CT Green Scene

Condoms on the Endangered Species List

Is that a spotted owl in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me? In a September 26th post by the Environmental News Network (ENN), the Center for Biological Diversity has been passing out free condoms in all 50 states depicting the animals that have been affected by overpopulation. The global population will reach seven billion by October 31st this year and nine billion in the next 40 years. So what's the plan? Saving the snail darters and rock frogs one prophylactic at a time.

Read the excerpt below:

100,000 Endangered Species Condoms Shipped to 50 States Publicizing Link Between Overpopulation, Species Extinction
Published September 26, 2011 02:15 AM

TUCSON, Ariz.— The Center for Biological Diversity this week began shipping out 100,000 Endangered Species Condoms to a network of 1,200 volunteer distributors in all 50 states. The free condoms will be given away as part of the Center’s 7 Billion and Counting campaign to highlight the world population reaching 7 billion in late October and the effects our overpopulation is having on imperiled plants and animals around the world.

“As the world population closes in on 7 billion, there’s never been a better time to talk about overpopulation and the species extinction crisis, and our Endangered Species Condoms are one of the best conversation starters out there,” said Amy Harwood, the Center’s overpopulation campaign coordinator. “Since we launched this project in 2010, we’ve heard from thousands of people that these simple but surprising packages drive the issue home in a funny, thought-provoking way.”

The condoms come in six different packages with original artwork and edgy slogans featuring the polar bear, jaguar, snail darter, spotted owl, coquí guajón rock frog and  American burying beetle (“Cover your tweedle, save the burying beetle”). All six species are listed as threatened or endangered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of Center for Biological Diversity.

Is Going Green Just Wishful Thinking?

We do all those things that we're told make a difference to our environment. Recycling, conservation, you name it. But does it make a difference, or are we just fooling ourselves? See the excerpt below from The New York Times.

Going Green but Getting Nowhere
By GERNOT WAGNER
Published: September 7, 2011

"YOU reduce, reuse and recycle. You turn down plastic and paper. You avoid out-of-season grapes. You do all the right things.

Good.

Just know that it won’t save the tuna, protect the rain forest or stop global warming. The changes necessary are so large and profound that they are beyond the reach of individual action.

You refuse the plastic bag at the register, believing this one gesture somehow makes a difference, and then carry your takeout meal back to your car for a carbon-emitting trip home.

Say you’re willing to make real sacrifices. Sell your car. Forsake your air-conditioner in the summer, turn down the heat in the winter. Try to become no-impact man. You would, in fact, have no impact on the planet. Americans would continue to emit an average of 20 tons of carbon dioxide a year; Europeans, about 10 tons...

So why bother recycling or riding your bike to the store? Because we all want to do something, anything. Call it “action bias.” But, sadly, individual action does not work. It distracts us from the need for collective action, and it doesn’t add up to enough. Self-interest, not self-sacrifice, is what induces noticeable change. Only the right economic policies will enable us as individuals to be guided by self-interest and still do the right thing for the planet.

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of mindingthecampus.com.

Green Yoga: What is it?

by Brittany Costa

Brittany is a guest author with her own blog, The Costa Collections, dedicated to all things green. She considers herself to be the Carrie Bradshaw of Health and Wellness. Stumbling around trying to figure out what is best in the industry, she attempts to demystify trends and relate to women of every age, stage and size. With friends and many esteemed fitness and wellness contemporaries as research subjects, she is the voice of a woman coming of age and understanding the importance of overall health, along with the crazy world that promotes it.

Below is an excerpt from a blog entry on December 8, 2010.

Sara Ivanhoe has the ability to be like many yoga instructors—she has taught mainstream classes since 1995, working at Yoga Works in Santa Monica. What does differentiate her from the masses of instructors that are out there is the not only has she completed over five teacher trainings—but also she is certified in what is called Green Yoga. “It’s important to educate and keep a beginners mind….never come to a place where I know enough and to remain the eternal student,” Ivanhoe explains. Growing up in a self proclaimed ‘hippie community’; Ivanhoe has practiced many varieties of yoga since the age of 14. “I just knew it was something that was helping me feel good.”

While most modern practitioners approach Yoga mainly as a physical discipline, they do not look into its ecological significance; the trans formative power that it could benefit of the planet as a whole. Ivanhoe explains, “There is an association called Green Yoga where the traditional idea of yoga—meaning union—is myself and something greater than myself. Since yoga is not formally a religion, then what is the union? The one thing that is greater than all of us that we share is the Planet. It is important for everyone to remember this union,” Ivanhoe continues “The practice of yoga is to remind us that we are already in union and connected to the planet. What’s really amazing and powerful about this concept is that the planet is essentially made up of elements—earth, water, fire, air, and ‘Akash’—each element is said to have a home in each individual’s chakra. Yogi’s need to be aware of chakras and see the planet is inside of us at all times, and see the union of all these elements.”

The health of our bodies depends on clean air, clean water, and clean food—traditional Yoga is grounded in this understanding of the interconnection. Green Yoga developed in the context of a close relationship with the earth and cosmos and a profound reverence for animals, plants, soil, water, and air.

Ivanhoe continues to explain: “The actual practice of Green Yoga is the idea that ‘I already am part of this eco-system.’ The way I have it pictured is a man sitting and meditating and feels this oneness with planet—separation is an illusion and he opens up his eyes and sees a tree in front of him. The way we see it is ‘that’s tree over there and I’m me over here.’ Green Yoga emphasizes the idea that this separation is an illusion; instead it’s ‘I am the tree and the tree is me.’”

To read more, click here.

Image courtesy of carolman.net.

Fairfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan Interactive Public Forum

Thursday, April 14th
6:30 p.m.
Informal Reception
7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.
Presentations and Break-out Sessions
 
Osborn Hill School
760 Stillson Road, Fairfield
 
Featured Speakers
Ken Flatto, First Selectman
Kirstin Etela, Fairfield Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee
Chris Lyddy, Deputy Chief of Police
Joe Devonshuk, Director of Planning & Zoning
Bill Hurley, Town Engineer
Sarah Levy, Public Health Educator
Mark Nielsen, Greater Bridgeport Regional Planning Agency
 
Learn about:
The 2010 Fairfield Bicycle/Pedestrian Survey
Fairfield’s sidewalk inventory and accident data
Bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure
 
Help the Advisory Committee identify:
Streets and areas of special concern
Possible bike routes, bike lanes and sidewalks
Bike racks and other bicycle/pedestrian facilities in town
 
 
For more information, contact:
Lauren Lanham, Assistant to the First Selectman
203-256-3030
llanham@town.fairfield.ct.us
 
Brian Bidolli, Executive Director, GBRPA
203-366-5405 X25
bbidolli@gbrpa.org

Get Your “Fracks” Straight

by Angela Hotaling

A biting controversial issue about the environmental impacts of hydraulic fracturing has recently caught my interest. Hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, is the process of extracting natural gas from under the earth’s surface. Wells are drilled deep into the ground and then water, sand, and chemicals are pumped at high pressures to break shale formations and release pockets of natural gas. The gas industry has exploded over the past several years creating jobs and supplying energy; however not without stirring up some very hot debate in the process.

