Did you know....a mature deciduous tree will remove 1.33 tons of carbon over a 100 year lifetime? A coniferous tree will remove .682 tons of carbon over the same time period.
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Today is Arbor Day. Whether you are planting trees today or just making your plans to do so, you will want to keep a couple of things in mind. One of the most important reasons we should plant trees is for their carbon sequestration abilities. Deciduous trees sequester more carbon than coniferous trees - usually. That is to say that when a deciduous tree is hibernating, it is less effective than when they are fully leafed out. If you live in a northern climate where deciduous trees are only leafed out for brief periods, then you might want to plant a mix of both types of trees to maximize your sequestration efforts. Your local extension agent should be able to offer some suggestions on this idea.
Think about those who call the Amazon their home. They and their rainforest home are being destroyed at an increasing rate - mostly to provide more pasture for the beef industry of Brazil. Take a look.... This video clip has been excerpted from "The 11th Hour".
Here is an excellent video on the relationship between forests and climate change offered by the Forestry Commission in the U.K. Did you know that the United States makes up 4% of the world's population? Did you know that the U.S. generates 25% of all greenhouse gas emissions? Did you know that only 8% of the world's trees are located in the U.S.?
The U.S. needs MORE trees! For every tree we see, we need to plant three more just to Balance our impact on the atmosphere. With our current rates of fossil fuel usage and population increase, we should plant another three just for preventative measures! We know that we should reduce, reuse, and recycle, but we still have a carbon footprint. So, what can we do to offset that footprint? We can plant trees! How many trees do you need to plant to offset your carbon footprint? We found a great carbon dioxide emissions calculator to help you figure this out. Check out the Carbonify.com website while you're there. They have lots of good information.
As Arbor Day approaches, we are all reminded to think of the great importance of trees in our Life. Trees are our partners in Life in sharing the oxygen and carbon dioxide Balance in our atmosphere. For as many humans as there are on this Earth, so should there be trees multiplied by a dozen. Their importance in our lives cannot be overstated! Thrive: What On Earth Will It Take - a dynamic and thought provoking movie offered for Free viewing from the Thrive Movement. It is a powerful and in-depth look at Truths not allowed to be taught, not encouraged to be thought about, and holding us back from our birthright to thrive in Life on planet Earth! We applaud the Thrive Movement for making this wonderful movie Freely available for all to share. The Phipps Conservatory is an inspiring example of responsible, sustainable, green construction. It is one of our favorite inspirations in building. The Conservatory is a beautiful exhibition of many new technologies that we can all employ in our remodeling and new construction projects. You can see the Phipps Conservatory here.
We finally have a few of our favorites products, suppliers, and other things up on our "Favorites" page. It's just a start on our list, but we are happy to share them with you. We hope you enjoy them.
Wondering what more you can do to recycle? We have a few ideas for you on our "Recycling Center" page.
How can you make a difference in our environment? The ways are endless, but to help you get started "thinking green", we've put together a few ideas. You can find them on our "Making a Difference" page.
We have a new section up here in our area of the website. We have opened a page for "Articles, Featured Favorites, and Other Things". We have just opened up the first article - on a featured favorite of ours - on hempcrete. You can read it here.
Tradition will give way to practicality when necessity demands it. Right now, necessity is demanding that we abandon our "modern traditional" ways of living with the Earth. We must be practical in our choices that involve the use of the rapidly shrinking supply of natural resources that we have. Mother Earth only has so much to give. She can only take so much abuse. Her ability to sustain Life - and our ability to survive - depend on our letting go of our current traditional ideas of living. Our ancestors had it right. Since their times, we have strayed very far from practicality - and in some cases outright common sense!
"Part 4 - Land" in our "Did You Know...." section is now "live". We hope you have all enjoyed this series. It represents just a few thought-provoking facts about how we interact with our environment. However, knowledge and Understanding lead to Liberation! The more we know about how our actions impact the Earth, the more ability we have to make choices that help rather than hurt our planet.
Now that you've calculated your Carbon Footprint, let's take a look at your Water Footprint! We like the calculator found here.
"Part 3 - Water" of our "Did You Know...." series is "live" now. As our most endangered resource, our water warrants serious attention given to how it is managed, used, and shared. Rumblings are already abounding about coming water wars throughout the world. Now is the time for all of us to take a hand in the management of our waters - beginning with our own.
Did You Know - Part 2 - Air is "live" now. You can find it here.
We've launched a new segment in our Green Living Resource Center website area. It's called "Did You Know...." In this section we are sharing some interesting facts related to how humans, and particularly those in the U.S., interact with our environment. You can take a look at the first "Did You Know...." entry here. If you have an interesting fact that you would like to see added to our list, drop us a note on one of our contact forms.
In case you were surprised and not quite happy with the results of the Earth Day Network Carbon Footprint calculator, here's a link to another calculator from the Nature Conservancy:
http://www.nature.org/greenliving/carboncalculator/index.htm Have you calculated your carbon footprint lately? If not, here is a link to a fun, animated calculator from the Earth Day Network.
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