Ok, let's say you're bored of reading about the collapsing economy and you need a distraction from the three-ring circus that is the presidential election. Naturally, you've already read all the posts in the Going Green Project archive, but perhaps you are still interested in reading about sustainable living.
Let me humbly offer a few suggestions that will keep you informed and entertained. There are countless web sites out there for the green web surfer, so this is just scratching the proverbial surface. These sites are all listed in the Green Links section, and they've all been tested, vetted, and approved by yours truly.
TreeHugger: quite simply, TreeHugger is the most comprehensive collection of green information out there. Don't be fooled by the name -- this web site isn't about patchouli. It has oodles of information, tips, and news. With over 30 posts every day, it's difficult to keep up.
Grist: Grist.org is a great source for environmental news and humor. They try to keep things engaging and interesting. At the same time, they have some of the most insightful, thoughtful, and piercing analysis of green and sustainable issues.
The Huffington Post Green: another vast collection of information about all things green. The Huffington Post Green, as you may imagine, tends to put a lot of their stories in a political context. This tendency will probably make you more or less likely to enjoy this web site, depending on your views about media spin.
Green Options: the Green Options web site is mostly a collection of blogs that offer commentary on a bunch of different subjects. They also offer a newsletter and discussion forums.
Lighter Footstep: dedicated to providing easy to follow tips for "Living Lightly." This site doesn't update their content as often as others, but I still check it out from time to time to see what they have to say.
EcoGeek: innovations that are saving the planet. If you're a tech geek who also happens to like the environment, this one's for you.
ecorazzi: and on the lighter side, you have the ecorazzi site. Wanna guess what this one focuses on? Yup, celebrity green gossip.
If you know of any green web sites that are not listed in the Green Links section, drop me a line and I'll check 'em out.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Small steps
Going green doesn't always seem simple. Sometimes just thinking about all the things that you are supposed to be doing is overwhelming. People live in the suburbs and have to drive to work every day and have a family to worry about and don't feel they can afford to rush out and buy all new green products. It's completely understandable that these people might start to feel guilty about not doing enough and just succumb to the realization that they'll never "reduce the family's carbon footprint" or be "green" enough.
Fortunately, there are very easy and very small things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. The Ask Umbra page on Grist provides two simple steps that will make a real difference: air travel and eating meat. You can check out the facts on the Grist article; they make a compelling case. A couple of round trip vacations by plane will emit more CO2 than a year's worth of driving. And reducing the amount of meat that you eat, even one day a week, makes an enormous difference.
Think about how easy it would be to follow that second piece of advice. Pick one day of the week (how about Monday?) and have a meatless meal. You don't have to sign up for the PETA email newsletter (trust me, their emails are sent out with impressive frequency) and you don't have to watch any nightmare-inducing, Alec Baldwin-narrated videos on the state of the meat industry. Just pick one day, and skip the meat. Order the Eggplant Parm instead of the Chicken Parm. Get a salad for lunch; try out a new recipe for dinner. It really is easy, and I promise that you will not starve or waste away to nothing or suffer some horrible disease brought on by third-world level protein deficiency. All you that will happen is you will begin to reduce your footprint in a quantifiable way.
This blogger posts his adventures in what he calls "Occasional Vegetarianism." He has given up eating meat one day a week. Actually, that sounds like a punishment. Let's say this: for one day a week he is eating vegetarian meals. It's an opportunity to try new things, and that seems to me to be the best attitude to have.
So don't get down in the dumps about the things you cannot do. Nobody is perfect, and some people have to fly for business. But instead of feeling guilty about the things you can't do, concentrate on the things you can do. Take a few minutes to think about your habits, and identify the small steps that you can do.
All right, is that rah-rah enough for you? Good luck!
Fortunately, there are very easy and very small things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint. The Ask Umbra page on Grist provides two simple steps that will make a real difference: air travel and eating meat. You can check out the facts on the Grist article; they make a compelling case. A couple of round trip vacations by plane will emit more CO2 than a year's worth of driving. And reducing the amount of meat that you eat, even one day a week, makes an enormous difference.
