CT Green Scene

Soft drinks: Not so soft on your health

by Simon Pipek

It is kind of old news. Soft drinks are bad for you. The sugary beverages you and your family drink are empty calories used to satisfy your thirst. Paradoxically, the syrupy liquids don’t actually quench your thirst. They merely make you long for more. 



While consuming soft drinks in moderation isn’t necessarily harmful, Americans drink 50 gallons of soda per year. That’s not moderation. Personally, I do not drink any soda at all and I am sure I am not the only one. But for others, soda is all they drink. They consume double or triple the amount of the average consumer, which makes them addicted to sugar and prone to obesity and and diseases like diabetes and heart disease as well as severe joint problems.

For children, this is particularly alarming. Obesity alone has not only health implications but the social exclusion and mockery that overweight kids are exposed to as a result. Overweight kids will most likely become overweight adults and will struggle with their weight issues in more than one way.

A study exploring the relationship between healthful living and graduation rates by the State Board of Education in North Carolina suggests that “students who are obese may also have a greater likelihood of dropping out of school because of the social and physical demands that they face, such as cardiovascular and renal disease.” 

Food Miles

by Courtney Dumais

Today, the agricultural industry looks nothing like it did fifty or one hundred years ago. The changes that have taken place have revolutionized farming and have transformed it into a scientifically manipulated, outsourced process.  According to Lester Brown’s Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, the world’s grain harvest has increased from 630 million tons in 1950 to 2 billion tons in 2008, with the help of science and a growing application of chemical fertilizers.

While each advancement made since the industrial age seems justified in attempting to address growing populations and increasing demands, consequences of the current system are evident in the environment and in human health. If valid, why have such developments contributed to environmental degradation and failed to adequately nourish the world? The current global food system produces enough food to feed the nearly 7 billion people living on the planet. However, World Hunger estimates that about one–sixth or a little over 1 billion people in the world are hungry or undernourished. There is a disconnect here and it is just one of the many mysteries of the current food system.

A significant portion of today’s American diet consists of foods grown or produced in other countries. Shifts in food production have transformed a once local and delicate process into the hands of a few large corporations. Most Americans fail to consider how pineapples, oranges, and asparagus arrive in their local grocery stores in the middle of winter in New England. We have grown complacent, accustomed to the availability of all types of produce regardless of the season. 

All in Favor, Say Goat

Goat farming. It seems to be contagious. According to The Hartford Courant yesterday, Suffield's Future Farmers of America set out to make a 40-foot bar of goat soap. It took 41 pounds of olive oil, 24 pounds of coconut oil, 14 poinds of palm oil, 12 pounds of lye, and 30 pounds of goat's milk with ice. To read more, click here.

In the Phllipines, goat farming is getting a boost from the country's Department of Agriculture. According to an article dated January 11, 2010 in the Phillipine Star, the animal provides enough protein from its milk and meat to choke a horse. Click here to read more.

Closer to home, we have one of many resident cheese mongers in New England. Laini Fondiller of the Lazy Lady Farm in Vermont makes goat cheese with such names as Tomme Delay, Barick Obama, and Fil-a-Buster. According to an article dated December 30, 2009 from The New York Times, Fondiller makes her cheese in the "French way" at her off-the-grid facility. When it comes to goat farming, she says goats are better than other animals. “They’re very nice little animals,” she was quoted as saying. “Cows don’t give a damn. Sheep can’t stand ya. Pigs? ‘Just feed me!’ And goats really do want to be around you.” Click here for the rest of the article.

If goat farming is something you've considered, take the amount of acreage you have and the kind of fencing you have installed. If nothing else, you can resort to The Invisible Fence. Some farmers report success using the collar system with their goat herd. Read this Q&A from KnoxNews.com in Knoxville, TN.

If goats farms are a nice place to visit but you wouldn't want to live there, consider agritourism. There is a growing number of farms in the Northeast that offer stay packages to learn how to farm. In this New York Times article dated August 25, 2009, Stony Creek Farm in Walton, NY, will help you learn how to bail hay, harvest a Brussels sprout or milk a goat. Click here to read more.

Who knew goats could be this popular?

Image courtesy of The New York Times.

Recycling Presentation at the DEP

Please join us for this exciting presentation and discussion about reuse and recycling!

