a beautiful day in the san francisco bay area. bettered by it being the first "spare the air day" of 2008. as a public transit believer it was delightful walking up to the turnstile and seeing the red tape over the slots for coins and passes. a dream come true. it almost makes up for the train delays and overcrowding.
for more details about spare the air, check out a previous post from 2007.
reindeer on the roof totally! but goats? after reading this article, ultimate use for a green roof, yes! sign me up.
what about you? could you see having goats on the roof being a helpful green action to take?
my parents have a couple pygmy goats on our farm in ohio (pictured, gilbert and sullivan are mingling with our chickens, fondly named "the helens.") and i'm a big fan. maybe someday i'll have my own.
wish i could be there in nyc to experience this rainforest foundation performance. feist, sting, billy joel, and james taylor are just a few of the singing sensations performing to save the rainforest--being rainforest month and all. there's still time for you nyc locals to buy tickets. someone go and report back!
be sure to check out the empire state building tomorrow night too during the event. it will be lit up in green in honour of this month. cool huh?
ranked first in the short-term particle pollution category on the american lung association's annual state of the air report, pittsburgh dethroned reigning champion los angeles. the american lung association qualifies short-term particle pollution as a "deadly cocktail of ash, soot, diesel exhaust, chemicals, metals and aerosols... the body's natural defenses, coughing and sneezing, fail to keep these microscopic particles from burrowing deep within the lungs."
pittsburgh kept a close second against the champion los angeles in the most year-round particle pollution game.
these rankings may look bad for los angeles but the truth is they've made strides in improving their air quality, both year-round air pollution and smog.
still, there is much much much to be done nationwide. but there's clearly hope by the example of los angeles. they showed us that if you're really determined to change you can!
see how your city and state ranked.
even if your city isn't listed as a contender in poor air quality, please understand that smog is very very dangerous. it can creep into your system and stick around for periods of time and lead to heart attacks, asthma, difficulty in breathing, strokes, lung cancer and even early death. imagine, lung cancer without ever picking up a cigarette.
so you see, air quality and smog impact more than just our ozone layer.
read the horror story about donora, pennsylvania and their smog attack on halloween night in 1948. maybe it'll help you consider more ways you can improve the air around you. remember, doing your part helps more than you know. (the picture above is from that dreadful night.) from the lessons learned at donora the 1955 clean air act passed.
summer is fast approaching which means many of us will be heading toward a coastline. while we all know we need to lather up in sunscreen to protect ourselves, we must not forget about protecting our oceans. with so much coastline traffic
expected every summer, the oceans and beaches will be turned over with our debris and junk--abandoned sandcastle pails and shovels, food scraps, soda cans and beer bottles, etc--not to mention the pollution added to the air with all the minivans and suvs and other vehicles driving and waiting in lines of traffic.
learn more ways you can help preserve our oceans from both your home and when you're outside basking in the sun on one of the world's beaches. strap on your snorkeling mask and dive in with ariel on an educational ocean adventure to learn how.
the site, keep oceans clean, is embellished with ariel from walt disney's the little mermaid leading you through games, tips for parents and teachers, ideas for how you can help protect our oceans, and tv and radio ads for you to watch and listen to. it's fun. take a few minutes to check it out. if you have little ones, they can view it with you. they'll love the games and the tv spots.
do your part. educate yourself.
while contemplating what to write about today i got to thinking about greenpeace. their interns are always knocking me down on the street with their clipboards and goodwill messages--gotta love their fortitude. lucky for me i can honestly tell them i have a friend working for greenpeace and i'm a regular site-reader. they smile at that and let me go.
here's a brief history about greenpeace:
it all began in 1971 with a cozy group of committed citizens aboard a small fishing vessel sailing toward amchitka island in alaska. their mission was to protect united states nuclear testing off the coast of alaska by actually placing themselves in harm's way. it was daring and risky--staring death in the eye for a natural cause. although they were intercepted by the united states coastguard, the mission was successful by bringing to the headlines the dangers of nuclear testing--worldwide.
