The New Human Condition

Here are some ideas that will help protect the planet (and your health).

• Bike to Work: Even if you can’t bike every day, try it once a week. This will cut down on your fossil fuel use, and save you money in gas and maintenance on your vehicle. In the meantime, it will help your overall health.
• Recycle Everything You Can: Recycle every single item you can, from large plastic containers down to the paper that tea bags are wrapped in. These days, nearly everything is recyclable in some fashion
• Compost: If you don’t already do this, set up a place in your backyard and start a compost pile. This will keep food scraps and yard waste from getting into the landfills, and will provide you with nutrient-rich compost for your garden or lawn
• Upgrade Your Home: Reduce heating and cooling costs by performing simple improvements (caulking around windows and doors, adding insulation, etc), and some major ones that will pay off (install energy efficient appliances, windows, etc)
• Green Your Cleaners: Use eco-friendly cleaning products, or read my post on how to make your own.
• Install Compact Fluorescent Lights (CFLs): Replacing all the light bulbs in your home with CFLs can save around $80 over several years compared to regular light bulbs.
•  Cut Down on Plastics: Plastic use is linked to many health risks and environmental impacts. Try buying items in bulk, in eco-friendly containers, and shopping with reusable shopping bags.
• Recycled Paper: For your paper products, buy recycled whenever possible (things like toilet paper and paper towels made out of recycled materials work just as well and are only slightly more expensive than their traditional counterparts).

All of these ideas are simple changes that you can make to improve your health and that of the planet.

Joe Green, Nature

This isn’t new, but I just came across it. The video simplifies things some, but does make some really good points about our consumption rates. Hopefully it will get at least a few people to change their ways….(click on the image below to take you to the page)

Joe Consumerism, Culture, Nature Bottled Water, Story of Stuff

Having spent the majority of my life exploring the outdoors, I can say two things about insect repellants: First, none of them are 100% effective. Secondly, products that contain DEET are by far the most effective, but are also toxic.

There are some natural alternative to using DEET or other chemical sprays…and they work almost as well.  

Cover Up:

Wear light colors (dark colors attract black flies and mosquitoes), and cover as much of your body as possible in loose fitting clothing. This is especially true in areas where ticks thrive (high grass, overgrown scrub forest, etc). By exposing less skin, it makes it easier to protect yourself from insects.

Avoid Fragrances:

If you know you will be spending some time outdoors, try not to use any scented products the day leading up to your outing. This includes shampoo and soap (try baking soda instead), deodorant, and fabric softeners for your clothes. Scents attract all kinds of insects, biting and otherwise. I have been hiking in groups before, and watched as everyone was swarmed (including myself) except for those who had not used the scented shampoo in the hotel the night before.

Try Plant-Based Insect Sprays:

Several companies make non-toxic versions of popular bug sprays. These are typically made with Lemon, Eucalyptus, or other plant oils. Try not to spray too much of these on even though they are less toxic than their counterparts, as anything you spray on your skin gets directly absorbed into your bloodstream. Excess foreign chemicals are bad, period.

Watch Your Diet:

This is not substantiated by any science, but is a general belief among hikers. High levels of potassium in your blood (from eating certain foods) can be released into the air along with carbon dioxide when you perspire. Insects are supposedly attracted to this mix. Also, eating garlic is said to repel mosquitoes and ticks.

Although bug sprays containing DEET are very effective, they are toxic and should be used extremely sparingly. Try these natural alternatives the next time you are enjoying the outdoors, and remember that bugs and insects are an important part of the natural cycle as well. Although annoying, they have their place. 

Joe Health, Nature Insect Repellent

There are only a few feelings in the world better than having a completely clean home. I have written previously about the importance of reducing the amount of clutter in your living space.

But have you ever thought about what you were using to clean your home? Have you ever held your breath while spraying chemicals or scrubbing down a surface? Chances are you have…and why should you be using chemicals that you are afraid to breathe in? They are several alternatives to common household cleaners, that will leave your home cleaner, fresher, and healthier in the process:

Try Naturally-Based Cleaning Products: There are several companies who have now come out with “green” cleaners. Seventh Generation, Mrs. Meyers and Simply Green are some names that comes to mind, but I know there are a few out there. These are safer to use than their conventional counterparts, and  don’t contain any artificial fragrances or carcinogenic chemicals. 

Use Natural Ventilation. Keep your home open, well-lit, and ventilated as much as possible. Bacteria and Mold thrive in damp, dark places. By keeping your windows open, you can allow natural light and air into your home, killing bacteria naturally. Studies have also shown that indoor air pollution (likely from using harsh cleaning products) is often much worse than outdoor pollution. Allowing a natural flow of air through your home can clean it out and provide clean air and fresh oxygen indoors.

Make Your Own Cleaners: Before the invention of many conventional household cleaners, people used various natural products that were found (often in the kitchen cupboard) to clean their living spaces. Try vinegar and water (heated) as an all-purpose cleaner. Combine salt and white vinegar to make a paste that cleans chrome faucets and removes lime deposits in the bathtub. And finally, stock up on the largest box of baking soda you can buy. I personally use this for almost everything. Rub baking soda on a cutting board to remove old smells and stains. Pour it down a garbage disposal to freshen it up. Sprinkle a damp sponge with baking soda to clean windows. Combine baking soda and water to make a paste that cleans almost everything, and can also be used as a toothpaste or shampoo. Baking soda can even be used as a stain-remover on clothes. Rub the baking soda and water paste over stains before normal washing.

All of these ideas will make your home just as clean as conventional products, without the associated indoor air pollution, or harmful chemical residue. You won’t have to hold your breath while cleaning anymore!

Joe Health, Nature Baking Soda, Green Cleaners

It’s a gorgeous night outside. Tropical Storm Fay has come and gone and cleared out most of the weather systems in the area. Tonight is nice, there are still clouds and some wind, but it’s really quite calm.

I’ve spent the last few days confined to my home here in Tallahassee, Florida. The past few days Fay has been moving across the top of the city very slowly. Thankfully, we had a ton of rain and a lot of wind, but nothing else. No severe flooding, no homes destroyed, no one was seriously injured or killed. The rest of Florida and parts of Cuba had it much worse…

Events like these just leave me amazed at the awesome power of nature. When the natural world chooses to use some aspect of it’s power, however small…there is nothing we can do but sit back and watch what happens. There is absolutely no way to combat the natural world.

Sometimes I think that we (collectively, all of humanity), tend to think we are more important than we are. That we can modify our environment to suit us and in doing so thinking we have somehow “tamed” nature. Events like Fay, Katrina, and others around the world just show us how much we are at the mercy of the world.

We cannot possibly hope to control natural events, what happens in the physical systems of the world will happen. We should be reacting to these events, not attempting to control them. Collectively, human beings are not as strong as the natural systems of the world, and we should not attempt to be.

Joe Nature Tropical Storm Fay