Living Long, Living Green

Originally sources from Care2 - “10 Signs That You’ll Live a Long, Green Life”

By Sara Novak, Planet Green

“It’s no coincidence that healthy living has a direct connection to green living. People that care about the health of the planet often care about eating well, being outside, and avoiding the crap that will shorten their time on this beautiful planet. So it wasn’t a huge surprise that when Prevention Magazine

came up with a list of Surprising Signs That You’ll Probably Live Longer, many of them fit right into a green lifestyle.

Signs of Longevity And Their Connection to Living Green!

1. You walk to stay fit.

Fit people–defined as those who walk for about 30 minutes a day–are more likely to live longer than those who walk less, regardless of how much body fat they have, according to a recent study of 2,603 men and women.

Green It: Walking for a purpose
The best way to stay fit is to include walking in your everyday life as a way to get from A to B. Park the car and instead choose to walk to the store or if you use public transportation, walk to the bus or train station. That’s why Europeans are so enviously thin, they walk to get somewhere not just to stay fit. Save fossil fuels and win the battle of the bulge by hitting the pavement.

2. You skip the soda.

Scientists in Boston found that drinking one or more regular or diet colas every day doubles your risk of metabolic syndrome–a cluster of conditions, including high blood pressure, elevated insulin levels, and excess fat around the waist, that increase your chance of heart disease and diabetes. Not to hammer this point too hard, but America is in the midst of an obesity epidemic and soda is nothing but empty calories, or in the case of diet soda, chemically flavored fake stuff.

Green It: Drinking soda is bad for you and the planet
Caring.com reports “Not only is there a “Health Risks from Drinking Soda, Especially for Women”

planet considering that cans and plastic bottles are hugely wasteful. Even though they can be recycled, it takes energy to recycle them. It’s best not to use something that you do not need in the first place. Try filtered tap water in a reusable bottle and save the calories for local, organic food.

3. You eat purple foods.

Concord grapes, blueberries, and red wine all have polyphenols–compounds that reduce heart disease risk and may also protect against Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research. “What’s good for your coronary arteries is also good for your brain’s blood vessels,” says Robert Krikorian, Ph.D., director of the Cognitive Disorders Center at the University of Cincinnati.

Green It: Choosing seasonal and organic
Blueberries come into season depending on where you live in the late summer. If you want to enjoy all those polyphenols make sure that you’re buying the fruit locally. Blueberries can lose much of their nutrients when they travel the average 1,500 miles to get to your table not to mention the fact that they waste tons of fossil fuels to get from A to B. Learn how to preserve seasonal fruits so that you can eat them year round here. And don’t forget to sip on red wine but make sure that you’re getting the most green for your green with wine that goes beyond organic.

4. You were a healthy-weight teen.

Swedish researchers found that among 612 men ages 18 to 20, those whose body mass index (BMI) increased the most during adolescence tended to have the greatest amounts of visceral fat — deep “hidden” fat that surrounds the abdominal organs and is particularly linked to type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease.

Green It: Raising a healthy green teen
You can’t control your weight as a teenager (unless you still are one) but you can help your teenager control their weight. The best way to raise a healthy, green adult is to start early. Try to make dinner at home every evening using seasonal, local ingredients and keep the processed junk out of the cabinets. If your teens want junk food to snack on, offer up healthy alternatives like homemade granola bars and homemade organic cookies. This way your teens will know the importance of the ingredients in their foods. Also get your teens in the garden so that they have an understanding about where their food comes from. Kids that grow up picking fresh produce from their garden every night for dinner won’t settle for produce that travels across the country because they know that garden fresh is so much tastier.

5. You skip the red meat.

A few palm-size servings (about 2 1/2 ounces) of beef, pork, or lamb now and then is no big deal, but eating more than 18 ounces of red meat per week ups your risk of colorectal cancer–the third most common type, according to a major report by the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Green It: Understanding red meat’s huge impact on the planet
What a coincidence, eating red meat is also bad news for the planet. Hitting the drive through a few times a week does have a huge impact. On the other hand, were the average American household to avoid red meat and dairy and, instead, consume a vegetarian diet or a diet including some chicken, fish, and eggs, the decline in greenhouse gas emissions would be equal to driving 8,000 fewer miles each. That’s like driving from Miami to Seattle and back. When and if you do eat red meat, opt for grass-fed varieties.

Next: 5 more sure signs of longevity and their connection to being green

6. You drink tons of green and black tea.

Drinking tea is great for your heart. And you really need only one or two cups of tea daily to start doing your heart some good–just make sure it’s a fresh brew. Ready-to-drink teas (the kind you find in the supermarket beverage section) don’t offer the same health benefits.

Green It: Picking tea with minimal impact
The Camellia sinensis plant (which produces black, green, and white teas) comes from countries in Asia, Africa, and South America. So to help negate the distance it travels make sure that you buy organic, fair trade teas and buy them in the loose form if possible. Tea bags are wasteful and unnecessary. (Drinking green tea may also reduce the risk of stomach cancer in women!)

