It’s not just the well-being of smokers and their families that tobacco impacts. The tobacco industry has a profound effect on the environment. Waste and pollution are the byproducts of a crop that has fueled the world’s economy as far back as the 16th century. As big tobacco has grown into the 800-pound gorilla it is today, little has happened to check the ways this cash crop poisons our environment. Every stage of a tobacco product’s lifecycle is harmful. Here are some examples.

Air Pollution
Manufacturing cigarettes and other tobacco products is not a clean process. Massive manufacturing plants are required to churn out the 6.25 trillion cigarettes smokers consume each year. These plants and the vehicles involved in hauling raw and finished products pollute the atmosphere. Heavy diesel-burning trucks are filled with nothing but tobacco products and are sent cross-country to meet consumer demands.

Deforestation
Due to its profitability, tobacco grows around the world. Many developing nations clear vast swaths of land to make room for new tobacco crops each year. Estimates show that 5.3 million hectares of fertile ground are currently used to produce tobacco. These same small operations typically use wood fires to cure the harvested tobacco leaf, and this method requires about one tree per 300 cigarettes to sustain. Add to that the paper products that are used to create rolling papers and cigarette cartons, and the tobacco industry is responsible for the culling of 600 million trees per year.

Second- and Third-Hand Smoke
One of the sad truths of tobacco consumption is that in addition to harming the smoker, it also hurts those nearby. Secondhand smoke is more deadly than what you inhale from a cigarette, due to significantly higher levels of nicotine and ammonia. Of the nearly 1 million deaths attributed to secondhand smoke every year, nearly one-third of the victims are children who face exposure to cancer-causing chemicals by their families.
Smoking a single cigarette output more than 7,000 toxic chemicals into the atmosphere. The effect of our collective smoking habit contributes the equivalent of 1.5 million vehicles annually to our atmosphere, but the damage doesn’t end with secondhand smoke. Third-hand smoke is the product created when smoke particulates settle and form a fine dust on leaves, grasses, and buildings. Eventually, this tobacco byproduct makes its way back into our ecosystem.

Pesticides
The combination of pesticides used to treat crops, metals, and chemicals used in plants, and greenhouse gas emissions could rival nearly any other industry on the planet.
Before the development of modern pesticides, nicotine was in fact used itself as a pesticide. Today it is estimated that 5 million workers who die each year from poison exposure worldwide do so at the hands of pesticides such as Imidacloprid, Chlorpyrifos, and 1,3-Dichloropropene used to protect tobacco fields.

Plastic Pollution In Our Water
It’s not just this particulate matter that spreads the filth and toxicity of tobacco to our oceans, lakes, rivers, and streams. The quantity of solid waste produced by tobacco products is astounding. About 75 percent of smokers admit that they dispose of their cigarette butts on the ground, resulting in a whopping 1.69 billion pounds of waste per year. Cigarette filters are made of cellulose acetate, a plastic. These billions of plastics filters work their way into our waterways and oceans, and very quickly our fisheries.

Bottom-line
Add to this the manufacturing waste and vast quantities of paper and plastic products littered and sent to landfills each year, and you still don’t have a clear image of the way cigarettes impact our environment. Pollution from third-hand smoke is consumed at the smallest levels of the ecosystem and passed up through larger and larger wildlife. Discarded cigarette butts are a leading cause of forest fires, and government spending worldwide has soared in connection to tobacco-related environmental impacts.

It’s Time for a Tobacco-Free FutureTobacco use is on the decline globally, but to make an impact in nations like ours and China, who leads in global cigarette production, we must aggressively attack this problem and view this as a global initiative. It might mean giving up something many people find comforting and use as an escape, but a tobacco-free future is a much healthier alternative for humans and our environment.

Contributed by Kate Harveston – a frequent contributor to Green Blizzard.

Follow her on Twitter

The post Big Tobacco’s Drastic Impact on the Environment appeared first on Green Blizzard.

Special guest post by Kate Harveston creator of the popular website So Well, So Woman

After decades of the general public viewing environmentalism and sustainability as a mere trend, the global population is finally — for the most part — realizing the importance of being friendly to the planet. With this, more and more people are starting to care about what the companies they buy from are actually doing behind the scenes. Are their production processes sustainable? What about their office buildings? Consumers want to know they aren’t supporting a business that isn’t putting in the same effort as they are to be environmentally friendly.

