Changing the Paradigm of How We Shop Responsibly

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The company Amazon seems poised to one day take over the world. Whether it’s the ability to shop for virtually whatever we want in our underpants, or their newest innovation of trying to bring same day delivery of goods, Amazon never ceases to amaze. By venturing into green items, the firm is looking to bring a whole new shopping experience to those conscious of the environment.

The new site will be called vine.com and aims to provide only the most environmentally friendly goods to your household.  The company’s mission statement is to, “[e]xamine and scrutinize the claims made by each supplier and manufacturer so that, when adding a product to their basket, consumers can enjoy peace of mind that a purchase really is organic.”

Here is a screenshot of the website:

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As you can see, the site offers a variety of products, ranging from household to grocery items.  That being said, we have seen some attempts by companies to make sustainable shopping easier and more convenient. One such example is Green America which, “…[i]s designed to help consumers source locally produced produce.” So what makes vine.com so different? Well, being that it is the brainchild of amazon.com, you know quality and customer satisfaction are assured. Based on its past successful ventures and ideas, the firm seems only to expand its business when the concept is right and can benefit a majority of people. My experiences with the parent site have only been positive, and it is safe to assume that I will expect the same kind of experience when I use vine.com. The fact that the site will have a dedicated team to making sure all of its products are environmentally friendly is both assuring and a sign of how far the green movement has come. With the help of vine.com, purchasing sustainable products will be even easier, and now with the added benefit of being able to do it in our favorite pair of Hanes.

Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/amazon-launches-vine-a-site-green-consumers-article-1.1170591#ixzz27oWhvXbj

Media Outlets Often Mislead on Climate Change

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In its analysis of media coverage of climate change, the Union of Concerned Scientists concluded, “93 percent of Fox News’ and 80 percent of the Wall Street Journal opinion pages’ climate coverage is inaccurate and misleading.  This is unfortunate because many people entrust major news sources to deliver true information.  Now we find that often news, especially that related to climate change sometimes is “fiction”.

Some scientists think that the failure to accurately report on climate change results from the lack old credibility of reporters on these topics.  It is common to see weather forecasters present as climate experts, and they are “about as credible as someone claiming to be an expert on the Greenland ice sheet because they eat ice cream”.  Also some news stations tend to lean to the right, with a substantial percentage of their audience being conservatives, who often dismiss the notion and relevance of climate change.  We all know that the bottom line for any television station is the ratings.

The important lesson to take away here is that with worthwhile endeavor, accurate information is key.  It is up to us as individuals to do our own research on issues of climate change and green living.  To accomplish this, we first have to seek reliable sources for our information.  A 30-second blurb on the evening news is not sufficient.  This situation presents a wonderful opportunity for each of us to engage our children and the school system for information on climate change.  Local government sources also are reliable for rules, ideas, and projects to help the environment, save money and to live healthy.

Let’s be good citizens and great stewards of this planet.  Strive to reap the benefits of healthy versus unhealthy living.  To save our planet, let’s learn green, live green, be green!

Bucking the Trend: Shocking Statistics on Congress and Environmental Policy

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Perusing through the web, I came across this telling statistic on Living Green Magazine regarding the U.S. House of Representatives and green policy making.

“The 112th Congress has adjourned until after the election but leaves us with a shocking statistic: Since January 2011, one out of every five votes during the last 2 years was to undermine environmental protections.”

Now keep in mind, we have no insight into why these bills were passed over and ultimately rejected. As we all know, laws are especially difficult to pass with a partisan government, let alone the petulant bi-partisan one we have today. Yet, by all indications, votes were not cast in a rational basis through facts and hard evidence (I mean what the hell is all that gibberish anyway). Rather, as the article indicates, “The House’s anti-environment votes largely fell along party lines: 94 percent of Republican members voted for the anti-environment positions, while 87 percent of Democratic members voted for the pro-environment positions.” And even more shocking was that some of these votes were cast in an attempt to weaken the “Clean Air Act,” a 40 year old bill which regulates air pollution.

Among the other reprehensible attempts to undermine environmental policy include:

1. 39 votes were to weaken protection of public lands and wildlife.

2. 31 votes were to undermine Clean Water Act protections.

3. 37 votes were to block action to address climate change.

With election day coming up and the topic of healthcare on everybody’s mind, environmental policy may take a relative back seat so-to-speak. Yet, as we’ve made it clear here at livegreenbegreen,  affects everyone, and everyone has the ability to affect it. Making the planet cleaner and safer to live in requires both parties to lay down their swords, and come to the table seeking compromise. Only in this way can we, as a nation, move toward a world in which we all live green, and be green.

source: http://livinggreenmag.com/2012/09/26/energy-ecology/u-s-house-of-representatives-is-voted-the-most-anti-environmental-congress-in-history/

The Toxic Twenty

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Living in New York, and more specifically for the past four years in New York City, air quality was always a concern. Whether it was the plumes of smog or the beautiful eminence that was city bus exhaust, breathing felt more like a chore than anything else. That being said, the  Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) just released its newest report of its top twenty “toxic” states according to emissions in the US sector from the year 2010.  Pollution statistics were broken down by state into their most prevalent types i.e coal in Ohio. To our delight, the study found a, “9 percent decrease in all air toxins emitted from power plants in 2010, in comparison to 2009 levels.” This was due in large part because of the emphasis on clean energy, and more specifically natural gas. Comparably, the top two states occupying the list, Kentucky and Ohio, ranked so highly because the majority of their emissions were in the form of coal-fired power plants. So take a look and see how your state ranks, if at all, on the “Toxic Twenty”, and be sure to check out the NRDC report below.

