The Harmful Effects of Pesticides

The harmful effects of pesticides have been widely documented. Sure, they can be used to help you in the garden by getting rid of bad weeds and insects, among them grubs and aphids. But be aware that the use of pesticides is hardly what you’d call “green”; furthermore, pesticides pose a number of health hazards to you as well as your family.

Here are the top reasons why you should stop using pesticides:

Pesticides harm your soil

As poisons, pesticides kill certain pests, but they also lower the quality of your soil by killing those insects and active soil organisms that are essential to soil fertility. This then leads to bad water retention and other similar soil problems. You’re basically killing off what you are trying to grow. Want to have a higher yield, particularly in times of drought? Ditch the pesticides.

Pesticides decrease biodiversity and contaminate the water

Another one of the harmful effects of pesticides is that it decreases biodiversity – especially in water and aquatic systems. When they leach through the soil and run off into waterways like rivers and streams, pesticides kill the fish and contaminate the water. According to a recent US Geological Survey, 30 to 60 percent of our wells are contaminated with at least one pesticide, and 14.1 million people regularly drink water that contains five major agricultural herbicides, none of which can be removed by treatment plants.

Pesticides contribute to air pollution

Pesticide spray can drift through the air and be carried miles from where it was originally used. That’s how pesticides can be detected miles away from agricultural sites, or in snow and rainfall. Some highly mobile pesticides – like atrazine – can even travel as far out as 600 miles from where they were first sprayed. They’re a persistent bunch, too, and are pretty hard to break down into less harmful components. The result? Contaminated groundwater, and pesticides drifting to harm the ozone layer and contribute to global warming. Birds’ habitats are also reduced, while endangered species are further threatened.

Pesticides can kill

Chronic exposure to pesticides leads to symptoms like burning, stinging, itching, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, coughs, and other forms of irritation. It can also lead to pesticide poisoning, which can actually cause death or contribute to neurological damage, like epilepsy and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, in a recent US study, pesticides have been tied to ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactivity) in children. Meanwhile, 18,000 workers in agriculture in developing countries die every year from severe pesticide poisoning.

Pesticides contaminate food

Seventy percent of non-organic fruits and vegetables – and 100 percent of milk samples – are said to be contaminated with at least one pesticide. That’s a scary thought, especially if you’re a fruit salad lover. It may be time to shop for organic food!

Chicagoans Green Interests

Credit to Antonio Perez, Tribune photo

The Tribune ran a poll with suburbanites about how they feel towards transportation funds- that is, whether people would rather see money being put towards fixing expressways or towards public transit. Surprisingly, the majority favored the latter! Although for many of us city-dwellers using out CTA passes on a daily basis is quite typical, in the past people living in the suburbs obviously use[d] cars more, but recently these usual drivers have reported to taking more advantage of the trains and busses in their area.

In addition to leaving the wheel behind, the Tribune also reports that 77% of Chicago area citizens have made changes in their daily routines to live more green/ earth-friendly.  Citizens report participation in community gardening, supporting farmer markets, recycling, and purchasing less single-use products like paper plates or plastic water bottles, among other things.

The results of these polls are quite encouraging, so keep it up Chicago!

Green Exchange in Chicago: A Sustainable Retail and Business Marketplace

When you think of a mall or a huge office building, it is difficult not to associate it with consumerism, a disposable culture, inefficiency, carbon emissions, and an awful lot of wasted parking space.

Chicago – a city noted for its commitment to sustainable initiatives – aims to change all that with the Green Exchange.

The former home of the Vassar Swiss Underwear Company and the Frederick Cooper Lamp Company, Green Exchange is an ongoing commercial real estate development designed to be the country’s first large-scale retail and business center that’s devoted to socially responsible products and services. This means that the site will host a plethora of green tenants under one green roof.

Located at 2545 West Diversey Avenue, ten minutes north of the Chicago Loop, Green Exchange is being envisioned as a state-of-the-art location where leading green businesses can converge and share sustainable ideas and where green retailers can showcase their services and solutions to the shopping public.

