I recently received an email from a group calling themselves: Adopt The Sky Organization. They are a group committed to cleaning the air quality up for us and our children and our children’s children.

This email read as follows:

• Eric Husband wrote:

Sick of breathing dirty air?

We just launched a new kind of eco website for Earthjustice, an
environmental group.

adoptthesky.org

It could be nice content for your Ecogeek but if all you do is sign
the petition and adopt the sky, that would be great too. It’s free.

Adoptthesky.org lets visitors demand cleaner air by adopting a square
mile of sky over the US. They can add a personal message that floats in their adopted sky. All sigantures will be delivered this fall to the EPA, where they are now debating new ozone limits.

Thanks for your consideration,

Eric Husband

Adopt The Sky Program states, 4.5 million U.S. children have asthma. 14 million school days are missed each year because children are too sick. There are even days when the air is too toxic for kids and adults with sensitive lungs to go outside.

On June 21, 2007, the EPA proposed stronger limits on smog in our air. But doctors and scientists say the new limits don’t go far enough. And now powerful polluters are pushing back, trying to stop any change. Here’s your chance to make your voice heard. Adopt a square mile of sky over the U.S. and sign the petition to demand clean air now.

You too can take part in this mission by signing your name to a petition to “clean up the air.”

Planet2B Green has signed up and has adopted the sky over, Georgia and Wisconsin and the signing of this petition has been added to the petitions Adopt The Sky will deliver to the EPA.

I recently attended a home show at Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, where I, of course, drifted over to the environmentally friendly booths. There was everything on how to green your home to getting grass to grow in an environmentally friendly way, to washing your car without wasting water. I ended up taking a brochure from every booth it seemed and my friend was checking out the environmentally friendly lawn equipment. What is it with men and machines anyway? But, I digress……

I ended up going home and looking through all the brochures I had taken with me and came across one company that has an interesting mission, the are calling themselves “GreenPrint“.

They are trying to get the word out about wasted paper when printing. I was quite intrigued by this seeing that, this so called, phantom sheet of paper they are referring to, that prints after your main print goal sheet has come through the printer never happens to me. So of course, being the curious person I am, I dug deeper into this so called “GreenPrint” world and this is what I found out.

“GreenPrint software eliminated unwanted pages, saving paper, ink, money, and millions of trees.”

Okay, hold on……first of all, I don’t think the issue with the “extra” sheet of paper after printing is the problem with the paper waste issue as much as paper waste in itself. I think you should educate people on how not to waste paper in the first place. And start this education process early, like my son’s age, which is age six. Teach children (and some adults) on ways to prevent this “extra” sheet you speak of from coming out in the first place. It’s as simple as copy and paste into a word program and then you know for a fact that the extra sheet won’t be coming.

I am as tree-hugging-friendly as the next person, but this just seems a bit odd to have a company start based solely on the fact of phantom paper waste. Let’s see, the company has business cards, brochures printed, the making of the CD you are selling, not to mention the free sample CD like I was given, plus the cost of ink to produce all of that printed advertising for your company.

I ask you GreenPrint, who is really the wasteful one here?

But, you do come backed and endorsed by, The National Arbor Day Foundation, Friends of Tree, as well as Sustainable Forestry Initiative and Friends of the Forest so with those backings it does give your company a bit more of a better reputation. And you also donate at least 1% of sales to tree-planting efforts through your environmental partners. So I guess if anything, you are at least doing your own part to help out, even though I think all your brochures and cards you gave me was enough paper waste to save a tree or two, maybe even five.

There are many ways to improve your home’s energy and save money. Here are flash suggestions from the Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star Action Guide.

What to Do:

• Replace flash lights or light bulbs with ones that carry the Energy
Star label.

• Buy appliances and electronics that carry the Energy Star label.

• Improve heating and cooling system performance.

• Improve your home instillation.

• Spread the word about using energy efficiently.

