5 Eco-Friendly Tips for 2008

Many New Year's resolutions (you know... exercise more, lose weight, save money, eat healthier...) tend to go by the wayside after only a few short weeks. I've been reading lately about how the best way to stick to resolutions is to set goals that are realistic and attainable. In the same way, it is important now more then ever that we set green goals for ourselves that we can stick to. It's not only our health and well-being that's at stake, but that of the planet.
1. Avoid waste at the supermarket by taking your own bags with you when you shop anywhere. Some stores, like Trader Joe's, offer incentives, like a raffle for shopping coupons, if you use your own bags. If you do forget, at least find multiple uses for the bags you do bring home from the supermarket, like storage for items at home, use in your car, etc.
2. Print less paper: try to only print when you really need to, and use recycled paper whenever possible, being sure to reuse your own scrap paper if the quality doesn't need to be perfect. You'll save trees in the process, as well as money buying supplies like toner and cartridges!
3. Walk as much as possible: Bike, run, or walk to do your errands or to get to work, as much as possible, or use mass transit when you can. You'll save on gas, obviously, as well as carbon emissions and pollution, not to mention the cost of filling your tank all the time.
4. Be organic at home. Much has been written about the hazards of chlorine and other harsh chemicals, and there is really no need to use them when items like white vinegar, lemon, and baking soda work just as well. I have been using baking soda all year to freshen the sink and kitchen counters. I also use a combination of baking soda and lemon to freshen my wooden cutting board, and I don't have to worry about chemicals interacting with my food. Also, what kind of shower curtain do you have? If it's the plastic PVC kind, you'll want to switch to linen, organic cotton, or hemp. If you've ever noticed the smell of a new shower curtain, that's the PVC gases being released, and recent studies have shown that these can cause brain damage as well as damage to hormone function. Oh, and be sure to replace your incandescent bulbs (which are going to be phased out in a few years anyway) with CFLs, which are much more energy efficient and cost-effective.
5. Go unplugged...unplug appliances when you are not using them, including lamps, cell phone chargers, toasters, etc. Many people don't know that items such as these burn energy even when not in use, merely by being plugged in. Make sure to connect appliances to a power strip, so you can easily turn them all on or off at once. Help lower your carbon footprint.

Do you have more tips? Let us know and we'll post a running list....And Happy "eco" New Year!

The Daily Green

If you haven't already, visit The Daily Green, an excellent eco web site that features daily green tips, environmental news, recipes, food and green home tips, blogs, forums, and carbon calculators. Thedailygreen.com is the consumer's guide to the green revolution.The site offers information on all aspects of pursuing an Earth-friendly lifestyle. From the latest environmental news to local resources for hormone- and pesticide-free foods, The Daily Green features original content, links to relevant resources, as well as user-generated photos, ideas and eco-tips. The site is run by Hearst Digital Media.

Do you have a favorite green web site? Let me know and I'll include it in an upcoming post.

Video of the Rebuilding Center in Portland, OR

As part of the Dwell Magazine Design Leaders video series, Shane Endicott discusses the genesis and growth of the ReBuilding Center in Portland, Oregon. We thought this was an excellent video with a great story to tell about rebuilding a neighborhood with sustainable materials. From the rebuilding center web site:

* The Five Major Goals of The ReBuilding Center: Contribute to the sustainability and health of our environment by diverting for reuse waste that would otherwise have been discarded into landfills;
* Provide environmentally sound, affordable, quality used building and remodeling materials to people of all income levels;
* Create livable-wage, local jobs for people of all backgrounds in an economically depressed area of our region;
* Educate Oregonians about the environmental and community benefits of diverting waste for reuse and recycling; and
* Provide stable funding for Our United Villages' community enhancement work.

The ReBuilding Center plays an important role in the region's effort to maintain livable neighborhoods, preserve natural resources, and reduce reusable materials from entering the wastestream. With widespread community support, The ReBuilding Center diverts 4.5 million pounds of reusable building materials from entering our landfills each year.

Has anyone heard of any programs like this in your area?

Coming Up for "Green" Air- The Sustainable Traveler

Many who have overindulged this holiday season and have vacation time coming may be shopping around for one of the latest trends in luxury travel - the "eco" vacation- as a means to do good not only for oneself, but for the planet and of course the environment, as well as communities and social enterprises that could use some help. If you want to do your part without committing to a group or social cause, this might mean simply checking in at the nearest "green" hotel. Today's New York Times (see link above) highlights several northern and southern California hotels where guests are treated to ecofriendly bathroom products (preferably out of a dispenser and not the ocean clogging plastic tubes), sustainable design elements, in-room recycling, and in some cases, such as with the new Gaia Napa Valley, displays of energy usage in the lobby. How do you know if a hotel is really green? "The best starting point is the so-called LEED certification program (for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) of the United States Green Building Council, a program that evaluates everything from materials to energy use to recycling in the construction and operation of a building. A LEED certificate displayed in the lobby means the establishment is serious about being green. Although only five hotels in the United States have this certification, many in the planning stages are incorporating materials and systems intended to gain it," the article states.

