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Tip of the Day

READ THE LABEL

Look for labels that meet the requirements set forth by the International Standards for Dolphin Safe Tuna

dolphin safe tunaThe Flipper Seal of Approval

dolphin safe tunaEarth Island Institute

dolphin safe tunaGreenseas - Australian for Tuna!

BEWARE of products that claim to be dolphin safe but are indeed not meeting the International Standards for Dolphin Safe Tuna

dolphin unsafeU.S. Department of Commerce

dolphin unsafe tunaTUNY Tuna

What does “Dolphin Safe” mean exactly?

The main purpose is to ensure the tuna is caught by methods that do not harm dolphins and protect the marine ecosystem. This includes fishing, storage, shipment, and sale of tuna.adopt a dolphin

Adopt a dolphin

Shark Attacks!

Table of contents for National Ocean Week

  1. Tip of the Day
  2. Tip of the Day
  3. Shark Water
  4. Shark Attacks!

Great White Shark

Shark Attacks

“Death Total Lowest In Two Decades”

Who is the real predator?

Shark Attacks occur harming 50-75 people each year worldwide with an average of 12 fatalities. Compare that to humans that kill on average 20-100 million sharks per year due to fishing activities.

International Shark Attack File (ISAF)

Where do shark attacks occur most frequently?

Florida- on average, one-third of the world’s attacks and the majority of U.S, attacks are recorded from Florida. Following that trend, Florida (32) had most of the unprovoked attacks in the United States.

What are the deadliest of sharks?

Over 375 shark species have been identified, but only about a dozen are considered particularly dangerous. Three species are responsible for most human attacks:

The Great White Shark (Carcharodon carcharias)

The Great White Shark

The Tiger Shark (Galeocerdo cuvier)

Tiger Shark

and the Deadliest of them all, The Bull Shark (Carcharhinus leucas)

Bull Shark

BE AWARE! This species can be found primarily in shallow coastal waters and is common in lagoons, bays, and river mouths. Bull sharks can also be found in fresh water that connects with salt water and have been caught in the Mississippi River as far upstream as Illinois.

How to avoid sharks top five answers:

  1. Don’t enter the water if sharks are present.
  2. Don’t enter the water if bleeding.
  3. Don’t wear shiny jewelry.
  4. Don’t wander too far from shore.
  5. Swim, dive or surf with other people - never alone.

For more information on how to avoid shark attacks go to http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/kids/Avoid/avoid.htm

Go to http://www.time.com/time/2001/sharks/side_howto.html for:

- How a shark bites

- Shark Senses

Shark Survival Story

In 1993, Lifeguard Dawn Schauman, who was 6 1/2 months pregnant, was viciously attacked by a 10 foot bull shark while swimming in the ocean off Indian River County, Florida.

Read more- buy the book Why is She Smiling? at http://sharksurvivor.com/

Shark Water

Table of contents for National Ocean Week

  1. Tip of the Day
  2. Tip of the Day
  3. Shark Water
  4. Shark Attacks!

Shark Water on YouTube

Most people are in horror when they think about or see a shark. The opposite is true for Rob Stewart. Rob is a marine biologist that spent four years filming an underwater documentary highlighting the wonderment of sharks as well as the unfortunate mistreatment of these creatures. One of Rob’s goals was to change public misconceptions about sharks. Rob’s film captures the beauty and essence of sharks in their natural habitat.

Tip of the Day

Table of contents for National Ocean Week

  1. Tip of the Day
  2. Tip of the Day
  3. Shark Water
  4. Shark Attacks!

Please don’t eat the soup!Shark Fin Soup

Originally a delicacy of the Asian aristocracy, Shark Fin Soup today is an epidemic. The popularity of this dish has sored over the past decade in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Taiwan. Millions of sharks are being captured, definned, and then dumped back into the ocean only to meet their demise slowly and painfully.

First of all, chefs claim that the fin itself has no taste and must be flavored with chicken, or ham broth, and a generous supply of salt. Second, why must we be so wasteful? Are we not advanced enough in today’s society to utilize the entire shark?

Read more about the shark fin epidemic and watch Rob Stewart’s documentary Shark Water

Always be adventurous and try new things but please be educated consumers and be aware of how the environment is being harmed for your dining pleasure.

Shark Fins

Tip of the Day

Table of contents for National Ocean Week

  1. Tip of the Day
  2. Tip of the Day
  3. Shark Water
  4. Shark Attacks!

Much ado about Fisheries

A fishery is a stock of fish, a place where fish are bred; fish hatchery. A sustainable fishery is one that cannot be depleted or harvested in ways that harm the ocean’s ecosystem.

WOW! The ONLY U.S. fishery to be certified by the strict requirements of the Marine Stewardship Council is Alaskan salmon.

Print your Free SeafoodWatch pocket guide to help you choose seafood that is better for the ocean courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium

or download it to your cell phoneMobile seafood watch guide

Compact Floresent Light Bulbs

According to Energy Star

Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs

Compact Fluorescent Light BulbsIf every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

Check out the benefits of Compact Floresent Lighting at Eartheasy :

Efficient: CFLs are four times more efficient and last up to 10 times longer than incandescents. A 22 watt CFL has about the same light output as a 100 watt incandescent. CFLs use 50 - 80% less energy than incandescents.

