Image by Dorena-wm / Creative Commons

Well, the weekend is here and after a long week, I figured it was time to catch everyone up on some of the weekly green news I’ve seen, heard and read about this week. I know many of you keep up-to-date on the latest and greatest in environmental and green news, but here are a few you may not have checked out. Either way, take a gander at this week’s green news:

1) German Government to Oppose Fracking: In what some consider a bold move, Germany has stated they are pulling the plug on plans that were intent on using hydraulic fracturing aka “fracking” to extract natural gas.

2) For all you environmentally-friendly chocolate lovers out there, you’ll be happy to know that the UK’s only carbon-neutral chocolate is transported by sailing ship. That’s definitely one way to travel. Now if they could just get the price down…

3) Only 1 in 10 Americans is a Global Warming Denier: How do you feel about global warming? Do you believe it? Are you moderately concerned? Are you not quiet convinced? Well, according to a recent report only 10% of Americans are convinced there is no such thing as global warming and that what we, as humans, do have no impact on global temps whatsoever.

4) Speaking of global warming, or actually climate change, how about taking a 3-minute journey through the last 250 years of our climate history…

5) Have you been pondering the idea of getting an electric vehicle? With PG&E’s new EV proposal laying groundwork for $1-per-gallon fuel, now might be the right time to seriously consider it. Of course, we’re talking the equivalent of $1 a gallon, but you get the point.

6) Plastic trash altering ocean habitats: There is no lack of information on the importance of recycling, cutting down on the use of plastic materials and working hard to see that trash does not end up in the ocean. Unfortunately we are now seeing “a 100-fold upsurge in human-produced plastic garbage in the ocean is altering habitats in the marine environment”. So much so that damage to the world’s oceans may cost trillions.

7) World’s rarest (and one of the most endangered) gorillas caught on film in Cameroon. It’s nice to hear stories about the life and survival of species that we rarely see or even know still exist. What’s even better is getting a glimpse of them in their natural habitat…watch the video and you’ll see what I mean.

That’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to green news for the week, but hopefully it will help to either peak your interest to find out more or at least put a little green in your life. Hope you have a wonderful and biofriendly weekend ahead. Don’t forget to get outdoors and check out some of that green that nature so aptly provides.

Well, it’s that time again. Time to wrap up the week with a few of the green and environmentally-friendly articles that caught my attention this week.

Image by Tee Time Tony/Creative Commons

Of course there are so many great articles and a wealth of information I haven’t included, but I thought these might be of interest to you, as they were to me. So, before you head out for the weekend, let’s do a little checking in on the world of green:

Test Driving the Fisker Karma Electric/Gasoline Hybrid Car: You’ve probably heard this one, but the Fisker Karma hybrid sports car has finally started rolling off the assembly line. What do you think? Could you see yourself in one of these? A little rich for my blood, however I do like the look of the Fisker Karma.

Sun-Powered Solaris Car Wins Mazda’s Aurora Survivor 2050 Competition: Looking a little further into alternative energy vehicles, check out this sun-powered car. Using solar electric power, this vehicle seeks to bring the future of transportation to the here and now.

Electric Vehicles to Total 14 Million by 2014: Whether you’re talking electric (EVs, PEVs, PHEVs) or hybrid vehicles, estimates show that public interest is increasing and these types of alternative vehicles will total 14 million by the year 2014. That’s only a few years away. Do you own an electric or hybrid vehicle? If not, do you think you will in the next few years?

Living Off the Grid with Alternative Energy Sources: There are many different options when it comes to using alternative energy to help power your home. But it’s going to take more than one option in order to live off the grid. Take a look at some great ideas and information on how you too can begin living more sustainably.

You May Soon Be Drinking Your…Urine? Yep: Your first reaction, if it was anything like mine, is probably “Not on your life!”. Well, besides the apparent health benefits from drinking urine, since urine is about 95% water, there is no reason is couldn’t and shouldn’t be recycled to meet water demands. In fact, treatment centers are being established in order to recycle, treat and purify wastewater to help meet city water needs. Even Los Angeles is apparently building a treatment plant.

How Much Land Do You Need to Eat Well? [Infographic]: So much talk about living sustainably, I’d be remiss to not mention something about growing your own food. But how much land do you really need in order to grow sufficient food to eat well? This article will help give you an idea.

7 Lessons from Canada’s Environmental Pragmatism: Many people, cities, government and countries like to talk the talk when it comes to making environmental and sustainable changes, but Canada shows they are really walking the walk as well. Check out these 7 lessons which can be learned from Canada.