For the more adventurous traveler wanting to commit to a socially responsible trip, there are several organizations offering meaningful opportunities to contribute:
*Earthwatch Institute: join a scientific expedition in any number of countries around the world.
*Sierra Club Outings: One-week outings in the U.S. and Canada let you explore the outdoors, by clearing trails in national parks or examining ruins in New Mexico.
*Cross-Cultural Solutions: You might teach English in a low-income community, or care for children in an orphanage. Travel choices include Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, or Latin America.
*Cruise West: The line offers several cruises each year that include volunteer opportunities.

Also, the Rainforest Alliance has an online listing of ecofriendly travel destinations, as well as handy tips for sustainable travel, such as what questions to ask a hotel or lodge before your trip, their policies for reducing energy and water consumption, if they have won any "eco" awards, etc.

So Bon "eco" Voyage, and please post a comment if you've recently returned from a great sustainable trip!

Seeing the Light

Many of us wonder what practical, every day things we can do to help the environment, particularly when going green can sometimes seem overwhelming at times. Switching your light bulbs to CFLs is something you can do right way that will make a significant different down the line. The New York Times reported yesterday that according to the new energy bill signed this week, by 2012 stores can no longer sell the cheap, incandescent light bulbs most of us are used to buying and using in our homes. Though compact fluorescents cost 6 times as much as incandescents, they last 6 times longer and use far less energy. Use of the compact fluorescents, however, is nothing new. The EPA's Energy Star program has been pushing compact fluorescents for 9 years, and other new technologies are on the way, including LED's, which are extremely energy efficient but have not yet been incorporated in the home due to the expense and other factors. A few interesting facts:
*CFLs typically have a life span of between 6,000 and 15,000 hours, whereas incandescent lamps are usually manufactured to have a life span of 750 hours or 1000 hours.
*A CFL can save over US$30 in electricity costs over the lamp’s lifetime compared to an incandescent lamp and save 2000 times their own weight in greenhouse gases.
That's equivalent to the emissions of over 800,000 cars.
*Replacing a single incandescent bulb with a CFL will keep a half-ton of CO2 out of the atmosphere over the life of the bulb. If everyone in the U.S. used energy-efficient lighting, we could retire 90 average size power plants. Saving electricity reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste.
Make the switch, and feel good about taking that first step in greening your home...

An Eco Time Was Had By All

On Saturday we attended the Eo Gift festival in Santa Monica, and it was truly a great day, with 150 fantastic exhibitors, folk music, organic munchies, and more. It was good to see so many eco startups, as well as companies that have been around for over ten years, selling everything from hemp clothing, to soy candles, elephant "dung" stationary, bamboo yoga clothes, jewelry made from materials in the Amazon, organic soaps and lotions, and t-shirts galore. It was truly "eco" heaven. The event, the first large scale holiday gift show for the eco-conscious, was founded by Tommy Rosen, a marketing and strategic partnership expert with extensive experience as a film and live event producer. Tommy launched Eco Gift Expo to address the "inconveniences, difficult emotions and incredible waste" associated with the holidays and holiday shopping. In 2005, Tommy co-produced the California Tomorrow Festival as part of The United Nations’ World Environment Day in San Francisco. The festival featured 50 renewable energy companies on display in San Francisco’s Civic Center Plaza and was attended by tens of thousands of people. This experience was pivotal in Tommy’s decision to commit to helping people make positive, healthful and sustainable lifestyle decisions. Tommy will continue to grow Eco Gift Expo and EcoGift.com to create new avenues for eco-conscious businesses to succeed.

Key Sponsors: Whole Foods, Los Angeles Times

Watch future blog entries for some of our favorite discoveries from the show!

Green, but "Not So Innocent?"

Feature articles in today's issues of both The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times highlight a disturbing current trend in the new greening of America. What is it? That green, apparently in many cases, is not what it appears to be. In "Green Projects Generate Splits in Activist Groups," by GREG HITT, the writer points out that some new sustainable projects relying on wind and solar power are being met with opposition by groups such as the Audubon Society and the Sierra Club because of potential damage they can do the environment. "In Southern California," he writes, "a project to expand solar-power is imperiled because activists don't trust San Diego Gas and Electric Co., the local utility, which has proposed building a 150-mile transmission line...Micah Mitrosky, a Sierra Club community organizer, complains the line would run through the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. She also isn't comfortable with the idea that it would be used to transmit power generated by fossil fuels, and questions whether the line will ever be used to carry alternative energy. Local Sierra Club officials enlisted opponents at concerts, farmer's markets and street fairs and in late October escorted a delegation of community leaders to Sacramento." Other wind powered projects, such as those planned in Maine and elsewhere, can potentially pose a threat to birds and other wildlife.

In "A World Consumed by Guilt," NT Times writer Paula Schwartz, points out that many consumer goods such as clothing and jewelry that are touted as being sustainable, may not be upon closer review. “Most brands endeavor to tell an honest story,” said Savania Davies-Keiller, a designer for the fashion label DDCLAB, which sells clothes made from corn fiber. “But the brand is reliant on the mill and on the manufacturer of the raw goods. You, as the end consumer, are reliant on the honesty of your brand.” The best way to be green with regard to clothing, the writer states, is to reuse what you currently have. "Perfect doesn’t exist and we’re probably never going to get there,” said Leslie Hoffman, the executive director of Earth Pledge, a nonprofit group that promotes sustainable development and technologies. “We all make compromises every day. Making them with your eyes open instead of arbitrarily is the best piece of advice I could give.”