If you want to make sure your favorite companies truly follow environmental recommendations and guidelines, you have a lot to look out for. Here are five tips to help you determine just how dedicated the businesses you support are to sustainability.

1. Read Their Code of Ethics or Mission Statement

A good place to start your research is the company’s website — specifically, their mission statement or code of ethics. Give this page a thorough read and look out for any specific goals or practices the business makes in their sustainability endeavors.

Now, the trick here is not to fall for empty claims and references to environmentalism. Truly sustainable companies will not merely claim that they’re “green” — they’ll also provide proof of their accomplishments in the form of progress reports or audits related to factors like energy use, sourcing strategies and overall environmental impact.

2. Look for Specific Claims

Many of us have likely been victims of greenwashing, where companies will use green color schemes or images of trees or plants to insinuate they follow sustainable practices. That’s why it’s important to look for specific claims and labeling on both product packaging and a company’s website. Vague key phrases like “green,” “all-natural” and “eco-friendly” carry virtually no weight when it comes to how the item is actually made.

Instead of paying attention to these empty buzzwords, look for reputable and measurable labels, such as:

• Fair-Trade-certified
• Non-GMO
• 100% recycled materials
• Energy Star
• USDA Organic Seal
• Global Organic Textile Standard
• Forest Stewardship Council
• Green Seal

3. Consider the Source of the Materials in Their Products

If the company you’re investigating sells physical products or food items, check the materials or ingredients they use and find out where they sourced them from. If they came from very far away, the business most likely isn’t doing everything in its power to cut transportation costs and eliminate the amount of fuel and other toxins released into the air.

Companies that support local farmers and other small businesses by sourcing their materials and ingredients from close by are almost always more sustainable than big corporations and international organizations.

4. Do Some External Research

After you’ve scoured the company’s website to confirm their dedication to sustainability, you need to do some external research too. You can’t just believe everything a business posts on their site. Turn to Google to search for reputable sources that outline details about the company’s environmental impact, including the personal values of the CEO or president. Look for any past legal issues related to corporate negligence or environmental laws as well.

5. Trust in Transparency

Transparency can have many definitions in the business world. Is the company you’re researching transparent about:

• Their finances?
• Their shortcomings?
• The goals they set?

If a business is open about these items, it means they value their customers and understand the desire to be informed. Companies should make it easy for the customers to find the information they’re wondering about, not difficult or confusing. Keep that in mind as you search for answers.

Don’t Fall for Greenwashing — Get to Know the Companies You Support

As a citizen, you do your part every day to practice sustainability and eco-friendliness. Why shouldn’t the businesses you shop with do the same? From now on, make it a priority to only support companies that support our planet. If everyone does this, eventually, eco-conscious businesses are the only ones we’ll have left.

The post Tips for Determining the Sustainability of the Companies You Buy From appeared first on Green Blizzard.

Italians firmly favor artificial trees, whereas Americans prefer natural, cut trees.

So let’s looks at the pros and cons of a real Christmas tree versus an artificial, re-useable Christmas tree.

Essentially there are four options for embracing this ancient pagan tradition:

1 – Forego Buying A Tree or Maybe Even Share One – As everyone’s statistics professor taught us, the “do nothing” option is always the base case. But in this situation not always realistic for many of us.

2 – Fresh Cut Tree Bought Locally – The best smelling option, but after the holiday we have to mournfully drag it to the curb and cast it off for the community mulch pile or pyre.

3 – Artificial Tree – Durable and pretty real looking. Plus it’s simple to store and hopefully use it again and again for many years thereafter. If you’re clever, you can even leave it fully decorated and just drag it out from the closet, and viola – you’re instantly done.

4 – Fresh Cut Tree Cut At Nearby Tree Farmo – The best smelling option, but after the holiday we have to mournfully drag it to the curb and cast it off for the community mulch pile or pyre. – an uncut tree with its attached root ball carefully wrapped in burlap so that you can plant it after the holidays. Green is so many ways.

Artificial Trees – Myths and Facts Let’s look at the specifics surrounding the artificial tree option from a carbon footprint perspective.

Manufacturing Process and Surprising Materials Used Artificial trees are made with PVC, polyvinyl chloride, a petroleum-based plastic. The same material used to make pipes. The PVC is sliced, then woven around wires to form branches that are then wired together into the form of a tree. So it’s basically PVC coiled around wire. This curious National Geographic video walks you through a Christmas tree factory in China. The Smithsonian reports that 85 percent of artificial trees are imported from China.