That covers this week’s Weekly Greens. I hope you enjoyed and got some good information from the above articles. If you have something you think I should feature or mention in my Weekly Greens, please feel free to message me on Twitter or email me (biofriendlyblog at gmail). I look forward to hearing from you. Until then, have a wonderfully biofriendly weekend.

Earth Hour 2011 is being held, Saturday March 26th at 8:30pm. Millions of people across the globe will be turning off their lights for an hour to show their support in making a stand against climate change. But is there really a biofriendly reason behind Earth Hour or is it simply a gimmick to get people to “protest” climate change?

Well, some people would say it’s more of a gimmick or something done strictly for publicity sake. I mean, why bother turning off your lights for just one hour? What kind of real difference is that going to make? People are probably going to go back to their usual habits the next day anyway, aren’t they?

However there are those who believe that getting the message out about climate change, and how individuals can combat climate change, is what Earth Hour is all about. For those people, Earth Hour is simply the chosen time when millions of people from countries around the world join together as one to show their combined support.

Personally, I think it could be a little of both. But, I do feel those who fail to take the time to learn about the purpose and history of Earth Hour are actually missing out. Earthhour.org explains it well when they say:

“Earth Hour has done a lot to raise awareness of sustainability issues. But there’s more to it than switching off lights for one hour once a year. It’s all about giving people a voice and working together to create a better future for our planet.”

So whether or not you believe in climate change or are even concerned about it, you need to ask yourself…What kind of condition do you want to leave this planet in for your children and grandchildren? The biofriendly idea behind Earth Hour is all about doing something of benefit to the planet. Taking steps, no matter how big or how small, to prolong the survival of Earth as we know it.

With that in mind, it’s clear that Earth Hour is much more than one symbolic hour. It’s all about people going beyond the hour, taking the extra step to make a change in their life.

Consider Earth Hour your next step in making a difference. Then follow that up with further steps, including but not limited to the following:

1) If you’re truly interested in cleaning up and preserving the planet, then there should be no more global warming, just global cleaning.

2) Practice water save techniques. Conserving water is something every one of us can do. And remember, while you may have easy 24-hour access to water, not everyone in the world does.

3) Start growing some of your own food. There’s no better way to ensure you are eating organic food than to grow it yourself. Additionally, growing your own food is something you can do to combat rising food prices.

4) With gas prices on the rise, many people are looking at ways they can cut down on their gasoline consumption. Of course, getting an electric or hybrid vehicle would help. Using a proven fuel additive helps increase fuel efficiency and lower emissions too. Then there is carpooling, car-sharing, public transportation, etc. Whatever option fits you best is something you can do to lessen your pain at the pump. Please remember to keep these 10 Not So Biofriendly Motorist Mistakes in mind as well.

When it all comes down to it, instead of celebrating Earth Hour because everyone else is, go “Beyond the Hour” and decide what action(s) you are going to take to combat climate change and make the world a more biofriendly place to live.

Well, believe it or not we are already half way through February 2011. At this rate we’re going to blow right by spring cleaning and straight into biofriendly tips for summer before you know it. But before that happens, let’s get in this week’s Weekly Greens. Hope you enjoy!

Image by sunshne954

1) A Quick Guide to Environmentally-Friendly Household Products: Speaking of spring cleaning, here are some tips you can use every day/week in order to get your house clean and smelling good – without using harsh chemicals.

2) A little alternative energy news: There were a couple of good alternative energy advancements I thought were worth sharing. The first was regarding Campbell Soup and the second regarding IKEA.

Then of course there’s the small matter of a magnifying film that can increase solar panel efficiency by around 300%. That means solar could be right up there competing with fossil fuel power.

But here’s a question for you, Can America Afford To Invest In Clean Energy?

3) Awareness to Action: Bridge the Sustainability Gap: Whether you are an individual or a business, bridging the gap between awareness and action can sometimes take a lot. So, how do you get started?

4) How to Avoid Storing Food in Plastic Containers: I know this one is a little over a week old, but I definitely thought it was worth sharing. Since so many of us (yes, myself included) have some form of plastic containers they use in their kitchen.

Image by RandyA38

5) Building a Park Out of Waste: I thought this was worth sharing as it just goes to show that we can get a lot of good use out of materials we previously believed were only “junk” or waste. Creative thinking helps bring about positive change.

6) The EV Project Secures $230 Million to Roll Out 15,000 EV Chargers Across the States: Now this is something we’ve all been waiting to hear and see come to fruition. If the electric vehicle is really going to take off, the infrastructure needs to be in place to support it. Here’s another step towards making that a reality.