Think about how easy it would be to follow that second piece of advice. Pick one day of the week (how about Monday?) and have a meatless meal. You don't have to sign up for the PETA email newsletter (trust me, their emails are sent out with impressive frequency) and you don't have to watch any nightmare-inducing, Alec Baldwin-narrated videos on the state of the meat industry. Just pick one day, and skip the meat. Order the Eggplant Parm instead of the Chicken Parm. Get a salad for lunch; try out a new recipe for dinner. It really is easy, and I promise that you will not starve or waste away to nothing or suffer some horrible disease brought on by third-world level protein deficiency. All you that will happen is you will begin to reduce your footprint in a quantifiable way.
This blogger posts his adventures in what he calls "Occasional Vegetarianism." He has given up eating meat one day a week. Actually, that sounds like a punishment. Let's say this: for one day a week he is eating vegetarian meals. It's an opportunity to try new things, and that seems to me to be the best attitude to have.
So don't get down in the dumps about the things you cannot do. Nobody is perfect, and some people have to fly for business. But instead of feeling guilty about the things you can't do, concentrate on the things you can do. Take a few minutes to think about your habits, and identify the small steps that you can do.
All right, is that rah-rah enough for you? Good luck!
Friday, September 26, 2008
Raw food
Unfortunately the Boston Green Fest was a bit of a rain out today. Not officially, not that I know of, but it's difficult to slide away from work for an hour in the pouring rain. So I'll try to make it down tomorrow, although I hear that it's going to be raining even harder tomorrow. Cat and dogs, they say.
In the meantime, I wanted to write a quick review of Grezzo, the vegan raw food restaurant that I ate at last Saturday night. Located in the North End in Boston, Grezzo serves only organic, raw foods. By "raw" they mean food that is not heated over 112 degrees. Apparently heating foods above that temperature kills most of the healthiest enzymes, so they only serve "living" food. Obviously this restaurant doesn't need any sort of certification to assert their Green-ness! They don't use animal products of any kind, yeast, dairy, processed foods, etc. So what do they actually "cook" with? Fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, and seeds.
After that description, you may be wondering why anyone, besides maybe a family of squirrels, would go to such a place and pay top dollar. It's a fair question, and my answer is simple: in order to cook good food with such tight restrictions, you must be extremely creative. And the chefs at Grezzo are fantastically creative.
The appetizers were sliders. The patties were made of a carrot and nut mixed that was dehydrated, and there were heirloom tomato slices as "bread."For dinner I had a papya steak. Yeah, that is pretty much what it sounds like: a big piece of papaya. It was prepared with this wonderfully salty teriyaki sauce. I have no idea how they pull it off, but it was a filling meal that left me feeling light and satiated.
You can go to Grezzo for the organic and raw foods. You can also go because of the great selection of organic wine and beer. Those are great reasons, but the best argument I can make is that you will not find these dishes anywhere else in Boston. I respect the creativity that must go into the dishes, and the result is some incredibly unique and interesting food. It's a highly recommended experience.
In the meantime, I wanted to write a quick review of Grezzo, the vegan raw food restaurant that I ate at last Saturday night. Located in the North End in Boston, Grezzo serves only organic, raw foods. By "raw" they mean food that is not heated over 112 degrees. Apparently heating foods above that temperature kills most of the healthiest enzymes, so they only serve "living" food. Obviously this restaurant doesn't need any sort of certification to assert their Green-ness! They don't use animal products of any kind, yeast, dairy, processed foods, etc. So what do they actually "cook" with? Fresh fruits and veggies, nuts, and seeds.
After that description, you may be wondering why anyone, besides maybe a family of squirrels, would go to such a place and pay top dollar. It's a fair question, and my answer is simple: in order to cook good food with such tight restrictions, you must be extremely creative. And the chefs at Grezzo are fantastically creative.
The appetizers were sliders. The patties were made of a carrot and nut mixed that was dehydrated, and there were heirloom tomato slices as "bread."For dinner I had a papya steak. Yeah, that is pretty much what it sounds like: a big piece of papaya. It was prepared with this wonderfully salty teriyaki sauce. I have no idea how they pull it off, but it was a filling meal that left me feeling light and satiated.