*Green Living Tip:  Have you given any thought to the shampoo you use on your head? Most shampoos contain man-made ingredients that have been chemically altered. They also contain an ingredient that should be banded; it is called Sodium Laureth Sulfate. Check your shampoos and body washes and even your soaps to see if the products your use contain this. If they do, throw them out and find a more earth-friendly brand. My personal favorite is A billion Energy Star-qualified products have already been purchased. Their combined use, in one year alone, saves equivalent of taking 18 million cars off the road. Seal air leaks, add wall and attic insulation and choose Energy Star windows to replace old ones. Savings of up to 10 percent on your energy bills annually and tons of greenhouse gas emissions. (The average house is responsible for twice the emissions of an average car.) Service your system annually whether you just have a furnace or heater or a center-air conditioner with a heat pump. Be sure and clean or replace filters regularly, use a programmable Energy Star thermostat. (Savings of about $100 a year) If just 1 in 10 U.S. households did this we’d eliminate 17 billion pounds of greenhouse gases.(They require at least 15 percent less energy than those that aren’t Energy Star qualified. (Savings of about $80 a year) If just 1 in 10 U.S. households did this, we’d prevent about 600 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions. (Savings of about $60 a year) If every U.S. household did this, more than 1 trillion pounds of greenhouse gas emissions would be saved.

Burt’s Bees or Aveda products.  Give them a try!

•ELM: For those who are overwhelmed by responsibility, Elm puts problems into perspective and restores the ability to prioritize.

•BEECH: When in-laws are driving you crazy, take a few drops of Beech to enhance your compassion and increase your tolerance.

•HONEYSUCKLE: Eases homesickness and nostalgia, which will help you appreciate the present.

•OLIVE: When you get exhausted and stressed out, Olive raises your self-awareness as it rejuvenates your body and mind.

•MIMULUS: Can alleviate worries over money, which enables you to gain control of your finances at any given time.

*The Earth and Me, Go Green: Is your brain drained? Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Try these activities that relieve the mental and emotional strain and restore yourself to new.

°Go Green:Spending time outside in “a green setting” is a potentially valuable component of treatment. Like a hike through a forest or even visiting a healing garden. Our local hospital (Lebanon Samaritan Hospital in Lebanon, Oregon offers a healing garden through the Cancer Treatment Ward, but it is open to anyone to walk through and see the beauty of the garden.

°Play: It’s sometimes easier to concentrate on pleasurable activities, and therapeutic to enjoy tangible results. Having a hobby such as gardening, woodworking, knitting, any kind of hands-on-endeavor is a great outlet for energy.

°Relax:Massage and yoga give a busy mind a vacation by drawing awareness back into the body. The Ayurvedic technique known as Shirodhara involves pouring warm herbalized oil over the forehead in a specific patter-this stills the mind and clams the nervous system. Available through Ayurvedic practitioners and in some day spas, Shirodhara is sometimes referred to as “bliss therapy.”

2. MORNINGS: What you do in the first hour of your day sets the tone for the remaining 23. If you fit in some spirital practice (prayer, meditation, journal writing), a little yoga, and a good breakfast, you’ll feel terrific about yourself when you leave the house.

3. SELF-CARE: Choose products that align with your goals, practices that nurture your body and soul, and a health-and-grooming regimen you’ll stick with no matter what.

4. SUPPORT TEAM: You want the top doctor, therapist, trainer, coach, lawyer, or accountant-not necessarily the most expensive, but someone you can relate to, respect, and trust.

5. FRIENDSHIPS: Every person is valuable, but not everyone is ideal company. Favor those whose energy enlivens you and whose personality complements yours. You’re the most important person in your life and you deserve to be with great people. Cut ties with those who don’t bring out the best YOU.

6. TOOLS OF YOUR TRADE: If you’re an artist, you are entitled to quality brushes and quality paint. If you sew, you’re worth great fabric and a well appointed sewing room. If you work in an office, you deserve good lightling, a properly maintained computer, and a desk that holds your basic supplies and has drawers that don’t stick.

