Fresh Greens
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4 Things Sarah Palin Believes About the Environment
Continue reading… 69 CommentsAs America begins the process of getting to know surprise McCain VP pick Sarah Palin, here are a few of her positions on the environment.
1. Palin believes that we should drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which McCain has previously opposed. He's wavered on the issue before, though, so his nomination of Palin may be the tipping point. She also supports offshore drilling.
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The Recycling Bin: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Edition
Continue reading… 1 Comment- Even though a solar plane broke a world record this week with 82 continuous hours of unmanned flight, engineers are not sure the plane could ever be commercially viable.
- Railroad advocates are very pleased with Obama's choice of Biden.
- Streetcars are coming back to many cities.
- Japan will soon be installing the Eco Ride, a commuter train that uses technology similar to roller coasters.
- All new cars will be hybrids by 2020.
- The new Honda hybrid will cost less than the Prius.
- Cars completed a hydrogen-powered cross-country journey—except they had a little help from traditional diesel-powered vehicles.
- Tropical Storm Gustav may crash our less-than-$4-a-gallon fuel party.
- The trash raft, crossing the Pacific to raise awareness of ocean debris, has made it to Honolulu today after three months at sea.
- A couple is biking around the world to raise awareness of green issues.
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An Open Letter to Carbon ONset-Pledging Glenn Beck Fans
Continue reading… 21 CommentsDear Glenn Beck Fans,
OK, so global warming is not your thing. Whatever. But participating in Beck's Carbon ONset program, where you agree to consume more energy, water, and gas in order to negate what the Democrats have offset this week, is cutting off your nose to spite your face. Forget the Democratic National Convention for a minute. Think instead of your bank account and the recession, as you dutifully take longer showers, run empty dishwashers and dryers, and drive around to waste nearly-$4-a-gallon gas. Think of the extra amount you'll be paying in utilities and gas just so you can stick out your tongue at the Democrats. When Beck tells you to waste water and energy "for the children," think about how half of all clean water produced in the world goes to waste. Besides, it's not as if the Democrats need your help for some rain on their green parade—some of their eco-friendly plans have gone awry even without Beck's urging. So really, you're still planning to run an empty dishwasher, buy extra gas, and increase your air conditioning bill, all for a CNN talking head and the Democrats? Well, I hope you're willing to pay the price.
Sincerely,
Me -
Green Democratic Convention Not Going as Well as Planned
Continue reading… 0 CommentsThe DNC has trumpeted for months its desire for the greenest convention ever, but now that it's in the midst of the convention, not all of its green schemes are working out. First, the bikes—Freewheelin has brought 1,000 bikes to Denver that will also go to Minneapolis next week for conventioneers to ride to events and parties totally free. Denver does not have enough bike racks for 1,000 bikes, though, and bikes aren't even allowed near the Pepsi Center or Invesco Field, as they're considered a security threat. Better take the Prius instead!
The Denver Sheraton, serving convention guests, doled out Visa-sponsored room swipe cards made of "sustainably harvested wood," rather than traditional plastic swipe keys. They were abandoned quickly, though—turns out the wooden key cards don't work. Now, the Sheraton is handing out plastic keys, and letting guests keep their wooden keys as a keepsake. Even the best-laid plans...
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Recession Shopping Can Make Us Unintentionally Greener
Continue reading… 2 CommentsThe recession could be making us greener, a Unilever study reveals. In tough times, consumers prioritize their spending, and the first five items that they stop buying are air fresheners, cookies, beer and wine, frozen dinners, and soda. Recessionproof items that we'll never stop buying include pet food, toilet paper, deodorant, pain reliever, hair care products, fresh meat, and canned vegetables. According to Treehugger, this is great news for the environment—no more chemical-filled air fresheners, or artificial ingredient-laden cookies, soda, and microwave dinners. Presumably, we'll opt for cheaper, more healthful fare, or at least more home-cooked meals.