You can go to Grezzo for the organic and raw foods. You can also go because of the great selection of organic wine and beer. Those are great reasons, but the best argument I can make is that you will not find these dishes anywhere else in Boston. I respect the creativity that must go into the dishes, and the result is some incredibly unique and interesting food. It's a highly recommended experience.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Boston Green Fest
This weekend is the Boston Green Fest. The fest is taking place on City Hall Plaza Friday and Saturday, from 10am - 5pm each day. The event is billed as a Neighborhood Wake-Up Call. It's about community organizing, bringing people together to discuss issues, and spreading awareness.
There seems to be all sorts of activities over the course of the two days. I'd love to catch some of Dr. George Woodwell's talk. He's the former director of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institure, and he speaks on Friday morning. I'm also curious to see what the solar energy workshops are all about.
I love that this event is focused on what people can accomplish, right now, in their own neighborhoods. Sometimes the specter of global warming can be quite intimidating. It's like the Nothing from The Neverending Story -- an abstract menace that affects our entire planet. That's why events like a Boston Green Fest are so valuable. People need to know that there are small things they can start doing right now to make a real difference.
I am planning on heading down to the Fest some time tomorrow during the day. I'm not sure what the event will actually be like, but I'd love to support the effort and see what kind of reaction it gets. If I can to spend some time over at the event tomorrow, I'll post my thoughts tomorrow afternoon. See you there!
Is this what Global warming looks like? Where is the Rockbiter when we need him? Does anyone even know what I am talking about right now?
Monday, September 22, 2008
350 Challenge
Check out the badge on the left-hand side of the blog: Brighter Planet's 350 Challenge. By posting the badge on my blog, Brighter Planet has agreed to offset 350 pounds of CO2 in my name. Why 350 pounds? It's an awareness campaign -- we can keep our planet healthy by keeping CO2 to under 350 parts per million in our atmosphere.
Brighter Planet is a Vermont organization that is dedicated to spreading awareness about climate change. They focus on educating people about how to take small steps in their own lives to promote sustainability. They offer conservation tips, carbon offsets, and ways to track your climate impact. I like their dedication to the idea that "small actions can lead to meaningful change." That idea is what drives this blog more than any other.
So now I have a lovely PDF of a certificate in my name for helping to fight climate change and for being personally responsible for offsetting 350 pounds of CO2! To celebrate, I took my out ATV and did doughnuts in the school parking lot until it ran out of gas. ;-)
Brighter Planet is a Vermont organization that is dedicated to spreading awareness about climate change. They focus on educating people about how to take small steps in their own lives to promote sustainability. They offer conservation tips, carbon offsets, and ways to track your climate impact. I like their dedication to the idea that "small actions can lead to meaningful change." That idea is what drives this blog more than any other.
So now I have a lovely PDF of a certificate in my name for helping to fight climate change and for being personally responsible for offsetting 350 pounds of CO2! To celebrate, I took my out ATV and did doughnuts in the school parking lot until it ran out of gas. ;-)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
I'm melting
I know what you're thinking: sure, that's a polar bear, but how come he isn't enjoy a refreshing bottle of coca-cola? Well perhaps it's because he doesn't have enough ice to keep his coke at a cool and refreshing temperature.
Alright, so this picture is really just an excuse for me to wonder why certain candidates on certain major party presidential tickets hate polar bears. I don't want to be too specific, so let's just call her S. Palin. No, wait, that's too obvious. How about Sarah P.?
Sarah P. is widely portrayed by her own party as a reformer and someone who will "stand up to big oil," except of course when she is working with big oil to reverse the listing of the polar bear as an endangered species.
Here are more gratuitous pictures of adorable polar bears that would most likely maul Sarah P. quite viciously if they had the chance.
Alright, so this picture is really just an excuse for me to wonder why certain candidates on certain major party presidential tickets hate polar bears. I don't want to be too specific, so let's just call her S. Palin. No, wait, that's too obvious. How about Sarah P.?
Sarah P. is widely portrayed by her own party as a reformer and someone who will "stand up to big oil," except of course when she is working with big oil to reverse the listing of the polar bear as an endangered species.
Here are more gratuitous pictures of adorable polar bears that would most likely maul Sarah P. quite viciously if they had the chance.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Is it all right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?
