Waste Stream

On today's Oprah episode the whole show was on Earth Day and there were tips to save money while being conscious of the environment. There was also a lot of information on the sheer volume of waste that we create that was mind boggling.

Did you know that there is a line of garbage off the coast of California that extends all the way to Japan. They estimate that there is 3.5 million tons of garbage in the ocean. This "swirl" of waste is twice the size of Texas and in some places it is 90 feet deep. Marine life often mistake the plastic bags and floating debris for food and consume it, causing certain death to many animals. I wondered as I first saw this video footage how there could be so much garbage in the ocean but as was explained anything that we throw along the side of road or blows off a landfill site eventually makes its way to the ocean. Everything flows to the ocean. An item tossed along the road, goes in the ditch, gets picked up by rain water and taken to a larger stream, until eventually all streams wind up in the ocean. Now you might think that cruise ships, who we've heard horror stories of dumping their waste in the ocean, are the culprits. Only 20%, of this garbage, can be attributed to any type of ships that are out there and throw their garage overboard. The rest comes from us on land. Plastic is the biggest problem....100 billion plastic bags(or 300 per person each year) are used in our country each year. We've all seen them along the highways, caught in trees and underbrush, etc. Several countries have banned their use but they are heavily used in the U.S. If there is one thing that each of us could pledge to do to help our environment, it would be to reduce (or eliminate) the amount of plastic we use in our daily lives. Everything from zip-loc bags (we are big offenders of this), plastic shopping bags, etc. Anything that has a one time use and then winds up in a landfill or in our ocean. Use washable, re-usable containers...don't buy the individual bottled water...Buy a water filter and make your own filtered water and put it in a reusable container.

There was so much more information given today and if you want to learn more, go to oprah's site. Let's make smarter choices for our planet. It's the only one we have. The next time you have something plastic in your hand, think about the giant stream of garbage flowing from California to Japan. Not the kind of legacy we want to leave for our children, eh ?

Jolly "Green" Giants

Fortune 500 Challenge

The Green Power Partnership works with a wide variety of leading organizations — from Fortune 500 companies to local, state and federal governments, and a growing number of colleges and universities. The following Top Partner Rankings highlight the annual green power purchases of leading organizations within the United States and across individual industry sectors.

These green power purchases help reduce the environmental impacts of electricity use and support the development of new renewable generation capacity nationwide. Purchase amounts reflect U.S. operations only and are sourced from U.S.-based green power resources. Organizations can meet EPA purchase requirements using any combination of three different product options (1) Renewable Energy Certificates, (2) On-site generation, and (3) Utility green power products.

Purchase figures are based on annualized Partner contract amounts (kilowatt-hours), not calendar year totals. These rankings are updated on a quarterly schedule. Find out how your organization can partner with EPA today! To view a top partner list, go here:

See how some companies are going to great lengths to reduce their giant "footprint" on our planet....Support these companies in their efforts to do the right thing !

Be Lean and Green

Happy Earth Day !

Why Reducing Your Carbon Footprint is Important


What exactly is a carbon footprint? Every human being impacts the environment through simple practices that you may or may not realize are harmful. Though the effects themselves may seem minute or insignificant, the cumulative effects of wasteful habits add up to a significant factor in global warming.

Ten Simple Ways to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint

1. Change at least three light bulbs in your home with Energy Star® approved bulbs. Help the environment by reducing your energy consumption by as much as 90 percent, which in turn helps reduce the consumption of fossil fuel and carbon emissions. It doesn't hurt that it saves money on your energy bill as well.
2. Properly insulate and weatherize the interior and exterior of your home.
3. Walk, ride a bike or use public transportation whenever possible.
4. Buy renewable energy.
5. Reuse containers, paper and other conservable items, and participate in your local recycling program. Consider donating unwanted items to local agencies rather than adding to your local landfill.
6. Purchase Energy Star® appliances. Efficient appliances will help conserve both water and electricity in your home.
7. Start a paper recycling program at work.
8. Before purchasing a vehicle, research emission standards and gas mileage. The number of clean and fuel-efficient vehicles currently available is growing by leaps and bounds.
9. Hang your clothes to dry rather than using your dryer.
10. Educate others about the effects of greenhouse gas emissions, and try to encourage friends, co-workers, family and students to adopt a few green practices. One person telling a few friends and family members could spread the power of green like wildfire.