Posts Tagged ‘sustainable living’

I came across the following article while doing some research online at www.GreenLivingIdeas.com and wanted to share it with everyone:

The Federal government is asking the fuel industry to incrementally raise the levels of ethanol in the country’s gas. California has state legislation called the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 calling for car fuels to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The California Air Resources Board counts indirect GHG’s created in the production of ethanol, meaning it will not be part of California’s solution when the plan starts in 2011. The Air Resources Board believes it is doing its duty, as “the Legislature declared that global warming poses a serious threat to the economic well-being, public health, natural resources, and the environment of California.” The ethanol industry isn’t about to say aw, shucks.

Photo Credit: vanhookc

In 2007 the California Air Resources Board adopted nine discrete early action measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, one of which was the “Low Carbon Fuel Standard.” An Executive Order from Governor Schwarzenegger instructs that these measures “reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in California by at least 10 percent by the year 2020 [based on 1990 levels].” The regulation places the burden of compliance on regulated parties that are “upstream entities,” meaning producers and importers, as opposed to fueling stations.

“Carbon intensity” is determined by 1) the “direct emissions associated with producing, transporting, and using the fuel” and 2) the “other effects, including those caused by changes in land use.  For some crop-based biofuels, staff has identified land use changes as a significant source of additional GHG emissions.  Aye, here’s the rub: the ARB “is proposing that emissions associated with land use changes be included in the carbon intensity values assigned to those fuels in the regulation.”

So, GHG emissions created by the entire process of growing the corn for ethanol count for ethanol’s carbon intensity calculation in the state of California. Which means that ethanol won’t be part of California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard early action measure- it will be part of the problem.

In response, Growth Energy, the American Coalition for Ethanol, the Renewable Fuels Association, the Rocky Mountain Farmers union, Minnesota Corn and Soybean Growers, and Penny Newman Grain, Inc., along a variety of other state and local farm groups and ethanol trade groups, collectively calling themselves the American Coalition for Ethanol, filed a federal lawsuit on December 24 in Fresno, California against the California Air Resources Board. The lawsuit challenges California’s low carbon fuel standard, claiming that it “unfairly discriminates against corn-based ethanol made primarily in the Midwest, in violation of the Commerce and Supremacy clauses of the U.S. Constitution.”

Further, that the fuel standard “is unconstitutional because (i) it conflicts with and is preempted by federal law, including the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007; (ii) it interferes with the regulation of interstate commerce; and (iii) it discriminates against out-of-state corn ethanol producers and importers and improperly regulates their extraterritorial conduct.”

The consortium of groups filing the lawsuit is notable because it brings together the Rocky Mountain Farmers Association and Growth Energy, two groups that have long been at odds over how ethanol is represented in Washington and the national media. The corn growers and the producers of ethanol are uniting to battle California’s Air Resources Board.

Essentially, the Air Resources Board doesn’t think ethanol really reduces greenhouse gas emissions and they don’t want it as part of the California state program. The ethanol industry is circling the wagons. Will the Court say that California’s ARB is full of hot air? Or will the ethanol industry be cut down before it’s even knee high? Get yourself a bowl of popcorn and watch the show.

 By Scott James

It’s an age old question, when it comes time to check out when grocery shopping: paper bag or plastic bag? It seems like it should be an easy choice, but there’s an incredible number of details and inputs hidden in each bag. From durability and reusability to life cycle costs, there’s a lot more to each bag than meet the eye. Let’s take a look behind the bags.

Where do brown paper bags come from?
Paper comes from trees — lots and lots of trees. The logging industry, influenced by companies like Weyerhaeuser and Kimberly-Clark, is huge, and the process to get that paper bag to the grocery store is long, sordid and exacts a heavy toll on the planet. First, the trees are found, marked and felled in a process that all too often involves clear-cutting, resulting in massive habitat destruction and long-term ecological damage.

