Bike-to-School Program Expands; thanks, Trek!

Trek Bicycle Corporation -- through its 1 World 2 Wheels(SM) initiative -- has made a major grant to Freiker, Inc., a bike-to-school program based in Boulder, Colorado. Freiker, short for "FREquent bIKER," will use the grant to expand its wildly successful program to communities and school systems hungry for a proven approach for getting kids to ride bikes as the primary method of getting to school.

"With Trek's support, we'll be able to expand into more communities across the country resulting in more riding, fewer car trips, and healthier kids," said Zach Noffsinger, Freiker's Executive Director. "Trek is to be commended for making a no-strings-attached gift -- they share our vision and we're grateful for their support."

Freiker plans to use the grant to expand nationwide. They have started this year off by adding a middle school in Eugene, OR, and a high school in Madison, WI. Visit their website to see if the Freikometer is right for your school. Since my daughter went to one of the pilot schools here in Boulder, Crestview Elementary, I can personally attest to how well Freiker works. The solar-powered Freikometer counts student riders (and this year, walkers too!) with an individual number tag that attaches to their helmet. This alone was enough motivation for my daughter; but to top it off, they offer prizes at the end of the year based on the number of rides completed by each child. The Freiker program builds good habits: that biking is good exercise, good for the planet, good for community, and good in almost all kinds of weather. Check out their website today! They will also gladly accept a donation to their program if you believe in the benefits of biking.

Another kind of conscious consuming

Here is a guest blog post submitted by Erik Braunitzer of The DUI Foundation:

Despite global problems like war, climate change, poverty, and education, there are issues that are placed on the back burner, which affect us as Americans on a daily basis. Drinking and driving, one of the most hazardous problems in society today, has actually taken a turn for the better over the past couple decades. With new laws, zero tolerance, and strict police enforcement, drivers are becoming gradually more wary of entering a vehicle under the influence. However, the percentage of accidents due to inebriation has only statistically decreased 10 percent since 1982. This is positive, but could use much improvement. Advocacy for the issue has also become stronger, especially from influential groups on the web. In particular, the New York DUI Foundation made presented itself as a net authority no more than a few months ago.

The New York DUI Foundation’s sole purpose is to demote the ideology of operating a vehicle under the influence of alcohol, or any other drug for that matter, and to lessen the occurrence of such incidents. What drivers today don’t understand is, even though they’ve only consumed a glass of wine or two, they just raised their risk level for encountering a potential accident. In New York, groups such as “I’m smart” have arisen to subdue the desire every person has to enter a vehicle after drinking. "I’m smart" actually provides a year’s membership for only 90 dollars. Drivers can drive to wherever they may consume alcohol, and then later are picked up by an “I’m smart” driver, who is accompanied by another in order to operate the member’s vehicle.

The DUI Foundation supports such groups as "I’m smart," and especially advocates the use of public transportation. Buses are an excellent means of travel after a night of drinking. In accordance, DUI Foundation supports green activities or ideals such as green buses and green or fuel efficient cars. It is in everybody’s best interest to promote these modern day marvels and increase world knowledge of the progressively damaging usage of fossil fuels and other environmentally detrimental materials.
The New York DUI Foundation supports public green transportation and brick and mortar foundations such as I’m Smart and wishes to congratulate those who pursue such great endeavors. Those prosecuted for a DUI or DWI are at the mercy of the judicial system, which is usually not tolerant of drinking and driving. Drivers are warned; drinking and driving under the influence isn’t worth the agony put forth upon friends and family. Remember to stay sober and buckle up!

Big Plans for a Sustainable Energy Future

By now you might have heard about some new plans to move us toward a more sustainable energy future that will decrease our dependence on foreign oil. Sounds like these plans can't be implemented fast enough, as the world's carbon emissions actually increased by 3% over the past year, which surpassed the expectations of top scientists from the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Google.org (the philanthropic side of Google) has unveiled a plan to move the U.S. to a clean-energy future. The vision, according a recent report on Grist:

In 2030, electricity will be generated not from coal or oil but from wind, solar, and geothermal power. Energy demand will be two-thirds what it is now, thanks to stringent energy-efficiency measures. Ninety percent of new vehicle sales will be plug-in hybrids. Carbon dioxide emissions will be down 48 percent. Getting there will cost $4.4 trillion, says the plan -- but will recoup $5.4 trillion in savings. The Clean Energy 2030 plan would require ambitious national policies, a huge boost to renewables, increased transmission capacity, a smart electricity grid, and much higher fuel-efficiency standards for vehicles.

And then there is the Picken Plan. We have written about it before, and he's doing a great job of educating people about the issues of energy security thanks to media buys and loads of press coverage. The Pickens Plan calls for building new wind generation facilities that will produce 20% of our nation's electricity and allow us to use natural gas as a transportation fuel. The combination of these domestic energies can replace more than one-third of our foreign oil imports within 10 years. You can read all about The Plan here, or can visit the website to sign a petition to ask the Candidates to be more specific about their energy policies, or enter a climate video contest.

Sustainable Building Supply Showroom opens in Newton

This was submitted by Bob Ryan, Manager of Terrene in Newton:

We are pleased to invite you to the VIP Grand Opening of Newton’s first Sustainable Building Supply Showroom – Terrene of Newton. It is our goal to provide the highest-quality green building materials to meet the needs of any homeowner, builder, architect or designer, and we’d like you to come to our showroom and experience first-hand how easy, affordable, and beautiful it can be to go green.

Where: 275D Centre Street Newton, MA - in Centre Plaza
When: Thursday November 6, 2008
Refreshments all day
Ribbon cutting ceremony @ 4PM

After extensive research and consideration we have assembled this collection of the finest green interior finish products available anywhere.
Natural fiber floor coverings - cork, reed, mountaingrass, wool.
Wood Flooring- Cali Bamboo -the highest quality bamboo on the market, Carlisle - The BEST Wide plank FSC certified wood floors.
Sustainable Wood Cabinetry –Terrene Custom (our signature custom line), Grasswood (Bamboo), Fieldstone.
Countertops - IceStone (Recycled glass & concrete), Paperstone (recycled paper), Teragren Bamboo Butcher Block.
Tiles - Sandhill 100% recycled glass, Fireclay (Artisan-made from recycled materials), Terragreen, Ecocycle.
Paint - COMPLETELY non-toxic AFM Safecoat paints & stains, and finishes

These are only some of the products we carry. Our showroom displays them all, and our experienced staff is ready to assist you. We are NOW OPEN weekdays 9-5, Saturdays 9-1 or call (617) 244-6200 or visit www.terrenellc.com.
         
Directions:
From Boston:
I-90 -MassPike West to Exit 17
Go Right off of exit onto Centre Street. Get in left lane and take a Left into our parking lot after the light at the Bertucci’s.

From points West:
I -90 Mass Pike East to Exit 17
Go around the rotary (left) and continue down Centre Street. Get in left lane and take a Left into our parking lot after the light at the Bertucci’s.

Neighborhood Photography Project

Common Boston is planning a photo project exploring the neighborhoods of our common points: Chinatown, Fort Point Channel, Forest Hills, and Peabody Square. We will be meeting folks who take active roles in their communities and or have steeped traditions in their areas in a quest to illuminate what architecture and design means to them. If you are interested in participating or would like to help make this project happen, please e-mail info@commonboston.org.

Halloween costumes

According to the Green Guide, American spend upwards of $5 billion on Halloween -- that’s a lot of money, and a lot of waste for one night! With the economy tightening everyone’s purse strings, National Geographic’s Green Guide has some tips for a frugal, safe, and green Halloween:

Save money and waste by making costumes yourself, using things already available in your closet.
Participate in a costume swap with friends or other families in your neighborhood.
Avoid buying a makeup set for face painting – many have chemicals that can seep toxins into your skin. Instead use Zinc Oxide or natural makeup.
Give out candy made with organic sugar or Fair Trade chocolate.

I have two kids of my own, and can attest to how much "home-made" costumes have gone out of favor. My girls don't want to be the only ones in class looking different, despite MY values. Luckily I am a firm believer in hand-me-downs and am a frequent lurker on Craig's list. While I haven't had much luck getting my kids to wear home-made costumes of the sort I would throw together (in the absense of sewing skills I rely on my glue gun), we have been both the recipients and the givers of gently used costumes from both friends and strangers.

This year my oldest wanted to be a pioneer girl like Laura Ingalls; after searching the web I found my options were a beautiful hand-sewn 100% cotton dress (that cost $70!!!!), or a 100% polyester made in China dress for $25. Not good options. After talking to some friends about it, within the week I had an offer to borrow a costume from a neighbor who had hand-sewn her own (now older) daughter's pioneer dress. How fortuitous!!!

To the above recommendations, I would also add buying or making costumes out of all-natural materials like cotton that you know will get a lot of play in the dress up box: pirates, cowboys/cowgirls, doctor coats, and princesses come to mind. After several years of play, your investment will pay off, only to be enjoyed by other children when you donate it via Freecycle or your local secondhand shop. Happy Halloweening!

