Round-Up Ready Is NOT So Ready

The New York Times recently posted an article reviewing a study on the environmental impact of Genetically Modified crops. As many of use have suspected and promoted for years, Genetically Modified Crops aren't proving to be God's gift to the environment. Weeds are becoming resistant and so now even more toxic chemicals than RoundUp are being used to kill weeds and scare off bugs.

I once used round-up. I didn't have an edger and weeds were crawling out the edges of my lawn and invading the side walk, as only plants can do in the warm, humid, South. I decided to best them with the world's most powerful blast, RoundUp! I sprayed along the edges and waited.

Within a day the weeds shriveled and died away, but so did everything else, This left an eerie, almost fluorescent ring around my lawn. It was bizarre enough that my neighbors came asking what I did. The alien ring lasted for weeks and weeks, and became a far worse eye sore than the weeds had been. However, it taught me the power of RoundUp to KILL. Never again have I dared touch the chemical.

I shiver to think that so much of our crop land is sprayed with RoundUp, and now even that chemical killer is not assassinating because we have inadvertently spawned nature to genetically modify it own version of plants. When will we learn that in the MAN vs NATURE game, man will never win? Man needs to work with nature and not against, if he is to survive.

How to reduce your mail clutter*

Visit www.optoutprescreen.com or call (888)567-8688

Opt out of received pre-approved credit card offers! Hallelujah!

Get off mailing and telemarketin lists by contacting the Direct Marketing Association 

Put your name on the National Do Not Call Registry (effective for 5 years)

When you make purchases online make sure to opt out of having your name shared with like minded companies, and forget filling out the warranty cards which are more often a way of creating mailing list that keeping you updated on recalls.

Want someone to do it for you? Contact Tonic Mail Stopper a non-profit that will stop your unwanted mail and plant trees on your behalf for $20 a year.

Why use power strips?

Home appliances and personal electronic devices pull electricity when in use, as we all would expect. Most also pull electricity when not in use, either while they wait poised on "standby," or because they have a clock or LED light, or because their plug is poorly designed. (Only today did I learn the term "wall wart" as applied to the black transformer boxes appended to our phones, laptops, etc., which draw power simply when plugged into an outlet, even if not plugged into their affiliated gadget.) The amount of "phantom" power drawn in an average U.S. home is expensive per home and truly impressive nationally. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, around 75 percent of the energy used by our home appliances is drawn while we think they are "off." Typical offenders include microwaves, stereo equipment, televisions, chargers for cell phones or iPods and co., and all the computer equipment.

Why buy green power?

Why buy green power?
Because electricity generation is the largest industrial polluter in the country. Did you know that more than 50% of retail customers in the US have an option of buying a green-power product from their utility company? Find out if you have the option at www.epa.gov/greenpower.

What Is Green Power?

Green power is renewable energy—power from the sun, wind, plants, and moving water. Green power is a sustainable way to meet our energy needs and protect the environment and public health.

Types of Green Power...
Wind energy converts the power available in moving air into electricity. Wind power does not produce emissions, generate solid waste, or use water.
Bioenergy is energy from trees and plants. This includes crops grown specifically for energy production and organic wastes (such as wood residues from paper mills and methane from landfills). Using bioenergy to generate electricity reduces global warming emissions if new plants are grown to replace those that are harvested.
Geothermal energy uses heat from inside the earth to make clean power.
Solar power captures the heat and light of the sun to generate electricity. Solar energy does not produce emissions, generate solid waste, or use water.
Hydroelectric power captures the energy in falling water. It does not produce emissions or solid waste, but can have a relatively low or high impact on the environment, depending on the site-specific factors such as maintenance of water flow and water quality, fish impacts, and other land use issues.

Find out more at: UCS' s Clean Energy site.

Why drive a hybrid or electric car

The most fuel-efficient midsize hybrid get a combined mileage of 46 miles a gallon; a typical midsize car gets 25 miles a gallon. By not using as much gas, you're saving 4.5 barrels of oil a year, a cash savings of $560.

There is a great documentary about electric cars - "Who killed the electric car?" Rent it and watch it.



Then check out my husband's dream car, the Tesla 2010 Roadster. I've contacted the company to see if they'd let us test one, and blog about our experience here. Keep your fingers crossed for postiive future Tesla updates.