Earth Day is a day designed to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth’s environment. It was founded by U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson as an environmental teach-in held on April 22, 1970. Earth Day is celebrated in spring in the Northern Hemisphere and autumn in the Southern Hemisphere. Many communities celebrate Earth Week, an entire week of activities focused on environmental issues. The first Earth Week originated in Philadelphia in 1970 (starting April 16 and culminating on Earth Day, April 22.)  Earth Day Network, a group that wishes to become the coordinator of Earth Day globally, asserts that Earth Day is now observed on April 22 on virtually every country on Earth.

In honor of Earth Day, pick five changes that you can personally make this year that will help the environment.  Big or small, anything you choose to do in a positive direction to help our one and only planet Earth will make a difference.  And remember to reduce, reuse and recycle!

The most common usage of spring cleaning refers to the yearly act of cleaning a house from top to bottom which would take place in the first warm days of the year typically in spring, hence the name. However it has also come to be synonymous with any kind of heavy duty cleaning or organizing enterprise. A person who gets their affairs in order before an audit or inspection could be said to be doing some spring cleaning.

Green cleaning is a term that describes a growing trend in favor of using cleaning methods with environmentally-friendly ingredients and chemicals to preserve human health and environmental quality. Green cleaning techniques and products avoid the use of chemically-reactive and toxic cleaning products which contain various toxic chemicals, some of which emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) causing respiratory and dermatological problems among other adverse effects. Green cleaning can also describe the way residential and industrial cleaning products are manufactured, packaged and distributed. If the manufacturing process is environmentally-friendly and the products are biodegradable, then the term “green” or “eco-friendly” may apply.

Harmful chemicals are prevalent not only in general consumer cleaning products but also in foods, cosmetics, home construction, clothing and many industries. In the average American home, around 63 synthetic chemical products can be found. This equates to approximately 10 gallons of hazardous chemicals.  By using more ecologically-friendly products, including green cleaning formulations and products, consumers may be able to reduce human health risks by reducing exposure to these and other harmful chemicals.
Is Your Home or Office Making You Sick? Click Here to see products and information to help you create a HEALTHY HOME TODAY!!

So when you are working on your Green Spring Cleaning, you may want to donate your excess to charity.  There is a website called excessaccess.com that matches you to local charities that will come and pick up your donations and the website will give you a receipt that can be used at tax time.  Also if you go on to the EPA.gov website and click on ecycling they will advise you on how to recycle those old computers and cell phones.

For Green Spring Cleaning your home office,  think paperless and go to Billeo.com that will let you download a software tool that stores all your passwords and connects you to your vendors that you pay online. 

If you have baby clothes or baby items that you want to trade or give away to others who need them, go to zwaggle.com where you can join a “swapmeet” where you get points for your trade to use for other things you need.

Here on Green Earth Friend we have a recycling widget where you plug in your item and zip code and it will tell you where you can bring your item to be recycled.  Check it out at the end of the far right column on this website.

Good luck to everyone with your Green Spring Cleaning and I hope all these tips help everyone to keep their spring cleaning eco-friendly and green.

China has also over taken the United States for being the largest emitter of carbon dioxide on the planet.
Greenpeace said the top 10 companies, which provided almost 60% of China’s total electricity last year, burned 20% of China’s coal — 590m tonnes — and emitted the equivalent of 1.44 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide.

“China is suffering the pains of extreme weather events such as droughts, heat waves, typhoons and floods, worsened by climate change. These power companies can and must help China to prevent climate disaster by rapidly increasing efficiency and the share of renewable energy such as wind and solar,” said Yang Ailun, Greenpeace’s climate campaign manager, at the launch in Beijing of the Greenpeace report, Polluting Power: Ranking China’s Biggest Power Companies.

Greenpeace urged the Chinese government to impose energy and environment taxes on coal, encouraging increased efficiency and a move to renewable sources. It also called for a doubling of the national renewable energy target to 30% by 2020 and for stricter efficiency standards for coal-fired power stations.

The State Council, China’s cabinet, is currently drawing up plans for a massive “new energy” programme to cut emissions and ensure energy security. Reports in the domestic media and from foreign diplomats suggest the next decade could see between 1.4 trillion (US$200 bn) and 4.5 trillion yuan (US$600bn) investment in projects ranging from nuclear power, low carbon transport and clean coal technology to super-efficient electric grids.  Let’s see what happens!

