My Earth Share

Another Video on Making Paper at Home.

2012-01-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

E-Waste

2011-11-08T19:40:00.000-08:00

What are you doing with all of your electronics that are outdated? Did you know that many of them have hazardous metals and gases in them that can contaminate the water shed?

Most towns have a place to drop of e-waste and with the price of gold, silver, and platinum so high, some companies in larger cities will even buy your old stuff to melt it down for the precious metals! (YAY! recycling)

Some big box retailers will even recycle old computers and phones for you, if it is a newer phone or music device, ebay and gazelle.com will buy them from you and pay for shipping to get it!

Also, that ink printer cartridge that you just replaced will be taken by the larger office supply stores, where they will refill them and they usually give you a discount on a new one with trade-in!

Old computer monitors make great fish tanks too!

Aluminum Cans VS Plastic Bottles

2011-10-13T06:46:00.000-07:00

The next time that you head to the grocery store to pick up your favorite soft drink...think about their packaging.

It takes up to 400 years for both a plastic bottle and an aluminum can to fully decompose.

A plastic bottle requires more oil to produce than an aluminum can.

About 10% of all plastic bottles are recycled while about 50% off all aluminum cans are recycled.

Plastic bottles are resealable and have other uses.

Cans do not contain BPA which may link to increases chances of Cancer.

There are a few interesting tidbits for you....In my opinion, Cans are the way to go...They are easier to recycle and you get paid for them if you take them to a recycling center!

Working on a post and video

2011-09-09T10:14:00.001-07:00

I am working on how to recycle or rather upcycle magazines.... I have so many and need to find something to do with them.... COMING SOON!

Working on a post and video

2011-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am working on how to recycle or rather upcycle magazines.... I have so many and need to find something to do with them.... COMING SOON!

Upcycling?

2011-08-03T18:03:00.000-07:00

I just recently learned about the term Upcycling.

(You can learn more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upcycle)

Basically you take near worthless materials or found objects and make them or re-work them into something of more value.

One example is making paper beads, you take paper, newspaper, wrapping paper, etc... and roll it into really cool beads.

I have been experimenting with this and plan on making a video on how to do it, but I need a little more practice first.

Write a post and let me know how you Upcycle!

Make your own Energy Sources

2011-07-10T18:19:00.000-07:00

Watch my video on how I turned old newspapers and magazines into fire logs to cook out on the grill!

http://youtu.be/NXi9OE4lqhQ

Free Fuel

2011-06-05T22:43:00.000-07:00

Well kind of...you are already paying for it, but you are just throwing it away. What am I talking about? Newspapers and Magazines....

Video coming soon!

Why Plant Trees?

2011-04-21T14:05:00.001-07:00

Why plant trees? According to American Forests:

•Planting trees makes cents. Planting trees strategically around your home can cut your air conditioning bills in half by providing windbreaks and shade.

•Breathe in, breathe out. As trees grow, they naturally filter airborne pollutants like carbon monoxide, lower the air temperature and produce oxygen.

•Pay your carbon debt. Planting just 30 Global ReLeaf trees will absorb the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced by the average American lifestyle each year.

•Trees are beautiful! Plus, trees indigenous to the area are food sources and homes for birds and animals that depend on them for survival.

Earth Day is coming

2011-04-08T09:44:00.001-07:00

Earth Day is coming up, What do you plan on doing? My goal for that day is to plant a few native plants in my yard and pick up litter along the road with my two little brothers. Tell me what you plan on doing.... Tweet me your ideas on twitter @ThomasJowers

Spring is Nearly here

2011-03-14T18:42:00.001-07:00

Since Spring is Nearly here, what do you plan on doing with it?

I Don't Know Either!!!!!!

Seeing/Meeting/Listening to Dame Dr. Jane Goodall got me inspired to do something, but I still don't know what exactly.

I bought some seeds to plant, but that is still a few weeks away for me.

Today I joined:

The Nature Conservancy

The National Wildlife Federation

The Sierra Club

National Audubon Society

and I am already a member of:

National Arbor Day Society

Maybe one of these organizations will give me some ideas on what I can do to help wildlife and the environment this Spring/Summer

Wednesday, if I can get out of work early, I plan on going to the lake to teach my brothers about lake ecosystems, we bought a few nets and minnow traps so that we can experience a few little extra creatures.

If you have an idea, please drop me a line!

