Bear The Green Dog
Hi, My name is Bear and I am a 115 pound Yellow Lab. I am very conscious of my surroundings (Sniff Sniff) and I would like to make you aware of things you can do to help improve the environment we both live in.
We have only one Mother Earth to protect and with the way the population is growing and the resources we are depleting, we must change the way we live to help generations to come. Since my clock is ticking at 7 X the rate of you humans, I don't have a minute to spare.
Go Green and make a positive impact around you. The first thing we need to do is get rid of all the Cats. After that, start with the simple things like, recycling, turning down thermostats, and turning off lights when you leave the room. Do not get overwhelmed with the big picture, start slow and grow into "Living Green".
Keep an eye on my Green Tips every month in the ToddsOrlando Newsletter. Go to their Home Page and Sign Up Today. Don't miss the funny pictures I make my human Mom & Dad take of me.
If you are out in the Florida Sun playing Tennis, Basketball, Swimming, Chasing Cats, or any other outdoor activity, always wear Sunscreen.
It's also a good idea to wear a hat, like the one I have on in this picture. Makes me look like Jason Mraz or Frank Sinatra, doesn't it?
Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Month
Feeding The Wildlife Bear
In the past few months, I have seen a lot of
Wildlife running through our back yard.
I love to chase other animals, so I asked my Human Dad if we could put some food out to help my
Fellow Furry Friends through the winter, then I could chase them.
He put a bucket of
Whole Corn and a
Mineral Block out by some of the
Deer Trails and told me to stay away so the
Wildlife will come up and eat the corn.
I really wanted to try the corn so I put
Deer Antlers on I found in my Mom's Christmas Decorations and headed down to the feeding area. I thought if my Dad saw me down there, he would think I was a deer.
THIS CORN IS REALLY HARD & CRUNCHY!!!
Something you humans should keep in mind, as your human population continues to grow, you are leaving less and less room for
Wildlife.
The deer and other animals are under threat from many different kinds of human activities, so do what you can to help support them through the winter.
Help Keep The Wildlife Healthy, so I have someone to chase.
In my many years of chasing other animals I have rarely ever caught anything. The
Thrill & Excitement of the Chase keeps me going.
My years are starting to catch up with me so my Human Dad told me to stop chasing the yard intruders and just bark at them.
The other night I chased a
Masked Bandit (Raccoon) up a tree and I strained my
Posterior Crucuate Ligament (thats the knee for all of you who did not pay attention in Biology). My Mom rubbed it out and put some heat on it until it felt better.
I Love my Mommy!!!
Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Month
Christmas Cookie Bear
When you want to give your Friends and Loved Ones something special for the Christmas Season,
BAKE SOME COOKIES!!!
This is one of my favorite things to do on a snowy day during the Christmas Season.
Every year my human Mom and Dad let me bake some
Christmas Cookies for all my friends and family. I try not to drool while I am preparing the cookies, but sometimes I can't help it. They look and smell sooooo good while baking in the oven.
Buying local ingredients and baking your own cookies at home cuts down on the cost and helps your local economy. Using local products is a greener choice because these product's carbon footprint is
significantly reduced.
Home Made Christmas Cookies using local ingredients not only require less shipping, they also tend to be less resource intensive than mass-produced Christmas Cookies.
Take it from me, there is nothing my Friends and Family want more during the Holiday Season than my delicious Christmas Cookies.
If you are lucky enough to get some of my cookies, don't mind if some of the icing on a few cookies is licked off. Thats my way of quality control.
Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Rain Water Barrel Bear
My Uncle Kenny has taught me the importance of Rain Water Harvesting. You can harvest Rain Water with very little effort by adding a Rain Barrel to your downspouts. I helped my Uncle Kenny add several Rain Barrels to all his downspouts for more rain water collection, then I take the hose to water the garden.
To get a rough idea of how much Rain Water you can collect, multiply the length of your roof by the width to get the square footage of your roof. Then multiply the square footage by average annual rainfall.
As little as a quarter-inch rain fall on an average home can yield over 200 gallons of water. A rain barrel can be filled within a matter of minutes during a good rain.
This Rain Water can be used for all your landscaping needs. Since that accounts for up to 70 percent of the average homeowners consumption of water, you can really make a difference.
