ecoPharmacist » Environment

100-watt incandescent light bulbs fading away

Kassie the ecoPharmacist — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 16:14:30 +0000

California has banned the sale of standard light bulbs after current stocks are exhausted. Yay! California was allowed to jump the gun on next year’s nationwide phase-out of the standard incandescent bulb. Stores in CA can sell their stock of the 100-watt lights, but after that, they can sell only more energy-efficient bulbs equivalent to 100 watts.

The new incandescents under federal efficiency standards, consume only 72 watts but burn just as brightly and just as long as descendants of those invented 132 years ago by Thomas Edison. The changeover should shave $35.6 million off consumers’ electric bills this year alone, the California Energy Commission estimated. More savings should follow as CA gets rid of the 75-watt bulb next year, the 60-watt bulb in 2013 and the 40-watt bulb in 2014. Each replacement must use about a third less energy and last at least 1,000 hours.

At least one major retailer, Ikea, is going further to push its customers toward low-wattage lighting. Last month, the Swedish company said it was no longer stocking or selling any incandescent bulbs, including the new ones. The chain said it would only stock compact fluorescent, halogen and other nonincandescent bulbs.

Check out this climate scorecard…

Kassie the ecoPharmacist — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 06:00:42 +0000

If you’re following the Copenhagen climate negotiations this week, you might want to check out the Climate Scoreboard.

The online tool allows anyone to track the progress of international climate treaty negotiations. You can check daily whether proposals commit the world to reducing enough greenhouse gas emissions to reach widely talked about goals, such as limiting future warming to 2.7 to 3.6 degrees Fahrenheit above pre-industrial temperatures.

The Scoreboard will continue to track progress in the months after the conference, trying to answer this question: If the world implemented current proposals for emissions reductions, how much future warming could we avoid?

Today, for instance, the Scoreboard estimates that if countries implemented current proposals on the table, the world would experience an increase of 7 degrees Fahrenheit by 2100 as opposed to an 8.7 degree increase if the world doesn’t reduce emissions at all. Gulp.

The Climate Scoreboard is the work of the Sustainability Institute and based on the Climate Rapid Overview and Decision Support computer simulations, which the institute says emerged from research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is carefully calibrated to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Fourth Assessment Report results.

Tips for having an eco-friendly holiday season

Kassie the ecoPharmacist — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 04:06:27 +0000

If there is one thing that Americans do a lot of, each year between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it is spending money. Last year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, 19 billion cards, letters and packages were delivered during that period. They also report that, during December 2008 alone, $28.2 billion was spent in department stores. While all that spending, giving and receiving may be good for the economy, it wreaks havoc on the environment.

To learn tips for having an eco-friendly holiday season, visit http://www.lohas.com/articles/102452.html

Ingredient in personal care products linked to ADHD in kids

Kassie the ecoPharmacist — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:34:56 +0000

A new study has linked phthalates, a substance used in some shampoos, lotions, air fresheners and children’s toys, with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Although research on the health effects of phthalates (pronounced “thalates”) has been somewhat inconsistent, the latest study, published in Biological Psychiatry, adds to troubling findings about the chemical.

To read more, visit http://www.lohas.com/articles/102446.html

Change a Light Bulb, Change the World

Kassie the ecoPharmacist — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 16:04:27 +0000

Please switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. They use two-thirds less energy than convenentional light bulbs and save you money as well. Start changing the bulbs at your home, and then pass it on to your office, your kid’s school, community groups, and of course, friends. For more information on how to save energy, visit www.energystar.gov.

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle – Do your part to help save our planet!

Kassie the ecoPharmacist — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:14:39 +0000

For each pound of trash you recylce or compost, you avoid producing about one pound of greenhouse gasses. Did you know that recycling one aluminum can will save enough energy to run a TV for three hours? I know you all want to be able to watch Oprah, so be sure to recycle your aluminum cans to indirectly power the TV! Learn more at www.earth911.org

Fight global warming with your knife and fork!

Kassie the ecoPharmacist — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 03:35:43 +0000

You can help save our planet… fight global warming with your knife and fork… what do I mean by this? Eat organic… eat local. Organic farming uses 30-50% less fossil fuels than conventional farming and helps store carbon in the soil – instead of the atmosphere. Eating local saves energy too… so support your local farmers and help save our planet! Did you know that the average bit of food travels 1,500 miles to reach your plate? For more information on local and organic foods and farmers markets, visit www.localharvest.org