The Breakeven of Artificial Christmas Trees – This is the really important factor from a personal carbon footprint perspective. We estimate that if you store and reuse an artificial tree eight or more years in terms of it’s a carbon footprint – it’s a break-even compared to purchasing a cut tree each of those years. The carbon footprint of artificial trees comes from all the embodied energy and its associated CO₂ that’s generated refining the oil used to make the PVC, manufacturing the PVC, converting the PVC into an artificial tree, and then shipping the end product to your home.

So, in terms of the directly related CO₂ that’s been pumped into the atmosphere on your behalf for your tree choice: it takes eight years of real trees to equal one artificial tree – and that’s assuming that the artificial tree gets reused year-after-year. Because it’s only in the ninth holiday season of using your artificial tree, will the carbon footprint associated with its manufacture become neutral and no longer be another level on your annual carbon footprint.

The key is continual re-use and delayed discarding the tree. Artificial trees will last for centuries in a landfill or burn as a smokey burn in your local municipal incinerator.

Growing Trend – the American Christmas Tree Association (ACTA), reports that “nearly 100 million households across the U.S. will display a Christmas tree. Of which, 81 percent will be artificial Christmas trees and 19 percent will be real trees.” We’re scratching our head about these numbers because intuitively they do not jive with other our sources, but in fairness, we wanted to share their perspective.

The Pros/Cons of Real Cut Christmas Trees – These Facts Are Convincing

The Necessary Mindset – First of all, its all about mindset. Christmas trees are literally an agricultural product, a multi-year crop grown by a farmer or a farming corporation. Think of your tree as a squash plant or stalk of corn, it was planted for your consumption. Nearly all Christmas trees are grown using conventional agricultural methods, and the growers regularly spray pesticides for various tree pests and apply fertilizer in what’s called Integrated Pest Management (IPM). According to Grist. http://grist.org/article/bough-wow/ the North Carolina Extension measured the amount of active pesticide ingredient applied per tree (1/4 oz. over the tree’s lifetime). So it’s safe to assume that like many of the other natural products in your home, Christmas trees are neither truly green nor organic.

Good For The Stressed-Out Atmosphere – Currently there are 450 million trees being grown on farms across the U.S., according to the National Christmas Tree Association. One acre of real Christmas trees removes over 500 pounds of carbon dioxide every year. Given that thous/ands of acres are planted with these 450 million trees, that’s the equivalent to the interior volume of many, many Trump hotels. An acre of Christmas trees produces 1,000 pounds of oxygen. So when you are out choosing your tree, be sure to soak it all in. One acre provides the daily oxygen requirements for 18 adults.

Good For The Land – Trees are grown on land that isn’t readily suitable for typical annual crops and provides a natural setting for wildlife and prevents soil erosion. The typical tree is harvested after 5-8 years, depending on species, rainfall, and growing conditions.

Good For The Atmosphere – Currently there are 450 million trees being grown on farms across the U.S., according to the National Christmas Tree Association. One acre of real Christmas trees remove over 500 pounds of carbon dioxide every year. Given that thousands of acres are planted with these 450 million trees, that’s the equivalent to the interior volume of many, many Trump hotels. An acre of Christmas trees produces 1,000 pounds of oxygen. So when you are out choosing your tree, be sure that you take a moment and soak it all in. One acre provides the daily oxygen requirements for 18 adults. And despite fairytale images, they are not cut from pristine forests.

Big Annual Harvest – Every year about 30 million trees are harvested. To give you a sense for the consumer choice profile in terms of Christmas tree purchases, in 2015 there were 26 million real and 13 million fake trees were sold in 2015, at an average cost of $52. In terms of pre-cut versus cut-my-own, it was a 75/25 split. Purchase outlets for real trees broke-out to be 30% from choosing and harvest your own farms, 20% from garden centers and retail lots, 25% from chain stores, and 12% from non-profit groups. An estimated 3% of all cut Christmas trees were ordered online last season.

Locally Sourced – Unfortunately, it is difficult to always be able to buy local because a majority of the trees come from a handful of states. According to the National Christmas Tree Association report of harvested trees by state, the largest producers are Oregon, North Carolina, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Washington. Together these states account for 85% of all the trees harvested. Trees are grown in every state, so it is possible to find a locally-sourced tree to minimize the CO2 belched out from long-haul truckers or when you and your family are caroling in the car trip to the tree farm.

