Recycling - リサイクル

Recycling is probably the first thing people think of when they hear about global warming and want to do something to make a difference. This is good. "Recycling" can make a huge difference in the quality of our lives . Please bear in mind, though, that there is much more that you can do than just recycle.
What, exactly is recycling? Wikipedia defines it as “the reprocessing of materials into new products.” Simple enough, right? And it is, if we all do it. An easy way to remember the guidelines of recycling are to follow the three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. To begin with, it’s important to minimize your garbage by choosing products with minimal packaging, composting, and being a conscious consumer. It’s also a good idea to reuse items as much as possible. One good rule of thumb is to try to reuse everything at least once before turning it into recycling. For instance, use the plastic bag you brought your groceries home in as storage in the refrigerator before you recycle it. Or see if you can’t find a use for that glass bottle in some way and many more.
Check in with the Earth 911 website which has a locator page. All you have to do is put your state and zip code in and it will connect you with the information you need to find the nearest recycling group that can help you.

Father's Day - 父の日

Since when people started to celebrate father's day? I'm not very sure,but we started to celebrate this meaningful day ever since the children know how to draw and make nice craft.
This year they surprised their daddy with some beautiful hand made card of fantastic drawing.Besides, today ended with a well treated Thai food dinner.
Not to forget all the father out there somewhere ,a very Happy father's day to all!

Green Garden - 緑の庭

One of the most satisfying ways to become a steward of the planet is to plant a garden. You can grow flowers to beautify indoors and out or vegetables to help to sustain your family’s food or both. Even if you aren’t interested in maintaining a garden, you can also plant native plants to cut down on the amount of watering that is necessary and contribute to the health of the earth. But many people these days are turning to organic gardening and permaculture to tend their backyards or front yards, for that matter.
Let’s begin with organic gardening which at its simplest can be defined as gardening without chemicals. It’s interesting to consider that it’s only for the last few decades that anything other than organic gardening was performed on the planet. Farmers and gardeners worked the soil through organic means for millennial. But then in the 1920s, mass farming became more and more the means through which our food was grown, and it depended on high yields, quick growth and more profitable methods. This came to mean reliance on chemicals and fertilizers with little care or concern for the long-term impact of these products. And these ideas spilled over to urban and suburban gardeners, who wanted the greenest lawns, and the lushest roses with little concern for the consequences of the chemicals they used.
But many commercial pesticides such as DDT have been outlawed and gradually more and more attention has been paid to the pitfalls of mass farming and gardening with chemicals. Now most home gardeners would agree that organic gardening is the way to go, and it has come to mean a whole approach to gardening that is a balanced way of looking at things.
While we are planting green things in our garden, let’s not forget trees. We have learned the fact about the devastating consequences of global warming and how it is in many ways unstoppable unless we stop our actions and change our ways. One of the best ways to restore our air and ecosystem is to plant trees. Why? Because trees take in carbon dioxide and change it to oxygen, then releasing more pure oxygen into the air. Trees function as the lungs of our planet. A mature tree can absorb up to 48 pounds of carbon dioxide a year, and in turn releases enough oxygen for 2 people
And, beyond that, they create habitat for birds and other wild creatures and they are aesthetically pleasing as well. They help restore ozone levels in urban areas and reduce runoff and erosion. They absorb sound, reduce noise pollution, and create shade. And, trees have repeatedly been shown to improve both mental and emotional health and physical health of people. With all these benefits, you can understand why planting trees is such an eco-friendly activity.

