World Water Day 2014: It’s More than Just Water

March 20, 2014 | The Health Beat

Typically, when we discuss water here at NCES, we talk about the importance of water for our bodies. For example, 50%-65% of the average adult body is made up of water. Or, the average adult should consume 9-13 cups of water each day depending on weight, gender, age and other factors. However, the theme for World Water Day 2014 is Water & Energy. So, for this blog, we wanted to share some of the information about the relationship between water and energy across the world.

1.1 billion people in the world live without clean drinking water and 1.3 billion live without electricity. In the United States, these numbers are hard to wrap our heads around. The concept is even hard to really comprehend. However, try turning the water off to your sink for just one day. How would your life change? You’d probably be surprised how many times you turn on the faucet for clean water or reach in the refrigerator for a cold bottle of clean, refreshing drinking water.

The focus of World Water Day this year is about solving the water and energy shortage together versus looking for separate solutions. The folks with World Water Day have put together a great video that explains how these problems can be solved by looking for interdependent solutions.

The video offers a good look at how solutions that only look to solve one of these problem actually tend to make the others worse.

Take some time this Saturday, World Water Day, to be appreciative of the clean drinking water, electricity and availability of food that you enjoy. It’s easy to take these things for granted on a day to day basis. But, we encourage you to take a minute to appreciate them this World Water Day. To show your support, take a few minutes to post the image below as your profile picture on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Include a post encouraging your friends to learn more about World Water Day 2014 too. As always, take a minute to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.

Staying Energized When You’re Stuck Inside

July 22, 2011 | The Health Beat

Okay, as the summer heat really settles in, it gets harder and harder to get outside. Not to mention, there are many safety concerns for both you and your children when it is too hot. The last thing you want is for the kids to get in the habit of watching movies or playing video games all day. So, what do you do? You find fun, interactive ways to entertain the whole family. Since helping your family stay active is what we do, we’ve compiled a list of our favorite things to do when we’re stuck inside. Here it is!

Play Twister: A game like Twister provides the structure of a board game. But, it gets everyone moving and stretching. It’s not only important to get active. It’s also important to stretch your muscles and keep them moving. You’re entire body will feel better!

Clean the house: I know this probably won’t sound that appealing to your kids. But, there are ways to make it fun. First, make sure that the entire family gets involved. Then, turn on some active music and have everyone show off their best dance moves while they sweep, dust and scrub the bathroom. You never know, it could become one of your favorite family traditions.

Find a fun kids workout DVD: We’re all familiar with Jane Fonda tapes and Tae-Bo. But, now we have fun DVD’s that have been made just for kids. These DVD’s will get your kids moving and burning calories. All while they are having fun! Here are a couple to get you started.

1) Up, Down and All Around 2) Yoga for Kids

Let the whole family cook dinner: This one isn’t as much about being active as it is about engaging your little one’s brains and teaching them about nutrition. Getting them in the kitchen gets them away from the TV and gives you a great opportunity to teach them all about the food groups, healthy foods and how to build healthy meals.

These are just a few of our favorites. But, there really are a lot of ways that your family can stay active in the heat of the summer. If you need some more ideas, be sure to check out our website at www.ncescatalog.com or visit us on Facebook. Plus, you can always give us a call (800 NCES BOOKS) or chat live with our dietitian.

Celebrating Earth Day with ‘A Million Acts of Green’

April 21, 2011 | The Health Beat

Tomorrow, April 22^nd, is Earth Day and all of us here at NCES are very excited. In order for us to be healthy, our planet has to be healthy. Earth Day is a great opportunity to begin celebrating Mother Earth and brainstorming ways to keep her healthy. Have you jumped on board yet? Here are 6 ways that many Americans have started ‘Thinking Green’ to conserve our planet (Courtesy Readers Digest).

Green Driving: Roughly 1.5 million hybrid cars were sold in the US between 2004 and 2009. Most of us drive our vehicles on a daily basis. So, this is a great place to start.

Turn off the Lights: 1 in 2.17 adults claim they always keep unneeded lights off or turn the lights off when leaving a room. Not only does turning off the unused lights help save the planet, it will also have a direct impact on your electric bill.

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse: 1 in 2.38 adults claim they always recycle. But, 1 in 20 admit they never recycle. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, recycling creates jobs, reduces pollution, energy use, and conserves national resources. Many cities are currently offering new programs to encourage residents to recycle. Check with your city to see what you can do today.

Trash Can: The average American produces 1,600 pounds of garbage a year. 1 in 3.7 adults claim they always reuse things instead of throwing them away or buying new items. But, 1 in 25 admit to never reusing things. Garbage is sitting in landfills all across this country. By reducing our personal trash, we can reduce the size of these landfills.

Running Water: 1 in 3.85 adults claim they always make an effort to use less water. However, 1 in 16.67 admit they never make an effort to conserve water. The average American uses between 80 and 100 gallons of water a day. You may be asking; if water is constantly recycled through Earth’s water cycle, why do we need to conserve it? The truth is that we currently use water faster than it can be replenished. So, conserving water eases the burden on treatment facilities, uses less resources and energy and costs us less.

Vampire Power: 1 in 6.25 adults claim they always make an effort to unplug electrical appliances when not using them. However, 1 in 6.67admit they never make such an effort. The electricity used by appliances plugged in but not in use is estimated to account for 1% of global C02 emissions. Where do you start? Begin by unplugging the items around your house that you don’t use often. For example, you may only use your toaster once every couple weeks. Therefore, it doesn’t need to be plugged in 24/7. This is also a good rule of thumb for your home printer, if you don’t use it often.

Now that we have discussed the 6 things you can do to start being green around your house, let’s discuss a few things you can do to in order to start ‘Eating Green’. Eating Green is not only great for the planet but is great for our bodies as well . Some things you can do to eat green include:

Buying local food items, including fruits, vegetables and meat.
Using natural food products in your recipes.
Plant your own garden, any size is great.
Pack your own lunch
Avoid processed foods

There are many great resources available to help you begin ‘Living Green’. For a full list of NCES products to get you started visit our ‘Green Products’ section. Also, check out this Earth Day video created to encourage everyone to begin considering our planet when making decisions.