I don’t hate many things, but I must say that I hate junkmail. Why? It is annoying, wasteful and serves no purpose. I come home from a long day at work and I open my mailbox, which is always overstuffed with useless pieces of junk mail- offers from venues that I will never visit and coupons from stores that I have never heard of. I have to wrestle the mail out of my cramped mailbox and most of it usually falls on the floor, forcing me bend down to pick up all of the wasted paper, while my hands are already full with business papers and my actual mail. According to the Native Forest Network,” the average mail recipient receives some 560 pieces of junk mail a year,” and most like myself throw out more than half of it. That’s adds up to 4.5 million tons of unrequested bulk mail sent each year, or the destruction of 100 million trees. What else can be done? Here are some suggestions from Seventh Generation’s Website www.seventhgeneration.com

• To stop the flow of credit-related offers, request that credit reporting agencies, the chief source of names for mailing lists, stop sharing your information.
• Visit the Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service and request that your name be removed from the mailing lists used by its member companies.
• Do the same at DirectMail.com, a similar service.
• If you help manage a business, join the EcoLogical Mail Coalition. This organization operates a free business mail preference service similar to the DMA’s above.
• Selectively reduce the catalogs you receive. Simply register your address, and search the master list for catalogs you want to stop receiving. You can update your preferences at any time.
• A similar service is available from Stop the Junk Mail. Unlike the others, this organization charges $20 for its services. The advantage here comes in the form of additional perks like help with companies that fail to honor your request to be removed from their mailing lists.
• Call the companies you do business with and ask them not to share your name with other direct mailers.
• Similarly, when you buy something from a catalog or request a copy of one, tell the company not to share or rent your name.
• When you request a new catalog, use a different middle initial or slightly alter the spelling of your name each time. This way you can trace any unsolicited mailings back to the culprit who sold your name.
• Look for “do not share my name” and/or “do not add me to your mailing list” options on order forms.
• If you receive multiple mailings of the same catalog in your household, call the company and ask them to delete the duplicates. Keep your mailing labels handy so you can identify the exact spellings of names, etc.
• If you move, be wary of the Postal Service’s Change of Address card. While filling out this card will stop junk mailings to your old address, the Postal Service also sells its Change of Address list to direct marketers. Directly notifying friends, family and business contacts about a move may take extra time, but the payoff will be worth it.

For more information about junk mail, visit JunkBusters and read Native Forest’s Stop Junk Mail Guide.

When the time comes to replace your couch, dining room chairs or even a few lamps ever think of  slightly used?  I am speaking of gently used furniture that is still in good condition.  This can be a great way to not only save money but also to help the environment and live a greener lifestyle.  Look no further than The Freecycle Network, found online at www.freecycle.org.  

            Freecycle is a locally based grassroots organization where people come together via the internet and give away gently used items that they no longer need.  The process is simple: place an ad in your local area in the group listing .  The ad is reviewed by the freecycle website people and in no time you can connect with a potential buyer.  When a buyer is interested they directly contact the donator of the item and arrangements are made for an easy and hassle free pick up.

            It’s a grassroots organization and a nonprofit movement of people who are giving both giving and receiving on a local level for the good of their communities and the environment. Each local group is moderated by a local volunteer and membership is free.  Freecycle has created a place where people can help each other to get great gently used items and save money while promoting recycling and reusing . 

            Start A Freecycle™ Group – If you are interested in starting a Freecycle™ group in your area, this page will help you find out how we can help you.

 Most U.S. Citizens are not aware that we have a political party in our country called The Green Party.  They represent values based politics and their goal is to change a system that extols exploitation, unsustainable consumption, and destructive competition.  Although we live in a time when big corporations still hold most of the cards politically there has been a growing number of grassroots organizations banding together to fight for the environmental protection laws that we so desperately need.  The green party is one of those grassroots organizations and they invite suggestions from every local green individual interested in making a difference.  The following is an excerpt from their preamble:

The Green Party Platform seeks to identify the most crucial problems facing our country and offers ideas for responsible action to solve them. Looking to the future with hope and optimism, we believe we can truly correct the course of reckless, destructive governance that has allowed and encouraged the degradation of our ecological life-support systems, gutted our economy, and strained the social fabric to the point of causing material hardship for millions of Americans. Our common destiny brings us together across our nation and around the globe. We act in service to our children and the future generations of all our relations in the Earth community. We act in service to the future we are creating today.

10 KEY VALUES

1. GRASSROOTS DEMOCRACY

Every human being deserves a say in the decisions that affect his or her life and should not be subject to the will of another. Therefore, we will work to increase public participation at every level of government and to ensure that our public representatives are fully accountable to the people who elect them. We will also work to create new types of political organizations, which expand the process of participatory democracy by directly including citizens in the decision-making process.

