Dual-flush toilet

In our everyday life, we often waste a lot of energy and resources. When we go to the bathroom and take long showers or when we brush our teeth and leave the faucet on. These habits are relatively easy to change, aren’t they? You only need to come up with a way to spend less time in the shower and to remember to turn the faucet off when you aren’t using it. But going to the bathroom often implies using the toilet too. I don’t know about you, but flushing has always bothered me. Not because I don’t like to flush (eww), but because I think a lot of water goes to waste by doing so. Until know,

I didn’t know what to do to save water. But I figured out a way and I’m going to share with you my recent discovery. Here it goes.

The dual-flush toilet

The first time someone put a dual flush toilet into use was in 1980.  So I guess we could say that it’s not a recent invention. Dual flush toilets are a variation of the standard siphon-flush toilet which uses a siphoning tube to evacuate waste. When the toilet is flushed, a high volume of water fills the tube and pulls the water and waste down the drain. Dual flush toilets don’t need as much water given that they don’t have a siphon and waste exits the bowl easily thanks to a larger trapway (=the tubing on the side of the toilet through which the water flows).

 But I haven’t yet told you about their most important feature (in fact that’s how they got their name), they have 2 buttons for releasing water, depending on the type of waste being flushed: one of them is for liquid waste (half flush) and the other for solid waste (full flush). As I said, dual-flush toilets use less water than regular toilets. To be more precise: standard toilets require 11 liters of water per flush, while dual-flush toilets only need 5 liters. If you decide to change your regular toilet, you’ll see this reflected at the end of the month, your water bills will be reduced in 70%. The only but: dual-flush toilets are a bit more expensive than regular ones, but they are a long-term inversion that will allow you to save                                                           money and preserve water resources.

The two buttons that release different volumes of water

Got a green idea?

Hi guys again! How is your process to a greener life? With our pieces of advices, do you feel already going green? Well, I hope so.

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. We often forget about the first two “R’s”. We tend to think that with recycling is enough, but it isn’t. It is time to redirect our attention.

In this post, I would like to share with you one idea for reusing, in order to show you that if you want to start living a greener life, you just need good attitude and a little bit of imagination. Just look around and play with the possibilities.

Each year I select my study materials for discarding, but this time I wanted to do something different. I felt that recycling paper and putting it into a recycling bin wasn’t enough. I want to reuse them as much as possible. I wanted to do something useful so, I decided to make my own second-hand notebooks, which I’m using this semester at the university.
   

I collected white paper used for one side only, I took 3 or 4 sheets, and I folded them in half and cut them. All the paper was placed into piles of 160 sheets and then bounded. The result: a spiral-bound notebook of 160 sheets only for CLP 800, while a 100-sheet notebook can cost CLP 1,290 in the market. Maybe, there is not a huge difference in prices. However, my notebook lasts 2 months, approximately, while the other one lasts about 2 weeks, so I have to buy 2 per month, which means CLP 1,780 in savings.

This is just an example to show you that there is no need to have a BIG idea just a green one.

Energy Efficiency

Technology has become an indispensable part of our daily life. It plays a key role in housekeeping: washing machine, vacuum cleaner, refrigerator, microwave oven, electric/gas stove and iron among others. They represent a high percentage of electricity consumption in our households for this reason it is important to look for the energy efficiency label, which will help us to save money and reduce our ecological footprint.

In our country, refrigerator is one of the electrical appliances that have more presence in households and, at the same time, use more electricity. According to a study¹, 96.8% of Chilean households have at least one refrigerator. The average annual consumption of electricity due to the use of refrigerators is 516.3 kWh, which represents 29% of the electricity consumption of a house. 

So, it is important to know which aspects take into consideration when buying an electric appliance. Let’s imagine that you want to replace your 15-year-old refrigerator with a new one. Most refrigerators of fifteen years ago are class D or E which means a consumption of 625 kWh per year. Commonly, the new ones have either A, A+ or A+++ class. For this example, we’ll use the A+ class, which uses 187 kWh. There is a difference of 438 kWh, in other words, 70% of savings in electricity. So, if we consider that each kWh costs CLP 110, we’ll save 20,570 in 1 year!

https://ideaelectrodomesticos.wordpress.com/2012/12/18/cuanto-dinero-ahorra-un-electrodomestico-de-eficiencia-energetica-a-a-a-a/

When buying you should choose a top freezer model because they use between 10% and 25% less energy than side-by-side or bottom-mount models as well as models with icemakers and water dispensers.

As you can see, there are several aspects you should consider when buying an electrical appliance, this is just an example. But, you already know that the energy efficiency label provides a lot of information.

Keep making greener choices!

1: Estudio de usos finales y curva de oferta de la conservación de la energía en el sector residencial

Sources:

http://formularios.minenergia.cl/cpeee/archivos_bajar/informe_meps.pdf

http://energy.gov/energysaver/articles/tips-kitchen-appliances

What to do with all this garbage?