I'd like to take a minor detour today to remember David Foster Wallace, one of the great contemporary American writers, who died of an apparent suicide over the weekend. Wallace's fiction broke new ground, from his sprawling novel Infinite Jest to his collections of short stories. However, it was his nonfiction essays that had the most profound effect on me. A sharp, and occasionally pompous, observer of American culture, Wallace's essays appeared in various magazines and were eventually anthologized in the collections A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again and Consider the Lobster.
The essay that provides the title for the second collection, Consider the Lobster, was published in 2004 for Gourmet magazine. Apparently given the task of traveling to Maine to cover the Maine Lobster Festival, Wallace instead turns the focus inward. He uses the Festival, featuring the world's largest lobster pot and a Main Eating Tent, to question his own eating habits. The essay winds through a discussion of the standard methods for eating and preparing lobster, basic crustacean neurology and biology, and questions of moral responsibility. In the end, Wallace asks us to ponder the question that forms that title of this post: Is it all right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?
Wallace does not profess to be a vegetarian, and certainly is not attempting to convert anyone to a particular viewpoint. He simply asks, why is the eating of other animals ok? Where do we draw the line and what are our moral obligations? He doesn't offer any conclusions, but asks for a deeper reflection from his reader.
I am writing today about Wallace in general and this essay in particular because it had a profound effect on my thinking. I choose to not eat meat for many reasons, but reading this essay was the first time I began to actually reexamine my own food choices. I think Wallace makes a compelling argument, not for vegetarianism, but for questioning our own behavior. As being a vegetarian, for me, is part of a commitment to going green, I decided that a short recognition of the influence of David Foster Wallace is both relevant and extremely important.
You can read the original essay in the Gourmet archives. I think you are best served by picking up the essay anthology, because the other essays are all stellar, and the book does a better job of handling the footnotes that are essential to his style.
I'll leave you with Wallace, in his own words:
The essay that provides the title for the second collection, Consider the Lobster, was published in 2004 for Gourmet magazine. Apparently given the task of traveling to Maine to cover the Maine Lobster Festival, Wallace instead turns the focus inward. He uses the Festival, featuring the world's largest lobster pot and a Main Eating Tent, to question his own eating habits. The essay winds through a discussion of the standard methods for eating and preparing lobster, basic crustacean neurology and biology, and questions of moral responsibility. In the end, Wallace asks us to ponder the question that forms that title of this post: Is it all right to boil a sentient creature alive just for our gustatory pleasure?
Wallace does not profess to be a vegetarian, and certainly is not attempting to convert anyone to a particular viewpoint. He simply asks, why is the eating of other animals ok? Where do we draw the line and what are our moral obligations? He doesn't offer any conclusions, but asks for a deeper reflection from his reader.
I am writing today about Wallace in general and this essay in particular because it had a profound effect on my thinking. I choose to not eat meat for many reasons, but reading this essay was the first time I began to actually reexamine my own food choices. I think Wallace makes a compelling argument, not for vegetarianism, but for questioning our own behavior. As being a vegetarian, for me, is part of a commitment to going green, I decided that a short recognition of the influence of David Foster Wallace is both relevant and extremely important.
You can read the original essay in the Gourmet archives. I think you are best served by picking up the essay anthology, because the other essays are all stellar, and the book does a better job of handling the footnotes that are essential to his style.
I'll leave you with Wallace, in his own words:
In any event, at the Festival, standing by the bubbling tanks outside the World’s Largest Lobster Cooker, watching the fresh-caught lobsters pile over one another, wave their hobbled claws impotently, huddle in the rear corners, or scrabble frantically back from the glass as you approach, it is difficult not to sense that they’re unhappy, or frightened, even if it’s some rudimentary version of these feelings …and, again, why does rudimentariness even enter into it? Why is a primitive, inarticulate form of suffering less urgent or uncomfortable for the person who’s helping to inflict it by paying for the food it results in? I’m not trying to give you a PETA-like screed here—at least I don’t think so. I’m trying, rather, to work out and articulate some of the troubling questions that arise amid all the laughter and saltation and community pride of the Maine Lobster Festival. The truth is that if you, the Festival attendee, permit yourself to think that lobsters can suffer and would rather not, the MLF can begin to take on aspects of something like a Roman circus or medieval torture-fest.