Innovative Business Development for Reuse and Recycling

Presenter: Terry McDonald, St. Vincent De Paul Society of Lane County, Eugene, Oregon
Wednesday, March 3, 2010  --  1:30pm EST
DEP Main Headquarters
79 Elm Street, Hartford, CT 06106
Russell Hearing Room (3rd floor)

For additional information, please contact Sherill Baldwin at sherill.baldwin@ct.gov or call 860-424-3440.

Scrap Art

by Eileen Weber

John Caesar: Carpenter. Recycler. Artist. Not necessarily in that order. These are the words that describe a man who takes scraps of wood and turns it into art. To say that he repurposes wood for a better use is really just a euphemism.

“John is a true genius with wood,” said Mark Bachmann who hired Caesar for carpentry in his Westport home. “The term 'repurposing', however, I think understates the sophistication of what he does. He reminds me of someone who rescues orphans in order to nurture them back to happy and productive lives. Except that he does this with discarded scraps of wood that would otherwise be incinerated or left to rot.” 

Caesar said he has been remodeling for years. But his art, or wood “paintings” as he calls them, literally came from the scrap heap. “I see the life-force or nature of these things,” he said. “I want to reveal what I see in them. It’s me being in love with these things that people cover up with paint.”

USGBC National Talent Design Competition Early Registration

For the first time the Connecticut Emerging Green Builders will be bringing USGBC’s NTDC to Connecticut and the surrounding areas.  Students and Emerging Professionals will design a small, affordable, LEED Platinum-rated home for New Orleans, LA.  Two winning teams from our area can expect generous prizes and will advance to the National Level Competition!  Four National Winners will have their houses built in New Orleans and will win the chance to travel to GreenBuild this year in Chicago.  Register your team today! From now until March 1, 2010.  Register Online.

Student Teams $25 Total.  Emerging Professionals $50 Total. For more information or to sign up, click here.

FRESH Screening at Audubon Greenwich

If you haven’t seen FRESH yet, you must. Produced and directed by Ana Sofia Joanes, it is a documentary that focuses on the local, organic and sustainable food movement that is gaining ground in this country. The film provides another look into our nation’s broken food system and celebrates the farmers, thinkers, and business people across America who are working for change.

On Saturday, February 27 from 2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. at the Audubon Greenwich, a screening of FRESH will be followed by a panel discussion with prominent community members of the local food movement. The panel includes Amy Kalafa, co-producer of the 'Two Angry Moms' movie; Rachel Khanna, an organic chef and Certified Health Counselor; Dan Levinson, founder and Chairman of Westport Green Village Initiative(GVI); Deb Marsden, founder of CT Farm Fresh Express; and Melina Brown, a chicken expert and founder of the Southern CT/Westchester Backyard Poultry Meetup. Analiese Paik, a sustainable foods advocate and founder of the Fairfield Green Food Guide, will moderate the panel discussion.

The panel will focus on the critical role we each play in supporting our local farmer. There will also be a special exhibition of local organic wine and cheese. A special educational program for children ages 5 and up is being offered free of charge so the whole family can enjoy an afternoon at the beautiful venue.

Audubon Greenwich is located at 613 Riversville Road. Space is very limited and tickets are available in advance only. Buy tickets for $7 online at www.brownpapertickets.com/event/91186. (If tickets/space remains, admission will be $15 at the door so please buy in advance.) Snow date is February 28th.
For more information, please visit Fairfield Green Food Guide, Audubon Greenwich, and FRESHthemovie.com

Cardboard: the other material

by Simone Pipek

Furniture is often made out of the most obscure materials. So why not try something new and pair a cool design with a clean conscience? Cardboard is a strong, eco-friendly basis for an individual home. We use it every day, but its lifespan is usually rather short in our houses.  If we buy shoes, order books online, or finally treat ourselves to that great new flat screen TV, all those items come in a box. But cardboard shouldn’t be limited to packing material. There are many great products on the market that are surprisingly made of cardboard and give recycling a whole new meaning.

What exactly is cardboard?

Cardboard is the common name for corrugated fiberboard. It is a paper-based material consisting of a fluted corrugated sheet and one or two flat linerboards. Old corrugated containers are an excellent source for recycling. The baled boxes are put in a hydropulper, which is a giant industrial blender filled with warm water for cleaning and processing. The pulp slurry is then used to make new paper and fiber products. If you are crafty and like little projects at home you can make your own paper out of your recycling, just like a recycling mill – only smaller. A very easy to follow description how to do it you can find here.

