How To Green Your City
By Anne O'Loughlin
Filed Under Green Living, The Big Picture | 1 Comment
A few weeks ago, Pippa Sorley of eCo Times, intrigued, inspired and even disgruntled readers with her announcement of the Top 5 Eco Cities In The US. Though I was indeed excited that my hometown of Boston made the list, it is undeniable that even the “Top 5’s” of the world still have a long way to go. Perhaps it’s time to consider what each of us can personally do to green our own city or town. This article explores direct actions that focus on local, manageable projects we can all do. May the force be with you!
Start At Home
If you truly believe in something, the best way to implement it is to practice what you preach. Making small changes in your daily routine will have a much larger impact than you can ever imagine. Put the car keys down and walk or bike to work. Buy a reusable bag to take to the grocery store, or reuse the ones piled up in your kitchen cupboard. Change your home appliances and light bulbs to energy efficient models. Check out the incredibly fun web game Consumer Consequences from American Public Media and Redefining Progress to find out how resource intense your personal lifestyle is. Then go to LowImpactLiving.com for great green projects you can do to lessen your impact on the planet. The list of small changes that make a big difference is massive, just choose one thing at a time and get started!
Continue reading How To Green Your City…
Posted on July 31, 2008 |
SciFri: How To Make Biodiesel
By Erin Gallagher
Filed Under Green Living, eCo TV | Leave a Comment
Ever wondered how to beat the ever-rising cost of fuel? Many people over the past few years have pioneered the use of waste vegetable oil (WVO) to make biodiesel. Since it is a recycled material, biodiesel from WVO does not have wreak havoc on the environment or global food supply that ethanol and biodiesel from virgin oil often does. This fuel can be used in modern diesel engines like the Volkswagen Jetta, and older diesels like Mercedes-Benz, with just a few minimal adjustments. The truly amazing thing about biodiesel from WVO is that you can recycle the oil from a local restaurant and make the biodiesel yourself, right in your own garage. In this video, Science Friday features the special recipe for biodiesel. If you’re a nerd at heart, push play and pass the french fries, because you could be on your way to $1 per gallon!
Posted on July 30, 2008 |
Good As Gold: Alkemie Jewelry Transforms An Industry
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Conscious Commerce, Sustainable Style | 13 Comments
Baubles, bands, and beads have been crafted, bartered, sold, and stolen for thousands of years. The oldest jewelry ever discovered was a collection of mollusk shell beads from South Africa dating back more than 75,000 years. As it turns out, self-adornment is virtually as old as the human race. The word “jewelry” comes from the Latin word jocale, meaning “plaything.” And though we may think of these trinkets as lighthearted and amorous “playthings,” the negative impact from jewelry production has become surprisingly colossal in more recent years.
Jewelry designers Ashley Lowengrub and Dara Gerson were appalled to discover the disastrous effects of open pit mining, a common method of gold extraction. Open pit mining first razes the virgin forest of an area, then systematically strips the land, layer by layer, in search of suspected gold. The mined earth is broken into small pieces, then treated with cyanide and sulphuric acid to separate gold from rock. Like black magic, this process transforms a pristine natural habitat into a barren wasteland of toxic waste dumps and chemical cesspools.
Once they understood the massive impact their work could potentially have, Dara and Ashley were compelled to change their own relationships with the precious metal and gem industry. They launched Alkemie Jewelry in January of this year, transforming bullet casings collected from shooting ranges into positively enchanting art nouveau pieces. Alkemie is already sold in chic boutiques from Fred Segal to ABC Home, to cutting edge e-tailers like eConscious Market and ShopBop. The couple has recently expanded to include sterling, gold, nickel, and copper in their recycled metal blends, and makes most of their collection to order.
Continue reading Good As Gold: Alkemie Jewelry Transforms An Industry…
Posted on July 28, 2008 |
Number 350: Your Life Depends On It
By Scott Badenoch, Jr.
