Move Beyond Green

Cleaning Products And How They Impact The Environment

admin — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 00:00:00 +0000

While they may make your home smell and look clean, many cleaners are having an opposite effect on the environment. From the chemicals that are used to the packaging that it comes in, many cleaning products are just downright harmful to the planet.

Many of the chemicals used in cleaning materials are non-biodegradable, meaning that they stick around for a long time before becoming non-hazardous, and they will still remain in the environment. On top of this, many of these chemicals are toxic, and pollute the rivers and streams. If persistent, they can be ingested by marine creatures, which in turn may eventually affect human consumption.

The packaging of these materials is also of great concern. Any item that is packaged in an aerosol can will contain some sort of gas used to propel the product out of the packaging. These gases are often chlorofluorocarbons, which, while not deadly, have been long-proven as a hazard to the ozone layer. Plastic containers can be reused or recycled, but when thrown away, are very slow to bio-degrade.

It is important to keep the environment in mind when deciding upon the types of products to use during cleaning. By switching to eco-friendly products, homeowners can further reduce their impact on the environment.

3 Ways to Start Living Greener Today

admin — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:00:00 +0000

It’s human nature to resist change, and to question making big shifts in the way we go about our daily lives. From the way we eat to the way we conduct ourselves at the office, we are creatures of habit. The same applies to the way we think about the environment.

Even if you care about the earth and would like to make an effort to reduce your environmental footprint, it can be difficult to get on board with green practices and environmental conscientiousness when you’ve never got into the habit of doing so. Fortunately, you don’t have to become a green freak overnight to do your part in environmentally. Here are three actions you can take today, whether you get service from Texas Electricity Prviders or a New York power company.

1) Install low-energy light bulbs: Low energy light bulbs might cost you a little money at first, but they burn longer than traditional light bulbs and consume less energy for an easy, two-fold energy benefit.

2) Watch your water use: If you keep the water running while you’re washing dishes or brushing your teeth, or if you take excessively long shows (more than 10 minutes), you’re wasting copious amounts of water that also make your electric or gas-powered hot water heater work more. Start conserving today by using only the water you need.

3) Shop for organic and recycled products: Although tweaking your shopping habits may require a bit of extra effort, you can start today by purchasing from a store like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or Earth Fare to get grocery items. Shopping at these stores can indirectly affect the environment, because the stores and their vendors use green practices and buy from green suppliers.

If you want to make a positive impact on the environment, start today with one or more of these tips. As you get comfortable, continue changing your habits until you ultimately are doing your part to live greener.

Are All Plastics Created Equal In The Recycing Effort?

www.movebeyondgreen.com — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The short answer is no, not all plastics are created equal. All you have to do is flip over your bottle or your drinking cup and look at the number on the bottom. These numbers will tell recyclers what can and can’t be done with this kind of plastic, and where it needs to go. This is just a basic guide though, since there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes of recycling.

First off, not all plastic can be recycled into new products. Food grade plastic for instance, needs to be new. Didn’t catch that? This explains it. Other types of plastic simply cannot be re-used and made into new products as they are when you recycle them. Those plastics may be left to rot in a landfill, or they may be taken and turned back into petroleum feedstocks through a fairly complex process. This petroleum could then be used to make new plastic, refined into gasoline, or a dozen other uses.

As technology improves it’s becoming possible to re-use more and more different types of plastic. However, there is still a marked difference between the different materials, and they still have to be handled differently when they get to the professional recycling agents.

Can Children Convince Their Family To Recycle?

admin — Fri, 17 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

We often think that parents are the ones who will introduce recycling to their children. Of course, parents can and should set good examples for their children. This includes participating in local recycling efforts and re-using or recycling as often as possible.

The truth is that parents aren’t always the ones who convince their families to recycle. In fact, many families begin to recycle because their children convince them to do so. Today, more and more schools are teaching the importance of recycling. Many schools have recycling programs and children learn to recycle items at school. It is only natural that they would carry those habits over to their home life.

If you are a parent and your child wants to start recycling at your home, you may want to consider doing so. Many parents worry that recycling will take a lot of time or effort. This isn’t the case at all. Most times, recycling is as simple as tossing empty plastic, metal, and paper into a recycling can provided by the municipality where you live. If your area doesn’t have a formal curbside recycling program, you may be able to drop your materials off at a recycling plant near your house.

To find out more about recycling programs in your area, you can go online. Not only will your children be impressed, but you can rest a little bit easier knowing that you have done your part to keep the environment as clean as possible for future generations.

How To Encourage Kids To Initiate The Green Lifestyle

admin — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

Being green isn’t something you just wake up and decide to do one day; it’s a process that takes place over time. As such it’s important that children be taught about how to be responsible to the environment from a young age. It’s more than just learning to throw your garbage away when you’re done with it; it’s knowing what happens to your trash and putting it in the proper place to make sure it can be turned into something new.

Parents, teachers and other authority figures need to give kids the facts about being green and to make learning about this lifestyle as well as participating in it, fun. Positive memories and feelings about being green will lead children to consider their decisions and to act in a responsible manner when it comes to their environmental responsibility. If you spend quality time planting gardens or trees outside, setting up rain barrels and sorting your recycling, then kids will get the routine of being green without even thinking about it.

Being green is a lifestyle, and nothing is harder to change than a lifestyle that’s been set in place. As such you need to encourage kids early so it’s instinct.

Water Recycling Efforts Within Your Communty

www.movebeyondgreen.com — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

It’s the most abundant resource that exists on our planet, and yet we all take it for granted. Good old fashioned water. Eighty percent of the Earth’s surface is covered by Mother Nature’s champagne. Yet more and more of our fellow humans are wasting hundreds of gallons of it every day. There are several simple and efficient ways that we can all help to conserve our world’s water.
First off, we can consume less meat. Recent studies found that if we all cut back to eating no meat for one day a week we would save hundreds of thousands of gallons of fresh water every year. This is because the ranchers wouldn’t have to use as much water to raise the cattle and irrigate their pastures. Another great way to conserve water is to stop using bottled water products. More energy and water is wasted in producing one bottle of water in a factory than just using a personal filtration system in your own home. We can also help save water by reducing our shower times. By simply cutting our bathing time down to the time needed to get clean, we can save dozens of gallons of water every day.
You thought this was good? Brace yourself: Mainstream media pushes malicious fluoride lie: Fluoride-free bottled water is harming children, they claim

Are Your Efforts To Be Green Being Wasted?

www.movebeyondgreen.com — Thu, 09 Aug 2012 00:00:00 +0000

The old cliche about nothing ventured means nothing gained definitely applies to the process of trying to go green. Yet, many people do feel their contributions to going green are for naught. Such an attitude is definitely the wrong one to take because even the smallest efforts towards being more environmentally conscious have value.

Just as each and every little bit of conservation helps the environment, less than desirable actions can harm the environment even if they seem to minute to have an effect. Leaving the lights on in a room you are not occupying or washing harsh cleaning chemicals down the drain can all have dire effects on the environment. Similarly, reducing such actions can have a very positive effect. When more and more people take such an attitude, collective green actions can all reap positive rewards.

People might assume that their efforts are not effective. This is only because they do not see immediate and dramatic results. The lack of seeing such results should not lead you to assume nothing positive is happening. Rather, you should look towards the process as being an incremental approach to helping improve the environment. Small steps will definitely help the environment as long as they are consistent.