Cardboard Design is a company based in New Jersey that offers incredible designs for chairs, tables, room dividers, vases, toys and anything else you can think of for your home – all made out of recycled cardboard. You can find their products at Printicon in New York City on 7 West 18th Street (please ask for Vahid Pourkay), or in their online store.

If you and your family like to do jigsaw puzzles, you should certainly check TDC Games, a company that uses recycled cardboard and paper for their puzzles, and the pieces can even be planted in soil after you solved the puzzle, and wild flowers will grow out of it. Furthermore, the board game The Green Game educates you about everything you should know about our planet. It is made of 100% recycled material and painted using soy inks.

Are you looking for an eco-friendly and pretty day bed for your feline friend? Look no further, because this kitty lounge chair is made of cardboard and doesn’t only serve as a scratch pad but also as a conversation starter and focal point due to its beautiful design. Available at Amazon.com

I fell in love with these deer trophies by Cardboard Safari. They are all recycled and certainly 100% Peta-approved, since they are made out of cardboard, so no animal was harmed. They come packed flat and have to be assembled, which is actually fun, too. The company also offers bison, moose and rhino.

Even on your journey to your last resting-place you can ”go cardboard.” A company in Hong Kong offers coffins made of biodegradable material and recycled paper. In a previous article on this site, we discussed green funerals. Click here to read more.

If you acquired a taste for cardboard by now – which I hope you did – get creative! A small selection of furniture for kids made by YOU. Yes, it is possible with these absolutely free downloadable and printable patterns by Swiss-based architect Nicola Enrico Staeubli and his website Fold School. You can choose between a stool, chair and rocker. You don’t need much more than used cardboard, a ruler and a cutter. Another find is Emma Hardy’s book ‘Cardboard – Craft Workshop’. It shows explicitly how to make small furniture, lamp shades, ornaments and more out of cardboard. Available at Barnes &Noble.

During the research for this article I came across British artist Chris Gilmour, who takes everyday items and reproduces them in original size out of cardboard. A few of his art pieces include a Fiat 500, a wheel chair, a piano, dentist’s chair, a microscope and many more. Both beautiful and inspiring. The sky is the limit!

Happy Cardboarding!

Images courtesy of ChrisGilmour.com, Amazon.com, and Carboard Design.com.

The Truth Behind the Chicken

by Courtney Dumais

As the population continuously increases, consumer demand for meat, poultry, and fish increases simultaneously. These new demands have led to the adaptation of new methods of animal farming. In order to deliver the cheapest, most profitable product, hundreds of millions of animals are inhumanely tortured and frightened before they are killed. Historically, animals were raised on spacious farms, fed ample food, and slaughtered when physically suitable. Today’s farming practices are far from this ideal.

The average American consumes over 200 pounds of meat, poultry, and fish every year. While many like to believe that the meat they eat arrives on their plate as a result of the natural, painless death of an animal, this fantasy is far from true. The actual slaughter of the animal exceeds the most gruesome illustrations imaginable. Any animal with a heartbeat can become a packaged piece of meat in less time than it takes most people to drive to work. The excruciating pain and terror they experience before their imminent death is a fact we’d like to ignore.

Doing it the old-fashioned way

Getting back to the basics may be all the environment needs. Read this article from The Burlington Free Press in Vermont. From planting your own garden or reusing items to save money, previous generations have something to teach us with their waste-not-want-not point of view.

Dad's Depression-era advice: Slow down, and the environment benefits, too
by Matt Sutkowski, Free Press Staff Writer
The Burlington Free Press
Sunday, January 31, 2010

"If I really want to learn to live a green life, I need look no further than to my dad, Henry 'Red' Sutkoski, who has lived in West Rutland almost all of his life.

Dad turns 90 in April, and he’s a treasure trove of memories dating back to the Calvin Coolidge presidency. He grew up with his parents and six siblings in West Rutland in the 1920s and 1930s, a town then largely supported by the marble industry. He was 9 years old when the stock market crashed in 1929, and he has vivid recollections of the Great Depression.