Earthworks needs volunteers for garden work

From Ben Crouch at Earthworks Boston (if you're in the area, please help them out):

Help us build new garden beds at the Russell School in Dorchester to support our Outdoor Classroom Program at the School. On Sunday, November 2, we are searching for up to 12 volunteers to help build and fill two garden beds for school kids to plant flowers and other perennials.
 
Not only will this help to improve the look and feel of the public school's exterior, but it will also add places to explore and study in the schoolyard. The schoolyard already boasts an orchard with pie cherries, apples and hazelnuts. The flowers will help to attract beneficial insects to improve the health of the trees and quality of the harvest.
 
Please call or write if you are interested in signing up. The project will start at 12:00pm, and, depending on turnout, will take from 2-4 hours. 
Benjamin Crouch
City Fruit Program Director
617-442-1059

Umbra comes to a screen near you

One of my absolute favorite green advice columnists, Umbra Fisk, recently took her advice to a new medium--Grist TV. Check out her first episode here. You can sign up for weekly RSS feeds or download her clips to iTunes. How fun!

Canadians launch One Million Acts of Green

The Hour with George Stroumboulopoulos, Canada’s late-night talk show, and Cisco are partnering to spearhead a massive, nationwide environmental movement. This fall, CBC and The Hour will mobilize Canadians to commit One Million Acts of Green. In partnership with Cisco, and the power of their ‘Human Network Effect’ the collective goal is to change how we live and how we treat the planet, one act at a
time.

It’s not about overhauling your life; it’s about one act from each individual amassing to a million. Maybe it’s switching to compact fluorescent light bulbs, making the decision to walk or bike to work, or to buy locally grown organic food. It can be as simple as recycling your cell phone or as ambitious as building a green roof space. One small
thing can have a huge impact. Young and old, parents and kids, small towns and big cities, The Hour wants Canadians to take action for the sake of the environment.

All Canadians have to do is commit one act of “green” (or more), then register the act. There will be a highly interactive One Million Acts of Green (OMAoG) website where anyone can log their acts and see an immediate impact via an extensive green calculator designed by GreenNexxus. The site will also be a hub of information about OMAoG, and will serve as an educational resource of “green” content. Registrants will be able to learn more, inspire and challenge others to act.

The campaign officially kicks off on Tuesday October 21, 2008 and will run over The Hour's entire upcoming season, through to June 2009. George and The Hour will unite with other CBC programs to 'go green,' including CBC News, Kids’ CBC, Steven & Chris, Living, CBC Sports and others. The call is out to get everyone involved: politicians, celebrities, athletes, business, schools and universities. Everyone. OMAoG has recruited some big time ‘environmental’ partners who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us for the duration of the campaign: Clean Air Foundation, The David Suzuki Foundation, Earth Day Canada, Environmental Defence, Evergreen, Green Street (managed by the Canadian Teachers’ Federation) and The Climate Project Canada are all non-profit, ENGO’s. They are results-based, community-centred and absolute authorities on what it takes to get to ‘green.’ Their support and commitment to OMAoG is invaluable.

The Hour is the only talk show in Canada that, night after night, delivers the best conversations with an incomparable line up of guests. The Hour has featured some of the leading environmentalists in the world and key issue makers from the likes of: Al Gore, Dr. David Suzuki, Sir Richard Branson, Bjorn Lomborg, Dr. Jane Goodall, Tim Flannery, Terri Irwin, and Arnold Schwarzenegger - making The Hour a perfect vehicle to take this topic and this challenge direct to Canadians.

OMAoG exemplifies what Canadians do best, being a part of a collective. To be bigger than the individual, and to see what can be achieved by working together in a human network, is intrinsically Canadian. The goal is set: the challenge is on to make our lives, our communities, and our environment greener. One Million Acts of Green, one act at a time.

ONE MILLION ACTS OF GREEN - WEB LINKS TO PARTNERS:
Cisco
Clean Air Foundation
David Suzuki Foundation
Earth Day Canada
Environmental Defence
Evergreen
Green Street
The Climate Project - Canada
GreenNexxus

Eco T-shirt by Jay Trainer Band

Ethan Ethan Kanat, Director of Sound + Vision at Tough Customer submitted this guest note:
"We are working with Artful Change, a social action network that uses the power of art and music to help raise awareness for environmental causes, to design an environmental awareness t-shirt. Artfulchange.org is run by Jay Trainer, a singer/songwriter from San Francisco who is working closely with Greenpeace and several local organizations on issues such as sustainable living, global warming and wildlife conservation."

The shirts are a light cream color with a green and black iconographic design that appeals to music lovers and environmentalists; you can see them here. The shirts are made of 100% certified organic cotton, printed using water-based inks, and made without sweatshop labor. Best of all, 50% of all proceeds from the sale of the shirts go to environmental charities. Next time you need a t-shirt for yourself or as a gift for a friend, perhaps you'd consider a sustainably made one that supports environmental causes.

Invite the President-Elect to the UN's Climate Change talks

You may have heard of 350.org, which was formed as a result of the great success of Bill McKibben's Step it Up campaign. 350.org is working to spread the message that to combat the worst effects of climate change, we have to roll back carbon emissions so that our air contains no more carbon dioxide than 350 parts per million. The solutions to global warming need world-wide attention and support. As you know, rather than having US leadership, world leaders have been forging ahead as the US has been dragging its feet (we were the ONLY industrialized nation not to sign the Kyoto protocol).

Well our new President has a chance to become a leader on the issue of climate change, by attending the UN Climate Meetings in Poland this December. 350.org's latest campaign hopes to help him along, by sending out 35,000 invitations to the President-Elect in the coming weeks. They have already reached a target of 20,000...will you stop by their site and cast an invite yourself?

Thanks! Let's hope it works. So far, neither Obama nor McCain have agreed to attend the talks.

EcoAmerica's Climate Values Survey

The American Climate Values Survey assesses contemporary climate and environmental values and motivations to provide information and insights to advocates who want to increase the effectiveness of their efforts. It is an Ecoamerica project, sponsored by the Alliance for Climate Protection, the Department of Conservation of the State of California, NRDC, and The Nature Conservancy.

According to the Survey report:

Public support remains a strategic gap and grave weakness in achieving effective
climate solutions. This problem is complicated by the unfathomably huge, distant, abstract and complex nature of global warming and exacerbated by legacy carbon interests using sophisticated consumer marketing. Those interests spent a staggering $208 million in advertising in the first half of 2008 to influence public opinion. Climate action advocates barely compete in this arena.

While 73% of Americans believe that global warming is happening, only half (54%) of Republicans believe it is real, compared with almost all (90%) Democrats surveyed. Similarly, 34% of Republicans think “global warming is not a problem,” versus 7% of Democrats.

It sounds like the carbon lobby is getting it's money's worth in terms of confusing people about the reality of global warming. The ACVS provides a roadmap for people (like us) to get people motivated to fight for the environment we all share. We have to tie the conversation in to daily life: the cost of heat, gasoline, and food; severe storms; food insecurity. When people see that global warming is having a very direct and measurable effect on their daily lives, they will be willing to bring political and societal pressure to bear on fighting climate change, and join to find individual and collective solutions to our energy, transportation, and food needs. Stay positive, stay upbeat, use facts, focus on building support. Perhaps you can host a Conscious Consuming Discussion series, a "Bike/Bus to Work" Day, a local foods potluck, or a movie screening of an upbeat film like "King Corn." You can also get involved with some of ecoamerica's programs by contacting their Executive Director, Lee Bodner, at lee@ecoAmerica.org.

Clima

Michael Pollan might be my Hero

Have you read Michael Pollan's new open letter to the President Elect on US food policy? He is much more articulate than I am about why what we eat and how we grow it matters so much. Click here for the full article; here is a short quote:

After cars, the food system uses more fossil fuel than any other sector of the economy — 19 percent. And while the experts disagree about the exact amount, the way we feed ourselves contributes more greenhouse gases to the atmosphere than anything else we do — as much as 37 percent, according to one study.

How 'bout them homegrown organic apples?

BPA and you: alternatives to plastic

In case you have decided not to heed the warnings about bisphenol A, present in the linings of tin cans and polycarbonate (like the colored Nalgene #7) water bottles, this blurb might get you motivated (unfortunately I can't remember the source of this quote...as you might imagine I'm on a fair amount of newsletter lists and I sort of deleted this one by accident):

Ubiquitous chemical bisphenol A is linked to heart disease and diabetes, says research published last week in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The Food and Drug Administration recently declared that BPA is safe; the new study's release was timed to coincide with a hearing in which the FDA defended that conclusion. For the new study, researchers studied urine samples from 1,455 American adults. BPA was detectable in 90 percent of the samples, though all were within currently recommended exposure levels. However, participants with the highest levels of BPA in their urine had nearly three times the chance of having heart disease than those with lowest exposure, and were 2.4 times more likely to have diabetes. Other studies have linked the chemical to reproductive and hormonal troubles. The new study is the largest to look at the effects of BPA in humans; the FDA relied heavily on industry-funded studies of lab animals. While everyone agrees that more research is needed, many consumers are already trying to avoid BPA by eschewing some plastic bottles, baby toys, and canned foods.

