One way to do this is to recycle some of our waste products.  Stuff like glass jars and glass bottles can be easily re-used as containers for something else.  If you prefer to recycle with a bit more challenge, however, there are ways to completely transform trash into something else entirely. Here are two recipes on home recycling.

Home Recycled Paper

Do you buy newspapers regularly?  Then you can make beautiful recycled paper out of these, with the use of tools you can easily find at home.

recycled paper product

1. You will need a fly screen, wooden frame (or suitable alternatives), used papers/newspapers, water, cloth, blender and some bleach or coloring if desired.
2. First, you will need to make a mold using a fly screen by stapling it to a wooden frame.
3. Soak some torn up pieces of newspaper in hot water for around half an hour.
4. Using a blender, blend the water and paper up until it becomes mushy.  Add some bleach to whiten the color of the mush or add some coloring or small amounts of flowers to decorate it and blend again.
5. Pour the pulp into a basin of water, making sure the proportion is at 1 part pulp and 4 parts water, and stir.
6. Dip the fly screen mold into the pulp water mix and scoop the floating particles out of the water.  Make sure that the particles pieces are evenly spread on the mold.
7. Meanwhile, stack some newspapers and spread a piece of cloth on top of it. This will make a drying pad.
8. When all the water has been drained out of the fly screen mold, flip the mold to lay the pulp onto the drying pad.  The pulp should be able to separate itself from the mold
9. Allow the pulp to air dry for some time.  When it is dry, run an iron over the recycled paper to smoothen it out – and you’re done!

Home Made Eco Soap

Do you know what to do with your used cooking oil? Do not pour it down the drain, as it will clog your pipes.  Instead, make soap out of them!  Here’s how to do it.

used cooking oil as soap

1. You will need used cooking oil, a measuring cup, a balance scale, some caustic soda, some clothes softener, protective glasses, a protective mask and rubber gloves.
2. For every liter of used oil, use 200 grams caustic soda, 40mm of softener and 400mm of warm water.  Make sure that you filter out all the bits of food from the oil before you proceed.
3. Dissolve the caustic soda in the water while wearing your protective gears, as this mixture will release toxic gases. Be careful when doing this. Also dissolve the soda into the water instead of pouring water over the soda.
4. Add the oil to mixture from step 3 and stir for 15 minutes with a spoon.
5. The softener is then added so give the mixture its fragrance.  For some variants, you could add in essential oils and bits of flowers petals for fragrances
6. Pour this final mixture into different containers such as old tin cans or small plastic containers to mold the soap.
7. The mixture will turn white in two days. Let the soap stands for two more weeks before using it.

Volcano Eruption

Volcanoes are in the news once again recently, as an Icelandic volcano under the Eyjafjallajokull glacier erupted last April 14.  This event did not come as a complete surprise to those who were monitoring the volcano, as there had been an increase in volcanic and seismic activity in the area since December 2009.  During that time, thousands of small earthquakes were happening in the area.  Nearly 3,000 earthquakes were recorded by early March and magma was beginning to pour out to the surface.  An eruption occurred in March 20, but this was a somewhat silent eruption compared to what happened a few weeks later, as it came from a fissure vent instead of underneath the glacier.

The second eruption had been widely publicized due to the massive amount of volcanic ash that spewed out of the volcano, causing flights to be cancelled for a number of days all across northwestern Europe.  This resulted to countless stranded travelers all over the world for six days since April 15.

Like when people lose their tempers, volcanic eruptions do not happen as abruptly as we think.  They are often a result of a build-up of activity under the Earth’s crust.  The mantle, which is directly underneath the crust, is made up of solid rock and is subject to immensely high pressures and temperatures.  This area can go beyond 1,000 degrees Celsius.  Molten rock, also known as magma, is a result of these pressures and temperatures.  The magma collects under vast chambers underneath the crust, after it seeps out of the cracks in the mantle.

A Structure of Typical Volcano and its Geologic Hazard

Diagram obtained from USGS

Magma is less dense than rock.  When something is less dense, it floats to the surface.  This is best described when oil is poured into water.  Therefore, once magma collects under the rocky crust, it will seek out the weak parts of this area.  Magma is likely to contain dissolved gases and water.  The dissolved gases and water will turn into gas and steam when the magma reaches the surface, and this is what causes a violent eruption.  To illustrate this further, it is like shaking a can of soda and popping the tab open.   Once magma has reached the surface, it is now called lava.

The shape of a volcano and the nature of its eruption come as a direct result of the lava viscosity that flows out of a volcano.  A wide shield volcano is a result of lava that flows out easily.  A cone-shaped volcano is a result of a thicker type of lava.  If lava is extremely thick, however, it creates a bottle neck and will usually result in violent eruptions.