Last week, The New York Times published an article about hydraulic fracturing. The article, written by Clifford Krauss and Tom Zeller Jr., says, “Natural gas currently satisfies nearly a quarter of the nation’s power needs. And with vast methane reserves now available in previously inaccessible layers of shale deep underground, its position as a cornerstone of the domestic energy supply may well be secured for decades--if the public supports it.”

Connecticut Dropping the Ball On Their Jeans

by Eileen Weber

Since August 1st, Volcom Brand Jeans has been running a campaign to recycle your old jeans and give them to homeless shelters. From New Hampshire to Florida to Minnesota, Utah, and Puerto Rico, there are bins wherever Volcom jeans are sold. 



Working in conjunction with the National Coalition for the Homeless, this is their second year promoting the “Give Jeans A Chance” campaign. Last year, the California-based company was able to donate 5,000 pairs of jeans. They’re hoping to double that with a goal of 10,000 pairs of donated jeans. And with 200 extra stores participating, they may reach that target. The promotion runs until September 30th.

Green Food Tips for Earth Day

by Analiese Paik, Founder and Editor of the Fairfield Green Food Guide

One of the easiest ways to make Earth Day every day is to green your kitchen. Here are some delicious and fun ways to reduce your family's "foodprint" while eating well. Click here to view the video from this segment on News Channel 8’s Good Morning Connecticut Show.

Buy locally grown food from a farmers' market and learn to cook with the seasons.
 
Best-selling author, restaurateur and Wholesome Wave Foundation founder Michel Nischan's new cookbook, Sustainably Delicious, presents over 100 recipes for home cooks looking for delicious and nutritious ways to prepare seasonal food that is good for the environment, for animals, for farm workers, and for our tables. Michel advises us to "Eat what's available in season, celebrate variety, respect the land and eschew waste." His mission is to show that choosing local and sustainably grown food offers innumerable rewards, including some of the very best flavors Mother Nature has to offer. Who thought a humble parsnip could be this delicious?

Happy Earth Day to you….

by Courtney Dumais
           
Thursday, April 22nd marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. Founded by former Senator Gaylord Nelson, the first Earth Day was celebrated on April 22, 1970. It marked the beginning of the environmental movement in the United States. On that day, under the leadership of Dennis Hayes, millions of Americans came together in the form of rallies and protests to promote preservation and to raise environmental awareness. The first Earth Day not only gained national attention, but it also resulted in the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a national organization charged with creating and maintaining a safe, clean environment.

Four decades later, environmental issues are more serious than ever before. Many factors such as population growth, increases in greenhouse gas emissions, and rises in average global temperatures, pose new threats to the future of the planet. According to Climate Change: A Reference Handbook by Kate Brash, David Downie and Catherine Vaughan, annual carbon dioxide emissions has increased over the past forty years by 80% and eleven of the past twelve years have been the warmest recorded.

Forgotten Factories in Our Backyards

by Michelina Docimo

It’s difficult not to notice the puffs of white smoke pouring out of a smokestack skyline while driving through Bridgeport on I-95. Passing through, abandoned factories blur into the background, edges fading on the coast’s cargo docks. Confused images of production and malfunction begin to mix.

Set in the outskirts in an area of Bridgeport that used to be buzzing factory businesses, The Gallery at Black Rock is hosting Industrial Strength where it becomes difficult to distinguish art from reality. Gallery director and owner, Eileen Walsh, has always had a fascination with factories, their simple exterior structure and the complex processes occurring inside. Assembling fifteen local artists, the show has a taste of what Bridgeport used to be and makes you wonder what it could become.

Walsh recalls how in the 1980s, Bridgeport was affected by drugs taking over the city. “It was a time when no one felt safe driving through the streets. But as the 1990s came, cocaine went out of fashion, which resulted in less crime.”  Urban planning and politics helped build Bridgeport’s self-esteem and now feels on the brink of something good to happen. The stigma still remains though, not only in the residents’ minds, but in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and soil we build on.

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.

A Blogger For Any Diet

by James Simpkins

Last week I wrote about a pizza place in Avon and no one said a word. Over the holidays I penned two articles expressing my displeasure about shopping at Discount Food Outlet in Canton; and readers are still writing in droves to expressing their displeasure about my perspective, even attacking me personally. More than one comment suggested that I leave town since I didn’t like it. I was both confronted and amused by such responses. The confrontation part is obvious, I hope—no one likes being openly despised, especially by people they are unacquainted with. Unfortunately, humans seem all too willing to express malice towards those people with opinions that do not match their own (see our current political climate). In my mind, this is akin to hating the guy next to you because you don’t like the color of his tie. Ties, like opinions can, and do, get changed. The life that wears that tie or has that opinion, however, is no less precious, and we are all hard-wired to preserve it. Fortunately that is not all us humans are born with. Laughter, they say, is the best medicine.

In another sense, I was very much amused by all the uproar realizing people’s anger was not because of an unpopular stance on abortion or gay marriage, but a grocery store. Now that is funny!!! I had no idea that people were so attached to where they bought their food. Shame on me, though, as food is always chock-full of intimate meaning for people. Lesson learned.

In the wake of the fallout from the DFO articles, this week allow me to offer a more personal piece that I hope will establish a context for what I write, and why I write it; a kind of road map to my inner gastronome.

The first item on the colloquial menu is the term “connoisseur”; this is what I consider myself in the food arena. Think of it as the “who does this guy think he is?” part of my writing. The second proffering is the usefulness of critique and analysis. While criticism nearly always gets a bad rap, I think we need critics and critical understandings of any subject, food included. As subjectivity is common to all of us, being critical can actually help us appreciate even our least favorite ideas by allowing us to see there is always another side to any story. But first, the connoisseur…

Wipe Out?

by Eileen Weber
 
Yesterday, The Huffington Post had an entry that caught my eye. It focused on the death of tens of thousands of bats this year due to a mysterious fungus. Called “white-nose syndrome”, the disease is wiping them out.
 
Why should we care? Because bats eat the insects that are harmful to us and our crops. Without them, there would be a massive overpopulation of insects.
 
