CT Green Scene

Chronic Illness: Coming Through Loud and Clear

by Eileen Weber

Did you know that one in 91 children have autism? Did you know that one in eight children have asthma? Did you know that one in six children have a learning or behavior disorder? Did you know that one in 10 children have ADHD?

These are alarming statistics by anyone’s standard. They’re even more alarming when these statistics apply to your child. And for many parents, it’s an all too grim reality.

No one is really sure of the root cause for autism and other illnesses like ADHD or even some severe food allergies. But what is very clear is that chronic illness in children is a nationwide epidemic.

We’re not talking about a singular group of children tucked away in a remote village with no running water and scant electricity, hours from the nearest town. We’re talking about your neighbors, your friends, kids you know at school.

Don’t Toss Those Radish Greens!

by Analiese Paik, Founder of Fairfield Green Food Guide
Recipe and photo courtesy of www.FairfieldGreenGoodGuide.com

Cooking with the seasons is never easier than in the spring and summer. Tender, fresh vegetables cook quickly and only require a simple preparation to taste fantastic. Visit a farm, farmers’ market, or local green grocer and buy a bunch of radishes with their greens, preferably organic, and some spring garlic, then transform them into an appetizer and side dish that are delicious and satisfying.

Spring garlic looks like a cross between a scallion and a leek, and all three are members of the Allium family of foods known for their excellent health benefits. Spring garlic is simply young garlic that has not yet formed a bulb, and therefore is milder in taste than mature garlic. If you can’t find spring garlic, simply double the amount of radish greens.

A Doghouse With Dignity

by Amanda DeMatto

While enrolled in New York University's Science, Health, and Environmental Reporting program, Amanda found herself captivated by and drawn to topics on the environment. Obsessed with learning more about the chemical and physical processes that occur between organisms and the earth, and determined to show through well-crafted writing that while our environment boasts a seemingly steadfast resilience to onslaughts of all kinds, she realized that we are swiftly chiseling away at its self-renewing abilities. She says her goal is to help others understand how important their role is in maintaining environmental stasis and to illuminate the tightly interwoven relationships between all organisms, mobile or sessile, single-celled or multicellular. In a world where the air we breathe and water we drink are of a communal supply, we need every other mind in that collective to understand and join the coalition as sentinels of the earth. Amanda has previous written for Popular Mechanics.

Whether you’re a dog or a human, being “in the doghouse” is rarely a position of honor. On a normal day, Stephanie Rubin, a sustainable landscape designer in Oakland, CA, would agree. Traditional doghouses tend to be dark, musty, undesirable places of solitary confinement.  But Rubin firmly believes that doghouses simply haven’t been given a fair chance. “I think people are inclined to think that dogs don’t like doghouses,” she says. “But it’s really just that they haven’t been given the right kind of doghouse yet.” 

After losing her Rottweiler, Gust, to a cancer-related disease, Rubin was determined that her next pup, Gretyl, wouldn’t suffer the same fate.  She had a suspicion that Gust’s ailment was triggered and accelerated by long-term exposure to chemicals, many of which fall under the general category of volatile organic compounds, or VOCs.  These chemicals have a stealthy presence in paint, varnish, cleaning solutions, cosmetics, and other products that furnish our households. 

Doghouses are no exception. So, in the summer of 2007, Rubin built a doghouse like no other. With red cedar planks, zero-VOC paint and beeswax waterproofing, the doghouse was such a hit that, to Rubin’s surprise, it paved the way for a full-fledged business: Sustainable Pet Design.

Fuel for Learning

by Eileen Weber

Last night, the Fairfield Board of Education (BoE) held a meeting to hear a number of issues. Not least of them was a presentation by the Fuel for Learning Partnership, an organization sponsored by the PTA Council that advocates school lunch nutrition.

Michelle McCabe, who heads up the organization, gave a 20-minute speech detailing all the reasons why we need to take notice of what our kids eat for lunch. You may think your child is eating healthy when chicken tenders and broccoli are on the menu. But chances are, the kids aren’t eating the broccoli. They are, however, eating the chicken tenders processed with too much sugar, salt, fat, and preservatives.

Most alarming, McCabe gave a comparison between a standard school lunch and a meal at McDonald’s. Guess what? McDonald’s has fewer calories and less salt than the popcorn chicken your child ate yesterday. (McDonald’s still wins in the fat category, but not by much.) What planet are we living on when a Happy Meal is a healthier option than lunch in the school cafeteria?