And just in case you missed it from earlier this week, on the subject of conservation here are some “Daily Routines We Could Stand To Improve“. Remember to follow me on Twitter for more green, environmental, biofriendly and other interesting tweets throughout the week.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead. Please remember to take some time to unplug you and your family. Get outdoors and enjoy nature for awhile. There are plenty of things to see and do out there!

You may not be a car enthusiast. You may not even be 100% environmentally-conscious in your transportation choices. But neither of those points matter here, because once you take a look at these forms of chic eco transportation, you might decide it’s time for a change.

Now I’m not talking about public transportation…although I do like the concept of the straddling buses in China or high-speed rail coming to California. And walking or riding your bike are great ways to get around (and get some exercise). However right now, I’m talking about personal transportation, the kind you might find parked in your driveway someday.

Whether you already have an electric vehicle you wouldn’t trade for the world, a hybrid you couldn’t do without or your trusty but “not so environmentally-friendly” vehicle (that really needs an effective fuel additive to drive it anywhere) I still think you’ll find at least one of these vehicles will catch your eye.

Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG E-Cell:

Renault DeZir (Concept Car):

Porsche 918 Spyder Electric Hybrid:

Brammo Empulse: (with additional photos for the Empulse here)

Terrafugia Transition:

Aptera 2e:

MIT’s CityCar (video also shows their GreenWheel electric bike attachment):

Of course if the electric car had caught on almost 100 years ago, we probably wouldn’t be dealing with the pollution and harmful emissions we are dealing with today. I mean take a look at this electric car from 1914…..

Just imagine what transportation today would have been like if electric vehicles, not gasoline-powered vehicles, had been what auto makers decided to build over the last hundred years.

Luckily for consumers, with auto makers continuing to move towards more environmentally-friendly options, that will pretty much guarantee an eco option for almost anyone.

What do you think the future of personal transportation holds? Are SEVs (Space Efficient Vehicles) going to be the wave of the future? What form of chic eco transportation would best suit your needs?

To see more green or eco transportation options, check out the winners of the Green Car Awards 2010.

Image from BYD.com

Back in January 2010, Chinese automaker Build Your Dream (BYD) announced they were looking at joining the U.S. Market and bringing their zero emission e6 to the U.S. by the end of this year.

Two months later, the media reported that BYD was looking at moving their operations to Los Angeles. Then in early May 2010, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and BYD Executives confirmed that Los Angeles had indeed been chosen as the new U.S. headquarters for BYD.

BYD coming to Los Angeles seems to fit right in with the goals laid out by Clean Tech Los Angeles. Especially considering the fact that ECOtality’s EV Project was recently expanded to include Los Angeles and ECOtality just released “Blink”, their flagship EV charging stations with a wall-mounted version for at-home installation and a stand-alone version for commercial use.

Blink EV Charging Station image from MarketWatch.com

With zero emissions, low noise, an environmentally-friendly design, great safety ratings, ability to reach speeds of 87 mph (140 km/h) and acceleration from 0-60 in 10 seconds, the e6 is pretty good choice if you’re looking for an EV.

Unfortunately, per one of the latest updates from BYD, it’s going to be a bit before you’ll be able to get your hands on a highly regarded e6. Estimates are that there will be only 50 to 100 brought to the U.S. this year with the e6 going to the broad market in 2012.

Until that time, do what you can to keep your vehicle emissions low: keep up with regular maintenance, ensure tires are properly inflated, use a proven fuel additive, car-pool or use public transportation whenever available, etc.

Because, if you’ve ever thought of owning an EV, such as a Nissan LEAF or a Chevy Volt, you might want to check out what BYD has to offer with their zero emission e6. You never know, you might find the e6 is your zero emission dream car.

Hot days are bad enough but when you add in a batch of air pollution, as can be found in most major cities, the air quality only seems to get exponentially worse. Major cities have a tendency to form a sort of “heat island” where temperatures on hot days can actually be 2-22°F (1-12°C) hotter than if you live in a nearby rural community.

Living in a valley versus living by the ocean or on a mountain range can also adversely affect air quality on hot days. The hot weather seems to almost cook the pollution and make it that much harder to breathe. Besides, did you know that ”Ozone persists for hours after forming, so unhealthy conditions often last well into the evening, after the sun has gone down.“?