since that effort, greenpeace has promised to educate and protect the world in the harms facing our planet all through ordinary yet committed people. they've grown considerably since their early days--30 offices internationally--and managed to maintain that same vivacity in their activists and donors.
greenpeace also doesn't solicit the government or corporations for funds. nor do they endorse politicians. their money comes from supporters and donors. to put a price tag on your support click here.
their campaigns.
global warming and energy
project hot seat
exxon secrets
science
solutions
energy [r]evolution
skeptics
climate lawsuit
global warming and energy reports
u.n. climate conference
oceans
whale defenders
bering witness
seafood
threats to ocean life
oceans reports
marine reserves
wildlife facts
forests
u.s. forests
forests worldwide
solutions to deforestation
kleenex=kleercut
music wood
forest reports
forest wildlife fact sheets
nuclear
no new nukes
disarmament
safety and security
nuclear reports
chernobyl anniversary
toxics
chemical threats
going hi-tech is highly toxic
go pvc-free
bhopal disaster
toxics reports
clash of the consoles
genetic engineering
ge industry
bans and labeling
go organic
ge reports
i'm way into the forest and ocean campaigns.
get involved!
do your part.
another day to celebrate this lovely earth we inhabit: arbor day!
celebrated in the united states on the last friday of april, arbor day has roots dating back to nebraska in 1872. it was established by j. sterling morton.
accompanied by his wife, morton moved to the nebraska territory in 1854 (nebraska didn't become a state until 1867). jumping right into the heart of it all, morton became the editor of nebraska's first newspaper which opened doors for him to become involved in politics and promote the settlement of nebraska.
at the time, nebraska, being in the heartland of the great plains, was barren of trees. while the tallgrass prairie was ideal for farmland, wood wasn't readily available for building houses or even for fuel to heat those houses thus stalling the settlement. even the homestead act with its free offers of land didn't entice families to migrate toward nebraska.
at a meeting of the nebraska state board of agriculture in 1872, morton, a plant lover himself, proposed a tree planting holiday, what we now know to be arbor day. upon this day, counties and individuals were coaxed by the promise of prizes to whomever properly planted the largest number of trees. history shows that more than 1 million trees were planted in nebraska on that april 10, 1874.
the nebraska state tree is the cottonwood, pictured above.
morton's home in nebraska city is now recognized as a state historical park, arbor lodge. it includes an arboretum and extensive landscaped grounds. the national arbor day foundation now runs morton's farm, appropriately called arbor day farm.
at my elementary school, it was customary for second-grade students to go home with a tree and plant it. my tree was a sweetgum and stands proud next to my older brother's sweetgum in the backyard of our old house.
so if you have the chance, plant a tree today. if you join the arbor day foundation, they'll give you 10 free trees! or sign up for paperless billing with your wireless provider or credit card company, which might be more practical, and save a tree.
live simply. take action.
before today, i'd never heard of rock port, missouri.
they're a town of 1,300 and they just made history as the first united states city to be 100 percent powered by wind. rock port will only use about 113 of the 116 kilowatts the wind turbine will produce. they'll supply it for a cost to neighbouring cities.
rock port, thank you for making the dream a reality and setting the example to everyone else. you have found the answer and yeah, it was blowin' in the wind.
bob dylan
"blowin' in the wind"
how many roads must a man walk down
before you call him a man?
yes, 'n' how many seas must a white dove sail
before she sleeps in the sand?
yes, 'n' how many times must the cannon balls fly
before they're forever banned?
the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
the answer is blowin' in the wind.
how many times must a man look up
before he can see the sky?
yes, 'n' how many ears must one man have
before he can hear people cry?
yes, 'n' how many deaths will it take till he knows
that too many people have died?
the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
the answer is blowin' in the wind.
how many years can a mountain exist
before it's washed to the sea?
yes, 'n' how many years can some people exist
before they're allowed to be free?
yes, 'n' how many times can a man turn his head,
pretending he just doesn't see?
the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
the answer is blowin' in the wind.