Earlier this year, the same story was reported on National Public Radio. So why is it that no one seems to be paying attention? Is it just because bats aren’t fuzzy and cute? If this were a blight wiping out all domestic kittens, would we be more concerned? There has been little funding for the cause yet it could have catastrophic results if left unattended.

Westporters Take Stand on Global Warming

by Monique Bosch

Westport residents ignored torrential rain and headed for Compo beach at dawn Saturday, October 24th, to participate in the International Day of Climate Action. It marked the largest day of environmental action in history. Westport was only one in over 5,000 events that took place in 181 countries around the world. A sudden unexpected clearing of the skies rewarded those who braved the weather.

Local musicians serenaded the group over coffee and donuts as beach towels forming 3-5-0 were arranged on the sand.  The number, 350 parts per million (ppm), signifies the level scientists say is the safe upper limit of CO2 in the atmosphere. We are currently at 390 ppm.

As 350.org organizer Bill McKibben explained, we now have a tangible goal, a number to strive for. “This number is attainable, but it will take a global effort to get there,” he said. McKibben is an author, educator and environmentalist spearheading the effort to bring the world together to solve the climate crisis.

Vegetarian What? (part II of at last II)

by James Simpkins

Last week I’m sure that there were more than a couple raised eyebrows or sighs of exasperation at my writing on the fake meat thing—and that’s fine. I actually didn’t realize I was so fired up about it until I read it again later. It’s funny how that works.

My personal truth about the whole fake meat topic is really “live and let live.” I don’t actually keep myself up at night worrying whether or not people should eat tofu shaped like a turkey. Honestly, though, I think it’s a little strange. Then again, if you saw the wildly un-hip sweatpants that I like to wear around the house, I should think to be understood at least as bizarre.

One of the comments on my previous article was by Julie Braun, of particular note as she mentioned something I don’t hear very often by folks trying to justify their weirdness. She pointed out the taste that she liked. Now here is the pickle that most of us are in: What costs the most in trying to eat (pick one) “green”, “organic”, “healthy”, “natural”, etc.—aside from perhaps succumbing to whim while shopping at Whole Foods Market—is loss of flavor. And meat tastes better than almost anything. Properly cooked meat is, gastronomically speaking, a much more pleasurable experience than most tofu, seitan (pronounced ‘say-tahn’) or tempeh I’ve ever had and you’ll waste your time trying to convince me otherwise. But, I regularly eat all of the meat substitutes listed above. I’ll get to why, later.

Julia Bond: Don't Sacrifice a Mountain for Your Electricity

Coal generates a whopping fifty-five percent of the electricity we use in the United States, and blasting the tops off mountains is the cheapest, fastest way to get it. Right now, the EPA is reviewing 79 new mountaintop removal coal mining permits, and 470 mountains have already been decapitated. If you don't want another mountain destroyed for the sake of your electricity, join renowned environmentalist Julia Bonds, profiled in National Geographic and Newsweek, for

Burning the Future: Dirty Coal From Cradle to Grave on Thursday, October 15th, 7:00 PM, at The Loomis Chaffee School Gilchrist Auditorium, Clark Center4 Batchelder Rd., Windsor, CT 06095. For more information call, 860-255-7663.

 

Art of Bee Wrangling

by Melissa Waldron Lehner
Fertile Ground USA

Bees have been seein' red these days. Well, actually they can't see the color red, Ted Jones explains, they only see black. But they have been getting pretty ornery from all the rain here in Connecticut. While picking up some eggs, I had the pleasure of running into Ted, expert bee-wrangler, owner of Jones’ Apiaries in Farmington, Connecticut, and president of Connecticut Beekeepers who was at Hard Rain Farm in Burlington with his son to smoke out some bees. Hard Rain Farm rents 10 of his hives to pollinate the myriad of apples, kale, eggplant, herbs and other vegetables and fruits that grow on the 4 acres of well managed farmland.

Today, father and son were out to collect the honey. A thunderstorm had just come through and the sky was bluish-black. Tom eyed the sky and held out his hand for rain, not a welcome thing for bees. “Bees don’t like the rain too much, it’s best to stay away from them.” That’s why Ted was sending in his son to check on the hives. His son, dutifully suited up for what looked like a trip to the moon, had a long-nosed smoker by his side. The smoke apparently sedates the bees and reduces the chance of being stung. Ted explained that a bee’s behavior is triggered by pheromones, or rather, chemical signals which then elicit a response from the bee, a response like stinging for example. “Another thing is, you don’t ever want to go near a beehive with a banana, you know,” says Ted dryly, as if there was a punch line coming. The only punch line is for the poor sucker who peels one back while standing in front of a hive - even one lone bee can wreak havoc. Bananas have an aroma which set off the alarm response and can cause quite a stir of stingers directed at said banana holder. “It could be ugly,” he grimaced.

Only 10% of honeybees remain in the wild. Tom says his business has really picked up nowadays and he has hardly had a day off. “It used to be that you just dropped off the hives at the beginning of the season and then you come to pick them up at the end. But no more.” Now Ted needs to visit the hives every two to three weeks to make sure all is well. “Some get wiped out when farmers spray their crops with all those pesticides, others have been wiped out by disease.”

Where Did All The Fish Go?

by Eileen Weber

Summer always brings back wistful memories of my childhood and they mainly center around food. I remember fresh cherry tomatoes bursting with sun-warmed flavor. Fresh sugar snap peas. Blueberries. Nectarines. Zucchinis and their little flowers.

But the best of all was the fresh fish we’d often have for dinner. My dad, while hardly a chef, did have the right idea when it came to preparing fish: a little lemon, a little butter or olive oil, some salt and pepper and you’re done. On your plate, the fish should speak for himself.

Simple ingredients and a quick flip on the grill was all that was necessary for a great meal. But these days, that meal is threatened. Or more specifically, that meal is on the endangered list.

It has been increasingly pointed out that we are depleting our fish source. Where did all the fish go? Well, we ate them. Now what?

Mark Bittman, Food Columnist for The New York Times, wrote that while restaurants and retailers are responsible for the fish they sell, we as consumers are also responsible for what we eat.

“I’m all for seafood restaurants and fishmongers carrying only sustainable fish…,” said Bittman in his June 9th article, “but I think it’s also up to consumers to know enough to refuse to buy certain fish because they’re threatened (or, for that matter, because they’re farmed in unsustainable ways).”

Climate Change: Picturing The Science

by Eileen Weber

Kudzu. Native to Japan and southeast China, it’s the “plant that ate the south” in the lower half of the United States. But what if you saw a picture of that very same kudzu flourishing, say, somewhere on Long Island? Then that’s a product of global warming.