Filed Under The Big Picture | 3 Comments
Bill McKibben’s got your number. He’s got every one of our numbers. At this absolutely crucial time in history, that number is 350. McKibben is one of the leading environmentalists of our time and has created 350.org to make sure that each and every one of us truly grasps why this sum matters and exactly what we can do about it.
McKibben’s position is based on the research of leading climatologist Jim Hansen of NASA, who states that the only way life on this planet can remain similar to what we know now is if there are no more than 350 parts per million of CO2 in our atmosphere. News flash: The Earth’s atmosphere currently has 385 parts per million of CO2.
Ok, the news is stark. We’re past the point of safety and we’re going to need to do an about-face, pronto. As McKibben puts it, “…it’s a tough diagnosis. It’s like the doctor telling you that your cholesterol is way too high and, if you don’t bring it down right away, you’re going to have a stroke.” The “stroke” would be worldwide catastrophes: huge rises in ocean levels, hurricanes that make Katrina look tame, rampant droughts, starvation, and worst of all, the potential creation of a modern day Ice Age.
This is not a science fiction novel or a Hollywood blockbuster. This is not a test.
Now, what does this mean for all of us laypeople? Do we give up our day jobs, sell the house and kids and run screaming for the hills? Well, not just yet. McKibben describes the white knight, “We do have one thing going for us- the Web- which at least allows you to imagine something like a grassroots global effort. If the Internet was built for anything, it was built for sharing this number, for making people understand that “350″ stands for a kind of safety, a kind of possibility, a kind of future.”
Can the human race turn things around? Is it possible to correct the damage we’ve created? McKibben makes it clear: “It’s possible. The United States launched a Marshall Plan once, and could do it again, this time in relation to carbon.” Now, it’s your turn. Begin today. Begin with talking to the people around you. Begin by living a more environmentally friendly life. Begin by making some hard decisions that go beyond changing a lightbulb and start changing the world. Whatever you do, don’t wait any longer, because “climate refugee” and “modern Ice Age” are two phrases best left to Hollywood blockbusters.
Ready to reduce our CO2 level to 350 parts per million immediately? Take action!
- Sign up to receive Action Alerts and news from 350.org
- Share your ideas on how we can reduce our CO2 levels using the wiki platform on CreativeCitizen.com
- Organize a 350 action in your hometown
- Email Bill McKibben’s article to your entire community
- Click on the green icon at the bottom of this post that says “Share This” to spread the word
- Pass on the video below to all your friends and family
Scott Badenoch is the Co-Founder and CEO of CreativeCitizen.com, the wiki for green living, where you can find over 500 Creative Solutions for living more environmentally friendly lives. Scott is a member of the steering committee for Green Business Networking as well as the LA chapter of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE).
Posted on July 24, 2008 |
elevision: Interview With A Treehugger
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under eCo TV | 7 Comments
Waylon Lewis of mindful life media machine, Elephant Journal, picks the brain of the biggest treehugger on the web, Graham Hill. This strikingly handsome founder of Treehugger.com gives his insights on revolutionizing the paper coffee cup, being bought by Discovery Channel, and the simple joys of watching his uber-green website’s traffic go through the roof. Ah, the joys of Google Analytics.
elevision interviews Treehugger.com’s Graham Hill from alex king on Vimeo.
Posted on July 23, 2008 |
Skate Or Die
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under Green Living, Sustainable Style | 3 Comments
Did you see Gleaming The Cube in ‘89 and wish it could have been you instead of Christian Slater? Do you still own all your back issues of Thrasher and Transworld? Do you see those kids tic-tacing past you on the sidewalk and think, “if only I knew how to skate, my morning commute would be so much cooler?” Regardless of why you may be interested in skating, if you don’t have a board and always wanted one, there’s no time like the present. With most vehicles releasing about 20 pounds of carbon dioxide per gallon of gas used, it’s time to start getting around in a carbon neutral way. In the words of so many skaters before you…skate or die.