"hymn of the big wheel" by massive attack
the big wheel keeps on turning
on a simple line day by day
the earth spins on its axis
one man struggle while another relaxes
there's a hole in my soul like a cavity
seems like the world is out to gather just by gravity
the wheel keeps turning the sky's rearranging
look my son the weather is changing
i'd like to feel that you could be free
look up at the blue skies beneath a new tree
sometime again
you'll turn green and the sea turns red
my son I said the power of axis over my head
the big wheel keeps on turning
on a simple line day by day
the earth spins on its axis
one man struggle while another relaxes
we sang about the sun and danced among the trees
and we listened to the whisper of the city on the breeze
will you cry in the most in a lead-free zone
down within the shadows where the factories drone
on the surface of the wheel they build another town
and so the green come tumbling down
yes close your eyes and hold me tight
and i'll show you sunset sometime again
the big wheel keeps on turning
on a simple line day by day
the earth spins on its axis
one man struggle while another relaxes
as a child's silent prayer my hope hides in disguise
while satellites and cameras watch from the skies
an acid drop of rain recycled from the sea
it washed away my shadow burnt a hole in me
and all the king's men cannot put it back again
but the ghetto sun will nurture life
and mend my soul sometime again
the big wheel keeps on turning
on a simple line day by day
the earth spins on its axis
one man struggle while another relaxes
[x2]
I haven't been writing much on this blog lately -- I find that it's practically all I can do to keep up my work blog *and* try to live eco-aware. But today I thought I'd just drop a few lines about some of the simple things you can do to help improve the environment and your lifestyle.
1: Pick it up.
As I walk around my neighbourhood (and other places), I see so much trash on the ground--a bag, a bottle cap, a soda can, a flip-flop. Litter, we usually call it, and some places actually have hefty fines for litterers. Litter fills the gutters, sloshes against the banks of rivers, contaminates the soil, and definitely helps wreck the ecosystem. So, even if you didn't toss it, pick it up. Take a bag with you when you walk and do a little something extra for your locality. I remember when I was a kid, and my family would spend family time together cleaning up trash out of a nearby field. It was good.
2: Lots of magazines? Visit the library.
I don't know about you, but I get way too much junk mail, including catalogs and magazines. Granted, often I enjoy the magazines and some of them I have even subscribed to. But do I really need all that paper in my mailbox, even if I'm going to recycle it? Nope. My solution? The library. My local library subscribes to over 200 magazines, and wow, that's a lot. Not all libraries have so many, but chances are, if you're a big magazine subscriber, they probably have at least one you're interested in. Read it at the library. If there's an article you *have* to have, make a copy and file it at home. One or two fewer magazines a month is a nice step to diminishing your footprint.
3: Reuse that water.
We use lots of water when we prepare food -- boiling pasta, steaming veggies, rinsing lettuce. Don't just dump that leftover water down the drain -- put it to good use. Instead of using fresh tapwater to water your indoor plants or your garden, collect that already used water and put it to a second use. Your plants might even thank you for it!
And there you have it--3 small and simple things you can do to make this world a healthier and happier place.
happy birthday mother earth.
we love you.
each year, earth day represents a reminder to the modern environmental movement that began april 22, 1970. the decided national day was to focus one whole day out of the year on the environmental problems facing our mother earth.
even 38 years ago, the environmental crisis was sweeping across the nation's campuses. they could see it then. we see it now. but how much progress has been made?
what will you do (or don't do) today, on earth day 2008, to observe this national day?
take action.
