Go Green

How do people "go green?" Maybe they start by bringing their own bags to the supermarket instead of using plastic ones, even though remembering to bring them to the store can be a hassle. Maybe they begin recycling, even though it's not convenient. Or maybe they eat organic food, even though it's more expensive than their favorite item on the dollar menu at their favorite fast food restaurant.

We can do many things to "go green." I would like to add one more way to the list that has seldom, if ever, been mentioned. The next time you have the choice between paper and plastic, choose paper. I'm not taking about paper and plastic bags at the grocery store (even though that's not a bad idea). I'm talking about plastic cards (debit or credit) and cash.

VS.

Being able to open your wallet, purse, etc. and physically see how much money you have promotes more intelligent and cautious spending. Many people, when they make the majority of their purchases with a card, become somewhat careless and desensitized with their spending. Trading one item for another creates the feeling that you're giving up something in order to receive something else in return. This feeling does not completely die when a card is used to make purchases, because people still understand that they're giving something up; however, the feeling significantly weakens.

Like using your own bags at the grocery store, recycling, and eating more organic food, using cash instead of a card to make purchases is not convenient. However, making the sacrifice to "go green" will help you improve the purchases you make and save you the money you need in these difficult economic times.

$5 Cardboard Solar-powered Oven

A few months ago I read a great article written by Saeed Ahmed on cnn.com entitled "Inventor Turns Cardboard Boxes into Eco-friendly Oven." While it has its setbacks, this box oven is an amazing idea! In the article Saeed explains how the oven works:

The ingeniously simple design uses two cardboard boxes, one inside the other, and an acrylic cover that lets in the sun's rays and traps them.

Black paint on the inner box, and silver foil on the outer one, help concentrate the heat. The trapped rays make the inside hot enough to cook casseroles, bake bread and boil water.

I served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Guatemala. I lived there for about two years. I know that many the Chapines (Guatemalans) could benefit greatly from the box oven. Many people in Guatemala use open fires or wood-burning stoves to cook their food or boil their water (which needs boiling in order to be drinkable). The smoke from these fires is trapped inside the people's one room houses/huts and is very hazerdous to the residents' health. If used more widely in devolping countries, the box oven would improve health by decreasing smoke inhalation and decrease deforistation. The oven box would also save several lives by enabling people to boil their drinking water.

In all its glory, the oven box does have some setbacks. In Guatemala there are two seasons: the sunny season and the rainy season. During the rainy season I walked through streets with water up to my knees on several occasions. So, how would the oven box work during the rainy season? The answer is that it wouldn't work. The people would have to return to an open fire or wood-burning stove during these months. While this may be a setback for the box oven, it does not discount the great benefit it could provide during the sunny months.

The oven box is not only a practical solution to many problems, but also an economical solution as well. According to Saeed, the oven box can be produced for about $5. Five dollars may not seem like much money to you, but it seems like a lot of money to people who are making less than a dollar a day. However, If the people understand how much money they would save each month by not having to purchase wood, they would easily find ways to save enough money for one of these box ovens.

Humanitarian groups should consider taking on the box oven as a new project because of it's high demand, significant benefits, and low cost.

Follow this link to read the article mentioned above and learn more about the box oven.

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/04/09/solar.oven.global.warming/index.html

Kiva.org

I have lent money to both Florence Ewaleifoh from Nigeria and Pov Saroeurn from Cambodia to help them provide a better life for their children. How is this possible? Kiva.org. I started by lending $25 to Florence. A few months later she paid me back and I was able to lend that money to Pov. Kiva is a great way to learn about microfinance and to start loaning money.

Pov

Florence

This video gives a simple definition of what microfinance is and how Kiva is used.

This is a Kiva promo video.

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