Does that comparison seem a bit much? If so, exactly why? Or what about this one: Is it not possible that future generations will regard our own present agribusiness and eating practices in much the same way we now view Nero’s entertainments or Aztec sacrifices? My own immediate reaction is that such a comparison is hysterical, extreme—and yet the reason it seems extreme to me appears to be that I believe animals are less morally important than human beings;20 and when it comes to defending such a belief, even to myself, I have to acknowledge that (a) I have an obvious selfish interest in this belief, since I like to eat certain kinds of animals and want to be able to keep doing it, and (b) I have not succeeded in working out any sort of personal ethical system in which the belief is truly defensible instead of just selfishly convenient.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Drill Here, Drill Now
I found this graph today on Treehugger, and felt it was telling enough to post it again here. You can also find the original graph on the Architecture 2030 website. Why is offshore drilling a scam? How long would it take before we would be drilling offshore? What would the effect be? Check it out.
According to the US Energy Information Administration, oil production from drilling offshore in the outer continental shelf wouldn't begin until around the year 2017. Once begun, it wouldn't reach peak production until about 2030 when it would produce only 200,000 barrels of oil per day (in yellow above). This would supply a meager 1.2% of total US annual oil consumption (just 0.6% of total US energy consumption). And, the offshore oil would be sold back to the US at the international rate, which today is $106 a barrel. So, the oil produced by offshore drilling would not only be a "drop in the bucket", it would be expensive, which translates to "no relief at the pump".
According to the US Energy Information Administration, oil production from drilling offshore in the outer continental shelf wouldn't begin until around the year 2017. Once begun, it wouldn't reach peak production until about 2030 when it would produce only 200,000 barrels of oil per day (in yellow above). This would supply a meager 1.2% of total US annual oil consumption (just 0.6% of total US energy consumption). And, the offshore oil would be sold back to the US at the international rate, which today is $106 a barrel. So, the oil produced by offshore drilling would not only be a "drop in the bucket", it would be expensive, which translates to "no relief at the pump".
Friday, September 12, 2008
Dine Green
I love a good burrito -- who doesn't? That's why one of my favorite places to go for lunch during the workday is Boloco. Boloco is a Boston-based company that serves mostly burritos. They're hearty and filling and cheap. Combine the burritos with their excellent choice of smoothies, and you've got the perfect lunch spot.
Not surprisingly, I also like Boloco because of their attempts at reducing waste. The average restaurant produces 275 pounds of waste a day, so it's great to see a company that is trying to do things differently. Recycling bins are displayed prominently in every location, and detailed information is displayed about all their products. Every Boloco posts easy-to-read information on what to put in the recycle bin and what is trash. They've phased out their Styrofoam cups and replaced them with biodegradable cornstarch cups. They're very up front about all this information, and it's nice to see a company making a commitment to waste reduction.
Yesterday, as I was entering the Boloco near my office, I noticed a sticker on the window for the Green Restaurant Association.
The GRA website has a wealth of information about their mission for creating a sustainable restaurant industry, and even offer to assist restaurants with the implementation of their guidelines. They maintain a list of endorsed products, and they even have a Sustainability video for the visual learners among us!
Unfortunately the list of restaurants that have been certified by the GRA is still small, but let's hope it can continue to grow it's membership. And for our part as consumers, we can keep an eye out for GRA certified restaurants. If that means more burritos for lunch, well that's just fine by me!
Not surprisingly, I also like Boloco because of their attempts at reducing waste. The average restaurant produces 275 pounds of waste a day, so it's great to see a company that is trying to do things differently. Recycling bins are displayed prominently in every location, and detailed information is displayed about all their products. Every Boloco posts easy-to-read information on what to put in the recycle bin and what is trash. They've phased out their Styrofoam cups and replaced them with biodegradable cornstarch cups. They're very up front about all this information, and it's nice to see a company making a commitment to waste reduction.
Yesterday, as I was entering the Boloco near my office, I noticed a sticker on the window for the Green Restaurant Association.