House of Tires

Apparently, the Mothership has landed in Gene Autry, OK. A couple has built their home from 3,000 old tires. They refer to the house as the "Earthship." Whatever works for you, as long as it's recycled...

In a previous post on this site, we linked to a New York Times article dated September 3, 2009 that showed the houses built in East Texas by a man using leftover construction materials. Old shingles, discarded doors, glass bottles, and even branches from surrounding trees were used to make his "storybook" masterpieces.

With just some scraps and a little ingenuity, green building comes alive. See the excerpt below from The Scripps Howard News Service reposted this morning by The Connecticut Post.

House built with 3,000 old tires
David Zizzo, Scripps Howard News Service
Published: 12:31 a.m., Saturday, May 22, 2010

"In 2000, the Dixons moved into their Earthship, 2,300 square feet of colorful and artistic living space surrounded on three sides by load-bearing walls three feet thick -- the size of the tires stacked like brick and covered with adobe. Exposed beams span ceilings, which contain 18 inches of foam insulation and feature numerous skylights to vent heat. Three sides are buried by earthen berms, so, like a cave, temperatures inside vary little and change slowly. Occasional heat from a small propane stove is all that's needed in winter, and in summer, only minor air conditioning from window units is needed.

Sunlight streams in through a wall of windows, where plants grow in a "water treatment plant," a basin that filters water used in sinks in the home before it is routed outside.

But there will always be more to do. Exposed berms will be covered with solar collectors, and the couple are working on a new rooftop greenhouse. A water-storage cistern will come later, and eventually the home will be completely "off the grid."

To read more of the article, click here.

Image courtesy of TheCoolPepper.com.

Losing Landscape?

A Harvard University study reports that all six states in New England have declining rates of forestation. The authors of the Wildlands and Woodlands report is seeking 70% conservation. The excerpt below is from a May 20th article in The Boston Globe.

New report shows forest cover declining in New Engldand
Posted by Beth Daley May 20, 2010 09:47 AM
The Boston Globe

“We’ve been given a second chance to determine the future of the region’s forests. This report calls attention to the pressing need to couple New England’s existing conservation capacity and shared land ethic with a vision for the next century in which forests remain an integral part of our livelihoods,” said David Foster, lead author of the report and Director of the Harvard Forest.

To read more, click here. To visit the Wildlands and Woodlands web site, click here.

Image courtesy of Landscapearchiteck.com.

The Accidental Tourist?

Planning on a little fun in the sun this summer? Florida may not be the place to go this year. With the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf, the state fears the effects it will have on tourism. Some vacationers have already cancelled or postponed their plans this month. What will happen the rest of the summer? It remains to be seen. The following excerpt is from a May 19th article from The New York Times.

Florida Worries About Effect on Tourism
By CATHARINE SKIPP
The New York Times
Published: May 19, 2010

"In a state already reeling from foreclosures and unemployment, those whose livelihood depends on visitors lathered in sunscreen are trying to persuade tourists scared off by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico to reconsider.

For now, Florida tourism is living and dying in 72-hour increments. While no oil from the spill — sheen, slick, blobs or balls — has washed ashore on Florida beaches yet, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection is guaranteeing such conditions for only three days at a time.

Hotel operators in the Panhandle say they are frustrated by headlines forecasting a “black tide” hitting Florida beaches."

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of National Geographic.

Power Source: The Straight Poop

Need an economical way to power your computer? How about some cow crap? According to a May 18th article in The New York Times, dairy farms--and cow manure in particular--are getting the spotlight. Using the waste as a source of energy, large companies are taking a closer look at what rural areas can offer. Really, what's a little biogas between friends?

One Moos and One Hums, but They Could Help Power Google
By ASHLEE VANCE
The New York Times
Published May 18, 2010


"Companies have historically tended to build their large computing centers — often called server farms — in or near large cities and industries. As this practice has continued over the years, it has become difficult for companies building the largest data centers to find enough cheap electricity and real estate to meet their needs.

The rise of higher-speed data transfer networks, however, has given technology companies a chance to move farther from large populations and still be able to get information to them as quickly as they need it. So companies like Google, Yahoo, Amazon.com and Microsoft have been engaged in a mad dash to find spots in the United States that have plenty of electricity and land. As a result, more data centers have been built in states like Washington, Texas, Iowa and Oklahoma. If those locations are near dairy farms, so much the better.

Rather than being an alternative energy convenience, this approach could benefit companies operating in countries like China and India that need to find an economical way to power their computing centers."

