Organic cotton is grown with natural fertilizers and is free from toxic chemicals.
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Organic farmers use crop rotation to maintain soil fertility.
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Organic practices have a lower carbon footprint.
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Organic cotton is not from genetically modified cottonseed.
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It is grown with natural pesticides and fertilizers, no chemical defoliants are used.
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Eco-friendly processing does not compromise the workers health and helps reduce toxic runoff.
Hazards of Non-Organic Cotton:
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90% of the chemicals are absorbed into the plant, air, soil, water and eventually our bodies.
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Conventionally grown cotton occupies only 3% of the world's farmland, but uses 25% of the world's chemical pesticides.
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As insects gradually become resistant to pesticides, increasing amounts are applied to be effective, resulting in massive ecological desctruction and crop failure.
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Car Pooling
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Reduces traffic volumes and congestion.
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Provides an alternative, cost effective travel choice.
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Ask your colleagues if they would like to start a car pool!
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Drive with a friend to the grocery store or gym.
Gas Saving tips
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Get that junk out of your trunk. Removing excess weight from your car can greatly improve your fuel economy.
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Slow down!!! Your car gets 15% more mileage at 55 mph as opposed to 65 mph.
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Maintain the proper inflation and alignment on your tires. Inflate tires to their proper level to avoid extra drag on your engine. Under inflated tires have more surface area touching the ground causing more friction and wear on your tires. Over inflating your tires reduces the amount of tread touching the ground which can reduce your traction on turns. If you are not sure what pressure your tires require, check your manual or open the driver door and check for a sticker on the side lining of the door.
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Avoid long idling. Idling consumes more gas than restarting your vehicle.
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Maintain your car properly.
Advantages:
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Uses 75% less energy, saving money on energy bills
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Lasts up to 10 times longer
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consumers can save more than $40 in utility costs over the lifetime of one bulb
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Same quality of light as Soft White bulbs
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If homeowners change just one bulb to an Energy Star qualified bulb they will prevent the release of more than 450 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions.
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The US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) has found that recycling causes 35% less water pollution and 74% less air pollution.
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The pulp and paper industry is the world’s fifth largest industrial consumer of energy and uses more water to produce a ton of product than any other industry.
Source: Worldwatch Institute, 2004
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One-third of all trees logged are used for paper production.
Source: New Leaf Paper, 2001
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In 2006, US residents, businesses, and institutions produced more than 251 million tons of garbage, which is approximately 4.6 pounds of waste per person per day.
Source: EPA
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115 billion sheets of paper are used annually for personal computers
Source: Worldwatch Institute
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Install water-saving shower heads and low-flow faucet aerators
indoors, 75% of all water is used in the bathroom.
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Check faucets and pipes for leaks. Repair dripping faucets by replacing washers. If your faucet is dripping at a rate of one drop per second, you can expect to waste 2,700 gallons per year.
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A four-minute shower uses approximately 20 to 40 gallons of water.
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90% of the cost of operating washing machines is associated with the energy needed to heat the water.
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Tank-less water heaters are the way to go when you want hot water but want to save energy.
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Recycling aluminum saves 90-95% of the energy used to make aluminum from bauxite ore. It also saves 95% of the air and water pollution.
Source: Windstar Institute
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You can make 20 recycled aluminum cans with the energy it takes to make one new aluminum can from bauxite ore.
Source: Community Recycling, Belington, Washington
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Replacing one wasted can requires the energy equivalent to light a 100-watt light bulb for 5 hours or to power the average laptop computer for 11 hours.
Source: Container Recycling Institute, 2001
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A tree reduces the same amount of atmospheric CO2 as released by a typical car driven 500 miles.
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If every American family planted just one tree, the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere would be reduced by one billion lbs annually. This is almost 5% of the amount that human activity pumps into the atmosphere each year.
Source: American Forestry Association
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One tree that shades your home in the city will also save fossil fuel, cutting CO2 buildup as much as 15 forest trees.
Source: National Arbor Day Foundation
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Planting trees remains one of the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess CO2 from the atmosphere.
