As many of you know, last weekend was Vegefest 2011 here in Seattle! I thought this would be a great time to remind you all the impact of not just eating meat, but of eating "factory" meat. Thank you Nadine for sending this over!

National Geographic Online has an amazing new water calculator on their website to help educate on how much fresh and irrigated water it takes to make a meal.

The calculator looks at all sorts of products you wouldn’t normally think of as water hogs. It reveals some of the not-so-surprising facts, like:

- 1 pound of beef requires 1,799 gallons of water.

- 1 pound of soy requires 216 gallons of water.

But also the surprising facts, like:

- 1 gallon of wine requires 1,008 gallons of water.

- 1 gallon of coffee requires 800 gallons of water.

Check it out and send it to an eco-friendly friend.  Might be a nice subtle way of sending a message about the true cost of a meal.

To determine how much water you use (also from National Geographic) use their water calculator to determine what you use and how you can reduce! 

Quick Tips to Go Green at Work (Bathroom and Breakroom)

We mentioned at the meeting on Friday that we are looking to get officially certified this year as Green Business and the good news--Playnetwork is already VERY green! :) We are getting emails every few days from the GBB with ideas to go green, check these out:

Break Room and Bathroom

1. Reduce water waste by installing aerators to control water flow-rates on faucets. (on our agenda for this year w/ the Utility Reduction Committee! contact Kym if you're interested in signing up!)

2. Install motion sensor controls that turn off faucets automatically.

3. Eliminate paper, Styrofoam, or plastic cups, plates and utensils in the kitchen area. Use mugs, dishes, and silverware instead.(on our agenda for this year w/ the Utility Reduction Committee! contact Kym if you're interested in signing up!)

4. Use environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning products.

5. Switch from bottled water to filtered water, or install a water cooler, to save money and reduce waste. DONE! :)

6. Choose re-usable cleaning supplies like sponges over paper

tomorrow..paper and printing reductions! :)

Wash Less, Rinse Less

Newer dishwasher models are powerful enough to get the gunk off, so save water by skipping the pre-rinse. Also, Energy Star dishwashers consume one-third less water than older machines. Try to reuse the same glass several times before washing it, and always run the dishwasher when it's full.