The GRA website has a wealth of information about their mission for creating a sustainable restaurant industry, and even offer to assist restaurants with the implementation of their guidelines. They maintain a list of endorsed products, and they even have a Sustainability video for the visual learners among us!
Unfortunately the list of restaurants that have been certified by the GRA is still small, but let's hope it can continue to grow it's membership. And for our part as consumers, we can keep an eye out for GRA certified restaurants. If that means more burritos for lunch, well that's just fine by me!
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Green design
I love when I find a new website or project that promotes sustainable living, especially when it's on a subject about which I don't know a whole lot. It's even more exciting when then project is the brainchild of a friend.
So imagine my delight when I had time last week to check out my friend's new website, called Rethink Design. The website is geared towards promoting sustainable graphic design. Rethink Design provides valuable information on everything that graphic designers needs to know: printing, ink, recycled materials, green printers, tips for planning, and much more. The Project Sizer is one of my favorite features -- reducing paper waste through simple and intelligent planning!
If you know a graphic designer, please forward them the website. I think any designer would be interested to learn about the extent of their impact on the environment.
On a more general note, it's encouraging to me that there are more and more sites like this that provide information for going green in such a specific area. Whether it is your job, you hobby, or just a simple daily habit, there are so many opportunities to reduce your negative impact. Sometimes it can be a challenge to go green, but sometimes it can be as easy as using the Project Sizer to reduce your paper waste.
Good work Yvette!
So imagine my delight when I had time last week to check out my friend's new website, called Rethink Design. The website is geared towards promoting sustainable graphic design. Rethink Design provides valuable information on everything that graphic designers needs to know: printing, ink, recycled materials, green printers, tips for planning, and much more. The Project Sizer is one of my favorite features -- reducing paper waste through simple and intelligent planning!
If you know a graphic designer, please forward them the website. I think any designer would be interested to learn about the extent of their impact on the environment.
On a more general note, it's encouraging to me that there are more and more sites like this that provide information for going green in such a specific area. Whether it is your job, you hobby, or just a simple daily habit, there are so many opportunities to reduce your negative impact. Sometimes it can be a challenge to go green, but sometimes it can be as easy as using the Project Sizer to reduce your paper waste.
Good work Yvette!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Property owner going green?
You may remember that I've tried to figure out how to reduce the amount of paper that I use in the office. This led me to the unfortunate discovery that the paper I'd been throwing in the recycle bins seemed to be ending up with the trash. I later found out that the owner of the building in which I work is the generically named Equity Office Properties Trust, and that they are in fact the largest property owner in Boston. Although they're supposed to be collecting recycling in my office, it seems that the large blue recycling bin on wheels only circulates on the fourth floor. As I work on the third floor of the building, we for some reason only see the grayish-black trash bin on wheels.
However, I was informed that Equity Office Properties Trust was embarking on a new initiative to improve recycling in all their buildings. Can you blame me for assuming that I was getting the brush-off?
It turns out, though, that the esteemed Equity Office Properties Trust is in fact embarking upon their own quest to go green, as reported last week in the Boston Globe.
The city's largest property owner - spurred by high energy prices and rising demand from tenants - is seeking "green" certification for all of its office buildings, marking a major milestone in Mayor Thomas M. Menino's push to make Boston the nation's most environmentally friendly city.
Now I certainly applaud the effort if Equity Office Properties Trust is indeed gong green. Unfortunately, I am rather cynical of companies with overly generic names. I am also suspicious of the motives of Mayor Menino. And of course, my recycle bin (which I never use anymore) is still dumped in with the rest of the trash.
I am on the inside, though, and if Equity Office Properties Trust does follow through with their much publicized effort, I'll be the first to congratulate them. But until I see the large blue recycling bin on wheels make the long journey down to the third floor, I reserve the right to be suspicious.
However, I was informed that Equity Office Properties Trust was embarking on a new initiative to improve recycling in all their buildings. Can you blame me for assuming that I was getting the brush-off?
It turns out, though, that the esteemed Equity Office Properties Trust is in fact embarking upon their own quest to go green, as reported last week in the Boston Globe.
