA - Google, Stanford University and the city government of Torrence, CA. That's really exciting to me because, along with the Nissan Leaf which was released late 2011, Japanese car companies are making progress toward more eco-friendly transportation! (See clip and article at bottom).
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| Nissan Leaf |
There is also the FCX Clarity, which is Honda's dedicated hydrogen platform. However, that one doesn't seem to be getting quite as much attention, even though Jamie Lee Curtis now drives one. Still...These are the next steps away from hybrids and towards a petrol-free world!
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| Honda FCX Clarity |
Even civilians and "average Joes" are starting to care about these new technologies. Just the other day one of the residents in my community was suggesting that we put EV charging stations into the garage or parking lot. How cool would that be? It blows my mind that people not only care about these new technologies existing, but actually see it as possible, nay probable, future for our cities!
This is no longer futuristic technology. The future is now people, embrace it!
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| Honda Fit EV |
"Three 2013 Honda Fit Electric Vehicles were delivered to different institutions across the state of California last month. Stanford University, Google, and the city of Torrance received the new cars as a test run for Honda’s electric vehicle. A few years back, the Honda Clarity debuted in Southern California, further cementing the state as a leader in transport electrification. "
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