The developers of Green Exchange have repurposed 272,000 square feet of factory space to offer green features that include:

-          A green roof

-          8,000 square feet of organic garden with an adjacent onsite restaurant

-          LED lighting through 35,000 square feet

-          Car-sharing services and priority low-emitting or hybrid vehicle parking

-          Parking slots that include outlets for plug-in hybrids

-          State-of-the-art recycling units on all five floors

-          A 41,329-gallon rain cistern for capturing storm water and using it for irrigation and water features

-          A green escalator that uses 30 percent less energy than traditional escalators

-          Solar thermal panels for domestic hot water and air conditioning

-          Energy efficient windows, high efficiency air filters and air quality sensors, low-consumption HVAC system, and low-VOC building paint

The Green Exchange in Chicago – which will be visible to over 350,000 people every day as well as to major Chicago streets and public transport systems – is currently leasing its spaces to green tenants; the developers have also worked to secure the site as a landmark, which means that its tenants will benefit from lower occupancy costs as a result of Class L property tax incentive. This can lead to real estate property tax savings of up to 58 percent.

DIY Patio Heater

Credit to Instructables.com

As our colder months start to get even colder its always nice to have some source of heating outdoors, for that impromptu party or for watching the kids build snow-men in the front yard while drinking some Hot Toddies.  Or if you’re a creative café or restaurant owner you’re smoker patrons truly appreciate some sort of heat beyond your door.  So instead of going to Home Depot and laying down the dollars for some typical outdoor heater, build your own from a stainless steal drum that comes from a front-loading washer machine!  This idea was found at Instructables and to make it you will need:

Stainless steel washing machine drum.
1″ galvanized tube (scavenged from an old farm gate)  20 x 6mm flat steel could also be used.
The rim from an old bike wheel.
M6 nuts, bolts and washers.
Self taping screws.

Once you have these guys, go here for step by step directions!

Earth-Friendly Hotels

Credit to BizTimes

Last winter I went on an impromptu weekend trip to Milwaukee and ended up staying by chance at this great eco-friendly hotel called Hotel Metro.  It is a certified LEED building, offers complimentary bicycles as well as a cab powered by soy certified biodiesel, all paper products are made of 30% post consumer recycled content, excess toiletry items are donated to local charities and shelters, local food is used, etc. (to see the full list go here)

I was pretty impressed with my experience and cost-friendly price-point of Hotel Metro, and have been quite happy to read more news about eco-friendly hotels popping up all over. Dune Hotel is a more recent discovery of mine- it offers movable accommodation, offering quick response for emergencies where medical and relief support are necessary but also for urban travelers, where you may stay on top of buildings or in event lots.

Credit to Behance

This tree-hotel in Sweden retains the essence of its surroundings and is pretty architecturally impressive.

Credit to Inhabitat

In response to a design challenge, “Haptik” came to be, which includes showers that capture solar heat, zero-VOC paints, LED lighting, a gray water irrigation system for outdoor gardens and landscaping, all-room off switches, a smart room key which doubles as a public transit pass, among other things.

Credit to WATG

In Chicago the Sears/“Willis” Tower’s own 5-year plan green renovations have included the prospects of a yet-unnamed green hotel that will be built next door to it- hopefully more information will be exposed soon!

Eco-Conscious Restaurants in Chicago

I was recently dog-sitting for a woman whose refrigerator is perpetually empty.  The woman offered me grocery money while sitting for the weekend because, as she put it, she was “just a take-out kind-of-a-girl.”  Of course the first thing I thought of was how much Styrofoam, plastic bags, paperboard, plastic tableware, gas from delivery boys, etc, this woman was single-handedly pumping out into the environment, while also feeling obliged for the offer of grocery money.  This experience came to mind when I stumbled across the Green Chicago Restaurant Co-op which helps restaurants connect with cost-friendly and local sources of sustainable products and services.  Right now there are 20 certified restaurants in Chicago- certification depends on efforts to reduce waste, energy and water use, improve recycling, and support organic farming. There is a four-star scale, to achieve the highest level 300-points must be earned.  If you are also a “take-out” or generally eat-out kind of person, here is the list with links to websites by neighborhood locations of the 20 certified green restaurants around the city- It should be noted that when searching theses restaurants not one had a lower than 4 star rating on all yelp, yahoo, and other online reviews.