al gore believes in a happy ending still even though little has changed since his thought-provoking an inconvenient truth won a pulitzer. he also believes the environmental crisis has become even more urgent. do you believe he's doing his part in the environmental state of emergency? or do you believe the claims made against him for being an energy hog? (the writings contained herein this blog have been both pro and con toward al gore. lately, we're more pro. amazing what education can do to enlighten the mind. be sure to educate yourself.)
michelle kaufmann gives you some ideas how to take all that consumer waste and make it pretty in her do-it-yourself earth day activity kit.
the above graphic was orchestrated for a designboom and da--design association japan international design competition to demonstrate the theme "love your earth."
share more. how do you love your earth?
if you're with me (and greenpeace and so many others) in the fight against kimberly-clark, be aware of their other brands listed below. start a new habit of flipping over the product in question to see if kimberly-clark is listed as the parent company.
kleenex
huggies
kotex
depend
scott
viva
cottonelle
andrex
pull-ups
goodnites
little swimmers
poise
neat sheet
other sites promoting awareness toward the destruction kimberly-clark leaves in its wake:
greenpeace: cut and run. (new findings on the kimberly-clark "legacy." download and read the report.)
kleercut: wiping away ancient forests.
treehugger: kleenex kleercut--trees for tissues?
grist: greenpeace hacks kleenex pr.
wikipedia: kleercut.
nrdc: flushing forests down the toilet.
and remember, it takes 90 years to grow a box of kleenex. 90 years!
continue the education.
see how today's entrepreneurs are putting their money where their mouth is with carbon-footprint minimizing extreme ideas ranging from 3-wheel spaceship-like vehicles to gypsum-free drywall to a recycling bin equipped with a tracking device (recyclebank) that pays out to its clients based upon their recycling contribution to an idea that blows my own mind: a renewable plastic. really? wow.
if you had the money and time, what kind of innovative idea would you create to further the green cause?
look who's behind it all:
steve fambro of aptera
sungevity
ron gonen of recyclebank
pelamis wave power and enersys
saul griffith of makani power
nau
serious materials
amyris
david rosenberg of hycrete
frederic scheer of cereplast
howard levine and ian bruce of venture vehicles
note: gypsum plays a leading role in producing the global-warming toxin carbon dioxide.
and by that i mean treehugger's website. (don't get me wrong. i'll stop and hug a tree occasionally too. i hugged general sherman, the giant sequoia and he was soft. picture below.)
if you haven't checked the site out recently, i encourage you to! i read it every day and if you're a reader of this blog you'll notice i reference treehugger.com often. the site is chock full of green tidbits. don't pass it up.
(i'm on the left. we're actually more listening to general sherman's heartbeat than hugging him. but his bark was so soft.)
in the span of eight days i received new catalogs from 2 of my favourite furniture retailers--design within reach and mitchell gold+bob williams. flipping through the first couple pages i noticed both merchants declared their smart ideas and promises for both offering and maintaining eco-friendly products.
i especially love what mitchell and bob say in their eco-statement: "we've been eco-friendly since 1989. not since it became fashionable." they also recognize being eco-friendly is not only a privilege but their responsibility. i can appreciate that.
they demonstrate their claim in the makeup of their pieces. their seat cushions are wrapped up in 80 percent regenerated fibers and 10 percent soy. they use fabrics like cotton, linen, mohair, and hemp--all natural fibers. a large part of their casegoods--chests, dressers, tables--are built from parawood (also called rubberwood). but the parawood trees aren't harvested until they stop producing sap. how awesome is that? totally utilizing the tree's resources. and finally, the best of all: their back pillows are composed of fibers that came from plastic bottles.
seems to me mitchell and bob are living up to their promise.
in addition to already focusing their eco-friendly efforts on their products, they're working with the climate project, a non-profit dedicated to creating the opportunity to move our nation into action. with every purchase of fine art photography by tipper gore a portion will benefit the movement.
now on to design within reach (dwr). (i don't really get why it's called what it is because as i browse through the pages there is little i can afford. in fact, i'm not sure i can even afford one of their lightbulbs.)