Did you know that Chileans produce 1 kilo of garbage per day? The implications of this become quite serious when we consider that we are approximately 16 million people, so in a year we produce 16 thousand tons of garbage that end up in landfills, polluting the environment. Seems natural to ask ourselves, what can we do? Well, you can start by reducing your purchases of disposable goods to the minimum. This means DON’T BUY THINGS WITH HEAVY PACKAGING. Reuse your possessions. Don’t just through away something that could still be of value, try to repair it. Recycle. Separate your garbage and take it to a clean spot you know of. We tend to think they’re inexistent in Chile, but the truth is that you have to look for them, if you live in a big city, you’re most likely to find one closer than you think. Before throwing something away, just double-check that there’s no other use you can give it. Pay special attention to appliances as they are made of many parts, so you might be able to rescue a part of it and give it another use (and maybe even sell it).

Once I’ve explained this to you, I feel is my obligation to tell you something more about garbage. Most of us see garbage as something to be discarded, plain and simple waste. But, what if I told you that garbage can also be an energy source? Swedes discovered garbage’s potential before anyone did. And now, they are able to supply heating to approximately 950,000 households and electricity to 260,000 households. You have to understand that for garbage to become an energy source, there has to be a strong public policy on recycling. You cannot simply burn all the garbage you produce as it would have a tremendous impact on the environment. This is how Swedes pulled it off: In the 70’s, Sweden implemented strong rules and regulations on waste management for households and companies. This marked the beginning of the deep-rooted waste-management hierarchy: waste prevention, reuse, recycling, recycling alternatives and disposal. So, before garbage is sent away to be incinerated, waste is filtered by households and companies. The WTE (waste-to-energy) plants are responsible for the incineration of garbage. There are 32 in total and they burn annually about 2 million tons of trash which allows them to produce energy.

Nevertheless, the Swedish waste-management methods have been so efficient that WTE plants were running out of thrash. So, they decided to import if from UK, Italy, Norway and Ireland. In relation to this, the Swedish Waste Management communications director Anna-Carin Gripwell said that “Waste today is a commodity in a different way than it has been. It’s not only waste, it’s a business.” Swedes depend on this strong source of energy. The 2 million tons burned per year produces approximately 670,000 tons worth of fuel oil energy. That’s a lot of energy! 

Watch this video to learn more about Sweden's recycling revolution.

Is it true?

As we said in our last post, making greener choices is not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet, and sometimes they’re good for your health too.

You don’t believe me, do you? Well, I don’t blame you because many people don’t know either. I’m talking about the cat litter market. How are these things related?

Although there are no studies on this issue, there is a controversy about the safety of clay cat litters that use sodium bentonite as their clumping ingredient. It is believed that clay particles can cause even death if a cat swallows them while licking their paws and fur, because they can expand and harden in the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to this, most clumping litters are considered toxic substances because they can induce abortion in humans.

We haven´t mentioned yet the consequences for the environment. The mass formed by clumping clay cat litters are non-biodegradable; therefore they do NOT decompose in landfills. So, let’s think of all the waste we’re throwing away. How many bags do you use in a month? I used about 2 bags of 6 kg each month, which is 144 kg in a year. That’s too much, don’t you think?

Fortunately, there are eco-friendly alternatives.  Each day, organic biodegradable cat litters are appearing in the market with new brands. This is the result of a new market niche. These alternative cat litters are made from: corn, wheat, wood fibers or shaving (pine and walnut pellets), volcanic rocks (zeolite), paper, among others.

 As you can see there is a wide range of cat litter alternatives chemical free, which are 100% natural and therefore is safe for landfill disposal. And also, they are NOT harmful to humans or cats.

But that is not all; they’re much cheaper than clay litters. Let’s compare:

I used to buy mainly two clumping cat litters: one is Super Mix of 7.5 kg which costs about CLP 7,000. But, my cat used 1 and ½ bags in a month, so I spent about CLP 14,000 every two months. The other one was Traper of 5 kg, which costs CLP 5,290. Whit this one, I also needed 2 bags per month. Once I bought Cat’s Pride litter (5,290), but it didn’t even last for 2 weeks!

What about the eco-friendly ones? Well, I compared prices in different supermarkets and home centers and there is a wide gap when compared to non-biodegradable litters. The prices of natural cat litters are very similar: CLP 1,790 (2 kg); 2,260 (2 kg); and 3,290 (2.5 kg). I bought the CLP 2,260 litter and I must say that it lasts longer than the clumping cat litter. I also had to buy 2 bags, but I saved CLP 9,480at the end.

So, what do you think? Do you take up the challenge? Try with an eco-friendly cat litter during 1 month and then share your experience with us!  

