As this group is called Environmental Defense it would be good to share with all the readers what YOU are doing to help defend our earth's health and well being. We all have something we can learn from one another in how we are caring for our planet Earth. If you have made any specific committments or are doing something that you feel helps the local, regional or global environment please share it with the group's other members. Hope to see a lot of good suggestions and discussions.

To kick of this thread I would like to share with all the Environmental Defense readers what I am doing to help defend earth. I have always (almost by default of my personality) lived a relatively speaking low impact life. But at one stage in my life I realized that I needed to do yet more to help our Earth and to live as sustainable as possible, simply because my conscience and rationality told me that I need to do yet more. I made a compact with myself, and developed 20 comittments over time. Here are my 20 committements to Earth: 1. Changed my career from consulting to environmental management 2. Created my own environmental blog: http://earthechoes.blogspot.com 3. Do not have a car, use as much public transport as possible. 4. Live within walking distance of my office. 5. Do not use lifts (it is also good exercise). 6. Change light bulbs to energy saving ones. 7. Only have lights on in the room where I am. 8. Make sure the washing machine is completely full before starting it, and only wash clothes that are truly dirty. 9. I only buy clothes when/if I truly need them, and then always natural fabrics/dyes when possible. 10. Recycle what is possible to recycle. 11. Buy used/second hand when possible. If not possible then I buy good quality items that last many more years than cheaper alternatives. 12. Use all electronic equipment until it fails and is beyond repair. 13. Buy local made products when at all possible. 14. Buy organic food when possible. 15. Have nearly become a vegetarian (eat only a bit of seafood and very seldom chicken, never pork or red meat). Goal is to become completely vegetarian by the end of 2007. 16. I do not buy newspapers as I get all my news online. 17. I also do not have a TV. The less electronic equipment the better as the manufactur and disposal of such are amongst the worst polluting factors. 18. If I need a book I go to the public library first, if noth there then a second hand bookshop and if not there, then the regular bookshop. 19. Take part in environmental discussions, sign petitions and inform friends, colleagues and family members about environmental issues. 20. I am an active member of several environmental/conservation organizations and I volunteer my free time to organizations that need my help and whose goals are aligned with my own eco-ethics. I realise that some of these comittment are not for everyone, especially the first one. But I like to share it with you anyhow. It is also changing and developing over time as new ones are added and old ones modified.

Thanks for your post. I was intrigued by the subject, and when I read the message, I thought, "gosj, what can I write, I am not really doing as much as I would like to defend the Earth". But then I read your post and I realized I do all of those things!!! And I am a complete vegetarian and grow some of my food! That made me feel good. So now I am able to think of more things I am doing. I have instructions and have built a device that allows my car to get 50 mpg. I only drive into town once a week. I live out in the country and visit the creek instead of turning on the air conditioner. I homeschool my daughter. I write letters to the Water Mangement District about ways I would like to see our water resources "managed". I also only have the light on in a room when I am using it. I think that is a really big thing that people don't realize how much of an impact that makes. I eat almost all organic food and order my produce thru a local co-op of other homeschooling mothers. I wanted to post this that I saw earlier: 10 (Free) things you can do to save the planet For my first post, I thought I would offer up 10 things that everyone can do to help save the planet. These things are easy! You don’t have to buy anything… in fact, most of these things will actually save you money. As a special challenge… I want to ask all bloggers out there who read this, to re-post this list on your blog. Let’s see how many sites we can get this list on. 1. Don’t drive 1 in 5. This means that one day out of the week… carpool, bike, or ride public transportation to work. C’mon, just one day… you can do it. If it works out well, add more days. 2. Keep your fridge full. An empty refrigerator uses more energy. If you’re not keeping it full with food, keep it full with gallon-jugs of water. 3. Turn stuff off. It’s easy to remember to turn big things off, like lights or TVs , but don’t forget about the small stuff… like VCR, DVD, computer speakers, and printers. If they’re on, they’re using energy, even if you aren’t actively using them. 4. Stop that Junk Mail. Junk mail wastes tons of paper every day, and you don’t want it anyway. Here’s some info about having your name removed from junk mail lists. 5. Take your own bags to the grocery store. Canvas tote bags work great, but you can also take back the plastic bags that your got from your last trip to the store. Reuse them over and over, and then recycle them. Many stores give you a small discount for bringing your own bags. 6. Water at night. If you water your lawn and other outdoor plants at night, or early in the morning, you’ll lose less water to evaporation, so you’ll be able to water less. 7. Run appliances at night. Many electric companies actually lower their rates during off-peak hours. Running your dishwasher or washer/dryer at night, can save you some money, and reduce the amount of electricity that the power-plant needs to generate. Check with your power company for a list of off-peak hours. 8. Do full loads. When you do run your dishwasher or washer/dryer, make sure they’re full. running a half-full dishwasher is very wasteful. 9. Maximize trash bags. Wait till your trash is full before taking it out. The less bags you put into a landfill, the better. 10. Recycle! Most cities offer recycling programs. Recycle everything you can… at home, and at work. There’s no sense filling up a landfill with items that can be recycled. If your work doesn’t offer a recycling program, start one. Like I said, these are things everyone can do. You don’t have to go out and buy a new hybrid car, or energy efficient appliances to make a difference. Although, those things are good too. If you have some no cost / low cost tips, feel free to leave them in the comments.