Dad loves to tell stories of his childhood, and I love listening to them. They are always interesting and entertaining. But when I asked him last week to repeat many of his stories for my article on how Depression-era people were accidental environmentalists, I realized he offers lessons on how to live 'green.'"

Click here to read more.

Image courtesy of HappyNews.com.

You Go, Girl

by Eileen Weber

I have three daughters, aged 9, 7, and 5. I remember when they were teeny weeny, still fascinated with dressing up as Snow White. Now, they’re in grade school. My oldest one rolls her eyes every time I try to give her a kiss goodbye. They’re growing up fast. They’re not little babies anymore. They’re big girls and getting bigger every day.

Two moms from New Hartford felt the same way about their own daughters, especially when it came to their skin care. For our babies, we make an effort to buy products that are all natural without harmful chemicals. Why stop just because the little piggies got a bit older?

According to an article dated September 24, 2008, the Environmental Working Group conducted studies that showed skin and cosmetic products contain hormone-laced chemicals. For young girls who experiment with products more than adults, these hormones end up in their bodies. More to the point, those hormones can contribute to diseases such as diabetes or even some cancers.

That’s why Kim Grustas and Grace Petrarca teamed up to found Good For You Girls, their skin care product line geared for the nine to fifteen year olds. Between the two of them, they have six daughters.

Malawi: Farmers become filmmakers

by Simone Pipek

Climate change affects all of us. As an avid reader of this website – or for that matter as someone who hasn’t been hibernating for the last ten years – you are well aware of this fact. We realize there is something wrong with rising seas, stronger and more frequent storms like Hurricane Katrina that decimated New Orleans in 2005, and increased drought due to higher temperatures. Yet for those in a modern world, the climate change’s effects are not as devastating as they are for third world countries, whose economy and survival strongly depends on the rain seasons.

Take Malawi, for example. Located in southern Africa the country is among the world's least developed and most densely populated. Its economy is heavily based in agriculture, with a largely rural population, which in this respect, leads to the conclusion that heavier though shorter rain falls with increased flooding, followed by extreme drought requires the population to change their habits in cultivating and growing food and animals to survive.

Drop the Bottle

by Courtney Dumais

We grab one for the road, on the way to the gym, or simply to quench our thirst. It’s a luxury many of us take for granted. But this little culprit is really just a wolf in sheep’s clothing: The single-use plastic bottle.  It may be convenient, but it’s an environmental nightmare.

Though some eco-friends have switched from the plastic bottle to a reusable bottle, many are guilty of succumbing to the ease of purchasing a bottle of water or a case from the supermarket. Many ask, so what? What could possibly be so terrible about a nice cold bottle of water? Well I’ve outlined a few reasons to drop the bottle. 

The production, transportation and disposal of plastic water bottle containers creates a surprising amount of environmental harm. We visited that topic in a previous article on this site. Manufacturing plastic water bottles requires large quantities of petroleum and the chemical polyethylene terephthalate (PET) to make the bottles. Energy to fill the bottles, to ship them to consumers, to refrigerate; and landfill space to dispose of them all take their toll.

Farming: The Ultimate Green Job

by Eileen Weber

“You have to leave the land better than when you found it,” said Fred Monahan, who runs Stone Gardens Farm in Shelton with his wife Stacia. The couple sustainably grow vegetables using an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) system. They raise cows and chickens. They compost and use their animal manure to enrich the soil. The land, originally a dairy farm until the mid 1990s, evolved to become the thriving farm it is now. “The economic downturn hasn’t affected us,” said Monahan.

But that’s not the case for a lot of farmers in Connecticut, particularly in the dairy industry. When a gallon of milk costs nearly twice to produce than its revenue, dairy farmers have been tightening their belts. And in some cases, they can’t tighten them enough. According to the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), nineteen dairy farms in Connecticut sold off their animals last year. Once the farmland goes, it’s gone. 

Event: Green Energy and Building Expo

Don't Miss two days of informative and compelling seminars, panels and exhibits from the leaders in the world of green energy, green building, recycling, and conservation — Feb. 19-20. Green Energy and Building Expo at Mohegan Sun Casino & Resort Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncas Ballroom Uncasville, CT and meet with decision makers, procurement buyers, government buyers, business owners, contractors, builders and affluent residential home owners will be attending.