Good For The Land – Trees are grown on land that isn’t readily suitable for typical annual crops and provides a natural setting for wildlife and prevents soil erosion. The typical tree is harvested after 5-8 years, depending on species, rainfall, and growing conditions

Real Trees Are Terrific At Absorbing Methane – Researchers at Lund University and Stockholm University in Sweden discovered that spruces, pines, and firs are exceptionally adept at absorbing methane, a greenhouse gas that’s about 25 times more harmful as carbon dioxide. Previous studies speculated that these types of trees actually emitted methane, but this study suggests that trees might be rising to the challenge, actually sucking methane out of the atmosphere in addition to carbon dioxide. Making yet another case for protecting existing forests, planting more spruce, pines, and firs.

Miscellaneous BenefitsChristmas trees remove dust and pollen from the air. Christmas trees can be recycled. When chipped, the real tree can be burned as fuel, used as mulch, or composted, thus being used as a renewable resource of energy, stabilizing the soil to prevent erosion, or producing new soil & nutrients. Young Christmas trees produce more oxygen than older Christmas trees, thus cutting of older trees is encouraged. The U.S. Christmas tree industry creates more than 100,000 local U.S. jobs. Although this benefit is not directly an environmental issue, the impact of local jobs and less long-distance shipping – is always good.

The post The Christmas Tree Impact On Your Carbon Footprint appeared first on Green Blizzard.

Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft want you to believe that they are helping reduce emissions by giving drivers who would otherwise take their own cars an alternative. By working all day, a single Uber driver hypothetically keeps handfuls of drivers from polluting. But does it really work that way?

Playing the Devil’s Advocate

Let’s role the tape back and consider what we know about ridesharing services, without incorporating speculative ideas about how people use them. We know that these services are popular and that they function by putting cars on the road to provide rides for folks.

We also know that many people have taken to using their personal cars to work as drivers through ride-sharing companies. So what is clear is that cars are being used at times when they might not have been before — whether that has caused a corresponding decrease in cars on the road from the aggregate number of riders who use ridesharing services must still be determined.

Uber operates in 500 cities worldwide and employs over 160,000 drivers. Despite having access to ride-sharing services, people are not abandoning car ownership. They may drive slightly less, but there are still certain occasions when a personal car is desirable to a ride-sharing service.

In the future, as self-driving cars become more prominent, we may see a shift away from personal ownership. However Uber and Lyft alone are not having that effect. Some studies suggest that they’re also encouraging people to call a ride when they otherwise would have stayed home, adding to emissions rather than reducing them.

Where to from Here

Ride-sharing services as they operate today have actually led to an increased number of cars on the road. Traffic created by ride-sharing services contributes to pollution and increases ware on our nation’s highways. Greenhouse gas emissions don’t stop when drivers are between fares, and ride-sharing services are quite lax when it comes to requirements for vehicles.

Toyota’s eco-friendly Prius is a favorite vehicle of ride-sharing drivers. However, there’s nothing to mandate that drivers must use an environmentally friendly car at all. Upscale services like Uber Black encourage drivers to have luxury vehicles like full-sized Mercedes and Lexus sedans or even SUVs, which often pollute at much higher levels than the average car.

It would be simple for the companies to institute standards that required cars to meet specific emissions regulations. Doing so would ensure that the entire ride-sharing fleet was environmentally conscious. However, it would also deter potential employees, and that’s bad for business, so it’s unlikely we will see this.

The lack of regulation combined with the inefficient dynamics of how people use ride-sharing services means that companies like Uber and Lyft are almost unquestionably contributing to the problem, rather than reducing emissions. However, it should be noted that things don’t have to be that way.

The Communal Cars Model

Realizing the eco-friendly future that services like Uber and Lyft want to promote is not impossible, it just requires a paradigm shift from the one-car-per-person approach we have now. Instead, self-driving cars will be easily available wherever you are, and you will rely on them for every ride, not just some rides.

We’re already seeing indicators that the time is right for such a model. Even though people are buying cars at record rates, they are driving them less and less. This creates a problem because we don’t have enough space to park all of our cars in.

Self-driving cars, however, would eliminate this problem because as soon as your ride is complete, a self-driving car can squire itself off to the next waiting passenger.