Rain barrels collect and store rain water for future use. By collecting water from your roof, you will:
* Reduce runoff and erosion
* Reduce water consumption and save on your water bill
* Allow more rain water to soak in to the ground over time
* Reduce strain on urban sewer systems
Sometimes I have a hard time getting this water spicket turned on, but when I do, watch out. My human Dad doesn't like it when I get his shoes all wet.
I love playing in the water on Hot & Sunny Days.
Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Get Your Garden Ready For Winter Bear
It is time to get your gardens ready for the winter.
I have been helping My Uncle Kenny and Aunt Kari get their garden ready by adding more topsoil and sand for better drainage.
For us serious gardeners, it is very important to have a proper clean up.
It might sound obvious, but it pays to clear up any fallen leaves or fruit and dead or diseased plants now.
Leaves will harbour pests so get them into your compost bin along with any dead plants. Get rid of any diseased plants or leaves to stop it from spreading to next year’s plants.
Fall is a good time to spread manure in the garden. Manure enriches the soil and keeps weeds down.
Cat Poop, Pig Poop, or My Poop is not good for gardens or compost piles. There are some kinds of parasites found in these poops that may survive and remain infectious for you humans.
Take care of your gardens when the growing season is over and they will take care of you for the coming years.
Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Trick or Treat Bear
Halloween is one of my favorite times of the year. It's a time when It's OK to scare humans and cats, which is right up my alley.
The best part of Halloween is when my human parents put a really cool costume on me and I get to go Trick-or-Treating. This year I wanted to be Captain Hook.
When your little ghosts and goblins go Trick-or-Treating this Halloween, have them use re-usable bags or containers that don’t need to be thrown away after this awesome night of people giving away snacks for free.
Cloth or canvas shopping bags, or even pillowcases, make good eco-friendly alternatives to paper or plastic bags.
Americans use more than 380 million plastic bags and more than 10 million paper bags every year. Plastic bags end up as litter, kill thousands of marine mammals annually, and break down slowly into small particles that continue to pollute soil and water. During production, plastic bags require millions of gallons of fossil fuels that could be used for fuel and heating. Paper bag production consumes more than 14 million trees annually in the United States alone.
Another Green idea for Halloween is to mix in some Apples and Oranges with your chocolate and candy treats. I would suggest to only give out eco-friendly Apples and Oranges, but you might get egged by the neighborhood kids when they don't get their candy.
I really enjoy a good Apple, especially with Carmel Dip!!!
Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Fall Decorating Bear
Fall decorating ideas for your front yard or porch don't necessarily have to focus on either Halloween or Thanksgiving. Versatile Decorative Green & Eco-Friendly items such as Hay Bales and Pumpkins can turn the front of your house into a fall harvest cozy landscape.
Some of my favorite Eco-Friendly Fall Decorations are Bales of Hay, Corn Stalks, Pumpkins, Orange & Yellow Mums that will come up each year, and Wild Flowers that I picked on the side of the road (Watch for cars, I almost got hit picking the Wild Flowers).
All of these items can be bought at your local Farmer's Market which will not only save you money, but also help save our environment. You are buying straight from the source. This allows you to avoid the middleman mark-up and having the items hauled across country in those big Gas Guzzling Trucks.
Once my human Mom and Dad and I got all the items I wanted for my Fall Decorations, it did not take me long to put it all together.
Now, I am going to sit here real still and see if any cats will come by and check out the New Fall Decorations. When they do, I am going to chase them up the closest tree.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Driving The Speed Limit Bear
Save money by driving the speed limit.
Too many of you humans have been conditioned to jump in the car and drive as fast as you can to get to where you are going. Keep in mind, if you are driving somewhere that is a 15 minute trip, the drive time difference is minimal whether you are driving 55 mph or 75 mph.
Driving the speed limit helps conserve gas and it eliminates the chance of getting that dreaded speeding ticket. (I learned my lesson the hard way after getting several speeding tickets when I was younger)
The average fuel consumption per car is around 400 gallons per year. With a group effort, we could reduce our gas consumption and help make this earth a better place to live.
Here are 10 easy steps you can take to help Save Gas While Driving:
1. Start by reducing weight in your car. Even getting rid of a few pounds will improve gas usage, and will add up.
- 2. Get a tune up. This is quick, and cheep, especially if you know how to do it yourself. Just by replacing your dirty air filter, you will save a considerable amount of gas.
- 3. Go the speed limit. Most cars are more efficient when going the speed limit. The faster you go, the more fuel you use. Stay at 65 when on the freeway, unless otherwise posted. By going 5-10 MPH faster, you use a lot more gas.