Loop:
Roti Mediterranean Grill
Trattoria No. 10
Poag Mahone’s
Sopraffina Marketcaffee [5 different locations in Loop]

River North:
Frontera Grill
Topolobampo
Keefer’s Restaurant

Wrigleyville and Edgewater:
Uncommon Ground

Andersonville:
Big Jones

Pilsen:
Simone’s Bar

Roscoe Village:
Bleeding Heart

Near West Side:
Avec
Roti Mediterranean Grill

West Town:
Dining Room at Kendall College

Evanston:
Blind Faith Cafe

‘Burbs: Northbrook and Vernon Hills:
Roti Mediterranean Grill

Another organization dedicated to conscious-dining is Slow Food Chicago.  This all-volunteer organization provides insight to local food resources for restaurants, lists of those restaurants by type of food that go above and beyond in their daily regime to help  contribute to a better environment, hosts events to support such efforts, farmers you should know, etc. These are only the few things available on their website, not to mention the many links to like-minded organizations.  Here is their list and links to their descriptions of recommended restaurants:

AMERICAN
North Pond
Blackbird
Lula Cafè
Naha
Vie
Green Zebra
West Town Tavern
Erwin
Hot Doug’s

ITALIAN
A Tavola
Coco Pazzo
Follia
Merlò
Spiaggia
Va Pensiero

FRENCH
Everest
La Petite Folie
Bistro Campagne
Le Bouchon

LATIN AMERICAN
Borinquen
El Rinconcito Cubano

CHINESE
Ed’s Potsticker House
Lao Sze Chuan
“Little” Three Happiness

Easy Recycling Tips for Housewives and the House-Bound

Pretty much everyone is aware of the many green benefits and financial advantages of recycling, and yet not enough are springing to action. Most of us still find it so much easier to throw everything we no longer need into the trash and let landfills carry the environmental burden.

As with all these things, the path to a greener lifestyle starts with small steps. And it starts at home, a place where there can be no shortage of opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle.

Here are a few tips to help you get started.

• Reuse those Ziploc bags. That is what they’re made for: to be used over and over until the seal or zipper no longer works. Unlike traditional plastic bags, Ziploc – or similar reusable packaging products, like Glad – is something that you can just wash and keep using, whether for packing lunches and snacks, storing leftovers, covering up hors d’ouvres, storing garden seeds, or even wrapping up the buttons and threads in your sewing kit. Yes, it’s plastic, but it’s designed the way plastic is supposed to be used: to last a lifetime.

• Use cloth instead of paper napkins. Yes, even for everyday meals. You don’t have to have a guest to take these out of the drawer. While cloth napkins are more expensive than their paper counterparts, in the long run they’re still more environment-friendly. And you can wash them for future reuse. Paper napkins, meanwhile, which you have to stock up on, use lots of water in production, plus chlorine for bleaching and virtually unrecyclable plastic for covering.

• Print out coupons on used paper. Do you have stacks of used office paper, flyers, and old printed documents at home? Put them to good use and print the coupons that you have collected on the backside of these sheets of paper. Don’t forget to adjust your printer to eco-friendly settings!

• Use biodegradable “trash” for your garden. Those kitchen scraps, paper products, and leftovers? Make these the cornerstone of your organic gardening efforts. About forty percent of your trash can’s contents can be used to make your own compost. Save those egg cartons, too, so that you can use them for planting seeds and watching your garden grow.

• Refuse to be given plastic or paper bags at the grocery store. Bring your own reusable one instead. Do away with the surplus and help cut down the 100 billion plastic grocery bags that end up in landfills every year. Do you know that the average American walks away with 10-20 plastic bags from the grocery store every week? That’s a total of 600-1200 bags a year, each one of them taking 100 years for its life cycle to end. If you want to feel good and look good at the same time, try out one of these Bazura Bags, which are indestructible and non-biodegradable recycled grocery bags made by a women’s cooperative in the Philippines.

• Donate those old clothes. It’s perfectly all right to want to keep in fashion and ditch last season’s garments. But don’t simply throw those old clothes into the garbage bin. Donate them to the local recycling center or to your favorite charity. Even if it turns out that no one bought or used your second-hand stuff as part of their own wardrobe, manufacturers and textile recyclers may still come to give these used clothes a green reincarnation.

• Switch to powders. Next time you’re doing the household shopping rounds, opt for more environment-friendly alternatives to those liquid detergents. Like powders, which must not have cost half as much water to produce. Even better, make your own homemade laundry soap.

