The Power of Natural

Homemade Pesticides

Using chemical sprays to control pests has proven to have many seriously harmful damages on the natural environment and human health. Reversing damages to ecosystems, plant and animal species, water contamination, crop loss, and human health has cost billions.

However, there was a time when products like Roundup did not exist and people used more natural methods to control pests. Biological Control is the practice of using natural means to maintain pests and plants. There are natural ingredients that can be used as effectively as chemical pesticides but lack the harmful side affects. Using these alternatives can lower your contribution to environmental pollution and economic cost by decreasing the dependency on chemical pesticides.

 Here are a few of the many many mixes you can make to use for pest control. These options won't harm your family or pets! You can find more here

Pesticide	Ingredients	Instructions
Oil spray	Combine 1 tablespoon dish soap + 1 cup cooking oil, add 4 tsp soap and oil mix to 1 pint of water	Spray generously once every 7 days to control aphids, thrips, spider mites, and whiteflies
Baby shampoo spray	Combine 2 tablespoons baby shampoo with 1 gallon water	Spray generously and let sit for several hours before rinsing off with water. Do use the spray in the sun of on plants with hairy leaves
Garlic Spray	10-12 garlic cloves with 1 quart of water in a blender, allow to sit for 24 hours, then strain mixture through a cheesecloth into a jar and add 1 cup cooking oil. When ready to use combine ½ cup of garlic mix with 1 gallon water	Apply liberally to plants. The scent of garlic keeps many little pests away
Red pepper spray	Combine 1 tablespoon of red pepper powder, 6 drops of dish soap and 1 gallon of water. Mix thoroughly	Spray generously on plants for control of pests like leafhoppers, spittlebugs, beetles, and loopers
Salt spray	Combine 2 tablespoons salt with 1.5 gallons of warm water, allow to come to room temperature	Spray generously to control spider mites, caterpillars, cabbage worms, and chewing insects
Citrus spray	Boil 4 cups water, remove from heat, add 2 cups orange or lemon peel, let cool and strain.	Spray to repel white flies
Peppermint tea spray	Mix together 1 tablespoon peppermint essential oil with 1 quart water	Spray liberally, repels ants
Chrysanthemum flower tea	Boil 100 grams of dried chrysanthemum slower in 1 liter water for 20 minutes, strain and let cool	Spray generously. Chrysanthemum has a chemical component that attacks insect’s nervous system. Add organic neem oil for enhanced effectiveness.

Composting 101

Composting 101

In our blog survey, about one fifth of respondents stated that they do not compost. I, too, did not use to compost. But then when I learned how big of an impact composting can have on my local community and on the environment, as well as how little time it took and how easy it was, I easily switched to composting. Explore these websites to learn what composting is, and how you can start today!

For information on composting, including interactive games (for all ages), check out here.

For info on the composting program in Portland, Oregon, view this cool webpage.

For an awesome website on composting programs worldwide, explore this link.

Remember, food scraps are a significant source of waste produced each year, but can easily be diverted to compost for a better garden, reduced waste, and a greener world!

Rideshare: Helpful or Harmful to the Environment?

With today's ever changing world, there are more and more alternatives for people to get where they need to go.  Mass public transportation through bus routes and metro systems are not only convenient when traveling through busy cities, but also environmentally friendly.  Recently, there has been a newer trend hitting the streets: ridesharing.  Companies like Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar have begun to take their part of the public transportation marketshare.  Although these and other similar companies are still in the early stages of their inception it would seem they are headed on the right path.  We are beginning to see how they are revolutionizing and impacting the public transportation industry.  A 2001 report from the Transportation Research Board in Washington DC concluded that "organized dynamic ridesharing provides households with the opportunity to save money by reducing the number of cars they own, but without sacrificing convenience."  Moreover, these companies have the ability to employ an almost endless number of drivers who provide rides at a much lower cost than a typical taxi. 

