June 2009 Archives

In a perfect world, we would have zero waste picnics and July 4th barbecues. In a perfect world, we would all bring our own reusable plates and bowls and utensils. And while I advocate bringing reusable napkins no matter what and think there are times when we can achieve no waste gatherings (parties hosted at home for example--even if you don't have enough plates to go around, you can have guests BYOD-ishware), it's a tall order when you're at a park or the beach or hosting fifty people in your backyard.

So, for those times, there are better choices than plasticware.

One such choice I just heard about is bagasse ware. Bagasse is the stuff left over after sugarcane is crushed to make sugar. Those fibers can be made into plates and bowls and cutlery like those at My Green Table, manufactured from a renewable, otherwise industrial waste product and, should one go the extra mile, can actually be composted (the step that is often missed in "compostable" dinnerware) so no trash is trucked to the landfill. 

I imagine in some parts you can simply put the discarded dishes in your green/yard waste trash collection bin, put them in a municipal composting facility, or, if you've got one, in your own backyard pile or worm tray or what have you.

As for cups, I'd request guests bring their own, but they exist made from bagasse as well.

Then continue being creative about the journey to no waste good times.

I love this:

At Recycle a Tee, tees are made from organic cotton and water-based, eco-safe dyes. And while that's been done (and needs to be done more!), it takes it a step further. The Recycle part of the name comes in with its clever recycling program. 

To get the numbers down on clothes tossed in the trash (80 pounds of  textile waste per person goes to the landfill every year), wear your Recycle a Tee and when you're done, recycle it and get 25% of the price as store credit! Then re-shop and close the loop some more. 

Here's how it works:

The honor system. Log in and tell the company you gave your tee to a local charity like the Salvation Army and you'll automatically get the credit.

Let them do it. Mail it in and R.A.T. will either donate your item or send it to a textile recycling plant to be made new again.

 

If you're lucky enough to have an iphone, now you're really in luck.

The new Locavore app [via MNN] has links to local food options in your area: what foods are currently in season, what'll soon be in season, where to find them at local farmers' markets, and recipes to whip them up.

Then, there's iRecycle that'll find over 100,000 recycling drop-off locations anywhere and everywhere you happen to be. That's right--info on where to recycle anything, delivered to your phone. You'll see the nearest centers on your screen with details about what they accept and when they're open and all that jazz.

Some items are trickier to recycle than others. Take cosmetic containers--those lipstick tubes, bottles, jars, and caps that house our makeup, creams, and body elixirs.

Here are three programs I know of that help you turn those tubes into something new:

M*A*C makeup offers a free lipstick when you bring in six of its primary packaging containers. The cleverest part is that you can set the whole thing up online. See the Back to M*A*C program here.

Aveda is a shade greener than M*A*C and offers a  Recycle Caps program. Since most pesky bottle caps don't get recycled and end up hurting marine ecosystems in a major way, Aveda takes any bottle caps at its stores (from any brand cosmetics to shampoo to soda bottles) and recycles them for you.

Origins now accepts used but clean cosmetics containers of any brand for recycling. You can get the details and find an Origins store near you.  Origins is the most natural of the bunch and boasts a Plant A Tree program to prove it.

How cool is that?

It's officially summer, my favorite season--no pretty leaves or cactus blooms, but no cold feet either.

Summer also means being outdoors and soaking up hiking, biking, beach, mountain, vacation or staycation weather. And while I wear some every single day of the year, it's especially important to protect your skin these months.

I was recently given some Reozone 40 Sunscreen by Arcona. It's for women (as it's lightly tinted) and doesn't just boast being oil-free and non-greasy, but is actually healing for skin--protecting it from sun damage and preventing it from future damage. Plus, it's natural (titanium dioxide and zinc oxide do the trick).

So I gave it a try for a week. The verdict? It's smooth. It looks lovely on. It works!

I'm not used to wearing any makeup, so the tint took some getting used to. But I decided that it appears to be a good shade for any skin color and I came to really like it. Not only does it give natural sun protection without the risk of that white chalkiness in some natural sun safe products, but for non-makeup wearers like me, it made me feel like I looked kind of special. Only secretly. It makes skin look good but doesn't read makeup or foundation loud and clear. And it makes my face feel great too.