In our current model, most cars go unused 95 percent of the time. When we’re on the road, we can spend up to 60 percent of our time just looking for parking in an urban setting. Parking spaces in the USA occupy an area roughly the size of the state of Connecticut — but we can have millions of square feet of our land back just by consolidating our vehicle use.

Sorry, gearheads, Porschefiles and Ferraristi — the days of driving for pleasure may be numbered. The future is green, and a transition to public car use could eliminate up to 75% of traffic in areas like Manhattan.

Guest Post from Kate Harveston a talented political journalist and blogger at Only Slightly Biased

The post Is the Ride-Sharing Concept as Eco-Friendly as It Seems? appeared first on Green Blizzard.

Given the sheer size of a healthcare facility — even one that’s considered smaller in scope — a small tweak or two can create a major positive impact on Mother Nature. And as an added bonus, these tweaks may also improve the quality of care for patients. Here are just a few ways that healthcare facilities can make the important transition from resource-guzzlers to eco-friendly institutions with only minor changes.

1. Save Water

You might not realize it, but hospitals use copious amounts of water. Between bathing patients, flushing toilets and sanitizing everything from linens to dining room cutlery, a huge amount of this natural resource ends up going down the drain every day.

By updating some key pieces of equipment, such as showers and dishwashers, one hospital in Seattle saved six million gallons of water in a single year. Think about how this translates into financial savings and decreased impact on Mother Earth.

2. Source Food Locally

From the food served to patients to the entrees offered to guests and staff in the cafeteria, hospitals also go through tons and tons of grub. In the mainstream model, that food comes from the supplier with the best prices, regardless of where in the world the ingredients grow.


When healthcare facilities work with local farmers and food purveyors instead, they provide healthier fare and also decrease their carbon footprint. It doesn’t take as much gasoline to transport veggies from down the road as it does from across the world.

3. Enlist Green Cleaning Products

Cleaning and sanitizing are a constant in healthcare facilities. This means cleaning products can have a big impact on the quality of the air and the chemicals in the water that gets washed down the drain.

To keep patients and the environment healthier, facilities can oust any cleaning products filled with toxins or potential irritants and opt for eco-friendly cleaning products instead. They’re just as effective in terms of cleaning, so hospitals won’t sacrifice cleanliness in the name of eco-friendliness.

4. Go Paperless

Many hospitals have already made the switch to electronic medical records, which has several benefits. First of all, when properly established, electronic systems are more secure than typical paper systems. They’re also easier to access and update. But most importantly, they save reams and reams of paper that would be used to print and file medical information.

As technology continues to improve, so will electronic health record systems — streamlining the treatment process and benefitting the planet at the same time.

5. Ensure Eco-Friendly Waste Disposal

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities inevitably produce large amounts of waste. Although it’s impossible to eliminate the waste itself, it is possible to ease the negative impact that it has on the environment.

When facilities institute simple recycling programs, this can have a great effect on the eco-friendliness of the hospital. But they should also look into ways to dispose of other waste in greener ways so that harsh chemicals and biomedical waste don’t make it into soil or waterways. Options are out there.

6. Filter out Surgical Smoke

Healthcare facilities don’t just emit solid and liquid waste. They also churn out gaseous waste. Many modern-day surgical procedures enlist lasers that create smoke when they take aim at tissues in the operating room. This smoke has been found to be detrimental in a way similar to the smoke that comes from cigarettes. Recent research shows that it contains toxins such as formaldehyde, benzene and hydrogen cyanide.

Some hospitals have begun to look for ways to safely evacuate surgical smoke in environmentally friendly ways. For example, they’ve enlisted the help of smoke evacuators to eliminate the noxious gases, and have tried to find ways to cut down on how much smoke they emit in the first place. Do some research and see if you can find ways to implement more eco-friendly surgical smoke procedures at your healthcare facility.


Eco-Friendly Healthcare Facilities Are Possible

With so many ways to cut down on their carbon footprint and other eco-unfriendly impacts, hospitals and other healthcare facilities can even implement just one strategy and yield major results. Whether they work to install water-conserving pieces of equipment or start to collaborate with local farmers to source fresh food, the positive results will benefit both the environment and the patients that count on top-notch care. Going green is a trending topic in the healthcare industry that likely won’t disappear anytime soon.

