Tag Archives: Enviro Junkies

Tips for a Sustainable Summer

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The summer is about to begin, and that means more sustainable tips from the Enviro Junkies. Like any season, the summer has positives and negatives when it comes to sustainability. We will show you the advantages and find solutions for the challenges.  

1- Stay hydrated with a reusable water bottle 

During the summer, the temperature rises, and people consume more water. Having a sustainable water bottle is only suitable for the environment and saves money in the long run. In addition, there are water bottles that can keep the water cold no matter the temperature outside, such as a thermos which is what we believe that everybody needs in the summer, especially if you live in Texas. 

2- Do outdoor activities

 Try to take advantage of the summer by doing your favorite activities during the day wherever you are. Sometimes, it could be hard to walk, hike, and run around noon if you live in Texas. However, you could do them in the early morning, evening, or at night. Also, don’t forget to try swimming and kayaking because they are fantastic activities during the summer. Fortunately, we have a river and lake in Austin -Texas.

3- Eat locally

Choose to eat seasonal food products in your hometown. When we eat locally, we reduce the carbon footprint in enormous amounts because we don’t require food to be shipped from different states or countries. Many cities and towns offer things such as  Sunday farmers’ market events, so this is a great way to take advantage and support your local farmers and remain sustainable. 

4- Open your windows. 

During the day in summer, the temperature is high, and surely you will use the AC to cool down the heat inside your house. However, the weather tends to get cooler at night, so turn the AC off and open the window for fresh cool air and then go ahead and close them in the morning. This way, you save money and have more sustainable energy, which is what we want. 

5- Plant a garden

The summer is a perfect opportunity to plant a garden in your back or front yard. There are so many plants that grow in the summer. It only takes you minutes to google and learns what is best for you and your garden. Growing plants are fun and help you to reduce carbon dioxide and reduce the heat in your area. 

Enviro Junkies hope you all have a great, sustainable summer!

 

Apps For Environmentalism

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The number of people worldwide who use smartphone technology is continuously increasing, now there are close to 3 billion users worldwide. More smartphones mean more opportunities for App development. There are a seemingly endless number of apps available to users, whether you have an iPhone or Android. Now, in the palm of your hands are many opportunities to step-up your environmental impact through these new apps. Here is a list of three great Earth-saving Apps and what makes them worth the download! 

Earth Hero: Climate Change  

Earth Hero connects you with reliable climate data from around the world, as well as practical ways to take individual action on the Climate Crisis. Earth Hero has easy signup, which took me less than 30 seconds to register for. When you first access the App you will answer five questions that give you an estimate of your carbon footprint. Once you’ve answered all the questions, you will see a breakdown of your carbon emissions compared to the U.S and the rest of the world. It’s time for change! You can set personal climate goals and track your progress on reducing your emissions. Can’t think of any climate goal? Well, don’t worry because Earth Hero Provides hundreds of actions you can apply to your life. 

Brightly: Eco-Community

The Brightly App is another great app for sustainable living. The Brightly app is unique because of its interactive nature. Brightly connects you with thousands of other environmentalists who are interested in a wide range of sustainable topics. You can meet people through direct messaging them, or you can join one of the hundreds of group chats that are available based on your interest. For example, I love being a plant mom, so I joined a group forum called “Plant Lovers”. Brightly also has a tab for all current climate news and a tab for sustainable searching by topic. Topics include; shopping guides, home and lifestyle, fashion, beauty and wellness, food and kitchen, and environmental podcasts.  If you’re looking to join a global community of environmentalists then this is the app for you! 

My Little Plastic Footprint (MLPF)

It is MLPF’s mission to help you improve your plastic footprint by going on a “plastic diet”. The world consumes too much plastic, but you have the opportunity to reduce your use of plastic. MLPF starts by calculating your Plastic Mass Index (PMI), which is based on the number of plastics you consume, the size of those items, the frequency of their use, the probability of that plastic ending up in the environment, and the availability of alternative products. By using this app, you can find alternatives to your plastic products, and educate yourself by taking quizzes that help educate you on the uses of plastics and how to reduce that use. For example, Did you know that you can easily make your own deodorant? No?  Me either, before taking the MLPF bathroom quiz. I encourage you to download the MLPF app and discover all the easy and fun ways to go on a “plastic diet”. 

Now making an individual impact on the Climate Crisis is even easier through the use of smartphone technology. Hopefully, one, if not all of these apps interest you enough to download. Each of these apps has such valuable information at your fingertips. Download now and be the change! Tag @envirojunkiess on Twitter and let us know about your environmental journey!

Learn About Recycling! How to Help with Plastic

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http://greenpagebd.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/87514.ngsversion.1465407024514.adapt_.1900.1.jpg

Plastic is material used worldwide and there is about 260 million tons of plastic that the world produces each year. Most plastic is not biodegradable (meaning, not being able to naturally decompose to an environmentally safe condition overtime). This is because plastic that is non-biodegradable is cheap to make and companies choose a cheaper option vs a more eco friendly option to produce. Going back to the 260 million tons of plastic the world makes, 79 percent is accumulating in landfills, ending up at the ocean and eventually sinking to the bottom where it damages sealife and the seafloor. 

What are Plastic Identification Codes?

