Thursday Traffic | 22 April Earth Day Edition

What better time to discuss pollution than on Earth Day? The environment is the source of water, food and the air we breathe. It is only fitting that we should work to keep those resources clean and free of danger. However, transportation, chemicals and energy use put a lot of stress on nature. Population growth taxes the land due to the growth of cities and waste. We have to produce to consume and we consume a lot of materials. Most of what we buy does not work in a cradle-to-cradle scenario but cradle-to-grave instead. Our packaging is unsustainable and we throw away a great deal of items that cannot be broken down for reuse.

That is why efforts being made now are so important. Puma has introduced new shoe boxes that use one piece of cleverly folded cardboard and a reusable tote bag to package their shoes. This is a smart way of changing the way people consume products from the beginning. P&G has changed their approach towards creating products so that they use less water and energy. These are important steps that many other companies are making—and some should be making. In all honesty, consumers and can only purchase products. If the products we purchase are "green" then already we have made strides in helping our environment.

Yet, consumers are a big part of the product. Even if all products became "green" and used resources responsibly, it would all be a waste if people did not recycle and reuse materials. In many foreign countries like Germany and Japan, recycling is not only separated into sections, but it is also mandatory. Glass, paper, and plastic are reused and recycled. Many consumers use old materials for art projects or as something other than what they were intended for. Here's an example: When ordering Chinese food, the dish that it comes in is plastic with a lid; you can reheat the dish as many times as possible meaning that you don't throw it away, but hold onto it until you want/need to recycle it later. Small things like that become a big deal when everyone does it.

So what would I say is the best way to be eco-friendly? First, don't freak out and make it seem like everything is evil. It isn't. I would say that the best way to be eco-friendly or "green" is to only use what is necessary. It was true back in the olden days and it is true now. Remember learning about supply and demand? If there is low demand for an item, it will not be produced as much/as often. We can do our part by being smart in what we consume.

Image via UNC Asheville

Break it on down

I had a rant about "green" products months ago. I believe that if producers truly want to be green and eco-friendly, they would create their products "green". It would not be more expensive to choose green and it would be something that consumers would be forced to do. Well, slightly following with my preferences, SunChips has created new packaging for their products that is completely compostable. This means the bag is printed with environment friendly inks and can be returned to dirt when you are finished with it. It's smart, it's simple and it is a great step in the right direction. It is also a loud bag, be warned.

For more about SunChips' compostable bag made of plants, check out their site. You can watch the bag in action below.



Image via SunChips website screenshot

"Green" rant

I've been thinking about this for a while and I'm just going to throw this out there for your consideration. For as long as I can remember, everyone has harped on reducing, reusing, recycling—it was my childhood mantra. Every country has some kind of effort that they make to keep our planet healthy and strong. However, if it mattered that much to everyone, why is it so expensive to be "green"?

I think that everyone should be eco-conscious, but it's hard to make a difference when it costs so much! What is the point of charging people more to do the right thing? It sends the wrong message. It's just like teachers that would punish the entire class when only one person was at fault—it's off-putting and pointless. So why do consumers have to bear the burden of making a good choice? I think it's backwards. First, why don't producers make the big change? If they only produced "green" products, consumers would have no choice but to make the correct choice. The other side is why don't they charge more to make the non-green decision? That would get people going green faster than you can imagine.

I'm sure there are lots of procedures that have to be made and it's too much work, but hey, there are plenty of people who would be willing to work at this. Have you seen the employment outlook presently? And don't talk about how you can save a few nickels for using recycle bags at select grocery stores. In the end, it just isn't effective.

Blog Action Day 2009 | Climate Change

Today is Blog Action Day. It is a day for bloggers worldwide to all blog about one common theme and it is held every year on October 15. Since I am new to the blogosphere, I thought I would give it a try. The theme for this year is climate change. Climate has been changing for quite some time. I remember when global warming was the biggest myth ever and people denied its occurrence—kind of like the ozone layer and hairspray.

Well, obviously, climate has changed and it is affecting the way everything lives its life. Animals are either adapting to these changes or going extinct. Polar bears will probably be a thing of the past, joining the do-do bird. Sharks and other aquatic creatures will move closer and closer to the shore making a trip to the beach a life-or-death situation. All of our vacation spots will slowly lose their seasonal luster. Storms will become more intense and more deadly costing lives, money and resources.

The way I see it, we have to start making the changes ourselves. Instead of giving options to be "green", products should be made "green". Eco-friendly shouldn't be a choice, it should be the standard. The only issue with this change is that once people become used to one way of living, they get stuck in it. But if we continue in this direction, our greedy and lazy culture is going to be the downfall of us.

So, how can you start making the change? Reduce, reuse, recycle—it has been taught for years. The less you use, the less waste you produce. The more you reuse, the less you need to get rid of and the more money you save. Recycle your goods so they can make new goods. It's simple, but it has to be done globally for an impact. Luckily for you, there is Hunch to help you make these decisions.

What's a good way to go green? - make thousands more decisions on Hunch.com