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According to the Environmental Protection Agency, over 70 million tons of paper are used in the United States every year. Over 65% of this gets recycled, but we need to make a conscious effort to recycle as much as we can.

Here are the 6 main ways in which paper recycling helps our planet:

1. Less Energy & Water Use – Paper recycling uses less energy and water than manufacturing virgin paper pulp, since there are fewer steps involved in processing recycled pulp. Up to 7,000 gallons of water and over 40,000 kilowatts of energy can be saved by recycling just one ton of paper!

2. Less Waste in Landfills – The EPA states that almost 30% of solid waste in landfills comes from discarded paper. Recycling one ton of paper, cardboard, corrugated and other paper products can save up to 3.3 yards of space in landfills, saving it for items that are not recyclable and helping to keep the earth clean.

3. Less Greenhouse Gas Levels – The EPA says that recycling one ton of paper reduces greenhouse gas levels by one metric ton of carbon equivalent. Paper is biodegradable but produces methane while decomposing. These emissions combined with carbon dioxide from paper pulp production add to global warming.

4. Less Air & Water Pollution – When paper is recycled instead of being incinerated or left to decompose in landfills, it reduces the number of pollutants going into the air and water around us. Not only does this help the environment, but also ensures that we’re drinking cleaner water and breathing cleaner air!

5. Less Strain on the Ecosystem – Recycling one ton of paper can save anywhere from 13 to 17 trees, preserving natural resources and the habitats of birds and animals living in forests. Since trees absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen, even the smallest changes can add up to a big impact for the environment over time.

6. Less Fossil Fuel Consumption – With every ton of paper being recycled, we’re saving two barrels of oil that would otherwise be used to produce fresh paper. Decreasing our dependency on oil helps to preserve limited fossil fuels, along with reducing the negative environmental effects of oil production.

Here are some additional advantages of paper recycling:

• Cost Savings – Whether as a business or an individual, buying and using recycled paper saves money and promotes economic responsibility.
• Job Creation – Increasing our paper recycling efforts helps with the creation of jobs in the waste management and recycling industries.
• Waste Reduction – When paper is recycled, waste management services become more efficient and cost-effective for business and individuals alike.
• ‘Green’ Image – Using recycled paper products helps companies build a reputation for sustainable and responsible business practices.

How Paper Shredding Helps with Recycling

One of the main concerns with paper recycling is the security of sensitive or personal data, such as the information on bank statements or credit card bills. An industrial paper shredder is the best solution, since it allows you to destroy confidential documents before sending them to a recycling facility.

Paper shredding plays an important role in corporate recycling and waste management programs. Any business producing a lot of paper waste should invest in an industrial paper shredder instead of adding trash to the waste stream. Every little bit counts!

______________________________________________________________________________

Author Bio

Erich Lawson is very passionate about the environment and is an advocate of effective recycling. He writes on a wide array of topics to inform readers on how modern recycling equipment can be used by industries to reduce monthly wastage bills and increase recycling revenue. You can learn more about environment saving techniques by visiting his blog on Compactor Management Company.

The post In What Ways is Paper Recycling Good for the Environment? appeared first on Green Blizzard.

In 2002, California set a goal of 33 percent renewable energy by 2020, and in 2015, the state added a new target of 50 percent by 2030. Those are certainly ambitious aims, but according to a recent report, California’s investor-owned utilities look like they’re going to hit the target — a whole decade ahead of schedule.

Another report from nonprofit group Next 10 and research firm Beacon Economics ranked the Golden State the top state in the country for developing a clean and efficient energy economy and supporting green technology. If California counted as a country, it’d rank in the top five for electricity from renewables, carbon intensity reductions and energy productivity.

And it did all that while maintaining its economic strength.

Given all that renewable energy success, it seems the rest of the country might be able to learn something from the state. So, how does California do it?

Starting With Efficiency

California also places a lot of emphasis on energy efficiency. In fact, efficiency was one of the first things the state focused on. Using what you have more efficiently is often a much more cost-efficient approach than building new energy resources.

One of the dominant concerns when it comes to encouraging efficiency is that if electric companies sell less electricity, they make less money. They have an incentive to sell more and not to cut back. California’s solution to this is a policy known as decoupling, which effectively separates consumption from profit.