German representatives of environmental groups yesterday widely welcomed the news that big businesses were prepared to give the project a backbone for the first time.

“Businesses have finally recognised that renewable energies belong to the future, and in times of economic crisis this also sends out an important signal for economic growth,” said Andree Bohling of Greenpeace.

Torsten Jeworrek, board member of Munich Re, the German re-insurer which is leading the project, said: “We want to found an initiative which over the next two to three years will put concrete measures on the table.” The 400 billion euro investment would be enough to cover 15% of Europe’s electricity requirements, according to Jeworrek.  He added “in technical terms this project can be realised” but stressed in order for it to be sustainable it would have to finance itself in the long-run and be competitive within 10 to 15 years.

We had a superb crop of peas which quickly outgrew our appetites. The pea plants grew to over 3 ft tall.  The peas were allowed to mature until they almost looked like they were drying out and the plants stopped flowering. To pick peas I find the easiest way is to pull up the vine and pick the pods off the vines. Once the vines have been picked they go to the compost bin. Once in the bin the vines are chopped up with hedge clippers to speed decomposition into garden compost for our organic gardens.

After picking comes the shelling. I like to use a knife which I insert along the spine of the pea pod. This cuts the connection between the spine of the pod and the pea. When I break the pod open and the fat green peas drop freely into a container. I find this easier than trying to break open the pods and scrape out the peas.

Once I finished shelling the peas I ended up with about 3.5 pounds of green peas. I decided to can these peas using a recipe from the Ball Corporations canning recipe site. The recipe requires pressure canning for 40 minutes at 10 pounds. Below is a photo of my canned peas and carrots with chives (ingredients are simply peas, carrots, a teaspoon of clipped chives and a half teaspoon of salt.)

In this effort I canned six pints of peas and carrots. I used my little pressure cooker and it’s matching canning kit. Since my pressure cooker can only hold 4 pints I had to do two batches at 40 minute each. At some point in the future I will upgrade to a multiple quart pressure canner which will allow better efficiency. Even though I had to cook two batches, which is inefficient, the nice thing about canned food is that once the process is over the food sits on the shelf consuming no more energy. On top of that, the jars are re-useable. The only items not re-useable are the sealing lids.

Interested in canning? You may want to know what the least expensive way is to begin canning. Boiling water bath canning is least expensive. A boiling water bath canning set can be purchased for less than $50. Of course used equipment could be purchased much less expensively. What can be preserved using the boiling water bath method? Here is a handy reference chart from the USDA’s Principles of Home Canning.

The chart shows that Alkali or low acid foods like meat, fish, green beans, peas, carrots or mushrooms must be canned with a pressure cooker. The results are fantastic. But the results from using the boiling water bath method of canning are equally good when used with high acid foods. I plan to have a cupboard full of jellies, jams, pickles and tomatoes…all of which can be canned using the boiling water bath method. Interested in pressure canning? A pressure canning set will cost about $100 or more if it is large enough to process multiple quarts of food.

With both a water bath and pressure canner you will be able to can almost any food. Everyone should learn to preserve fresh fruits and vegetables. Canning is one method of preserving food which is environmentally sound and makes use of the bounty of a harvest which might otherwise go to waste. Could there be anything more wholesome, educational and environmentally friendly than raising and then preserving food? Just think…food that begins in your backyard garden and travels a short distance to your kitchen cupboard; food on your table from your garden all year round.

Check out more organic gardening tips at http://www.redbayfarm.com or to chat directly with CarolinaJim, go to our Green Forum at http://www.greenearthfriend.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=586

Happy canning everyone!

The Recovery Act was signed into law by President Obama on February 17th, 2009. It is an unprecedented effort to jump start our economy, create or save millions of jobs, and put a down payment on addressing long-neglected challenges so our country can thrive in the 21st century. The Act is an extraordinary response to a crisis unlike any since the Great Depression, and includes measures to modernize our nation’s infrastructure, enhance energy independence, expand educational opportunities, preserve and improve affordable health care, provide tax relief, and protect those in greatest need. Learn more on recovery.gov.