7. You love your friends (who are also healthy).

If your closest friends gain weight, your chance of doing the same could increase by 57 percent, according to a study in the New England of Journal of Medicine. “To maintain a healthy lifestyle, it’s important to associate with people who have similar goals,” says Nicholas A. Christakis, M.D., Ph.D., the study’s lead researcher.

Green It: Surrounding yourself with eco-lovin’ friends
If you’re living a healthy, green life, spread the word. Tell your friends how you like to walk everywhere to stay healthy so that it can become a trend. In South Carolina people tend to use cars when there is absolutely no need. But not me and as a result I make my friends walk with me to restaurants. I get them to go to the farmers’ market with me and we exchange healthy recipes and tips. If your friends are healthy and green it’s a great influence on you as well.

8. You don’t have a housekeeper.

Just by vacuuming, mopping floors, or washing windows for a little more than an hour, the average person can burn about 285 calories, lowering risk of death by 30 percent, according to a study of 302 adults in their 70s and 80s.

Green It: Doing things the green way
This is another built in workout that means you don’t have to waste energy going to a gym. What’s more, you can do things your way. That is using green cleaning supplies instead of toxic chemicals in your house. Check out Annie Bond’s suggestions for making a non-toxic cleaning kit.

9. You have strong legs.

Lower-body strength translates into good balance, flexibility, and endurance. As you get older, those attributes are key to reducing your risk of falls and injuries–particularly hip fractures, which often quickly lead to declining health. Up to 20 percent of hip-fracture patients die within one year because of complications from the trauma according to the International Longevity Center.

Green It: Getting a green leg workout
We all want our bodies to be in the best shape they can possibly be in. People spend hours on treadmills and elliptical machines just trying to tone up their legs, but why use the energy? There are excellent ways to work out the muscles in your legs without using up any extra energy. Here are some of my favorite ways to exercise my legs without having it add to my electricity bill–or the bill of anyone else. Read Elizabeth’s green leg workout.

10. You’re an optimist.

This means that you have a positive outlook on life. Only about 17 percent of Americans are flourishers and the rest are languishers, meaning they don’t feel good about themselves and are pessimists–according to a study in American Psychologist.

Green It: Losing the eco-anxiety
Even though I try and live an eco-friendly life, I try and stay away from a doomsday perspective. Eco-anxiety is a very real affliction and if you have it, read Brian’s tips for reducing eco-anxiety. If your anxiety or depression stems from other factors consider reducing it naturally. Eat lots of depression-fighting foods, and read How to Get Happy Without the Prozac.

Planet Green is the multi-platform media destination devoted to the environment and dedicated to helping people understand how humans impact the planet and how to live a more environmentally sustainable lifestyle. Its two robust websites, planetgreen.com and TreeHugger.com, offer original, inspiring, and entertaining content related to how we can evolve to live a better, brighter future. Planet Green is a division of Discovery Communications.”

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A Few Years Ago We Were Lobbying The Canadian Government for Higher Standards for Car Emissions

This is an update of that post, and an encouragement for others to take similar actions.

Encourage government to adopt clean cars laws. New requirements can significantly reduce vehicle emissions.

How to do it

Use your voice to encourage our lawmakers to adopt California's Clean Car standard. Write letters to the Prime Minister and speak to your local government representatives. This is the time to speak up: Canada's outdated vehicle emissions regulations are under review, and voluntary agreements with the auto sector will soon expire. A personal note from you will have greater impact than many form letters or emails. For best effect, make your request for action clear encouraging, and address only one issue. Here are some suggested points you can make:

1. The government's promise to update the fuel efficiency requirements for Canadian cars is welcome and long overdue (some praise and encouragement always helps!).
2. I urge you to adopt the California Clean Car Standard (the request should be clear and emphatic).
3. The rules put in place by Governor Schwarzenegger are achievable and widely accepted; almost 20 states are adopting them, and nine provinces have endorsed them (provides evidence that it is technically and politically feasible).
4. Please resist pegging Canada's standards to the less efficient US national average; that would put Canada behind the pack in the North American market, damage our ability to fight climate change, burden consumers with higher-than-necessary fuel bills (tell them what you don't want, as well as what you do want).
5. The federal government has the ability and the responsibility to regulate pollution and fuel economy in cars. I urge you to demonstrate strong leadership by passing the California-level emission standards as soon as possible (re-state your request).
6. I look forward to hearing from you (always ask for a response). A letter to the Prime Minister needs no postage, and should be addressed to:
   The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
   Prime Minister of Canada
   Langevin Block
   House of Commons
   Ottawa, Canada

To find the name and contact information or your member of Parliament, use this link: http://www2.parl.gc.ca/Parlinfo/Compilations/HouseOfCommons/MemberByPostalCode.aspx?Menu=HOC

Why you're doing it

A typical car a late-model mid-sized sedan - driven for 20,000 kilometres a year emits four tones of CO2. Right now, transportation contributes to more than 30 per cent of total greenhouse gas emissions. The potential for fuel efficiency has improved by 50 per cent since the 1970s, the height of the gas-guzzling era. But because there are more cars on the road today than ever before, and many people are driving larger vehicles that are not fuel-efficient, emissions keep rising. California's Clean Cars law will drive a 30 per cent reduction in carbon emissions from cars by 2016, using only existing and available technology. Canada must proceed in lock-step with California and other progressive states, especially since the Canadian car market is so tightly linked to the US market. Not only will this help our planet, but having access to more fuel-efficient cars can save you a lot of money, especially as gas prices are continually on the rise.

