| The majority of the scientific community agrees. | | | | can have flowerboxes filled with beautiful |
| Man is adversely affecting the environment and | | | | oxygen-producing blooms. Apartments with flat |
| accelerating global warming. Greenhouse gases | | | | roofs can have rooftop gardens. Business people |
| created by our modern lifestyles are blanketing | | | | can fill office buildings and retail establishments |
| the Earth in a warming cocoon and causing an | | | | with live trees, hanging plant baskets, and exotic |
| ugly metamorphosis - a planet riddled with severe | | | | flowers. Even people with a 'brown thumb' can |
| weather, animal species extinctions, and an | | | | find easy-to-grow plants like philodendrons, cacti, |
| inhospitable environment for future generations. | | | | spider plants, ivies, and African violets. |
| Governments and industries are not reacting | | | | Reduce the impact of your trash. |
| quickly. In our lifetime, the world as we know it | | | | Most landfills produce huge amounts of methane. |
| may no longer exist. It is up to everyone to start | | | | Garbage produces methane gas when it decays in |
| making changes NOW, working together towards | | | | an anaerobic (oxygen-free) environment. Most |
| a common goal: the preservation of this glorious, | | | | landfills crush garbage and place it into a |
| beautiful world in which we live. | | | | plastic-lined pit, then layer the trash with dirt and |
| Quit overstuffing yourself at the table. | | | | more garbage. |
| Huh? That is a strange statement! How can your | | | | You can help prevent landfill methane production |
| eating habits have an effect on greenhouse | | | | by composting as much as possible. Just about |
| gases? | | | | anything organic is compostable - potato peelings, |
| There are a growing number of overweight and | | | | coffee grounds, unsalted pasta water, moldy |
| obese people in the so-called affluent countries. | | | | baked goods, etc. Avoid large items like whole |
| Have you ever considered where all those | | | | potatoes and corncobs. You should chop them |
| hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken nuggets come | | | | into smaller pieces before adding them to your |
| from? Producers use prime agricultural land to | | | | compost bin. Avoid meat, oily or fatty |
| cultivate grass and grain crops for feeding animals | | | | substances, or anything prepared with appreciable |
| in the human food chain. | | | | amounts of salt. |
| A single cow needs about five acres of pasture in | | | | Add finished compost to your houseplants and |
| order to thrive. During its lifetime, a cow can | | | | garden, or use it for lawn top-dressing to create |
| create truckloads of manure - manure that | | | | lusciously healthy growth. You can purchase a |
| creates a considerable amount of methane (a | | | | commercial compost bin at your local department, |
| greenhouse gas). The agricultural land required to | | | | hardware, or garden supply store. Alternatively, |
| raise one cow would feed humans more | | | | search the Internet for 'plans compost bin |
| efficiently when devoted to crops like wheat and | | | | construction' if you would like to try building a bin |
| soybeans. | | | | from scratch. |
| The meat we consume goes through several | | | | You can add many unusual items to your |
| processing stages using a variety of materials - | | | | compost: |
| including paper, plastic, Styrofoam, and cardboard. | | | | 100% cotton clothing (no buttons or zippers) |
| Transportation to the slaughterhouse, processing | | | | 100% wool sweaters or socksbrown paper |
| plant, retail store, and then to the kitchen burns | | | | bagsburnt toast, cakes, potatoescorked or soured |
| up energy and creates toxic greenhouse | | | | winecrushed eggshellsdryer lintfeathers and furhair |
| emissions. | | | | clippingsjunk mail (no plastic or metal)leather goods |
| All that extra food ultimately creates methane | | | | (metal and plastic pieces removed)pasta, cooked |
| gas when it ends up in the sewer. In addition, | | | | or uncooked (without the sauce)shells from |
| each extra pound of fat on the body requires | | | | almonds, peanuts, and walnutsshredded papersmall |
| more oxygen to maintain, depleting a resource | | | | pieces of cardboardsmall quantities of expired |
| that plant life must replenish. | | | | dairy productstea bags and coffee filterstoenail |
| Give back some of the oxygen you breathe! | | | | and fingernail clippingsvacuum cleaner bags and |
| Plant life consumes carbon dioxide (a greenhouse | | | | contentswooden skewers (broken into small |
| gas) and produces life-giving oxygen. However, | | | | pieces)wooden toothpicks |
| man clears forests and prime agricultural land to | | | | You can locate a more comprehensive list if you |
| erect ever-higher skyscrapers. If we were to | | | | search the Net for 'things to add to compost'. |
| spend more time building down into the ground | | | | These tips are just a start. Keep watching for |
| instead of up into the air or sprawling into the | | | | further informational articles in the days to come. |
| countryside, we would leave more surface area | | | | (c) Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is |
| for agriculture and nature. Until architects embrace | | | | free to publish only if this copyright notice, the |
| this concept, we can help replenish a bit of the | | | | byline, and the author's note below (with active |
| Earth's oxygen by filling our lives with greenery. | | | | links) are included. |
| Surround yourself with houseplants. Every balcony | | | | |