Less Expensive: Although initially more expensive, you save money in the long run because CFLs use 1/3 the electricity and last up to 10 times as long as incandescents. A single 18 watt CFL used in place of a 75 watt incandescent will save about 570 kWh over its lifetime. At 8 cents per kWh, that equates to a $45 savings.

Reduces Air and Water Pollution: Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.

High-Quality Light: Newer CFLs give a warm, inviting light instead of the “cool white” light of older fluorescents. They use rare earth phosphors for excellent color and warmth. New electronically ballasted CFLs don’t flicker or hum.

Versatile: CFLs can be applied nearly anywhere that incandescent lights are used. Energy-efficient CFLs can be used in recessed fixtures, table lamps, track lighting, ceiling fixtures and porchlights. 3-way CFLs are also now available for lamps with 3-way settings. Dimmable CFLs are also available for lights using a dimmer switch.

Additional Information on how to select a CFL and different CFL models are also located at Eartheasy and Energystar.gov

Turn off the Lights!

Turning off the lights is probably the easiest action we can take toward conserving energy.  This is soo simple you barely need to think about it.  I know we all want to be rebels against our parents “Turn out the lights!” speech ringing in our ears but apparently they were ahead of themselves in the green generation. 

Ideas or helping with alternative lighting:

 

Burn more candles 

This helps with the romantic side of life as well as it helps you settle down and relax after a hectic day.  See Environmental Tip of the Day for March 25th and 26th.

 

Open the shades

This helps warm up the rooms as well again saving you money on your heating bill.

Rearrange the furniture

After opening the shades look at your room, can you rearrange the furniture so that your seating is closer to the natural light?  Just sitting n the natural sunlight helps to bring positive energy into your spirit.  Check out Feng Shui Your Life

Install motion sensors

This way you won’t even need to touch a light switch, everything is automatic.

 

The best part about these simple light saving techniques is that we save ourselves money on the electric bill at the same time!  And, who couldn’t use more cash?

How to make Soy Candles

Congratulations on taking positive action steps to improving the environment.  One way to do this is to make your own soy candles.  Soy candles burn cleaner than most candles reducing the amount of soot and pollution to the air.  Also, soy candle wax is not extremely hot and when in liquid form can be used and a hand lotion. How cool!
What ingredients you will need:

  • 1 pound of soy wax
  • 1 mason jar
  • 1 ounce of fragrance oil (optional)
  • Wax dye (optional)
  • 1 cotton wick, for example HTP-105

Having made soy candles myself I would plan an entire day or afternoon to shop for materials, make the candles and clean up.

The two benefits of making soy candles over paraffin  or beeswax candles are

  1. Soy is much easier to clean up with simple soap and water
  2. Soy wax is much easier to mold

My three favorite websites for soy candle making are

http://www.essortment.com/hobbies/artscraftshow_skin.htm 

http://www.soya.be/soy-candle-making.php

http://www.creativeilluminations.com/howtomakesoycandles.php 

Please let us know what you think and how the candle making process goes.

Love is in the air

What could you do without the lights?????????

For Couples:

  • Surprise that special someone with a romantic dinner complete with candlelight.
  • Spend a quiet half hour in the midst of your favorite smelling candles just visiting (no phones, no TV, no computer) and see what happens - Good Luck! :)

For families:

  • Enjoy an evening at home together without normal lighting. Play a game and see who can be the one person who does not turn on the lights all night.
  • Use it as a learning tool to teach your children about conservation and the importance of improving the earth. Or maybe teach them about Thomas Edison and the invention of the light bulb.
  • Involve the grandparents, ask family members to share personal stories of times when maybe they had no electricity, no cars, no TV, no cell phones, etc.

For You:

  • Decorate the bathroom with candles and soak in a warm bubble bath. You deserve it!
  • When watching TV or talking on the phone, switch off the lights and enjoy some aromatherapy candles. You will feel yourself relax almost instantly!

BENEFITS of eco-friendly candles?

According to KnowHow-Now.com

1. Most non organic candles are made using paraffin wax and synthetic fragrances. High quality organic candles use only vegetable wax and essential oils.

2. Black fumes from the majority of candles can contain toxins and carcinogens. High quality organic candles burn cleanly with no black sooting into your home or the environment.

3. Most non organic candles use an array of chemicals - High quality Organic Candles use none at all. These are the healthiest, cleanest candles that you can buy.

4. Organic candles can also work as serious holistic treatment as you inhale the huge amount of oils that fill a room. There are a wide range of treatments that are available to buy in the market today.

SHOPPING for eco-friendly candles:

Our Favorites:

http://www.specialtyliving.com/category/eco-friendly-candles

http://www.beeswaxcandles.com/

http://www.candlesbyclaudine.com/index.php

TOMORROW:

How to make your own eco-friendly candles

Reduce Your Mail

Sign up for online bill pay. You can either do this through the company who is billing you or through your bank. Most banks offer online bill payment. It reduces your time in paying bills, and you don’t have to write so many checks, which saves money.

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