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15 easy ways to use less plastic in your life

15 easy ways to use less plastic in your life

Straws are having a major moment. Not only are national fast-food and restaurant chains looking at reducing or eliminating them entirely, but individuals across the country are saying ‘no’ to sipping from the wasteful plastic single-use item. While the straw ban will certainly help, it’s really just the beginning. If you’re interested in other easy ways to cut back on plastic consumption, here are a few ideas. Recycling is great, but the best thing you can do for the environment is use less plastic to begin with. What’s great about reusing materials is that in most cases, you end up saving some cash for your efforts, too. Here are 15 ways to cut out plastic from your life: 1. Stay away from straws. Major corporations like McDonald’s and Starbucks have started to eliminate plastic drinking straws from their restaurants, while whole cities have put a ban on them as well. Only…

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Some states are switching to beet juice and beer to ‘salt’ icy roads, sidewalks

Here's why some states are using beet juice and beer to eliminate icy roads

Most snowy places around the country throw salt on the roads to eliminate ice and improve road conditions. According to New Herald, experts fear all this road salt tossed onto sidewalks and scattered on highways, is having an alarming impact on the environment. Conscious of this fact, some cities are turning to less conventional materials to get the job done: beet juice, molasses, cheese brine, and beer. Researchers on the subject cite mounting evidence that the 20 million tons of sodium chloride crystals used each year is increasing the salinity of hundreds of lakes — particularly in the Midwest and Northeast. In the past 50 years, chloride concentrates in some of the sampled lakes have quadrupled, and in a few cases, even increased a hundredfold. If the problem is not corrected, they warn, the runoff could threaten freshwater ecosystems and put everything from frogs to microscopic zooplankton at risk. As the negative effects are…

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Deep fryers could combat climate change, scientists say

Deep fryers could combat climate change, scientists sayAdobe stock

Skip the side salad and head straight for those french fries. New research says that molecules from burning fat could counteract global warming —if only in a small way. Researchers at the University of Reading in the UK have discovered that the fatty acids released into the air from deep frying may contribute to the formation of clouds that help cool the planet. The study’s purpose is to attain a better understanding of the impact aerosols have on global temperatures, so that proper regulations can be created. Research has shown that molecules sent airborne during the frying process, turn into 3-D droplets in the atmosphere. These droplets persist for longer than normal water droplets and can see the formation of clouds, which, in turn, help to cool the planet. Clouds created in this way reportedly reflect about a quarter of the Sun’s radiation back into space. “We found these drops could…

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This one dietary change could help America reach greenhouse-gas emission goals

A nationwide, dietary switch from beef to beans would have a huge impact on greenhouse gas emissions.Adobe stock

For many Americans, the idea of giving up meat is unfathomable or even alien. What’s the 4th of July without a hamburger? But a new analysis of beef consumption in the States shows that our carnivorous habit is holding us back from reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Conducted by a team of scientists from Oregon State University, the study states that if more people switched to a plant-based diet, America could still come close to meeting the greenhouse gas goals set by former President Barack Obama in 2009 — even in the face of current president Donald Trump backing the nation out of the Paris Climate Accord. If every American were to replace the beef in their diets with beans — even while continuing to eat chicken, pork and dairy products — the country could reach 46 to 74 percent of the previously set 2020 target. This is true even without any changes to the current energy infrastructure…

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