After the Hebrew holiday Succoth, families everywhere will have an extra etrog which can make a delicious jam. Just make sure the etrog is organic. Here’s Green Prophet’s recipe to make your own:

Ingredients for etrog (esrog) jam

1 etrog (citron)

6 cups water

3/4 cup sugar

Slice and remove as many seeds as possible. Try slicing the long way into eighths to get seeds out as efficiently as possible. There are a LOT of seeds in an etrog so allow at least 1 hr for this step.

Chop the etrog fruit into very small pieces, including the peel, consider for this step using the food processor.

Cover fruit with water and refrigerate for at least 12 hours. Next, bring everything to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Drain fruit.

Cover fruit with water and simmer again for 20 minutes, then refrigerate everything for at least 12 hours. Drain. Cover fruit with water and simmer uncovered again for 20 minutes. Drain fruit.

(These steps are important since if you skip them the finished product will be bitter!)

Cover fruit with water and add most of the sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Be careful here, if you leave it for a minute it can burn on the bottom. If it does burn, do not stir up the burned parts into the jam. Dump the stuff into a clean bowl, wash out your pot, put the jelly back in and continue.

Taste to see if you need to add more sugar. Continue simmering for ½ hour or more. The temperature should be 220º–222º, the water should be syrupy and the fruit should be clear-ish.

It should cool and congeal, if it is still runny some people add ¼ – ½ cup of orange marmalade per quart to add “pectin” and cook 15-20 minutes more. Personally, I think that however it comes out is nice.

Want more jams and preserves? See Green Prophet’s irresistible recipes for jam and cucumbers:

Indulgence, Locavore Style: Homemade Strawberry Jam
Pickling 101 – Vinegared Cucumber Salad Recipe

(This post was updated from 2008)

One of the biggest problems with switching an electric grid over to clean energy is storage. Most clean energy solutions are unreliable over short periods of time – when clouds come out, solar panels don’t produce. If the wind changes direction, or stops, wind turbines don’t produce. However, if the energy could be stored efficiently, then energy companies could produce excess during peak production times and otherwise reserve it for a rainy day… literally.

“The lack of good storage options has plagued utility operators for generations,” according to a recent Nature article: “Obligated to provide a steady supply of electricity to meet constantly varying demand, they have conventionally resorted to the costly and inefficient method of adjusting the output of a coal-fired plant, say, or by turning on a gas-powered ‘peaker’ plant during periods of high demand.”

Storage is a must for any promises of electric vehicles to work. Better Place, the electric car company says their solution provides clean transport and a solution for the grid.

Greening The Grid

In a recent visit to Better Place, as part of the PresenTense Summer Global Institute, I had the fortune of meeting with Mike Granoff, head of oil independence policies at Better Place. He explained that he is often asked if their solution for our dependency on fossil fuels, of bringing electric cars to the masses, is truly a “green” solution.

If the electric grid is still dependent on fossil fuels, an electric car is not really solving anything. Granoff explained that their network is not only a solution for our dependency on gas guzzling cars, but to the storage problem of the entire grid as well.

One of the most expensive parts of an electric car is the battery. In order to keep the price of their electric car competitive with their gasoline-fueled counterparts, Better Place will not be selling car batteries, rather, the car owner will pay subscription fees based upon their mileage. Similar to cell phones, where you pay for the minutes you talk, with Better Place you’ll pay for the miles you drive.

When your car is parked it can be plugged into one of the charging stations that are connected into the grid. This way you can always stay charged. But if you run out of energy while on the go, your car will direct you to the nearest battery switching station where in only a few minutes you can leave with a full battery.

What this means for the energy grid is that once Better Place launches, there will be an entire network of energy storage units working with the energy grid. This will actually make a completely green network feasible. And since the batteries are not owned by individuals, there are no legal issues with manipulating this grid to fit the needs of the entire grid, as a smart grid would ideally work.

