It’s National Back to School Prep Day // 3 Ways I’m Trying to be More Eco-Friendly this School Year

That was a very long title. Maybe not the longest title ever, because I’ve read and wrote some pretty long ones, but it’s CLOSE, ohkie? It’s close.

Heya earthlings and aliens! Naomi here (yep, I know, I haven’t posted for a week because apparently my schedule is just a suggestion, but it’s fine. Totally fine.). I start school in a WEEK and I’m so exciiited. But anywho, I feel like talking about the things I’ve been trying to do (both this year and past years) to be a little more environmentally friendly (and other things too, but this blog is about the ENVIRONMENT and not my LIFE so that), so I’m going to.

Let’s read and type on!

From like kindergarten to 5th grade, I had the same backpack. Aaand then it got too small, so I got a new one for 7th grade (the reason I didn’t have one for 6th grade is complicated, so we’re just going to say it was Covid). But ANYWHO, I’m using last year’s backpack again, partially because backpacks are hard to shop for, partially because it’s what I always do, and partially because the EARTH.

See, making things involves factories, factories involve energy, and energy involves fossil fuels. Plus, a lot of the material isn’t amazing for our environment either. So the longer I can hold on to my backpack, the better. Ta-dee!

Of course, this applies to most school supplies. Pencils use both wood (dead trees – unless of course the wood is used sustainably) and plastic (not good for the ocean or the climate). A lot of folders are plastic. Binders? Same thing.

Obviously, I DO need to get new things (and, guilty pleasure – I enjoy getting them new), but if I can reuse a few things, that’s good. Right?

I walked home the majority of last year, with the exception being rainy days, times when we had to get somewhere faster than I could walk, or times that I stayed after school for things like band or clubs.

But anywho, one of the friends I walk with said she’d be trying to walk home in the rain more to be more eco-friendly, and I think that’s a good goal to set. Just bringing an umbrella to school or deciding to get wet (my favorite thing to do unless I’m going somewhere right after school because RAIN IS AMAZING) can help save gas and means I’m not riding in a car (oh, for aliens, a car is this thing that pollutes the environment and gets us around super fast-ish).

Obviously, everyone reading this can’t walk home from school (especially the aliens), but taking the bus instead of driving with your parents can be amazing too.

This is an… interesting one? Last year, I got school-made lunches some days for the first time in my entire life (school lunches are not exactly known for being good, so I was like PACKING IS SO MUCH BETTER. Plus meat. It’s hard to be a vegetarian and eat school lunches and I basically got pizza every day, which gets old. Fast.), and there was SO MUCH SINGLE-USE PLASTIC.

Trays were re-used, but there’d be packaged apples or little plastic cups, parchment paper (I think?) that you had to put down under your pizza, and plastic-coated milk cartons. I would have used so many things that were going to never decompose in landfills (which are an issue for our climate, ohkie?) and had been made in factories which, as previously discussed, are just not GOOD.

So anywho, this year packing lunches seems like the better option because, well, when I pack my lunches there’s less trash. Plus, I don’t have to eat gross pizza every day. Because ew.

So anywho, that’s that! Encounter you in the comments (hopefully)!

Happy Belated Earth Day! // My Second Trip to DC ft. a Climate Protest, City Bikes (Again), Learning About New Energy, and a Lot of Water

I really need a book therapist (which HAS to be a thing… right?). I finished Salt to the Sea and (sorta spoiler alert) EVERYONE IS DEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAD (well not everyone, but still) AND I REALLY THINK… I should write the post. Heh. Heh. Heh.

Heya! ‘Tis Naomi, and I’m here today to tell you about what I did for Earth Day Weekend. I’m not going to go into aaaall the details because, well, it’s not a lifestyle blog, but I thought it would be fun to share some of the climate change-ey things I did!

Here goes…

The whole reason that I went down to DC was a climate protest, and that was the initial idea of this post – to tell you about my experience! I went to the Fight for our Future protest – there weren’t a whole lot of people there and it was super hot, but the speakers were really good! We saw people from The White House and Fridays for Future as well as The Sunrise Movement.

Photo by Markus Spiske on Pexels.com

There were also QR codes to scan and actions to take – I couldn’t find the link to send emails/post tweets, but I was smart and sent myself the petition we signed to impose stricter laws on heavy-duty vehicle pollution, so you can sign it here!

