CLIMATE CHANGE PUSH -BACK

 1 Climate Change Push Back

Ø  Individual /Family Level –

One of the most powerful and effective actions you can take at the individual level is  to throw all green items  your dead leaves from potted  plants to potato peelings into your composting bin.

I live in a condo so I have a a stainless steel bucket from the Dollar store sitting on top of my fridge.

Luckily, in a condo you can empty it every day.

Seeing that I have a small court  yard  in the summer I feed my roses with cut up banana peels,  crushed eggs shells in my planters and coffee grounds  only to plants like rhodendrons which are acid loving.

Most cities have composting programs and it is very easy to  fill a covered bin with compostable materials.

If you live in the country there are many grt websites that will tell you the best ways to compost.

Why is composting such a big deal when it comes to global warming/climate change, you might ask?

Here goes...

Organic farmers use compost to grow healthy  plants.

As the plants  feed on the nutrients in the compost they create better soil.

As the soil becomes more vibrant and  nourishing, it not only produces more nutritious food,  but it actually is now able to store more carbon. 

Today scientists predict that 1/5 of  the world’s nasty methane emissions  ctually  comes   from  our landfill  sites.

As organic materials decompose in an atmosphere of no oxygen they produce methane  gas.

Mebane gas is a nasty green house gas that is 40-50 times more potent than carbon dioxide!!

The decomposition of organics in landfills produces methane, a greenhouse gas that, according to the EPA, is 70 times more effective at trapping radiant heat than carbon dioxide. As a result, landfills have become the third largest source of human-caused greenhouse gases in the US. In contrast, composting this material creates a valuable soil enhancer that replenishes depleted soils, protects against erosion, can replace synthetic fertilizers and helps retain water. Composting our organics protects air, water and soil quality.
 "The only effective method to prevent methane emissions from landfills is to stop biodegradable materials from entering landfills. The good news is that landfill alternatives such as composting are readily available and cost‑effective. Compost has the added benefit of adding organic matter to soil, sequestering carbon, improving plant growth and reducing water use ‑ all important to stabilizing the climate. Composting is thus vital to restoring the climate and our soils and should be front and center in a national strategy to protect the climate in the short term."  
-BioCycle magazine, August 2008 

 I guess by now you have figured out the second  easy action to reduce the carbon load that triggers global warming is to buy organic food as  already mentioned they use lots of compost made by you!!

Some people lament that they cannot afford organic foods.

I would suggest to avoid ingesting toxic pesticides  that you at the very least  try to avoid buying the dirty  dozen.

Dirty Dozen

Celery

Grapes

Peaches

Cherries

Tomatoes

Bell peppers

Strawberries

Blueberries

Nectarines

Apples

Spinach, kale and collard greens

Potatoes

 Now,  naturally you will want to know which produce  bore  little or no traces of pesticides

 ( President’s Cancer Panel)

It goes without saying that by reducing the amount of poisonous pesticides you ingest , you will reduce your risk of cancer and a host of other diseases!

15  Clean Fruits and Veggies

Onions

Avocados

Sweet corn

Pineapples

Mango

Sweet peas

Asparagus

Kiwi fruit

Cabbage

Eggplant

Cantaloupe

Watermelon

Grapefruit

Sweet potatoes

Sweet onions

 I have no idea why regular potatoes are dirty and sweet potatoes are clean!!

I posted the lists inside my kitchen cupboard.

Whenever, I go shopping I print an O beside the items I must ensure I buy organic.