GreenFacts Link

From GreenFacts - Scientific Facts on Climate Change and Global Warming

Human Overpopulation - How many people can the world hold?

World’s Population Counter – not advertiser supported [requires Java] [Click on:]

http://www.ibiblio.org/lunarbin/worldpop or,

World’s Statistics [including Population – and other statistics; US bias – Google advertiser supported: http://www.worldometers.info/

Could the growth in the human population (and the resultant increased pollution?) have something to do with the Ecology, Environment and Global Warming?

Overpopulation occurs when the population of a living species exceeds the carrying capacity of its ecological niche. In common parlance, the term usually refers to the relationship between the human population and its environment: Earth. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overpopulation

The Population Reference Bureau predicts continuing population growth. Their charts indicate that the rate of growth will be less in about 50 years. In reality, other than statistics for the last 25 years only, there are no facts to support the assumption that trends in population growth will remain low for the next 50 years in the future. The rate of growth in the previous (26 years) was much higher.

Of course there are food and other natural capacity and resource limits. They may eliminate or reverse growth trends, as might a global pandemic. Even though the annual rate of population growth has decreased in the past 25 years, the population continues to grow. If none of that happens there is no reason to assume the rate of growth will actually continue to decrease. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_population

Although there is still much discussion and controversy within religious organizations some still maintain that birth control should not be used. They maintain that it is in the “natural”, or in “God’s Order”, not to use artificial means to minimize the number of births:

“The Church, nevertheless, in urging men to the observance of the precepts of the natural law, which it interprets by its constant doctrine, teaches that each and every marital act must of necessity retain its intrinsic relationship to the procreation of human life. (12) “ The Vatican; The Holy See

And, that dogma continues to be challenged within, and outside the Catholic Church http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criticism_of_the_Catholic_Church .

The number of human beings living on this Earth always will affect the world’s Ecology, Environment and Global Warming.

Tuvalu - The loss of a nation?

Should global warming cause an increase in ocean levels, Tuvalu is the most threatened nation in the world.

References from Wikipedia - the free Online Encyclopedia

Tuvalu [population 11,636 est.] is an island nation consists of 8 small islands (in reality, there are nine islands in total. 5 of the islands are atolls) located in the Pacific Ocean midway between Hawaii and Australia. Its name means "Eight Standing Together" in Tuvaluan. With the exception of tiny Vatican City, it has the smallest number of inhabitants among independent nations and a total land area of only 26 sq. km. (less than 10 sq. mi.) - photos

Due to their low elevation (5 meters, or 16 feet maximum), the islands that make up this nation are threatened by any future sea level rise. The population may evacuate during the next decades to New Zealand, or Niue, a small Pacific island (autonomous but associated with New Zealand) that isn't threatened by sea level rise, but does have decreasing population. The Fijian island of Kioa, already leased by people from Tuvalu, is another possible destination.

A former British colony, the Commonwealth Nation of Tuvalu was granted independence in 1978. Tuvalu Independence Day is celebrated on the 1st of October.

Tuvalu became the 187th member of the United Nations on September 5, 2000. The Prime Minister at the time of entry was the Hon. Ionatana Ionatana, who died in office shortly after, on December 8, 2000. Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Tuvalu to the United Nations is His Excellency Mr. Afelee F. Pita (appointed Dec 19, 2006)

Tuvalu Online , Map of Region

Polar Bears – the largest land predator in the world becoming extinct?

United Nations Chronicle Online Edition - a few years ago ... "today we see these magnificent animals stranded on melting ice floes, struggling to stay afloat. They have no time to adapt and could be extinct in a few decades."

UN Chronicle Online ...
see also:
"Climate Change as a Global Challenge: The Adaptation Imperative"
"Climate Change In The Arctic - An Inuit Reality"
"The Climate Change Challenge"
"In This Issue... Green Our World!", from November 2, 2007

“The scientific opinion on climate change, as expressed in the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Third Assessment Report in 2001 and explicitly endorsed by the national science academies of the G8 nations in 2005, is that the average global temperature has risen 0.6 ± 0.2 °C since the late 19th century, and that it is likely that "most of the warming observed over the last 50 years is attributable to human activities" [1].”: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming

There is considerable controversy about Global Warming: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_controversy

In early 2001, three global organizations came together in an integrated promotional partnership to generate awareness for conservation and biodiversity worldwide: the United Nations; the Earth Communications Office (ECO), a non-profit organization that uses the power of communication to improve the global environment; and Animal Planet, a global television brand of Discovery Communications, Inc.