purchase as much food from bulk as possible...helps prevent packaging do not go for the bottle water thing..get a filter for your own tap water..get a water testing kit and work localy for better water. I know this is very hard in Florida..the water there is horrible..so there are exceptions.the small bottles are a wastefull if you need one..refill as many time as possible.Do cover your plastic bottles in the sun...the sun filteres bad stuff from the plastic into your drinking water. purchase recharable batteries bring your own bag to the stores..reject plastic bags collect rain water for the garden( a drop of oil in in will help to keep the moscitos from breeding ) if you purchase newspapers make sure to hand them to others you can read books online ..check out refdesk.com for links use prodcuts without or natural scents...parfuem is toxic and so is roomspray and the stuff they sell to "clean" the air check all your products if they are tested on animals..ask questions? I use homepatic remedies or herbal when needed..they are lighter on the earth than over the counter medication like pain killers and better for your self. take showers not full bath...use no bubble soap. you can make your onw bath products inexpensive,enviromental and natural. Use untreated wood or recycled wood when building ..check out where the wood comes from ..many companies sell wood from the rain forest. check out links on how to do your own cosmetics. cook for your pets...it is better for them and you have no idea what's is used to make cat and dog food(if you do not know, don't ask) watch out what you purchase for your home..many carpets are toxic when new..so are furniture and wall paint...ask for non toxic .

I believe we humans were put on this Earth to protect it. This is not at all what we have done. Instead of protecting all Earth's creatures (as we are the only ones that can) we have nearly destroyed it. My wish is to get more people to believe this and live their lives with this awareness. What I have done: Replaced most of our lightbulbs w/Energy Saving Ones. Adopted a Vegetarian lifestyle. Buy organic when possible. Grow own tomatoes, peppers, strawberries in summer. But locally when possible. Walk when possible. Don't drive on weekends. Use husband more efficient car for weekend errands. Spend weekends in wilderness when possible. Pick up any trash while walking. Recycle when possible. Purchased window fan w/thermostat, turns off automatically, prevents from using when not needed. Use fan instead of A/C. Don't use A/C in car. Turn lights off in rooms not in. Have TV on only if actively watching. Share books w/ family, friends, co-workers. Created a box at work where we bring books we've read and exchange them for others. Summer gardening all organic. Taught 8 year old nephew to respect the Earth, he recycles, picks up trash, turns lights out in rooms he's not in.

great responses. what i see here is that many of us do many small things that does not cost us a lot in terms of money (actually most of the time save us money) and not all that much in terms of efforts spent either, but that added up has an incredible positive accumulated effect on the environment. Also what is interesting is to see how we have "internalized" these activities, they have become a natural part of our everyday life and philosophy. This is very important. Once it is internalized we start living more in harmony with ourselves and also with nature. Any more examples out there? Any other thoughts on this issue?

here is a small little thing that can be done..that amounts to imense savings on water...and resources .. I notice here in Germany that they have many water closets built this way in public places and in private newer homes....you can push for a small or a larger amount of water for the water closet. I think this is great to save water..as soon as we have the ability to post pictures I will do so. As well on public place I notice seperated garbage a round ton with 4 sections..one for glass,plastic paper and rest garbage..

Yes it is indeed the small things that often matters the most. If only everyone did it, it would have a huge effect. So we should all conserve energy, conserve water, reduce, reuse and recycle what we can. This is in real terms a very effective way of "defending" our eartrh's resources. And also put pressure on governments, friends, family and colleagues to become eco-friendly. Lead by setting an example. Be the change that you want to see in the world! Well, that is a bit of a pep talk on an early Friday morning. Weekend is soon here, the first one in June