Photo credit: Canva

I really hate biking on these things near water. And around crowds of people. Which was basically my entire experience. So like, I kept almost crashing into people and almost falling in the water and my dad kept seeming like he was going one way and then going a DIFFERENT way and so… welp, that was terrifying. But it was really fun! And useful.

Cause like, we were running late to pretty much everything, it was faster than walking, safer than public transportation (COVID-wise), and more eco-friendly than riding our own car. It was also way easier than bringing our own bikes and cheaper than renting them like normal. Perfect!

*I did an entire post on city bikes last time I visited DC that you can find here.*

Since it was super hot out and I needed to fill up my water bottle (more on that later), we stopped in the first museum we could find – which was the American History Museum.

We went to the gallery Places of Invention, where we saw an exhibit about Fort Collins, Colorado, where they’re making new, clean energy! I’m not going to talk too much about it because I’m planning on doing a full post on it later, but the whole town is basically going green! It’s super cool.

It was really hot. And I only had one water bottle. Which meant the whole trip I was looking for as much water as I could possibly find, and the thing I actually want to talk about is the boxed water that I drank – they were giving out boxed water at the climate protest, and I was SOOO THIRSTY, so I obviously got some.

Photo by Julia Sakelli on Pexels.com

So anyway, bottled water is plastic, right? And plastic is bad not only for the seas, but for the air too. Plastic production creates a bunch of carbon and chemicals (coming soon: Plastic Pollution // A Full Post), which is horrible for our environment. So… boxed water is better (hey, that’s the slogan of the company that creates this water!).

I’d still advocate for reusable water bottles, but boxed water is way better than plastic water bottles! Go check their website out right here.

And that’s it! I’m really bad at lifestyle posts, but like whatever. They’re fun to write once in a while… Anywho, see ya Friday!

Question of the Day: Have you been to any climate protests before? Do you want to go?
Action of the Day: Sign the petition I mentioned (it’s here if you don’t want to scroll up).

Earth Day is Coming Up! // 5 Ways to Celebrate

Guess what? I actually talked to not-my-friend-people this week! Aren’t I SOOO AMAZING? (I mean I’m very very introverted and literally can’t talk to people so) The- Uh. Hi. Sorry. Yeah. The post. Moving on.

Heya! ‘Tis Naomi Domi, and I’m here today because, well, Earth Day is in 11 days and I thought I’d give you some ideas so you’re not just sitting around on earth day. Cause, like, who wants to do THAT?

I actually did this last year, but ya know, you need a refresher, right? Plus I have new ideas. So. There.

Without further ado… the post!

Ok, ok, I know. I think I was just talking about how basic trees are, but WHATEEEEVER. They’re still cool. Soooooooo planting trees. This is actually sort of a bunch of ideas squished into one, so let’s just do a list.

1. Go to a tree-planting event with OneTreePlanted. I’m not sure what places they HAVE tree-planting events, but you can check here to see if they have one near you! And *cough cough* parents…. *cough cough* I think this is a GREAT idea and we should go to it this year…
2. Buy a tree or 2… or 10… or 20… or 100 that will be planted in a forest where they’re needed. OneTreePlanted ALSO has a program like this – you pay money and they plant a tree! Pretty simple. Here’s the link to THAT.
3. Buy a tree and plant it in your backyard! I recommend getting one from The Arbor Day Foundation.

This one is pretty simple and very versatile. Write and/or share something earthy! You could write an earthy poem, a cli-fi story, or an informative post. You could reblog something, share an article with your friends, tell someone about a great earthy book you read. You could write a blog post, post to social media, or send an email. You could do something that I can’t even think of!

I think that’s enough. Not much explaining for that one!

I was actually gonna include write and/or share in this part, but I really hate transitioning into lists, so I separated the sections. When I say “educate”, I mean educate yourself. Maybe read an article or a climate change-ey book (*cough cough* I have a lot of recommendations on here if you search, like “book”). Or you could listen to a podcast (I recommend “The Big Melt” or “How to Save a Planet”) or watch a video. Just learn something about our earth that you didn’t know before! Pretty simple.

As for attending something, you might have to do some of your own research because I kinda live over here in the US and you all live… lots of different places, so I can’t find things you can all attend in person. HOWEVER, I can suggest two awesome events to watch! The first is Earth Day Live, which has a bunch of different speakers talking about the earth. Second is the Earth Day 2022 Virtual Stage, which is… pretty much the same thing, but see which one you like better!