Three major eco skateboard companies are out there sourcing sustainable-managed wood, low-impact glues, soy-based resins and more to produce rad boards that rip with the best of ‘em. eCo Times caught up with all three of them: Dan Gesmer of Seismic Skate Systems, Jason Salfi of Comet Skateboards, and Bob Carlson of Arbor.
SEISMIC SKATE SYSTEMS///COMET SKATEBOARDS///ARBOR SKATEBOARDS
Company Founded: 1993///1998///1995
Location of Headquarters: Boulder, CO///Oakland, CA and Ithaca, NY///Venice, CA
Location of Manufacturing: San Diego, Los Angeles, Boulder, CO, and China///Ithaca, NY///San Diego, CA
Product Lines: Wheels, Trucks, Decks and Completes///Skateboards And T-Shirts///Skateboards, Snowboards, and Apparel
Company practices that need improvement: Integrating more green materials in production ///Sourcing raw materials within a 300 mile radius, green commuting by staff, using 100% renewable energy,eliminating scrap instead of just composting it///Using even more eco-friendly glues
What makes your boards eco?
SEISMIC: All of our decks are manufactured using FSC-certified woods. And we’re committed to staying on the cutting edge as green materials and processes become viable for the production of performance-oriented wheels and trucks.
COMET: 100% soy protein based resin, FSC-certified hardwoods, water based paints and inks. They are biodegradable. If you could chew them you could eat them. We compost the scrap.
ARBOR: 100% of the bamboo and wood used in our skates, including the all maple plys, is sustainably sourced and has been since we started making skates 10 years ago. We also use only water-based sealers during production. Further, all risers are made from recycled plastic. Finally, we reclaim and recycle all the wood and bamboo by-product created during construction for use in other Arbor products or by outside companies.
Continue reading Skate Or Die…
Posted on July 21, 2008 |
Top 10 Coolest Ways To Kick Oil On Your Commute
By Jillian Polaski
Filed Under Green Living | 2 Comments
It’s Independence Day, and at eCo Times, we must of course celebrate our emerging independence from oil. The days of the dollar gallon of gas are long gone, and the pain at the pump increases each week. Let’s look at the logical alternatives-if you have a long commute, go electric. If you have a short commute, you can cancel your gym membership and get you workout at the same time as your commute. Check out our top ten coolest ways (for both climate and style) to increase your independence from oil. Happy 4th Of July!
10 Alternative Fuels
Biofuels are an alternative to gasoline that are becoming more readily available every day. Ethanol and biodiesel are examples of fuels that are not only more abundantly available, but also emit less harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gases. In addition, there are tax incentives for those purchasing alternative fuels. The most important thing with these fuels is checking the source. Biodiesel is the best choice when it’s made from locally collected Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO), not razed rainforests in South America. Ethanol is a great choice when it is made from agricultural and municipal waste, not valuable food crops.
9 Hybrid Vehicles
The best hybrids definitely give Big Oil a kick in the Swiss bank account. They run on an engine powered partially by petroleum and partially by electric battery. Many models boast 40+ MPG, like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic Hybrid. One of the most exciting hybrids to hit the road recently is the Aptera 1, a 3-wheeled, 2 passenger vehicle which boasts over 200 mpg! Most states give a tax credit with the purchase of a hybrid vehicle. What’s more economical than getting paid for saving money on gas?
8 Electric Vehicles
Electric vehicles require no gas at all. They operate on rechargeable batteries which can be charged right at home and no greenhouse gases are emitted from the tailpipe. If you happen to run your home’s energy on solar, you could have an incredibly small ecological footprint when you drive. Even if you do get energy from coal-fired plants, running your car on electricity is still much more efficient than importing oil from the Middle East. Some great electric vehicles to check out are the smokin’ hot Tesla Roadster as well as the funky NmG and the adorable Xebra by Zap!.
