Putting Plants In Your Home

I was at Wal-Mart with my girlfriend yesterday at she wanted to look at flowers. I usually use this time to drift away in my thoughts, wondering who will win the NBA's Eastern Conference this year or thinking about what I'd order at Subway if I had unlimited funds. Well this case was different, because as I spotted a sale sticker. Tomato plants were on sale. They looked weak and on their last leg, but I started to wonder if I should buy these desperate food providers anyway. I realized that at the very least they'd spice up my apartment, and at the very most, I'd be chowing on some delicious red tomatoes. I got home and with some help from the girlfriend I had my tomato plants in some tasty soil and picked some nice sunny spots to let my handywork take hold. I felt great, like I had accomplished something major, simply by bringing a couple plants into my home. I watered them the next morning and couldn't help but smile about it. I felt quite good and decided to look into the benefits of putting flowers or plants in the home. Is there anything that the average guy could gain from placing a nice green organism in their house, other than looking like you have a sensitive side when your woman sees what you've done.

According to Flower Works UK, researchers have proven flowers to have numerous positive effects. The researchers found that those participating in the study were generally happier after introducing plant life to the home, and the research also suggested that people even had strengthened relationships with family and friends thanks to flowers. So flowers might even make you more social!
The study also suggested that plants in the workplace could increase problem solving and creativity. As far as I'm concerned, maybe a plant on my computer desk could help me get my next few assignments done better and faster, so I think I'm going to try that out. The Society of American Florists back up these claims as well, showing that flowers and plants can really be beneficial to your home.
Some plants can even be good for your home in general. According to sixwise.com, a NASA study shows that some plants can increase air quality in your home. The site also notes a University of Agriculture in Norway study that says plants can even help people fight off colds and sore throats. So what are some good plants for your home? Well sixwise.com offers a list of the top nine plants to bring home with you. This list includes ivy, ficus, peace lillies, ferns, and palms.
For more on this subject you can also check out the book http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140262431/sixwisecom-20 by B.C. Wolverton.

*Photos by Anne Tarket, used with permission

So I was wondering if it's possible to play sports and be eco-friendly at the same time. I mean, I'm out there shooting lay-ups, swinging the bat, catching that pass, and being picked last for the pick-up basketball game, quite possibly because I'm wondering...could I be Earth's friend while I'm doing this? Well it turns out I can! I did a simple Google Search and found quite a few ways to be green while fumbling the football or bunting in kickball.

If you're playing a game, you're probably gonna need a ball. I didn't know this until just now, but you can get athletic equipment that respects the environment. Check out Fair Trade Sports, where you can buy balls and jerseys and equipment that is environmentally friendly, and it's not made by little kids in sweatshops either! An article on the eJournal USA website discusses how soccer balls, footballs, and other game equipment is being manufactured with different materials by some companies to last longer and use materials that won't harm the environment when they're disposed of or destroyed. Changing things like the coating on surfboards or the inner-lining of a basketball can make a huge difference many years from now when these things are destroyed or left in a landfill.

The same article talks about how the X-Games went entirelly green in 2004, with everything from equipment to clothing to materials going green. Not only does this large scale event going green help the environment, it also acts as tremendous advertising for the cause, and the X games is marketed towards the high school and college age crowd that can make an impact. The article also talks about some games that have an emphasis or foundation in getting outside and making some sports accessable to people in inner-cities or crowded suburbs, and the equipment they use can be environmentally friendly as well. These games include street bike polo and mojo kickball.




For more on Mojo Kickball, check out mojokickball.com.

Regular or Premium Gas...Does It Matter?

I was driving home from work tonight and as I do from time to time, I checked my gas level, and it looked low. I briefly thought about the cost of gas and how much it would suck to have to spend any money on gas, especially when my car is a broken down 1994 Toyota Tercel, with smashed in doors, broken locks, and a nearly dead engine. Has anyone noticed that the prices for premium gas have been disappearing from gas station signs? Well that's besides the point. My real point is, when I head to the pump, should I even consider using the premium super special crazy good gas, or should I just fill up with regular? My car is definitely on its last legs, so would the supposedly better gas help at all?



The fact of the matter is, premium gas costs more. It averages out to be between 20 and 40 cents more for premium gas, according to an article published by the Consumer Energy Center. This fact alone is usually enough to give the nod to regular, but could I possible be doing some good for my car if I dish out the extra money? By all accounts, the answer is a resounding no. According to a USA Today story, even car maker experts at all major car companies say that premium gas does little to no good for an engine. The lone benefit to premium gas is a slight increase in engine performance, but this increase is too small for the average driver to even notice.

So what's the point of premium gas anyways? Well for high performance vehicles like Mustangs and Vipers, and high-class vehicles like luxury cars, the premium gas might be recommended by the manufacturer for its turbo-charged engine, but this is not a command according to the USA Today article. The sciency facts say that premium gas's original purpose was to prevent a condition within the engine known as knock. For a sciency explanation of knock, check out this article at The Straight Dope. But the condition known as knock is no longer a problem in newer engines, where computers prevent this problem all together by controlling the problem before it starts using any level of gas. According to an article at edmunds.com, cars built after 1990 usually have this built-in protection.

So my investigation has determined that premium gas pretty much serves no purpose other than to cost extra money. I for one will continue to fill up with good ol' regular gas, and use that 20 cents a gallon towards large bags of candy and jumbo sodas inside the gas station convenience store.

The Average Green Guy Saves Water

I was brushing my teeth this morning, as I do every morning, and started to space out. I don't even remember what I was spacing about, but when I came to I realized that I had the water running the whole time, and my mind flashed to all these news stories I've heard about water conservation and how Al Gore would probably put a hit out on me for wasting so much water, because I tend to space out while brushing my teeth or taking a shower almost daily, and I began to feel bad. So I figured I would do a little research on water conservation that can be done by anyone, because if you believe the experts, every drop counts in the end, and out here in Arizona, we don't exactly have our own water supply to count on...we have to buy our water from the folks up north.

My first subject, taking a bath versus taking a shower. Now most men simply won't take a shower regardless, but hear me out. Generally speaking, a shower will use less water than a bath, however it's not that simple. According to an article online from the Consumer Energy Center, the water you use in a shower can exceed that used in a bath if you tend to take long showers, or if you have older shower heads that do not restrict water flow. They say the best way to see how much you're using is to plug the drian during your next shower, and when you're finished see how much water you've used. If that puddle you're standing in fills the tub, then you might want to consider just taking a bath, or maybe speed up your scrubbin'. But when you really think about it, you bathe everyday (hopefully) so if you saved a few gallons of water a day in the shower, you'd be making a huge impact on your water bill, and on the environment.

Secondly, using the dishwasher versus a good ol' hand scrubbin'. I hate cleaning dishes and the dishwasher is exactly what I need, but does it save water? According to National Geographic, you use 35 percent less water if you use your dishwasher, and the best part is they actually suggest you skip the pre-rinse too! So they don't even want you to rinse it before you toss it in the washer! All you lazy people out there should be paying attention. While the dishwasher may cost you a little more on your electric bill, if you air dry your dishes and only run full loads, you can conserve a large amount of water. Insted of scrubbin' a few dishes every night, run that dishwasher a couple days a week, and you're saving a ton of water in no time.

For more water savin' tips, check out these sites...

National Geographic Green Home Tips

Portland Tribune Sustainable Life Section: Dishwasher vs. hand-wash?

Consumer Energy Center Myths

Resources for Idaho: Water use

GreenDaily.com - This or That: The Dishwasher vs. Handwashing

*image used royalty free from http://www.sxc.hu/photo/383099