2. SOCIAL JUSTICE AND EQUAL OPPORTUNITY

All persons should have the rights and opportunity to benefit equally from the resources afforded us by society and the environment. We must consciously confront in ourselves, our organizations, and society at large, barriers such as racism and class oppression, sexism and homophobia, ageism and disability, which act to deny fair treatment and equal justice under the law.

3. ECOLOGICAL WISDOM

Human societies must operate with the understanding that we are part of nature, not separate from nature.

We must maintain an ecological balance and live within the ecological and resource limits of our communities and our planet. We support a sustainable society, which utilizes resources in such a way that future generations will benefit and not suffer from the practices of our generation. To this end we must practice agriculture, which replenishes the soil; move to an energy efficient economy; and live in ways that respect the integrity of natural systems.

4. NON-VIOLENCE

It is essential that we develop effective alternatives to society’s current patterns of violence. We will work to demilitarize, and eliminate weapons of mass destruction, without being naive about the intentions of other governments.

We recognize the need for self-defense and the defense of others who are in helpless situations. We promote non-violent methods to oppose practices and policies with which we disagree, and will guide our actions toward lasting personal, community and global peace.

5. DECENTRALIZATION

Centralization of wealth and power contributes to social and economic injustice, environmental destruction, and militarization. Therefore, we support a restructuring of social, political and economic institutions away from a system, which is controlled by and mostly benefits the powerful few, to a democratic, less bureaucratic system. Decision-making should, as much as possible, remain at the individual and local level, while assuring that civil rights are protected for all citizens.

6. COMMUNITY BASED ECONOMICS

Redesign our work structures to encourage employee ownership and workplace democracy. Develop new economic activities and institutions that will allow us to use our new technologies in ways that are humane, freeing, ecological and accountable, and responsive to communities.

Establish some form of basic economic security, open to all.

Move beyond the narrow “job ethic” to new definitions of “work,” jobs” and “income” that reflect the changing economy.

Restructure our patterns of income distribution to reflect the wealth created by those outside the formal monetary economy: those who take responsibility for parenting, housekeeping, home gardens, community volunteer work, etc.

Restrict the size and concentrated power of corporations without discouraging superior efficiency or technological innovation.

7. FEMINISM AND GENDER EQUITY

We have inherited a social system based on male domination of politics and economics. We call for the replacement of the cultural ethics of domination and control with more cooperative ways of interacting that respect differences of opinion and gender. Human values such as equity between the sexes, interpersonal responsibility, and honesty must be developed with moral conscience. We should remember that the process that determines our decisions and actions is just as important as achieving the outcome we want.

8. RESPECT FOR DIVERSITY

We believe it is important to value cultural, ethnic, racial, sexual, religious and spiritual diversity, and to promote the development of respectful relationships across these lines.

We believe that the many diverse elements of society should be reflected in our organizations and decision-making bodies, and we support the leadership of people who have been traditionally closed out of leadership roles. We acknowledge and encourage respect for other life forms than our own and the preservation of biodiversity.

9. PERSONAL AND GLOBAL RESPONSIBILITY

We encourage individuals to act to improve their personal well being and, at the same time, to enhance ecological balance and social harmony. We seek to join with people and organizations around the world to foster peace, economic justice, and the health of the planet.

10. FUTURE FOCUS AND SUSTAINABILITY

Our actions and policies should be motivated by long-term goals. We seek to protect valuable natural resources, safely disposing of or “unmaking” all waste we create, while developing a sustainable economics that does not depend on continual expansion for survival. We must counterbalance the drive for short-term profits by assuring that economic development, new technologies, and fiscal policies are responsible to future generations who will inherit the results of our actions.

Make the quality of life, rather than open-ended economic growth, the focus of future thinking.

Not many automotive companies brag about how many vehicles they’ve managed to retire. But that’s one of the ways Zipcar, the country’s largest car-sharing service, measures success. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the car rental service has a fleet of 2,000 vehicles, 10 percent of them hybrids, available to drivers from Toronto to Minneapolis to Boston and Washington, D.C. Some 40 percent of Zipcar’s 70,000 members say that by participating they’ve avoided buying a new vehicle or gotten rid of an old one.  Each and every Zipcar takes 15-20 personally-owned vehicles off the road. Multiply that by the more than 6,500 cars in their fleet and you’ve got a really big number.  It seems that Zipcar has stumbled onto something really big because 10% of the population is expected to adopt car sharing as their primary mode of transportation. Break it down and you have millions of people saving billions of gallons of gas and oil. Factor in the savings and you’ve got an economic revolution.

