Tubeless Toilet Paper

As I've mentioned before - the little steps matter.  Take in consideration the number of toilet paper rolls that NEVER make it into the recycling.  We all use it and I hope that this is going to be a movement that other companies follow.

http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/tubeless-toilet-paper/

French Post Office Aims to Have 10,000 Electric Vehicles in Use by 2011

Okay USA - what are your plans?  We can NOT continue to keep focused on oil.

One word:  Solar, there are so many possibilities!

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2010/10/in-france-going-postal-means-going-green.php

Collapsible Rain Barrel

http://www.greenhome.com/products/yard_and_garden/garden_accessories/116146

Good "green" deal (this week) from GreenHome.com.

White House Goes Green: Obama Home to Go Solar

Solar Panels to be Installed Above the White House's Living Quarters; Military Also Looking to Renewable Energy

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/05/politics/main6928758.shtml 

Marcellus Shale links:

What is:  http://www.marcellusshales.com/

Drilling projects and other information:  http://www.marcellus-shale.us/

Combination of a web-based DataTool for tracking & visualizing data related to gas extraction in the Marcellus Shale region:  http://www.fractracker.org/

Marcellus Shale Coalition:  http://marcelluscoalition.org/

Marcellus Shale Protest:  http://www.marcellusprotest.org/

Action alliance:  http://shaleshock.org/

Keeping the public informed:  http://themarcellusshale.com/

Neighborhood drilling:  http://www.lpactiongroup.com/

Additional Information on Natural Gas Drilling:

http://damascuscitizens.org/   - Damascus Citizens 

http://lpactiongroup.blogspot.com/ - LP Action Group Blog

http://shaleblog.com/ - Shale Blog 

http://threeriverswaterkeeper.org/maps.html - Three Rivers Waterkeepers 

http://www.chk.com/Pages/default.aspx - Chesapeake Energy

http://www.donnan.com/Marcellus-Gas_Hickory.htm - Bob's Blog 

http://www.marcellus-shale.us/ - Marcellus Shale US

http://www.pennfuture.org/default.aspx - Penn Future

http://www.propublica.org/ - Propublica

No Poo - Day 3

This is technically day 2 - but for this process, each day will be counted.

Day 3:  I followed the same steps as Day 1 - timing, etc...  After I styled and dried my hair.  I wanted a 'sniff' test. 

The question was: do I smell like a salad... the answer was "YES".  I will need to do some more research to find out if I did something wrong.  I rinsed thoroughly (at least I felt I did).

No Poo - Day 2

Job interview superseded this experiment. Even though it worked well yesterday, I wasn't willing to risk it on such an important day.

I will resume tomorrow.

HEALTH EFFECTS OF SHALE GAS EXTRACTION: WHAT IS KNOWN AND WHAT CAN WE PREDICT?

University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health 2010 Conference

http://www.eoh.pitt.edu/marcellus.asp

University Club, 123 University Place, Pittsburgh, PA 15260
November 19, 2010
8 AM – 6 PM

Purpose | Registration & Cost | Agenda | Speakers | Lodging | Parking | Steering Committee | Conference Planners

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PURPOSE

This conference will explore the science and methodological approaches behind understanding environmental health impacts associated with increasing development of natural gas extraction from shale deposits found under wide geographical areas of the United States.
Natural gas plays a key role in the nation’s clean energy future and energy independence.  Over the past few years, several key technical, economic, and energy policy developments have spurred increased gas extraction and especially the use of hydraulic fracturing to recover gas over a wider diversity of geographic regions and geologic formations.  However, as with any technology that involves management of potentially toxic substances, there has been increasing concerns about the impact of increased hydraulic fracturing and other associated gas extraction procedures on drinking water resources, air quality, public health, and the environment in the vicinity of gas extraction facilities. The United States government has identified a lack of critical research on these impacts and gaps in basic research pertaining to the mobilization of toxic hazards, regional differences in hazards generated, pathways of human exposure, and amounts of exposures that hamper full assessment of health risks from the hazards released during current gas extraction methodologies.
The conference will present the scientific challenges and issues that are being explored by government and academic investigators, as well novel methodologies being employed to assess the health impacts and reduce the hazards produced by gas extraction, refining, and delivery operations.
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REGISTRATION and COST

Registration is required. There is no cost to attend. Registration includes:

• Participation in the conference
• Morning refreshments
• Lunch
• Post-conference cocktail/beer reception (ID required)

Download the Registration Form in either PDF Format or for your convenience Microsoft Word Format and either email or mail the completed form to Sara Gillooly at: seg14@pitt.edu, Bridgeside Point, 100 Technology Drive, Ste. 328 Attn: Sara Gillooly, BRIDG, Pittsburgh, PA 15219-3130. Call with questions: (412) 383-7540.
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TENTATIVE AGENDA

• 7:30 – 8:00 AM — On-site registration and Sign-In
• 8:00 – 8:30 AM — Introduction
• 8:30 – 10:00 AM — Session 1 – Overview of Shale Gas Exposure and Health - Research and Views from Around the Country
• 10:00 – 10:30 AM — Break
• 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM — Session 2 – Water Contaminants Fate and Transport - Sources and Mechanisms of Exposure
• 12:00 – 1:00 PM — Lunch Served
• 1:00 – 2:30 PM — Session 3 – Fate and Transport of Air Contaminants - Sources and Mechanisms of Exposure
• 2:30 – 3:00 PM — Break
• 3:00 – 4:30 PM — Session 4 – Risk Assessment and Social and Public Health Impacts
• 4:30 – 5:00 PM — Conclusions and Final Remarks
• 5:00 – 6:00 PM — Reception and Networking (2 drink tickets provided during sign-in)