The “Toxic Twenty″ list (from worst to best) are:

  1. Kentucky
  2. Ohio
  3. Pennsylvania
  4. Indiana
  5. West Virginia
  6. Florida
  7. Michigan
  8. North Carolina
  9. Georgia
  10. Texas
  11. Tennessee
  12. Virginia
  13. South Carolina
  14. Alabama
  15. Missouri
  16. Illinois
  17. Mississippi
  18. Wisconsin
  19. Maryland
  20. Delaware

source: http://livinggreenmag.com/2012/09/07/energy-ecology/worst-states-for-toxic-air-pollution-are-listed-where-do-you-live/

NRDC report: http://www.nrdc.org/air/files/toxic-power-presentation.pdf

Coming to a Tailgate Near You…

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Tailgating, an American tradition as invaluable as hot dog eating contests, and pre-black-Friday campouts. The modern day holy trinity of tailgating is: beer, large consumptions of meat, oh and did I mention beer. More recently however, some innovative sports teams are trying to incorporate a new feature into this pigskin throwing, and gluttonous eating event called the sports greening movement.

In its essence, sports venues who, cough cough hint hint, don’t condone these event, yet fully acknowledge their existence, have tried to make tailgating more eco-friendly. Such teams as the Philadelphia Eagles are beginning to provide recycling bags to patrons, and educating their fans about making clean, healthy, and sustainable choices.

Here are the original tenets of the sports greening movement.

  1. Add fruit and vegetables to the mix: what’s not to love about having more reasons to       grill more kinds of food?
  2. Choose sustainably-produced meat (including chicken and fish): Look for products marked with the USDA Organic seal. That label ensures the meat is held to a higher standard.  And by buying it you’ll be supporting farmers who raise healthier animals. 
  3. Use propane to avoid burning your food: Use propane instead of charcoal because it provides an unmatched level of control and evenness of heat over the grill’s surface–and that means less burnt food and food waste, and more importantly for your health, less undercooked food.
  4. Know when you’re full enough and store leftovers for later to reduce food waste: The environmental cost of wasted food is staggering: 25 percent of all fresh water and 4 percent of all oil consumed in this country are used to produce food that is never eaten.
  5. Bring reusable serviceware and containers, and cloth napkins to cut waste: Pack reusable utensils to reduce waste (and cost). Don’t forget to collect recyclables and compost in separate bags.

Some items I’d like to see added to the list which are tangential to but not all related to tailgating include:

1. Providing incentives for those who actively participate in recycling and other sustainable actions with reducing admission to future games.

2. Having green areas that educate on the maintaining of the team’s home field, while also explaining other green initiatives.

3. Have a reuse and recycle program which turn recycled cans into BBQ’s to be rented out at fans’ convenience.  This will enable more people to use public transportation and leave their grills at home, while also getting the benefits of the tailgating experience.

4. Having a “sustainability day” or “eco-friendly day” at the ballpark with giveaways such as reusable Nalgene products or other green products.

5. Granting important figures in the green community with unique experiences at the ballpark. i.e. free private tour of the ballpark.

Such small changes will clearly affect the way we think and behave at a sports venue, and will bring us one step closer to a world where we all live green, and be green.

source: http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/ahenly/green_grilling_a_tailgaters_co.html

Low Footprint Farming: A New Twist to an Old Idea

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Sometimes a nation such as ours is humbled and truly inspired by the green initiatives of other nations. For example, in non-educated and rural parts of China, fish farmers utilize sustainable ingenuities, not because they grab headlines, or because they are the new chic thing to do, rather because it is good business practice, and more importantly turns seemingly invaluable waste into more output of fish.

The process begins with silk worms who are fed mulberry leaves. Feasting on the leaves, the worms grow to over 10,000 times their original body size in just four weeks. The waste that is left over from the process, which contains a generous amount of fiber, is then used as food for the carp who are being farmed.  In addition, the waste is used as fertilizer to grow the mulberry trees themselves. This sustainable practice by rural farmers allows the people to be efficient in their processes, while also producing a healthy amount of fish, and raw silk to be refined and sold into the marketplace. The carp fish themselves also personify the green movement as their diet consists mostly of plant matter that others do not even touch, and  create fertilizer for other plants as well, resulting in an almost harmless effect on the environment. The result of such a process is that China produces over 10,000,000 tons of carp, which exceeds the total of fish produced by any other country. The coined phrase “low footprint farming” helps to describe the resourcefulness of these farmers and is something we can model ourselves around.