Implementing the Recovery Act

The Recovery Act specifically includes $7.22 billion for projects and programs administered by EPA. These programs will protect and promote both “green” jobs and a healthier environment. These environmental areas include:

• Clean Water State Revolving Fund and Drinking Water State Revolving Fund:$4 billion for assistance to help communities with water quality and wastewater infrastructure needs and $2 billion for drinking water infrastructure needs. A portion of the funding will be targeted toward green infrastructure, water and energy efficiency, and environmentally innovative projects. View general information about the Clean Water State Revolving Fund and the Drinking Water State Revolving fund
• Brownfields:$100 million for competitive grants to evaluate and clean up former industrial and commercial sites. View general information about the Brownfields program.
• Diesel Emissions Reduction: $300 million for grants and loans to help regional, state and local governments, tribal agencies, and non-profit organizations with projects that reduce diesel emissions. View general information about diesel emissions reductions achieved through the National Clean Diesel Campaign.
• Superfund Hazardous Waste Cleanup: $600 million for the cleanup of hazardous sites. View general information about the Superfund program.
• Leaking Underground Storage Tanks: $200 million for cleanup of petroleum leaks from underground storage tanks. View general information about the underground storage tank program.

The new law is geared for performance and unprecedented transparency. EPA plans to award both the designated funds to states and the competitive grants as quickly as possible. All funding will be monitored by the agency’s Inspector General, which will receive $20 million for oversight and review. Announcements of grants will be posted on recovery.gov to ensure transparency.

Learn more about EPA programs that implement the Recovery Act, and about the major actions EPA has taken to implement the Act.

Here are some of the green highlights of the last 100 days:

January 20: Only hours after Obama takes the oath of office, the White House issues a memo staying a number of Bush’s “midnight regulations”. The regulations, issued in the final hours of the Bush administration, had sought to do away with a generation of environmental protections imposed on polluters from factory farms to the burning of hazardous waste and oil shales development. Obama orders a review of the measures, which had been deplored by conservationists.

January 26: The president signs a pair of executive orders intended to set stricter limits on car exhaust emissions. Obama directs the Environmental Protection Agency to reconsider its refusal, under George Bush, to allow California to cut car exhaust by 30%. The president also calls on the Transportation Department to draw up new fuel 35 MPG fuel standard for all cars rolling off the assembly lines from 2012.

February 17: Obama signs a $787bn economic recovery plan. The rescue package contained historic levels of green investment – well over $100bn by some estimates. There were billions for refitting existing buildings to make them more energy efficiency, high-speed rail lines and commuter transit and updating the electric grid.

“In a lot of respects the stimulus package was a gigantic climate and energy bill by itself in a very positive way,” said David Gardiner, a senior adviser at the Energy Future Coalition. “We have never had a president who has focused on this … with [that] intensity.”

March 19: He pledges $2.4bn for the development of hybrid cars and advanced batteries.

March 20: Michelle Obama digs up a patch of ground behind the White House to plant the first presidential vegetable garden since the second world war. The Obama’s plan to put in lettuce, spinach, herbs such as coriander, and hot peppers – but no beets because the president does not like them.

March 30: Obama sets aside 2m acres of public land spread across nine states as wilderness, from California’s Sierra Nevada to Virginia’s Jefferson forest, shielding it from mining, logging and other operations. Another provision protects 1,000 miles of river.

April 17: The Environmental Protection Agency formally declares that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases are a danger to public health and welfare. The so-called endangerment finding is a first step towards regulating coal-fired power plants and to forcing US car manufacturers to make cleaner and more fuel-efficient vehicles.

April 27: The US hosts a two-day forum for 17 of the world’s most polluting economies to try to get closer to a deal before the international climate change summit at Copenhagen in December. The secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, declares the US, after eight years of going missing under George Bush, is now committed to helping lead the world towards a planet-saving deal. She also makes a direct pitch to India and China, saying that a move towards a greener economy will not hold back development, but could help them reach greater prosperity.

What a productive first 100 green days! Let’s hope it continues for the next 100 days and beyond.

About the 2009 Green Choice Awards
The awards were hosted by GreatNonprofits, the leading provider of user-generated ratings and reviews of nonprofits. Reviews appear on both GreatNonprofits.org as well as GuideStar.org, the premiere source for donor research on nonprofits. Nonprofits with the most positive reviews in their budget category are determined the winners of the 2009 Green Choice Awards. Those who submitted reviews are eligible to win prizes, such as an autographed copy of Thomas Friedman’s Hot, Flat and Crowded, earth-friendly wines from Fetzer wineries, subscriptions to the Stanford Social Innovation Review, a getaway at Joie De Vivre hotels, gift certificates for Whole Foods, coupons for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, and more. Review submissions took place from April 1st to April 29th, 2009.