- 4. Cruise Control can save you gas by keeping you at a constant speed on the freeway, when breaking is minimal.
- 5. Do not tailgate. When tailgating, you have to use your breaks a lot more. This means you have to accelerate just as much.
6. Use overdrive gears while on the freeway, as they are more efficient.- 7. Go easy on the throttle. Accelerate lightly. You don't need to accelerate to the speed limit instantly.
- 8. When stuck in traffic, switch to your "N" gear.
- 9. Check your tires, having the proper pressure can save you a lot of gas.
- 10. When chasing cats, use common sense and don't use the car. It could be very dangerous. It is better to sneak up on them while they are napping then start barking at them while you chase them up a tree. Now thats fun.
Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Reusable Mug Bear
Cut down on waste, as well as toxic chemicals in the environment, by using a Reusable Mug at home, in the office and on the go, instead of opting for single-use containers for coffee, tea and other beverages.
When you humans buy your daily cup of coffee in a disposable container, you are generating about 22.75 pounds of waste per year. Across the country, 25 billion polystyrene (commonly known as Styrofoam) cups are thrown away every year, according to the EPA. That's CRAZY. Polystyrene takes hundreds of years to break down, and is made of nonrenewable petroleum. Scientists have also discovered carcinogenic compounds leaching out of polystyrene, possibly even into your hot drink!
Cups made of paper products are easier on the environment, but they are made of trees and when I have to pee, trees are very important.
As an added incentive to use Resuable Mugs, many coffee shops and university food services offer discounts for those who bring in their own reusable containers. Starbucks, for example, has offered a 10-cent discount to those with their own mugs, which has encouraged millions of customers to help keep our landfills more efficient.
One of my favorite Reusable Mugs is from Walt Disney World. They have mastered the art of Reusable Mugs distributing them from all their resorts. When you purchase a Reusable Mug from one of the Disney Resorts you get FREE re-fills for Coffee, Fountain Drinks, Tea, or Hot Chocolate for your entire stay. They will also let you take the Reusable Mugs into the parks.
Please help cut down on your Ecological Footprint and start using a Reusable Mug when you can.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Researching Bear
My human Mom & Dad have been very supportive of me working with ToddsOrlando.com. It has really opened my eyes to things we can all do to make this planet a better place to live.
I do a lot of research on the computer so my human Mom bought me my own 24-inch iMac. I was on my parent's computer all the time and it was driving my human Dad nuts.
The other day I was doing some research on my iMac and discovered some interesting statistics.
DID YOU KNOW?
* Americans dump 16 tons of sewage into their waters every minute of every day.
* The amount of wood and paper we throw away each year is enough to heat 50 million homes for 20 years.
* Americans throw away 25 billion Styrofoam coffee cups every year, and 2.5 million plastic beverage bottles every hour.
* Americans throw away about 40 billion soft drink cans and bottles every year. Placed end to end, they would reach to the moon and back nearly 20 times.
* 84% of a typical household's waste--including food scraps, yard waste, paper, cardboard, cans, and bottles can be recycled.
* Using recycled paper for one print run of the Sunday edition of the New York Times would save 75,000 trees.
* The typical American home uses about 300 gallons of water a day.
* If all the cars on U.S. roads had properly inflated tires, it would save nearly 2 billion gallons of gasoline a year.
I hope these statistics will inspire you to "Go Green". Mother Earth needs our support.
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Bear The Green Dogs Green Tip Of The Week
Biking Bear
Save the Planet and Ride a Bike. Most of you humans have got lazy and would never even think about riding a bike to run an errand or visit someone.
After doing some research on the computer the other night, I have found some studies that report approximately 1/2 of car trips are less than 5 miles from your house. You can easily use a bike for these trips and reduce your carbon output.
My research also shows that your average vehicle produces over 8 tons of carbon dioxide (20 tons per person) each year and burns over 650 gallons of gasoline.
If all you humans would at least ride your bike on some of your short trips, it would help our environment exponentially. (My human father had to help me with that word).
There are many reasons to ride a bike including:
1. It Is Easy On The Earth. Biking is a completely clean form of transportation. The only fuel it burns is your own calories.
2. Fitness. Not only is it good for the atmosphere, biking is also good for your buttocks (I loved Forrest
Gump), and lots of other body-parts as well. Firming, toning, and calorie-burning.