*Prices from: Easy, Homecenter Sodimac, Lider and Santa Isabel.

Sources:

http://cats.lovetoknow.com/Safe_Cat_Litter

http://www.cosasdegatos.es/cuidado-gato/arena-para-gatos-biodegradable

A thought on pets

They are everywhere, in parks, on the streets and in almost every public space. Some of them are more exotic than others and some have been among us for thousands of years. Obviously, I’m talking about pets. We have to acknowledge their importance in our lives whether we see them as our companions, guardians, friends or another member of the family. 

The significance of their role can be observed in the increasing number of people that own animal companions (70% of Chileans decide to introduce a cat or dog into the 

household[1]) and the amount of money we are willing to spend on them. According to recent data, a dog owner spends up to 300,000 CLP per year in food, veterinary care, pet grooming and entertainment[2]. Bear in mind that this is only an estimate for dogs, this figure is likely to increase if you own exotic animals such as hedgehogs, iguanas, ferrets, etc. Having a pet is like having a child, you have to be aware or your responsibilities. If you want to have a pet, you must be sure of it because you most certainly will have to spend time and money on them. I just want to say one more thing on this subject: don’t purchase your pet. Even if the market allows you to do so. Nowadays, many people objectify their domestic animals, parading them around as a sign of economic accomplishment. Did you know that depending on the race you can pay CLP 80,000-3,000,000 for a dog? This frivolous act sends a terrible message to society. Pets are not goods. Pets are living beings capable of experiencing human-like feelings, we owe them respect. Besides, there are hundreds of abandoned animal companions that are just as likely to give you love and company. Choose wisely.

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[1] Source: http://diario.latercera.com/2013/07/27/01/contenido/negocios/10-142614-9-alimentos-para-mascotas-estan-entre-5-categorias-mas-consumidas.shtml

[2] Source: http://www.economiaynegocios.cl/noticias/noticias.asp?id=121206

Making greener choices

Would you like to be more eco-friendly but you don´t know where to start? I know that sometimes it may be difficult to start doing something new and making it part of your habits. But, what if we begin with something simple? Remember: try with one step a time! 

I can assure you that whit this easy and simple action you will be in the right way to go green.

I’m talking about replacing your traditional or incandescent light bulbs with energy-efficient ones, such as compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs) or light emitting diodes (LED). Today, I’m focusing on the CFLs because they have a greater presence in the Chilean market and also because they’re cheaper than LED light bulbs.

First of all, we should know, what’s the main difference between traditional bulbs and energy saving ones? The difference is the amount of energy they use to produce light and heat. 

 While, incandescent bulbs release 90% of their energy as heat and only 10% as light, CFLs produce light with 75% of the electricity they use. In fact, when compared to traditional bulbs, CFLs use 75% less energy.

http://inside.edison.com/g912 

As you might think, that waste of energy is money we’re throwing away. Lighting represents a high percentage of electricity consumption in households so, by replacing light bulbs you can reduce up to 80% of your electricity consumption. You will notice this on your bill each month. For example, if you just change the most used bulbs at home, you could save between 25% and 30% of electricity.

It’s true; CFLs are more expensive, but don’t worry because in the short term you will start saving money. An incandescent bulb of 75 Watts costs on average CLP 450, while the price of a CFL varies from CLP 2,290 to 3,290*. However, you should keep in mind that an energy-efficient bulb last 10 to 25 times longer than traditional ones. 

Let’s compare both bulbs in detail. Take a look at the following table:

	Average lifespan (h)	Use (W)	Daily use (h)	Use kWh1			Cost (CLP)
				daily	monthly	annual	daily	monthly	annual
Incandescent bulb	1,000	75	5	0.375	11.25	135	41.25	1,237.5	14,850
CFL	8,000	14	5	0.07	2.1	25.2	7.7	231	2,772

	Annual cost (CLP)	Market price (CLP)	N° of bulbs needed for   8,000 h	Total cost (CLP)
Incandescent bulb	14,850	450	8	18,450
CFL	2,772	2,7902	1	5,562

1: Based on an electricity rate of CLP 110 per kilowatt-hour (Concepción may, 2016).
2: Average price.

By just replacing incandescent bulbs at home, you can save CLP 12,888 in a year. Not bad, isn’t it? We’ve already replaced all light bulbs. What are you waiting for?

What's that smell?

When we started this blog, we thought we’d only discuss environment-related issues.  And that’s been pretty amazing, I’m not going to say otherwise. But when I think about it, Going Green can be a lot more than that. In our Facebook page, we describe ourselves as ‘environmentally aware’ and that was supposed to mean that we take interest in the impact our life styles have on the environment. Nevertheless, I’ve come to the realization that this expression can have a wider meaning. The environment is not only “the natural world in which people, animals and plants live”[1], but also “the conditions that affect the behavior and development of someone or something”[2]. Why am I telling you this? Because in this occasion I want to write about a subject that falls into the second meaning of environment.