To read the full article, click here.

Green Grads

by Eileen Weber
 
Thanks to about 23 plastic bottles, the cap and gown your grad will be wearing this year may be a whole lot greener. Colleges and universities across the country are ordering environmentally friendly graduation garb for their students. The students can rent the wardrobe and turn them in after graduation for next year’s use. How’s that for Reduce-Reuse-Recycle?
 
The material is made from recycled plastic bottles. The bottles are broken down into plastic pellets. The pellets are melted down, extruded, and spun into fabric. Et voilà, a cap and gown!
 
What is significant here is that traditional pomp and circumstance has caught up with the rest of the world. For years, polyester ruled campuses everywhere. And they still do. Only 100 schools opted for eco-friendly caps and gowns while the remaining 1,500 stayed true to the shiny synthetic. With the green gowns, students can rent their cap and gown and return them for use another year. And for schools that have made a move to be environmentally friendly in other ways—recycling, green building, and local, organic produce in their cafeterias, among other things—this is a perfect way to end a green year.

The Green Job Market: Is is stable?

According to a recent job study conducted by the University of California at San Diego, one of the top ten careers is in sustainability. Eventually, all jobs will be green--in one way or another. At least, that's the plan.

In the meantime, it's May and grads will soon be joining the work force. Many of them will have a hard-earned degree in environmental studies. Take this recent article in The Boston Globe about North Shore Community College adding an environmental studies program to their curriculum. They join the ranks of other area colleges and universities like Fairfield University, Yale University, and Connecticut College that already boast of growing environmental programs.

Superfood or Just A Smoothie with Algae?

by Eileen Weber

Have you heard of Sun Chlorella USA? I hadn’t until I came across a press release for their product line. Boasting of an amazing powerhouse of antioxidant properties, the chlorophyll in their freshwater algae will detoxify your body of everything impure and unhealthy. Want to get rid of those pesky pesticides coating your Granny Smith apple? How about the chemicals floating around in your ice cold glass of spring water? Chlorella can apparently absorb all that leaving you feeling fresh and clean as a whistle.

But is it just hype?

According to their recent press release, the company’s product line promotes the chlorophyll granules that can be sprinkled into anything, including a nice recipe for a mango smoothie. It also comes in tablet form, both 250 milligrams and 500 milligrams for your swallowing pleasure.

“Chlorophyll has been shown to help reduce contaminants found in everyday life and that build up in the body over time," said Mark Drucker, M.D. and co-founder of the Center for Advanced Medicine in Encinitas, Calif., as quoted in the release. "Chlorella contains the highest levels of chlorophyll of any known edible source, as well as a phenomenal range of vitamins, minerals, protein, antioxidants and 18 amino acids."

All of that sounds lovely, but can’t you just take a daily vitamin and call it a day?

Breaking Glass

Last summer, David Belt, developer and President of Macro-Sea, had a fantastic idea to beat the heat: Make a swimming pool out of a dumpster. Much like a sleeper movie, it was an unexpected hit. According to The New York Times, Belt has a new eco-friendly idea. He hucks glass bottles at people. Calling it "hugely satisfying,"  smashing glass is done in a 20 foot by 30 foot tower made of tube steel and bulletproof glass situated in a private space in Brooklyn. One person stands on a high platform throwing bottles at another person on the lower platform. The beauty is no one gets hurt and everyone blows off a little steam. The bottles are donated from a local bar and the glass bits collected at the bottom are then recycled. The project is being called a "psychological recycling experiment." Read an excerpt below.

A Smashing Idea: Eco-Friendly Aggression
By MELENA RYZIK
The New York Times
Published: May 11, 2010

“Recycling’s so boring,” Mr. Belt said. “We tried to make it a little bit more exciting.”

He added, “People just want to smash things.”

"With bottles donated by neighborhood bars, “Glassphemy!” will officially open on May 20 to invited guests. The shards of glass collected will be recycled onsite. To finish out the project, ReadyMade magazine will run a contest asking readers for their best recycling ideas, and Mr. Belt’s company, Macro Sea, will make the discarded glass into the winning design. A few potential reuses have already been explored: designers from Hecho, a Brooklyn company, developed a DIY glass polisher out of a cement mixer that is powered by a couple of bikes chained together; the smooth, colored shards created after hours of pedaling are pretty enough to become part of lamps that light the space. Another machine will pulverize the glass into sand for use in the beer garden that Mr. Belt plans for the site, the sort of add-on that helped make the Dumpster pools a must-know-about spot last summer.