But what to use instead? I recommend cooking the things you might typically buy in cans (soups, beans, etc.) in bulk (like once a month), and then freezing them into "canned" sized portions using glass jars like those sold by the Ball company. You might not be a big cook, and might not use cans anyway, but for those of us cooking family-sized portions this tip will work. Also, switching to glass jars for drinking on the go isn't practical for most of us. A lot of people have switched to Sigg water bottles (including me), bur recently I found out that company won't say either way if BPA is in the lining of it's water bottles (what a bummer). I have heard positive things about Klean Kanteen, which is unlined. At home I recycled all of my plastic-ware from when the kids were really small in favor of little glass juice glasses, which are the perfect size for little hands. When dealing with plastics, I say it's best to exercise the precautionary principle and avoid using them for anything that will be ingested.

Young Consumer's Guide to Eco-Friendly Living

Well just in time for the MySpace generation to lust after the newest trend, the United Nations Environment Program has launched the "Young Consumers’ Guide to Eco-Friendly Living," a new and updated version of the Popular YouthXchange Training Kit.

From Morgan Strecker, of UNEP UNESCO YouthXchange:

How to balance looking cool and feeling cool with the need to combat climate are among the key tips in the new United Nations YouthXchange Training kit. This updated version of the guide also gets to grips with the mountains of waste emerging across the globe as a result of today’s fast throw-away society from mobile phones to fashion.

The 2008 Training Kit on Sustainable Consumption, produced by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is now in its second edition. YouthXchange is a train the trainer tool that aims to promote sustainable consumption patterns among young consumers worldwide. Among other novelties, this updated guide includes a chapter on how to find a balance between youths’ consumer aspirations of dressing cool and fashionable while at the same time being aware of the impact of their consumption on, for example, climate change.

“YouthXchange is one of the most important youth activities connected to UNEP’s sustainable consumption and production work - it provides us with content that we are able to convey to other young people, empowering them to make different choices in their daily lives and be actors of change,” says Gabriela Monteiro, a UNEP Tunza Youth Advisor.

Young people today establish their identities through what they buy and seek social inclusion by purchasing the newest and “coolest” products on the market. Yet, when unguided, this consumption contributes to problems such as ozone depletion, climate change and hazardous wastes that not only affect our daily lives but impact the entire globe.

Through their daily actions, people can increasingly reduce their environmental impact. Well aware of this, UNEP’s Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE) and UNESCO decided to update the 2002 guide to include today’s trends. It provides statistics, case studies, games, examples of companies going greener, and alternatives for more sustainable lifestyles. New to the guide are the following features: a clear link between our consumption patterns and climate change, a more substantial e-waste section, updated data and scientific information and two new chapters: one on the UN Decade on Education for Sustainable Development and one on fashion. Fashion feeds a growing industry and ranks textiles and clothing as the world’s second-biggest economic activity for intensity of trade[1] <#_ftn1> . However, human rights and the environment pay a heavy price – a price that people can increasingly choose to lessen with the rise of ethical fashion.

Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and UNEP Executive Director, said: “Young people in developed and rapidly developing economies can play a massive part in fighting climate change while being cool and keeping the planet cool too”.

“Through their purchasing patterns, life-style choices and networks with schools and universities to clubs, the music scene and sports they can also influence the wider world—influence that will be vital for moving communities, companies and countries to back a new UN climate change deal in Copenhagen’s UN Climate Change Conference in 2009” he added.

“This initiative, which fits within the framework of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (DESD, 2005-2014), seeks to raise the awareness of young people and make responsible consumers of them,” said Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General of UNESCO “Buying a product, what ever it is, is never a neutral act for the environment; its production, its use and the management of the waste it generates, all impact – to a greater or lesser degree – on our planet.”

Through YouthXchange, UNEP and UNESCO work together to show young people that it is possible to translate our aspirations for a better world into everyday actions.

YouthXchange has been translated and adapted in 19 languages and is available in a bilingual (English and French) website – www.youthxchange.net.

Colorado Schools Improve School Lunch--Thanks, Ann!

This is a great article about the changes that are happening in Colorado regarding school lunch:
Fresh ideas in the lunchroom
By Kristen Browning-Blas

These changes mirror those around the country, where people are re-thinking whether serving reheated frozen food of questionable nutritional value to school children is doing more harm than good. There is a movement afoot to serve more locally grown food, to develop school and community gardens, and to cook from scratch. Check out Ann Cooper's blog and book, Lunch Lessons: Changing the Way we Feed our Children for more information.

We are What We Do: Change the World

We Are What We Do is a movement that started in the UK in 2004. Their aim is to inspire people to use their everyday actions to change the world. Their formula is "small actions X lots of people = big change." They have 2 books published and one American book in progress: "Change the World for 10 Bucks". It seems a lot like Change.org in the US, which is going through a revamp this weekend, and next week will feature blogs on topics like global warming, immigration, and human rights.

This is courtesy of the We Are What We Do website:

We started back in 2004 by bringing together 100 simple, everyday actions that can improve our environment, our health, and our communities and make our planet and the people on it much happier. We believe that if enough of us do these actions we will start to make an impact on some of the biggest problems we are all facing. And in joining together in this way, we will create a new community of like-minded “do-ers”; people united by a belief in the possibility of change and our individual responsibility in making it happen alongside that of governments, corporations and other institutions and networks

Putting Meat back in it's Place

I wish I wrote this article, but alas, Mark Bittman, The Minimalist, gets the credit. His tips on reducing meat consumption are not based on ethics, carbon awareness, buying locally, or anything...they're just practical. Below is a summary, but I really suggest reading the whole thing by clicking

Putting Meat Back in Its Place
By MARK BITTMAN

1. Forget the protein thing (you'll get enough from beans, nuts, dairy, veggies, and whatever meat you do decide to take in)
2. Buy less meat.
3. Get it out of the center of the plate.
4. Buy more vegetables, and learn new ways to cook them.
5. Make nonmeat items as convenient as meat (by pre-cooking beans, grains, and veggies and storing them in the freezer or fridge for quick dinners mid-week).
6. Make some rules. Depending on your habits, it may be no bacon at breakfast; it may be no burgers at lunch; it may be no fast food, ever...
7. Look at restaurant menus differently.

Edible Landscapes

So planting season is over for this year, and, while some of you may be still enjoying the fruits of the harvest from your gardens and CSAs, most of us are turning our attention to rest...or to planning next year's garden? Here is a good article from Edible Front Range on edible landscapes. While some folks have turned to digging up their lawn entirely for a garden patch, this article talks more about incorporating edible plants into the landscape you are already working with. I would also recommend checking the book Perenniel Vegetables out of the library, so that you can begin to think about some no hassle plantings that will return year after year to provide you and your family with food!

Pick Some Apples with Earthworks Boston

Benjamin Crouch, City Fruit Program Director, sends the following request for volunteers in the Boston area:
"The Roxubry Russet apples at the Shirley Eustis House in Roxbury, MA are ready to be picked. Discovered in 1649 in our hometown, this is the oldest known variety of apple grown in the Americas! It is an all-purpose apple with crisp, tart flesh and a refreshing taste.
 
We need your help tomorrow (Monday, the 29th) from 4:30-7:00pm! Please email to sign up or call at 617-442-1059 if you have any questions. We will send you directions and instructions. Most of the harvest will be used for charitable purposes, but each volunteer is welcome to take home a small individual share (5-8 large apples per person). This event is open to all ages.
Thank you!"

World of Good's Smart Cart Quiz

World of Good just launched a "Smart Cart Quiz," that provides you with some sobering statistics. You should check it out, and email it to your friends to spread the word. Our dollars really can make a difference; even in these tighter economic times, we have a lot more dollars to go around than people in other parts of the world.

Lester Brown's Plan B

Here is an excerpt from Lester Brown's book Plan B 2.0: Rescuing a Planet Under Stress and a Civilization in Trouble:

It is decision time. Like earlier civilizations that got into environmental trouble, we can decide to stay with business as usual and watch our modern economy decline and eventually collapse, or we can consciously move onto a new path, one that will sustain economic progress. In this situation, no action is actually a decision to stay on the decline-and-collapse path.

It is hard to find the words to convey the gravity of our situation and the momentous nature of the decision we are about to make. How can we convey the urgency of this moment in history? Will tomorrow be too late? Do enough of us care deeply enough to turn the tide now?

I know you care deeply enough about it because you are reading this blog. But what are you DOING? To read more of Lester Brown's Plan B 2.0, visit the Earth Policy Institute's website, or get it from your local library. His new book, Plan B 3.0, is available for purchase at the same web site.

San Francisco plants organic garden at City Hall

So this post isn't necessarily timely in terms of when the story published (August), but it's pretty timely in terms of planning/lobbying/setting up an organizing committee for your own "town hall" victory garden for next summer. In anticipation of the first ever Slow Food Nation event in the US over Labor Day weekend 2008, organizers in San Francisco planted an organic vegetable garden in place of the lawn at City Hall. Read the whole article here.