The story detailed above is one taken from National Geographic youtube video. The rest of the video details how the work environment and allure of city jobs are influencing youths to move there in favor of higher paying jobs, while the fishing industry is attempting to adapt to the depletion of young fishermen. Attached below is the link to the video. Please take some time out to watch the video and learn how we can all live green, and be green.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=18xyR8KWrgE&feature=player_embedded#!

 

Otter Fodder

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Here at LGBG, we like to provoke outside the box thinking such as: what do otters and the green movement have in common? To the surprise of most, otters, help to remove harmful greenhouse gases primarily through their consumption of sea urchins. As stated in National Geographic, sea urchin’s diet consist primarily of kelp, a natural carbon dioxide absorber. By preying on the urchins, sea otters are doing their part to sustain the kelp population, and simultaneously aiding in the absorption of potentially dangerous greenhouse gases.

One might ask, can otters really make that much of an impact on our environment? And despite kelp being able to, “absorb as much as 12 times the amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than if it were subject to ravenous sea urchins” Jeffrey Dukes of the Purdue Climate Change Research Center in Indiana flatly answered “no”. He noted it was interesting to realize that such a relationship existed, but that its global effect would be minimal.

The real importance however lies firmly in what many biologists already know: that animals interact with living and non-living things in ways that are complex and inately intertwined. Yet, by studying these relationships further with a keen eye towards their effects on the environment, a sophisticated schedule can be set up detailing each particular relationship’s positive and or negative impact through their respective carbon footprint. Surely a painstaking process, the rewards of such an understanding are invaluable and will take us one step closer to a world in which we all live green, and be green.

source: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2012/09/120910-sea-otters-global-warming-urchins-kelp-frontiers-science/

 

The Butterfly Effect

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It goes without saying that talks of sustainability and the green movement are usually reserved for functioning members of society. Yet, a professor at Evergreen University is taking an unorthodox approach to spreading the ideals of sustainability to those who are seen as pariahs. In professor Nalini Nadkarni’s initiative, The Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP), the Mission Creek Corrections Center for Women in Belfair, Washington has partnered with the Department of Defense to help inmates breed endangered orange and white Taylor’s checkerspot butterflies and release them into the wild.

The result is that the system has bred over 3,600 of the butterflies, but more importantly has involved those who are mainly seen as social outcasts in doing it. In order to participate in the program, inmates are required to apply and undergo on-the-job training. And while the program has taught the inmates about environmental awareness, it has also contributed to their success when reentering society. According to the article, “Seventy eight prisoners were involved with the Mission Creek project and 18 have been released, of which none have returned to prison, and one-third are employed.”

Ultimately, the project is empowering women to make a difference in the community even when locked behind bars. The effect is that the initiative is spreading its ideals of sustainability to an unconventional audience, and is aiding in their rehabilitation. Through this unorthodox partnership, even those who many deem as social outcasts are contributing to a world in which we all live green and be green.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/30/sustainability-in-prisons_n_1837966.html

Disposing of the Practice of Disposable Clothing

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Today, recycling is ubiquitous. Whether its plastics, metals, or glass products the world is better off as a result of these actions done by the citizens of nations. It does beg the question however: why don’t we recycle everything we get our hands on? Why can’t we recycle dresses or collared shirts as easily as we do water bottles? Such is the question posed in the New York Times Article Sustainable Innovation: Reducing Fashion’s Carbon Footprint? The article makes claims as to how textiles are becoming disposable, and currently are Britain’s “fastest growing waste stream.”

Recycling textiles can tremendously impact on the carbon footprint of the industry. The advocacy group the Bureau of International Recycling states that recycling old textiles would aid in cutting up to almost 8 pounds in carbon dioxide emissions. Besides the incredible waste of resources (including water, fertilizers, and pesticides which are all used to cultivate the plants used in clothing), disposable clothing has contributed to global warming through the release of greenhouse gases.

Now what is being done to reverse this trend? In 2009 textile4textile was created to abate the process of disposable clothing. The process they utilize is called “sorting” which shreds the recycled clothing and allows the fabric to be in a state where it can be sewn again into new clothing. As stated in the article, “Once fabrics are separated into like tissue, they are much more valuable, especially natural fibers like wool and cotton. Recycled fabric can be spun from the shreds of the used clothing.” As a result, more resources are saved and the planet is left smiling just a bit.

Ultimately, as a society recycling is taken for granted because it is so commonplace. Making other goods such as fabrics to be a commonplace recycled good is a goal worth striving for and certainly can be attainable as plastics and metals are today. To my knowledge I have never worn recycled clothing. However, now that the option is available, more consumers , like myself, will be educated as to the carbon footprint of an industry that they didn’t know had one, and will be able to make smart and conscious decisions as to what they wear. Hopefully we will one day reach the apex of sustainability where everything we use was previously recycled and inhabit a world where we all live green, and be green.

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/20/sustainable-innovation-reducing-fashions-carbon-footprint/