Paperless Billing

2011-01-23T15:24:00.000-08:00

A great way to help the environment and save yourself some clutter, sign up for paperless billing from your creditors.

It will also save you money!

I currently received 6 bills per month, which means I can save $$ every year. Here is how!

6 bills per month X 12 months X .44 Cents for a stamp = $31.68 saved in a year

Just think if you have more than 6 bills per month!

Did you think of....

2010-08-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Want to start small at helping the planet? Try purchasing re-usuable plastic straws... They are made of a thinker plastic (or glass) they simply go into the dishwasher when dirty... Stops you from throwing little bits of plastic out everytime you get a soda! I bought a package of 12 for only $2!

recycling

2010-07-18T11:34:00.000-07:00

Today I turned a piece of junk mail...a piece of paper that I took notes on...and a old receipt into 4 pieces of recycled paper that I will turn into 2 envelopes that I mail some baseball cards in that I sold on ebay....

Saved some money on envelopes and saved some paper from going into the landfill.

Recycled Books

2010-06-20T14:24:00.000-07:00

I recently attended a Public Library Book Sale...I thought this was a great idea! The Library gets rid of unneeded books, raises money, and books don't go to the landfill! Win-Win-Win!

Here is what happened.

I accidentally got to the sale early (it was the last day of the sale where you pay $6 for a whole bag of books) I got in line, with about 30 people in front of me. I had to wait for about 45 minutes but I have an iPhone so the time went by quickly. I looked up at about 5 minutes til opening and noticed that there were about 400 people now in line. WOW! Then the doors opened. There was not longer a line, but a crowd of hungry bargain hunters running toward the door. I just stood back and let them all go...(I mean, who else is going to the financial book section?) I was the youngest shopper there at 25 years. Most of the people there always run to the novels section or childrens book area.

The people in line that were making small talk and laughing are now grabbing books and yelling at each other over who had a book first. People are stepping on my toes (I wore sandals...big mistake) shoving etc.... I finally made my way to the financial section and picked through the books at a leisurely pace... After about 45 minutes I filled my bag with books for me and my mother (she likes cookbooks) and made my way to the check out area.

My total was $6....the ladies at the checkout area were extremely frazzled but polite. I wrote my check and handed it to the lady...I wrote it for $10 and she started to tear up.????? I said I'm sorry, I don't need change, I just wanted to donate a little more, its not much but 'thank you'....This made her day!

If you get a chance to go to a book sale, please do. It helps keep good books out of the landfill, raises money for local non-profits, and is an experience you will never forget.

Tips if you attend one of these:

Take a re-usable shopping bag...books are heavy and you don't want to have to pick up your books that tear through a flimsy bag.

Where comfortable shoes.

Get there early if you want a particular/popular type of book.

Be polite....this goes for anything...we just need more polite people in the world. I know..I work in retail! LOL

If your organization is having a book sale, post it here or on the Announcements section on www.Classifieds.Duperoo.com

Nominate Me Please!

2010-06-15T17:37:00.000-07:00

Please visit http://tj.mtv.com/open-nomination/ and nominate me for MTV Twitter Jockey just type in @ThomasJowers to nominate me...Thanks

Gulf Oil Spill

2010-06-10T09:08:00.001-07:00

Okay...I have a week of vacation time saved up and I wanted to help clean-up the Gulf Oil Spill. Being a shareholder of BP stock, I feel like it is my duty to help. So...here is what has happened when I tried to help.

First of all, I live in West/Central Texas, so I could drive to Louisiana in a day to be ready to help. I sent an email to BP and to the state of Louisiana saying that I am prepared to help. I have a degree in Biology so I am qualified to help a little more than others. Well, I received an email from BP telling me to go to the webpage of Louisiana. I also received an email from Louisiana telling me to register with a third party Volunteer Site. Now...I kind don't want to help because they are making it too hard to physically help.

One thing I am happy about is BP said that once the well is fied they are going to donate a portion of the money made from that well to create a fund to help keep the Gulf Coast and its Wildlife healthy from here on out!

If you find it hard to physically help and want to donate money, please check out these charities that are helping in the Gulf Region.

WorldWildLife.org
EDF.org
Nature.org
Oceana.org

Companies Doing Good

2010-06-03T10:20:00.001-07:00

I was surfing the web looking for article ideas when I came across this information from the Coca-Cola website..