To register, download the registration info here. Visit the expo website to purchase tickets here.

Nissan Leaf Comes to Town - Prizes & Giveaways

Nissan’s upcoming all-electric LEAF car has been touring the United States for the past three months, and is making two stops in the Boston area this week.  Through the Nissan LEAF Zero Emission Tour, Nissan will be showcasing the electric vehicle and battery technology as well as the company's zero-emission mobility objectives.  On Tuesday, February 9th, the five-passenger, five-door, gasoline-free LEAF will be on display at the Boston Museum of Science from 9am to 3pm.  It will be available to see later in the day at the Larz Anderson Automobile Museum in Brookline from 6:30 to 8:30pm.  Complete details can be found HERE.

To celebrate the arrival of the LEAF, we are giving away some prizes to our CT GreenScene Twitter followers!  One lucky follower will win a Nissan LEAF Zero Emission Tour t-shirt, $150 TerraPass gift certificate and a Eco Touch green car cleaning kit.  To enter, simply head over to TWITTER and follow the directions in today’s tweet.  Contest runs through March 1, 2010.  A winner will be announced on March 2, 2010.  Make sure that you are following TWITTER to be eligible to enter!

Love is in the air: A green Valentine’s Day

by Simone Pipek

In case you were unaware, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. Hallmark holiday or not, this day is meant to show the important people in your life how much you love them. Classic Valentine's gifts are romantic, but can often be major eco-culprits. So why not switch it up a little and celebrate this day with your loved ones AND a clean consciousness? Here are a few suggestions for Valentine’s Day that are eco-friendly and fun!

Green Energy Options in the Home

by Courtney Dumais

Courtney is a junior at Fairfield University. She is currently enrolled in the Environmental Studies program with an emphasis on ecology, environmental justice, ethics, and policies as well as sustainable development. She is our newest intern at CTGS.

With these long, cold winter days, heating your home becomes a high priority. It also comes with a high economic and environmental price tag. The U.S Department of Energy estimates that heating and cooling systems in the United States emit about 150 million tons of carbon dioxide per year. According to The Center for Resource Conservation, Americans use twice as much energy as necessary to heat their homes. And this heat, which escapes through cracks and leaks, costs about $450 per year.
In the United States, heating alone accounts for approximately 40% of energy bills. In Connecticut, that percentage is even higher. More than half of the average energy bill is spent on home heating. Add high gas and oil prices to that, and your wallet is a whole lot lighter.

To help the average homeowner during these chilly months, I’ve compiled a few simple, effective measures to help reduce the impact this winter. Some of them are obvious, such as unplugging unused electronics. But other less evident solutions can make a noticeable difference as well.

Environmental Crisis: Human Population

by Kathryn E. Arion

Kathryn is a junior at Dartmouth College majoring in Environmental Studies and minoring in Anthropology. She is originally from the Eastern Shore of Maryland, where her parents live and own a veterinary clinic. In her spare time, Kathryn likes to read fiction novels, run and weight-train at the gym, and snowboard. She is also a devoted sister of Epsilon Kappa Theta sorority at Dartmouth. Kathryn hopes to work after graduation with groups promoting conservation of biodiversity and protection of endangered species.
 
Human overpopulation seems to be a taboo subject, even in the field of environmental studies. The growth of society is seen as progress, a step in the right direction for mankind. The immense human population tends not to be viewed as an environmental problem; if other issues facing the planet were addressed, then the world population would not matter. But what if overpopulation is the underlying cause of environmental degradation?

Over two hundred years ago, Dr. Thomas Malthus, a British scholar from the late 18th to the early 19th century known for his analysis on societal improvements and population growth, predicted the issues of worldwide hunger that we are facing today. He wrote An Essay on the Principles of Population that stated while the human population can grow exponentially, agriculture and food supply could not keep up. In an article published on December 9, 2008, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations claimed that there were 963 million people going hungry. By June of 2009, that number had risen to over one billion.

Why, in the 21st century, in an age of rapidly growing technology, is a sixth of the world’s population starving? The answer is that, no matter what types of technology or innovations we create, there is just no way for our earth to sustain six billion people. There are simply not enough resources to feed everyone. Even if we tried to allocate resources to everyone, we would only further contribute to environmental degradation.