We use night lights in the evening and turn on a low watt in the kitchen for our main light. We live in a small 500 sq ft cabin that is well insulated, so winter time it doesn't take much energy to heat our whole place up. We only watch TV, when we rent a movie or check out one from the library on our week ends off from work. We shop with cloth bags and turn down any plastic bags offered to us. We eat as organic as possible and try to purchase from local growers and green manufactures. Our down fall is that our jobs are 20 miles from home and we work complete different shifts. We have 3 rescued dogs, so we need to be at home as much as possible. When we need to shop or wash cloths, we do this after or before work, so no extra trips to town. We both have 4 cylinder vehicles(can't afford hybrids)/ Our air conditioning is open windows. I shop at thrift stores and get darn good prices and pretty cool cloths. We have gone back to using all Cast Iron pots & Pans. No teflon, or plastic and no microwave. We use two towels per week for drying and wear our cloths a couple of times if we don't soil them horribly. We don't use aresol sprays, we don't smoke, drink alcohol and we try to use natural homopathic remedies for our old aching joints. We recycle any and all things that come across our paths. We don't water lawns, but mother earth has blessed the coastal range of Oregon. We just don't need to water. Last, I get the oppportunity to work in the summer with teens in the great outdoors. I am a crew supervisor that guides and teaches young folk conservation work in our national forest and coastal waterways. I get the opportunity to work in riparian restoration of our water basins and take out noxious weeds from our forest. So why one half of the world is destroying our earth, there is another half conserving & preserving our earth. Power to the Earth God, may mankind learn from Earth and her friends.....

reduce meat consumption..or adopt a vegetarian lifestyle. This will have a major impact on our enviroment.

Wow, you guys are great! I grow my own organic vegetables and buy them from the local farmers. I am a vegetarian, albeit a lacto-ovo vegetarian. I have my own chickens. Free range and organic eggs! I also hang my laundry up to dry. Here in the Texas sun, it takes no time at all for them to dry. Lately, though, that has been a little more difficult, as it has been raining almost every day. I use compact flourescent bulbs, and don't use the a/c until we are about to melt.We use window fans. We also purchase our electricity from a company that uses hydro and wind power.In case anyone is interested, the company is Greenmountain Energy. Peace, Christy

I envy some of your lifestyles. I hope one day I'll be able to have some land for an animal sanctuary and my own organic vegetable farming. I'm conservative with what I use: water, electric, etc. I too use a power company that buys green power. www.sterlingplanet.com I only use green cleaning products like Seventh Generation http://www.seventhgen.com/ I'm also a vegetarian who buys organic. No platsic bags! I'm a recycling warrior too! Here's a nice page of links: http://www.saveourenvironment.org/about.html

this is the way...push the small circle for a small amount of water

and the bigger for the other bussiness.You find this feature in almost every bathroom here in Germany  in almost all the ewer public places ..Airports, restaurants,cafes and in many private households. Hope this  idea catches on...it is simple enough

the different departments are for glass plastic and paper and the rest garbage..they are everywhere on every train station and in airports.

This spells a huge relief for the sanitation workers, the landfills...the recycling centers

I myself try to buy all organic for my family, I recycle,but most of all I buy all my house products from this company that is TOXIN free so im not harming my family or the earth Im making a difference 1 person at a time.  Love and Light Lisa Jo

As this thread we have so much to learn from one another. Also it is great to see that we all change the earth and our lifestyles one person at the time. Hopefully we will soon reach a critical mass and can thus have a much bigger impact on governments. Please vote 'green' as well as think and act green. Another thing we all can and should do is to also read and educate ourselves as much as possible on green and eco-friendly issues. That way we can be better ambassadors for our green way of life and give better and more informed arguments when faced with questions about why we do what we do. Keep up the good work everyone!

Since green businesses are popping up left and right, I love that The Social Venture Network is holding a contest to reward business leaders of socially responsible companies! If you know a CEO or high-level person in such a company, please send them to the Social Venture Network site and look for the "Imagine Whats Next" contest.
They are holding this contest to reward business leaders for starting or running socially responsible companies. This seems to be a growing trend, and a colleague of mine who works at a non-profit sent it to me.
Here is the link: http://www.svn.org/imaginewhatsnext

Let's see.

I live in the city and walk most places I need to go.
Unfortunately, I have moved from Washington, DC where there was fabulous Public Transport to Philadelphia, yet I still use PT as much as possible.
I have owned a fuel efficient car for the past 30 years (Honda Civic and VWs), when I owned a car.
I recycle as much as is possible (hard in Philly).
I made the switch to CFLs.
I worked for two years as the Sierra Club's Mackinac Chapter Legal Chair.
I put a deposit on a Smart.
I joined Philadelphia Car Share.

I plan on getting a new energy efficient AC system in the autumn.

I also plan on buying an instant on water heater when this one dies.

In general, I try to be as earth friendly as is possible and work at raising  others enviromental awareness.  I need to start on my wife who has her own house, drives an SUV and works away from home.

that's a lot of ideas. what i do - at least, off the top of my head:

1. got my dad to change all the bulbs to low energy ones.