Last year I read a book about Alice Waters, founder of famed Chez Panisse and organic food visionary, and it detailed her efforts to convince President and Mrs. Clinton to plant an organic garden at the White House during his term. Her idea was rejected, but maybe the next president will enjoy riding the current wave of growing and showcasing local and organic produce. From City Hall to the White House Lawn anyone? Or at least, to your town's common space?

Green Office goes PVC free

If you work in an office, you know it's very hard to avoid products made with PVC. They are in everything from binders, plastic document covers, tape, computer monitors, mouse pads, and paper clips. A company in the Bay Area called TheGreenOffice.com will be removing ALL polyvinyl chloride (PVC) – based products from its inventory in response to growing concerns about its harmful effects to health and the environment. PVC uses and releases highly hazardous chemicals including vinyl chloride, dioxins, mercury, phthalates, and other chemicals that have been linked to deterioration of the central nervous system, liver damage, reproductive harm, and certain cancers. This is a big step for The Green Office, as this represents more than 1,500 products in their inventory. We believe it’s the right thing to do and need your help making the PVC-Free Workplace Campaign a success. If you work in an office, please talk with whomever does your ordering and ask them to consider ordering from The Green Office. I'm not sure how their prices compare, but even if they are slightly higher (like when we buy organic food versus conventional food), the benefits to our planet and our personal health are worth it; we have to support leaders in the green economy.

WHAT IS PVC?
PVC is a commonly used plastic used to make many different building, office and consumer products such as vinyl binders. Health and environmental organizations have been raising concerns about the dangers of PVC for many years. In response, major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Target are phasing out certain PVC products in favor of safer alternatives.
According to the EPA, “Most vinyl chloride is used to make polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic and vinyl products. Acute (short-term) exposure to high levels of vinyl chloride in air has resulted in central nervous system effects (CNS), such as dizziness, drowsiness, and headaches in humans. Chronic (long-term) exposure to vinyl chloride through inhalation and oral exposure in humans has resulted in liver damage. Cancer is a major concern from exposure to vinyl chloride via inhalation, as vinyl chloride exposure has been shown to increase the risk of a rare form of liver cancer in humans. EPA has classified vinyl chloride as a Group A, human carcinogen.”
For more information, please visit the EPA website.
To learn more about the dangers of PVC, visit the Center for Health, Environment and Justice’s PVC Campaign website.

WHAT IS THEGREENOFFICE.COM?
TheGreenOffice.com is the only one-stop-shop for office supplies emphasizing sustainable, green products. We offer a full selection of competitively-priced products—each comprehensively ranked by “greenness” using our innovative Green Screen system and shipped via free, next-day, carbon-neutral shipping. TheGreenOffice.com helps businesses become greener by providing practical office greening tips and resources, a Webinar series, sustainability consulting, and Green Office Offsets™ that meet Kyoto Protocol standards. We are a certified B Corporation and Bay Area Green Business and are proud to be an ENERGY STAR Partner and Co-op America Green Business.

Vermont family launches GreenFoot car magnets

A homeschooling family in Vermont has launched Go Greenfoot, a campaign to build awareness around reducing one's carbon footprint. They have designed car magnets, available for $6 each or 2 for $10, that announce to the world that you are working to reduce your "footprint."

What started out as a school project to raise environmental awareness has turned into a business for the Emmons family, who created the "Greenfoot" car magnet. David Emmons, his wife Janet, and their three children, Maxson, 19, Katie, 13, and Abbie, 11, are using this project to spread the message of the importance of living “Green”.

As a school project that applied hands-on practical application, the girls were asked to think of a way to raise awareness on the impact an individual's lifestyle can have on the environment and to let people know how easy it can be to reduce a person's carbon footprint. After considering billboards and other ideas, the family decided to work together on creating car magnets. "We all figured it would be something you could see all the time," Janet Emmons said.

The family went right to work. “Our daily life became all about artwork, trademarks, copyrights, packaging, displays, and more artwork, we each had a part to play in this creative process,” David said.

“We determined from the start that we would have everything made locally so that the children would see first hand the positive impact you can have on our own community,” their mother said. With the help of a local print shop to print the package the magnet is sold with and a Hubbardton blacksmith to make displays out of recycled products, the children were able to watch every step of the process.

Through the process the family incorporated school and life lessons in art, marketing, advertising and much more, but what the family learned most was the importance of living green and the impact individuals can have on the world.

"I learned that by doing little things in your daily life, little things like recycling and turning off lights when you leave a room, can really help," Katie said. “I’ve always tried to recycle … but now I really think about things like ‘I should probably turn this off,’” she said. “I’m definitely more aware of it now.”

Maxson said one thing he learned was the effect anyone, including families in small-town Vermont, can have on their world. “It’s been exciting to watch this whole thing take off,” he added.

The lessons learned were exactly what their mother said she had hoped for at the beginning of the project.
”The main thing I wanted them to learn is that they can make a difference. So many times people feel powerless in the world and I think they learned that everybody doing a little can affect the world,” she said.

Since hitting store shelves in June, the “Greenfoot” magnets’ popularity is growing. The family routinely spots the magnets as they travel around Vermont, David Emmons said. Although he said it is exciting to see magnets on what he calls “vehicles of awareness,” the family sees this as the beginning wave of people committing to a lifestyle of living “green”. “Our dream is to raise awareness all across the country,” their father said.

To help make this dream come true, the family has constructed a Web site at www.gogreenfoot.com. The site allows people to share what they are doing to live a “greener” life, get tips on what they can do to help and learn more about the project. You can buy your Greenfoot magnet on the site and storeowners will find information on how to order them for their stores.

We Can Solve It's Green Jobs Now events Sept 27th

This is courtesy of Matt, Lauren, Melissa and the rest of the online team at We Can Solve It:
Join tens of thousands of Americans of all backgrounds for an unprecedented National Day of Action calling for Green Jobs Now to Build the New Economy.

On Saturday, September 27th, the We Campaign, 1Sky, and Green for All will hold events across the country to send the message that it is time to Repower America with 100% clean electricity within 10 years and lift people out of poverty.
September 27th is only one week away, so sign up to host or attend an event today! It's easy and it'll be fun.

The solutions to our climate crisis are simple. Make the switch to clean, renewable energy, end our dependence on fossil fuels, and revitalize our economy. With energy costs and utility bills increasing unchecked, and millions of green collar jobs at stake, there is no time to waste.

We'll be there on September 27th to say it's time to Repower America with Green Jobs Now. Sign up today and join us!

Greenzer: New Green Goods in One Place, and Rated, too!

Greenzer is a new online guide that helps consumers shop for “green” products from online retailers selling eco-friendly items, including Patagonia, Zappos, eBags and GAIAM. 
 
The site also offers green lifestyle content, such as the Daily Greenz blog highlighting green products, services and ideas; buyer's guides to help shoppers find products that are good for them and the environment; and green face-offs, comparing conventional products with a greener alternative.
 
There are 10,000+ products currently offered on the site across ten categories, including apparel and accessories, beauty, pets, babies and kids, electronics, home and garden and travel.  Everything offered on Greenzer.com must meet a minimum green requirement, with select products listing a “Greenzer Score” number. 
 
The “Greenzer Score” uses a proprietary, patent-pending technology to aggregate and weigh a number of factors to determine a product’s “greenness” and give select products a “greenness number” (from 0-10).  The technology uses information generated by Greenzer, third parties like Climate Counts, and manufacturer-supplied information, and looks at a product's overall impact on the environment (i.e. Does it run on rechargeable batteries?), its green attributes (Is it made from recycled materials?  Does it use organically grown materials?), green labels/certifications and the manufacturer's overall green practices.

Next time you buy new (after you've exhausted the second-hand shops, Craigslist and Freecycle, mind you), try out Greenzer.

Dig N Swap: on-line clothes swapping

Dig N Swap is up and running! I get all kinds of emails from companies promoting their sustainable fashion lines, believe it or not. Usually I just delete them because I don't think spending $149 for a new hemp shirt is really in line with the "living simply" part of Conscious Consuming. If you want to spend that kind of money on one shirt because it's really what you value, have at it; just don't ask me to promote it for you, you know? The Dig N Swap concept is something different. It builds on the increasing popularity of the clothes swapping phenomenon and takes it to the next level--online. Clothes swapping parties have become all the rage as women look to renew their wardrobe without breaking the bank, but it's not that likely that your friends will have exactly what you're looking for in the size you'll need.

Dig N Swap looks to complement the real-world parties, which are as much about social interaction as they are about clothes, by creating an online community where fashion-conscious women can communicate, share insights, and trade clothes and accessories. Users list items they are looking to trade and accept or decline trade offers from other users. The founder, Li Qiu, has spent the last year talking to women about the features they would like to see in the website, and implementing the insights they have provided in an easy-to-use website which you can visit at www.dignswap.com.

Li Qui is extremely dedicated to sustainable development and to an eco-friendly lifestyle, and she is confident that Dig N Swap contributes modestly to alleviate the pressure on our planet's resources by recycling items that would otherwise be discarded, and by allowing users to acquire new items in an eco-friendly way that encourages reuse and discourages waste.