Last night at the Westport Public Library, David Downie, Professor of Environmental Studies at Fairfield University, hosted a lecture featuring Gavin Schmidt and Joshua Wolfe, co-authors of Climate Change: Picturing the Science. Schmidt is a climatologist for the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies and Wolfe is a freelance photojournalist.

Together, they portrayed the visible effects of environmental damage specifically as a result of greenhouse gases. Drought. Fires. Severe storms. Shrinking glaciers and a rising water table. A dried up Lake Chad and a drying out Colorado River. Scary scenes of what has already taken place and what we already cannot change.

“The science debate should be over,” said Downie of whether or not to believe that there is global warming. “This is now down to political will. This is about policy change.”

Both Downie and Schmidt made the point that we can’t stop global warming. It’s too late. We now have to think in terms of damage control.

“The choices we have are: How much warming do you want? Luke warm? Or toasty hot?” said Schmidt.

Water Foul?

by Rip Empson  
New Canaan Advertiser
Thursday, May 28, 2009

Feeding resident ducks and geese has long been an activity shared by parents and their children on afternoon walks, but many residents may be surprised to learn that feeding local waterfowl can be harmful — and is now prohibited.

Last week, Town Council approved an ordinance designed to discourage this behavior,  declaring it unlawful to feed waterfowl on public land.

Ordinance 6-10, which was passed by one vote last week, will be enforced by police and animal control officers, and any resident found in violation of the ordinance may be fined $90.

At the coucil’s meeting, the vote on the proposed ordinance ended in a draw, but First Selectman Jeb Walker stepped in to break the tie in favor of approval.

“With this vote, we are not trying to take away a great childhood joy,” said Town Council member Richard White, who voted in favor of the ordinance. “We are trying to address a broader issue and outline an overall bird management program — which we have to undertake.”

The new ordinance is part of a town-wide effort to address the growing number of waterfowl living on public land in New Canaan — specifically Canada Geese, which have been labeled as the primary offenders.

Food Safety Gone Wrong?

by Eileen Weber

Salmonella. E. coli. Listeria. These are just a few of the scary names that pop up with food borne illnesses. It’s been found in our spinach. It covers our tomatoes. Even peanut butter is not immune.

"We have a crisis in food safety in this country," said Connecticut Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro in an interview with the Hartford Courant on April 8th. "We've watched nine people die of salmonella poisoning from peanut butter. ... This bill is an attempt to address that issue in a very reasoned and thoughtful [way]."

DeLauro has good reason to be alarmed by the illness rate. According to an April 9th article in The New York Times, the Food Safety Modernization Act, or H.R. 875, is addressing these illnesses in the food that we eat. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) listed 16 in 100,000 people were diagnosed with food-related illnesses. That’s roughly 48,000 people. Only three years earlier, that number was 14 in 100,000 or about 42,000 people.

And that’s only the ones that were diagnosed. It takes someone being sick enough to be hospitalized and the illness to be properly diagnosed. For truly accurate statistics, it gets a little tricky.

It’s because of this kind of information that DeLauro is putting her agenda forward to regulate the food industry. The goal here is to break the Food and Drug Administration into two separate bodies. It will require food companies to meet standards for contaminants in the food they sell. It will also offer a system of certifying safe imports. There will be stricter food inspections, mandatory recalls, and civil penalties for policy violations.

While regulating our food sounds like a noble cause, there are many people who think the bill is not such a good idea. Blogs abound with vehement outrage against the bill. There has been plenty of fodder on YouTube. Shouts of “This is just big government trying to shut down the little guy!” and “It will be the death of all things good, right and organic in this world!”

Editorial Credibility in an Online World

by Elizabeth G. Howard

I was recruited by MomCentral.com to take part in their blog tours, when the subject was appropriate for my blogs. I have two blogs -- Letters from a Small State, which reflects on my life in Connecticut, and Honk if You Compost, my eco-humor blog.

I am on a mission with these tours: to write great reviews and thoughtful pieces for whatever I sign on to. I take the job seriously, even if the pay isn't much.

Recently I committed to review Clorox's Green Works Natural Biodegradable Cleaning Wipes. I am seriously curious about this brand-- I particularly wanted see if Clorox could sell me on this disposable product.

They didn't ... the wipes, although compostable weren't amazingly useful enough to make them worth adding to the cleaning products that are tried and truly low-impact.

Everyone's Truth is Out There
Curiously, my negative eco-humor-review was not too overly adored by the MomCentral crew-- I was asked if I didn't want to tone it down just a little bit? This has indicated to me what I have been suspecting about this far-reaching and influential website (and others like it): online reviews can often be more about promoting products than they are about giving serious consideration to the product and its impact on the audience. In the case of MomCentral, I fear this may be the case.

It is certainly true that with online writing, the lines between advertising and editorial are gone. As is illustrated by contextual advertising (ie. Adsense), where once there was a firm division between the ad and the ed, we now decide precisely what we advertise based on the page content.

The result? The more niche reporting becomes, the more difficult it becomes to evaluate the credibility, objectivity and even the usefulness of information we find online. Everyone has an opinion--and that opinion is backed by an agenda that becomes more and more hidden.

I have one recommendation, and that is awareness. For more information about how to evaluate what you read on the web, have a look here.

New Bottle Bill Considered: Increase Deposit to 10¢

Posted by the Connecticut Post, January 26, 2009

HARTFORD -- The nickel deposit on cans and bottles would increase to 10 cents under legislation that would expand the recycling law to include water and sports drinks.

But industry officials warned that such a cost hike would result in a huge wave of illegal containers purchased in neighboring states and result in higher consumer prices.

Legislative leaders predicted Monday that some kind of widening of the law will finally occur this year because one of the chief opponents, former Speaker of the House James A. Amann, has left the General Assembly.

"I do believe that the House does have a kinder view of this bill now," said. Rep. Richard Roy, D-Milford, co-chairman of the Environment Committee. "As much as I love the previous speaker --he's my mentor out of Milford -- he was one of the people who did not like this bill, overall." Proposals to include water bottles, sports, drinks and iced teas in recent years have passed the Senate, but died awaiting action on the House calendar.

The Winner’s Cup Is Green

by Eileen Weber

For the month of January, three towns in Fairfield County are having a little friendly competition to see which one is the most energy conscious. According to an article dated January 2nd in The Hour, Westport, Wilton, and Weston have taken up the “Green Cup Challenge” initiated by the Wilton Energy Commission and sponsored by Connecticut Light and Power (CL&P). The point of the competition, which will end on January 31st, is to raise awareness of exactly how environmentally conscious their communities are.

