Here’s another item I saved from the forgotten shelves for my own daily use: shoes! Actually, I have two pairs of shoes I bought at thrift stores, both of which looked like they could have just as easily been sitting in the box at Macy’s. Both brands, actually, are carried by Macy’s and other department stores.

One pair I bought are brown leather Steve Madden casual glocks. When I bought them about a year and a half ago, they were on the shelf among many other used shoes, all priced the same at $3. I picked them up only because they stood out as looking exceptionally, “new.” Indeed, the shoes looked to not have ever have even been worn out of the store. In perfect condition, they have worn nicely and I still wear them (as in, today!).

More recently, I came across a pair of Kenneth Cole clogs. I paid $5 for these, but they literally still had the stickers from the store on them and looked as if no one had ever had them on their feet. The insides are brand new, and clearly they’ve never hit the pavement (until yesterday’s trial run, by yours truly).

Story quoted from the AP on May 20, 2008. Report Charges Interference on Emissions
The story begins:

The administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency initially supported giving California full or partial permission to limit tailpipe emissions, but reversed himself after hearing from the White House, a Congressional report says.

Sounds like politicians meddling in science-based decisions for political ends.

The report, by the Democratic staff of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, cites sworn depositions by high-level officials of the agency and amounts to the first solid evidence of the political interference alleged by Democrats and environmentalists since the administrator, Stephen L. Johnson, denied California’s request in December.

Mr. Johnson has defended the decision as his alone. He has refused to say whether there was White House pressure.

Uh-huh.

We all see the all-too familiar recycling symbol on recycling receptacles in buildings, larger blue bins on the street, and many have makeshift, unlabeled recycling cans at home.

But what happens to recyclables once they are picked up to be taken to the recycling center? We dutifully carry our items a little farther to make sure they do not end up with the normal garbage. We sort and empty and in return, we ask that the items are actually reused. Ever doubt that that happens to everything or even a majority of the items you send off for recycling?

I can’t believe it! I just can’t believe it! I was writing a note with a sharpie on my finished, wood desk and after completing my note realized “Oh my God, green sharpie all over!” It had bled right through the paper in a magnificent pattern that Michelangelo (not the turtle) would’ve been proud of. Did I mention it’s permanent?

Well, one of the easiest ways to reduce your envirohuman impact is finding new uses for items you already have around the house. So instead of driving to the store (burning gas), purchasing a harsh chemical treatment (increasing demand for such things which are bad for the environment), driving home (see earlier), and then using said treatment… you just use something already around the house. Did I mention you don’t have to buy anything new (and save a buck or two)? Plus, this item is actually so non-toxic you already use it in your mouth!

Oh, the ease with which we can stop off at a home improvement store or nursery for plants that have been growing for weeks or months and transplant them very quickly to our backyard gardens. While you won’t hear from us that this is bad for the environment, there is a cheaper way to do this and that is better for the environment.

Needed supplies:

1. Starter containers
2. Seeds
3. Soil

Before you send your plastic yogurt, butter, and sour cream containers off for recycling, make sure you have forty or fifty clean and stored for springtime starter plants. Drill or poke holes for drainage in the bottom.

As the weather begins to heat up and you have the occasional humid day, don’t automatically go for the air conditioner. You have other options!

Yeah, you’ll read tips similar to this on just about any environmentally-focused website. But like any of our messages, repetition can be necessary for those who are recently converted to improving their EHI,
those who are unconvinced, and even those of us who are committed, but may need reminders and encouragement.

Polar bears have been listed on the “Endangered Species” list, although environmentalists did not get the win they had hoped for with this case. They had wanted for this to push legislation to combat global warming.

From the New York Times’ May 15, 2008 story, “Polar Bear Is Made a Protected Species,” we will get some of the details of this story, of course with commentary:

The polar bear, whose summertime Arctic hunting grounds have been greatly reduced by a warming climate, will be placed under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne announced on Wednesday.

But the long-delayed decision to list the bear as a threatened species may prove less of an impediment to oil and gas industries along the Alaskan coast than many environmentalists had hoped. Mr. Kempthorne also made it clear that it would be “wholly inappropriate” to use the listing as a tool to reduce greenhouse gases, as environmentalists had intended to do.

What seems to be lacking is a clear explanation for why that is so inappropriate. Here is some explanation provided:

In a word, “yes.”

But to some companies, “no.” What do I mean? It all depends upon the motive behind “being green,” or “appearing green.” Mind you, there’s nothing wrong with literally being greener so that a company gains the goodwill bought by also appearing green.

As a subject, there is no real problem with a company wanting credit for being greener, however there is a problem if they are trying to appear greener without actually improving their envirohuman impact or if they try to appear greener than they are in actuality. Why?

Note: This post is originally from our partner website, Healthascope. It can also be read in its entirety here.

How do we protect ourselves from air? We’re breathing it in constantly! Beside that, what’s the problem? If I’m not on a street corner or next to a smoker, the only thing I smell is the aroma of dinner on the stove.

But if there’s toxic air on the street corner (you know, gasoline and diesel exhaust) and there are factories and smokestacks belching their toxic brew into the air, you can bet that at the very least, low concentrations are making it into your home. Depending upon where you live, you potentially have high concentrations getting into your living space.

Why does it matter? According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA):

This series of articles will help you earn a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Self Protection from Protect University.

Okay, enough cheese. We’re writing about simple ways you can help yourself to survive through a damaged environment, both inside and outside of the home. This is all about how to protect you! There are pollutants high and wide that, given some basic advice, we can all attempt to break contact with, help our bodies to deal better with, and give ourselves a fighting shot at avoiding diseases to which environmental toxins contribute.

What it really comes down to is that we all have the responsibility to improve our envirohuman impact but the environment is still a long way from being, “clean.” We all have to be concerned with protecting ourselves from the damaging elements we may encounter.