Not The Only Player On The Field

Better Place is not the only solution that will provide this benefit. Tesla, the current poster-boy of the electric car market went public last week, selling 13.3 million shares for $226.1 million USD and earning a valuation above $2.2 billion.

They explain that: “Most uses of electricity are needed pretty much in real time – lights, air conditioning, computers, etc. The electricity has to be generated at the exact moment it is used. But plug-in vehicles are a fundamentally different kind of electrical load.Plug-in vehicles draw energy from the power grid and store it for later use while driving.

“Plug-in vehicles are typically plugged in for significant periods of time – usually all night – and it doesn’t really matter when the energy is transferred to the vehicle, as long as a certain amount of energy is transferred by a specific time, typically in the morning. This leaves a lot of flexibility as to the timing and exact nature of how plug-in vehicles are recharged. As plug-in vehicles grow to become a very significant fraction of the overall load on the electrical system, this flexibility can be utilized with beneficial results for the vehicle owner and for all electricity customers.”

What’s different with the Better Place model vis a vis Tesla, the Leaf or any other electric car model out there is the ability to travel farther than 4 hours a day. Tesla proudly announces how “the Roadster offers complete driving independence. Plug in before bed and wake up with a full 245 miles of driving range.”

Do the calculations: at 65 mph you can only drive 3h and 45min until you have to recharge. Not conducive for a road trip that might include bouts of spontaneity.

Below is a video of how the battery switching station would work in the Better Place car. Under one  one and a half minutes–quicker than it takes to fill a gas tank–you can have a full battery, ready to go:

But is the replaceable battery model the ideal?

Thomas Weber, Mercedes’ director of group research and car development told  The Marker that such battery replacement stations could pose safety hazards. Honestly I don’t believe that concern. How many of us switch out our cell phone batteries? The system, which Better Place is petitioning to be industrial standards, is no different.

However, Weber raises a different concern: “The industry has not even resolved matters as basic as the optimum location for an electric car’s battery or the battery type.”

This problem can seriously stint the growth and efficiency of the technology. It does solve the huge problem that many electric cars have of how to deal with longer journeys. Which may be a worthy price to pay for standardizing where the battery should go.

How Ready Are We To Adopt This Model?

With Denmark’s gas prices more than double the gas prices in the US (a colossal $7.21 vs $2.77 per gallon) it’s no wonder that Denmark has already signed with Better Place. However, even though Better Place projects a 3 cent mile, 9 cents less than the average car, with so many politicians invested in oil the cost of gas would need to double before enough pressure could be leveraged for the US to adopt an electric model.

In addition, with the car industry being such a huge player in the US market, there will be a lot of hostility from car makers. The battery is one-third of the price of an electric car. That means car manufacturers only get to sell two-thirds of a car significantly reducing their ability to control the price of the car.

Read more on Better Place:
Israel’s Grid Will Never Handle Renewable Energy Goals
Gulf Nations Look to Tesla’s Electric Roadster to Speed Around Middle East
Better Place Electric Car Gets Investment Fuel of $350 Million Led by HBSC

Image credit: BrachieS

Forty years after the the first Earth Day, the next one is just a few days away on April 22. Everybody is talking about how we can make the changes we need to our society so that we can continue living, sustainably, on planet earth.

Educating about environment issues is considered a very powerful co-benefit of carbon offsetting. By inspiring others to change their habits, not only are you fighting the battle for our planet, one recycled bottle at a time, you are getting others to as well.

We the faithful writers at Green Prophet say harness the power of the ripple. We like how this works in nature: When you drop a small pebble in a big pond it sends out waves in every direction – to the frogs on the lily pads, the water bugs on its surface and the tiny plants on the edge. More education about Middle East culture, religion, technologies and opportunities for change need to be seen and heard. Be part of the change. Be part of the Green Prophet ripple.

Ripple Image via Trevor Manternach

See Virtual Tour of Earth at night.