Not So Crazy Ideas On How to Combat Climate Change

Often times when talking about climate change, the same ideas are floated around.  And while most of these ideas are great, it is effective to think outside the box and think of ways that might seem a little crazy at first, but could do wonders to combat climate change.  

Here are 8 crazy sounding but not so crazy ideas to fight climate change:

1. Put reflective blankets on Greenland.  

Climate change has made Greenland’s ice sheets and glaciers melt at an alarming rate.  This means, among other things, that Earth is losing one of its most powerful reflective surfaces.  This is a very dangerous thing.  The melting rate has led glaciologist Jason Box to suggest that covering the country of Greenland in white blankets would help slow down climate change by keeping Greenland one of Earth’s most powerful reflective surfaces.  

2. Force-feed plankton blooms.

Plankton are some of the best organisms when it comes to absorbing carbon dioxide, and producing oxygen for the World.  Because of this, some scientists suggest that by placing big wave-powered pumps in the Pacific Ocean that would force the nutrient rich water in the colder regions to mix with the warmer regions and basically act like a feedlot for the large plankton blooms there.  

3. Drop Tree Bombs

This idea has some credibility because it successfully regenerated mangrove forests after Hurricanes Katrine and Rita.  Some geo-engineers think that we can generate almost instant forests by dropping these bombs that produce seedlings as soon as they hit the ground.  

4. ‘Plant” fake trees that absorb carbon. 

This proportions was proposed by Global Research Technologies.  These are artificial trees that act like real trees in which they remove carbon dioxide from the air.  The proportions stated that they would be planted on heavily congested highways.  Interesting enough, the proportion states that the trapped carbon dioxide is sold sold to soda makers for their uses of carbonation.  

5. Create man made volcanoes

This very controversial idea was first proposed by the book SuperFreakonomics.  It proposes that we mimic the ash spewing atmospheric cooling effects that a massive volcanic eruptions have.  We could do this by attaching several miles of garden hose to a helium balloon and pumping sulfer dioxide into the upper atmosphere.  This would block some sunlight and therefore cool off the planet.  

6. Giant orbital sun shield

Some scientists have thought of shooting huge mirrors into space to reflect the sun’s rays.  The mirrors could potentially be as large as the country of Greenland and would basically act as a shield blocking about 2 percent of the sun’s light.  However, there has yet to be proposed idea on how to get these giant mirrors into space.  

7. Cloud making ships.

Research has shown that puffy white low hanging clouds reflect quite a bit of sunlight.  This finding caused scientist to want to make more of these clouds.  The best way to do that would be to spray seawater high into the sky using special ships.  John Latham, one of the leading people of this concept states that it will take about 1,500 ships to do the job correctly.  

8. Raise garlic eating cattle

Cows and other livestock produce millions of tons of methane into the atmosphere each year.  Because methane is such a deadly greenhouse gas, some scientist have proposed to feed these livestock a bunch of garlic.  This is because garlic is able to kill the methane producing stomach bacteria which makes cow flatulence so deadly.  

These ideas are all very much works in progress and some of them are more crazy than others.  However, if people keep ignoring climate change and the problems with the environment, we might not have much of a choice but the put some of these ideas into action.  

For the full article click here:

http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/climate-weather/photos/9-not-so-crazy-ideas-to-combat-climate-change/junk-science-or-s