How closely does the list match your own, and do you think you're greener as a result? I'll go first: Lately, I haven't bought cookies or sweets, and have switched to meatless lunches and dinners a few days a week, which is more healthful, greener, and saves cash. The recession will never take away my shampoo or makeup, though, neither of which are particularly organic.
Your turn: What will the recession never pry from your cold, green fingers, eco-friendly or not?
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How Colleges Are Going Green
Continue reading… 5 CommentsThe almighty U.S. News College Rankings, as I previously mentioned, don't include a green listing this year. However, universities are getting greener by the minute, with environmental studies courses and abundant green initiatives. Here are a few highlights:
- In the Environmental Protection Agency's "Green Power Challenge," universities compete against others in their athletic bracket to see who can purchase the cleanest energy. As of last month, Colby College is in the overall lead, offsetting 115 percent of its energy. NYU, UC Santa Cruz, Connecticut College, Western Washington, Evergreen, Central Oklahoma, Southern New Hampshire, and St. Mary's of Maryland are all offsetting their power by 100 percent.
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Why There's No 'America's Best Green Colleges'—Yet
Continue reading… 1 CommentA few others in the rankings biz have rated colleges by how "green" they are this year. We didn't, and some might be wondering why. I talked to Bob Morse, our director of data research, who told me why green rankings weren't in the cards for us this year but will be in the near future.
"I think green rankings are important," said Morse. "Some colleges may be taking [environmental issues] more seriously than society, and some colleges are taking it more seriously than others. There's a population of students that care about going to a school that is more environmentally friendly, and that's only going to increase."
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San Francisco Man Equates Cyclists to Islamic Fanatics
Continue reading… 3 CommentsSome people really hate bikers. They're rare, but I encounter them on my commute every few days and always regret not taking down the company names and numbers of the cab drivers who lean out the window to hurl insults at me simply for pulling up beside them. That's nothing compared with the San Francisco man who has singlehandedly derailed plans to put in more bike lanes by suing the city. Rob Anderson, sick of bikers' holier-than-thou attitudes, claims (1) that bike lanes will increase congestion by causing more traffic for car drivers and (2) that we shouldn't try to alter America's carcentric ways. Meanwhile, bikers are protesting for their safety. In a summer in which the amount of riders have increased exponentially, bikers across the country are getting injured or killed in horrible collisions with drivers who aren't used to their presence on the road.
Nothing beats this quote, though, from Anderson's blog: "Regardless of the obvious dangers, some people will ride bikes in San Francisco for the same reason Islamic fanatics will engage in suicide bombings—because they are politically motivated to do so."
Um, bicyclists are the new terrorists? We want our space on the road, of course, but not at the expense of life-threatening road rage (A heads up: The photo may be a little upsetting).
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City Mouse, Country Mouse: Who Spends More?
Continue reading… 1 CommentFor decades, people have chosen life in the 'burbs because of the lower cost of housing, the extra space, and the family-friendly atmosphere. Gas prices, however, could change everything about suburban life—and a great tool that analyzes the true cost of suburban living can show us how.
According to the rule of thumb, when budgeting, most families should earmark a third of their income for housing but try not to spend more than that—leading them to seek housing farther and farther away from city centers, encouraging sprawl. However, the farther you are from a city center, the more likely you are to have no other options than becoming a two-car household, at the mercy of gas prices in your town.
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Japan to Label Carbon Footprints of Products
Continue reading… 2 CommentsJapan announced today that the country will soon be labeling goods with information about their carbon footprint, similar to the way nutrition labels are displayed. Reports the Agence France-Presse, the labeling will begin in April 2009 and is designed to raise awareness of global warming and the transport and delivery of food. A similar system exists at the British supermarket chain Tesco. From the article:
The ministry's research shows one example of carbon footprint using potato crisps.
A bag of crisps emits 75 grams (2.63 ounces) of carbon dioxide. Forty-four percent of the CO2 comes from growing potatoes and another 30 percent from production of the processed food.