Since 2007, Coca-Cola Recycling has worked with the
Coca-Cola system and community partners to increase the collection of beverage packaging for use again in North America. We currently manage 30 dedicated recycling centers, a commercial brokerage network, an online recycling bin fulfillment site and the execution of hundreds of local recycling programs around the country. With your help, Coca-Cola Recycling is developing cost-effective solutions for reusing beverage containers. Last year CCR recovered over 200 million pounds of recyclables and has a goal to reach 500 million pounds by 2010.

Visit www.CokeBins.com to purchase your own recycled plastic Bin for recycling.

Here you will find a variety of bins for home, office, industrial, and event use.

SeaWorld

2010-05-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

I am really impressed with the links with which SeaWorld goes to mke sure they are doing their part to help the environment.

I recently took a day trip to San Antonio, Tx and visited SeaWorld for the first time. Most of the utensils for meals were recyclable and plant based. They also had many receptacles throughout the park for recycling cans and bottles. The keepers and trainers also touched on many points on wildlife conservation and recycling. A very pleasant park to visit!

Grow your own herbs

2010-04-09T09:13:00.001-07:00

I went to the store the other day to purhase some groceries. When I got to the herb section the prices blew me away!

I have always grown something every year, last year it was chives. This year I am growing a lot more herbs but still in a confined space.

In 2 long containers with soil I added the seeds and watered them and put them in partial shade.

The Herbs that I chose this year:

Chives
Garlic Chives
Dill
Parsley
Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Spinach

I know Spinach is not a herb, but I put spinach in nearly everything because I like to think it makes my cooking more healthier.

This all didnt cost much at all and does not take up hardly any room at all. This could be done in an apartment, in the kitchen window sill, etc...

I had to buy the containers, soil, and seeds. The seeds were only $1 per package. You might already have a container you want to use too!

By planting this little herb garden you are helping the Earth in many ways. The plants will take in CO2 and release O2. When you buy herbs in the supermarket, they come in plastic packaging that ends up in the landfill. Also how did the herbs get to the store, by truck, you are saving the fuel from trucking in the herbs.

So we save
-Plastic Packaging from the trash
-Removes CO2 from the Air
-Saving on Fuel and CO2 emissions from the Truck.

And Trust me, every dish you make with your own home grown herbs just taste better!

Don't Throw out your old Clothes!

2010-03-15T07:12:00.000-07:00

It takes a lot of natural resources to make that sweater, dont just throw it away!

Uses for old clothes:

-Some clothes make good rags, just cut them to the desired size.
-Old pants can become shorts, just cut to the correct length.
-You can use the fabric for crafts, such as purses, rice warmers, quilts.
-You always need a few old sets of clothes to wear while you work in the garden or while painting.
-You can make paper out of some clothing like denim and cotton.

If you don't want to re-use your old clothing you can still donate them to people in need. You can usually drop them off at local churches or a goodwill store.

There is hidden value in your old clothing, I am talking cash here!
Every 6 months I go through my closet and take out everything that doesnt fit or I dont want. I separate them into 2 piles. Good and Rags. The items that go into the rags pile are of course turned into rags, I also cut any buttons off them and store in a jar, when a jar gets full I can usually sell it on ebay for about $10-$15 bucks! The good pile goes to a local church resale store, they take my old clothes, price them, and sell them. Half of the money comes to me, Half to the church, after 3 months any clothes that did not sell are donated to the church. Sometimes I make an extra $100-$120

So there, dont just throw out those clothes, they can be used again!

Handmade Paper

2010-02-19T17:22:00.000-08:00

I am so proud of myself. I have always been very interested in handmade paper and have failed many times to make it myself. I finally broke down and bought a kit to help this novice.

I bought the Arnold Grummer Paper Making Kit. (both sizes)

I have only used the 5x7 kit but you don't know how satisfied I was when I took one piece of junk mail, some onion skins, dryer lint, and a small sliver of cardboard and turned it into 5 sheets of 5x7 paper. Each one is unique.

I was once told that it cost more money to recycle paper then to actually start from scratch. I have to disagree. I put all of the items in a blender and pulsed for about 30 seconds. I then let the mixture set for about an hour to make sure that the pulp was completely saturated. I then used the kit to make the 5 pieces of paper.

Maybe it is more expensive if you include the drying process. Since I am using the dry-over-night-under-heavy-books method, this is not my problem. The good thing is that I will always keep my junk mail for making paper now. It will be great for writing "Thank You" messages on. I will post pictures as soon as the paper dries.