The Wilton Energy Commission hosted an open meeting looking to kick start this initiative and a Wilton high school student came to the rescue. Shwetha Rahguraman along with fellow student Kathryn Saphire “took the bull by the horns” and got the ball rolling.

An 11-question survey was formed and sent out to homes and businesses. A few of the questions from the survey, which is also available online, were “Do you own vehicles that get over 30mpg?” and “Do more than a quarter of the lights in your household use compact fluorescent bulbs?”

Points are awarded to how these questions are answered. CL&P will judge the final responses and award a “green” cup to the winning town. As of today, there are 228 participants signed up to take part in the competition.

Mitchell Reichgut, a member of the energy commission, said it’s not about winning the cup. “All of us who are involved in it,” Reichgut was quoted in The Hour as saying, “really feel like it’s a really important project and an important issue.”

Are the Green Bags Really Green?

by Eileen Weber

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about reusable bags. Whether it’s at your supermarket chain or an organic market, a growing number of shoppers are toting around these spiffy little bags.

Allie, a reader who commented on the article and has her own “green” web site, had this to say: “I remember about a year or two ago when every grocery store caught up with Stop & Shop and started crowding their front aisles with reusable, polyethylene bags. I was driving home from work on Route 8 and saw one of the tell-tale green bags on the side of the road. I thought, ‘Well, it was only a matter of time before they started clogging the storm drains like their plastic predecessors.’”

She continued by posing a few queries: What is the environmental impact of producing all these new bags? And how safe is polyethylene, for us and the environment? What about the communities where these are being produced?

Excellent questions. What is the impact of disposed reusable bags? And, are they as great as we think they are?

Wants vs. Needs: What's the Diff?

by Heather Burns-DeMelo

About once a year I have to work hard to fight off a hankrin' (yes, I lived in Ohio for 10 years) to make a  large purchase. One year it was a new house in the country, last year it was a new Mac and this year, a spankin new Prius.

Much to my dismay, I'm incredibly crafty when it comes to excuses as to why I NEED something, but like Sheryl Crow once said, "the trick is wanting what you have, not having what you want."

Now that I'm discovering the difference between necessity and desire and facing my somewhat tenuous financial circumstances, I must confess that my recent penchant for a hybrid is not being solely fueled by a desire to cut my personal carbon emissions. In fact, as the Editors of E Magazine point out, buying a new fuel-efficient car isn't always the greenest choice.

Lessons from a 6th Grader in Greenwich

Student writes her local newspaper with an important message for her town: Green Homes are Good for our Community

Staff Reports

To the editor:

As a sixth-grader at Eastern Middle School, I am concerned about the energy being carelessly wasted and the growing pollution around the town. To improve this, I support the modus operandi of "green building" and modifying homes to be more Earth friendly.

Increasing green homes will have remarkably positive effects.

The town's picturesque parks and landscapes are extremely valuable. The streets are lined with scenic houses and even some historical sites. If we don't put a stop to the constant release of fumes and greenhouse gases, the exquisite reputation of this community may collapse dramatically. Installing more energy-efficient and solar-powered homes will secure a prosperous and efficient status. Also, green homes are becoming quite luxurious, and such additions would be a notable avowal for Greenwich.

Standard houses have negative effects on the environment. Air pollution, water pollution, indoor pollution and stormwater runoff are all harmful to the Earth. Eco-friendly homes are designed for creating a healthy indoor air environment and adequate ventilation in a natural way, and use heavy insulation to reduce rising energy usage within the house.

These houses have very efficient appliances and construction. For instance, there are triple-pane windows, low-energy lighting, ground-source heat pumps, solar panels and de-chlorinating shower filters. These elements together guarantee a healthy lifestyle for the average Greenwich house.ecological house would be well adapted to the community and very beneficial to the economy. Those houses specialize in carefully making the best of all resources and avoiding waste. By switching to this type of houses, you're helping all parts of the world.

I've lived in Greenwich long enough to appreciate its outstanding reputation. I am certain that expanding the quantity of energy-efficient homes would be extremely advantageous to the economy, households and the dazzling image of Greenwich.

Eco-friendly homes are the way of a cleaner, greener future. So I urge the people of this town to use green building technology when building or renovating their homes.

Thank you for reading my letter.

Gianna DeMasi

Greenwich

Buyout Will Let Automakers off the (clean air) Hook!

Thanks to our friends at PACE for keeping us informed...

One of the most important issues concerning climate change is connected to the $34 billion bailout of the auto industry. You would think that giving them that much money should carry some conditions BUT one of most crucial ones is missing and that is to mandate the auto companies drop their lawsuits against three states of the thirteen (which includes Connecticut) who have passed a law (called "the Paveley Law") to adopt standards that would greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks.

So what can little ol' you DO? Thanks to the Law Offices of Matthew Pawa, it's as simple as filling in the blanks...

*NO PAVLEY-NO BAILOUT*!

Dear Congressman BLANK:

Thank you for telling the heads of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford last week that their lawsuits against state greenhouse gas laws are a "serious obstacle" to providing taxpayer loans to their companies. It is
now time to follow through on this statement. As a constituent, I am writing to demand that you */only /*vote "yes" on a Detroit bailout */IF/*the legislation includes a provision making clear that the federal
fuel economy law does not preempt the states' greenhouse gas laws.

I am outraged that Detroit may receive taxpayer money while continuing to push lawsuits against the states. These lawsuits seek to use the federal fuel economy law to strike down state greenhouse gas laws. Sixteen states have adopted or are in the process of adopting the "Pavley regulations," which would significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cars and light trucks. Half the nation's population lives in these sixteen states. The Pavley law is a vital step in the fight to reduce the U.S. contribution to global warming. And since GM, Chrysler and Ford have now said repeatedly that rescuing their businesses requires that they significantly improve fuel economy, then under the logic of their own lawsuits in which they argue that fuel economy improvements are the same thing as reductions in greenhouse gases, the Pavley law is good for Detroit and its workers, too.

As your constituent, I am fully expecting you to stand up and fight on global warming. While there are many good reasons to avoid the collapse of a major company at this moment of economic peril, it is unfathomable to me how Congress could fail to grasp this moment by requiring a simple act of good corporate citizenship as a condition of any bailout, i.e., no lawsuits against the states. I am expecting you to vote "NO" on any Detroit bailout that fails to protect our planet by stamping out the GM-Chrysler lawsuits against the states. Any "YES" vote MUST include a "Save Pavley" provision.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]

Keep reading for who to contact in your area...