Green Service Provider Directory

The next time you are looking to remodel or renovate in the Boston area, visit the NEXUS Green Service Provider Directory (GSPD). This free resource enables building owners and renters, homeowners, or individuals to quickly find professional services related to green building, green living or sustainable development.

According to the NEXUS website, "The GSPD is not meant to certify or endorse green professionals. Rather, the purpose of the GSPD is to consolidate and publicize information about a service provider's background, such that the consumer is empowered to make an informed decision when selecting a service provider. The intent is to create a resource whereby consumers can evaluate a variety of companies across a range of experience and credentials."

Sounds like conscious consumerism to me!

News from the Green Roundtable

Many of you requested access to the resources from the event and so we posted the Walk Lightly presentation and a few additional resources on the NEXUS website. There are plenty more resources and some good places to look are:

The Low Impact Living Carbon Calculator to get you started: www.lowimpactliving.com/pages/getting-started/getting-started

The MA Climate Action Network and their Low Carbon Diet Program: www.massclimateaction.org

The Consumer’s Guide to Effective Environmental Choices written by Michael Brower & Warren Leon

For Green Building tips, materials and more visit Building Green: www.buildinggreen.com or

The Green Roundtable’s NEXUS Green Building Resource Center – www.nexusboston.com

For Massachusetts Renewable Energy Trust for solar, wind, hydro rebates – www.masstech.org

A list of all the state’s energy efficiency and renewable incentives/rebates available to you: http://www.dsireusa.org

We will be hosting another Walk Lightly – Low Impact Living presentation on October 23^rd at 6pm – spread the word.

Please note that NEXUS is now open for weekend hours on the second Saturday of each month. Please keep these events in mind as an opportunity to bring your family, colleagues and/or friends to learn more and spread the energy of all of our green efforts!

Green your home, green your life.

10 ^am Gain tools to green your home and life,

11 ^am Attend a class on greening your home,

12 ^pm Ask a green expert about greening your home, and

1 ^pm Tour our green office at NEXUS

When Second Saturday of every month, 10 am–2 pm

Where NEXUS, 38 Chauncy St., 7th Floor, Boston, MA 02111

How RSVP at www.nexusboston.com/space/events

Thanks again and please don’t hesitate to contact us with interesting information, comments and suggestions or stories about your greening successes and challenges.

Best,

Phoebe

Phoebe Beierle

Buy It Like You Mean It

Clay Ward from Buy It Like You Mean It sent along this guest blog post: ( Thanks, Clay...we love what you're doing!)

We are ready for a more personal civic engagement than has ever before been possible. We buy organic more than any other generation has and we are starting to buy local. We collaborate with strangers to make software, music, and wikipedia and we share the results freely. If we have not been present at protests or meetings, it is because we have been waiting for a more efficient, personal, and virtually supported civic engagement. In Buy It Like You Mean It we have created just such a tool for real systemic change that responds to and empowers the specific concerns of its users.

The daily process of spending money is the most fundamentally untapped means for individuals in our culture to act on their values. As socially responsible spending carves out newly profitable market shares, advertising is now more "green" than the products it promotes. Convenient access to centralized, trusted, and customized information will be required before consumers can realize the potential for civic engagement that the free market has only promised. Buy It Like You Mean It is beginning to provide that access in a user-centered format.

Buy It Like You Mean It now enables us to collaboratively describe the real world impacts of consumer products. We are starting by focusing on the chocolate industry, reviewing and rate the performance of the manufacturers, packagers, shippers, and retailers that produce chocolate products. Each company's performance is further broken down so that reviews are linked to consumer interest categories like climate change contribution, human rights, or free market policies.

Soon shoppers will be able to send us text messages and emails containing a chocolate product's bar code. Our system will use the stated interests of the shopper to assign the product a score between 1 (very bad) to 9 (very good). Within seconds the shoppers will receive a reply listing the product's score and a list of suggested alternatives.

In this way we hope to:

1. Allow consumers to buy products that support their own unique values.

2. Assist companies in tracking the practices and reputations of links in their supply chain.

3. Reward positive incremental change as companies experiment with socially responsible product lines and subsidiaries.

Buying from an independent business just got easier

Well I know a lot of you already support locally owned, independent businesses. But what if you travel somewhere and want to find an independent coffee shop? Or if you have moved and aren't sure where to find an independent bookseller? Delocator.net was launched with the intention of helping people locate precisely these locally owned, independent businesses across the country (and in Canada and the UK, thanks to the web-meme component of Delocator). There are over 5000 entries in the database so far, and anyone can submit their favorite local and indpendent book stores, coffee houses, and movie theaters in any US zip code. I checked out Boulder and found a list of 25 locally owned coffee houses in my area.

Become active on Delocator.net or Delocator.Mapyourcity.Net and help promote independent businesses across the country!

Green Patriot Posters

If you are an artist or designer, why not try your hand at developing a "Green Patriot" poster to help build awareness about what ordinary people can do to help fight climate change? The Canary Project and its partners are running a campaign to commission poster designs from leading firms and designers and also to solicit other designs through a national competition, beginning in September. You can enter on-line and also vote on the submissions of other artists and designers. Visit the Green Patriot Poster website for more details about the poster competition, or to take action in your community.

Women’s Garden Cycles Bike Tour

Woah! Check out these three awesome women who biked from D.C. to Montreal to raise awareness about local foods. Their story is being turned into a movie as we speak. For now, check out their blog:
Women’s Garden Cycles Bike Tour

FLOW - Our Water Crisis on the Big Screen

From the Center for a New American Dream:

"FLOW: For the Love of Water", a feature-length documentary directed by Irena Salina, will give you even more reasons to Break the Bottled Water Habit as it traces the story behind mankind's most precious resource: water.

Featuring interviews with scientists and activists who reveal the building global water crisis, the film, a Special Selection at the 2008 Film Festival, introduces many of the governmental and corporate forces behind the use of water resources that are quietly drying up. By making the connections between the corporate structure that has come to control humanity's water supply around the world the film begs the question "Can anyone really own water?"

This documentary and its unforgettable message are coming to locations around the country over the next several months.

Tracey Smith's "The Book of Rubbish Ideas"

Our friend and collaborator Tracey Smith, founder of the UK's National Downshifting Week (renamed International Downshifting Week in 2008), has recently published a book called The Book of Rubbish Ideas. Congratulations, Tracey!!! She also has a great website dedicated to the ideas in the book. Here is a word from her publicist:

Tracey Smith takes you through each and every room in your house and outdoor spaces in this easy reference guide to reducing household waste. From bedroom to bathroom and study to shed, The Book of Rubbish Ideas has a host of tried, tested and inexpensive ideas for cutting through the clutter to reveal a greener and simpler way of life.

Whether you donate your read magazines to the local surgery or start washing your clothes with eco balls, set up a neighbourhood car share for the weekly trip to the shops or make your own natural yoghurt, the book is packed with small changes to make a big difference; to your lifestyle and the environment.

By positively embracing the idea of living with less you can slow down, green up and save money along the way.

Eco-friendly celebs including BBC presenters Penney Poyzer and Brigit Strawbridge (It’s Not Easy Being Green), pop star turned gardener Kim Wilde and top designer Wayne Hemingway give their top green tips. The book is interspersed with sample letters that readers can use to get active with local authorities, nearby shops, the village school and enthuse friends and neighbours.

Tracey Smith is the founder of International Downshifting Week which encourages people to slow down and embrace a simpler and greener way of life (www.downshiftingweek.com). She is a writer and broadcaster on the subject and presents the radio show Slow Down and Green Up. Her goal is to normalise sustainable living and take the freaky out of eco; she was shortlisted for the ITV Eco Hero Award. Tracey is a Trustee for the National Association for Children of Alcoholics.

Backyard Chickens

I have been toying with the idea of backyard chickens for a while now, and found this great article on EcoSpace about building a chicken trailer. The concept reminds me of Joel Salatin's method of rotating chickens through his property as described in The Omnivore's Dilemma. My cousin has chickens and just self-harvested them for the first time this summer...ewww!!! Luckily I don't eat meat so I wouldn't have to butcher my chickens; even though the thought of doing it makes my stomach turn, I applaud her for dealing with her own meat consumption. If more people did this there would be far fewer meat eaters, and those that did eat meat would eat it less often. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recently called for a reduction of personal meat consumption as one of the top things people can do to affect climate change. While we've known that for a while, it's even more powerful coming from such a well respected group of scientists.

If raising backyard chickens isn't your idea of a good time, perhaps you'd consider having an "all-vegetarian" potluck with your friends or family in honor of World Vegetarian Day in October? You can show people that vegetarian food is delicious, and talk about climate change as one of the big reasons to reduce meat consumption. Maybe you could even inspire yourself or your guests to take the 30 Day Veg Pledge!