Okay, okay, this isn’t the BEST category, but seriously! Explore earthday.org. They have a bunch of cool things to do and even some events that might be near you! Just go. Look at the website. Please?

And that’s that! Have a great Earth Day and I’ll see you Friday (well, ya know, I’ll see your… words?)!

Question of the Day: Do you have plans for Earth Day?
Action of the Day: Do one of the things on this list for Earth Day!

This Magical Thing Called Compost // I Might Have Found Another Obsession…

Did you know that it’s March 21? YES, I SAID MARCH. 21. Like, wha-huh-wha?? I’m giving a presentation to a bunch of scary adults in 9 days and I thought I had more tiiiiiime *dies* Ok, ok, I know what you’re going to say. This has nothing to do with compost (although I mean I’m talking about compost because of said presentation but like whatever).

Greetings friends! ‘Tis Naomi here and today we’ll obviously be talking about compost – I’m doing a slide in my presentation about compost and thought, well, why not share some information with you?

So, here ya go. Enjoy!

(Ok, I admit I’m not good at transitions. But uh. Oh well.)

Food waste accounts for 6% of greenhouse gas emissions – this is because landfills emit methane, a greenhouse gas that is over 25 times more potent than carbon and accounts for about 20% of our greenhouse gas emissions. Said methane is emitted because trash that is dumped in the landfill is decomposed anaerobically (without oxygen).

So can you guess how the food you (correctly) compost is decomposed? You guessed it, aerobically (with oxygen)! This means that the food you compost does NOT emit methane.

Photo by Emmet on Pexels.com

Alrighty, ready for the second point? We’ll just assume you are (told you I can’t do transitions).

Compost means good soil. And good soil means more carbon captured. How? Well, plants capture carbon (a well-known-ish fact) and they store said carbon in the ground. Soil that is richer can store more carbon, and compost is much richer than normal soil.

Compost can be done outside or inside, with food scraps or grass clippings (or, well, both), with worms or without worms.

If you’d like to do indoor composting, you just have to find a container to put your compost in and you’re pretty much ready to begin! I recommend this post for a little bit more information on indoor composting.

If you’d like to do outdoor composting, the process might be a little bit more complicated. Find a good spot – usually shady and near water – to compost, and then I recommend building some sort of fence to keep the compost from just being a… pile in your backyard.

Photo by Sippakorn Yamkasikorn on Pexels.com

No matter what TYPE of compost you’re doing, you’ll want to regulate the amount of greens and browns you use. What are greens and browns? Well, they’re the two different types of materials you compost.

Greens are vegetable scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, etc. while browns are leaves and paper.

But, well, knowing what greens and browns are isn’t really helpful unless you know how much of each thing you need in your compost pile, and the answer to that is… well… not clear.

Literally every single website I’ve looked at has given me a different number, so I’ve learned that it’s not going to be a universal thing. My advice? Experiment. If your compost pile is getting smelly, add some brown. If it’s not hot, add green. Sound good? Great.

Final rule: have fun with it and stick to it! It’s going to take some time, but you’ll get there eventually (probably).

Bruggers, James, et al. “Your Trash Is Emitting Methane in the Landfill. Here’s Why It Matters for the Climate.” NPR.org, 13 July 2021, http://www.npr.org/2021/07/13/1012218119/epa-struggles-to-track-methane-from-landfills-heres-why-it-matters-for-the-clima.

How to Save a Planet. “Waste, Worms and Windrows: Domingo Morales’ Quest to Make Compost Cool.” Open.spotify.com, 17 Mar. 2022, open.spotify.com/episode/36qB5r3TJmyYkZwp9wfmVx?si=fc75ed901fc3499e&mc_cid=04470d4792&mc_eid=38fefa196b&nd=1#login. Accessed 21 Mar. 2022.

US EPA. “Basic Information about Landfill Gas | US EPA.” US EPA, 9 Apr. 2019, http://www.epa.gov/lmop/basic-information-about-landfill-gas.

—. “Importance of Methane | US EPA.” US EPA, 8 Oct. 2018, http://www.epa.gov/gmi/importance-methane.

US EPA, OLEM. “Composting at Home | US EPA.” US EPA, 9 Sept. 2019, http://www.epa.gov/recycle/composting-home#benefits.

And that’s that! I’m doing super well with the schedule, agreed? 2 days strong!

QOTD: Do you compost? Do you want to?

AOTD (action of the day): Start a compost pile!