their assortment of eco-friendly products is conveniently listed on their solutions page. categories are: energy efficient, green guard certified, recyclable products, recyclable materials, sustainable materials. this will enable you to find just what you're looking for based upon your environmental goal or vision.
dwr says being conscious of the environment has always been part of their vision and assortment of products but now they've set up categories so it's easier for the buyer--you!--to find just what s/he is looking for. genius.
my favourite of the green dwr products is first in their "what is green?" catalog. the page boasts "green is up-cycling cans into a chair that lasts 150 years." the chair it's speaking of is the 1006 navy chair by emeco. back in 1944 when emeco started designing chairs, you can bet your hybrid marketing slogans encouraging him to make it appealing to the eco-conscious weren't floating around the design board. he was more focused on guaranteeing it could withstand a torpedo blast. to satisfy the military crazy request, emeco created a 77-step patented process. during the process, emeco invented a method to make aluminum three times stronger than steel. a chair so unbelievably durable its estimated lifespan is 150 years. legend has it the maker of the 1006 navy chair, wilton dinges, the founder of emeco in 1944, actually tossed the chair out the window of a 6-story building. aside from startling the people on the street and a few scratches, the chair didn't show any damage.
the 1006 navy chair has gone down in history as one of the most revered, respected, and wanted chairs. wanted so much that target even copied it opening the chair's distribution to the more general public at $249.99 compared to the original price of $395.00-1,115.00 by authorized dealers. the copy at target caused a real stir. target doesn't outright claim their cafe aluminum side chair to be a copy of the 1006 navy chair, of course; in the description it simply says it's of classic design. true. (when i searched the site i couldn't find cafe aluminum side chair. all the search produced was this barstool. look familiar? perhaps at the time of the washingtonpost.com article it was still on target.com. i don't have any major issues with copies. my issue would be they're likely to not have the same green makeup as the higher priced original. something to consider.) to set the original apart from copies, three small welds are left exposed on the back slats. (as if paying the original price wasn't enough of a clue.)
another beautiful tidbit about the emeco 1006 navy chair is it starts out with 80 percent recycled aluminum which requires only 5 percent the energy needed to produce virgin aluminum. and the factory is here in the united states! pennsylvania even.
good stuff.
live simply.
note: the awesome catalogs i received from dwr and mitchell gold+bob williams are both printed on 100 percent recycled products. fsc-certified even for dwr.
the recyclebank co-founder and ceo, ron gonen, has found a way to motivate americans to recycle more and better.
he has set up a process for every household on a garbage route to be allotted a recycling bin with a computer chip installed. the computer chip reads when the bin is dumped. depending upon the weight in the bin the household builds up points in their recyclebank. the points can be used at merchants such as cvs or starbucks.
in the bank's hometown of philadelphia, pennsylvania, one neighbourhood's recycling efforts soared from 7% to 90%! totally exciting!
the beauty behind a system like this is not only is it encouraging households to be more aware of their recycling process in a way everyone understands--free money, but it cuts down on the amount of junk going in landfills. that then lessens the number of trucks driving to landfills. thus the air is clearer of those nasty carbon emissions. the best payout might just be the satisfaction that household is feeling knowing they're doing their part to help better the world. that rush of pride will motivate them to continue.
would you be more careful and aware of your recycling habits if you knew your next latte' could be free?
on recyclebank's homepage it lists the number of trees and gallons of oil saved. kinda cool to see those numbers. even cooler if i knew i was contributing to the savings.
unfortunately, recyclebank hasn't made it to my san francisco neighbourhood yet. they're currently serving pennsylvania, massachusetts, new york, new jersey, delaware and vermont. but i filled out the form requesting info and you can too to see when they'll be in your corner of the country!
treehugger also recognized recyclebank for their reward program.
note: the bank points alternatively can be donated to charity.
do your part.