5 Simple Things You Can Do To Green Your Wedding

By Kate Harrison

Are you looking for a few easy ways to green your wedding?  Here are five big picture ideas to get you on the right track.

1. Location, location, location

With friends and families so dispersed these days, it is important to pick a location that in convenient for the majority of your guests. Not only will it decrease their travel costs (which they will be grateful for), but it will also decrease the carbon footprint of your wedding. Also, because couples spend about half of their budget on the reception venue, choosing a place that gives back to the community makes a big difference. Good examples include community centers, museums, and public gardens.

Image:Stealth Settings

2.  Choose local seasonal flowers
Couples spend an average of $2,000 on flowers.  Flowers are one of the most heavily pesticided crops in the world and more than half of the  flowers available in the United States are imported from overseas (which uses fuel and contributes to global warming). By choosing seasonal flowers you not only decrease the cost of your wedding, but you decrease your impact on both the environment and human health.  You can see what's growing at nearby farms by checking the database at Local Harvest.

Image:The Meadow

3. Go organic

Ask your caterer about including a few seasonal, organic elements in your menu.  If you can't find a green baker, see which vendors are willing to substitute in organic flour, sugar, eggs and milk (all of which are easy to get at most large supermarkets).

Image: Better Health

EARTHPLACE To Host Candidate Forum On the Environment

Many of you have met John Hartwell at a GreenDrinks event or two. Well, thanks to EarthPlace, now is your chance to hear the candidate's views, ideas, and goals relating to the environment.

State Senate Candidates John Hartwell & Rep. Toni Boucher Guests

WESTPORT, Conn. , October 17, 2008 – Earthplace: The Nature Discovery Center will host a Candidate Forum on the Environment on Tuesday, October 28th at 7:30 p.m. at Earthplace, 10 Woodside Lane, Westport .

Democratic nominee John Hartwell and Republican nominee State Representative Toni Boucher will discuss their views, ideas and goals for the environment. The candidates are running for the 26th State Senate district seat being vacated by retiring Senator Judith Freedman.  The district includes Westport , Wilton , Bethel , Redding , Ridgefield , New Canaan and Weston.  The question and answer session will focus solely on environmental issues and will be moderated by Earthplace Trustee Matthew Mandell, who also serves as a representative to Westport ’s Representative Town Meeting.  Attendees can participate by submitting written questions to the moderator for possible inclusion during the forum.

“This is a great opportunity for voters to hear what these candidates have to say about issues such as open space, water quality, alternate energy and more,” Mandell said. 

Beer Brewed by the Sun

If you enjoy a cold brew with your favorite meal yet want to do your part for the planet, there is a new "green" beer. The Lucky Labrador brewing company installed their solar panels in December of 2007 and began production of the Sun Beer in February of 2008. They are the first brewing company to use the sun in quite this manner. Unlike other companies like Sierra Nevada, who use the sun hitting photovoltaic panels to generate electricity, Lucky Lab's solar hot water system installed by Ra Energy , heats the brewpub's water.

Although Lucky Lab uses the sun for the brewing, they still use natural gas to create the final product. The finishing product is a light summer ale and was released in the summer of 2008.

Fake Trees that Generate Energy?

Trees are experts at converting the sun into energy, and the people at Solar Botanic Energy Systems have come up with a way to create artificial trees in order to harness the power of the sun and wind. With the use of nanotechnology, the twenty different species of trees that Solar Botanic Energy creates will create energy much the same way that regular trees do. Due to the combination of photovoltaic and thermovoltaic in the nanoleaves, they are able to convert light and heat into energy. Almost all of the light from the sun will be absorbed, except for the green light, and the leaves will also absorb the infrared wave, or radiation, even hours after the sun has set.

To fully integrate all the aspects of a tree, Solar Botanic Energy has also infused the twigs and branches with nano piezo-electric elements. These elements detect the stresses on the twigs and branches whenever the leaves flap in the wind or rain. Every time they flap, the nano piezo-electric elements will produce thousands of picowatts of energy. The stronger the wind, the more energy the tree can produce.

Solar Botanic Energy has decided to start plant their first palm tree in the Middle East. This palm tree should produce 5000 kilowatts hours per year. The company has already begun offering these trees to the government. The lifespan of these trees are about 30 years. Not only does it offer cheaper electricity alternatives, it also offers the same benefits as regular trees from shade to windbreaking and cooling. Solar Botanic Energy offers low installation costs and there is also governmental grants available for the planting of the trees.

Learn more at the Solar Botanic Energy System site.

Green Summit II Energy Fair: November 8th

via New Britain Herald

Mark your calendar for the second annual Green Summit Energy Fair in Wethersfield, Connecticut! The summit will take place at the Wethersfield High School, from 11 am to 2 pm.

Town Councilor, Matthew Forrest, set up the Green Summit last year in order to respond to the ever growing energy and gas prices in Wethersfield and to have his residents come up with ideas on living a greener life. The second annual event will include vendor and community booths giving more information concerning renewable energy and showcase experiments created by Wethersfield students. Key note speakers will talk about sustainability issues, fossil-fuel dependence, and energy conservation funding.

Attendees can also take part in workshops that will go over recycling, rain barrels, composting and describing various renewable energy sources. Attendees will also have the opportunity to give feedback back to the town on whether the town is headed in the right direction towards a greener future.

Back to a Greener School!

By Heather Johnson

Most of you teachers are gearing up for the school year and getting the classroom ready and we've come up with 50 different ways to go green in your classroom. Parents, teachers are always looking for great ideas, so read on!

Class Projects

1. Recycle Competition: Many classrooms already have recycling barrels next to the trash can, but you can start a competition with your hall to see which class can save the most newspapers, soda cans, water bottles or any other recyclable item.
2. Compost heap: If your school isn’t willing to start composting, you can create a mini compost pile outside your classroom to get rid of some of your garbage, though it’s probably a smart idea to make sure it’s cleared with the administration and fire codes.
3. Start a garden: Use the compost to fertilize a class garden. You can grow vegetables or flowers, and let the students sample what you grow.
4. Recycle technology: If you’re lucky enough to be getting new computers this fall, invite your kids to join the Goodwill and Dell Reconnect program, which recycles computers and other electronics.
5. Go Green Database: Browse this database for fun eco-friendly projects that encourage awareness.
6. Plan an end-of-the-day room check: During the last few minutes of the day, have your children make sure all the water faucets are completely turned off, blinds are closed, lights are off and windows are closed. You can give different groups a checklist for each part of the room.
7. Adopt a rainforest: This project works with any unit you’re teaching. Your class can adopt the rainforest, whales, a block on your street or any other place you want to make a difference.
8. Use real plants for class pets: If your classroom has a pet turtle, lizard or fish, use real plants instead of synthetic or plastic plants. It’s better for the greater environment, as well as your little friend.
9. Calculate your carbon footprint: You can use this calculator to calculate your classroom’s carbon footprint, or the combined effect all of your students have on the environment. Then, discuss ways to minimize your effect on the environment.
10. Take an eco-friendly field trip: Walk to a nearby park to examine the local ecosystems without using extra gas.
11. Start a class website: Older students will respond to a class website, where they can get homework help, submit discussion questions, and play with interactive study guides, all of which save paper.
12. Raise monarch butterflies: This teacher started a class project to raise monarch butterflies in order to teach her students about natural ecosystems and the developing stages of life.

