Many of us will be viewing fireworks displays this weekend, and the treehugger in me has to cringe a little bit. Fireworks use dangerous chemicals and contribute to smog which can pollute our ground, air, and water. But it’s not all bad. Even Treehugger blog gives us “permission” to enjoy the fireworks once a year. So here are my “green” tips for having a guilt-free conscience while enjoying a little Independence Day pyrotechnics.
photo credit: Chrislrmo
Go to the Big Ones: Instead of everyone contributing to the pollution (and possibly breaking state laws), go to the big displays that are put on by the cities, theme parks, etc. It’s safer, alot more fun, and it’s better for the environment.
Carpool: Anyone who has tried getting out of the parking lot immediately following a fireworks show should know that carpooling, or better yet, walking/cycling, is the way to go. Many “pay/donation” style shows offer a price per car so take advantage of it! Also, while you’re waiting to get out of that crowded parking lot, don’t sit idling for an hour! Keep the car off (or use accessory to enjoy the radio). Patience and non-idling cars will make your Fourth more enjoyable and greener.
Take your trash with you: Many “lawn-seating” style shows allow you to bring food/beverages (sometimes even beer!), but often don’t have the waste management to handle all the trash and recyclables people bring. If you don’t see proper garbage receptacles, take it with you. Bring a garbage bag with you, even. The less money the city, park, etc has to spend cleaning up after us, the more money they can use towards bigger, better, greener (yup!) fireworks shows in the future.
So, this weekend, get there safe (with a full carload), enjoy the big ones, and leave the place better than you found it! Take tons of pictures, and feel good knowing that you did your part in making this Independence Day a little more environmentally friendly.
While I was thinking about photography, creating some plans for tomorrow, and struggling over my need for a new avatar photo, I decided to poke around on Flickr for pictures with “orange” in the title or tags.
I “favorited” this one, along with a dozen others.
I also joined a couple orange-themed groups, and now have some ideas for photographs tomorrow.
Ironically, as much as I love the color
orange, I’m not a huge fan of the fruit. I was always intrigued by how the Spanish language (and others) differentiates between orange, the color (
anaranjado), and orange, the fruit (
naranja).
Orange often suggests change, stimulation, and warmth. In the next few days, I’ll hopefully be changing my avatar image, stimulating curiosity and interest in my endeavors, and maybe even supplying some “
warm fuzzies” to my friends and family.
I stopped at the Warminster Bikeline today, just to ask some questions and get an idea what I’m looking at in order to start commuting 6 miles/day to work.
Here’s the breakdown (from the mouths of an employee):
Bike: Trek 7.3 FX $579, but will be on sale in a few weeks for $499
Helmet, lock, etc: He said they can work some deals out, but estimate another $100
Service plan: (after the first year of purchase) $70 for unlimited service for 5 years.
Total…(pre-tax)
~$700 bucks
I’m going into this looking only at that. Whatever I save in fuel, car service, etc, will be just that; savings.
Hooray for brother’s who are mechanics! It’s just an oil change and tire rotation, but when I know he can fit it in, it’s piece of mind.
It costs $10 to upgrade my iTouch to 3.0, right? How important is it that I do it?
Just found out a cousin has uteran (sp?) cancer. Not the news I wanted to hear today.
Coworker just described herself as a “clearance whore”. Anywhere outside of a retail store, I wouldn’t say that out loud.
‘Half this game is ninety percent mental.’—Philadelphia Phillies manager, Danny Ozark (You’re making me laugh, @
shareski!)
PhillySkyline’s post about Septa’s $10 “Independence Pass”. (along with their interesting experiment)
http://bit.ly/10BvII
