Authentically Nita

Are you ecologically friendly? The Global Footprint Network has a great way for you to find out just how green your routine really is. *Click here to take a quiz and see how eco-friendly you really are* The above link will take you to Global Footprint Network's website where you can take a quiz to determine your ecological footprint. I thought that I was doing pretty good before I took this quiz back in January. I found out that if everyone lived like I do, we would need three planet Earths to sustain us! Sounds crazy right? Well, what's even crazier is that right now, our country's ecological footprint is even higher than that. It would take over 5 planets to sustain us if everyone lived like the average US citizen. Since January, I've been making big steps to change my ecological footprint. I'll be sharing those steps in upcoming blog posts.

My mother gave me a flash back yesterday. She called me to come from out of my comfortable position on the couch, walk all the way upstairs and turn off her lamp. Wow! I thought to myself. It reminded me of a story my dad used to tell me. Well, perhaps it was more of a lecture than a story. It went something like this: "Juanita, I know you're not whining because I told you to get the remote off the top of the TV. Back when I was a kid my mom would call me from upstairs. I would have to stop playing and walk all the way downstairs to change the channel for her. Then, I had to stand there, and keep turning the knob until I found something she liked." Now, when my dad was a kid, remote controls and color TVs did exist. But he says that he was so poor that they had a black & white TV and no remote. (He was a black kid in North Philadelphia, from the projects, with no father in his life, so he's probably telling the truth). Well anyway, I broke the news to my children...

I went to the Wissahickon on April 9th, 2011 and planted trees with the Wissahickon Restoration Volunteers and students from the University of Pennsylvania. There were 35 trees that needed to be planted. There were flags marking where the trees were to be planted. Our group picked the spot where we would plant our first tree. We had to do a little invasive plant removal to clear away three feet around where the tree would be planted. Most of it had been removed already and the dead vines of the plants were everywhere. We also had to dig up the root of the invasive plant that was in the spot where the tree would go. Once the invasive was removed and the hole was dug. We planted the tree. The first tree we planted was a Hackberry Tree. The Hackberry Tree produces berries and it’s a good food and shelter tree for wildlife. The second tree we planted was a White Oak Tree. The White Oak is going to grow big and also provide shelter and food for wildlife. After we planted the trees we then ...

I just tried this online activity to see how much energy is being wasted in my household. Check it out and get your results: Calculate Energy Loss – Vampire Power Tips