3. Boosting Your Mood. My research says even moderate exercise, like a leisurely bike ride, will boost levels of euphoria-producing hormones called endorphins. You can bike away your blues or chase down some cats.
4. Enjoy The Scenery. The slower pace of riding a bike enables you to experience the beauty of our Mother Earth. Many avid bikers say they get satisfaction of smelling newly mowed grass, or flowering trees, or the fertile damp earth after a rain.
The next time you need to run a short errand, think about grabbing your bike and not your car keys.
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Bear The Green Dogs Green Tip Of The Week
Catch & Release Bear
I have been practicing this technique of conservation ever since I was a young pup. Some times we keep a few fish to eat but most of the time we unhook them and return them to the water before they experience serious exhaustion or injury.
I would rather eat the fish at Long John Silver's, especially if they include some of the crunchy things.
Catch and release is a conservation practice developed to prevent overharvest of fish stocks in the face of growing human populations, mounting fishing pressure, increasingly effective fishing tackle and techniques, inadequate fishing regulations and enforcement, and habitat degradation.
Help keep our Rivers and Lakes full of fish and practice the technique of Catch & Release.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip of the Week
Reusable Bags
Introduced just over 25 years ago, the ugly truth about you humans plastic bag addiction is that society's consumption rate is now estimated at well over 500,000,000,000 (that's 500 billion) plastic bags annually, or almost 1 million per minute.
Single-use bags made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) are the main culprit. Once brought into existence to tote your purchases, they'll accumulate and persist on our planet for up to 1,000 years.
These bags cause over 100,000 Sea Turtles and other marine animal deaths every year when they mistake the bags for food.
I was reading The Wall Street Journal the other day and it said that the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. An estimated 12 million barrels of oil is required to make that many plastic bags.
4 out of 5 grocery bags in the US are now plastic.
The average family accumulates approximately 60 plastic bags in only four trips to the grocery store.
When the sacker at the grocery store asks you "Paper or Plastic" please be prepared and reply "I brought my own".
When my human dad and I go to the park we always bring along our reusable bags for my toys and snacks. You can also use it to pick up any trash you see in the park.
This particular bag in this picture is one of my favorites. It is from the Disney Collection where they donate 10% of the retail price to the Disney Worldwide Conservation Fund. This fund helps non-profit organizations around the globe to help Wildlife survive.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip Of The Week
Reduce, Reuse, & Recycle
For many of you humans, recycling conjures up the blue plastic bins and bottle drives. But recycling is a Design Principal, a Law of Nature, and a Source of Creativity. Recycling a ton of waste has twice the economic impact of burying it in the ground.
After many years of research, I have come to the conclusion that the most effective way to slow down the waste that reaches your landfills is a little R & R & R. REDUCE, REUSE, & RECYCLE.
I know this sounds simple, but reducing the amount that we consume, and shifting our consumption to well-designed products and services, is the first step. Finding constructive uses for “waste” materials is next. And tossing it in the blue bin is last.
Through a balance of these three principals you can easily see your landfill-destined waste dwindle fast. A good example of recycling is setting your empty water bottles in the bin on the curb. But by using a water filter and reusable container you can reduce or completely eliminate your need for disposable plastic bottles.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip of the Week
Throw Away The Lighter Fluid
The first thing you humans need to decide for Father's Day grilling is whether to use gas or charcoal? If you are lazy and prefer the convenience of gas, use cleaner burning propane for your gas grills.
My human Father prefers Charcoal so for Father's Day I went to Lowes Home Improvement and bought him a Weber Chimney Starter for his Grill. (I have a contract with Lowes and Weber so please mention Bear The Green Dog)
My dad loves the whole process of getting the grill ready and firing up the coals for a Father's Day Weekend. I love it too, if anything hits the ground, it is all mine.
Get rid of the old smelly lighter fluid and get a Weber Chimney Starter at Lowes Home Improvement for Father's Day.
Petroleum-based charcoal lighter fluid is illegal in some jurisdictions due to its potential to cause photochemical
smog by means of evaporation of its volatile organic compounds.
Good Bye Lighter Fluid.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip of the Week
Clean Our Rivers
If you will allow me to get Intellectual for a minute. The Earth's surface is over 70% water. Water is undoubtedly the most precious natural resource that exists on our planet. Without the seemingly invaluable compound comprised of hydrogen and oxygen, life on Earth would be non-existent.