Conserve Water at Home

There are also many things you can do to conserve water in your daily routine. Let’s start with the bathroom. Install a low-flow toilet (which can reduce waste by 20%) or a toilet dam in your toilet. What’s a toilet dam? It can be something as simple as a brick or a bottle placed in your toilet tank to cut down the amount of water used with each flushing. Avoid unnecessary flushing by throwing away soiled tissues and the like in wastebaskets. Also, consider conserving by not flushing every time—if its liquid, it’s okay to wait for another use. You can also check for toilet leaks by putting food coloring in the tank. If you have a leak, color will appear in the bowl.
One of the best things you can do for your shower is to install a low-flow shower head, which can save 2.5 gallons of water a minute! An obvious suggestion is to take shorter showers. Some people turn the water on to get themselves wet, turn it off to lather up,
then turn it on again to rinse. When taking a bath, fill the tub only one-third full. And remember, it actually takes far less water to take a shower than fill a bathtub. Finally, don’t leave the water running when brushing your teeth, shaving, or washing your face.
There are many easy things to do in the kitchen to conserve water usage. Pour a pitcher of water, perhaps using one of the popular water filters like Brita, and put it in the refrigerator if you like your water cold. This saves you from running the water to get it cold. Along the same lines, you might consider installing one of those instant water heaters rather than running the water to get it hot.And most of all,never run the dishwasher unless it is full.
When it comes to laundry, do as much of it in cold water as possible. It takes less energy all around not to have to heat the water. Your washing machine has an adjustable water level-use it. Don’t waste water by running a full load with only a few items in it. There are many wonderful water-saving machines on the market these days and be aware that a front-loading machine takes less water than the traditional top-loader.lot of gallons of water to save! And guess what else? This translates into cold, hard cash—to the tune of up to $50 a year.
Don’t overlook simple things, like fixing a leaky faucet. One leaky faucet can waste up to 2,700 gallons of water a year. Check the washers—most of the time it’s an easy fix. If you think you have a leak, but you aren’t sure here’s a simple way to find out: check your water meter, don’t use any water for two hours, and check it again. If the meter doesn’t read the same, you’ve got a leak somewhere. And considering how many gallons of water you could be wasting, it’s worth your while to figure out where. You can also install flow restrictors and make sure that all your pipes are well insulated.
water is life ! Let's don't waste our life while we can make a different today !

Be a Green Commuter - グリーン通勤をして

The automobile is one of the biggest offenders when it comes to global warming, and no longer can we afford to continue the same driving habits that we’ve always had. It’s simply not good for the planet.
How you drive really can make a difference. For starters, slow down. You might not have realized that exceeding the speed limit by even five miles per hour can result in a decrease in fuel efficiency of six percent. And, really, is that extra speed going to really get you there that much faster? How many times have you sped around a slow car on a city street only to have it catch up with you at the next stop light? As a side benefit, your stress level will be way lower.
Another bad driving style is aggressive driving.Aggressive driving is fast stops and starts, and it can be an enormous drain on your gas tank. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% on the highway and by five percent in town. We already know that driving aggressively is bad for the emotional health of you and others, so add the environment to the list. Wouldn’t it be nice to actually enjoy the drive to work and home again instead of dashing about and making screeching stops?
If you are going on a road trip, travel light. For every extra 100 pounds the car carries, it reduces the fuel economy by two per cent. Also remove car carriers and bike racks when they are not in use. That will cut down wind drag and in turn boost your fuel efficiency.
These are only a little part of being a green commuter.Why don't we just strat from here?Enjoy your ride!

Recycled Clothing - リサイクル衣料

Think about your wardrobe and begin to look at creative ways to recycle your clothing. There’s been a huge surge in popularity in do it yourself projects lately.
Some knitters visit thrift stores and buy old wool sweaters, then unwind them and use the wool for new projects. Many creative sewers buy old sweaters and clothing, cut them apart and reassemble them into fashionable creations. Some times wool sweaters are thrown in the washing machine and felted, then made into purses or blankets or hats. There are many, many creative ways to re-make old clothing.
Many, many thrift shops get donations from specialty stores and sometimes just from women clearing out their closets. There are also many wonderful re-sale shops sprouting up, where someone else’s discarded outfit can become your new favorite thing to wear.
Our ancestors knew all about recycling clothing. They cut down one child’s dress to fit the younger ones coming up, and when they’d gotten as much wear as possible, they cut it into scraps to be used in patchwork quilts. Much of the time, they had no way to buy more, limited either by availability or money. These quilts are considered stunning works of art today—and they were all created out of the necessity to recycle clothing and use every bit of fabric on hand.
If you lack the time or inclination to be crafty yourself, never fear, you can buy recycled clothing. Look around on the internet and you’ll find many small companies that sell unique recycled clothing and accessories.
The good people at Treehugger have compiled a large section on recycled and green fashion, with numerous links to small retailers and many articles.Also look here for fashionable tote bags to take to the store for groceries and other items. Once you start looking around, you’ll be amazed at the great variety of stylish options for recycled clothing.

Green Effort from Japan - 緑色の取り組みは日本から

Japan on Saturday( 23 May 09)pledged 50 billion yen (528 million dollars) in aid to small Pacific islands over the next three years to help them with clean energy projects and to cope with climate change.

In a statement, Japan, Australia, New Zealand and 14 island nations expressed "deep concern" about the "growing threat posed by climate change to the economic, social, cultural and environmental well-being and security of Pacific island countries."

The 14 island nations were the Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, the Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu.

Under the plan, Japan will provide solar battery panels and water clarification systems for islanders, while supporting people-to-people exchanges and technical training programmes to reduce greenhouse gases.