The 90-Day Plan: DAY 34

DAY 34

 

Another way to save energy while using the washing machine is to WASH with COLD WATER.  Most detergents are formulated to work with cold water.  Even switching the water temperature from hot to warm will cut energy use by about half.

 

Challenge:  How can the use of non-chlorine bleach lead to cleaner water?

 

For More Information:

 

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/laundry.html

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 33

DAY 33

 

Washing machines and dishwashers are great devices; just make sure to run them FULLY LOADED.  These appliances use a lot of energy and water; dishwashers use between 20-30 gallons per wash and washing machines use between 40-55 gallons. 

 

Challenge:  Why is it a good idea to hold off using these appliances during or shortly after a storm?

 

For More Information:

http://www.epa.gov/watersense/index.htm

 

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 32

DAY 32

 

Recent studies indicate that traces of medicine, pharmaceuticals, and personal care products are showing up in our drinking water.  PROPERLY DISPOSE of UNUSED PILLS and do not flush them down the toilet.  This is an activity that requires adult supervision.

 

Challenge:  How do medicines harm aquaculture?  Are other people's prescriptions good for you? Where might concentrations be the highest?  Unfortunately drinking bottled water may not solve this problem.  See for yourself, this has the potential for a great deal of concern.

 

For More Information:

 

http://www.epa.state.il.us/medication-disposal/facts.html

 

 http://www.aidforaids.org/

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 31

DAY 31

Every year, households in America tend to generate about 100 pounds of
Hazardous Household Waste (HHW). KNOW WHAT is in YOUR HOME! HHW ranges
from: paints and drain cleaners to fluorescent bulbs and used motor oil.
Go through your home to investigate and tally HHW sources. By checking
under sinks, in cabinets, the basement and garage you will find the
majority of HHW.

Challenge: Choose three standard cleaning products that are considered
HHW and find a way to replace them with a safer alternative. Example: a
plunger is an alternative to harsh chemicals used to un-clog drains.

For More Information:

http://www.epa.gov/epawaste/conserve/materials/hhw.htm
http://www.scjohnson.com/environment/growing_1.asp

BP's American Investors/Owners

So, who exactly are BP’s American owners? Here’s a partial list.

The company’s single largest shareholder is the sprawling asset management firm BlackRock, based in New York City, which owned the equivalent of more than one billion shares of BP stock just two weeks before the Deepwater Horizon blowout, according to the financial analysis firm Capital IQ. (Bank of America owns a 34.1 percent stake in BlackRock.)

The second-largest American owner, and third largest over all, is State Street Global Advisors, based in Boston, with 307 million shares. After them are the mutual fund firm Capital Research and Management Company of Los Angeles, with 247 million shares, and the Vanguard Group, based in Malvern, Pa., with 140 million shares. Rounding out the top five is Franklin Resources of San Mateo, Calif., another publicly owned asset management firm, with 131 million shares.

More familiar names crop up further down the list, like Fidelity Investments, with 124 million shares; T. Rowe Price Group, with 93 million shares; and State Farm Insurance, with 79 million shares.

Then there are the banks: as of March 31, JPMorgan Chase held a respectable 76 million shares; Bank of America, 69 million shares; and Goldman Sachs, 42 million shares.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is another a major investor, with nearly 43 million shares.

BP’s share price has tumbled sharply since the well blowout began in the Gulf of Mexico two months ago, and it seems likely that many of these firms have divested themselves of at least some of their BP holdings since then. But at the very least, these stock holdings show clearly that BP was hardly an alien corporation stealthily invading United States waters and funneling the profits overseas.

Excerpted from: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/just-how-british-is-bp/

 

Larry Fink's $12 Trillion Shadow Business: vanityfair.com

Larry Fink's $12 Trillion Shadow Business: vanityfair.com

Democracy Now: EPA Whistleblower Accuses Agency of Covering Up Effects of Dispersant in BP Oil Spill Cleanup

·         EPA Whistleblower Accuses Agency of Covering Up Effects of Dispersant in BP Oil Spill Cleanup

With BP having poured nearly two million gallons of the dispersant known as Corexit into the Gulf of Mexico, many lawmakers and advocacy groups say the Obama administration is not being candid about the lethal effects of dispersants. We speak with Hugh Kaufman, a senior policy analyst at the EPA’s Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and a leading critic of the decision to use Corexit.

 

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 30

DAY 30

The more we use the AC, the more we may need it. Air conditioners account
for about 5% of America's energy consumption; this summer, cut costs by
finding alternative ways to BEAT the HEAT.

Challenge: Five-percent of this nation's energy is a lot of juice.
Calculate how much power America uses and how much power a typical station
produces. How many power plants are needed to create 5% of America's
energy?

For More Information:

http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/pdfs/energy_savers.pdf
www.acee.org

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 29

DAY 29

It is amazing how simple saving water can be. For instance, try the
TOILET TANK TRICK. Take any sized plastic bottle (reuse) and fill it with
sand, pebbles, or pennies and place it in the toilet tank. A half-gallon
jug seems to be a good fit—this works by displacing and saving the volume
of water with a solid object.

Challenge: What type of wastewater treatment service does your home use?
What level is effluent treated and where does it go after processing?
Have you considered a dual-flush or high efficiency toilet?

For More Information:

http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Any-Toilet-to-a-Low-Flush-Toilet

The 90-Day Plan: DAY 28

DAY 28

What would you do if someone were stealing from you? You may be stealing
from yourself. IDENTIFY and REPAIR LEAKES in your home to prevent your
household from losing money. One faucet can leak about 20 gallons per day
and one toilet can leak about 50 gallons per day; over one month, that
adds up to a lot of stolen water—don't forget to check for leaks in your
basement and outside.

Challenge: Municipalities that provide water lose, on average, 10-20% of
water to leaks in the system. Call your water district and ask, how much
water they are losing to leakage? Are they doing anything to perform
infrastructure repair?

For More Information:

www.awwa.org

BP Wiggling out of Responsibility for Destroying the Gulf

BP is giving all it can to buy up and silence all research being done in the Gulf of Mexico following the Deepwater Horizon. Why? Simply put, they want their $20 billion promised to the United States for cleanup efforts back and they want to minimize their financial liability.

Click Here for an article from the Alabama Press-Register on this!