2. got my parents to install low energy appliances for the new house - ceiling fans, fridges, washing machine

3. wash only full loads

4. dry clothes outside as much as possible

5. turn off electrical appliances (at the wall) and lights when not in use

6. recycle as many things as i can

7. my mother composts most of the kitchen waste

8. carry a bag to go shopping and try to refuse as many bags as possible

9. combine shopping trips to conserve fuel and practice fuel-saving driving habits

10. carpool with my dad once a week if our work schedules permit

11. work from home once a week if schedule permits

12. reduce use of cleaning chemicals

13. repair items instead of throwing away and buying new (clothes, furniture, car, etc.) and re-heel shoes to extend life

14. buy vintage jewelry instead of new

15. for non-official printing, use the reverse side of discarded printouts, and print double-sided whenever possible, and use the lowest ink setting that is appropriate

16. work as an environmental professional

17. support environmental organisations as member and with financial contributions

18. cutting down on meat consumption

19. try to rent books instead of buying when i can

20. use a solar heater to provide hot water

21. do most of my banking and bill payments online and opt out of receiving paper statements

22. bring handkerchief instead of tissue paper

23. re-use old t-shirts as kitchen rags instead of buying kitchen cloths

24. gradually changed all AA and AAA batteries in the house to rechargeables

25. grow some vegetables, and buy organic and locally-farmed eggs and vegetables

This post was modified from its original form on 13 Jul, 2:39

oh yes, i also

26. opt for brands with less packaging, sometimes even if it costs slightly more, when i have several options and don't really mind which one i buy; also try to buy the biggest size of things that i will use anyway - like shampoo and toothpaste

27. never buy mineral water or drinking water - i fill a reusable sports water bottle at home and bring that instead

28. sometimes i write to companies and to the newspaper about current environmental issues

http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/help-make-nyc-plastic-bag-safe

www.lolldesigns.com

Loll Designs produces outdoor furniture using 100% recycled high density polyethylene (HDPE). That's right, you'll be sitting in 100% recycled milk jugs! This is contemporary, durable all-weather furniture for people who enjoy the simple pleasures of life but favor it be enjoyed in maintenance-free relaxation. Every Loll design is sustainably constructed with comfort and longevity in mind. Using green products should not entail that you have to sacrifice anything; it should be better in every way than its uneco-friendly counterpart. And, unlike most recycled poly chairs and outdoor furniture, Loll Designs are made with a focus on modern design with a contemporary appeal.

Loll ships modern recycled outdoor furniture online to Canada and the United States.

We are trying to host a tailgate/human chain/rally

What are you doing on the 4th of July?


We're building a human chain to fight against Global Warming.

We are lining up on the following Interstates
I-5,I-15, I-25, I-35, I-55, I-75, I-95, I-90, I-94, I-80, I-40,  and I-10.


Don't let big businesses fool you. This is AMERICA and one thing we do well is INVENT things.

There are numerous energy saving and pollution saving ideas available that could be put in to place RIGHT NOW.  Businesses are stalling and we're not going to take it anymore.

So now that we know "WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR", we're heading to the highways to say BRING BACK The Electric Car, and comply with California's Zero Emissions Mandate of 1990!!

Just think, things could've changed almost 10 years ago.

It doesn't take that long to change. When your boss says from now on if you're five minutes late from lunch you'll be written up, what happens? CHANGE that's what.

SO everybody warm up your "Electric Slide" skills and "head on down the highway"


for more info:


http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/zev-independence-day-rally

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/human_chain_politics/

http://www.pluginamerica.org/estore.shtml
http://www.setamericafree.org/openletter.htm

Please Come.
Marcia

I am trying to get the word out!

Conservationist in Wyoming need all the help we can get and we need it FAST. Since wolves were de-listed from the ESA, Wyoming has implemented a wildlife management plan for the state that declared wolves trophy animals outside of Yellowstone National Park. This means that wolves can effectively be shot on site at any time. No licenses are required. No Conservation Stamps Purchased. No Hunting Season required. You see them you can shoot them. Nature lovers in this state have been battling the wolf issue against ranchers since wolves were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) in the mid 90's. Now that our state can manage the problem the strong agricultural lobby in this state has finally gotten their way and wolves will almost certainly be eliminated from all areas outside YNP unless swift action is taken. I encourage you to please call the governors' office in Wyoming. Our governor is Dave Fruedenthal and his phone number is 307.777.7434. His web site is:
[url]http://governor.wy.gov/default.aspx

Another place you can air your complaints is with the Wyoming Fish and Wildlife Service. If you want to read the wolf management plan so you can see just how crazy it is here is the link: http://gf.state.wy.us/downloads/pdf/WolfFinal2007WyomingGrayWolfManagementPlan.pdf[/url]

The game and fish web site is:
[url]http://gf.state.wy.us/services/education/wolves/index.asp

Thanks in advance to everyone who takes the time to get your opinion heard. Right now the governor has been getting a lot of flack for the wolf program on one side and lots of praise from the ranching industry. We are at a tipping point and every call could make a real difference for the fate of wolves in this state.