Therefore you might want to be aware of these 5 ways that air pollution can hit hard on a hot day:

1) Personally – According to the American Heart Association, continued exposure to air pollution could eventually contribute to heart disease and/or strokes. On hot days, this risk is magnified.

Additionally, young children, people with asthma and older adults are especially susceptible to breathing problems in heavily polluted areas and on hot days. So it is advised, for the sake of your health, to keep an eye on the air quality before you plan any prolonged outdoor activities for you and your family.

Drinking plenty of water and making sure you don’t get dehydrated is key as well. One of my favorite drinks (besides water) when it’s hot outside is: 1-2 teaspoons Organic Apple Cider Vinegar, 1-2 teaspoons organic honey and 8 ounces of cold distilled water. It really hits the spot on a hot day!

2) Pets – Animals are not able to fend for themselves most of the time. They depend on their owners to feed them, give them water, provide for them, etc. On hot days this is especially important.

Image by shoe the Linux Librarian

Don’t leave your pet in an area where they can’t escape the hot Summer heat. Also, make sure your pet has plenty of water. A dog, for example, usually drinks about .5-1 ounces of water for every pound they weigh. Hot days they will need more. Animals, like humans can suffer from heat stroke, get sunburns and get dehydrated. It is up to you to ensure your dog is well cared for.

When air quality is poor, your pet can experience some of the same symptoms you do. It is important to limit their exercise on hot, heavy pollution days and minimize their exposure to air pollutants too. Here are a few more hot weather pet care tips.

3) Your vehicle – As you probably know, unless you have an electric vehicle, your vehicle is more than likely contributing to harmful emissions and air pollution. Additionally, when air quality is poor, we tend to keep the windows rolled up and turn up the air conditioning. Which, if you don’t keep your vehicle properly maintained, could cause your vehicle to overheat.

One key tip, since gas vapors are quite harmful and contribute to ground ozone levels, is that you don’t fill up on hot “Air Quality Action Days“. If you have to fill up, it is recommended that you do so in the early morning hours or late evening, like after 7pm.

Nobody wants their car breaking down on a hot, pollution-heavy day.

4) Home – One of the first things we do, or are told to do, on a hot day when air pollution is especially heavy is to stay inside. Makes sense, right?! Well, not necessarily so. Indoor air quality can sometimes be up to 50% worse than outdoor air quality.

Besides the tips in the above video, here are a few more good ways you can improve the air quality inside your home. Take a look and see what you can do so that neither outdoor nor indoor air pollution will hit you quite as hard on a hot day.

5) Your wallet – One of the not so visible things that tends to get hit pretty hard on hot, heavy pollution days is your wallet. Just think about, if you stay at home, you probably spend more money trying to keep your house cool. You might turn on a few extra lights that wouldn’t usually be on.

You might drink and use more water to try and keep yourself cool. Maybe you even water your plants and lawn more to try and keep them from wilting or turning brown.

If you are in your vehicle, you are spending more even if just by having your a/c running the entire time you are out and about.

All in all, it pretty much boils down to the fact that air pollution gets worse on hot days. So a smart way to lower your risk is to lower the amount of air pollution you are putting into the environment. What tips do you have for lowering your exposure to air pollution on hot days?

Image via eric_arbras

Electric vehicles are gearing up to become the next best thing since sliced bread, aren’t they? Well, that may be what the EV auto makers would like us to believe, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just quite yet. I mean what good is an electric vehicle without a charge?

At this point most electric vehicles are reported to get a maximum of 100-200 miles per charge. With limited charging stations, where are those EVs going to “fill up” if they’re away from home? A lack of charging stations is going to seriously limit the mobility and practicality of the electric vehicle.

Image by felixkramer

First take a look at some of the hottest electric vehicles we can expect to see on the roads in the new future. From the Nissan LEAF to the Chevy Volt to the Tesla Roadster and more, these electric vehicles are looking to make a major change in what people drive and how they get around.

Make no mistake, if the electric vehicles can gain the popularity auto makers are hoping for, they can make a serious dent in lowering harmful emissions. They also require less maintenance, they can be charged using solar power and they are much more energy-efficient overall. But that now brings us back to charging stations.

Without charging stations littering major highways and thoroughfares, driving your vehicle long distances will simply not be an option. Luckily that’s where companies like BetterPlace and Coulomb Technologies (with their ChargePoint® Network) come into play.

Image from coulombtech.com

Coulomb Technologies is aiming to place their charging stations at homes, existing gas stations, rest stops, curbside parking spots, businesses and more. They think (as do I) that if you are going to have an electric vehicle it should be just as convenient, if not more convenient, to get it charged up.