The immediate and visible reuse also helps counter the widespread suspicion that recyclables are just thrown out anyway. Though for logistical reasons, “Glassphemy!” will not generally be open to the public — the lot where it sits is hidden from the street — people who send good recycling ideas to the Macro Sea Web site, macro-sea.com, may earn an invitation with the address, Mr. Belt said."

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of Flickr.

GVI

by Eileen Weber

Have you heard? There’s a food revolution going on and it’s happening right here in Connecticut. Three towns in Fairfield County have all started their own GVIs. For those that can’t crack the alphabetical code, GVI stands for Green Village Initiative. That means organic school and community gardens. It means films and lecture series about sustainable living. It’s about renewable energy, not using harsh chemicals, and recycling. It’s everything “green” stands for and then some.

So how did this happen? One man: Dan Levinson. A Westport resident, business owner, and green entrepreneur, Levinson saw a way to bring his strong sense of environmentalism into the mainstream while simultaneously bringing his community together. And he’s brought it not only to Westport, but also to Ridgefield and most recently Fairfield.

“The act of completing a project creates a buzz,” Levinson said today at a GVI meeting at the Westport Library, “It’s what sets us apart.”

Oil Slick

by Courtney Dumais

The recent oilrig explosion and leak in the Gulf of Mexico has left ocean lovers and environmentalists alike simply heartbroken. But more than that, it raises the questions of ecological impact, responsibility, as well as the reconsideration of plans to expand offshore drilling. 

On April 29th, nine days after the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and caught fire, the Obama Administration deemed the explosion and subsequent oil leak an event of “national significance.” The explosion claimed the lives of 11 workers and The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) estimates that about 200,000 gallons (5,000 barrels) of oil are leaking into the Gulf per day. Windy conditions have increased the rates of spread and oil has begun reaching land.

Dress Yourself in Garbage

by Eileen Weber

Trashy Fashions. It’s a cute little quip for a great idea: Repurpose what we throw out as something we wear. Around the country, school kids have been bringing in their garbage and making a wardrobe instead.

For the last four years here in Connecticut, the Trashy Fashions group in Fairfield was born from two local teachers who saw the educational value in getting their students involved in an environmental cause.

“It’s not really about the recycled material,” said Nancy Malafatopoulos, who teaches at Fairfield Warde High School. “It’s about the construction. These kids use braiding and pleating of these materials. I’ve seen some of the kids take newspaper and crunch it up over and over again to make it more like a fabric.”

The Winds of Change Close to Home

by Susan Torres

An aspiring grown-up who loves all things concerning the environment, media, sports, current events, traveling, absurdity and general hilarity, Susan is living in and loving New York City. Having graduated from Northeastern University last May with a bachelor's degree in journalism and minoring in political science and history, she is currently proofreading for a translation services company and doing some freelance writing work on the side.

 
If you haven't been to Cape Cod, Massachusetts you really should. Even this jaded New Jerseyan has to admit it's a very pretty strip of beach with clear water that allows you to see your toes. On a good day, you can see for miles in all directions. According to an article dated April 28th in The New York Times, part of what you see will include wind turbines. The article highlights how, after nine years, Cape Cod will become the home of the nation's first offshore wind farm.
   
My home state of New Jersey also got good renewable energy news. A solar farm was recently approved in the town of Hamilton. The power company PSE&G will install 16,000 solar arrays over 16 acres while providing clean, renewable energy. In addition, New Jersey's The Star Ledger reports that the new installation will create 60 local union jobs.

Come join the Center for Green Building in celebrating spring! We are so happy that 2009 is over and that everything is getting green again!

Come talk to other local businesses and enjoy complimentary food and drink on Thursday April 29th from 5:30-7:30.

We hope to see you here!

The Center for Green Building , LLC
3380 Fairfield Avenue
Bridgeport , CT 06605
203-382-0774
www.CenterForGreenBuilding.com

Celebrate Fairfield's Earth Day on May 8th

by Eileen Weber

If preserving the planet is something you care about, stop by Fairfield Warde High School on May 8th for Fairfield’s annual Earth Day Celebration. From 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., there will be exhibits, lectures, lots of music, and activities for the kids. 



Are you a bee lover? Have they got something for you! There will be a demonstration from the Backyard Beekeeper’s Association. Learn fun facts about honey, beeswax, pollination, and more.