Even though the lion has been nicknamed the ‘king of the jungle’, lions are in fact smaller than tigers. There are many subspecies of tigers that most people may not be aware of.  Some are already extinct, like the Balinese, Caspian and Javan tigers, while most are still in existence today.  The existing subspecies of tigers are the Bengal, Sumatran, Indochinese, Siberian, Malayan and the South China.  The Siberian tiger is considered the largest of all the subspecies, while the Sumatran tiger is the smallest.

Contrary to popular belief, white tigers are not part of a tiger subspecies.  They are ordinary tigers that possess mutated genes, known as albinos. Because they are popular animal attractions, many zoos actively breed white tigers. Unfortunately, this mostly involved a lot of inbreeding which results to some tigers possessing genetic dysfunctions such as cleft palates, cross-eyes and even scoliosis.

Sadly, the tiger population has been dwindling rapidly in the last few years. According to the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), the worldwide population of the biggest cat has been whittled down to around 3,200.  The decline of the tiger population is usually caused by destruction of natural habitats, global warming, hunting and poaching.

The tigers’ natural habitats are usually around areas where the population of humans is high.  This results to conflict between men and the big cat, especially when the tigers begin to threaten the villages or towns.  They get hunted down until there is none left, to keep the village or town safe.

Poaching tigers have suddenly become more popular just in the past year.  Mostly because they pose a challenge to big game hunters who want the tiger skins as trophies or because they can earn a lot of money from those who use the animals’ body parts for medicinal purposes.

Due to the dangerous state of the tiger population, thirteen countries have set a goal to rectify this situation.  The summit was held in Bangkok, Thailand last January, where it was agreed that measures should be taken in order to double the tiger population by the year 2022.  The WWF’s Tiger Network initiatives, which share the same goals as the Asian tiger summit, were also just launched in February 2010.  The 2022 deadlines for these campaigns was chosen because it is the next scheduled Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.  Donating to the WWF Tiger Network will help fund anti-poaching and tiger reserve patrol initiatives.

Earth Hour 2010 will take place on Saturday 27th March 2010 at 8.30 pm, local time. That means the people in Kiritimati, Line Islands, Kiribati will be the first to hit 8.30 pm at their local time. The Hour will propagate over the world slowly as the clock turned 8.30 pm in each cities. How would the images look like over the satellite if everyone on earth observes the Earth Hour?

Earth Hour is a global call to action to everyone on Earth. It is an activity, a symbol, a mean for us to show that we care about the climate changes and can do our part with just a click to turn off lights for one hour. Many businesses and individuals have pledged their support and so are we at Apple Bazaar. It may look quite meaningless at a glance but multiply the effort with millions of people on earth and it will save a massive amount of energy. Not to mention the invaluable solidarity and cares human can show toward Earth.

Let’s show our support, switch off the lights.

The rivers and streams we pass by on camping or hiking trips may look clean, but you can never be too sure.  Some factory up the river may be dumping toxic waste into the water, you never know.  So it may be advisable to use water filters. You need to treat the water before using is at the campsite.

As we all know, water is quite a valuable natural resource.  Without it, we will have no chance of surviving.  Therefore, we should all do our part in being responsible human beings and conserve water in any way we can.

The first thing to do when wanting to conserve water is to check your faucets and pipes for any leakages, especially if you find that your water usage is unusually high.  If you find any pipe sections that are dripping or are faulty, have them repaired.  Not only will you save on your water bill, you are also not wasting all that good water.

Install a water meter, if you do not already have one.  Once you actually monitor your water usage, you might actually be surprised to know how much you have been using.  Being conscious about how much water you use and trying to cut back on your usage is a good way of conserving water.

Little things like turning off the tap while brushing your teeth, shaving or washing the dishes also help conserve water.  Taking quick showers instead of running a full bath is also recommended, as more water is utilized when taking baths.

You may also install low-flow faucets or shower heads to control your water consumption.  Converting the toilet into low flush by installing the proper system is also advisable. The system have an options for full or half flush for different toilet usage. Most of the time, half flush is sufficient to clear the toilet waste.

To water your garden, you do not need to use fresh water all the time.  You can collect rainwater or use the gray water that comes from the used bath, laundry or washing the dishes to water your plants. There is no cause for worry about using gray water on plants because plants will thrive on used water with some compost. Don’t use gray water with high soap content though.  It is even better if you water the garden at night.  This is because water will evaporate quicker if you water during the day.

If you need to let the faucets run off its cold water before showering or washing the dishes, catch the cold running water with a bucket before it becomes hot.  You can use this water for watering the garden or washing the car.