You can even suggest locations for charging stations if there aren’t enough ChargePoint charging stations near you. They also have a recently released iPhone app for your convenience to help you find charging stations, check availability, receive messages when your vehicle is charged and more.

Better Place aims to provide not only access to charging stations worldwide, but to battery switching stations and other services essential to making the EV driver experience a pleasant one.

Until that point, I’m afraid it’ll be just hit and miss. Check out this Southern California EV charging station map for example. I thought it was interesting that some users made comments that the location they used didn’t even realize they had an EV charging station. Wow!

So, if you are considering getting an electric vehicle, I highly recommend you do your research first. Otherwise you may end up with an electric vehicle that doesn’t get used as it should.

Hopefully though, sooner rather than later, we’ll start seeing charging stations pop up at every “gas station” up and down the highway. Until that point, work on driving less and driving smarter.

Image by Todd Mecklem

When it comes to the latest in hot and stylish eco-transportation, most people usually think four wheels. Hybrids, electric vehicles and even an occasional three wheeled vehicle are gaining more and more popularity. But other than motorcycles, what makes two wheels better than more?

Well, check out these cool two wheel eco-vehicles:

1) Segway® PT – I’m sure you are familiar with the Segway® Personal Transporter. Promoted as “the world’s first self-balancing human transporter”, the PT has continued to capture people’s attention because even though it only has two wheels it still manages to stay upright.

You’ve seen individuals riding them around town, places like the San Diego Wild Animal Park offer tours on Segway® X2s and over 1000 police and security installations around the world use them for their officers on patrol.

The Segway PT can go around 24 miles on a single battery charge (depending on your style of driving, of course, and the terrain). So using your PT for a quick trip around town is a much more eco-friendly choice than taking your car – EV or not.

Who knows, maybe even one of these days, Zipcar will start renting out Segways as part of their car sharing program. (Zipcar Segway image by davidcrow on Flickr.)

Now of course walking is the most eco-friendly choice, however we’re talking about two wheeled vehicles here.

2) Segway® EN-V: For those of you who would rather ride in an enclosed vehicle, Segway has an option for you as well. The Segway EN-V is not only fully enclosed, just like your car, but it can hold two passengers.

In collaboration with GM and SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.), Segway decided to take the simple concept of the PT and apply that to a multi-passenger vehicle.

The new EN-Vs (Jiao, Xiao and Miao) use the Segway-developed chassis and electric drivetrain, however it can provide more power, more range and more speed even with two passengers.

The EN-V is also apparently “five times as energy efficient as the average U.S. passenger car“. Besides, doesn’t it look like a fun ride?

For a video showing more about the EN-Vs and how they are made, you can check out this.

3) BMW C1-E: Although it’s just a concept vehicle, BMW hopes their C1-E will quickly catch on. Designed as a contribution to the European safety project eSUM, the C1-E is the electric, more eco-friendly older brother to the original BMW C1.

The C1-E features an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery. It could potentially be equipped with an efficient, low-emission internal combustion engine as well.

BMW states “the advantage of two-wheeled transportation is that it offers a great opportunity for improving the flow of traffic in urban locations. Moreover, it is environmentally friendly...”.

The design of the C1-E concentrates on rider safety with features such as: a roll-over bar, energy absorbing impact material in the nose of the vehicle and yes, even a seat belt.

What do you think? Would you consider the BMW C1-E as your form of eco-friendly two-wheeled transportation?

4) YikeBike™: If you are looking for the ultimate in urban freedom, then you’ve got to check out the YikeBike. No more trying to find a place to park your car or bicycle. No more worrying about your bike being stolen from in front of your office. No more hoping there is going to be room on the bike rack of your bus or train.

YikeBike is a new face for bicycles, electronic or otherwise. It can go up to 25 kph (15.5 mph) and unlike a regular bike, when you ride a YikeBike you are pretty much sitting upright. Another exciting feature is that it is the first bike in the world that has electronic anti-skid brakes.

But one of the most convenient features is the YikeBike folds up completely in about 20 seconds and fits in a handy carrying bag that you can bring into any store, restaurant, office, etc. Nobody would even know you were carrying your ride home.

Currently its range is about 10 km (6.2 miles) on one charge and the battery recharges in about 40 minutes. Perfect for local trips and rides around town.

And if you are interested in getting what Time Magazine referred to as one of the top inventions of 2009, you’ll be happy to know the YikeBike will begin shipping at the end of June 2010.

