Reverse Fans

Underwood from TreeHugger explains how much you could save on your energy bill by reversing the direction of your ceiling fans in the winter. I already switched mine...have you?

Croatian Biofuel Towers

Meinhold describes cactus-shaped biofuel production towers in Croatia. They help improve urban air quality and lower transportation costs.

"Easy on the Meat"

Easy on the Meat--Who ever thinks about cutting back on meat consumption to reduce greenhouse gases? Most only think about it to save the animals. Lord Stern talks a little about how eating meat in moderation can help save the planet.

It's just water....right?

I had lunch with my cousin and her 3-year-old son, Sawyer, at Ruby Tuesday's just the other day. We were sitting in a booth chatting away when Sawyer decided that he wanted more pickles to go with his cheeseburger sliders. So we asked the waiter if he would be so kind as to bring Saw a few more of his beloved pickles. He returned with a plate...and on top of that plate a bowl with the pickles nestled inside. This bothered me.
A typical commercial dishwasher uses four gallons of water per rack. There are approximately 50 tables at your run of the mill restaurant such as Ruby Tuesday's. If each waiter uses one extra plate per table to bring out a condiment or accompaniment each time the table is occupied throughout the day...multiply that by 50...you do the math. Think about how many gallons of water could be saved by cutting out that extra plate.
I know that the waiter has been trained to use the extra plate. It looks more professional, the customer doesn't want to see his hands that close to the food, etc. But he had to have touched the bowl in the first place to put it on the plate, and I wouldn't be surprised if he didn't pick up the pickles with his bare hands and plunk them down in the bowl as well. But it's not the waiter's fault.
Only 2.5 percent of the water on this planet is freshwater. The other 97.5 percent is not drinkable in its natural state. My point is this: There are countless things we can do to cut down on water waste. Don't pour that last bit of water from your water bottle down the drain because it got hot--water a plant with it. Don't let the faucet drip. Don't flush that spider that you killed in the bathroom down the toilet--throw it out the back door or in the garbage. And the next time you're at Ruby Tuesday's, tell the waiter you don't need that extra plate under the bowl of pickles or ranch or ketchup. Better yet, tell him to just bring out the bottle of ketchup instead of squeezing some into a little cup that will have to be washed later.