We need to launder our clothes every once in a while.  However, this is not something we need to to on a daily basis.  It is recommended to use the washing machine on a full load in order to conserve water, as well as electricity.  Also, try to be careful about not using too many clothes so that you will not need to launder too often.  Not only will this be good for the environment, but it will also make your clothes last longer.

It is a fragile world we now live in. With climate change affecting our Mother Earth, it’s no longer acceptable for us to continue doing things the way we used to. Global warming is the most urgent issue of our time, and while the problem is of worldwide significance, people should be passionate about reversing the effects whenever and wherever possible, starting in your home and community. Everyone should be committed to environmental improvement.  Our way of living should not cost the earth.

Our day to day living has an effect on the global environment.  What we do in our homes affects other homes even in another continent and other parts of the world.  It’s not even the big things. The small stuff like the plastic bags some supermarkets and groceries still carry are damaging to the environment.  They are convenient to use but these plastic bags can kill a bird when left lying around outside.  The incandescent bulbs we use to create a more relaxing ambience in our homes consume more energy and produce more heat that is responsible for the green house effect we are currently experiencing.  The greenhouse effect produces gases that trap energy in the atmosphere which makes the earth warmer.

Time is not on our side. Global warming is here now and it is time to do some actions. Everyone should be passionate about changing the situation and making a difference. Many greenhouse gases come from things we do every day. We can definitely reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that we create and put into the atmosphere with simple changes. It’s not just the big ticket items like installing solar panels or advocating the use of electric cars. Simple ways such as using energy efficient light bulbs and light fixtures, ensuring our appliances such as computers, television and stereo are turned off and unplugged when not in use, purchasing locally or from local sources as much as possible and recycling the waste we produce when and where possible. These things don’t cost a lot of money. Even giving the lowly paper a chance by using both sides. When you print and it didn’t come out right, don’t dispose of it. Use the blank page. Recycle. Reuse.

Simplify your life. Are you happy having so much stuff? Do you need more than one car if you live alone? And do you really need that fur to stay warm? Having two cars is not wrong. Electricity is not bad. We just have to use them properly. Carpooling is a brilliant idea. Walking and riding a bike are even better. We just have to make the right choices. Tennis is a great hobby and so are gardening and planting trees. By planting trees, we reduce the amount of green house gases as trees absorb carbon dioxide.

Awareness. Smart choices. Less stuff. Those are the keys to make Earth a better place to live in for this generation and the next ones to come. Mother Earth has eyes and she will not allow degradation anywhere on this planet. So we must act now before it’s too late.

The garbage system of a given country, city, or neighborhood is very telling of that place’s value on environmental preservation. In Japan, it is something that citizens seriously adhere to and they even have a specific garbage disposal system that is highly organized and rather unique from all the other countries in the world. The Japanese government has established their own rules when it comes to disposing and recycling garbage that is difficult to follow at first but once you are able to fully implement it; even you would appreciate the system’s organization and excellence.

It can be concluded that the Japanese garbage system is far more advanced; hence recycling and properly disposing household waste is something that you need to learn if you live in Japan. Once you get used to the system, your life would be much easier in the future.

There are four categories of waste that the Japanese system observes when disposing off garbage. These four categories include combustible wastes or those that can be burned such as household food scraps, incombustible waste or those that cannot be burnt, plastic containers such as wrappings or plastic bags, and recyclable wastes like newspapers, magazines, tissue boxes, papers, among others. Needless to say, it is quite a complicated system but something that is observed by the Japanese citizens on a regular basis.

Aside from properly assigning the garbage materials according to the four categories mentioned above, there is also a set schedule of time for picking up the garbage. Hence, each household must be able to put out their garbage before 8am such that the garbage collectors could easily pick it up. However, you are not allowed to put it out the night before due to hygienic reasons and neighbors would complain about it if you do. There is also a separate scheduled pick-up for garbage materials that can be recycled such as papers, bottles, and cans.

A special bag is also required for containing your garbage to be collected and you can find them easily available in convenience stores or shops. For bulky items that you wish to throw away like old bicycles or home appliances, there is a scheduled pick up for them around twice in a month. In some cases, you’d have to settle a fee and coordinate with an agency that handles these items.

With the rising concern for global warming issues, government officials are prompted to resort to eco friendly measures at their respective countries or area of responsibility. Thankfully, many countries responded to the call to turn green. However, the following ten countries are the ones that rose above the rest when it comes to an overall healthy water resource, environmental condition, and clean air.

1) Switzerland

The strict legislation when it comes to pollution in Switzerland has made it the leading eco-friendly nation all throughout the world. Thus, the government has covered all the basics such as improving water and waste management, garbage disposal system, and proper education of its citizens to sustain and preserve their natural resources. They have also enforced sever penalties to anyone breaking environment legislations to promote personal responsibility when it comes to preserving the environment.