It’s easy to forget sometimes what all this is for. With Earth Hour behind us and Earth Day coming in a little less than a month it can be overwhelming when we are bombarded by the media: “Do this for Earth Hour” and “If you don’t do that you obviously don’t care enough.” It can get tedious.

You may have come across the maps of earth compiled of satellite photos. As you know, there is no one point in time that Earth is entirely in the dark, or entirely in the light, as presented below. These images were stitched together from the highest quality, and cloudless, photos of every inch of the planet.

The images above are breathtaking, to say the least (click on them for full view).

I have compiled them into inverted globes (imagine the globe inside out). You put each one into full screen mode, using your mouse, or the controls embedded in the virtual tour you can zoom in or navigate to any point on the globe.

Tonight begins the holiday of Passover. The holiday when Jews around the world celebrate their ancestors, the Israelites, escaping from slavery in Egypt. Passover is often taken as a time, by not only Jews, to reassess the concepts of freedom, slavery and redemption.

Sometimes, just taking stock of what we have, and what we would like to achieve, can help us refocus on what we need to be doing and not get distracted by the hype of “what we should be doing.”

The other night my dog passed away. Looking back over the past ten years I realized that I had learned many valuable lessons from her. This post is a summary of those lessons, for your benefit …and a eulogy. This is not a Thoreau-ian post about how we should get back in touch with nature, but more about how I grew from seeing the world through a completely different perspective. However, isn’t – being in touch with the world around you – just what being environmentally friendly is all about?

Image credit: Russ Beinder

1. Get excited about going for a walk

Every dog owner knows that dogs have a special radar, so if you even think about going for a walk, dogs can read something in your body language and like a bullet are at the door the very instant you start thinking about a walk, let alone actually say the word “walk”. “Puppy”, my dog, would get so excited, jumping around, jumping on you, when we were getting ready to take her out it was a challenge to get the leash on her, until we taught her ‘sit’.

People aren’t built to sit in an office from 9-5 daily. A dear friend learned recently, the hard way, that if you don’t get up from time to time you can get sick, or worse. In “Stand Up While You Read This” Olivia Judson points out that “…sitting is one of the most passive things you can do. You burn more energy by chewing gum or fidgeting than you do sitting still in a chair.” Puppy taught me to go for a walk and explore the world around me.

Image credit: cloneofsnake

2. Stop and smell the flowers / Sniff out the news

When you’re a dog, you want the flowers to smell like dog-piss and Puppy would stop at every single flower to smell it. One challenging aspect of walking a dog is getting past every fire hydrant, or wall for that matter. After a rain it was always particularly difficult to get more than three feet with Puppy outside. But I guess it’s like Facebook for her. Which dog peed where? Is there anyone new it the neighborhood?

The reason why we’re obsessed with social networking is that it’s so important to know what is happening in your neighborhood. Craig’s List, and sites of a similar nature, were designed just for our “sniffing” purposes. Who’s new in town? Which is the best doctor to visit for X? Where can I get the best deals… In truth, you never know when you can lend a hand, or need an hand lent.

Image credit: ario

3. Don’t waste food

It’s a lot easier to be environmentally friendly with your waste when you have a dog. Better than a compost heap in many ways, Puppy would always jump around excitedly when the meal was over and she knew she’d be getting her treat. (Even on Fraggle Rock a compost heap doesn’t jump for joy when you give it your leftovers.) Living with Puppy heightened my awareness of what I eat, and what I potentially waste. When I cook now, I try more carefully to judge portions and not waste good food.

Image credit: jwogden

4. Give a kiss to say “thank you”

Puppy always loved getting tasty morsels of food we left over, such as yummy chicken skin, or cheese. But whenever we gave her something she’d always kiss our hand, a quick lick. It wasn’t that she was trying to get some remaining grease, you knew when she sniffed that grease. This lick was a kiss, a quick: “Thanks for the food!” It cost her nothing, just a very quick postponement of gratification to show her appreciation. But I’ll tell you, getting those kisses made me want to keep giving her those treats.