The city's largest property owner - spurred by high energy prices and rising demand from tenants - is seeking "green" certification for all of its office buildings, marking a major milestone in Mayor Thomas M. Menino's push to make Boston the nation's most environmentally friendly city.
Now I certainly applaud the effort if Equity Office Properties Trust is indeed gong green. Unfortunately, I am rather cynical of companies with overly generic names. I am also suspicious of the motives of Mayor Menino. And of course, my recycle bin (which I never use anymore) is still dumped in with the rest of the trash.
I am on the inside, though, and if Equity Office Properties Trust does follow through with their much publicized effort, I'll be the first to congratulate them. But until I see the large blue recycling bin on wheels make the long journey down to the third floor, I reserve the right to be suspicious.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Trying to move on...
Yes, I know that I promised to avoid politics, but the echoes of “Drill Baby Drill” from last night’s RNC are still reverberating in my head. We have 3% of the world’s oil reserves, and consume 25% of the world’s oil. So how is drilling the answer? It’s mildly depressing.
However, since we all need a respite for the moment, I’m going to hold off on any more comments. As you may well imagine, I’m overflowing with them. For now, though, I am going to hold my tongue. So have I been doing anything recently besides staring, bleary-eyed and pale-faced, at Wolf Blitzer and the CNN news team? Of course!
Recently I started to investigate different ways to green my wardrobe. Where might I find sustainable clothing? I know that the environmental impact of the clothing industry is significant; Americans on average throw away 68 pounds of clothes and textiles every year. This is a new phenomenon—ask your grandmother if she ever threw away clothes as a child. I doubt it. I am sure they mended their clothes when they became worn, and passed clothes from older to younger child. How did we get to this mindset of disposable clothing?
Waste isn’t the only issue: polyester is made from petroleum, dyes can be harmful for the environment, and many clothes are made in horrific conditions in sweatshops. Are there other options besides going to the typical stores in the mall?
I’ve been doing a lot of investigation into different clothing options. First, just recycling your clothes can make a huge difference. Donate your old clothes—it’s easy to find a clothes drop location or a church that will take the items. There is no reason for usable clothes to be filling our landfills.
Treehugger has a decent section on greening your wardrobe. Unfortunately, I haven’t found much in the way of organic clothing. More accurately, I haven’t found much in the way of organic clothing for men. It seems that there are a growing number of options for women’s clothing, but precious few for men. I will continue to investigate, though, because if there are good sustainable clothing lines out there for men, I want to make sure I use my purchasing dollar to support them. And I will make sure to write about it here.
I’ll leave you with a final note on politics: Register to Vote! You can find a wealth of information at HeadCount.
However, since we all need a respite for the moment, I’m going to hold off on any more comments. As you may well imagine, I’m overflowing with them. For now, though, I am going to hold my tongue. So have I been doing anything recently besides staring, bleary-eyed and pale-faced, at Wolf Blitzer and the CNN news team? Of course!
Recently I started to investigate different ways to green my wardrobe. Where might I find sustainable clothing? I know that the environmental impact of the clothing industry is significant; Americans on average throw away 68 pounds of clothes and textiles every year. This is a new phenomenon—ask your grandmother if she ever threw away clothes as a child. I doubt it. I am sure they mended their clothes when they became worn, and passed clothes from older to younger child. How did we get to this mindset of disposable clothing?
Waste isn’t the only issue: polyester is made from petroleum, dyes can be harmful for the environment, and many clothes are made in horrific conditions in sweatshops. Are there other options besides going to the typical stores in the mall?
I’ve been doing a lot of investigation into different clothing options. First, just recycling your clothes can make a huge difference. Donate your old clothes—it’s easy to find a clothes drop location or a church that will take the items. There is no reason for usable clothes to be filling our landfills.
Treehugger has a decent section on greening your wardrobe. Unfortunately, I haven’t found much in the way of organic clothing. More accurately, I haven’t found much in the way of organic clothing for men. It seems that there are a growing number of options for women’s clothing, but precious few for men. I will continue to investigate, though, because if there are good sustainable clothing lines out there for men, I want to make sure I use my purchasing dollar to support them. And I will make sure to write about it here.
I’ll leave you with a final note on politics: Register to Vote! You can find a wealth of information at HeadCount.
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