Green Your Commute!

Did you know the average U.S. employee spends an average of 47 hours driving through rush hour traffic each year? All that time on the road means we waste 23 billion gallons of gas in commuter traffic a year. Learn how you can reduce your carbon commuter footprint with these simple tips.

Take public transportation.
In 2005, public transportation (like buses and metro) saved the U.S. 6.9 million tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Next week, leave the car in the garage and give public transport a whirl—it can save you time, money and 20 pounds of CO2 emissions per day. Haven’t used public transportation before? Start out slow; take it once or twice a week and before you know it, you’ll be confident enough to take it every day.

Carpool with Coworkers.
Save a few pounds of CO2 by sharing a ride with your neighbors or coworkers. If your office doesn’t already have a carpooling plan, take it upon yourself to see who’s interested. Wrap up your next staff meeting by seeing if anyone wants to share a ride, or send out a short memo to solicit feedback. You’ll position yourself as an agent of change, saving you and your colleagues time, money and vehicle wear and tear…all while helping the environment.

For the rest of the article, visit EarthShare.org

For more information on Players for the Planet and how you can be involved, visit our website here.

Living With Green Energy

The signs all point in the one direction - unless we do something fast about how we use and waste energy, our offspring will most likely not be able to enjoy the earth with all its beauty.

We need to pay more attention on ways in which we can live off the grid, because if we don't, it might well be too late in the future. Contrary to popular belief we can all contribute toward a greener planet without needing to be too tight about it. By helping to contribute to a greener planet you will also save money and precious resources.

By living off the grid and using environmentally friendly resources you can enjoy:

Being in charge and in control about resources that might not be available soon. Instead of paying a fortune for electricity make your own - for free. You can rely on your own home-made resources and power your home knowing that you are the master of your own little universe.

Freedom of usage of naturally available resources. Once your system runs free - meaning it's fully paid for and actually no longer costing you anything - you can produce energy at will for no extra cost. This alone is amazing and worth every penny you spend in the process. You can use as much or as little power as you like without putting any strain or demand on the environment.

Living off the grid also allows you to enjoy reduced power costs. It will save money and natural resources.

A healthier environment. You reduce air pollution and enjoy a cleaner way of living by living off the grid.

Living off the grid is very much possible and could most likely be the best thing you ever do in your life. Imagine a life independent of town resources with your own water source, power and perhaps even getting rid of fuel and using a water-powered car or hybrid car instead. It is possible! Where there is a will there usually is also a way.

Read more tips here.

Find out how Players for the Planet is helping with the Green Movement here: http://playersfortheplanet.org/

Fifty Green Tips for Earth Day and Beyond

By: Kathleen J. King

It doesn’t have to be Earth Day for me to think about how I can make an impact (or less of an impact) on our planet. Here are a few of my favorite tips:

1. Lower your thermostat. Buy a programmable thermostat.

2. Reuse your water bottle. Avoid buying bottled water. In fact, reuse everything at least once, especially plastics.

3. Check out your bathroom. Use low-flow faucets, showerheads, and toilets.

4. Start a compost in your back yard or on your rooftop.

5. Buy foods locally. Check out Eat Local Challenge and FoodRoutes to get started. Buy locally made products and locally produced services.

For the rest of the article, visit: DivineCaroline.com

http://playersfortheplanet.org

Ways to Go Green at Work

Maximize computer efficiency
.

Computers in the business sector unnecessarily waste $1 billion worth of electricity a year.

Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. Otherwise, you're still burning energy even if you're not burning the midnight oil. (Check with your IT department to make sure the computer doesn't need to be on to run backups or other maintenance.) During the day, setting your computer to go to sleep automatically during short breaks can cut energy use by 70 percent. Remember, screen savers don't save energy.

Print smarter
.

The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year.

Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. Avoid color printing and print in draft mode whenever feasible.

Make it a habit to think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? When you receive unwanted catalogs, newsletters, magazines, or junk mail, request to be removed from the mailing list before you recycle the item.

Create a healthy office environment.

Make it a habit to use nontoxic cleaning products. Brighten up your cubicle with plants, which absorb indoor pollution.

Read the rest of the article here.

Visit our website and learn how you can be involved here.

Environmentally Friendly Campfires

Now that it is warmer more people are going to be spending more time outdoors. Many people will do this by camping or having bonfires in their yards. Since this is something that is fun to do, I thought I would share some tip that will help you to have a more Eco-friendly time.

• When camping in a state or national forest make sure you are following the fire regulations. These are set for a reason and need to be followed to ensure that everyone can have a good time while camping.
• Choose a good location to start a fire. Make sure that the spot you choose is level and open with no overhanging branches or dry bushes that can catch on fire. Many campsites will have spots that have already been used for fires by past campers. The rule of thumb is to have a 10 foot circle where there is nothing flammable around the fire.
• Respect the natural habitat. This means take a small 15 minute walk when you gather wood for your fire, this will disperse your impact over a larger area. Also the wood should be keep far enough away from the fire there will be no chance of accidental ignition.
• Size Matters. Only build a big enough fire for what you need, big fires just bring more hazards that could happen. If you pack more warmer clothes you will be able to stay warm without a really huge fire.
• No Plastics. Metals and woods that are chemically treated and plastics should never be burned as they create air pollution.
• Never leave a fire unattended, not even for a few seconds.
• Don’t leave children or pets unattended by a fire.
• Always have a bucket of sand or water to throw on the fire in case of an emergency.
• 30 minutes before leaving the campground make sure that your fire is completely out.Throw water on ashes after the fire has died down.
• Redistribute the leftover wood to where you found it so that you are leaving the area close to how you found it.