Here’s how it works. Regulators set a price for energy sales that would allow utilities to make a pre-approved amount of profit. If a company sells more than that amount, the difference goes to the utility’s customers. If it sells less, rates increased until the company reaches its target. Because of this policy, utilities have no incentive to sell more electricity.

Setting Ambitious Targets for Renewables

California’s success may have a lot to do with its Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) — the rule that created requirements for reaching that 50 percent by 2030 requirement. California certainly isn’t the only state to have created an RPS, but it did put forth one of the most ambitious ones.

One reason the standard may have been so successful? It created a market. Every utility in the state knew it needed renewable energy, and other energy companies, tech companies, and investors knew it too. The assurance the RPS provided gave all those parties the confidence to make bigger investments.

The state also encourages small-scale investments through initiatives such as tax credits that help people install rooftop solar systems or start a community solar program.

Letting the Market Work

California has also instituted a cap-and-trade program, which essentially employs the market to help find ways to curb greenhouse gas emissions. The system is projected to lead to a 16 percent decrease in greenhouse gas emissions between 2013 and 2020 and another 40 percent by 2030.

In a cap-and-trade system, businesses have a limit on how much of a certain substance, such as greenhouse gases, they can emit. If they exceed that cap, there is a penalty. If they emit less than that limit, they can sell to other businesses an “allowance” equal to the difference between the limit and their emissions. This system gives companies more leeway in meeting restrictions and creates an economic incentive to reduce emissions.

Encouraging Investments in Clean Tech

California is known for its technology hubs with startups in a wide array of markets. One area of tech where the Golden State excels is so-called “clean tech,” which includes renewable energy, electric motors, sustainable waste disposal and other innovations that help protect the environment.

The state is so ahead of the game when it comes to clean tech that it earned the top spot for cleantech technology six years in a row in Clean Edge’s U.S. Clean Tech Leadership Index. California’s policies, its innovation-friendly culture, and its solar energy-friendly climate have propelled it to become a clean technology leader.

Through a combination of regulations and rules that encourage the market to find solutions, California has become a leader in the field of renewable energy. We still don’t have all the answers, but California serves as a prime example of what a clean energy economy can look like.

Guest Post provided by one of our more talented contributors, Megan Ray Nicols, a STEM Writer and Blogger managing Schooled By Science

The post California Can Teach America a Lot About Renewable Energy appeared first on Green Blizzard.

Each involves a little pinching and stretching across the major carbon producing aspects of your life: diet, transportation, and entertainment.



Drink More Tap Water And Less Packaged Beverages The green factor of bottled beverages pales in comparison to the simplicity of tap water.  Consider all the embodied energy consumed making the packaging, refining the sugar and artificial flavors, mixing in the heavy water, bottling and smartly labeling it, then transporting long distances and keeping it chilled either in the dispensing machine, at the supermarket, or in your refrigerator. The energy involved filtering water and pumping it to your faucet is minuscule in comparison. Bring it with you whenever you go in a personal reusable container.

Eat Less Meat, Especially Red Meat Meat production consumes an inordinate amount of energy; feeding, ranching, transporting, butchering, distributing and freezing. Surprising, the worst offensive culprit in hurting the environment is that cattle belch and excrete incredible amounts of greenhouse gasses, mostly methane, which is much more powerful at capturing heat than CO₂.

Walk About German citizens have one of the lowest per capita footprints in the world because they spend their leisure time on carbon neutral activities.  Hiking is a national pastime. The more you are walking, the less you’re burning fossil fuels. (assuming that you don’t drive your Suburban 500 miles to the trailhead) You don’t necessarily have to take a High Sierra hike, just a walk-about around your neighborhood, nearby park, or town. Walk over to a friend’s place or walk off a few errands. Be sure to turn off all lights, dial down the thermostat a bit and unplug any unused chargers to minimize phantom electricity before heading out on your next great adventure.

Finally Changeout and Toss Those Incandescent and CFL Bulbs Pick one room in your home that’s used frequently and ndustrial cleaners and now organic cleaners. Vinegar, which is naturally full of powerful cleaning ammonia, can probably take care of any cleaning challenge. It’s natural and inexpensive, give it a try and leave all those sweet smelling cleaners on the grocery shelves, save money, eliminate the chore of recycling all those fanciful looking empty containers.

The post How to Make 2021 A Little Greener appeared first on Green Blizzard.

