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Archive for September, 2009
Environmental Reasons for Vegetarianism
When we’re looking for ways to save the environment, one of the things we don’t think of is the amount of livestock that crowds the planet, and the results of their flatulence, their burping and exhaling, and their excretions! Let’s take cows, for example. According to an article that appeared in the New York Times on June 4, 2009, “cows might be more dangerous to Earth’s atmosphere than trucks and cars combined.” That’s because the average cow expels – through burps more often than flatulence – 200 to 400 pounds of methane a year. And since worldwide production of milk and beef is expected to double in the next 30 years, the United Nations has called livestock one of the most serious near-term threats to the global climate. Not only do they expel methane, but in order to have room for the herds, forest-clearing activity to create pasture land is devastating the planet. Why do cows burp so much methane? Possibly because they’re being fed a diet that is not natural to them – a high-grain diet designed to fatten them up quickly, rather than their normal grass diet which does not cause such intestinal upsets. Scientists are experimenting with ways to make cows less ...- Bookmark :
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5 Tips to Take Care of Pets and Environment
In December 2008, after Vice President Biden obtained a new dog from a breeder, the poor woman who owned the kennel was pilloried by PETA, and harassed by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture. Dog breeders have been demonized as over breeding animals, inbreeding animals and lousy food and living conditions. Well, while some breeders abuse their charges, the same can be said for any business. Some people are ethical, some aren’t. This woman didn’t deserve what had happened to her. Having said that, when it comes to protecting the environment, it does make a lot more sense to adopt a dog from a dog shelter rather than purchase a pure-bred one from a breeder. That’s because there are so many abandoned dogs out there, especially now when the economy has been so bad that thousands of pet owners have abandoned their pets because they could no longer afford to feed or house them. If you want to get a dog from a breeder, don’t let anyone pressure you into not doing so. However, consider that there are plenty of loveable dogs and cats in shelters that will make the perfect pet. 1. Spay or neuter your pet One you do get a dog or ...- Bookmark :
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Green Reasons - Ways to Buy Smart
The number of reasons or ways to buy smart are beginning to be more of an issue today than at any other time in the past. The number of ways to do this will vary but you will end up with the same result. When thinking of methods to do this, first think of all the things you do in a week. 1) Make trips to the grocery store smart. How can you save and buy smart here? One way is to buy meats and other foods in bulk. The price of meat per pound will be cheaper if you buy the family packs. By splitting the meat into serving size amounts and you have several meals from one package of meat. Another way to save at the grocery store is to price other items by the amount they cost per serving. If a larger package is less per serving than a smaller one, the larger package is the better deal and it can be split into serving sizes as well. One way to save and buy smart is to avoid impulse buys. This is one reason you should never go to the grocery store when you are hungry. Everything will look good and ...- Bookmark :
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Green Cities
Towns and cities are as alive as the people who live in them. They are born – although most of them were born decades ago, admittedly – they grow old, they struggle with illnesses such as inadequate roadways, not enough housing for inhabitants, and so on, and some of them die. Oh, they continue to exist, of course…but they are only shells of their former selves. In order to stay alive, towns and cities need a vibrant population of both inhabitants and businesses, to bring in the revenue needed to maintain a quality of life. But it’s rather a vicious circle...the more people movie into a city, the more homes are needed for them to live in and the more businesses are needed for them to work at. So green spaces disappear in droves, and more cars, homes, and pollution appear in their stead. Many cities, prodded by the government, are beginning to make concerted efforts to incorporate green planning, both into their expansion as well as their already existing infrastructure. In which cities will you be able to find the healthiest living – with easy access to solar power, wind power, and hydro-electric power? There are many sources to find out which cities ...- Bookmark :
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Time to Move to a Green City?
What are the Top 10 Green Cities in the United States? Perhaps not surprisingly, four of the top ten “green cities” in the United States are located in California. San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and even Los Angeles are now considered green cities, because of the aggressive means used in the past few years to institute green policies. The presence of Manhattan may be surprising to some, but since 80% of Manhattan uses public transport rather than cars, it is actually not as polluted as you might think. And with Central Park as a shining jewel in the middle of the city, it can be a beautiful place to live. But it, and the cities in California, are also pretty expensive places to live. El Paso, Texas; Seattle, Washington; Boise, Idaho; Portland, Oregon and Honolulu, Hawaii round out the list of the top ten. While Honolulu may be a great place to visit on a vacation, you may not want to move there just to take advantage of its position as the number one green city in the United States. How about El Paso? El Paso has a lot of open space (as opposed to the “green space” that other cities, with more rainfall, have), ...- Bookmark :
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