Another 15 percent comes from the packaging, nine percent from delivery and two percent from disposal of the bag.
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A Guide to Greening Your Music
Continue reading… 5 CommentsGreening your music is not all about "Kumbaya" or even "Big Yellow Taxi." It's about little lifestyle changes you can make in the way you enjoy music and contribute to the industry to bring about change. Here are some tips for reducing your musical footprint.
Buy MP3s, not CDs. For some, this probably comes as a no-brainer, but if you're still buying CDs, tons of nonbiodegradable plastic, packaging, and shipping miles go into their distribution. Cut your footprint by signing up for iTunes or another online service, and you'll have the instant gratification of immediate music, along with a lighter impact.
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Snakes on the Plains?
Continue reading… 1 CommentIf there were ever a time we needed Samuel L. Jackson, it's now. According to one U.S. Geological Survey report, climate change may cause the Burmese pythons that inhabit Florida's Everglades to spread to as many as 32 states, reported LiveScience.
The Burmese python, obviously, is not native to Florida—the population of constrictor snakes comes from former pets who were let into the wild, scientists believe. The snakes can grow up to 20 feet long and can weigh up to 250 pounds. They eat dogs, cats, and other small mammals, but can also eat animals as large as alligators. The snakes are "highly adaptable to new environments," said the report. No timeline was given for when a migration might occur.
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Ikea to Sell Solar Panels Alongside Kitschy Housewares, Futons, Meatballs
Continue reading… 3 CommentsUpdated on 08/15/08
Ikea, purveyor of cheap living room sets and futons for 20-somethings worldwide, will soon be offering another product you can pick up in a flat-pack: solar panels.
The Scandinavian company is already taking a lot of green steps—from renting out bikes with trailers for emission-free furniture delivery, to offering recycling for CFL bulbs—but their recent announcement that they will throw $77 million into research and product development of solar panels, efficiency meters, and energy-efficient lighting will have a big impact. Ikea franchises span the globe, with 283 stores in 36 countries, and 22 more locations that will be open by the end of fiscal year 2008. As a tastemaker, the company ushered out our collective affections for antiques and replaced them with a love for clean lines, white furniture, and modern, Bauhaus-inspired styles. Its influence could make solar panels cool because, as EcoGeek says, "if Ikea carries it, then it must be OK and not crunchy granola to use, right?"
The company hopes to make the products available in the next three to four years. I'll be on the lookout for information about installing the panels, which I imagine will be the toughest obstacle for the developers: how to make the installation of a solar panel, a seemingly daunting task, easy for anyone who can lug the flat-pack out of the store? And can it be done with only Ikea's signature pack of screws and miniwrench?
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8 Ecofriendly Facebook Applications
Continue reading… 5 CommentsCorrected on 08/13/08: An earlier version of this article incorrectly reported that Green My Vino purchased green power for wineries. The application purchases power for users, which is an incentive for wineries to purchase clean energy.
Aside from being a welcome distraction for office drones across the country, Facebook applications can do some good. These eight applications encourage greener habits among Facebook users. As much as I love the way the new Facebook hides all the profile-cluttering applications (I roll my eyes every time I have to scroll through someone's "Which Sex and the City/Harry Potter/Disney Character Are You?"), it's almost too bad that some of these will be kept under wraps with the new design.
In the spirit of Facebook, I'll be rating the sites on a scale of 1 to 10 in pokes.
• The granddaddy of green Facebook apps, Lil' Green Patch puts a patch of grass on your profile that you can fill with cute* stuff. The more people who use the application, the more money sponsors donate to the Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program. According to the application's description, it has saved 29,259,567 square feet of rainforest, or a little more than 1 square mile.
*cute in the same way 6-year-old girls think Bratz Dolls are cute.
