It’s a funny thing to look back and say to oneself that the way that things “used” to be done is far better than the way that we are doing them now. I never thought I would be old enough to even think, let alone say, such a thing! But, when it comes to bottled water I do declare that this has become my line of thinking!

When we were kids my mom would pack my lunch box every day and fill my super cool matching thermos with something for me to drink. That crazy thermos kept the hot things at least warm and the cold things cold. There were no worries unless it was somehow forgotten and then I would have to do the unthinkable and buy a milk!

Now as time as gone by not only has the idea of a lunch “box” left, but somehow so has the idea of that thermos. Instead my handy dandy thermos has been replaced with a disposable plastic water bottle. Now, I must say that the idea of having a water bottle that you could simply throw away after use is indeed a bit more impressive than my super cool thermos, but one does have to wonder just where that water bottle ends up. I happen to know that my thermos ended up at home with me each evening to be washed and reused the next day.

Since the year 2000 bottled water consumption has gone from 4.7 billion gallons per year to 8.7 billion gallons. I would say that is an impressive rise in consumption and probably explains the demise of my super cool thermos. Why pack a thermos when you can have a healthy, disposable and convenient drink at your fingertips!

Bottled water is now the most dynamic sector of all the food and beverage industry and consumption in the world continues to increase by more than 10% each year, despite the fact that its price is much higher than that of tap water. The average bottled water costs anywhere from $.25 to $2 per bottle. Tap water sits at a cost of less than $0.01. I’d say that’s quite the difference!

There’s quite a difference in our trash as well. Although most of us don’t think twice about tossing our disposable bottled water into the trash, (it is disposable after all), and the sad truth is that each year more than 10 billion plastic water bottles can be found in our garbage dumps and landfils. That’s a huge difference compared to my reusable thermos!

If you think about it logically I used that thermos for a total of 180 school days. If I took disposable bottled water each day that would be 180 water bottles just for me, not to mention the total it would be for my class of thirty students! That would cost my mom alone on average about $180 versus $1.80 for tap water. How crazy is that!!

Despite the fact that bottled water is now the second largest beverage type in the market (number one being soda) I must say that I don’t think it is even a close second to my thermos! Sadly, that super cool thermos is a thing of the past. However, we can make use of its memory in purchasing a reusable water bottle for our water consumption! We save not only money in our own pockets, but we also save on the millions, well billions really, of disposable water bottles that truly trash up our environment. By doing so we are not going completely back to the way that things “used” to be, but we are using what we have learned from our today and yesterday to create a better tomorrow.

Have you ever smelled ozone in the air? Ever heard the news guys mention an “Ozone Action Day?” Too much ozone in the air smells like someone burning metal wires in the air. It is really strange.

This simple molecule which is simply three oxygen atoms held together is also known as trioxygen. It is far less stable than the more usual dual oxygen that is more commonly found in the atmosphere at breathing level.

When comfortably floating above the atmosphere as the bright blue envelope that is seen from space photos, it has the ability to do something very important. This stratospheric ozone protects life on Earth from the particularly damaging UVB radiation that would otherwise knock holes in cellular DNA, making life on Earth impossible.

However, when on the ground, ozone is a pollutant that damages crops and causes respiratory ailments. Most people are able to detect it in minute quantities, as low as .01 parts-per-million (ppm) in most cases. It can also cause headaches and burning eyes at fewer than 1 ppm. This tropospheric ozone is chiefly produced by automotive and other fossil fuel emissions interacting with sunlight.

Matt Lauer and the group from the Today Show were in Belize (the Blue Hole and Half Moon Caye) this week looking into the environmental impact temperature change is having there. Belize, located in the Southern end of the Caribbean Sea, is home to some of the most exotic marine life on the planet and the waters there are changing. The environmental impact could be massive. Belize boasts the famous “Blue Hole” and the largest coral barrier reef in the Western Hemisphere: but all that could be in danger.

Here is more info:

Belize – a country rich in a variety of coastal ecosystems!

The coastal land is where humans, thousands of creatures, clear waters and time converge to create a unique multifaceted region and a rich country.

With over 1000 cayes and 220 kilometers of Barrier Reef ( one of the seven underwater wonders of the world) Belize is a country that possesses natural wealth through a variety of coastal ecosystems ranging from coral reefs to seagrass beds, from extensive mangrove and littoral forests to coastal lagoons and estuaries. It is these habitats which serve as essential breeding, rearing and feeding grounds for a vast array of living things.