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CONFIRMED SPEAKERS

• Carl Kirby, PhD — Professor, Bucknell University, Geology Department
• Dan Bain, PhD — Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Geology and Planetary Science
• David Sterling, PhD, CIH — Chair, Environmental and Occupational Health, UNT HSC School of Public Health
• Jane Clougherty, MSc, ScD — Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Graduate School of Public Health, Department of Environmental and Occupational Health
• John Veil — Manager, Water Policy Program, Argonne National Laboratory
• Michel Boufadel, PhD, PE, P.Hydro. — Professor and Chair, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Director, Center for Natural Resources Development and Protection, Temple University
• Robert Field — Research Scientist, University of Wyoming, Department of Atmospheric Sciences
• Susan Christopherson, PhD — Professor, City and Regional Planning, Cornell University
• Tracy Bank, PhD — Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo, Department of Geology

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LODGING OPTIONS

Local Hotels	Rate
Quality Inn University Center 3401 Blvd. of the Allies Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 683-6100	$89.99/night
Residence Inn by Marriott 3896 Bigelow Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 621-2200	$113-114/night
Hampton Inn University Center 3315 Hamlet Street Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 681-1000	$119.00/night
Wyndham Pittsburgh University Place 3454 Forbes Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 683-2040	$125.00/night
Holiday Inn at University Center 100 Lytton Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (412) 682-6800	$127.00/night

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PARKING

We recommend that attendees park in the Soldiers and Sailors Garage.
To contact the University Club with questions or directions to the conference, please call: 412-648-8213 or email: uclub@pitt.edu.

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STEERING COMMITTEE

• Aaron Barchowsky, PhD — Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health (GSPH), Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) department
• Conrad Dan Volz, DrPH, MPH — Assistant Professor, GSPH, EOH; Director and Principal Investigator, Center for Healthy Environments and Communities (CHEC), GSPH; Director, Environmental Health Risk Assessment Certificate Program, GSPH, EOH
• John Stolz, PhD — Professor, Duquesne University, Department of Biological Sciences; Director, Center for Environmental Research and Education (CERE), Duquense University

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CONFERENCE PLANNERS

• Charles Christen, DrPH, MEd — Director of Operations, CHEC, GSPH
• Samantha Malone, MPH, CPH — Communications Specialist and Doctoral Student, CHEC, GSPH
• Sara Gillooly — Administrative Assistant, GSPH, EOH
  Contact for more information: seg14@pitt.edu, (412) 383-7540

Junk mail... one thing you can do, to stop it.

There are numerous website to help manage junk mail, but with our busy lives - here is another thing you can do to stop some of it.

Either write or attach a label to the front of unopened mail you no longer want and put it back in the mailbox.

RETURN TO SENDER/REFUSED

ATTN SENDER: Please remove this address from your contact lists.

                                                                                                 Please recycle this material.

I have these labels already designed and printed out so as I get junk mail, I slap a label on it and put it right back in the mailbox! 
Select the link below for the template or send me an email, I'll be happy to forward it to you.

https://sites.google.com/site/going4green/file-cabinet/RETURNTOSENDERlabels.doc?attredirects=0&d=1

No Poo - Day 1

I took the leap today!

The first time I heard about 'no poo' was on a LinkedIn Green group discussion.  

For those of you that have never heard this term.

Wikipedia:  No poo (no shampoo) is a collective term for methods of washing hair without commercial shampoo.  (Some people may make their own shampoo.)


After reading some of the comments, I decided to post a question on my ever loved FaceBook to see if any of my friends had any experience or insight.  It was an interesting response. There was one 'My hair got greasy just thinking about no shampoo...', to 'it's the same as the hospital dry powder', to 'I don't think you'll be happy with it'.  Lily's first reaction was if you want to walk around all day smelling like a salad - go for it. 

After doing some quick research, I found that the majority of folks that tried going No Poo, love it.

The basics that I started with:  

1 tablespoon of baking soda with enough water added to make a watery paste.  

Apply it to warm water, well rinsed hair.  

Work it in at the roots (oily area), not forgetting the temple area.

Keep it on for up to a minute.

Caution: do not work it in too hard, I've read that this can cause the hair to become brittle.

I did not have a timer or a watch, so I'm going to be using my shower routine as the basis of my timing.
My hair felt odd while doing this - then I reminded myself "of course it feels odd, you've never had baking soda in your hair before".

Rinse out the baking soda.

Next:

2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, diluted a bit to give good coverage.  Apply to the ends. Some of the forums advised not applying this rinse on a daily basis.  Do not worry about the smell, it rinses out (as I've read - but this has to be tested).
The whole process with the vinegar - all I could hear was Lily saying "if you want to smell like a salad all day - go for it".  It truly made me laugh out loud in the shower.

This is all there is to it!  Simple, with NO chemicals.

Admittedly I'm missing the scents that come with most shampoos/conditioners.  I'm all about aromatherapy with my morning routine.  I'm going to have to find a way to incorporate some essential oils somewhere with this.

The most helpful resource that I found before starting this project was:  http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html

It provides a much more in-depth overview of the chemicals associated with 'regular' (using that term loosely here) shampoo.  There is also a section on troubleshooting.  Thank you NatureMoms!

After towel drying, I dried and styled my hair as I normally do, but I did not add anything else to it.  I'm pleasantly shocked at the body and how it styled - and it doesn't smell at all like a salad! :)

Day 1 - I'm very pleased with the results... and it feels super clean.  And I feel good that no chemicals went down the drain!