to walk the talk -without a carbon footprint-

I was so impressed with the water exhibit I saw at the ROM yesterday. Many of the displays were interactive and relayed the information of water necessity and conservation in so many interesting ways. Although it was not a nattering message, I clearly understood the importance of taking care of our world from the display.
And I was terribly impressed with a bunch of the ideas they gave to support an environmentally friendly life style, and specifically water conservation. Such as:
-use the dishwasher! washing everything by hand is actually a lot less environmentally friendly than a full dishwasher!
-turn off the tap! (the tap running for five minutes is equivalent to a lightbulb running for fourteen hours!)
-if it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down (flush less!)
-water the lawn in the morning or evening, not mid-day
-go through a car wash, don't wash by hand!
-turn off the lights, computer, radio -any electronics- when you're not using them!
-turn the thermostat down
-walk, or talke transit!
-REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE! D'OY!

At the end of the exhibit however, there were no stairs. Only elevators.
Excuse me? Millions of dollars were put into this section of the museum to inform us, to teach us, about how much we are destroying our world, our ecosystems, our animals, and ultimately our selves. The entire concept was to be green, and we finished it off with no other option than an un-environmentally friendly form of transportation? The elevator only moves us a floor, but that's beside the point. Isn't this a bit hypocritical?

I hope that if you guys choose to take on the comittment of becomming greener, you will be able to talk the talk AND walk the walk. Spread the word of our global pollution, and help inform others of what they can do. But lead by example guys. For more ideas to reduce your carbon footprint be sure to catch the footers of each of my following posts -including this one-, as I'll  be adding an environmentally friendly or friendlier thing we can each do.
-Em

NO PLASTIC WATER BOTTLES!!!!
ARG! Plastic water bottles annoy me more than socks with sandals.
Do you realize how much work has gone into the bottle it's self? To produce initial materials, to ship them, to produce more materials, to ship them, to finalize production, to put everything together, to ship them, to ship them, to sell them so we can go to the store to buy them to bring them home... ACK! More than 2000 times more energy is put into the production of each bottle than it is to produce tap water! And all the energy used to recycle them, if they even get that far... Still, 33 billion gallons of bottled water were purchased in the U.S last year (70% more than 2002) this is more than milk or beer!
And tap water? Not only is it environmentally friendlier, and cheaper, it's also healthier! Toronto water is infact tested 300,000 times every year! 
-em