See ya Friday!

I rode a city bike! // Also in this post: The (un)Ceremonious Dumping Of The Schedule

So, how do you pronounce crayon? Cray-on, or cray-in? My English teacher says you pronounce it cray-on because you pronounce rayon (the fabric) ray-on, but like you pronounce row and brow differently even though they end the same. *shrugs* Anywhoooo, you don’t need to know about my school-wide debate. Moving ooooon….

Heya everyone! It’s me, Naomi.

I… uh… I know I haven’t posted for 8 days? And I’m very, very sorry. I have Willy Wonka rehearsals after school and a big social studies project and I was working on writing stories and… and… um, so, I’ve been really busy and haven’t gotten to do any posts recently. It’s possible I’ll go on Hiatus soon, but I kinda don’t want to…. So sorry. Aaand we’re going to move on and try to be better! 🙂

Aaand before we get to the post, I’ll just quickly address the fact that there were not entries for the last contest I did (which is maybe partially my fault cause I didn’t remind you?), so obviously that won’t be happening…

Anywhooo, today’s post is going to be about city bikes and public transportation… so… let’s jump in!

So on Friday, I went to Washington DC (My parents pulled me out of Social Studies for my Social Studies project. Which is a long story that’s not super important for this post. *shrugs*). There, I did a bunch of fun stuff that’s ALSO not important to this post. I know, I know, I need to get to the point. We’re getting there. The thing that I did in DC that IS important to this post is riding a city bike for the first time!

It was super fun, and I thought, well, because it’s a really cool mode of eco-friendly transportation maybe I should do a post on it… so, well, here we are!

A city bike is a bike that you can rent for a cheap price (the city bikes I rode were only a dollar to start and then 5 cents every minute) and then return easily to any of the stations situated around the city. Since I was in DC, I rode a bike with Capital Bikeshare.

Photo by Anna Tarazevich on Pexels.com

So, bikes are pretty amazing for our environment, right? I mean, walking is obviously best but, sometimes, we aren’t able to walk everywhere because it’s too far. But bikes, well, they don’t use gas or electric energy, so they aren’t emitting harmful carbon into the air. Plus, making a bike is much more eco-friendly than making a car! If you’re really interested in reading one of my weird-ish older posts about bikes, you can find it here!

So anyway, city bikes are really cool because, well, they are an easy way to rent a bike that will help you get around the city. If you’re just visiting the city, you probably didn’t bring bikes, and city bikes are much cheaper and simpler than renting bikes for the day.

So so so, when we got to DC, we parked our car in an area that was close to one of the bike docks. Aaand because I’ve always wanted to ride a city bike (and always been too short), I was like OH LOOK THOSE ARE CITY BIKES!

Washington, DC! Photo credits: Anna Lowe on Pexels.com

We ended up walking through some memorials and all the way to the white house, and by then it was like 6 PM and I was huuungry. So we decided, well, why not try out the city bikes? We looked up a map of the city bike stations and found one near us. And we got city bikes!

The ride was super fun (although nerve-racking because I didn’t have a helmet on and I almost fell into the water like a million times. But that’s just me.), and the bikes were really easy to use!

So, yes, I kinda maybe sorta love city bikes. Kinda maybe sorta.

And that’s that! I’ve never actually really written about LIFE before, so this was a new experience… tell me what you thought about it!

Oh yeah, and the schedule. Yep, I know, it’s not a posting day.
*thinks about doing a dump-the-schedule ceremony*
*decides that this post is long already and she should just say it outright.*
I will no longer be using the schedule because…. well…. it doesn’t really seem to be WORKING, as you can see. So we’re back to every other day(ish)!

I don’t THINK I have anything else to add to this insanely long post, so….

Question Of The Day: Have you ever ridden a city bike?
Action Of The Day: Ride a bike or walk somewhere you would normally drive to!

Byeee!

Merry merry merry Christmas! // 5 fun environmental gifts

I-I know it’s late. I’m kind of a procrastinator? KIND OF. Don’t-don’t blame me. I mean, you can always use this post for other gifts too. *shrugs* I just… yeah. Yep. Yeah. This isn’t getting anywhere. NEXT!

Holiday greetings, my friends! ‘Tis Naomi, and since Christmas is approaching way, way, way too fast, I thought I’d share with you a few of my favorite environmental gift ideas!

(And uh, if you’re getting me a gift and haven’t yet, this can count as a wishlist as well- I’d love all these things!)