ok so garbage island may not bequite the summer vacation hotspot of 2008 for clubmed but it's certainly something for the eyes to behold.
what i'm talking of is a mass of questionable size--reports claim it ranges from twice the size of texas to larger than the continental united states and still growing--floating along in the pacific ocean. according to thomas morton, "garbage island" is in such a remote spot it takes a week to get there. (i don't know how much vacation time you've got but that kind of travel will put me in the red.)
who's thomas morton, you ask? my question exactly. he's important enough or is at least participating in an adventure interesting enough for cnn to notice him. of what i could find out he's an associate editor for vice magazine. seems before he came to know of garbage island he wrote about all kinds of stuff for the magazine. (i'm still investigating how he got caught up in that interest.)
read thomas morton's article oh, this is great that explains a little about it and if you're wanting more, watch what's now a 12-part series on the garbage community. eric lanford interviewed him about the mass on cnn.
news on garbage island isn't anything we didn't already know about. greenpeace, an obvious example, has spoken out about it on several occasions, including this one called the trash vortex in an effort to educate people. treehugger, a personal favourite, wrote the great pacific garbage patch: out of sight, out of mind, in february of this year. other not-so-environmentally-geared sites like npr and wikipedia have collected information to share with their followers also. london's independent put this story out in february of this year about the trash pile the world's rubbish dump: a garbage tip that stretches from hawaii to japan. this is also not the first time i've written about the trash issue. see my stories called caring for our oceans and happy whale.
while there's definitely been a surge in this topic, fact is, this is not a new discovery. it seems the first account came from a sailor named charles moore. moore founded algalita marine research foundation. but the discoveries scientists are finding is what's alarming. it's disgusting to think about the feeding cycle that occurs in the ocean with all the animals feeding off the bits of plastic circling in the trash vortex thinking it's plankton and then we eat the animal and then the trash ends up in our bodies. short story: we're eating our own refuse. that's gross. but this is scary: the impact of all the garbage can have lasting damage to our health including the reproductive systems of women resulting in miscarriages time and again, breast cancer, low sperm count, prostate cancer, and other ailments.
this is not something to be taken lightly. this garbage pile isn't just destroying the natural habit of flipper and shamu--it's affecting each one of us.
what can you do? unfortunately, the situation is so impossible that it will take a major recall of how our society thinks and operates. to quote a favourite tommy lee jones line from men in black: a person is smart; people are dumb panicky dangerous animals. that may not totally play to point but here's how i apply it: as one person we can make an effort to change the amount of plastic we use in our daily life--we're individually responsible for ourselves and our footprint. as a whole society...well, when was the last time you can think of society today agreed on one thing? aside from the fact we live in a democracy, most people don't take too well when they're told what to do or how to act. most folks like to act in a way that flatter them into thinking they're the ones that came up with the idea.
now you see my point?
but don't get me wrong. there is much you can do--separate your trash appropriately; when you see litter, pick it up and throw it out (i've started keeping antibacterial gel in my car which comes in handy for times like this.); cut up those plastic rings that hold your 6-pack of beer or soda together (a personal favourite).
by doing your part you'll be recognized as an example and others will follow. it just might take them a little longer.
note: pictured above is a laysan albatross filled to the brim with bottle caps and other plastic objects. likely the bird mistook the plastic pieces for food. the other is of a sea turtle and his unfortunate run-in with a plastic ring.
on an already beautiful day here in san francisco, this picture lifts my mood even more. lovely.
unscrew america. sounds kinda dirty...twisted...doesn't it? get your head out of the gutter then! it's a website about low-energy lightbulbs! cool music and graphics too. check it out.
my lights were out. were yours?
earth hour 2008 san francisco.
i love living in a u.s.a. city leading the way when it comes to environmental activism like this.
earth hour 2008 sydney, australia.
earth hour. cnn.com
earth hour 2008: did it matter? time.com in partnership with cnn.