I learned from Puppy that no small deed is too small to merit a thank you. My wife laughs when I thank her for a kiss, but I appreciate them, so I say thank you.

Image credit: blondie5000

5. Love unconditionally

Puppy was always excited to see you. And she made sure that you KNEW it! Most dog owners I know describe the same experience: whenever I came through the door, puppy would be there jumping, excited as if I had been gone forever, even if I had only been out for an hour.

If you love someone, shouldn’t you let them know? How often do you greet the people you care about at the door?

Image credit: DakotaPrarieNova

6. Get pet any chance you get

Sitting and reading with Puppy around needed three hands: one hand to hold the book, one hand to turn pages …and one hand to pet Puppy. She wouldn’t have it any other way. We all need touch, and one thing I learned from Puppy was that if I needed a hug, or a hand held, it’s okay to ask for it. I loved petting my dog, and she loved being petted. That’s the way we are.

Image credit: memory_collector

7. Protect the people you love

My grandmother lives with us, in a separate, but adjacent, apartment. Whenever my grandmother would go to answer the door, Puppy would come running to see who it was. She cared about us, and even saved us from several burglaries. I learned from Puppy that if I care about someone, I should make sure that they are okay. If a guest stays late, I make sure that they can get home safely — it’s not just chivalry. It’s safety.

Image credit: Todd Huffman

8. Bark!

Don’t be afraid to let someone know that you don’t trust them, or what they’re up to. When someone came to the door that Puppy didn’t know, she would bark. Sure, that can be a little intimidating for guests, but I’d rather be safe. Once she saw that we trusted a guest, she would go back to her daily nap. I learned from Puppy that it’s okay to call someone out when you don’t trust them. I found that it’s usually good that I said something, because people usually put their own interests first, whether it’s justified or not.

Image credit: Ferdi’s World

9. Run

When we would let Puppy off her leash to run she would lose ten years, figuratively. It would always be a chore to get her back on the leash and bring her home, she loved running in the hills near our house so much. It took ten years off my age just watching her, it would bring me back to a time that everything was new, fresh. Puppy must have run through those fields hundreds of times, but she was always excited to run through them again. I learned from Puppy that a good run does you good, and it makes your life that much more fun when you get excited about things you love doing.

Image credit: cloneofsnake

10. Appreciate the sunrise

Puppy used to sleep at my feet, and one summer we used to get up before I had to go out and run in the fields. Each day Puppy would wake me up a little earlier than the day before ’till we were waking up before the sunrise. After running I liked to sit by a bench on the side of the road overlooking the valley near my home and I noticed that Puppy would face the valley, even if the bench did not. I could usually tell if she had seen something that she would have liked to chase, a deer for instance. She would tense up and you could see her chasing that deer in her mind’s eye. Wishing that she were just a little closer…

On these mornings I could see that she was just looking at the view. It looked like she was just enjoying the sunrise. How often do we do that? It was really Puppy that made that happen, waking me up so that we could share those breathtaking sunrises. No wonder she couldn’t wait to get up.

Image credit: tibchris

11. Wear your emotions on your butt / Let people know how are feeling

You could always tell what mood Puppy was in. You just had to look at her tail. I learned about the power of being honest with my emotions from Puppy. If you don’t express how you are feeling, how can you expect the people around you to be sensitive to your needs? Like it or not, we are social, and part of living with others is giving them cues to how we are doing. Puppy would make sure I knew when she wanted to be petted, when she needed to go for a walk and when she just wanted to nap. It helped me be a good friend to her, as she was to me. Whenever I was down, she could tell and would come over and nudge me, make me pet her. It always made me feel better.

Image credit: Dog Tag Art

Puppy adopted my family about ten years ago, she jumped over the garden wall of my parent’s home and my father pointed out that if she could, a burglar could as well. So we kept her. She passed away from anaphylactic shock the other night after a walk, we’re not sure if it was from something she ate, or something that bit her. The vet was not able to tell, and couldn’t save her.

