I’m just minding my own business, and suddenly all these eco-leaders are up in my face telling me to get angry about Global Warming? Bill McKibben -- who never raises his voice -- says I should stop being cynical and start being angry about Global Warming. The ever-methodical League of Conservation Voters emails me to “get angry, and fight this one out!” Even climate scientists, always so calm as they gaze into the abyss, are telling us to get angry. I always figured: if the climate scientists aren’t freakin about Global Warming, then I needn’t be freakin. And, now they’re freakin.... read more
Talk about a cover-up. Just today, the Boston Globe disclosed that electricity giant NStar has been conducting a secret operation that allows their customers to pay more to get their electricity from wind power rather than a carbon-polluting source. Actually, the program, “NStar Green,” isn’t a company secret -- but I hadn’t heard of it, none of my neighbors had, and Brookline Climate Action had to go door-to-door to tell people about it. It might as well be secret.
I don’t think NStar Green is some big, bad greenwashing scheme. NStar probably let the program languish because investing more money in it would yield little profit. And that’s okay, because it’s not NStar’s job make clean energy -- or dirty energy. It’s NStar’s job to make money. A corporation is responsible for making profit, and anything after that is optional as long as it’s legal. ... read more
I am all about making small lifestyle changes to decrease my negative impact on the environment. While I may not be able to afford solar panels or an electric car, I CAN by local foods, hang-dry my clothes and do other small things which can add up to a BIG impact by the end of the year.... read more
The wonderful bloggers over at ecoSAFE conducted a variety of tests on greener disposable diapers. I urge you to check out their diaper analysis. A few months back, I did some pro/cons on greener disposable diapers. I've reviewed a handful of disposable diapers, but I never did any of the extensive testing that ecoSAFE did.
For the tests, they shredded them, flooded them, tore them apart, and had the babies wear them and do their thing.
You might be surprised to see how some of the diapers stacked up and how green even the diapers really are. ... read more
Just when I thought it was safe to love technology, now this. Recent articles show that using e-readers (like Kindles or iPads) may harm the environment more than reading paper books. Since I fancy myself as a green consumer I did some eco-bean counting (better known as calculating your environmental footprint) to see whether I’d go green or brown if I bought an e-reader.... read more
I recently had the pleasure of talking to Joe Lamp'l, gardener, green media personality extraordinare, and host and executive producer of Growing a Greener World on PBS.
About Joe Lamp'l
Joe initially got into horticulture as a child, after breaking the branch off a shrub, sticking it into the ground, and seeing a mere few weeks later that it had taken root.
Joe how he has been interested in sustainability for his whole life, but "there was an a-ha moment." That moment was when he was using synthetic fertilizer in a hopper. He hit a root and the fertilizer spilled, and he knew that using more than the recommended about of fertilizer is bad, so he tried to remove some of it. The following day, there was a huge dead spot on the grass where the fertilizer had spilled. "That was a huge graphic demonstration to me of what was in that stuff," he said, "It really got me going."... read more
Check out this blog post from 3rdGenBruin about how going solar can actually save you a lot of money:
First, I moved to solar for economic reasons, not environmental reasons. The environmental stuff is nice and I’m glad I’m able to do my part, but I really did this to save money.
The company I’m using is SolarCity. They are fairly popular in the Bay Area, but I think they are moving nationwide if they haven’t already. I chose them for two main reasons: 1) lease program (described below) and 2) good reputation in a nascent industry.
The process started with a call and them coming out to do a site audit. They have to check the slope of your roof, look for shade issues (tall trees, buildings, etc.) and a few other factors. I was lucky in that I basically had an ideal setup. This doesn’t happen for everyone. First, I have a two story house and the roof gets lots of sun. Second, I have nearly the ideal slope for solar. From my latitude in northern California, either the ideal is a 22 degree slope and mine was 23 degrees or vice-versa. Basically, I was 1 degree off from perfect. This was for both my south facing and western facing roof slopes. ... read more
During the most recent election I was reminded of the colossal waste that occurs from politicians running for office. Everything from flyers to lawn signs end up as trash. Think of how many times you were handed a flyer or found one stuck to your car during not only the most recent election, but past elections as well.
Both sides are at fault for this, even independents and third party candidates contribute to this problem. Even the “Pro Environment” Democrats are to blame just as much as the Republicans.... read more
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How does one get fresh, local produce to urban areas? Mark Lilly uses a bus he bought for $3500 off craigslist, dubbed by Richmond, VA locals as "The Veggie Bus."
In 2009, Lilly created Farm to Family. Farm to Family offers produce from within the community, featuring chemical-free products. The bus brings the farm to local neighborhoods where residents may not otherwise have access to these fruits and veggies! Sometimes they'll even bring chickens and rabbits so kids can truly understand how to "know your food." From lettuce to fresh pasta to bacon, they've got all sorts of locally sourced food.... read more
I’m just minding my own business, and suddenly all these eco-leaders are up in my face telling me to get angry about Global Warming? Bill McKibben -- who never raises his voice -- says I should stop being cynical and start being angry about Global Warming. The ever-methodical League of Conservation Voters emails me to “get angry, and fight this one out!” Even climate scientists, always so calm as they gaze into the abyss, are telling us to get angry. I always figured: if the climate scientists aren’t freakin about Global Warming, then I needn’t be freakin. And, now they’re freakin.
The wonderful bloggers over at
Just when I thought it was safe to love technology, now this. Recent articles show that using e-readers (like Kindles or iPads) may harm the environment more than reading paper books. Since I fancy myself as a green consumer I did some eco-bean counting (better known as calculating your environmental footprint) to see whether I’d go green or brown if I bought an e-reader.
