Thanks for stopping by Globalwarningonline.com. You'll see the various topics covered above and below. The point
of this site is to share important information that can benefit your health and the earth's health. There are plenty of
links to other sites to illustrate points. I hope you will find it inspirational and that it will encourage change, Green
change.
Think First: Top
10 Things To Consider:
1- Think Local
2- Think Organic Whenever Possible
3- Think Sustainable &
Fair Trade
4- Think Made In America
5- Think Reuse, Recycle, Reduce
6- Think More Natural (green) Less Chemicals
7- Think Less Plastic
8- Think of Others
9- Think Outside The Box
10-
Think of Those You Love and Reach Out To Them!
Got To Buy A Gift? When shopping keep all those above in mind.
Green School Essentials
The
back to school industry is now a billion dollar industry. Families on average will spend approximately $95.00 on back to school
items. Of course, the best tip to reduce your environmental impact is to buy less and make do with what you have.
Next, eco-friendly choices are the way to go.
1- green school supplies
- buy backpacks made from nylon, polyester, hemp or cotton. stay away
from PVC and vinyl as production of those materials have been linked to cancer and reproductive disorders and they pose problems
to our environment upon disposal.
- shop for recycled paper products and help save trees
- do not buy single
use plastic pens. they will still be around for thousands of years after you are done with them. instead buy refillable
pens and mechanical pencils. for sustainable wooden pencils buy Dixon Ticonderoga
- think twice before buying
"wite-out" as most correction fluid are made with (VOC's). look for water soluable types or at the very least buy the liquid pen form, it is more efficient, last longer and tend to
not dry up the way little bottles can.
- stop buying rubber bands. they are made from latex (which
come from trees) and oil (which you know we need to cut down on).
- do not buy paper clips.
- shop for recyclable
binders (jorgel.com) or polyethylene binders. avoid vinyl binders.
- Texas instruments has solar calculators
- teach
your school some new lessons. give them information on how to green their operations. encourage them to purchase recycled
paper goods, start recycling better, provide healthy foods, green the cleaning products etc.
2-green lunch and accessories
- avoid vinyl lunchboxes,
buy only those labeled "lead free" or "lead-safe". check out www.lunchboxes.com and www.reusablebags.com
- buy reusable lunch containers and treat your kids for bringing them back home!
- love little bags? try
Natural Value unbleached natural wax paper bags.
- Thermos makes great containers for hot and cold drinks, soups and
pastas.
- avoid single use bottled water. bring water and drinks from home in metal (www.mysigg.com) water containers or non leaching plastic sports bottled labeled HDPE #2 or LDPE #4. Avoid polycarbonate plastic labeled
#7 because bisphenol-A can disrupt hormones and behaviour. When scratched that can leach into liquids (so, if
you have to use that type do not scratch with a scrubby sponge clean with natural sponge instead)
- stop buying plastic
cutlery and buy biodegradable (made from corn, limestone etc) or simply use your everyday cutlery.
- make it a school
event to have a zero waste lunch day!
- avoid foods that you do not know where they came from and what's
inside. especially prepackaged meals, condiments and frozen foods. big food companies can irradiate ingredients in those foods
and not have to label it. same applies to the big food suppliers to restaurants and schools.
- when possible buy local
organic food.
- for convenient snacks also buy organic and in bulk. use the wax bags and reusable containers and cut
down on waste.
- don't forget the vitamins. check out vitamins that come from real food. they are easier on
the body to digest and that means less toxic waste.
- when you prepare your foods at home be sure to use wooden cutting
boards (as to avoid plastic)
- replace your teflon pots and pans with stainless steel. teflon has been linked
with with birth defects.
- ask your school to have an organic option everyday or at least once a week!
3-green car safety
- reconsider the car all together and plan
to walk, bike or scoot to school.
