feature photo

Featured Article #1

Just How Much Rainwater Can You Collect Off Your Roof?

When we watch the evening news, the weatherperson will oftentimes say things like “X city received an inch of rain today”, which does not really sound like all that much. We imagine a single inch of rain in a small puddle somewhere it seems rather insignificant. But what if you knew that a single inch of rain could allow you to collect hundreds and hundreds of gallons of water, if not more?

david | August 25th, 2008 | Continued

feature photo

Featured Article #2

The Little Things DO Matter, So Don’t Think Otherwise.

Oftentimes we hear reports about how changing a light bulb will not make a bit of a difference in the fight against climate change and that everyone must make huge sacrifices in order to have any effect. However, you should do what you can and what you feel comfortable with; if you feel fine moving into an earthship and living off the grid, then by all means please do! But if you only feel like you can change a light bulb and maybe buy organic bananas, then please…do that as well and do not feel guilty about it.

david | August 5th, 2008 | Continued

feature photo

Featured Article #3

Greening Our New Home - So Far, So Good…Mostly.

So here we are in week #4 in our new home, 1000 miles away from our old home. Back in California, we had our “green-ness” down pat - we knew where the good stores were, we knew how much water we were using, we watched our energy usage and knew what to expect when the utility bills showed up. But now it’s a different story as we have to re-learn the different ways we can be green here in Taos, NM. Starting over is both very exciting…and a lot of work at the same time.

david | July 22nd, 2008 | Continued

feature photo

Featured Article #4

Rising Gasoline Prices And The Demise Of The Small Town.

While I don’t particularly mind the rise in gasoline costs, as I believe it will be a good thing for the environment, driving 1/3 of the way across the country last week reminded me of one of the dangers of rising gasoline prices - the demise of small town America. I am not talking about [...]

david | July 7th, 2008 | Continued

feature photo

Featured Article #5

Our Experience Staying In A Rental Earthship Home In Taos.

The home is in a subdivision of earthships west of town, where every home is off the grid and catches their own rainwater. There are no utilities out here - no power lines, no wells, no gas lines - the homes have propane tanks for cooking with, they use solar or wind energy to power the entire house, from the water filtration system to the television set, and every drop of water in the house is from the cisterns that are part of the home’s design.

david | May 8th, 2008 | Continued

feature photo

Featured Article #6

How To Choose A Safe Reusable Water Bottle.

Aside from staying home and drinking tap water out of a washable glass, the best way to be “green” while on the go is choosing your water bottle wisely. From the lowly single-use-only plastic water bottle you can buy at your local gas station to the stainless steel and aluminum options, making the right [...]

david | March 17th, 2008 | Continued

feature photo

Featured Article #7

35 Low-Cost Ways To Green Your Lifestyle.

#1. Line dry your clothes. Dryers don’t even come with an “Energy Star” rating - that’s how bad they are in terms of energy consumption. Line or rack drying your clothes saves a ton of energy and thus CO2 from going into the environment. Cost: $20 or less.

david | October 30th, 2007 | Continued

About this Site

Rio Grande, Taos, NM
The Good Human was born out of my idea for a website that can encourage people to be better humans..whether through working to clean up the environment, being active in political issues that mean a lot to you or just being more aware of your life and surroundings. Started back in [...]

Environment

Increase In Corn Biofuels Will Spell Disaster For Marine Life In Gulf Of Mexico.

March 12th, 2008 • david • 0 comments • Related • Filed Under

I knew this was a bad idea, but not for this reason as well…

A planned increase in US ethanol production from corn would spell environmental “disaster” for marine species in the Gulf of Mexico, said a co-author of a science study published Monday. A boost in corn production will worsen the Gulf’s so-called “dead zone,” an area with so little oxygen that sealife suffocates, said Simon Donner, a geographer at the University of British Columbia in Western Canada.

“Most organisms are not able to survive without enough oxygen,” Donner told AFP. “All the bottom-dwelling organisms that can’t move away are probably going to die, while fish will migrate if they can.”

Donner and Chris Kucharik of the University of Wisconsin used computer models to conclude that growing enough corn to meet US biofuel goals set for 2022 would cause a boost of 10 to 34 percent in nitrogen pollution in the Mississippi and Atchafalaya Rivers, which run into the Gulf of Mexico.

With 1/2 acre of corn needed to grow just enough “fuel” to power one car 3,000 miles, there has to be a better way than jumping from one fossil fuel to just another version of the same thing. We would spend more energy growing, cultivating, and converting the corn than could possibly equal the output in fuel we would get back. It makes no sense.

The Story Of Stuff - Watch It Online.

March 1st, 2008 • david • 0 comments • Related • Filed Under

Wanna learn how only 1% of everything we buy is still in use after 6 months? Thought so…

(Video was breaking my site, so I took it down)

To see the whole movie, go check out The Story Of Stuff website.

Good Human Tip Of The Week - Ditch The Produce Bags.

February 2nd, 2008 • david • 6 comments • Related • Filed Under

Skip the little produce plastic bags at the grocery store for bigger items. Do your bananas, oranges or other tough fruit and veggies really need their own little bag? Just throw them in the cart, we don’t eat the skins anyway - let them get dirty!

Tell The Bush Administration To Protect Our Streams And Wetlands.

January 15th, 2008 • david • 0 comments • Related • Filed Under

It’s another call to action time from the NRDC - if you can, take a few minutes to sign the letter being sent to the EPA & the Army Corps of Engineers.

Recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court and the Bush administration have created doubt about whether certain types of water bodies are protected by the Clean Water Act, the nation’s landmark water pollution law. As a result, many of America’s smaller streams and the wetlands that neighbor them are not being adequately protected under the act’s pollution control programs. The same is true of so-called “isolated” water bodies — those that don’t have a clear surface connection to some other water.

The United States contains about 20 million acres of these isolated wetlands and nearly two million miles of streams that do not flow year-round. The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers have released a seriously flawed “guidance” document for determining which of these bodies of water will be protected. For countless numbers of these waters, trying to demonstrate that the Clean Water Act still protects them will be difficult. Even if communities rely on one of these smaller water bodies for drinking water, flood control, fishing or recreation, proving that the particular water body is “significant” enough to warrant protection will still likely require a resource-intensive, confusing and subjective process. This approach ignores the basic scientific fact that water bodies are parts of an interdependent web.

The EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers are accepting public comments on the guidance document through January 21st. Sign your name to the letter!

Newer Entries • Older Entries

  • Disclaimer
    The contents of this website are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as advice. While all information shared here is believed to be accurate, the owner/operator of this website specifically disclaims all warranties expressed, implied or statutory, regarding the accuracy, timeliness, and/or completeness of the information contained herein. Please discuss any specific needs with a qualified professional.