We’ll miss you Puppy.

Make sure that you don’t have any drafts. Holes around windows can cause loss of much-needed heat, a little bit of electrical tape around your windows can make a BIG difference. Also, proper insulation is a great investment. While the initial price might be steep, what you save of electricity will cover it in the long run. If you can’t replace your windows for double paned, consider covering them, curtains, can do a great job.

Finally, make sure that your heating system is running efficiently. If you are going with a space heater, some models need less energy than others. If you have central, have a technician come at the beginning of the season. A small maintenance bill can save you the cost of replacing the whole unit!

Happy winter!

At the end of last week’s segment, Joseph still had not revealed his true identity to his brothers and he decided to incarcerate Benjamin, the favorite brother of their father. When Judah hears this, he knows that it would kill their father, and he stands up to Joseph, the second in command to Pharaoh.

I identify with Judah. He took upon himself the responsibility to watch over his younger brother, Benjamin. When everything seemed to be going wrong, and Pharaoh’s right hand man was going to detain Benjamin in jail, Judah had to stand up for him.

The Midrash Kohelet Rabbah (7:19) states: “At the time that the Holy One of Blessing created Adam, God showed him all the trees of the Garden of Eden and said to him: See my works! How beautiful and praiseworthy they are? And everything that I created, I created for you. Take care that you should not destroy my world, for if you spoil it there is no one to repair it after you.”

Our planet is our little brother. Judah understood that they needed to bring Benjamin to Egypt in order to get food for the family. But he also knew that Yosef was trying to detain him unjustly, when they discovered the goblet in Benjamin’s bag. He stood up for his brother and offered himself instead.

We were given something precious to safeguard as well and we cannot let it be unjustly destroyed. Stand up, like Judah did, when you see people wasting. There are many community projects that you can run for raising awareness of what the issues are that we are dealing with. Be a leader like our great great grandfather Judah and take the initiative to organize such events.

When Judah did stand up for his little brother, the results he got far surpassed what he had imagined. He discovered his long-lost brother. Remember the words of the midrash (interpretation) and let us take care of our world as Judah did Benjamin:

“Take care that you should not destroy my world, for if you spoil it there is no one to repair it after you.”

When we all work together the results will far surpass our greatest expectations.

Image Credit: SamJuk

Okay, this week’s parashah is a no-brainer. Seriously, how can an Eco-Rabbi NOT talk about Parshat Miketz? The parashah which contains the solution for dealing with famine…

Parshat Miketz opens with Pharaoh, King of Egypt, receiving a dream in which he sees 7 fat, healthy cows consumed by 7 weak and sickly cows. Then Pharoah sees 7 fat, healthy bundles of grain consumed by 7 weak and sickly bundles.

After consulting with every wise man around he finds Joseph, who had been thrown in jail. While in jail Joseph helped, correctly, interpret the dreams of 2 cellmates. One of them ended back in Pharaoh’s court – and it was he who recommended Joseph to Pharoah.

Joseph explains that there will be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. He recommends that if Pharaoh is wise, he will save during the years of plenty for the following years of famine. Pharaoh immediately raises Joseph up to be his top advisor and Egypt is saved.

The advice of Joseph in Parshat Miketz is wise, even today. We have been blessed with a storeroom full of fuels – natural gasses, coal and oil. But at the rate at which are burning them, it will be all be gone, perhaps even within our own lifetimes.

Additionally, our current infrastructure for utilities is not sustainable. With too many years of drought we will be without water, even though there are few countries in the world who do not border on an ocean. Not to mention all the waste we dispose of which could be reused or recycled. Our Sun is an unlimited source of energy, if we only invest in harvesting it.

The problem is that if we continue consuming at this rate we will be left without. On an individual basis, Joseph’s advice is wise. If we all can conserve, we will last longer before we use up our resources.