8 Signs of an “Energy Inefficient” Home

Every home will, at one point, need an energy audit, which is basically a survey, inspection, or analysis of energy flows for conservation. Such an audit can help homeowners identify common household problems as well as opportunities for increasing the level of comfort at home, minimizing one’s environmental impact, and saving more energy (and money). While typically, it is best to consult professional green contractors like Greenwerks to facilitate energy audits, you can still determine for yourself the general energy conditions of your house and be on the lookout for signs that make your home systems “energy inefficient”.

What are the symptoms of a home that consumes energy inefficiently?

1. Ice damming: Warm air rises and cool air sinks, right? Well, in winter, when the warm air rises high enough into the attic, it will begin to heat the underside of your roofing. The snow or ice on top of your house then melts and runs off your roof, whereupon it freezes again. Usually caused by leakages and bad insulation, ice damming can potentially cause a great deal of structural damage to a home. It’s also not cool at all to have stalactites decorating the exterior of your home.
2. Drafty rooms or windows: It’s a problem usually related to the one above: warm air leaks out; cool air comes in. Drafts in an enclosed space aren’t only uncomfortable; they’re also pretty annoying, especially considering that they render your home winterizing efforts useless or inefficient. Also be on the lookout for unusually cold walls, basements, crawl spaces, and windows and doors.

3. Ancient home appliances: It’s time to ditch those decades-old energy-guzzlers in your home, like the ancient fridge, the erratic air conditioner, the faulty furnace. That’s because these inefficient appliances aren’t going to help you save up on your utility bills. Chances are, they’re also responsible for most of your carbon dioxide emissions at home.

4. Indoor air pollution: This can manifest in many ways: as specks of dust that seem to multiply despite your efforts; as weird, unpleasant odors that seem to have come from nowhere; as mold growth or dirt that settles on everything in sight; or as allergies that you thought your children got from the playground. Caused by uncontrolled airborne pollutants, toxins, and chemicals in your home, indoor air pollution must be minimized at all costs, as it poses hazards not only to the environment but also to the people who live in your home.

5. Uneven, uncontrolled, or uncomfortable temperatures: Too hot in one room and too cold in another? It may be a sign of a malfunctioning HVAC system. Or it may be due to inadequate insulation, leakages, or inefficient windows. Whatever the cause is, be on the alert. Otherwise you’ll be shocked at the upcoming months’ utility bills.

6. Musty, damp, or moist walls, windows, and crawlspaces: Hidden water leaks usually cause this problem of excessive indoor humidity (which is usually paired with not having proper ventilation), so make sure you have your plumbing systems, ductwork, and foundation checked. Also inspect your windows and see if there’s too much condensation forming there. Otherwise you might be running the risk of mold growth in the house, electrical hazards, prematurely peeling paint, and structural damages to your home.

7. Dryness: Or you may have a problem that’s exactly the opposite of above, which is too much dryness – even in winter. Low humidity levels and poor ventilation can grow into a major concern, especially when these begin to cause allergies, cracked floors, static shocks, dead houseplants, and nosebleeds, which are never pleasant. Putting an energy efficient humidifier in place is one good solution. Or, if you really want to go green, air-dry your laundry inside your home. You’ll be generating savings directly from your laundry expenses, too!

8. Insects and pests: We know how irritating creepy crawler infestation can be. If this is a concern for you, be on the lookout for cobwebs, wall cracks, droppings, chipped furniture, and – most annoying of all – missing chocolate chip cookies! Insects and pests can also do more damage than you think, as they can invade your bed, your foodstuffs, your beloved backyard and garden, and your skin. To get rid of them while keeping green, try out some chemical-free pest control solutions.

Keeping Holiday Waste Low

With the various winter holidays and correlating feasting of families and friends a-coming, there are some actions you can pursue to keep waste from building up.  If you are hosting meals or even housing family and friends, there might be a solid build up of used tableware, glassware, paperware, etc. It might be tempting to purchase extra paper products or plastic cups to avoid hassle but instead of having people drink out of a few or more plastic cups per person a day, why not buy a few extra glasses to store for those extra guests and putting on a name tag (or write names with dry erase marker) so that they may use the same one throughout the day?  At .59 cents a glass, buying ten glasses would cost only $5.90.

