Recycle, Reduce, Rethink...

Many when they read these words, Recycle, Reduce, Rethink, feel it only applies to on land, House stuff, land based life trash. However this is limited thinking, Like the Great Spirit/ the Universe does not care if you are Baptist, Catholic , Buddhist, Jew, Red, White, Black, or Purple. No, it does not matter, everything to the Universe is part of the Universe, we are all connected and all part of everything that is. This is Chan’s ( Zen) way of thinking. The Universe is bigger than our little trips of ego. I was at a retreat the other week and there was a part that everyone (almost ) did a intro of themselves and said something about what they have gotten out of the practice.

I was going to say that what I could think of was a deeper realization of the oneness of ourselves and the space we live on and in. I got side tracked with speaking about living one’s Chan practice, like making Kung Fu training part of your life, not just a place to go to.  So I guess that is what I was suppose to say at that time. It did stick in my mind so I’m writing it here..sort of. The Ocean/Water is part of our lives, food, play, work, it is our lives. no water no life…even if you are not into water activities…water is life…our lives.

I spoke/blogged about this before and a friend remarked, I am concerned about the oceans/environment also but no need to make it a religious matter. Is it a religious matter to save lives? your life, your grandchildren, relatives…I’m just saying. It maybe more of a spiritual matter to save the world, but not a religious matter. Perhaps… that maybe a good thing to do. “be reborn in a beautiful earth like world that you helped to re-bloom”  or “Save the planet go to heaven” no I got it, Go to the heaven you made here on Earth, save the Oceans“, Or , “Heaven is the same as you left the Earth here, Recyle, Reduce, Rethink“.

all kind of cool, marketable….

I digress… Recycle, Reduce, Rethink applies to Land and Sea. Land based organizations like the Eco Flag movement, show our philosophy at sporting events, this includes water based events like sailing. All sport enthusiasts want to play in clean water and clean air, and GSA’a “Ecoflag Movement” is a global drive to ‘plant a seed in the conscience of over one billion sport enthusiasts’ to protect the natural environment on our sport, work and everyday lives.

Our Oceans are a huge part of Life on this planet. One could even say the Oceans ARE life on this plant. Everything connects back to the oceans. It is shocking we do not take better care of them.

I recently joined the group “Sailors for the Sea”.  Here is some of the info/tips I received from them:

Bottom paint ( I spoke on this before )

Copper based paints that work so well because they kill barnacles, algae and other sea creatures are a problem precisely because they do work so well. Eventually the paint washes off the hull and starts indiscriminately killing all types of marine life. ePaints uses naturally occurring biocides like Zinc omadine and hydrogen peroxide , which keep the hull clean without persisting in the environment or passing toxins through the food chain.

Paper products:

Anything with the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) logo or the phrase 100% post consumer recycled paper will satisfy this requirement. These products can be purchased at most major office supply chains and at many local paper supply stores.

Alternative fuels:

Biodiesel- This usually is a mixture of both biodiesel and traditional diesel labeled 80/20 (89%diesel, 20% biodiesel) 50/50, 20/80 or as B20 (20% biodiesel), B50, B100, etc. Biodiesel can be added to any diesel engine without any modifications

Straight Vegetable Oil- instead of growing plants solely for fuel, SVO reuses the by-products of restaurants (fryer grease and others) and recycles it to power and engine. A few simple conversions are needed see: http://www.greangreasemonkey.com, you can also do it yourself.

Electric/solar: (my link not theirs)

http://www.intrepid-seas.com/

http://www.solidnav.com/faqs.htm

https://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=144562162252934

Green Cleaning:

All purpose Cleaner- Straight vinegar, vinegar and slat, or paste of baking soda and water are effective grease cutters

Aluminum cleaner- After removing as much substance as possible fill pan with one quart of water and two tablespoons cream of tatar bring to aboil and simmer for ten min. rrise well.

Window /glass cleaner- Fill spray bottle with equal amounts of vinegar and water.

Furniture/wood Polish- use olive oil on all wood surfaces. Apply with soft cloth, rub in , let stand for several hours, and then polish with soft, dry cloth to remove any residue.

Decorative Metal Cleaner ( bass/copper/pewter) -Combine 1/2 cup of salt with 1/2 white vinegar. Add enough flour to make a paste. Apply and let sit 15 min to one hours. Rinse thoroughly to prevent corrosion

Copper cleaner- Make a paste of lemon juice , salt and flour

Fiberglass Stain Remover – Use a paste of baking soda.

Mildew Remover – combine salt with lemon juice or white vinegar to make paste.

As I said in another post, I am doing some work now for Blue Pelican Marine Consignment store. Helping in the store on occasion and handling the on-line eBay sales ( if you need something, hit me up I’ll see if we have it and can list it). It is in keeping with my Recycle, Reduce, Re-think environmental policy. I think it makes for good Karma, beside the extra money for me and the win win end play. I have taken a box load of stuff in as well from the original Zen to sell. Not all has sold but, I have gotten some buck$ back, which I recycled into some other merchandise I needed. A big help in my underemployed state, with no real sponsor ( hint hint) for my sea adventure.

Here is what Practical Sailor has to say about the second hand boat part business:

“A Treasure Hunter’s Guide to Secondhand Boat Gear

As the economy has withered, the market for secondhand boat gear has flourished. Used marine-gear stores such as Fort Lauderdale’s Sailorman and Newport Beach’s Minney’s have seen both the supply and demand of used boat gear on the rise. Buying secondhand is typically easier on your wallet and on the environment ( see I’m not the only one who thinks so), but used gear shopping certainly has its ups and downs. In this report, Practical Sailor talks to those in the know the friendly faces running the secondhand marine stores and takes a look at what used gear to look for and what to steer clear of. Deck gear snatch blocks, winches, bronze cleats can be worth the bin-digging at a boating consignment shop. Ground tackle, if it has a shank stamped with a recognizable brand name, also can be a smart buy. However, purchasing used marine electronics, safety gear, or an anonymous anchor can be iffy. As with any gear purchased secondhand, it’s buyer beware.*( side note all of our electronics at Blue Pelican are checked out by an outside company, you can buy with confidence)*

Sailors should do their research before heading to a consignment store, and always take with you a list and a budget.”

So the final point is there are many ways to be part of the solution, Recycle, Reduce, Rethink

…Save the ocean save the world !

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