On a larger scale, Joseph’s advice is crucial. Governments need to be taking advantage of this time-period of plenty for developing alternative solutions to their country’s needs.

Israel is a country that develops some of the most advanced environmental technologies but those individual companies cannot implement them here because the government is not providing the financial support. Support for programs that would ultimately be beneficial to her.

Let’s remember with this Hanukkah the three R’s: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. And let us work towards a sustainable future of plenty.

Image Credit: Ted and Jen

This week we begin our celebration of the festival of Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights. The main event of Hanukkah is the lighting of the Menorah, a candelabra.The Menorah has 9 arms, one for each day of the holiday, plus one more candle for lighting the other ones.

One of the lessons of Hanukkah is that if you want to spread a message, you need to vocalize it and announce it to everyone. Everyone who celebrates Hanukkah looks forward to walking through their local community during Hanukkah at night and seeing all the lights in the windows. I think that we should take a page out of Hanukkah’s book to understand how to spread the importance of treating our environment better.

The reason for lighting the menorah is to spread the message of Hanukkah. To announce to everyone how the Jews overthrew the superpower, Greece, who were oppressing them. The Greeks forbade Jewish worship and defiled our temple. We overthrew them, despite being small in numbers, and reclaimed our temple and right to religious autonomy.

The rules specify that the Menorah must be lit in a place that can be seen from the street, and during an hour that people will see the lights. These rules are discussed at length in order to assure that the message inherent in the act of lighting is properly communicated. The message being, that we are announcing our victory. That with the help of God, even a small minority can overthrow a tyranny.

Spreading the message of treating our planet well is important. One needs only to see the melting polar ice caps to understand that global warming is not a myth. And there are more and more beaches which testify, through their filth, to how destructive we are being to our oceans. We are living in the generation that has to reverse the terrible habits we have developed, or we may not be leaving anything to our children.

Be the candle to your friends and colleagues. Be that beacon of light. A candle can be a word, an idea spread. It does not take much. A candle can light other candles without depleting from its own light, and the more candles are lit, the brighter the light becomes.

A candle is deceptively small. But by burning a little wax at a time, it can bring light for many hours. Similarly, the act of spreading the message of creating a healthy world need not be big. For example, some people add the following statement to their email: “Be nice to our planet. Please do not print this email unless you truly need to.” With every email they send, they bring into the consciousness of the people that they email the importance of our planet.

Let us take this holiday to brighten our world and bring a better future for us all.

Image Credit: WWWorks

However, not all leaks are noticeable. You may have a small leak where the gas dissipates before you can smell it. The good news is that most gas suppliers offer a free yearly check. So call up your gas provider and ask them to send someone your way.

Also, make sure that the areas in your home that use gas – kitchen, heaters – are well ventilated. While natural gas is relatively clean, one byproduct is carbon monoxide. If you do not ventilate properly, your oxygen supply will be depleted.

In order to understand how your toilet may be overflowing I first have to take a step back and explain how toilets work.

How Toilets Work

There are, basically, two parts to a toilet. The “Tank,” and the “Bowl.” The tank is where the water is stored, waiting to be flushed. The bowl is where you do your business. When you are ready to flush, by pushing down the handle you are, essentially, pulling out a plug inside the tank, which then allows all the water in the tank to empty into the bowl and flush your waste down the drain. For a great interactive visual representation visit “How Toilets Work.”

Once you flush, the tank refills. The toilet knows when to stop filling up because it has a floating device called the “filler float”. When the filler float reaches a specific height it blocks more water from coming into the toilet. This height is decided by the plumber and can easily be adjusted.

There is a second precaution against overflow. There is a tube called the “overflow tube” inside the tank. If the water level goes above the top of this tube, the water drains into the toilet. And this is were you may be having a problem.