By:Garrett Sanders

Simple, Easy Actions To Help Combat Climate Change

In world today climate change is often an overwhelming topic of conversation.  There is just so much to be done and so many problems and issues that you may not even feel like even thinking about solutions to fighting climate change.  Luckily there are some easy, simple, everyday activities that everyone can do to fight this important fight.  Even though this steps may not feel like much just remember that if everyone does a little, that can add up to a lot.
10 ideas on actions to take:
1) Get a free energy audit.  The company Cape Light Compact offers this free service to tell you whether your house is losing heat in certain areas of your home and how to fix these issues.
2) Be careful with your car A/C.  Did you know that your gas consumption increases by 20 percent while your A/C is running? Save gas, money AND the environment by purely rolling down your car windows and enjoying the breeze.
3) Avoid speeding in your vehicle.  The EPA estimates that you can improve your gas mileage by 15 percent by staying at 55 mph on the freeway, rather than the normal 65.
4) Get out and walk more.  Instead of driving down to the corner market that is only a block away, take a nice walk! Not only is it good for you and you'll feel better, mother nature will feel a whole lot better too.
5) Turn off the water when you are brushing your teeth.  This may be a tiny water savings, but if millions of us all do it, it adds up to a great deal of water.
6) When you take a vacation during the summer, just turn the A/C off! The same principle goes for winter time with the heater.  Rather, just close blinds and keep doors closed to regulate temperature properly.
7) Double check to make sure no pipes are leaking.  Not only will you save money and the environment but the water pressure will work much better too!
8)  Wash your clothes in cold water.  Consumers Union and Coop America did a study which shows that clothes get the same amount of clean whether washed in cold, warm or hot water.  You can reduce your carbon emissions 600 pounds a year by switching to cold water for every load.
9) Shorten your showers.  This one may seem hard but just think about all the extra time you'll have in morning if you take shorter showers!
10) Set your refrigerator for 37-40 degrees and your freezer to 5 degrees.

Note that these are just a handful of simple actions to take to combat climate change.  There are many, many more ideas out there.
For more ideas click on the links below

Simple Steps to Combating Climate Change:
https://www.retailpackaging.com/blog/2013/02/27-ways-to-prevent-climate-change-a-guide-for-independent-retailers/

http://i100.independent.co.uk/article/10-easy-ways-you-can-help-to-stop-climate-change-starting-today--ekE2mOTIBx

http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips/?singlepage=1

http://www.epa.gov/climatechange/wycd/

By: Garrett Sanders

Results from Climate Change Survey

Now that we have a second Climate Change survey for everyone to take (http://goo.gl/zymMpi), it is as good of a time as any to go over the results of the first one.

Climate Change Survey

Observations:
- While most people readily recycle, composting is a different story with people being pretty split about their composting frequency
- The majority of the people surveyed have at least some interest in environmental topics
- Charts and graphs are easily the most preferred method of viewing data
- People don't seem to have a preference on the geography of environmental topics
- The vast majority of people surveyed are "absolutely" concerned with climate change
- Most people seem to agree that there is human interaction is one of the factors leading to climate change, but a good chunk of people are not completely discounting any natural cycles that are also in play
- Over 2/3 of the people surveyed would be interested in learning about ways they could help slow down climate change, while just under 2/3 of them are definitely interested in a website where they could learn such things (hint, hint)


Tweet

Follow @ecopol_project

Staying Green on the Road

     For many of us, summer brings along a number of activities that take us away from the routine of every day life.  From barbecues, picnics, camping, and more notably: vacations!  Whether it's a quick getaway or a week long excursion to the coast, we finally have the opportunity to enjoy the sun and relax a bit.  While some have a place they often retreat to such as a beach house or a rental, many will stay in hotels while they are away.  It can be easy to forget all about those wonderful "green" habits we practice at home, so here is a quick guide on what some major hotel chains are doing to ensure your stay is as eco-friendly as possible.

Climate Change Survey Trends (so far)

It's still fairly early-on, but here are some of the trends in the results from our ongoing Climate Change survey (take it if you haven't already: http://goo.gl/fw6oby):

• 75% of the people recycle at least half the time

• 50% of the people do not compost at all

• 25% of the people have definite interest in environmental topics, while 37.5% "sort of" have interest

• 62.5% of the people don't really consider themselves to be green

• 50% of the people prefer to view data in chart and graph form

• 50% of the people have no preference between global, national, or local environmental topics --- or simply don't care

• 50% of the people are concerned with climate change, while 37.5% of the people are not at all concerned with it

• 87.5% of the people believe a combination of factors are the primary cause of climate change

• 37.% of the people are definitely interested in learning about ways they could possibly slow down climate change

• 40% of the people are definitely interested in a website where they can learn about things they could do on a daily basis to help slow down climate change

Once more results are in we will go ahead and post the full results of the survey. Take the survey to contribute to these results.