School Supplies

It’s time to reevaluate your school supply closet and figure out how to introduce safer, more environmentally friendly pens, paints and tissues into the mix.

13. Use water-based paints: The Green Guide recommends using water-based paints for a non-toxic creative project.
14. Green art projects: This list of green art projects are all good for the environment, and some utilize natural ingredients and products like clay and wood.
15. Use green tissues: These Seventh Generation brand tissues are chlorine-free, so they aren’t a threat to the ozone layer and have no dyes or artificial fragrances.
16. Make your own cleaning kit: Free your students of breathing in harmful chemicals and help the environment by whipping up your own batch of non-toxic, environmentally friendly cleaning supplies.
17. Stock your room with green school supplies: If you or your school’s budget can afford it, stock your room with green school supplies, like recycled notebook binders and biodegradable corn starch pens.
18. Write with recycled pencils: This number two pencil is also made of recycled wood.
19. Acid-free glue stick: For all your art projects, use acid-free glue stick, which is less messier than liquid glue and better for the environment.
20. Send efaxes: For permission slips and progress reports, send out electronic faxes that don’t require extra paper or electricity.
21. Recharge batteries: Rechargeable batteries can save the earth from harmful metals and compounds that can’t be broken down when you toss out old batteries.

350: The Magic Number

Ticking Off the Ice Cream Truck Man

I was at the park today with my kids when a diesel ice cream truck pulled in. The man, in his fifties, kept the fifteen year old truck spewing smoke as he passed out frozen treats packed with artificial colors and flavors and enough preservatives to outlive the kids who ate them.

I stood by silently, my  young ones knowing better than to ask, since for the past four years their mommy claims not to have any money, or rambles on about how unhealthy that ice cream is, convincing them to go to the New Morning to pick up some organic, lactose-free, all natural, frozen desserts.

Then it hit me: this must have been what the first proponents of banning second hand smoke must have felt like. Unsure, insecure, timid. I marched up to the truck and asked if he'd be staying long. "Nope."
"Good, I replied, because we can smell your truck all the way across the park."  "If you're so worried about it, why didn't you walk instead of drive here?" he spat back.

Tonight, I'll dream of electric powered ice cream trucks that sell organic, healthy frozen treats on sultry summer days.

Natural Pesticides that Work

EarthTalkTM
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: What green-friendly lawn and garden pesticides are available today? I’m particularly interested in options that won’t harm my cats.     -- Nancy Blanchard, via e-mail

Pesticides have greatly boosted agricultural yields over the last half century, so it is no wonder, given the commercial availability of many of these synthetic chemicals, that American homeowners apply 100 million pounds of the stuff each year to make their own gardens grow bigger and faster, too.

But the downside of using such chemicals is that they can poison people and pets as well as backyard wildlife: “Common insecticide ingredients such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), atrazine and dicamba have been shown to harm mouse embryos at times equivalent to the first week after conception in humans,” says Erica Glasener of The Green Guide. Due to such revelations, home gardeners are fast discovering the benefits of avoiding chemicals in favor of natural, less toxic alternatives.

But before thinking about applying pesticides, gardeners can design (or re-design) their gardens to make the most of native plants that have evolved over eons to thrive in local conditions without synthetic aid or lots of water. Choosing native plants appropriate to your elevation, soil type, drainage and sun exposure will naturally repel many common pests and also reduce the propagation of invasive exotic species.

Similarly, embedding your plants in healthy soil replete with beneficial insects and worms can also help reduce the need for pesticides. Laura Moran of Mainstreet.com suggests that home gardeners compost their vegetable food waste—which is chock full of nutrients that plants love—and mix it into existing soil to give the garden a healthy boost. “Aside from stimulating healthy root development,” she writes, “the addition of rich compost also improves soil texture, aeration and water retention.” It also provides a nice home, she says, for the beneficial bugs that are destroyed along with the bad ones by chemical pesticides.

If pesticides are necessary, there are a handful of organic varieties available. Bacillus thuringiensis (“Bt”) is a naturally occurring bacterium that is lethal to most leaf-eating caterpillars on trees, shrubs, flowers and vegetables. According to gardening writer Jeff Ball, it is harmless to all other insects, animals and humans. It comes in a powder form for use as a dust, or, when diluted with water, as a spray. Organic chemists have formulated varieties of Bt to kill mosquitoes or potato beetles as well.

Momentum Builds for Bike-Friendly Union Station

Via Design New Haven

The New Haven Register reports today that the city has received a $10,000 grant to improve bicycle access at Union Station, and also has submitted a federal funding request for $145,000 for on-street dedicated and shared bike lanes connecting Union Station to Downtown New Haven and neighborhoods to the south and north of the city, which themselves have bike routes planned to connect with other sections of New Haven. The funding requests and grants also contain provisions for improved bike storage (with something like the photo at left, from a small Swedish train station, as the eventual goal in terms of encouraging use). More specifics on a proposed route can be found in the article:

"The bike lane, signage and striping would take place along Orange and Humphrey streets, Whitney Avenue, Temple, George, Church and Crown streets and Union, Howard and Columbus avenues with $15,900 for bike racks and covered parking at the rail station."

Improved bicycle routes and parking at Union Station would not only provide improved efficiency for commuters, but would also potentially have a major impact on the city's economic development, public health and traffic safety, as bicycle lanes also tend to calm traffic, promote walkability, raise real estate values, increase bicycling use, help citizens save millions of dollars per year in commuting costs, and promote local retail districts. They could also have an impact on suburban areas, by making the land near train stations on Metro North, Shoreline East and the New Haven-Hartford-Springfield line more valuable.

Of course, to be truly effective and enable the majority of city residents to feel comfortable commuting via bicycle, designated bike routes must also be combined with traffic calming treatments that reduce vehicle speeds and create safer intersections. As the number of cyclists in Downtown New Haven continues to grow, transit ridership increases, and the potential citywide economic benefits of improved traffic safety are more widely understood, the political will for implementing these types of strategies -- which have been in use for decades in many other cities and countries -- will hopefully increase.