7. LITERATURE: Light reading can be a delicious diversion, but really fine books let your brain travel first-class. People who write well and tell their story in a way that’s clear and rich bring that clarity and richness into your life.

8. SPEECH: Take time to choose the optimal words, whether you’re talking to yourself or to someone else. Speak from a place of confidence and self esteem, yet always be kind to others. They’re looking for the best in life too.

With little changes and some taking time to change us, but in that time the changes will give us the quality of life we all seek out. There are people around each and every one of us today that we wish we could be like. Find what it is about that person your admire and make positive changes within yourself to show that characteristic. It doesn’t take unhealthy, unnatural ways to be the best person you want to be. It takes time and effort to become a great outstanding person. You are the one that has to have the mid-set to change who you are. The ultimate change that should never be altered it the characteristic of being OURSELF. Be who you are and let it be known to others who you are.

*Green Tip: Yoga is a natural, body and mind changing exercise. If you practice Yoga for 2 weeks straight 20-30 minutes a day, the changes within your own body and mind will show through. Yoga can relive stress, ease menstral cramping, clear your head, as well as aid in weight loss. Try it for 2 weeks and see the difference in your own self. I did!

Intermittently using electronics like your TV, laptop computer, and washer/dryer uses watss even in standby mode. That’s energy that can account for up to one-fourth of your electric bill, and the cost tp tje environment is even greater.

Production of electricity is the single largest cause of global warming.

Just to produce all the standby power in the U.S. takes about 26 power plants, and it’s getting worse. American households consume about 25 percent more electricity than they did 25 years ago, and are expected to use an additional 25 percent over the next two decades.

Unplugging your unused electronic devices not only reduces pollution, it also makes a big dent in your utility bill.

Here are some ways to help you and the environment power down:

•Plug electronics into a power strips instead of wall sockets. After hitting the “off” button on the devices, switch off the power strip to prevent standby consumption.

•Power up seldom-used appliances only when necessary. Like using a second refriferator that you use just for special occasions can cost you up to $100 each year.

•Unplug the charger unit when you’re not charging a cellphone, camera, PDA, or MP3 player. Otherwise it will continue to draw electricity.

•Remember to unplug electronics or appliances that feel hot when you touch them. The heat from from the product or appliance means the unit it wasting more electricity then needed.

•Replace inefficient products for those that use fewer watts.

*Green Living Tip: When you need to call a pest control company, always do your homework on what their company practices are. If they use harmful chemicals that will not only kill the pest but could kill or harm wildlife or yourself, don’t use them. There are several companies that offer Earth-friendly alternatives and still get rid of the pest problem as well. Because the last thing we want is our pest problem control to run off into our drinking supply.

1. PARK IN THE SHADE: Heat makes fumes from gasoline vent into the air even when your car isn’t running. The results of parking in the shade lowers the temperature of gas tanks by four to seven degrees. That’s enough to lower emissions by two percent over all.

2. PLANT TREES IN YOUR YARD: They’ll shade your house so you will use less of the air conditioner. Not only that but their leaves will absorb ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and other pollutants from the air.

3. AVOID IONIZING AIR CLEANERS: These machines use an electric charge to extract dirty particles from the air, but they also create levels of ozone well above EPA standards. Same with ionizing hair dryers.

4. FLIP THE SWITCH: Plug electronics such as TVs, DVD players, VCRs, home theater equpiment, and steros into power strips, and turn off the devices’ power switch when you’re not using them. If everyone in the country did this, we would save more than $3 billion a year on electricity.

5. BUY ENERGY STAR PRODUCTS: TVs, appliances, lightbulb, and hurnaces that bear the Energy Star seal meet strict energy efficiency standards. They ultimately save you money and use less power over-all.

6. DO THE DOLLAR TEST: Close your refrigerator door on a dollar bill and make sure your need to give a firm tug to out. If it slips out easily, you door gaskets don’t seal tightly enough, which means a huge electricity waste.