International Coastal Clean Up

Check out this video about The Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Clean Up on September 20th. If you have been meaning to make some time for volunteering but can't commit to a regular gig, this is a fantastic one-day opportunity to organize some friends or family members to make a difference:

Wikipedia founder starts Wikia Green

Wikia Green brings together volunteers, experts, existing authorities and content to provide a fresh perspective on environmental issues and sustainable practices

Wikia, Inc., the leading provider of community resources for building and organizing free information on every topic, today announced the formal launch of Wikia Green— a project to build a community generated online resource that is home to the best information about green topics and issues. Based on the wiki platform, Wikia Green is an ever-evolving, community-focused repository of content that can be instantly molded or changed by anyone to reflect the most current topics of interest and latest information in the green arena.

"Today we are formally inviting anyone who is interested and knowledgeable about ecological issues to join us in creating something that we hope will become a valuable resource for society," said Jimmy Wales, Co-founder and Chairman of the board, Wikia, Inc. "As the whole notion of 'going green' has exploded, so too has the volume of related information floating around out there on the Internet. It has come to a point where, for the average person looking for tips on how to lead a more sustainable lifestyle, it can be somewhat difficult to know where to start and Wikia Green is looking to be just that place."

Wikia Green strives to make important ecological information accessible to everyone who seeks it and the site will initially focus on six main content areas, including:
• How To guides, which provide step-by-step details on how to implement greener practices into your life or business
• Go Local, where towns, cities and states can share details on how acting local can contribute to reduce global carbon emissions
• The Green Movement, where all the individuals and organizations involved in efforts to protect the environment are being identified—including organizations, campaigns, activist's, celebrities, political parties and more
• Sustainable Living, where articles are being written about how to reduce your carbon footprint, how to reuse and recycle, etc.
• Environmental issues such as current emissions problems, global warming, local and global environmental politics
• Green science and technology, where users are discussing and documenting information about renewable energy sources, hybrid vehicles, green computing, and other technical things that can contribute to reduce fossil fuel dependence and carbon emissions

To learn more or to become a member of the Wikia Green community, please visit: http://green.wikia.com.

About Wikia, Inc.
Since Wikia's launch in November 2004, more than 1 million articles on 6,000 topics have been created and edited by over 350,000 registered users in 70 languages and attracts over 18mm unique visitors a month.

Wikia enables groups to share information, news, stories, media and opinions that fall outside the scope of an encyclopedia. Jimmy Wales and Angela Beesley launched Wikia to provide community-based wikis inspired by the model of Wikipedia -- the free, open source encyclopedia founded by Jimmy Wales. Please note, however, that Wikia is an independently operated company and therefore Wikia and all of Wikia's subsequent projects, including the Wikia Search project, are in no way related to Wikipedia.org or The Wikimedia Foundation.

Wikia is committed to openness, inviting anyone to contribute web content. Authors retain their own copyrights and allow others to freely reuse their content under a variety of GNU and Creative Commons Licenses, allowing widespread distribution of knowledge and ideas.

Boston event: The Global Food Crisis: A Rural Roundtable

The Global Food Crisis: A Rural Roundtable
Friday, September 12
10 am-1 pm

Mezzanine Conference Room, Johnson Building
Boston Public Library at 700 Boylston St

The Rural Development Leadership Network (RDLN), a national multicultural social change organization that supports leadership development in poor rural areas, will gather in Boston for a "Rural Roundtable" on the world food crisis and how the work of U.S. grassroots leaders in the food system relates to the global situation.

Dr. Daniel Gustafson, Director of the Liaison Office for North America of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will open with a presentation on the scope of the current world food crisis. He has worked in Brazil, Bhutan, Mozambique, Kenya, India and other countries. Members of the RDLN Network, who include small farmers, farmworkers, fishers, entrepreneurs, and those concerned with diet and health, will speak from the community point of view.

UNA-GB serves as a resource for the citizens of the Greater Boston area on the broad agenda of critical global issues addressed by the United Nations, including peacekeeping, human rights, humanitarian relief, economic development, and education. A membership organization founded more than 50 years ago, UNA-GB is a leading chapter of UNA-USA, the largest grassroots foreign policy organization in the United States.

Purchisil -- buy it today!

Here's a great video from one of my friends at the Yale Forestry School. It's a fun way to talk about consumerism while getting the point across too. Enjoy!

The Green Guide

The digital edition of National Geographic's Green Guide is now available. Visit their website for great articles on greening your child's school, buying eco friendly school supplies, how to make the most of late season peaches, and food storage solutions that work in the microwave.

World of Good opens partnership with eBay

Courtesy of Lauren Stower at WorldofGood.com Outreach:

I’m very excited to let you in on some exciting news: we have unveiled WorldofGood.com by eBay, the brand new ethical marketplace that brings thousands of ethical products from hundreds of sellers together — all on onetrusted platform!

http://www.world-of-good.com/marketplace

At last, consumers who care can easily align their purchases with their values, casting each dollar like a vote for change— whether they’re buying sweatshop-free, animal friendly, or environmentally sustainable products.

So share the good news with conscious consumers like your readership—and help us inspire millions more across the country to put their purchasing power where their heart is!

And an aside from yours truly: The best purchase for the environment is not to buy at all, and the second best is to buy used. If you need something, first check out Freecycle, Craig's List, yard sales, or your local second-hand shop. There are things we must buy new from time to time, and World of Good is a nice rescource for this second tier of shopping.

Do We Really Have to make this trip?

Linda Armstrong left such a great comment on our post "2,000-Watt Society...could we do it?" that I had to share. Sometimes I feel like not too many people read the comments, so I wanted to make sure to share this one with you all. I confess I don't agree with all her points 100%, but that's what debate is all about. At least she got me thinking:

Get a copy of the July 7 and 14 New Yorker. The article begins on page 69. It also discusses an energy efficient building in Switzerland. I think we could save a lot by requiring such efficiency in the construction of new government buildings and schools. Solar is problematic at this point. The panels do not last long enough or produce enough power to pay for themselves. Passive solar heating (south-facing windows) and geothermal are more promising. I think the question we in the US must ask ourselves first is, "Do we really have to make this trip?"

1. Do office workers have to commute when they could work at their computers and answer work phones from home?
2. Do business travelers have to fly when they could hold conference calls or do virtual conferencing in local TV studios?
3. Do children have to be bused to distant schools and sporting events? In LA, busing for integration is a joke. Less than 2 percent of students in the city are white. It isn't doing anybody any good and it's spewing carbon into the atmosphere.
4. Should public servants such as police officers and teachers live 40 miles away from their jobs? Wouldn't they understand the people they worked with better if they lived within 5 or 10 miles?
5. Should doctors and other professionals live 40 miles from the people they serve? Shouldn't neighborhoods be better balanced? They used to be when I was a kid.
6. Should film stars be celebrated for having lots of kids (and thus encouraging others to follow suit)? Shouldn't people think about the resources consumed by a person during a lifetime? It's not an act of generousity to, um, multiply. What's wrong with just one loved child?
7. Shouldn't we be supporting the expansion and improvement of passenger train service in the US? So what if it doesn't make money? Public roads don't make money, either.
8. Shouldn't we be expanding and improving our national railroads? Trucking is fine for local loads. Freight belongs on trains. Trains can be powered in a number of different ways. Europe is way ahead of us in this regard.
9. Shouldn't we be promoting local travel and ways to have fun closer to home?
10. Should't we be developing fashions that wash easily and dry quickly?
11. Shouldn't we be tapping our national imagination for holding competitions for ways to generate and save evergy? For example, how about a sculpture competition--moving sculptures that generate energy--tides? wind? How about an architecture competition for a new government, church, or business building that would be self-sustaining? Gates, are you listening?--offer a prize!

Posted by Linda Armstrong

Making Local Food last

If you have been harvesting your own food from the garden, getting inundated with your CSA box, or shopping for locally grown food at your nearest market, the thought of preserving food has likely crossed your mind. I am aspiring to can and otherwise preserve my own food as a way to eat more locally in the winter. I read a great article about the resurgence of making jams, complete with recipes and jamming tips. If videos are more your speed, you can also watch a video about easy food preservation tips on the Ball jar website. On the same topic, you can also read about Chef Tory Miller of L'Etoile's methods of putting food by for the winter. He has to manage food for a whole restaurant...we can at least learn to preserve some of the bounty for our own families.

Here's an easy way to get started: berries. All you have to do is go berry picking or buy a whole mess of berries at their height of flavor and then freeze them on cookie trays. After they freeze separately you can put them in a ziplock and enjoy smoothies for months to come! Yum!!!

Idealist Graduate Degree Fairs Coming to A City Near You!

Many Conscious Consumers evaluate whether they are spending the majority of their time in line with their values, doing something they love. In light of that fact, we are sharing the following, courtesy of Meg Busse at Idealist:

If you are thinking of going back to graduate school, checkout our Idealist Graduate Degree Fairs at
www.idealist.org/gradfairs.

At each of these fairs, you will meet representatives from 60 to 120 of the leading nonprofit-related graduate programs in the country, representing degrees ranging from MPAs and MBAs through Law, Social Work, International Relations, Urban Planning, and many more.