- if you have to drive keep you car properly cared for by keeping tires inflated etc.
more tips
- when you stop a car for more than 10 second turn it off! idling causes more harm to you inside the car
than out. and outside kids are twice as likely to breath in more air per minute than adults. think about it they
are smaller and on top of it their mouths are at tailpipe level.
- start a no idling campaign at school!
4- green back to school clothing
- organic cotton production
uses less chemicals and that is better for the earth and for sensitive skin
- check out Hanna Andersson, Patagonia,
Levi's
- merino wool is a sustainable choice for winter woolies
- fleece by Patagonia actually recycles
old fleece
- more and more shoe companies are getting the green vibe and you will be seeing shoes made from recycled
materials and sustainable materials like hemp.
- got a fund raiser at school? consider selling organic cotton
tote bags or bags made from recyclable materials as a fund raiser. often you can get your schools logo put on it.
this help encourage people to stop using paper and plastic bags at the market by bringing their own.
- look for stores
that give 1% of their sales to the planet.
5-surfs up for
some green fun
6-plan a party
- buy biodegradable cutlery, cups and plates. better yet use your own and share resources
with friends.
- if recyclables (bottles, cans) are part of your plan be sure to have a recycling bin available for your
guests to use.
- Good Sense trash bags are made from 50% recycled plastics.
- buy food and drinks in bulk.
this saves money and cuts waste.
- use recycled papers for invites. post consumer recycled copy paper is now widely
available.
- for party favors give away something sustainable (bamboo cutting board) green ( the Green Book) or energy
efficient (cfl's)
7-get back into conserving energy
- summer is nearly over and it is time to get back into
the swing of things. now is a great time to remind those we love to remember to turn off the lights when we leave rooms, unplug
electronics no longer in use and so on. give your kids an incentive and make it a game.
- all of New Jersey residents
can sign up for clean power at http://www.njcleanenergy.com/residential/programs/cleanpower-choice/new-jersey-cleanpower-choice-program it is the best way to support renewable energy and help stop global warming!
- did you know when coal is burnt at power-plants
it spews out mercury into our air? breathing that raises risks for asthma and autism. That is another good reason to go for
Clean Power.
- start investigating practical ways to conserve energy. See tips on the green house page
- switch over to compact fluorescent light bulbs. cfl's are much more efficient than conventional incandescent
light bulbs.
- help your school by having a fund raiser to buy cfl bulbs and encourage them to purchase light sensors
that automatically turn on and off.
- teach kids about conserving energy and let them give out tickets! They will
love to police the classrooms and writing out those little tickets..
8-green your cleaning
- when they go down the drain they too
are easier our precious eco system.
- green cleaning products are so mild you can even encourage sensible young children
to help you with the cleaning.
- encourage your school to start using green cleaning supplies. this will help
with kids with asthma to be healthier at school!
- conserving water is another way you can conserve energy and cash
- turn off the tap when
you brush your pearly whites and encourage your loved ones to do it too
- shower in 2 minutes or less. give your
kids a timer to do this and they will love the game. after that they will happily march off to bed!
- be efficient.
run you laundry and dishwasher machines when the grid is less busy. be sure they are fully loaded and run on cool water temps.
- use natural soaps and personal care body products. these are easier on your body and on our environment
when it goes down the drain.
- encourage your school to install facets with sensors that turn on and off automatically
.
10-green check up- back
to school time is a great time for annual check ups with your doctor.
- getting scheduled vaccinations or flu shots?
ask for thimerosal-free(otherwise known as mercury-free or organic) studies have linked mercury to the huge rise of autism
in our children and even possibly alzheimer's.
- this is an incredible article by Robert Kennedy, Jr. "Deadly
Immunity" from salon.com http://dir.salon.com/story/news/feature/2005/06/16/thimerosal/index.html
- also
see:www.safeminds.org
- and www.putchildrenfirst.org
- talk with your doctor about flouride in water and vitamins.
Studies show that boys are particularly at risk for cancer.see: www.ewg.org