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Depressing Design Schemes: A Global Warming Rug
Continue reading… 0 CommentsIf climate change doomsday scenarios sound like an appealing décor scheme for your child's playroom, design collective NEL has the rug for you. The Mexican designers have created the whimsical, albeit depressing global warming rug you see below, which will be exhibited during the upcoming Valencia International Furniture Fair. A polar bear sits adrift on an ice floe in an endless sea—of carpet. NEL hopes the rug will serve as a reminder of the plight of polar bears, who are losing their habitat to the melting polar cap. The designers, never ones to shy away from controversy, have previously made playroom rugs in the shape of a map of Iraq.
Cute seems like the wrong word to use here.
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Critics Blast Wal-Mart for Lobbying Against Carbon-Offset Guidelines
Continue reading… 5 CommentsWal-Mart is one of the largest consumers of electricity in the United States and presides over one of the largest truck fleets in the world. And for these reasons, even the little steps the company takes to go greener—such as selling sustainable products or local produce—make a big difference, and the company has been commended for them.
Despite this, critics from Wal-Mart Watch, a group that tracks the company's growth and influence, report that the company is lobbying against defining and standardizing carbon offsets for proposed cap-and-trade programs—a move some deem hypocritical in light of the company's public campaign to cut its footprint. In a document filed to the Federal Trade Commission, Wal-Mart says:
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There Should Be More to Green Fashion Magazines Than Hippie Chic
Continue reading… 11 CommentsAfter green issues of Marie Claire, Vanity Fair and other fashion giants came out, it was only a matter of time before eco-friendly fashion got its own publication. Behold Boho, which launches nationwide August 12, and is the first green publication to be printed on entirely recycled paper, with natural soy ink and no glossy finish. The publication was founded by Gina La Morte, a celebrity stylist. You can look for it at your local Barnes & Noble or Borders.
As for the contents, paging through Boho feels like walking through an Anthropologie store or paging through a scrapbook. Almost every featured item shares the same vintage flower-child ingénue aesthetic, full of trees, butterflies, and the obligatory peace-sign regalia.
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Three Questions About the 'Nanny Nation'
Continue reading… 3 CommentsIn today's New York Times opinion column, Timothy Egan asserts that we're headed toward a "Nanny Nation," where everything that is virtuous about environmentalism becomes mandatory by law. He points to plastic bag surcharges in Seattle and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's proposal of fines for unsorted garbage as evidence of "forced high-mindedness."
Here on the West Coast, we sort our garbage—or else. We rummage through our food scraps, just ahead of the worms. We take our little canvas bags to the grocery store lest we get caught with the embarrassment of a dreaded paper-or-plastic denouement, and the scorn of neighbors.
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9 Ways to Cut Down on Food Waste
Continue reading… 12 CommentsMoldy bread. Just expired yogurt. Furry leftovers. Squishy green beans. They're festering in fridges across the country and headed for the garbage can or disposal. Nearly half of all food in America goes to waste. Setting aside for a minute the "finish your supper, there are starving children in China" implications of this, think of your grocery bill. According to this Associated Press article, the average American household wastes $500 a year on uneaten produce alone. While a lot of our wasted food comes from restaurants and grocery stores, we can easily prevent much of the food in our own homes from making it to the trash—and that way, we'll be getting our money's worth. Here are some tips.
When you're shopping:
- Make a list, and plan meals ahead of time. That way you won't be wondering, "Am I out of balsamic vinaigrette?" only to come home and find a full bottle in your fridge.
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The Recycling Bin: A Roundup of Green News, Olympic Edition
Continue reading… 2 CommentsAs we prepare to cheer on Team America beginning Friday, here's a collection of green news about the Olympic Games.
Concerned about air pollution, the U.S. cycling team wore masks upon arrival in the Beijing airport, which the medical officer for the Olympics deemed unnecessary. "The misty air is not a feature of pollution but a feature of evaporation and humidity," said Arne Ljungqvist, medical commission chief for the International Olympic Committee. A spokeswoman for the U.S. cyclists denied that they wore the masks to make a statement.