A few of them might be the expensive kind of cool gifts from eco-friendly companies, but I’ll try to keep it to pretty inexpensive things.

Anywho, without further ado… 7 fun environmental gifts!

Handmade gifts are cheap, don’t require being made in factories, and are super fun to make! ‘Tis a Naomi tradition to do homemade gifts for Christmas. Making something like an ornament, hand-sewn pillow, or bracelet is always a good gift (Well, I guess not always. Cause like sometimes you might be trying to give a gift to your cat and I don’t think that cats like bracelets. Although they DO like pillows and ornaments, so you could give either one of those a try. *shrugs*)

Last year, I got around 20 (it was 20 or more, I don’t recall) trees as gifts – it was really amazing!

Donations are always a wonderful way to go because they don’t require any making and make an impact on the world. A while back, I did a series of Organization Spot Light posts (and uh they’re kind of cringey? But eeerm… that’s ok…) that you can check out here.

Does this one seem a little weird to you? I… uh… well… I can explain!

So, think about wrapping gifts (unless you wrap gifts in a totally cool and sustainable way… then tell me in the comments how you do it!)… you’re using all sorts of stuff that’s made and then only used once and thrown away… so if you get a bag for your giftee along with another gift, it’s both sustainable and… well… who doesn’t want a 2-in-1 gift? hehe

If you want to go the extra mile, you can get a bag from your local shop, make your own bag, or get one from a sustainable company like Citizen Wolf.

Isn’t this one so pretty?

Buying local is something that’s very important. Buying local means that you’re supporting local peeps and the whole shipping thing is gone. My family has gone on several shopping sprees, and my local bookstore (I talk about it a lot, don’t I? I love that place) has really supplied a lot of our gifts.

Hey, I rhymed!

I’ve talked about thrift stores before, but they are so super amazing. Because you’re buying something that hasn’t been made new, you’re just extending the product’s life!

You can get lots of different things at a thrift store, and I personally love them except when they don’t have what I want… but that’s most certainly not just a thrift store thing!

Photo by Burst on Pexels.com

Well, well, well! That’s it for this post.

Have a merry day (I’m very much feeling Christmassy)

Question of the day: What’s the number 1 thing on your Christmas wish list this year?
Action of the day: Try to give at least one sustainable gift this holiday season (on this list or otherwise).

Byeeee!

Saving Energy!

Hi everyone, Naomi here! This post is about… saving energy!

So, a big PART of climate change issues is energy. So how can you save energy?

Turn off the lights when you leave the room– Turning off lights saves both energy and cost! If you are using incandescent lightbulbs, this is probably most effective. Because incandescent lightbulbs are the most energy-consuming, turning off lights has the greatest impact. This helps the environment in many ways, one of which is less non-renewable resources are used to create new lightbulbs.

Save on heating and cooling– In winter, only set your thermostat to 68F, and in the summer 78F. This will save a bunch of energy!! When you’re away, set your thermostat higher (in the summer), or lower (in the winter). Also, in winter, you can turn your thermostat down while you sleep with your blankets! Also, do a window check! Go around and see if there are cracks in the windows that might be letting in cold/hot air, and seal those up!

Unplug your appliances– Simply unplugging your charger when it’s not needed, or unplugging appliances like your toaster when THEY are not needed saves so much energy!! Even when the charger is not attached to your device, if it’s still plugged in it uses energy!

Use energy-efficient appliances– LED Lights are much better for the environment and for energy saving. Appliances that have an energy star are good, because they have been certified to be energy-efficient by the government!

SOURCES:

“What Is the Most Energy Efficient Temperature to Keep Your House at in Winter?” HomeSelfe, 22 Nov. 2018, http://www.homeselfe.com/what-is-the-most-energy-efficient-temperature-to-keep-your-house-at-in-winter/. Accessed 21 Feb. 2021.

afox. “5 Essential Facts about Turning off Your Lights to Save Energy.” Astral Energy, 30 Mar. 2019, http://www.astralenergyllc.com/5-essential-facts-about-turning-off-your-lights-to-save-energy/.

“What Temperature Should I Set My Thermostat in the Summer?” Www.directenergy.com, http://www.directenergy.com/learning-center/recommended-thermostat-settings-summer. Accessed 21 Feb. 2021.

“Conserving Energy – BrainPOP.” Brainpop.com, 2019, http://www.brainpop.com/science/energy/conservingenergy/.