This fall we will be in:

New York, September 10
Boston, September 15
Toronto, September 18
Washington, DC, September 19
Philadelphia, September 22
San Francisco, September 30
Los Angeles, October1
Portland, October 4
Seattle, October 7
Vancouver, October 10
Chicago, October 20
Ann Arbor, October 21
St. Louis, October 23
Durham, October 27
New Orleans, October 30
Atlanta, November 3

For more information, to register (it's free!), and to see a list of the schools attending each fair, just go to
www.idealist.org/gradfairs and click on your city.

And if you want to get a sense of who you'll meet at these fairs, and
why you should attend, watch this two-minute video.


* IDEALIST NONPROFIT CAREER GUIDES *
The second reason I am writing is to invite you to take a look at two free books that can help you or other people you know find a nonprofit job.

The Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers for First-time Job Seekers and
The Idealist Guide to Nonprofit Careers for Sector Switchers are both
available to download for free.

Happy Searching!

Don't Move Firewood Campaign

Here's something I know nothing about: camping. True, I've been known to spend a few days in nature, but there's always a toilet nearby, and I don't mean those bushes over there.

For those of you who are more outdoors-inclined, this local firewood campaign might be of interest:

Did you know that by transporting firewood you may unintentionally spread invasive insects and diseases that can destroy trees and reshape entire forests? State and federal quarantines attempt to prevent such damage by prohibiting firewood transport into or out of certain areas, or limiting transport to a specified radius.

Continue reading at UCS's website.

We were the featured non-profit on Change.org this week!

We were very excited to read in the weekly Change.org email that we were their featured non-profit this week. They have over 1,000,000 nonprofits registered, so that was pretty great news! Visit us on Change.org, sign up as a supporter for our cause, and join a social networking site that is dedicated to making a positive difference in our world. It's free to register, and you can launch actions that might inspire others about the issues about which you are most passionate.

"Making Do Without the Minivan"

In Newsweek's My Turn Essay this week, "Making Do Without the Minivan," Jennifer Perrow describes her family's summertime attempt to reduce their reliance on their minivan. She says:

I love the high cost of gas. It's forced our family to rethink our spending habits and our carbon footprint, and we're finding we can do much more on much less than we thought

.
By reducing family driving and walking or biking more, she notes that "life feels simpler." What I especially liked about her experiment is that what started out as reducing driving became more of an experiment in voluntary simplicity. She notes that errands that had her running in the car here or there have been eliminated in favor spending time with the kids and the family dog.

One of my favorite things about becoming a conscious consumer is its spiraling nature; you start out examining one thing, like the way you drive, or the way you eat, use energy, spend your time, etc., and pretty soon you begin to realize how connected all of those things are. By becoming conscious of how you do any of these things can lead to greater awareness about how you are (or aren't!) living your values on a daily basis.

Growth in Local Foods

Here is a great article by GERRY SMITH of the McCLATCHY-TRIBUNE (8/13/08) about the growth of the localvore movement. I put an excerpt from the article below, but click the link above to read the whole thing.

CHICAGO - Last month, Lenae Weichel embarked on an ambitious dietary experiment: to feed her family for a year with food produced within 100 miles of her Rockford, Ill., home.

Inspired by a Vancouver couple who wrote a book on their ‘‘100-mile diet,’’ she joined a community-supported agriculture program, visited her local farmers market and started growing fruits and vegetables in her backyard.

Weichel, 33, is an extreme example of a vibrant movement of ‘‘locavores,’’ or consumers who try to shorten the distance between their food and its origin, largely from a desire to eat fresher produce, support their local farmers and reduce the carbon pollution associated with transporting goods. Only a few set 100 miles as a strict limit; others might just seek produce from the Midwest. But eating locally grown food, an idea once limited to hard-core environmentalists, is gaining traction among mainstream consumers. Already the movement has inspired a slew of books, prompted restaurants to use local food as a selling point and established ‘‘locavore’’ as the Word of the Year for 2007, according to the Oxford American Dictionary.

Nationwide, the local foods market was valued at $5 billion last year and is projected to grow to $7 billion by 2011, according to Packaged Facts, a publisher of food market research. By comparison, U.S. organic food sales were nearly $17 billion in 2006, up from $1 billion in 1990, according to the Organic Trade Association.

100% Renewable Power in 10 Years

The Post-Carbon Institute released a response to Al Gore's challenge to the US to produce 100% renewable energy in 10 years (by 2018). The first (and arguably most important) step in the plan is:

Reduce consumption and reduce waste—not just of fossil fuels but of energy overall and of raw materials, almost all of which require energy to exploit and transport. Reducing consumption is vital in making the goal of 100% renewable electricity achievable, both to reduce the amount of renewable power we need to generate and because it will greatly reduce the cost of installing it.

You can read the full text of The Post-Carbon Institute's 10-point plan here. How's that for forward thinking?

Slow Food Boston farm visit and food preservation classes

Willow, Peggy, and Alex of Slow Food Boston wanted to let all of Massachusetts Conscious Consumers know about an event on August 16th at Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton: 'Land to Sea: A Celebration of Local Foods.' Starting at 5:00pm, there will be farm tours and hayrides, live music, and amazing amazing local foodstuffs like a lobsterbake, cheeses, breads wine & beer. None of which is to be outdone by the freshly picked veggies from the farm, of course! Call them at 978-468-3720 for more information or to reserve. Cost is $79 for adults and $12 for kids.

The Slow Food Boston food preserving classes at Haley House have been selling out quickly - pickling with Rick Field is this Friday. Next one up is tomato sauces, salsas & dehydrating Sunday, August 24th. Coming up on the evening of Wednesday, August 27th, we'll be hosting a talk and tasting of Slow Food ARK of Taste summer fruits at the NonProfit Center downtown. September brings a fermenting foods class at Haley House, grass-fed dairy workshop, and a celebration of fall with beer. Visit Slow Food Boston for more information!

How to Save $ and Still Eat Healthy

A writer in Colorado recently wrote an article in the Pueblo Chieftan about how to continue to eat healthfully as prices rise. Some of his tricks include buying a local half cow and keeping it in the freezer, switching to bone-in chicken thighs rather than chicken breasts, buying head lettuces rather than "salad mix," supplementing veggies with a backyard garden, and buying laying hens rather than eggs. You can read all about it here. If you are wondering how to get grass fed beef in your area (and maybe find out how to buy 1/2 a cow), visit Eat Wild.

Urban Orchards, Volunteerism, and Ice Cream: What a combination!

We've written before about one of our favorite Boston non-profits, Earthworks. Benjamin Crouch, Director of Progams says:

This Saturday, August 2, come to JP Licks flagship store at 659 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, to try the new Sour Cherry Sorbet. This is the first in a series of Earthworks flavors that JP Licks will produce this summer from fruit grown in our City Fruit orchards. Volunteers helped pick the sour cherries from trees in Jamaica Plain, Roxbury and Dorchester.
 
We are using the partnership to promote our new City Fruit initiative. The project promotes the concept of urban orchards as a sustainable solution to nutrition deficiencies and problems with food security. We are also using the promotion to attract volunteer orchard stewards and connect fruit to charitable organizations. Come show your support for the cause, try the sorbet, and meet EarthWorks Executive Director, Andrew Birch, who will be on hand from 2pm - 6pm.
 
More City Fruit harvests are on the way. Look for opportunities to come pick with us
in August and September.

 

Boston Green Drinks meets August 5th

Thanks to Mike Prager of Boston Green Drinks for this post:

Our first gathering for August will be on the 5th at Globe Bar and Cafe, 565 Boylston St., facing Copley Square. We'll be in the balcony section.

In news, two dispatches from the state's continued green efforts:
New biofuels law
The governor yesterday signed The Clean Energy Biofuels Act, which will "make Massachusetts the first state to exempt cellulosic biofuels from state gas taxes, creating economic incentives for companies while requiring that the fuels meet strict greenhouse gas reduction standards," according to the Globe story . "The law also requires all diesel and home heating fuel to be 2 percent biofuels by 2010 and 5 percent by 2013."

Rate decoupling
And last week, the Department of Public Utilities decoupled utility rates from sales volume, so that a utility doesn't feel compelled to sell more electricity in order to make more profit. The move was one outcome of the previously signed Green Communities Act.

Fundraiser
Beat the Heat is a climate change campaign fundraiser being conducted by Earthwatch Institute. It will be at the Washburn Pavilion on the Charles at the Museum of Science on Aug. 14. Tickets are $100 now, $125 at the door. More info here .

EcoWaste Coalition: Surviving the Crisis with Cost-Cutting Tips for the Pocket and the Planet

I came along this blog posting by the EcoWaste Coalition in my work. The posting talks about what you can do to save money. Suggestions include turning off lights when you're not using them, walk instead of drive, and buy less stuff.

Thing is, these suggestions are for people who live in the Philippines, and are arguably less wealthy than we are. Yet, they are finding the same ways to cut back as we are. Shouldn't that mean we should be cutting back more, since arguably we could afford to do so?

How do you measure up?

How happy are you? This eternal question has been tried and tested repeatedly, in many forms, using scientific and not-so-scientific methods.