Read Arcona's approach to skincare full of fresh enzymes, essential oils, antioxidants, vitamins, plant lipids, and amino acids (none of the bad stuff!) cold processed and mixed in small batches 

My plea: See it, see it, see it!

See Food Inc. for revolutionary animal farmer/hero/great guy Joel Salatin.

See it for the story of a woman who lost her son to Ecoli in a hamburger.

See it for the true face of factory farms and where our food comes from including how the animals and workers are treated.

See it for the scoop on how Monsanto chokes weeds and farmers with its pesticides and GMOs.

See it to make a difference.

I had quite a food-issue heavy weekend as I also read Righteous Porkchop by Nicolette Hahn Niman, a super read that goes behind the scenes of factory farms and CAFOs (concentrated animal feeding operations) exploring how they affect the animals and our air, land, and water. I love that she's a vegetarian (who does eat dairy) who married a humane, eco-cattle rancher through her work. The bottom line? Buying animal products from family farms who care is the way to go for everybody all around.

Righteous Porkchop (from an independent bookseller near you).

Food Democracy Now

Happened on this book at a local crafty store recently and immediately thought of at least two friends (you know who you are) who would fall in love with it and perhaps could've written it themselves.

A DIYers dream come true. Over 50 projects that scream mid-century modern without the screaming price tags. Plus, the satisfaction of making it from your own two hands.

It's yard sale season! Actually, on my street, it's been yard sale season this whole long recession. But regardless of when it begins, it's oh so summer fun to search sales near you for treasures. And if you're feeling a pinch in a more serious way, yard/garage sales can mean getting what you need for you and yours and having more forkfuls at dinner.

And as we all know by now, buying used and meeting a neighbor at the same time is good for the environment.

While I love eyeing and following those handmade signs, there's a new tool afoot to help you get to more hidden treasures.

Check out the Yard Sale Treasure Map where you type in your address and all the sales around town come up (culled from Craigslist and local papers). Then Google Maps comes in to figure out your best route and to plan your weekend sale-hopping itinerary. [via Re-nest]

Pretty cool.

m o r e (socially responsible motoring)

I've been a member of AAA since I got my first car. I definitely feel more at peace on the road when I know that somebody's got my back should I get a flat or a juiceless battery. But when I heard about Better World Club, I decided I'd be much more at peace with an auto club that has my back and the world's back as well. 

What do I mean? BWC is a roadside assistance provider that actually lobbies for the environment. 

Better World Club:

*Donates 1% of its profits to environmental efforts.

*Offers travel carbon offsets.

*Gives discounts for hybrids.

*Provides resources for eco-friendly travel through its Travel Cool program.

*Has the only bicycle roadside assistance program!

Imagine that, an auto club working to build a better world. All this while giving all you'd expect in roadside assistance--members are giving glowing reviews of this alternative auto club for environmentally-minded drivers (and riders).

If you want to make the switch like I'm going to this month, BWC will match your current membership cost and if switching from AAA waive the sign-up fee. Check out this handy chart if you're a cost-benefit analysis kind of consumer.

I was lucky enough to eavesdrop on my friend K's (of Better Living Through Design) home consultation with Green Irene last month as her Green Irene consultant, Jeff, gave her the full scoop on energy efficiency for her newfound pad.

You can read my full article, "Green Irene: The Footprint Doctor is In" over at Your Daily Thread.

Here are some hot home facts and figures Jeff shared that day:

*Invest a few bucks in a fridge thermometer. It should read between 37 and 40 degrees F, so if it's lower (colder), you can turn your fridge down a notch and save energy as that appliance eats up 8% of your monthly electric bill. (Talking with Jeff convinced me that the next major purchase I make--after a natural mattress--will be an energy-efficient fridge. Most utilities will pick up and recycle your old one for free or may even give you thirty bucks to haul it off!)

*More on the fridge: see if a dollar bill will stick in the door to make sure your suction is working well and trapping cool air as it should.

*15% of your energy use is lighting, so switching to CFLs is a super duper energy saver and the best first place to focus your efforts.