Of course you can always opt for human pedal power with a traditional bicycle – but these are just a few of the many options for eco-friendly transportation on two wheels. What’s your favorite two wheeled ride?

Every day you hear something about harmful emissions and the environment. However, what does that really mean to you and me? Does it mean we need to go “cold turkey” on emission-producing products? To be honest, probably not…considering that would be pretty hard to do.

Let’s take a look though at 10 different everyday things that produce emissions.

Electricity: Unless you’ve got solar, wind or some other form of alternative energy you use to power your home/business, then you are probably relying on your local utility. Most local utilities still use fuel-burning plants to produce their electricity.

The burning of those fuels is still one of the main contributing sources of CO2 emissions in the United States.

According to a study done back in 2004, the average person living in the Midwest was 20 times more likely to die from particle matter emissions from power plants than someone living in San Francisco. Over the last 6 years, I wonder how much those numbers have changed…if at all.

Vehicles: It is well known that vehicles contribute a large percentage of the CO2 emissions found in the U.S., especially in larger cities.

But, if you have a hybrid or electric vehicle, you are most likely someone who has decided to cut down on the harmful emissions caused by driving a gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. For everyone else, if you want to cut down on those emissions you should drive less, use a proven fuel additive or check out other sources of transportation.

Other forms of general transportation: Yes, other forms of transportation such as buses, trains, planes, etc also produce emissions.

The volume of emissions of course depends on the transportation being used. But if you opt for the bus or train rather than driving your car to work, you are pretty much guaranteed to lower your transportation emissions.

Shipping Industry: Now of course cruise ships have their own emissions and the shipping industry is no stranger to CO2 emissions. Did you know that each ship has the potential of emitting over 150,000 tons of CO2 every year? One good thing is that the world’s largest container ship operator (Maersk) has recently announced their commitment to lower their CO2 emissions by 20% over the next 7 years.

Trucking Industry: The U.S. trucking industry alone is estimated to be more than 15 million trucks strong. One of the most heavily traveled areas for truckers in Southern California is the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The pollution, which you can often see blanketing the horizon, is due in part to the trucking/shipping industry.

In an effort to lower the emissions of trucks coming in and out of the port, the Port of Los Angeles Clean Truck Program was put in place. And apparently it has been very successful so far.

The Port of Los Angeles recently reported: “In its first year, the program reduced the rate of port truck emissions by an estimated 70 percent.”

Manufacturing: Aside from the plants which are there to produce electricity and energy, there are many plants used solely for manufacturing. Manufacturers of products such as steel, iron, cement, chemicals, etc. produce a large volume of emissions during the chemical process involved in making their product.

There are also petroleum based products manufactured, including those used in plastics, solvents and lubricants which can dissolve or wear out over time thus generating further emissions.

For those of you who are interested in a more in-depth report on not just manufacturing emissions, but trends in all greenhouse gas emissions, check out this 2010 draft report from the EPA.

Wood-Burning Stoves/Home Heating Oil: Anyone in a cold weather climate (and even some warmer ones as well, has probably used either a wood-burning stove or home heating oil to warm their home during the cold winter months. Both of these methods, while often considered “greener”, still produce emissions.

Now there is nothing quite like a wood-burning stove and during an especially cold winter, home heating oil is sometimes the only feasible option. But you might want to look into how to reduce your emissions and lower your home heating oil costs.

Animals: Well, it’s pretty common knowledge that most animals produce some form of emissions. Cows and dogs, in particular, have recently been singled out for their contribution to harmful emissions.

One study went so far as to say “a medium-size dog leaves a larger ecological footprint than an SUV“.

And did you know a single cow can produce up to 1000 litres of toxic gas each day?

But one positive note is that reports state you can lower those emissions by changing the animal’s diet. Don’t you think the same should hold true for humans as well?

Gardening/Farming Equipment powered by gasoline/diesel: Just as with the cars we drive, any gardening or farming equipment powered by gasoline/diesel is going to produce emissions.

Take this tractor for instance, it produces emissions every time it gets fired up. One cool note though, is that this tractor is hauling a manure spreader. So at least it’s taking the animal waste and putting it to good use. That doesn’t mean one necessarily cancels out the other, but it’s definitely a plus.

Basically, no matter where you live or where you go, there is some form of emission being produced. However that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to panic or try to immediately stop using anything that generates emissions, because that would be fruitless.

However, it is good to know what produces emissions, so you can be more aware of them and adjust your habits and uses accordingly. What everyday things do you use that produce emissions? And do you feel you need to lower your emissions? Why?