Follow @ecopol_project

Finally an electric car that isn't lame

The Corvette GXE will probably look something like this, only bigger. Kid not included.

Despite all the benefits of electric cars, there is still a pretty sizable stigma against them, especially from car aficionados who like their cars powerful. Electric cars are historically weak, slow, ugly, and all around kind of dorky. Electric cars have names like the Leaf or Volt, which certainly isn't helping their case with car people. Tesla has done a good deal to dissuade some of those preconceptions, but they didn't manage to come up with a name that isn't incredibly lame. Genovation Cars is trying to change this by developing an all-electric Corvette prototype. Dubbed the GXE, the prototype is based on the 2006 Chevy Corvette z06, but instead of its 7.0-liter V8 engine it will have an array of inverters, batteries, and electric motors with the goal of generating 700 horsepower for the car. That promises to deliver a 0-60 mph time of about 3 seconds with the car having a top speed of over 200 miles per hour. These specs would put even the Tesla Model S P85D to shame. The goal is for the Corvette GXE to able to travel for 150 miles on a single charge. The prototype will be debuted at the Electric Vehicle Technology Expo this September in Michigan.

This car would certainly give drivers one less excuse to not drive an electric car. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks a Corvette is lame, so you could finally drive electric in style once this car hits the market. It's about time companies started making stuff that is not only environmentally friendly, but also cool. You no longer have to be a smelly, Birkenstock-wearing, tree-hugger in order to help the environment. So, why not?

For more details, including the official press release: http://www.autoblog.com/2015/07/14/genovation-cars-electric-corvette-prototype-official/#slide-141683

If you haven't done so already, please take our climate change survey: http://goo.gl/fw6oby

Follow @ecopol_project

Everyone Taking Small Steps Can Lead to Big Changes

Climate change is a big problem, perhaps one of the most severe the world has yet faced. It effects us all, and progress can be frustrating when political leaders do not lead in this area. Fortunately, we do not have to wait to make small changes in our lives that make a big impact on the planet, and author Elizabeth Rogers has compiled that list in The Green Book: The Everyday Guide to Saving the Planet One Simple Step at a Time.

This book contains hundreds of small steps any individual can take right now to reduce their impact on the environment and slow degradation. Some examples are:

----->"Don’t ask for ATM receipts. If everyone in the United States refused their receipts, it would save a roll of paper more than two billion feet long, or enough to circle the equator fifteen times!
-----> Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth. You’ll conserve up to five gallons of water per day. Throughout the entire United States, the daily savings could add up to more water than is consumed every day in all of New York City.
-----> Get a voice-mail service for your home phone. If all answering machines in U.S. homes were replaced by voice-mail services, the annual energy savings would total nearly two billion kilowatt hours. The resulting reduction in air pollution would be equivalent to removing 250,000 cars from the road for a year!"

These are all very simple steps that do not require more work. In fact, many of these ideas save ourselves time and money, and reduce resource consumption. It's a win-win! 

Please check The Green Book out at the library or buy it from Amazon for $0.01. The everyday tips, if done in aggregate, can lead to changes of a global proportion.

The greenest way to charge your mobile devices

The Siva Cycle Atom easily mounts to your bike to generate power

There are many little ways you can cut down your daily energy usage. One way is the Siva Cycle Atom, a device that can charge your mobile devices while you pedal. It uses the same concept as other bike-based generating systems that use pedal power for lights, but Siva Cycle went one better with the Atom, with the ability to charge anything you can plug into a USB port. The weather-resistent device mounts easily to the rear wheel of any bike. You just need to go at lease 5 mph in order to start producing power. Any leftover juice generated is stored in the 1,650-mAh battery pack for whenever you stop or ride slowly.

The Siva Cycle Atom was originally conceived as a way to bring power to unreliable electrical infrastructures in developing countries around the world.

