Park Cleanup!

So, we actually did go and clean up Sugarhouse Park on Saturday, even though it was freezing cold. We collected a wide variety of items--ranging from paper to plastic bags to Beer Cans and Markers (Located conveniantly about 2 feet out into the pond)--and overall we collected about 30 pounds of Trash!! And, even Better, we did that in less than half the time we had planned. So, if we could have stayed longer, we could have ended up with 60 or more pounds of Trash! See how much you can get done in just about an hour? It's amazing! Of course, we recycled what we could so it woudn't fill up the landfills any more. If you're in the neighborhood, Saturday October 18th We are meeting again at 3:00 at Olympus Hills Park on 45th South. Meet at the playground and dont' be late, or we'll start without you! ;D
~~~The P.A.C's

Ways to Prevent Pollution and litter

Hey
If you haven't figured out by now what our project is supposed to be, even though I told you earlier, It's Litter and How to prevent it. Here's more ways to help, from DoSomething.org. It's a great website and has a ton of great ideas of more ways you can help the Earth, not just pollution. It has ideas for Animal Welfare, Disaster Relief, Discrimination, Education, Environment, Health and Fitness, Human, Rights, Poverty, and a lot more. Check it out if you get a chance!

More ways to help prevent pollution and litter:

• Reuse bags and containers. Brown paper bags are great for wrapping packages.
• Wash out plastic containers and glass jars you buy food in and use them as Tupperware.
• Use old newspapers as wrapping paper and jazz it up with pretty ribbon or a bow. If you’re lucky you might get Sunday’s color comic section.
• Donate old clothes and toys to a local shelter or second hand store like Goodwill or the Salvation Army. Remember, one person’s trash is another person’s treasure!
• Organize an in-home recycling center and teach your family how to use it. Have separate bins for glass, plastics, and newspaper/cardboard. Make a deal with your family that if they put their recyclables in the bins, you’ll take them to the curb.
• Be fancy! Replace the use of paper napkins at dinnertime with cloth napkins. You can wash these a few times a week or whenever they're dirty. Use dish towels to wipe up messes instead of paper towels. This too will help cut down on the amount of garbage your household produces.
• Choose paper over plastic for your party. Having people over and want to use disposable plates and cups? Skip the plastic and get paper ones. These break down easier in the environment and don’t deplete the ozone layer as much (although it’s better to nix the disposables and use washables!).
• Ask the dry cleaners if they will take back their wire hangers and use them again. Or even keep them for yourself and put them to good use.
• Grocery Store Cashier: "Paper or plastic?" You: "Neither!" When grocery shopping, take your own reusable canvas or cloth bags (or ask your parents to).

These are great ideas, and again, let us know if you have any others!

More Facts about Litter and Pollution

Hey Everybody out there--
Here's a lot more info about litter and other things like that. Just think next time you 'accidentally' forget to throw things away and they end up out on the streets.

Fast food Waste takes up 33% of the nations litter.
Aluminum is 28%
Glass is 6%
Plastic is 2%
and Other is also 2%

A Styrofoam Container takes more than a million years to decompose
A Plastic Jug takes 1 Million years
an Aluminum Can takes 200-500 years
Disposable Diapers take 550 years
Tin Cans take about 90 years to decompose
a Leather Shoe takes about 45 years
a Wool Sock takes 1 year
a Paper bag is One Month of decomposition
and a Banana Peel takes 3-4 weeks.
Use a Cloth Napkin instead of a Paper One--the it's reusable--just wash it!
Use Sealable Storage Containers, not plastic wrap--again, reusable and washable
Reuse Cardboard Boxes, Plastic Bags, and Paper Sacks. Get paper instead of Plastic grocery bags at the store, and take them with you the next time you go! You just saved a tree!

Why People Litter:

• People are too lazy to dispose of trash properly
• People are more likely to throw litter on top of litter than drop litter in neat surroundings--they just let it pile up.
• They Don't Care
• They think "Others will pick it up"
• Or, They're not aware that they are littering.

Smokers and littering:

• Many Smokers don't believe that littering their cigarette butts has an environmental impact of is inappropriate behavior.
• Many Smokers Blame their Littering behavior on a lack of well-placed bins for cigarette butts
• Over 80% of smokers said they would bin their butts if suitable bins were available (3 Key areas for more bins were alongside every ordinary litter bin/garbage can, at entrances to large city buildings, and at bus stops)
• Over Half of smokers said that they would change their behavior if they were more aware of the issues and their potential environmental impact.

Primary Sources of Litter:

• Pedestrians
• Drivers
• Household Garbage Cans
• Commercial Dumpsters
• Demolition Sites
• Loading Docks
• Trucks with Uncovered Backs

(http://mdc.mo.gov/nomoretrash/facts/)

11 Facts about Energy

Hey Everyone--
Here's a list of 11 Facts about energy that I got from http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-energy

1. Over 70% of electricity in the U.S. is generated from non-renewable sources.
2. Coal is used to generate almost half of the electricity produced in the U.S. When coal is burned as fuel, it gives off carbon dioxide, the main greenhouse gas linked to global warming.
3. About 30% of the energy used in commercial and industrial buildings is used inefficiently or unnecessarily.
4. If the energy efficiency of commercial and industrial buildings improved by 10%, it would equal a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions equal to taking 30 million cars off the road.
5. More than 25% of energy consumption in homes goes to lighting.
6. Only about 10% of the energy used by a bulb creates light, the other 90% creates heat.
7. If you replace 25% of your light bulbs with fluorescents, you can save about 20% on your lighting bill.
8. Home refrigerators in the U.S. use the same amount of electricity as 25 large power plants every year.
9. Around 80% of the energy used to wash clothes comes from heating the water. Using warm or cool water will save energy and get clothes just as clean.
10. Stopping air leaks around the house, can save you as much as 10% on heat and air conditioning costs.
11. Many electronics use energy even when turned off to keep display clocks lit and remote controls working.

Let us know if you have any others or any ideas how to conserve energy!

Lexus Eco Challenge

Okay People,
So for the Lexus Eco Challenge, our project is all in the name. The name of the Blog, and our Team name, the P.A.C's. We are trying to save the world one park at a time. Our name stands for Park Assembly Cleanup. We are going to go around Cleaning up trash from as many parks as we can. We are also going to try to Hold an Assembly in an Elementary School. So, If you're in the Holladay/Sugarhouse Area, on Saturday October 11th, We are going to meet at the North End of the Pond at Sugarhouse Park at about 3:30 to clean up trash, and you're welcome to come and help if you want to. Bring Disposable Gloves for picking up trash and if you have them, A Garbage bag or two. We would greatly appreciate your help, and even if you can't make it to this cleanup, we will probably do a few more later in the month, but they probably won't all be at Sugarhouse.

The P.A.C.'s

Welcome!

Hey Everyone!
Welcome to our Blog, Saving the World! We are participating in the Lexus Eco Challenge this year, and for Part of our project we are starting a Blog! On this blog we will list what we are doing in this Eco Challenge and some ways that you can help save the Earth! Feel Free to Comment as much as you like, and we would love it if you told us some of your own ways to help the Earth!

The P.A.C's