Find more eco-friendly crafts and tips here.

For more information on Players for the Planet and how you can be involved, visit our website here.

10 Tips to Greener Living

1. Change to Fluorescent Bulbs - If every house in the United States changed all of the light bulbs in their house, that would be equivalent to taking one million cars off the streets.

2. Don't Rinse - Skip rinsing your plates before putting them into the dishwasher. In average you will save 15 gallons of water per load. Plus, you will save time.

3. Hang Outside to Dry - Get a cloths line or rack to dry your cloths. Your cloths will last longer and you will save money

4. Turn off computers at night - don't just put them to sleep. You will save an average of 4 cents a day which ads up to $14.60 a year.

5. Use Both Sides of Paper - if you have a printer with a double sided print option use it. You will save half of the amount of paper you would have normally used.

Then when your done bring it to the recycle bin.

6. Get rid of baths - Don't take baths, take showers. You will in average save about half the amount of water that you would if you were taking a bath.

7. Don't get bottled water - Instead of bottled water get a reusable container to carry water. Also you can get a filter to make your home tap taste more like bottled water. It is definitely more cost efficient.

8. Turn the water off when you brush - Your parents have said this before, now I say it. You will save 4 gallons of water doing this alone.

9. Shorten your shower - Every minute you cut from your shower is roughly 5 gallons of water. The less time your shower takes, the lower your impact on the environment.

10. Recycle Glass - If you do not recycle this, it will take a million years to decompose.

Read the rest of the article here.

To find out how you can take a more active role in helping our planet, visit our website: Players for the Planet

Reds outfielder Chris Dickerson promotes E-Waste Recycling Drives

April 22 at Western Hills Kroger and April 24 at Hyde Park Kroger

CINCINNATI -- Reds outfielder Chris Dickerson and his organization Players for the Planet have joined forces with Global Environmental Services and some of Cincinnati's leading corporations to provide an easy and convenient way to for Reds fans and residents of Greater Cincinnati to recycle old electronics.

On Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day) and Saturday, April 24 the public is encouraged to visit two Kroger locations with electronic waste items for recycling. Items accepted include televisions, VCRs, computer monitors, personal computers, hard drives and many other electronics.

The first 50 cars at each event will receive two tickets to an upcoming Reds game.

A contribution of $5 per car to support Players for the Planet is suggested.

Collection locations:

Thursday, April 22, 2010

7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Kroger Western Hills, 6165 Glenway Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45211-6338

Saturday, April 24, 2010

10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Kroger Hyde Park, 3760 Paxton Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45209-2306

Chris and a few of his Reds teammates will make special appearances at the events.

A full list of acceptable items are available at http://www.playersfortheplanet.org.

Global Environmental Services will recycle the items and turn the profits into a cash donation to Players for the Planet that will be reinvested into environmental education programs for youths and adults in the Greater Cincinnati area.

Event sponsers are Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions, Duke Energy, Rumpke, Hamilton County Solid Waste Management Distric, Global Environmental Services, Kroger and Cincinnati Reds.

Players for the Planet was founded by Chris Dickerson of the Cincinnati Reds and former Major League Baseball player Jack Cassel to bring together professional athletes and inspire individuals in communities across the United States to be aware of the power we have to reverse the environmental crisis we are now beginning to recognize.

On the web: http://www.playersfortheplanet.org

###

Media Contact: Michael E. Anderson, Cincinnati Reds, 513-765-7333, manderson@reds.com

E-Waste Collection Drive

Players for the Planet Join Cincinnati Reds Players:

Chris Dickerson, Jay Bruce, Micah Owings, Drew Stubbs, Nick Masset

At the E-Waste Collection Drive

April 22nd and 24th, 2010

Players for the Planet is proud to have joined forces with Global Environmental Services and some of Cincinnati’s leading corporations to bring attention to this community wide effort.

On Thursday, April 22 (Earth Day) and Saturday, April 24, the public is encouraged to come to the Kroger locations in greater Cincinnati with their electronic waste items for recycling. These include televisions, radios, computer monitors, hard drives and parts and all other electronic items.

Volunteers from the various companies and environmental organizations will stand alongside Chris Dickerson and other Reds players to collect items from the public, sign autographs, and provide information for individuals to make their own environmental changes at home, work and school.

A contribution of $5 per car for Players for the Planet is suggested.

Donors can enter a raffle to win lunch for two with Chris Dickerson and a Reds teammate at the Montgomery Inn at the Boathouse.

Following the two-day event, Global Environmental Services will recycle the items and turn the profits into a cash donation to Players for the Planet that will be reinvested into environmental education programs for youths and adults in the greater Cincinnati area.

Event Sponsors:

Cincinnati Reds

CBTS

Duke Energy

Rumpke

Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services

Collection Locations and Times:

Thursday, April 22, 2010 – 7 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Kroger Western Hills

6150 Glenway Ave., Cincinnati

Saturday, April 24, 2010 – 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.

Kroger Hyde Park

3760 Paxton Ave., Cincinnati