*Using a power strip to cut off phantom power could cut 9-12% off your energy bill.

*20% of home heat loss escapes through leaky, uninsulated windows.

*Electric stoves are more efficient than gas ones.

*If you have a gas stove, make sure the flames are burning blue.

*Set your water heater (until investing in a tankless) at 120 degrees F.

And that's just skimming the surface. If you're not in the complete know about energy, waste, and water for your own home (or apartment), one of Green Irene's consultants will come to your place loaded with facts, figures, worksheets, data, action plans, stats, and helpful advice, all at an H&R Block kind of price.

I found out about Baby Hank Vintage from Small Magazine's blog.

I've always thought it was crazy to buy too many really cool baby clothes that will be outgrown in a nanosecond (though handmedowns are a super solution). But then I can see some people's difficulty in searching out fabulous thrify finds on their own.

That's where Baby Hank's got all the bases covered: absolutely adorable vintage threads that make me think of lemonade and old-fashioned trucks and summer days feeding ducks. And they contain no new materials. And, they're affordable!!

Even though I grew up practically living on airplanes a couple months of every year, I am not, as a grownup, a graceful traveler. For those of you who also feel nauseated, worn out, jetlagged, or just plain cranky when subjected to soaring the skies, Dr. Singha's tonic of all-natural extracts may help.

I have some in my cupboard, but since I haven't been on a plan in two years, I haven't had occasion to use it (I plan to when I lift off in October however).

If you want to give it a try, you can check it out Dr. Singha's travel tonic here. The Isabella Catalog raves about this stuff.

I used to sport those snazzy sea-bands for motion sickness, but sipping some tonic throughout a journey might be less offensive to the fashion-conscious.

Either way, bon voyage!

I've talked a bunch of times here about meat's effect on the environment. The good news for meat eaters is that yes, cutting back is the best thing to do. But you don't have to cut it out altogether. It turns out that pasture-raised, grass-fed beef is not only healthier for you (and for them as corn works a number on their digestive systems) and even tastier, it's better for our world in terms of greenhouse gases and water quality and pretty much everything else.

Methane is one big beef with beef and grass-fred cows have been accused of creating even more gas. But not so, says Mother Earth News [via Crunchy Chicken]. 

And consider this:

So by going back to a natural way of raising cattle (as opposed to intense, grain-based factory farms), we can decrease global warming pollution and get healthier protein. Even the soil benefits from the deep root systems of native, nutritional grasses.

I'm not a beef eater, but this database led me to the bison in my area I've heard so much about and I'm thinking I must go to its farmer's market stall someday soon to have a taste of that all-American animal raised on good old-fashioned grass.

I'm a renter. And I'm green. And on many levels, my hands are tied. But there are still things we green renters can do to make our pad as sustainable as possible. (I got my landlord to let me replace carpet with bamboo flooring and he's at least *interested* in an insulating blanket for the water heater.)

Check out my article at Your Daily Thread with seven things apartment dwellers can do have power in their homes, no landlords required.

And if you're a landlord or lady yourself, check out the ways you can get your renters to agree to green practices at Green Living Ideas.

I first saw one of Jon Muth's extraordinary picture books at a book fair this spring. Just the title and cover art were enough to make me make a note of it and put a hold on all of his books I could get a hold of at my local library. After reading Zen Shorts and Zen Ties, I'd love to actually add them to my bookshelf.

You might too, at least if you're a picture book junkie like me, as these are contemplative and lovely for adults just as much as kids.

Almost too hard to describe, Zen Shorts is set of three ancient Japanese stories told to three different siblings by a giant, magical panda named Stillwater. Each one is deeply allegorical and speaks obliquely but powerfully to what that child needs to hear. At the end, three kids who are first isolated in their family end up forming a little bonded gang.

Zen Ties, the followup, has the same characters, along with Stillwater's nephew, "Hi Koo" (yes, that's haiku, and he speaks using only those exquisite, simple poems). This time, they have an encounter with an old woman in their neighborhood and everybody ends up transformed by it.