what do you think? did earth hour make a difference?
like nigel farndale, the author of the article, turn your nose up at eco-snobs, someone slap my wrist for my attitude toward those that aren't as or even striving to be as eco-friendly as me. i'm guilty of my ears perking up to someone in the market line refusing a paper bag while the woman in front of me gladly takes the offered bag. (at my local safeway here in san francisco plastic bags are no longer offered as a means to transport your groceries. it's paper or your own bag.) it's happened so many times. and what about those that walk by the recycling bin in the office and dump their empty water bottles in the trash can? shame on them? or shame on me?
farndale's article hit home with me and now i feel bad. take a read yourself. if you're going green, good for you, but be careful to avoid rubbing it in the face of those surrounding you. like some folks said in the comments of a treehugger.com article, going green should be treated like a religion. if you try to convert someone into changing their ways and thinking differently about the environment, you won't be successful by shoving it down their throat. my mother always taught me to lead by example and actions speak louder than words. in this day and age, those words of wisdom still ring true.
emily bazalon, a writer for slate.com, wrote another view of appearing or teaching a version of eco-snobbery: she fears what her family's purchase of their prius might mean to her children. her article is both witty and realistic.
don't puff yourself up thinking you're all that just because you reuse and recycle or drive a prius. join me in relieving the world of a few eco-snobs, myself included.
don't think that because you don't own your dwelling you can't green it up. sure, much sustainable talk is geared toward the general owner but there are lots of things you can do to make it a more efficient space:
1. apply weather-stripping. feel a draft? don't lose that hot air. this will also lower your utility bills.
2. change out your lightbulbs. we all know the importance of this seemingly-tiny task is.
3. sprout an herbal garden on your windowsill. my sister, an author to this blog also, is all about bringing the outside in. she's obsessed with her lemon tree. she's doing her part. plus, all the green inside her house creates more oxygen and a better place for her, her husband, and their cat to live and enjoy their time.
no step is too small and each counts toward doing your part so get going!
to read more, check out treehugger's article on the same topic.
super cute and super green tote! use it for runs to the farmer's market or for your lunch and snacks for work.
wear it proudly and constantly.
they're not expensive so buy a couple--stock up for yourself or use as gifts!
it's a shame the proceeds don't benefit a cause but using them instead of regular plastic bags is cause enough!
in an earlier post i scolded the reunited spice girls for their abominable use of private planes when they started their new tour and the amount of co2 each plane emitted. they were all going to the same place at the same time. why they needed (not wanted, big difference) their own private transportation is beyond me.
i would be remiss if i didn't call out the corporations flying and creating a new--and what should be unheard of--record in the pounds of co2 expelled.
you can read the article in the new york times yourself, but let me leave you with this one mind-numbing fact: the amount of co2 the superbowl jets will discharge is the equivalent to a hummer driving from new york to los angeles and back 3,130 times.
ridiculous.
pacific gas and electric company (pg&e) is making major strides in assisting with the energy crisis of our nation and the world.
within the outstretched region of the mojave desert, pg&e has signed on with solel-msp-1 for 553 megawatts of solar power, equivalent to powering 400,000 homes. the solar power renewable energy source will serve to pg&e customers in central and northern california. this commitment between pg&e and solel will construct the largest solar power span in the world.
expected to be fully-operational in 2011, the mojave solar park plant will cover 6000 acres, nine square miles, and will rely on 1.2 million mirrors and 317 miles of vacuum power to capture the desert sun's heat source.
smashbox joins the palette of makeup brands like cargo and nvey by way of becoming more aware of our paling environment.
not only are the makeup formulas environmentally friendly but their packaging is entirely biodegradable or recyclable.
the best part about their new line is with each purchase of any green room product, a moringa tree will be planted. hooray! more trees is always better.