Some other cheapie Ikea steals are plates and bowls at only .79 cents a piece, and a 16 piece cutlery set at $3.99- all of which are dishwasher safe, microwave safe, suitable for hot foods, and made of glass, stoneware, and stainless steel.

If you are lucky and don’t need that extra dinnerware, you will still probably need napkins and paper towels.  I was once a house-guest for a month a little old lady’s house who only used cloth napkins which she washed once a week.  Granted, only one per person was necessary as everyone was over the age of 10, but using the same napkin every night was fun when planning seating, as everyone had a different pattern and seat, so mixing it up was quite a playful event.  Using the same napkin will also help keep guests more aware of spilling and wasting food on table cloths or on themselves. You could get creative and just cut squares out of old fabric or clothing no longer in use and simply sew seams, buy a set of plain ones and iron or embroider on festive decals or initials,  or buy them- these are on the more expensive side at $5.00 each ($20.00 for set of four) but are quite lovely if you are willing to spend the money.

Credit to JuliePeach

You can also set up extra recycling bags so that once it builds up no one feels the need to just throw something away.  Try to keep electricity usage in different rooms to a minimum by encouraging family-room activities, which should keep people less occupied by computers, telephones, and television (computers and televisions should also remained unplugged when not in use!).  Ask relatives to bring in any blankets brought for car rides if low on bedding so heat can stay at an appropriate temperature.  If you have any other general thoughts, please comment and make suggestions!

What You Should Know About VOCs

Chances are, as a homeowner, you’ve heard a thing or two about VOCs – or volatile organic compounds: that they’re everywhere in your home, and that they’re harmful to the health, and that you ought to eliminate all these hazardous chemicals before someone gets sick.

But there’s no need to panic and start calling contractors in space suits. Below we’ve outlined frequently asked questions about VOC – as well as a number of useful tips on how to create a sense of health, safety, and comfort in your home.

What are VOCs?

Volatile organic compounds are organic – or carbon-based – chemical compounds containing significant vapor pressures, which can then have an adverse impact on the environment and your health.

What are the kinds of VOCs?

There are many kinds of volatile organic compounds, man-made, anthropogenic, and natural. Among them are: aldehydes, acetone, benzene, ketones, hydrocarbons, styrene, xylene, and limonene. There is, however, no comprehensive list of VOCs, which – along with its low concentrations and slowly developed symptoms – makes it a demanding area of study and research.

Where are VOCs typically found?

According to the EPA, the highest concentrations of volatile organic compounds are usually found indoors – either in offices or homes. These can be 2 to 5 times greater than what is usually found in outdoor air. In homes, VOC results from specific kinds of furniture, wall coverings, paints, lacquers, paint thinners, cleaning supplies and cleaning agents, pesticides, adhesives, markers, and photographic solutions. VOCs can also be emitted by carpets, upholstery fabrics, composite wood products, sealing caulks, cosmetics, aerosols, solvents, vinyl floors, air fresheners, moth balls, and disinfectants.

What are the harmful effects of VOC?

While VOCs are not typically toxic, long-term or chronic exposure to these compounds can contribute to a variety of sensory irritations and respiratory and allergic reactions. Children and infants, in general, suffer from the harmful effects of indoor VOCs. Moreover, studies show that prolonged exposure to high concentrations of these compounds can increase risk of cancer (leukemia and lymphoma), liver damage, kidney damage, and even damage in the nervous system.

What steps can I take to reduce VOC emissions at home?

There are various ways to minimize the health risks associated with volatile organic compounds. These usually entail source control: removing or reducing the number of VOC-containing products found at home, especially those that are leaking and those that are no longer being used. When shopping for household items and products, meanwhile, it’s recommended that you buy only what you need – and that you look out for environment-friendly products that are labeled as having low concentrations of VOCs.

Other great ways of lowering the concentration of VOC at home include:

• Following manufacturer labels and storing VOC-containing household products in airtight sealers
• Opting for floor models, composite wood products, and solid wood items that contain low-VOC finishes and non-toxic sealants. Steer clear of furniture pieces that contain formaldehyde
• Allowing for additional ventilation at home by opening doors and windows, letting in more fresh air, using fans, and keeping the indoor temperature and relative humidity as low as possible