7 Scooters and Mopeds
Many scooters and mopeds these days can be electrically charged right in the comfort of your own garage; some models even charge the battery while you’re driving. And as a bonus, you’ll look really cool riding one… Europeans and Asians are way ahead of the US in their adoption of this super efficient mode of transport, and the matching outfits that go along with them. Fuel for thought: The average car in the United States costs 32 times more to travel the same distance as the eGO Scooter pictured here.
6 Rollerskating
Whether you’re coasting through Venice on purple Puma skates or zipping through Manhattan traffic on your rollerblades, skating is definitely one of the most fun ways to get to work. (Though a change of clothes is definitely going to be necessary.) Blading will get you where you want to go quickly and efficiently and skating will get you there in riotously retro style. You choose.
5 Mass Transit
For every passenger mile traveled, public transportation uses about half the fuel of private transportation. Plus, you never know who you might strike up a conversation with, you could even fall in love. Not something that’s likely to happen in your car by yourself. (Hopefully.) Google maps has a great site that will give you station information, maps, and schedules for your area.
4 Walking
We have legs for a reason, right? Walking is not only fuel efficient (the only energy you’ll be burning are calories), it’s the best way to really the see the community you’re living in. Walking is absolutely the most relaxing way to get around town. Don’t have a walkable community? Get involved with America Walks.
3 Biking
If you live just a little too far from work to walk, bicycling is a great alternative-and your glutes will thank you for it also. Now there are solar powered bikes and even fold-up bikes that you can easily carry around with you. There’s also incredibly fun group rides you can do in your local community, like the internationally-known monthly Critical Mass ride or the annual World Naked Bike Ride
2 Telecommuting
More and more companies are allowing their employees to telecommute part time, if not full time. Thank goodness for that. Besides the perk of being able to work in your pajamas, you’ll save money and energy in gas, as well as all that wasted time getting there and back, and you won’t have to see your boss…well, except on video conferencing. When are the geeks going to realize that not all technological advances are a good idea?
1 Skateboarding
If you don’t like walking, try skateboarding. You’ll bring out your inner child while still getting some exercise and helping out the environment. And, many companies, are now making skateboards available in eco-friendly materials like bamboo and FSC-certified wood. Just think, you can fulfill your early dreams of Gleaming The Cube with Christian Slater…finally.
Posted on July 4, 2008 |
Junk Raft: Sailing The Seas Of Debris
By Jenn Breckenridge
Filed Under News & Reviews | 3 Comments
What do you get when you take 15,000 plastic bottles, the discarded wingless body of a Cessna 310 aircraft, and a sail? A seaworthy, solar powered ship dubbed the ‘Junk Raft‘ headed from Long Beach, CA to Hawaii, of course. Dr. Marcus Eriksen and Joel Paschal plan to sail a raft with recycled plastic bottles wrapped in discarded fishing net acting as pontoons and an old wingless Cessna cockpit as the cabin. This long, strange trip will be calling attention to the massively detrimental effect of plastic in our oceans. (Apparently 10,000 pounds of plastic are dumped into the ocean every day from Los Angeles alone.) Eriksen has sailed with the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, trolling the waters of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and now he’s ready to risk life and limb for this cause. When asked why he and his partner were willing to put their lives on the line over some plastic in the ocean, Eriksen stated the folowing…
Yes, we are risking our lives, but the issue of petroleum-based plastic and our national dependence on petroleum, warrant urgent action. My quality of life, the future of our nation’s economy, environmental quality, and human health, are at stake. I remember 17 years ago, as a young Marine in the Gulf War, standing in Kuwait City covered with drops of oil from the burning wells, saying to myself, “Why have we done this?” James Baker, former Secretary of State, the man that sent me to war, said recently, “We had a written policy that we would go to war to defend secure access to the energy reserves of the Persian Gulf.” This is not why I chose to serve my country!
So Eriksen, along with co-pilot Paschal and Junk’s on-the-ground operations czar Anna Cummins, have all chosen to serve their country in a different way. Continue reading Junk Raft: Sailing The Seas Of Debris…
Posted on May 30, 2008 |
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