Although you humans recognize this fact, you still are polluting our rivers, lakes, and oceans at an alarming rate. In order to combat water pollution, we must understand the problems and become part of the solution.
According to my College Dictionary, pollution is defined as: to make foul or unclean; dirty; to contaminate with man-made waste.
There Are Ways You Can Help Green Our Rivers:
One good place to start is to Support Green Companies—large corporations contribute a huge portion of pollution to our nation's rivers. Investing in the ones that care can start encouraging greener practices.
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Another way you can make a difference is be aware of the problem and if you notice an overload of pollution in rivers near you, alert your local environmental agencies or write to local politicians.
Finally, watch what you drop down your drains or flush down your toilet. For example, some of today's sewage treatment plants are not designed to clean up pharmaceuticals that reach our water system. Be careful what you flush down your pipes.
Do I look good in these glasses? Boy, this coat sure is Hot.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip of the Week
Buy Local or Grow Your Own Vegetables
Hi, I'm Farmer Bear and I would like to show you what I am doing this year to help grow local produce and cut down on my Ecological Footprint. If you can't grow your own like I do, always try to buy produce from your local grower and cut out the unnecessary middlemen. By doing so you'll be helping preserve the environment, and you'll be strengthening your community by investing your food dollar close to home. It has been reported that only 18 cents of every dollar, when buying at a large supermarket, goes to the grower.
Home grown and local food taste better because it is more likely to have been picked in the last couple days, which makes it more crisp and flavorful. Produce that travels long distances tend to be many days older and their sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and the vegetables lose their vitality and flavor sooner. The average distance our food travels is 1500 miles, mostly by air and truck, increasing our dependence on petroleum. By growing your own or buying locally, you conserve the energy that’s used for transportation.
If you would like to grow some of your own vegetables but you don't have the space or the time to take care of a garden, grow a few plants in pots. They can be kept on a small deck or patio and can easily be moved around to get the maximum amount of sun. Keep them watered and you will get the benefit of the oxygen they provide and the fruits of your labor.
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Bear The Green Dog's Green Tip of the Week
Drink Tap Water
The amount of resources we would all save if everyone would just drink tap water instead of bottled water is staggering. If you would have told one of your elders 30 years ago that you would be buying bottled water, they would have thought you were crazy. The increasing consumption of bottled water by you humans fuels an unsustainable industry that takes a heavy toll on our environment. Approximately 1.5 million barrels of oil—enough to run 100,000 cars for a whole year—are used to make plastic water bottles, while transporting these bottles burns
even more oil. Some of you humans do recycle your plastic bottles but it has been estimated that nearly 90 percent of the water bottles bought are not recycled and wind up in landfills where it takes thousands of years for the plastic to decompose.
I know most of you humans don't like to drink out of the hose (I don't mind) or the tap because you don't like the taste or you are unsure of the quality. Consider installing a good filter system at your kitchen sink where you can fill empty water bottles for when you and your family are on the go.
Buying cases of bottled water has become popular because of the convenience. You humans are always in a hurry and grabbing a bottle of water is easier than finding a cup and filling it up. Take the time, like I do, and fill your old water bottles or other containers with tap water and store in your refrigerator for when you are on the go. Water is very important to the health of your body. Oprah says you should try to drink 8 glasses a day, so start filling them up.
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Green Tip of the Week for Newsletter #6
Go Paperless
An average American creates about 4.5 pounds of trash per day per person, and approximately 30% of that is paper. Not if, but when all Americans go Paperless to some degree, it will save us money and our trees. Trees and Forests function as habitats for organisms constituting one of the most important aspects of Mother Earth's Biosphere. Don't disappoint
Bear The Green Dog.
It is already happening all around us with communicating over the internet, on-line banking, and on-line information highways. Make the switch to paperless statements. Most of the utility providers and banks now offer that service for free. Pay your bills online which has the benefit of never missing a payment because your check got lost in the mail and you save money on postage.
It has been estimated that every dollar invested today in going paperless will generate a return of as much as $30. Even if that estimate is overblown, the savings still would be considerable. Just redesigning a business’s workflow and eliminating all the disconnects and redundant paper handling will enhance the bottom line. Most of the technology—hardware and software—is here today and it’s proven technology. A conversion now is even more alluring because prices for paperless equipment—computers, scanners, storage devices and software—have dropped markedly in the past five years.