How can you help? I’m so glad you asked! You can reduce how much plastic is going to landfills and ending up in the ocean by learning your plastic identification codes! On the bottom of most plastic packaging there is what is called plastic identification code that helps consumers be able to identify if what they bought is recyclable or not. Below, I have an image that explains what each number means, what products each number is usually on and if the plastic is recyclable or not. Screenshot it and use it everyday! Send it to family and friends! Teach people around you about plastic identification codes and let’s make a difference together!

The Numbers on Plastic Bottles: What do Plastic Recycling Symbols Mean? | Recycle symbol, Recycling information, Recycling

How do I use the Plastic Identification Code Chart?

Easy. All you have to do is start with the product you have and compare it to the product examples listed on the chart. From that point, once you have identified a similarity, confirm the symbol that you see on the bottom of your plastic container to the chart and see if what you have is recyclable or not. If I’m losing you, let me give you an example. Let’s say I have a gas container that I am trying to recycle and I noticed that it is listed on the chart under the column called product examples. From that point I need to see if my gas container is indeed the recycle kind so I then look at the bottom can for a triangle with the number 7… Ah I found a triangle and it says 7. Yay! After this the last thing I need to do is look at the recycle curbside column. If it says yes, my gas container is recyclable and if it says no, my gas container is not recyclable and it belongs in the trash… Whooohoo I looked at the last column and it is a yes! I am going to put it in my recycle bin and take it out on Saturday for recycling pick up in my neighborhood. On with recycling!

Where Can I Recycle?

You can recycle just about anywhere in Austin.

  1. You can recycle at your home, ask your fellow neighbor what day is recycle day.
  2. You can recycle at a local drop off station. Austin, Tx has many a drop off and recycle locations. To name a few, there are
    1. 2514 Business Center Dr, Austin, TX 78744. You just have to schedule a drop off time on their website https://austintexas.gov/department/recycle-reuse-drop-center
    2. 1602 Bench Mark Dr, Austin, Texas 78728. You can check out their website to see what else they take besides plastic at https://htownrecycling.com/
  3. You can recycle at your schools located in Austin, many campuses have recycling bins on campus that you can throw your recycling bottles in

Tag Us When You Recycle and Follow For More Facts About Recycling!

References:

http://www.bioplastics.guide/ref/fossil-based/non-biodegradable#:~:text=The%20term%20non%2Dbiodegradable%20describes,low%20cost%2C%20versatility%20and%20durability

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pinterest.com%2Fpin%2F701928291897773969%2F&psig=AOvVaw1jdo8LHtdIK_0xMIuliuIj&ust=1615386515504000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CA0QjhxqFwoTCLDSm–1o-8CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAn

https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/whopping-91-percent-plastic-isnt-recycled/#:~:text=The%20vast%20majority%E2%80%9479%20percent,the%20oceans%2C%20the%20final%20sink.

When The Mermaids Cry: The Great Plastic Tide

How COVID-19 Taught us to be Sustainable

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How COVID19 Taught Us To Be Sustainable  

Nature’s comeback and how 2020 somehow forced us to live sustainably.

There is no doubt that 2020 was hard for many people. Out of the many burdens COVID-19 has brought upon us, it has also shown us how to live sustainably. There is a silver lining in how we changed our lifestyles because of the pandemic. Sustainability is a way society can continue to grow and prosper while the Earth does as well. Covid has shown us that nature can return to form, and humans are capable of change.

To comply with pandemic guidelines, we were forced to change the norm. Here are a couple of ways we made change. 

Less Carbon Emissions

Photo featured on CNN’s website shows a before and after the coronavirus of Los Angeles’s skyline.

One thing employees universally have a distaste for is staff meetings. The rise of remote learning and work has significantly improved the air quality around the world. According to a study led by Pachama, a climate satellite monitoring company, 20% less generation from power stations, 72% lower particulate emissions, and 50% lower carbon monoxide. This shows that we can improve our quality of life on Earth if we come together. Instead of driving your car across town for a meeting that was shorter than the ride there, we use Zoom now which saves us gas while also helping the Earth.

Focus on Reusable Products

Photo by Erin Clark of the Boston Globe

At the start of the pandemic, we faced a shortage of masks and medical gloves. The shortage showed that medical equipment was not sustainable. To solve the issue, we made reusable masks and gowns by cloth. This same effort for other reusable products will make a long-lasting impact on the planet.

Essentially, if the same urgency and policy is used from the pandemic to fight climate change, we have a shot to leave a better world for the future. That is the duty we as individuals. 

Tags: Sustainability, Environmental Awareness, COVID-19, Carbon emissions. 

References: 

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-51944780

https://www.hawaiianelectric.com/hawaiian-electric-sees-drop-in-demand-during-pandemic

https://pachama.com/

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/07/us/los-angeles-pollution-clean-air-coronavirus-trnd/index.html

About us

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Welcome to Enviro Junkies, we are so glad that you are here!

We are Environmental Junkies and our number one goal is to build up all societies’ awareness through sharing information, ways for citizens to get involved, provide easy tips and tricks to live greener lives, and the list goes on!

Our world has suffered dramatically during the times of the COVID19 pandemic as loved ones have been lost, as our healthcare workers continue to work and persevere through the hardest hours of their careers, and as we have suddenly been spending more time in our homes than we ever thought possible.

We quickly realized that this was the right time to spread environmental awareness and to give all communities a way to get out of the house safely, and most of all, reduce a carbon footprint that supports and enhances not only healthy living, but also environmentally strong communities around the world.

We are so happy that you are here to join us in our endeavors to encourage smart choices for the environment at large!