Why Make The Change?
There is no such thing a clean energy – especially not clean coal. Of the four leading home heating energy sources, natural gas is the cleanest at about 40% cleaner than coal. If you are heating your apartment, house, or office with the two most CO₂ ladened fuels – coal and home heating oil, then anything you can do to reduce consumption has big-time environmental benefits. Even reducing the use of natural gas and propane consumption will reduce your carbon footprint going forward.

When To Make The Change?
Immediately, if not sooner! Anytime actually. But for the least possible disruption to you and your roommates, we find its best to make the switch in between high energy consumption seasons. Most of these smart home devices are easy to install with simple instructions – enabling the average home or condo owner – even the apartment dweller to install it in a few minutes. And even if you do run into difficulties during installation, most of these manufacturers provide free customer service phone support with well trained, courteous technicians to walk you through the process and get you over the speedbump.

Where To Start?

Start with better managing your heat – depending on your lifestyle it is probably the largest portion of your carbon footprint and can be centrally changed with one smart home device. There are all sorts of shapes, sizes, functionality, and price points. Its best to get one that is simple to program and second to that, one that interfaces with your wifi for remote management.

After that, consider the main electrical switches around your living space to turn off (and dial back your CO₂ emissions when you forget to turn off the lights. Check out these insights: Reduce Your Carbon Footprint With Smart Switches

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Being one of the most magical and wonderful time of the year, Christmas also tends to be the most wasteful one. People buy lots of festive attributes, like sweets, cards, and, of course, presents decorating them with the meters of gift wrapping paper and ribbons.

Don’t even get us started on all the food we prepare, but never finish a single dish, which also goes to trash when the party is over. Celebrating is great, but making your celebration eco-friendly and green is even better. After all, planet Earth is our home, and we have to express our respect to it even when holidays are here. Let’s take a look at five Christmas decorations ideas that will not pollute our environment.

Top 5 Christmas Green Decorations

1. Recyclable wrapping paper It’s great to receive a gift decorated with a bright or even printed paper and colorful ribbons on it. Vice versa, it is way more pleasant to hand in an item when it looks presentable and festive. Nowadays, wrappings became an obligatory add-on to an actual present. This tendency is fun as long as you do not think about where all the ripped off paper goes. It goes to waste deposit, where it stays for years with no changes or even becoming toxic. Nevertheless, you can be wise and opt for recyclable wrapping! It looks stylish, gives your presents a hand-made vibe, and proves that you’ve crafted the package yourself.

2. Smart Christmas Tree Choice
Can anyone depict Xmas without a traditional pine tree standing in a living room with sparkly ribbons and glamorous balls on it? We do not think so. Buying a tree is great for eco-friendly Christmas. But be attentive: here we are talking about the actual tree – a plant that was grown by nature in a forest specifically to be sold then. There are still tons of arguments about what is more appropriate for green Christmas decorations, a fake (plastic) or a natural pine. Our answer is – go for a natural one! Plastic needs decades (if not a hundred) of years to be recycled, while forest tree can be rot through and used as firewood or even wood for furniture. We have learned this from a Greenpeace campaigner named Paul Brown; you can read more about his ideas on how to become green here.

3. Handmade ornaments If we have already discussed a Christmas tree option, let’s also talk about the tree decorating process. Here, we have two green Christmas decorations ideas for you. First of all, think of the stuff you already have at home, which can look good on the Xmas pine. Examples include candies, cookies, apples, and even popcorn! You will receive the number of sweets you would not be able to consume anyway. Why not add a ribbon to some candies and put them on the tree? Or create a Christmas garland of popcorn. All you’ll need are thick string or thread, needle, and, of course, popcorn. This will give your living room exceptional coziness and warmness. Another one from numerous sustainable Christmas ideas is opting for balls made of glass instead of plastic ones.

4. Renew instead of throwing away
Be honest with yourself and face it: you might have way more stuff (decorations included) than you need. We all enjoy the process of shopping, searching for new trendy ornaments, picking up the theme of this year Christmas party, giving our houses brand new look, both inside and outside, because it’s holidays. That is why Christmas turns out to be an extremely wasteful holiday – people want to get everything new and discard the old goods. Recycle Christmas decorations and gifts. Act smarter and check what you can re-purpose resources you already own. There are plenty of makeover instructions for your old-school Christmas ornaments. Try them now and save some cash, as well as our environment!

Guest Post by Michael Stoddard (move info to come…)

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