Daily Reflector: Web site provides pointers on how we call can be living green
Filed under: Earth 911 - June 18, 2007
By Cherie Speller
The Daily Reflector
Monday, June 18, 2007
We’ve all heard this water-saving tip before: turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth. While it sounds like such as small change to make, old habits can be hard to break. But, if 200 million Americans changed the way they brushed their teeth, it would save 1.6 billion gallons of water — a day!
That’s just one of the 99 things we can do to save the planet according to information on the The Daily Reflector’s new Living Green page on Reflector.com.
With scientific evidence emerging every day that humans and industry are contributors to global warming, The Daily Reflector, through its parent company, Cox Enterprises, is providing information on how to conserve natural resources and protect the environment.
Listed under the Features channel on the newspaper’s Web site, Living Green offers a variety of stories and activities to encourage us all to take the small steps that make a big difference in protecting the environment.
In addition to the news stories about the environment, there are photos and videos on climate and global warning issues and a links to Green sites, such as Earth911, Environmental News Network, Kids FACE (Kids for a clean environment) and TreeHugger among others.
The site offers tips on recycling, composting and other related topics. And, there’s a feature to encourage people like me, the “Environmentally Challenged.”
You can find out where the 2008 Presidential candidates stand on environmental issues and get reports on which allergens are active, such as weeds, trees, grass or mold.
Test your environmental knowledge on the Green-O-Meter quiz. For example, how many pounds of trash does the average person create everyday? Here’s a hint, it’s more than two and half pounds, which was my guess.
One of the neatest features is the tour of the Greenes’ eco-friendly house. Just click on a room in the house and green leaves appear to give tips on how to improve the environment in and around the home.
Click on the bowl of fruit in the kitchen and get this tip: “Local lettuce equals fewer fossil fuels. In one study of food consumed at Iowa institutions (PDF), researchers found that produce grown nationally or internationally travelled an average of almost 1,500 miles before reaching the consumer. Locally grown food typically travelled less than 60 miles in the study. Opting for locally-grown produce - although it is sometimes more expensive - reduces the energy used to transport food. National Geographic’s Green Guide recommends buying in-season produce at your local farmer’s market and freezing leftovers for the winter.”
Great idea and it benefits local growers, too.
Keep visiting the Greenes as the feature grows with a cast of characters and profiles of their houses, cars, business, etc.
Living Green also includes a section for children. Click on the Newspapers In Education (NIE) text and pick the grade level to go the appropriate section for information, games, activities and environmental links.
Visit Living Green on Reflector.com. It’s a fun place to browse around, and like me, you may learn something about how to keep the “green” in Greenville and Pitt County.
Cherie Speller is readership and community editor for The Daily Reflector. Contact her at 329-9512 or cspeller@coxnc.com.