 The decriminalization and legalization of marijuana is a topic of debate that’s been in the public eye for years and hasn’t yet been entirely solved, even though it has been proven that penalization of cannabis consumption is not the way to win the war against drugs or an effective way of reducing its use. Take Chile, for example. Under Law 20.000, the Chilean regulation on drug use, marijuana is classified as a hard drug, which means that it’s at the same level as heroin and cocaine. And in spite of current regulations, the number of consumers has only grown higher over the past years. In fact, Chile has the highest rate of usage in the region according to the 2015 OAS Report on Drug use in the Americas. Drug policies like this one involve an elevated monetary cost. In 2012, more than 80,000 people were arrested on drug charges, 60% of them being charged with possession[3]. As a consequence, we have overcrowded prisons and the State spends millions of dollars a year in law enforcement.

If marijuana was legalized, the State would be able to regulate and monitor marijuana’s sale and by doing so, it could get its hands on tax revenues. In the US, annual marijuana trade is approximately USD 113 billion which, according to Harvard economist Jeffrey Miron, represents about USD 45 billion in taxes[4]. Marijuana legalization would also create jobs associated with cultivation, boosting the agricultural industry. Moreover, the industry of tourism could be revitalized. Think of Amsterdam for a second, the capital city of the Netherlands, where tourists travel from all over the world to visit the Coffeeshops, licensed establishments where you can legally buy cannabis products.  It’s high time we rethink prohibicionism if we want to benefit from marijuana legalization. Only then the grass will be greener on OUR side.

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[1] Definition from Oxford Learners Dictionaries Online (http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/environment?q=environment)

[2] Definition from Oxford Learners Dictionaries Online (http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/environment?q=environment)

[3]  24 horas website

(http://www.24horas.cl/programas/informeespecial/informe-especial-marihuana-se-enciende-el-debate-398644)

[4] The Daily Dot

(http://www.dailydot.com/opinion/marijuana-legalization-economic-argument/)

Change your bottle!

Would you like to save money, protect your health and the environment at the same time? Well, you have to do just ONE thing: CHANGE YOUR BOTTLE!

The worldwide bottled water consumption is severely damaging the planet. Did you know that about 3 million tons of plastics are used to produce water bottles? And that about 80% end up in landfills? 

During the last years, the plastic water bottle business has grown at a remarkable rate each year to become a US $100 billion industry. Only in Chile, the consumption of bottled water increased by more than 50% during the last decade. In 2013, bottled water consumption was 393 million liters. That is 22 liters per capita, while 10 years ago consumption was only 7 liters per person, according to the Association of Soft Drink Producers (Asociación Nacional de Bebidas Refrescantes - ANBER).

That’s  quite  impressive,  isn´t it? Now, you might be wondering what happens with all that plastic. Well, that’s where the problem lies. In fact, up to 25,000 plastic tons go into the ocean each year in Chile¹.

This matter should concern all of us, because it’s a global issue. It’s not only the amount of plastic we’re throwing away, it’s the time that each PET bottle (polyethylene terephthalate) takes to decompose: between 100 and 1,000 years. 

Isn’t it too much time? And it gets worse. I haven’t even mentioned that 1 liter of bottled water can cost up to 1,000 times MORE than tap water, according to figures from UNESCO.

In the US a bottle of 750ml costs about CLP 950, while in Colombia it costs about CLP 2,517 and in Venezuela a bottle of 500ml costs about CLP 18,000. 

In Chile the price of 500ml of bottled water on average cost 750 CLP. This is incredibly expensive if we compare it with tap water, which costs 1 CLP on average.

Moreover, unlike what companies try to make us believe, municipal water is under the same and sometimes higher safety standards than bottled water. Actually, studies reveal that bottled water regulations are inadequate to ensure purity and safety. In the case of Chile, tap water is really safe. In fact, municipal water treatment has even stricter standards than those stated by the World Health Organization.

So, why do you want to be part of an industry that has more cons than pros? Why are you willing to pay so much for something when you can have it at home? Well, we’re not considering those countries where bottled water is a need because people have no access to safe water.

What are you waiting for? It’s time to make the change. Using reusable bottles it’s not only good for the environment, but also for your wallet. 

(1): According to the study “Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean”, led by researchers of the University of Georgia.

Sources:

http://www.unesco.org/water/news/newsletter/153_es.shtml

http://www.andess.cl/noticias_detalle.php?n=240

http://www.emol.com/noticias/economia/2014/02/13/644771/chile-consumo-per-capita-de-agua-embotellada-crece-mas-del-50-en-la-ultima-decada.html

http://www.sofofa.cl/mantenedor/detalle.asp?p=60&s=6040&n=21360