Since it was founded in 1999, the company estimates it has taken 25,000 cars off the road. Members pay a $25 application fee to join and as little as $7.50 an hour, or $51 a day, for a car, picking up the vehicles from parking spaces in their neighborhoods without ever interacting with a clerk. According to company surveys, the average Zipcar member drove 5,295 miles per year before joining the service and now drives just 369 miles annually. “If you bought 500 pounds of candy you would be more likely to eat more of it than if you had to buy one pound, 500 times,” says president and CEO Scott Griffith. “The same sort of effect happens with car sharing.”

And car sharers are lining up to drive less. For the past two years, membership has grown 100 percent annually, and revenue, $15 million in 2005, is expected to double this year. 

NYC Audubon at a Glance

NYC Audubon champions nature in the city’s five boroughs through a combination of engaging and entertaining programs, and innovative conservation campaigns. Through its efforts, NYC Audubon saves and protects over 350 species of birds that live in the 12,000 acres of vast and diverse wetlands, forests and grasslands of New York City.

Mission
NYC Audubon is a grassroots community that works for the protection of wild birds and habitat in the five boroughs, improving the quality of life for all New Yorkers.

Vision
NYC Audubon envisions a day when birds and people in the five boroughs enjoy a healthy, liveable habitat.

Community
NYC Audubon has a diverse grassroots community of 10,000 members, volunteers and donors who have a passion for nature and wildlife, and a strong desire and drive to protect nature for generations to come. Through this community, NYC Audubon carries out chapter programs and projects.

NYC Audubon has an energetic and active group of volunteers who support the organization, its mission and the city in which they live. NYC Audubon is continually looking for new volunteers with various careers and skills to join their growing and diverse team. Volunteer assignments are intentionally flexible to support the demands of the hectic schedules of New York City residents.

Members are the crux of the advocacy programs initiated and supported by NYC Audubon. These individuals drive causes that protect the bird life in New York City. Members are also given access to a range of programs, classes and lectures in and around the five boroughs.

Donors consist of corporations, individuals and endowments that make the NYC Audubon mission possible. Each year, the NYC Audubon holds its annual Fall Roost benefit at which local leaders are honored for their commitment to protect New York City’s bird life. Recent honorees have included Mary Tyler Moore and Elliott Spitzer.

NYC Audubon is continually looking for new donors to expand its conservation programs and offer additional educational series to New York City schools and community organizations.

Programs
NYC Audubon is a leader in conservation and protection of New York City’s bird population. NYC Audubon initiates and supports legislation and programs to protect birds – such as Lights Out New York and the Harbor Herons Project.  NYC Audubon also offers classes and seminars about the city’s bird population, and leads outdoor tours and excursions to experience New York City’s bird life first hand. Programs are available for and geared toward children, young adults and adults.
Volunteer Opportunities
NYC Audubon has a wide range of volunteer opportunities available. No experience is required; we will provide all necessary training for field work (except as noted). If you have any questions or would like to volunteer, contact Erik Karff at ekarff@nycaudubon.org or 212-691-7483.

Case Study
As an example of the NYC Audubon’s grassroots advocacy programs, consider the story of Pale Male and Lola, a pair of red tail hawks that took residence on top of a building on the east side of Central Park. The Board of the building removed a nest made by Pale Male and Lola due to complaints from some of the tenants.

NYC Audubon immediately took action to protect New York City’s bird life and allow the hawks to nest again in the same location. NYC Audubon coordinated and energized conservation, political and community groups within New York City. NYC Audubon encouraged residents to write letters, calmly protest against these actions, and help spread the word. NYC Audubon worked not only with those opposed to the removal of the nest but also with the parties supporting it, including the management of the building.

As a direct result of NYC Audubon’s efforts, the hawks were allowed to nest on the building. In a few weeks, they returned to build another nest. These events gained widespread media attention with press coverage in publications that included Vanity Fair, The New York Times, ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams.”