read the clip from smashbox's page announcing their green room below:
"Turn over a new leaf with the GREEN ROOM SPRING 2008 COLOR COLLECTION from smashbox cosmetics. With the purchase of every GREEN ROOM product, a Moringa tree will be planted in a developing country by Trees for the Future. The Moringa or “Miracle Tree” is a powerhouse of nutritional value and provides a self-renewing food source for people in need. More trees also mean less soil erosion and cleaner air and water for a greener future. All GREEN ROOM packaging is biodegradable or recyclable and all products are made with environmentally-friendly formulas so it’s beauty you can feel good about!"
the green room collection is made up of the following 8 pieces:
hybrid 2 in 1 luminizing primer
2 different shaded bronzers
ldl lip gloss
2 eyeshadow quads
3 hybrid 2 in 1 colour and shine lip glosses
on another note, smashbox cosmetics is animal friendly. in 2005 peta gave them a proggy award for renouncing animal testing. urban decay is also recognized by peta as an animal-friendly cosmetic company. (they're vegan too!)
i've always been a fan of smashbox cosmetics--their president budd taylor is the bomb!--and urban decay. now i love them even more! way to go and thanks!
other natural and organic beauty:
bare escentuals
boscia
care by stella mccartney
carol's daughter
caudalie
decleor
juice beauty
korres
l'occitane
lavanila
ojon
ole henriksen
phyto
ren
rene furterer
skyn iceland
clorox has manufactured a new line of cleaners--all natural and all green: clorox's green works.
clip from treehugger's article: introducing clorox's green works cleaners.
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The launch of Green Works doesn't mean that Clorox has "gone green" -- or any other hackneyed quip that often gets tossed around at such a development -- though it does mean that they've embraced the green marketplace and realized that people care what's in their cleaners. Seventh Generation CEO Jeffrey Hollender summed it up pretty well: "New competitors will only help this category grow faster than it's been growing. The question is, do you want a big piece of a small pie or a small piece of a big pie? We absolutely want the pie to be as big as possible, even if we have a smaller slice. ... To address problems environmentally, we need to get other businesses involved."
In the near future, expect to see Green Works out and about; Clorox is beginning a national campaign today. Green Works will be available in 24,000 stores nationally, including Safeway and Wal-Mart.
have you ever been drinking from a starbucks cup and noticed how it says 10% post-consumer fibers on the bottom? and have you ever wondered what it means? it happened to me this morning. i was walking back to my office and trying to sip every last drop of my steamed nonfat milk out of my cup and noticed the writing. then i started to wonder: how legitimate is that? and what does it mean exactly? some of my findings are below.
in february 2007 solo cup company, manufacturer of disposable foodservice products for the consumer/retail, foodservice, packaging and international markets co-developed a post-consumer fiber paper cup with starbucks. the post-consumer fiber paper cup is manufactured with recycled paper and helps support starbucks corporate social responsibility mission to serve products in an environmentally sustainable choice of packaging. read more. and more about how starbucks is changing the way coffee is served.
read starbucks' social responsibility newsletter announcing the new post-consumer hot cup.
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clips from recycling point dot com: debunking the myths of recycled paper.
definition of post-consumer waste: paper that has been recovered after having been used as a consumer item including papers from offices and homes, old newspapers and packaging.
in california, recycled paper must contain at least 10% post-consumer waste.
"in buying recycled paper, you must understand what composition you are buying," said lawrence chan, manager of office paper and stationary at shiro paper (singapore) pte ltd. "for example, if you buy recycled paper made from mill broke, it does not really help the environment because the paper mills have always been doing it. even before this trend towards recycling paper, mills have been recycling mill broke as it is only good housekeeping. "
"personally, i feel that the important components are the pre- and post- consumer wastes," added lawrence. "instead of dumping them into landfills or incinerating them, you put them to good use."
definition of mill broke: waste material recovered from inside a paper mill during the paper making process. this includes paper trimmings. paper makers have always reused their broke. many people do not consider paper made from mill broke as genuine recycled paper.