Kim Abeles is an artist in Los Angeles. Her work is intriguing and inventive as it riffs on some of the issues of our times. My favorite series involves smog--she "collects" it on her balcony in certain charged shapes. And a recent piece she did at a local high school is of a 30 foot tall paper person made of paper discarded in its dumpster.

Feel free to read the profile I wrote of her for Your Daily Thread a couple of months ago: Kim Abeles: Artist and Smog Collector.

Congratulations to C on winning the copy of The New Coffeehouse Investor!

Happy reading!

H.G. Wells once said, "Every time I see an adult on a bicycle, I no longer despair for the future of the human race."

If you're not opting for a staycation like so many folks, here are a few resources to help you tread as lightly as possible this summer. When I was in Sedona recently, hiking the red rocks, I was particularly struck by the forest service's admonition to "leave no trace of your passage."  A formidable but worthy goal in all our travels.

*Sustainable Travel International [via Gaiam Life] is a nonprofit working to promote eco-friendly travel to travelers and the tourism industry. I'm liking its eco-directory of environmentally responsible travel destinations and providers.

*Green Map [also via Gaiam Life] is a compilation of maps to explore (365 of them so far--one for every day of the year) that chart what's going on with green in different communities all over the world. Search a destination for its green attractions here.

*TerraPass has all kinds of carbon offsets to placate your conscience about your travel emissions, but the latest to catch my attention is its car rental opt-in offset program.  When you're at the rental counter at Enterprise, Alamo, or National, you can pay $1.25 to offset 300 pounds of carbon. Seems a small price to pay to me, and it's working. The program has generated 440,000 dollars for offset projects (that's through customers and the rental companies matching donations) and 42,000 metric tons of carbon offset. Projects include farm power projects that capture landfill methane and put it to good use.

 

m o r e (meaningful money matters)

I read Bill Schultheis's newest edition of his investing philosophy last weekend, The New Coffeehouse Investor, in a couple of sittings. Whether or not you can sit with financial books very long, I suspect you'll find this one refreshing. 

The book is well-written and simple to follow and could be summed up like this: Invest in index funds that come without messy, wealth-decreasing fees and that actually outperform most mutual funds, stick to the plan you've got, and then focus on the really important things in life.

I love that Schultheis doesn't think it's such a good idea to be money and stock crazy, no matter the times. Instead, he shares a strategy that ideally allows you to invest some money, amass security for later in life provisions, and then do what you love (in his case mountain climbing and pie-baking).  

This guy talks about removing financial clutter and creating balance. He asks questions about how much is enough in terms of how much money we really need and how much stuff we really need. He says connection matters more than coin. He admonishes the reader to tune into herself, her friends, and her community. I like the sound of all that. Oh, and he also gives all the nuts and bolts to save money for retirement in a sane, secure way that works too.

There's a documentary afoot that's based on the popular book Handmade Nation. The author turned director, Faythe Levine, independently produced an hour long doc showcasing devoted crafsters in 15 cities.

No DVD as of yet, but there are screenings to catch all around the country this summer to see handmakers of all stripes in action (see the sidebar).

If you're planning a summer bash, be it graduation, barbecue, baby shower, birthday, rehearsal dinner, father's day, or fourth of July, sending an invitation makes it fun and official. But sending an e-invitation is easy on paper and the environment. We all know about evite, but my favorite paperless invite service is pingg. 

I find that it's got great design and fun features, like an event exclusive website where you can post pictures, messages, and would be guests can post their own questions, comments, and general silliness.

Find out more about paperless invites at pingg.

And if you love sending physical invitations too much to pass, consider the eco-friendly cards at Paper Culture. They're the real deal: 100% post-consumer recycled paper; wind-powered production; chlorine-free; 100% carbon free through carbon offsets!! Keep in mind that they're mostly for kid-events and birthdays of any age.

May your bash be a big success, and may your invitations send a big message.

I'm loving Aliato's one of a kind "book bags." The designer takes an old book cover and fashions something fashionable from it (though nothing could be quite as fashionable as reading, in my book anyway!).

Namely, purses with either soft handles or hard handles, or mini clutches. 

See Aliato's purses here and then give her a call if you'd like a particular dewey decimal number.