The device does add 10% to your pedaling effort, but that shouldn't be noticeable to most riders. In order to fully charge the Atom battery you will need to pedal at an average speed of 13 mph for 100 minutes.

With this product (for $129) you can turn an eco-friendly form of transportation into an eco-friendly way to power your mobile devices.

http://sivacycle.com/products/the-atom

Don't forget to take our term survey: https://t.co/pVfu2NoNxu

Follow @ecopol_project

Renewable energy is great; still cost prohibitive on large scales

 

One big remaining issue with green technology is that is still very expensive. The chances of green energy overtaking the use of fossil fuels as a primary source of energy throughout the world is not currently not great. It's still simply too expensive and cost prohibitive. Bill Gates has recently announced that he will invest $2 billion in new green technology in the next five years with the intent to "bend the curve" on climate change. He understands that the current renewable energy options come at a "beyond astronomical cost". Bill Gates tends to get things done, so hopefully his investments can help lead to the kinds of "energy miracles" he's called for in the past


While we are still a ways off on using forms renewable energy on a grand scale, everyone can still do what they can to cut down their use of energy that burns fossil fuels in the mean time.

Don't forget to take this term's survey, if you haven't already: https://t.co/pVfu2NoNxu

Take this term's survey!

Follow @ecopol_project

Some simple ways to help slow down climate change

The Washington Department of Ecology has a helpful list of simple, little things everyone can do to reduce personal use of fossil fuels and to help slow climate change. Most of it is  common sense and practical (turning off unused appliances, changing lights,  driving less), but some of it may be a bit too idealized (low-flow shower heads are nice in theory, but a little iffy in execution).

There are downsides to low-flow shower heads...

What YOU Can Do - Washington Department of Ecology

Stay tuned for information regarding the launch of this term's website.

And don't forget to follow us on twitter:

Follow @ecopol_project

What you can do?

What you can do?

CO2 is a major contributor to climate change, or "global warming. We burn fossil fuels such as gasoline, oil, coal, and natural gas to run our vehicle engines and to heat and light our homes. Burning fossil fuels increases the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. How can we slow down climate change? There are several ways. Drive less, weatherproof you home, changes your lights, cut hot water use, adjust your thermostat, turn off power, purchase green power, plant trees and vegetation, recycle and reuse, shop smart. These actions are not hard for each person it is easy to do but it is the key to slow down the climate change. Let us protect our environment by doing little things.

By: Hanxiang Yu

Save energy, save money from your lights.

From many years ago and we always hear about climate change effects to our earth. Climate change is caused mostly by burning fossil fuels such as coal, oil, gasoline, and natural gas. This generates carbon dioxide (CO2), a gas that stores heat and other gases called greenhouse gases. Too much of those gases would increase global temperatures as a result our health and global ecosystem health is in danger.Humans are the first one who blamed about this mess. We might think that it is not our “business” and we might think that our efforts will not change the anything. But what we don’t realize is that each one of us is responsible to reduce climate change effects and it still on our hands.  We should start with our selves, with our behaviors and believes. We should start to think about our children and the next generations. You may ask know what I can do? How should I start? And the answer will be very simple, start from your own house.

We have various creative technologies that could have a great impact on climate change, if only we would adopt it. One of those inventions is energy light bulb and other efficient lighting systems. Those lighting systems would help to prevent tons of carbon from being added to the world's atmosphere over the next 25 years. Changing your home and office lights will not save the earth but it will also save you a lot of money.  The cooler-burning bulbs, including CFL (compact fluorescent light bulbs) that look like soft-serve ice cream and LED are “light-emitting diodes." This is only the first step to start reducing climate change. Just change what you used regularly with more sufficient technologies. Whenever you buy a new light think about how it will save energy, reduce emissions, and save your money.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/a-bright-idea-how-changing-light-bulbs-helps-beat-global-warming-and-cut-bills-406494.html

http://www.davidsuzuki.org/what-you-can-do/climate-change/science/energy/energy-efficient-lighting/