I m now saving paper from making its way to the landfill. Go me!

Do Laundry ... Save Energy and Money

2010-02-17T07:20:00.000-08:00

Did you know there are a few little tricks you can do to save energy and money when doing the laundry?

Do you really need to wash the items in hot or warm water? Can it be washed in cold water? If so you are saving the energy it would normally require to heat the water!

Why do you use so much detergent? Make up this little concoction and your detergent bill will be cut in half!

1 part dishsoap (helps with grease and oil stains)
1 part baking soda (helps with smells, whitens, and softens)
1 part white vinegar (helps with smells, stubborn stains, and whitens)

I usually use 1 cup of each and store in a container, dont forget that when you mix baking soda and vineger there is a chemical reaction (remember the 1st grade volcanoes?)

When doing your laundry use only half of the detergent you would normally and add 2 tablespoons of your new detergent boosting concoction.

Wait until you have a full load to do laundry.

Dryer Tips:

Jeans, Blankets, and towels are great items to hang outside to dry! Just hang them outside until dry, hang off the back porch, on a clothsline, etc.... You can also hang clothes in your shower while you are at work, usually dry when you get home.

Have a wrinkled shirt or pants, instead of putting in the dryer, hang in the bathroom with you while you take a shower, the warm water vapors will help loosen the wrinkles and you can smooth them out with your hand!

Every month you need to check all of the vents for your dryer to make sure it is not clogged, this could be a fire hazard and make your dryer be less effecient.

Check your lint trap..... Depending on what you are drying, you may need to check it after every load you do. *Don't throw your lint away, it is a great ingredient when you are making homemade paper.

10 minutes before the dryer automatically turns off, check your clothes, are they already dry? They may be tumbling for no reason.

Can you Spare 2 minutes?

2010-02-03T19:12:00.000-08:00

Can you spare 2 minutes to help save the earth and save you some money?

Please get out of your seat right now and walk your office/home and turn off unused lights, TVs, unplug computer monitors...etc....

Please post what you were able to turn off and lets see how much energy we can save by just turning off stuff we are not currently using.

I will start.....

-2 minutes later-

I was able to
-unplug cellphone charger from wall
-turn off desktop monitor and CPU
-unplug the hallway nightlight
-turn off the light in the bathroom

Please paste a link on your facebook, twitter, bebo, myspace, hi5, etc...to see how much of a difference the collective community can make. I will be updating this post to see how much electricity we are really saving!

PLEASE COMMENT below so we can see how much energy we are saving!

Free Shopping Bags

2009-10-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

We all know that those plastic bags at the grocery store are bad for the environment. At my house we reuse the bags for trash bags or to carry items to parties etc.. but I know we can do better.

From now on I will promise to only use reusable canvas shopping bags, if I forget to bring my canvas bag I will ask for paper bags. (we use these for crafts and I use them for shipping things that I sell online)

If you are buying something small that will easily fit in your purse or pocket, skip the bag, BUT KEEP YOUR RECEIPT!!!

Tip... Buy multiple canvas bags, keep 2 in the car and 2 in the home. That way you always have access to the bags.

Do you want a Free Canvas bag? Just pay shipping from www.FreeShoppingBags.com

Recycling Ideas

2009-08-31T22:05:00.001-07:00

I am wanting to build a recycling center that can be dropped off at locations. They will hold up to 4 different items that I can take to the local recycling center. It would colorful and hopefully promote recycling in my community. If you have any ideas send it to me so I can build it and post pictures. I would like to keep track of how much each mobile unit recycles in a year!

What is Pollution?

2009-05-03T22:19:00.000-07:00

I believe that to be able to tackle a problem, you must first know a little about the problem. That is why I am posting as my first post the Wikipedia.org definition of pollution.

Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability, disorder, harm or discomfort to the ecosystem i.e. physical systems or living organisms . Pollution can take the form of chemical substances, or energy, such as noise, heat, or light energy. Pollutants, the elements of pollution, can be foreign substances or energies, or naturally occurring; when naturally occurring, they are considered contaminants when they exceed natural levels. Pollution is often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution. The Blacksmith Institute issues annually a list of the world's worst polluted places. In the 2007 issues the ten top nominees are located in Azerbaijan, China, India, Peru, Russia, Ukraine and Zambia.