Grassroots Environmental Nonprofits, Not Large, Well-Known Groups, Get Highest Ratings
Green Choice Awards Publishes First-Ever List of Best Environmental Nonprofits

Menlo Park, Calif. — Grassroots organizations get top votes for best environmental nonprofits, according to GreatNonprofits’ 2009 Green Choice Awards. The contest, held during Earth Month in April, asked people to submit reviews and ratings about environmental nonprofits. The results provide surprising insights into the kinds of organizations that are considered effective by volunteers, donors and stakeholders.

Over the course of Earth Month, more than 26,000 people visited the GreatNonprofits Web site, and 835 reviews were posted were posted about more than one hundred environmental organizations.

“It’s wonderful to see the expression of positive comments on the GreatNonprofitsWeb site, and we are motivated to do even more to deserve this praise,” says Charles Higgins, executive director of Slide Ranch, which won for best environmental organization with an annual budget between $250,000 and $1 million. Barbara Wengerruns the Hayes Valley Neighborhood Parks Group, the winner among organizations with budgets of $250,000 or less. She says, “We are so honored to be selected, and more importantly to be reviewed so highly by people. I am shocked and thrilled. Even if we didn’t win, just reading all of those wonderful reviews is so amazing.”

While big organizations such as Greenpeace and the Sierra Club were available for review, those groups didn’t see the kinds of results that their leaner counterparts did. For example, the reviews for the NRDC totaled 5, while the tiny Hayes Valley Neighborhood Parks Group garnered 44.

“There are so many great nonprofits who don’t have an advertising budget and are not household names. Similar to what Yelp has done for small restaurants, we enable grassroots nonprofits to gain recognition,” says Perla Ni, CEO and founder of GreatNonprofits. “Now there’s an even playing field through the genuine testimonials and reviews of people who have seen the work of a nonprofit first-hand. Donors and volunteers now have a source of information for which nonprofits are accountable and effective.”

The winning organizations of this year’s Green Choice Awards are:

Annual Budget Less Than $250,000
Hayes Valley Neighborhood Parks Group
San Francisco, Calif.
Once a hang-out for drug dealers and prostitutes, now youngsters plant organic vegetables and care for gardens. The Hayes Valley Neighborhood Parks Group is an all-volunteer group that has cleaned up local parks and turned them into fun, safe places for the neighborhood to enjoy nature.
“HVNPG has made Hayes Valley a wonderful place to live. Their work with the peace wall and the gardens has improved the quality of life for our community, has given us a feeling of pride in our neighborhood and brought us closer together.”
-Honorable mention: Back to Natives Restoration, Bethesda Green

Annual Budget Between $250,000 and $1 Million
Slide Ranch
Muir Beach, Calif.
At Slide Ranch, spend the day in the organic garden, walking the trails, milking a goat or just sitting on the bluff above the roaring ocean. It is a place to connect with nature and learn about the growing of healthy food and our interdependence with the environment.
“Slide Ranch is a special place…from the fennel forest to the goats, from the wonderful counselors and staff to the amazing location. My girls are learning about their environment and nature in a way I wish I could have experienced at their age.”
-Honorable mention: WAGES (Women’s Action to Gain Economic Security)

Annual Budget More Than $1 Million
Chewonki Foundation
Wiscasset, Maine
The Chewonki Foundation instills a life-long appreciation of nature through programs such as canoe and sailboat explorations on the rocky coast of Maine and wilderness backpacking trips that teach forest management.
“Chewonki gave each of our sons terrific grounding – reverence for nature, community, and self, music, humor, fairness and fun. Our family has been partaking of Chewonki programs for over 30 years and it is very much a part of our lives.”
-Honorable mention: International Rivers

Best of Northeast
Global Links
Pittsburgh, Pa.
This organization refurbishes, sorts, and sends donated hospital equipment (everything from beds and wheelchairs to IV poles and dialysis machines) to Latin American and Caribbean countries. Global Links recovers more than one hundred tons of medical materials a year.
“I never knew so many things would wind up in landfills if it were not for Global Links salvaging these items and sending them to others who could put them to good use, where people who are so appreciative to receive them. To play a small part in this endeavor has been very rewarding to me.”