2) Norway

The installation of the largest solar production plant in the world in this country has earned it a high spot in the list, aside from the serious actions it has taken against emissions. They have also long-term plans on maintaining the environmental health in Norway, such that they propose the country to be carbon neutral come 2030.

3) Sweden

The mandate against fossil fuels have earned Sweden the third spot, such that majority of its power is produced via hydroelectric or nuclear power. They have also addressed the problems concerning flight and automobile transport to conserve energy and reduce pollution in the environment. The Swedish government is also in the process of evaluating how to harness the power of waves, which experts at University of Uppsala believe to be 4 times more powerful than solar power.

4) Finland

Reforestation in Finland

Despite the immense industrialization that Finland has suffered, they somehow managed to bounce back and even earn the 4th spot in the top environmentally friendly countries. It has taken the initiative to clean up air, water, and land. They have also managed to counter the rate of deforestation by increasing the amount of trees being planted in Finland’s forests.

They have also spearheaded the rise of United Nation’s Environmental Program or UNEP, which was built around the objective of sustaining the processes done to preserve the environment and all other environmental causes.

5) Costa Rica

This country has earned the 5th spot due to the strong correlation between their stewardship of the environment and its economic progress. After all, it holds a major responsibility knowing that Costa Rica contains 5% of the world’s biodiversity and it is therefore at the heart of all environmental conservation efforts. About a quarter of the nation has even dedicated itself to full park preservation and there are also other burgeoning developments that are aimed at producing funds to environmental programs in the country.

An evidence of the persistence in maintaining a healthy garbage system in Europe is the increasing demand for InsinkErator in European markets. This product is designed to make garbage disposal more efficient, organized, and environmentally friendly. Over the last 10 years, the sales for InsinkErator have noticeably gone up such that it was able to generate as much as $500 million during that span of time. This was a bit of a surprise knowing how garbage disposal systems used to generate nearly no sales in Europe until awareness campaign about the need for proper waste disposal and garbage collection was initiated.

The experts have an explanation for this phenomenon. They believe that the ability to capture food waste in European household sewers enable them to utilize it for wastewater treatment plants, which is then processed into bio-solids and combined into compost quality soil to enhance the quality of agricultural lands. Thus, it is more about proper food waste management instead of an actual garbage disposal system.

Another example is the “green” garbage disposal system implemented in Germany. A few issues from the past that has affected them economically have prompted the need to pass a law that will implement stricter laws when it comes to environmental preservation. One distinct focus is not just in proper disposal of garbage, particularly those non-biodegradable items like crates, sacks, bottles, or cans. They are looking at ways to put those items back into use to save money and preserve the natural resources as well.

Any improvement that has done on the garbage system in Europe affects several other branches of the government, aside from environmental reasons. This will help conserve money settled by taxpayers in realizing effective waste management system and other operating expenses.

It uses convection, a type of kinetic energy (use of motion and velocity to create acceleration) to transfer the heat from the core through the layers of its photosphere (the outside area where the gases are cool enough to be seen) and chromo sphere (the area above its photosphere) to its corona (the oblique surface we see). The energy in its core takes an estimated 1 million years to reach a photosphere that maintains a temperature up to 6,000 degrees Celsius. The pressure created on the sun is 340 times greater than that on earth.

These nuclear reactions cause the outer layers to continuously expand and contract. The movement creates a solar wind of charged particles that form hypersonic streams extending to the heliopause (a theoretical boundary interacting with inner-stellar material). The sun is fourth largest, of our solar system. It is 12,000 times earth’s size. The sun is 17 light years away from earth (149.6 million kilometers). Although it is seen as yellow, the surface is actually white. The radiant energy takes approximately 8 minutes and 19 seconds to reach earth. Almost all life on earth is supported by this thermo-light energy created with-in the sun’s core.

The intense and almost unfathomable energy that is generated by the sun has been studied for many years and is still not fully understood. The efforts to harness its energy have in large part been successful. Using lenses and reflective material the heat from the sun can be stored. It is then converted to a usable form of electricity. Research is underway to create large thermal electric power plants that use molten salt to store the energy. This form of power production greatly decreases independence on fossil fuels and substantially lowers polluting emissions of CO2, sulfur oxide and nuclear waste. It is estimated that using only 1% of desert lands would produce more energy than traditional power plants.

Economically, the theory will take many years to apply on a massive service level. Studies show that independent homes and buildings using thermo-electric collectors are more expensive to set-up, but the overall effects and benefits of utilizing the technology offset the cost. It is far safer and has fewer impacts on the environment than our more common sources supplying electricity today.

Solar Powered portable chargers by Solar (Freeloader), Brunton, Silva and Solio is available at Apple Bazaar.