This time, the American Human Development Project has put together their own measurement system for Americans, so we can see how we compare to each other. You can even calculate your own "development" based on some specifics about yourself on their calculator. Apparently I'm pretty happy, but not as happy as if I lived in New York City (which I disagree with), but happier than most other races in America.

Well, I won't take these results to the bank, but it was pretty fun to take the test.

Digital Fidgeting

The July 21, 2008 issue of Newsweek had an article by a guy named N'Gai Croal (why he agreed to have a byline reading American Geek is beyond me) callled "The Peril of Digital Fidgeting." He describes it thus:

What I'm describing is not multi-tasking--the kind you do at your desk as you toggle between email, IM, and Web pages, driving down productivity--but rather a new form of mobile perpetual-tasking, where moments of spare time are steadily filled in by constant communication...even the work I did on my PDA was a way of filling the void with some form of electronic activity.

He noticed how bad his digital fidgeting had become when his PDA died. Thank goodness he took a moment to take stock between Twitter feeds before the launch of his new life as an iPhone owner.

I am not trying to sound holier than thou (though I'm fairly certain that's the tone of this piece), but PUUHHLEEEZZE...How about "filling the void" by talking with your co-workers, your neighbors, and friendly faces sitting nearby? I fear that the allure of our virtual communities is partly so we don't have to participate in the actual community. Part of consciously consuming is examining whether the time we spend (to consume means to use up, afterall) is in support of our values. I hope our society does not devolve from coming together for our common good to a roomful of people shoring up their on-line personalities at the cost of their real ones.

A Comeback for the Electric Car!

If you haven't yet seen "Who Killed the Electric Car?", I highly recommend viewing it from your local library, Netflix, etc. It will get you all fired up about how the auto industry dragged its feet on electric cars in favor of continuing our oil dependence. Then you can begin to dream of an electric car of your own, just in time for the debut of the Tesla (projected to be in production of 20,000 units by 2010) and the Chevy Volt (10,000 units in 2010). The Atlantic Monthly had a write up on the coming of the Volt to the masses, and Elon Musk, chairman of Tesla Motors, was recently interviewed by Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria. An excerpt from the Newsweek article made me want to buy this guy a drink (so obvious, and yet so seemingly far away):

If you had a magic wand, what change would you make in America's energy policy?

I would certainly shift any subsidies on hydrocarbons to renewable energy. It's ludicrous to be subsidizing oil and coal and other things that clearly don't have a long-term future and bring great damage to the environment.

YES!!! Are the politicians listening??? Are we asking loudly enough???

2,000-Watt Society...could we do it?

Hopefully you had a chance to read Elizabeth Kolbert's article The Island in the Wind from the last post, but if you didn't, another thing she talks about in the article, which I hadn't heard of, is the 2,000 Watt Society. The basic premise is that in a sustainable world, people would consume about 2,000 watts of electricity per year for all of their daily activities: growing food, transportation, electricity, heat, etc. She goes on to say:

Most of the people in the world today consume far less than this. The average Bangladeshi, for example, uses only about twenty-six hundred kilowatt-hours a year—this figure includes all forms of energy, from electricity to transportation fuel—which is the equivalent of using roughly three hundred watts continuously. The average Indian uses about eighty-seven hundred kilowatt-hours a year, making India a one-thousand-watt society, while the average Chinese uses about thirteen thousand kilowatt-hours a year, making China a fifteen-hundred-watt society.
Those of us who live in the industrialized world, by contrast, consume far more than two thousand watts. Switzerland, for instance, is a five-thousand-watt society. Most other Western European countries are six-thousand-watt societies; the United States and Canada run at twelve thousand watts. One of the founding principles of the 2,000-Watt Society is that this disparity is in itself unsustainable. “It’s a basic matter of fairness” is how Stulz put it to me. But increasing energy use in developing countries to match that of industrialized nations would be unacceptable on ecological grounds. Were per-capita demand in the developing world to reach current European levels, global energy consumption would more than double, and were it to rise to the American level, global energy consumption would more than triple. The 2,000-Watt Society gives industrialized countries a target for cutting energy use at the same time that it sets a limit for growth in developing nations.

I'm sure that you, like me, get tired of hearing how many more resources the average American uses up when compared with people in the rest of the world, as the problem seems so insurmountable. The question is, what can you do? What would a 2,000 Watt a year life look like? Well, it would look a lot like all of the things we talk about all the time: energy effienciency, public transportation and biking/walking, local foodsheds, renewable energy, and a reduction in the culture of consumption. The Swiss researchers who came up with this model expressed their doubts that the US would or could go to from a 12,000 to a 2,000 watt society, but concluded that if global climate change models pan out as expected, we will be dragged, kicking and screaming, to adopt it.

The Island in the Wind goes Climate Positive

Elizabeth Kolbert wrote a great (long) article in The New Yorker this month about the island of Samso in Denmark, called The Island in the Wind. Samso is Denmark's climate positive energy experiment; the island not only produces all of its own energy using renewable sources, but it produces enough excess energy to offset the entire population's use of hydrocarbons for driving cars and tractors, and then some. Samso generates about 10% more energy than it consumes, using mostly wind, but also biomass, biodeisel, and solar. I would highly recommend reading the whole article, but here are two excerpts if you don't have time:

This year, the world is expected to burn through some thirty-one billion barrels of oil, six billion tons of coal, and a hundred trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The combustion of these fossil fuels will produce, in aggregate, some four hundred quadrillion B.T.U.s of energy. It will also yield around thirty billion tons of carbon dioxide. Next year, global consumption of fossil fuels is expected to grow by about two per cent, meaning that emissions will rise by more than half a billion tons, and the following year consumption is expected to grow by yet another two per cent.

“When we started, in 1997, nobody expected this to happen,” Hermansen told the group. “When we talked to local people, they said, Yes, come on, maybe in your dreams.” Each land-based turbine cost the equivalent of eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. Each offshore turbine cost around three million dollars. Some of Samsø’s turbines were erected by a single investor, like Tranberg; others were purchased collectively. At least four hundred and fifty island residents own shares in the onshore turbines, and a roughly equal number own shares in those offshore. Shareholders, who also include many non-residents, receive annual dividend checks based on the prevailing price of electricity and how much their turbine has generated.

Chicken Eaters Will Inherit the Earth...or will they?

Someone (OK, it was my dear hubby who would like have sound reasons to continue to eat meat) recently sent me the 2007 articleChicken Eaters Will Inherit the Earth.

The author writes:

raising livestock does create global warming emissions—cattle burp up a whole lot of methane, which is bad news for the environment. The good news is that, according to a study in the science journal Earth Interactions , chickens are a lot more energy efficient. They don’t emit staggering amounts of methane, and they only require “2 pounds of grain to produce a pound of meat, compared with about 6 pounds of grain for a feedlot cow and 3 pounds for a pig,” writes Salon.

And believe it or not, American vegetarians who consume dairy and eggs are emitting more greenhouse gases than nonvegetarians who consume poultry, dairy, and eggs but not red meat:

‘Astonishingly enough,’ says study coauthor Gidon Eshel, a Bard College geophysicist, ‘the poultry diet is actually better than lacto-ovo vegetarian.’ In other words, a roast chicken dinner is better for the planet than a cheese pizza. ‘If you need to eat dead animals, poultry is the way to go,’ says Eshel, a vegan.

Several people comment on the article with sound thoughts, including that a vegetarian does not necessarily increase cheese consumption when they stop eating meat, and most meat eaters DO eat cheese (the roast chicken dinner does not preclude a goat cheese salad on the side, etc.). Plus, unless the chicken is homegrown a la Barbara Kingsolver, you still have to account for the environmental costs of processing and transportation, not just the grain that the little feller eats. Environmentally it is best to eat a vegan diet, grown locally, as livestock is the 3rd largest cause of greenhouse gas emissions (behind electricity consumption and transportation). The rest of us will do our best to limit our intake of meat, dairy, AND processed foods, which also use up much more energy in processing than the nutritional energy they put into our bodies.

Personally, my bet is on the cockroaches for inheriting the earth, but who am I to say?

Slow Food Boston meets Aug 9th for a Farm Tour

Join Slow Food Boston for an up-close encounter with the Nubian goats at Valley View Farm. Join us at 10AM on Saturday, August 9, 2008, and see how delicious fresh and soft-ripened goat cheeses are made.

Elizabeth and Peter Mulholland's family farm overlooks the lovely Ipswich River in Topsfield, MA. We'll learn how the herd is hand-milked and the cheeses hand-crafted, and how a goat/cow cheese was developed using rich Jersey milk from a neighboring herd.

Next, we'll drive 10 minutes for a picnic at the beautiful Green Meadows Farm in Hamilton, MA. Diana Rodgers will introduce us to the farm, which is a certified organic farm growing fruits, vegetables and heritage breeds. Sandwiches for a picnic will be available for purchase at the farm stand for approximately $6.00, and you may want to bring a cooler to shop for the farm's products.

Price is $10, payable via Paypal or check, and attendance will be limited to the first 30 people. See Slow Food Boston website for more details and to reserve your spots today!

Check out the Slow Food Boston website to register and for information about other upcoming events!