7. CALL YOUR UTILITY AND ASK FOR GREE POWER: Some companies give you the option of getting your pwoer from nonpolluting sources, like wind or sun. You will still get the dame electricity delivered the same way, but your request affects where your utility company buys their power from the grid.

8. FILL YOUR GAS TANK IN THE EVENING: When the sun goes down and the air cools, fewer fumes will evaporate during pumping, and any that escape won’t be cooked into the ozone.

9. DRIVE A HOT CAR: Try to run all your errands back-to-back, Starting a warm engine pullutes up to five times less than one that’s been sitting for more than an hour.

10. PRACTICE UPKEEP: Make sure your car gets regular tune-ups and oil changes. Also keeping tires at the right inflation helps your car and the environment due to loss of less gas.

*GreenTip: More than 50% of fine dining and 25% of casual eateries offer at least one organic item. quotes the National Restaurant Association. So the next time you are “out to eat” ask for the organic item and if you are lucky they may have more then one item.

WHEN AT HOME:
1. Unplug the charger for your cellphone. The charger will continue to use electricity, even when there isn’t a phone hooked to the cord.

2. Use an old-fashioned draft stopper. By blocking the crack between an exterior door and the floor, your won’t need to use as much heat or air conditioning.

3. Run the dishwasher only when it’s full. Or better yet, wash your dishes by hand. Running your dishwasher on a constant basis uses 10 to 20 gallons of water a day. Don’t pre-rinse (a running faucet wastes 2.5-plus gallons a minute_ And don’t use the dishwashers drying cycle, open the door and let your dishes air dray.

4. Wash clothes on the cold cycle. Switching from the hot water cycle to the cold water cycle can save $60 on your annual heating bill, and 6.5 pounds in emissions per load. Wash only full clothing loads and use laundry soap sparingly.

WHEN RUNNING ERRANDS:

1. Plot a week’s worth of errands to save fuel. Drive at a moderate speed and save on fuel consumption. Be sure to keep your car well-maintained and tires in check. This will save you more in the long run as well as help out the planet.

2. Tote your own shopping bags. Whole Foods rewards shoppers who bring in their own shopping bags. Ikea, has now started charging customers 5¢ per plastic bag used from their store. Only 0.6% of the 380 billion plastic bags discarded in the United States each year are recycled, the rest end up in a landfill and worse, end up in the forest or wild areas.

3. Try to spot-clean or hand-wash your clothes over the dry cleaners. Many dry cleaners use chemicals that harm the environment. If you must use a dry cleaner, try to find one that uses clean-green chemicals and reuses hangers and bags.

4. Check labels. Many to see how far food has traveled. Some grocers get food choices from foreign nations and distant states, which in turn means more travel time on a truck or other, which means more carbon emissions and less fresh, ripe foods for you to choose.

DURING THE WORK WEEK:

1. Bring your own coffee mug when getting coffee. Helping with 30 times less solid waste and 60 times less air pullution. Some coffee houses encourage you to bring in your own mug, if your regular barista doesn’t encourage this, encourage them to encourage others.

2. Turn off your computer nightly. A savings of about 75% fewer kilowatts.

3. Repurpose and reuse paper. The typical U.S. worker uses 10,000 sheets each year. Which is about one tree a year per worker. Put in a suggestion to your office to buy recycled paper, place recycle bins in the high traffic areas, as well as having a scrap paper tray. Unfortunately less then 9% of the 8 million tons used every year is recycled, but using less and going with alternatives will only use 90% less water and half the energy to make.

4. Reuse ink cartridges or recycle your old ones. Use companies like Staples®, Dell®, etc. to refill your cartridges and it will save you up to 90% on the coast of a new one. There are companies like HP® That even offer recycle bags to put your old cartridge in to send back to them at no charge to you.

With simple changes like these you can help make your mark on the planet and save the Earth for future generations to come. There are several things many of us do already to help the planet, and one more thing added to the agenda will help out so much more.