If the filler float is set to stop the water at a level that is above the top of the overflow tube then every time your toilet’s tank fills up water will flow into the overflow tube and down the drain. Because there is nothing to stop it completely (remember, the “filler float” is set too high) then water will be overflowing constantly. Essentially, IT IS LIKE LEAVING A FAUCET ON ALL OF THE TIME.

How Can I Know If This Is Happening?

If you know what to look for, it is actually see if this is happening in YOUR toilet.

1. Open the lid of your toilet.
2. Look at the back of the bowl.
3. If you see a stream of water there, even a little, then your “filler float” is set too high.

The fact of the matter is, is that it is difficult to find the correct height for your “filler float” and there is a good chance that your toilet IS overflowing, even if it is just a little.

How Can I Fix This?

It is actually relatively easy to fix. A plumber can take care of it in about 5 seconds.

The height of the filler float can be adjusted relatively easily inside your tank. Have in mind, though, that most toilets are different from one another.

After removing the lid of your toilet, look for your filler float, it will look like a hard-plastic balloon. Your filler float will be attached, most likely, to a plastic stick. Near the end of the stick you will probably find a small knob.When you turn it, only adjust it a VERY little bit at a time, you will be adjusting at what point your filler float will stop the water from coming into the toilet. Then flush your toilet and see if there is still a stream of water in your bowl after the tank refills.

Be aware that if you set the filler float to stop at a level that is TOO low, your toilet may not do it’s job correctly because you don’t have enough water in your tank. However, don’t stress. It is just as easy to change back what you did. If you feel uncomfortable tinkering, I guarantee that you have a neighbor that can do it in a jiffy and save you money on your water bill.

Image credit: aerostockians

Here’s an eco-suggestion:

Try to re-evaluate what disposable products you REALLY need to use. For instance. Do you go out for picnics? Can you buy a set of cheap reusable plastic plates and cups instead of disposables?

How about the cup you use when you brush your teeth? Is IT disposable? Can you use a glass instead?

You’ll be surprised how many way you can improve your lifestyle when you take the opportunity to take a conscience look at it.

The good news is that there are plenty of wonderful ways to reuse your old pillows, just make sure that you wash them first…

• Use the stuffing to pad new pillows making them even firmer!
• Donate them to a local animal shelter. What isn’t fluffy enough for you is a pillow heaven for an unwanted puppy.
• Make decorative pillows for your living room and use the old pillows to stuff them.
• Save them for the next time you pack. Your dishes will never have a smoother move.

Image Credit: Pensiero

In order to remain afloat and to store the energy they soak in, diatoms create an oil substance. But in order to use this oil to fuel your car it needs to be condensed in the ground for millions of years. It takes about a 20 metric tons of these these guys to make one liter of gasoline for your car.

anthropogenic |ˌanθrəpōˈjenik| is an adjective that describes something as a pollutant, chiefly environmental, that originates in human activity. So the CO2 from your car can be described as “Anthropogenic”, whereas the CO2 from your neighborhood Volcano is not.

Carbon dioxide isn’t the only greenhouse gas, although it  is but the one of primary concern presently. There are quite a few other gases that can contribute to global warming. Gases also have differing lifespans to. So how do you measure their damage against one another?

GWP is the ratio of heat trapped by one unit of a greenhouse gas compared to one unit of CO2 over a specified time period. By comparing them all against CO2 it is like measuring distances using Kilometers or Miles instead less accurate terms like “long” or “far”.

Some fancy restaurants use empty wine bottles to serve water. It certainly looks more elegant than a plastic soda bottle and even nicer than some pitchers.

Do you ever make homemade sauces, cordial or liqueur? Fill your old wine bottles with one of your products. Make sure you clean and sterilize the bottles properly before you fill them. If you want to go the extra mile you can put a pretty label of your own design on it and give it for a gift.

You can also use them as a candle stick. As the candle burns it decorates the outside of the bottle with wax. As you use more candles it can become very colorful!

With the help of a wine bottle you can also save a lot of water each day. In fact, with every flush.