I’ll let the headline of this article do all the talking: 10 Killer DIY Garden Hacks found at Green Upgrader. Without further ado, here they are!

1. DIY Vertical Garden with Reclaimed Gutters

Vertical Gutter Garden

When Suzanne Forsling moved to Juneau Alaska from Iowa, she found that it was a little bit harder to get her garden to grow. Frustrated by cold soil, scarce sunlight, hungry slugs, root maggots, porcupines, cats, bears and ravens she got resourceful. She got her crops off the cold ground and into the light by afixing gutters to the wood siding of her house on the sunny side and using them as planters.

2. Used Tired Raised Garden & Tree Ring

Reclaimed Tire Garden

If you have some old tires laying around that you don’t know what to do with, you could burn them… if you hate the environment, or you could put them to work as cool looking raised garden beds. Now this is pretty self-explanetory, but I highly recommend you read the tutorial first becsause if you don’t know what you are doing you can get yourself into trouble trying to cut up a steel belted tire.

3. DIY Earth Box

DIY Earth Box

An Earth Box is more than just a box with soil. It’s a self-contained system that regulates irrigations, facilitates the delivery of nutrients and does all of this in the most efficient way. These are great for people who don’t have the room for an in ground garden. You can buy an Earth Box or there a ton of resources to help you go McGuyver Green.

Check out this post on Crafster.org that will show you how it’s done (via Crafting a Greener World).

4. Self-Watering Garden

Self-Watering Garden

Instructable user AskJerry discovered that his central air conditioning system disposed of approximately 350 gallons of water down the drain each year. To put this water to better use he built this great Self-watering garden that reclaims the AC waste water and evenly distributes it to his vegtables in this quaint garden box. Now if you don’t have central air, you can still use this tutorial (with a few mods) with a rainbarrel, or greywater system. Check out the tutorial at Instructables.

5. Upside Down Herb Planters

Upside Down Planters

I wrote about these space saving DIY hanging planters from Urban Organic Gardener a few weeks ago. Limited to a tiny fire escape platform to do all his gardening, Mike Lieberman has been forced to be creative in order to satisfy his herbivore urges. He uses reclaimed 2 liter bottles to create hanging upside down planters to make the most of his limited space. Check out his how-to.

6. DIY Vertical Shoe Organizer Herb Garden

Vertical Herb Garden

Confounded by vegetable digging cats and toiling in the vegetable patch, Instructables member pippa5 came up with this cool DIY vertical garden solution. In case you don’t recognize it, she used an old closet shoe organizer. Meant to keep your shoes off the floor and save you some space, this new use saves some space by getting your veggies or herbs off the ground. Check out the DIY at Instructables.

7. Self-Watering Insulated Tiny Greenhouse

DIY Tiny Greenhouse

I’m not sure when you would need such a small and complex greenhouse system but this sure is an innovative way to reuse cups and bottles. I guess the benefit of this is that the seedling is portable, in case you need to move it freequently between your window sill, your deck… bring it to the office? Check out the tutorial at Instructables.

8. Grow 100 lbs. Of Potatoes In 4 Sq. Feet

Potatoe Box

Here’s a great space saver for you potatoe lovers! Instead of growing your pototoes in horizonal rows in your garden, grow them up in a 4×4 ft vertical potatoe garden box. Basically you start out like the picture to the right with one layer. Once the plates are about a foot above the soil you add more boards and add more soil, and keep movin on up (like the Jeffersons!). via The Seatle Times.

9. DIY Mini-Greenhouse

DIY Mini-Greenhouse

If you live in a cooler climate like me you need to get creative to extend your growing season. By using some scrap lumber and an old window you can build yourself a small seedling box that will protect your seedlings from the weather and help keep them warm in the cool early spring months. Check out the tutorial at Instructables.

10. Protect Your Garden with Beer!

via Flickr: christian.senger

There are many, many uses for beer, as Wise Bread points out, but seeing as this post is about gardening we’ll focus on it’s slug fighting power. While worms are a gardener’s best friend, slugs are their nemesis. Don’t fret, these little pests are easily defeated by a little juice of the barely. Simply pour a little into some empty jars and place them in the soil, with the rims of the jars at ground level. The beer loving slugs will drop in for a drink, which will be their last because they can’t get back out.