Best of Southeast
Solar Electric Light Fund
Washington, DC
SELF provides power to villages in developing countries for water pumps, schools, health clinics, homes and drip irrigation to grow crops.
“From my own interactions with SELF’s solar-powered drip irrigation project in northern Benin, I have witnessed SELF’s ability to dramatically change lives on the ground, and to implement projects in a sustainable and culture-conscious manner.”

Best of Midwest
PLACE
Minneapolis, Minn.
PLACE is a nonprofit developer that works with cities to build green and affordable housing. “I’m confident that PLACE has extended their reach as far as possible to provide affordable housing for artists within a socially and environmentally balanced community while accentuating the beautiful views and respecting the local landscape.”

Best of Southwest
Center for Biological Diversity
Tucson, Ariz.
Using science, law, and creative media, the Center for Biological Diversity works to protect the habitats of endangered species. They wrote the petition that got the polar bear listed under the Endangered Species Act, and they have been successful in protecting the orca habitat in the Northwest and the wolves in the Rockies.
“As a donor, it’s really satisfying to see the results of the Center for Biological Diversity’s campaigns on almost a constant basis. There is never a question that they are using every cent to defend our planet and the creatures who inhabit it. It makes me feel great to be able to be a part of their incredibly important work.”

Best of West
Foundation for Sustainable Development
San Francisco, Calif.
By partnering with more than 200 community-based organizations throughout Asia, Africa, and Latin America, FSD works to support sustainable change. Projects include construction of communal clothes-washing areas and non-polluting bathrooms, teaching organic farming methods, and establishing vegetable nurseries and organic gardens at local schools.
“In Bolivia, we work with over 35 NGO’s in Cochabamba who are dedicated to various development areas such as human/women’s rights, environment and natural resources, microfinance, education, and public health. Through FSD, I have gained greater perspective on the hard work involved in getting development projects up and running.”

When constructing the HGTV Green Home, the walls were made from ICFs lego like walls. ICF stands for Insulated Concrete Forms and is a good energy saving product that makes the walls 6 inch thick  in reinforced concrete.  It has an R-value of 32 which is the insulation’s effectiveness.  The “R” stands for “resistance” to heat-flow, or cool airflow.

Part of the roof is a Green “Living” roof with special ground mats under the soil that both retains water and drains water as needed.  It makes a good eco-friendly use of a space that you can plant vegetables and herbs on for your use.  There is alsoa rainbarrel to collect the water to use on your plants.

The wood floor is an eco-friendly floor by Shaw Floors.  It is an innovative floor that uses 50% recycled content which means that every part of the tree is used. Also the area rugs are recyclable and the tiles are made from 40% recycled material and they are made in the USA.

Energy Star appliances are used throughout the home with an efficient washer and dryer. Also there is a re-circulating water system and an aerator used by the faucets which pumps air through them to use less water.

This is a wonderful green home in the Port St. Lucie area of Florida. Check out the full project on HGTV Green Home and don’t forget to register to win on this site or directly on HGTV.  You can register once a day until June 5, 2009.  Good Luck to all our weblog readers at Green Earth Friend!

The bikes are stored in massive racks next to the train station. It costs 30 euros a year to get access to the bikes. You receive a card that looks like a credit card called an RFID-card. You swipe the card in a certain area of the control for each rack and it will tell you which bike to take. Bicycles can be used for the first 30 minutes with no extra cost, with subsequent half hour blocks (up to 2 hours) costing 0.50 euros each. Use of a bicycle for more than 2 hours at a time is discouraged with a penalty rate of 3 euros per hour, but also with the possibility of having your membership cancelled after a certain number of uses in excess of 2 hours.

To return a bicycle one simply places the bike in a spare slot at a Bicing station.  The bike is recognised automatically and is locked into place (as indicated by the small light at the slot turning red), so one does not need to swipe the RFID-card to return the bike.  3000 bikes are used throughout the system and the system is paid for through parking tickets in the city. There are a reported 90,000 registered members in the couple of years that the system has operated. That is 90,000 people that reduced their carbon footprint in a big way.  And 90,000 green earth friends.