Seagrass beds, mangrove and littoral forests are vital for flood and erosion control. They are also important in maintaining coastal water quality by catching terrestrial run-off resulting from agricultural activities such as land clearance and the use of agro-chemicals. Coral reefs act as a protective barrier. Likewise, all the other coastal ecosystems serve to protect coastal areas from storm damage and provide a livelihood for many Belizeans through industries such as fisheries and tourism.

The many functions and roles of the coastal habitats and inhabitants are evident in the bustle of activities and uses of the region from north to south and from east to west. It is with great concern that we note the increasing pressure to develop economically and to provide for recreational facilities within the coastal zone. A more efficient harvesting of marine products has further intensified the need for reliable information on the status and sustainability of these resources.
Satellite image of coastal zone

Knowledge of the functions of these ecosystems is important but so, too, is having positive attitudes — attitudes that will translate into the actions that lead to the best use of these resources. The functions of these ecosystems are all too vital and precious for us to ignore. In fact, the coastal ecosystems are a legacy for Belizeans to prize, and also a legacy that can be merged into our daily lives with care and wise use.

This is a complex system that includes the shoreline, in addition to the coastal plains, the lagoons and estuaries, the cayes and atolls, plus the subtidal area within the 19 kilometer territorial limit and a 322 kilometer exclusive economic zone. This includes the continental shelf which is approximately 257 kilometers long and 15-40 kilometers wide.

Given the distinct features of each region, one can see why the shelf can be separated into four regions : coastline, inner lagoon, barrier platform and coral atolls. The coastline consists of lagoons, sandridge barriers, river deltas and estuaries while the inner lagoon is the area immediately bordering the mainland, with Belize City demarcating the northern and southern regions. The third region is the barrier platform which is seaward of the inner lagoon and the last region consists of the three coral atolls which are seaward of the continental shelf. The inner lagoon region that lies between the platform flat and mainland forms a gently sloping underwater valley that is wide and shallow north of Belize City and which falls as much as 64 meters deep, east of Punta Gorda. On the other hand, the continental shelf north of Belize City, rarely reaches a depth of greater than 10 meters.

The squeaking wheel gets the grease they say, and so it goes in the court of public opinion. When it comes to Eco-News and green living, he who has the most sensational opinion seems to get the most airplay, thus shaping the future of things to come. Buzz words are thrown around from both sides of the environmental issue; words like: ‘tree hugger’ and ‘whacko environmentalist’ are pitched from one side, while remarks such as ‘pollutocrat‘ and ‘brown living’ are thrown down the other. But why does everyone have to take a side and gather at an extreme? Is there not a middle ground where most of us normal folks can meet and exist at? In my life, I have found that balance is the key to a healthy life and good conscience:

Wikipedia defines green living or sustainable living this way:

Sustainable living refers to a specific lifestyle that attempts to reduce an individual’s or society’s use of the Earth’s natural resources. Practitioners of sustainable living often attempt to reduce their carbon footprints by altering methods of transportation, energy consumption and diet. Proponents of sustainable and ecological living aim to conduct their lives in manners that are consistent with sustainability, in natural balance and respectful of humanity’s symbiotic relationship with the earth’s natural ecology and cycles. The practice and general philosophy of ecological living is highly interrelated with the overall principles of sustainable development. By minimizing their “ecological footprints” – the extent to which they create an environmental impact – proponents of ecological living hope to preserve the earth for future generations of human beings and other life.

Did you catch the key term in there? “Natural Balance”

I see no room for extremes in this definition. In fact, I see anything but.

Living Green means constantly seeking a balance between relative personal comfort and keeping an ear and eye on the impact one has on the world around him… …respect the world around you in such a manner as to actively preserve your surroundings for future generations.

If you want to live green, you don’t have to give up eating steak and ride a bike to the office everyday. On the other hand, that doesn’t give you license to dump used oil in the street or torch your lawn with improperly mixed pesticides.

Maybe I’m naive, but I just happen to think that most regular folks want to fall in the middle. They’d feel good about being green if someone would just step up and define it for them leaving aside the politicaly charged emotion and squeaky wheel philosophy.

And that is what this site, Balanced Green Living is all about. I will help you find that middle ground that seems more normal than what you have been shoveled thus far. I know you want to do what is right and good for our planet, you just don’t know who to trust. That’s why we’re here:

Balanced Green Living is Eco Friendly for Regular Folks.