WTNH-8 also ran a video news segment on this story, with great images of overflowing bike racks at the train station and footage of Elm City Cycling's recent "Bike to Work Day/BTW Breakfast." Also see separate WTNH news coverage here. The $10,000 grant application was made possible based on the city's recent application to LAB for designation as a bicycle-friendly community. Click here for a thread summarizing previous DNH coverage of bicycle access on trains and at Union Station.

83 Trees Cut Down to Make Better View for Billboard

Via The Green Vibration

Action is needed to protect trees in our very own state! We need to stop companies like LAMAR not only littering our landscapes but destroying our trees to achieve their goals. Send letters of support to Blumenthal and please visit www.scenic.org to send a letter to Jodi Rell stating your support of her bill to ban new billboard contracts in CT, including digital billboards.

Article Written By
BY ROBYN ADAMS REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

WATERBURY-- Nancy Voghel grew up on a "little piece of heaven," but she said Friday that the land near her childhood home has been destroyed.

Last year, Lamar Advertising of Hartford got a permit from the state Department of Transportation to trim and remove undesirable growth on state land off Sidney Street to increase the visibility of one of its billboards.

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal filed a lawsuit against the billboard company and Long Hill Tree and Lawn Care Services of East Hartford for cutting down 83 trees that included birch, maple, oak and white pine that were between 85 and 200 years old. Long Hill Tree was hired by Lamar to do the work.

Hal Kilshaw, vice president of governmental relations for Lamar, headquartered in Baton Rouge, La., said the attorney general got it wrong.

"We got permission from the landowner and a permit from the state. We hired Long Hill and met with the state's landscape person, who was on site and agreed to everything that was cut," Kilshaw said in a telephone interview.

Many of the trees that were planted on the land in question were planted by Margaret Casey's grandfather.

"In less than one day, less than an hour, Lamar Advertising came in and changed our lifestyle," said Casey, of 56 Sidney St. "The noise -- we cannot open the windows anymore. We cannot hear the television because of the noise. It is unbearable."

The trees provided a buffer to highway traffic and noise, and soaked up water that spilled down the hilly terrain.

"Last year, I had five feet of water in my basement," said Jerod Voghel, 30, who is Karen Voghel's son. He bought the house that his mother grew up in four years ago; she now lives in Wolcott.

With the open swath of land in the background, Blumenthal and Rep. Selim Noujaim, R-75th District, talked to residents about the lawsuit.

Blumenthal said Lamar "clearly and disgracefully broke the law" by cutting 83 trees that provided a buffer to I-84. The state is suing for unspecified monetary damages to replace the trees.

Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail

What do you do if you're an amateur adventurer and environmentalist who dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail or saving the rainforest, but you can't quit your day job or abandon personal commitments?

John Sheirer created his own project: From May 17, 2005 to May 16, 2006, he hiked the same trail at the McCann Family Farm in Somers, Connecticut, once a day, every day. He chronicled the year in Loop Year: 365 Days on the Trail, a book composed of 365-word accounts of his hiking project.

Along the way, Sheirer discovered that an obsession with hiking and caring for the same New England trail every day can be surprisingly adventurous--ranging from blistering heat, flooding rain, whiteout snowstorms, early mornings, dark nights, and everything in between. (Plus there's an unexpected love story and a really cute dog.)

On Sunday, June 22, 2008 from 3pm and 4 pm at McCann Family Farm in Somers, CT (Route 190, approximately one mile east of the intersection of routes 190 and 83), the author will read from the book and it will be for sale for the first time.

A portion of the proceeds will benefit the Northern Connecticut Land Trust. For more information, visit www.johnsheirer.com.

Green Jobs, Green Jobs, Green Jobs

We've made a modest attempt at listing green jobs in Connecticut with that little widget on the right hand side bar, and from the number of email inqueries we receive, it's clear that lots of you are out there looking.

So...here's a wee roundup:

Vertrue, with offices located in Norwalk has at least a half dozen positions open.

The Stamford Nature Center needs a Head of Media Relations and Marketing. Contact Kate Combs, 203-977-6522. kcombs@stamfordmuseum.org.

Early Childhood Educators needed in totally green facility in Stamford.

Sustainable Business has the following positions listed:

-Solar Installer, Milford

-Green Building/Sustainability Consultants, Norwalk

-PV Sales, Milford

-Environmental Engineer, Farmington

Cycling Activity vs. National Gas Prices

Thanks to Design New Haven  and Mark Abraham for this post!

Looks like the number of posts per day on the ElmCityCycling listserv, a forum for making New Haven more accommodating to bicyclists and pedestrians, is highly correlated with the national price of unleaded gasoline (click on chart to enlarge). Who would have thought?

With gasoline predicted to hit $6-10 per gallon as soon as a few months from now, the number of nonmotorized trips to work in New Haven is only likely to continue to increase. As a relatively flat and compact city, Downtown New Haven is already perfect for bicycling and walking, as evidenced by the fact that the city has one of the highest percentages of bicycle commuters in the United States (1.8%, versus 1.2% in Boston, 0.9% in Providence, 0.6% in New York City, 0.4% in Hartford, 0.1% in Bridgeport and 0.0% in Waterbury, according to the Census Bureau's 2006 ACS). During rush hour, there are already occasional bicycle "traffic jams" on the popular Orange Street bicycle lane. New Haven was also recently named one of the 20 most walkable cities in the United States.

However, improvements to the city's bicycle-friendliness are needed before the average area resident will choose to ride to work, or even use his or her bicycle for short trips (e.g., a 4-block run to the corner store). Considering that bicycles are already widely-owned (and very inexpensive), the most frequently given reasons why Connecticut residents don't bicycle more often - infrastructure and safety - are fairly easy to solve. According to numerous studies, infrastructure such as bicycle parking, bike-friendly street design, multi-use greenways like the Farmington Canal Trail and accessibility at train stations raise land values by an amount much greater than the investment put into them (in part because they tend to calm traffic). Reckless and high-speed driving and driver education can be addressed through community-wide efforts and traffic enforcement, and through measures such as anti-dooring ordinances like those found in Chicago.

Help the Planet and Our Students: Recycle Your Cellphones!

Image via TreeHugger

The average lifespan, in months, of a cell phone in the US, according to Earthworks' Recycle My Cell Phone. At that rate, 130 million cell phones are added to the waste stream in the US every year. Worldwide, according to CNN (and noted here on TreeHugger), global mobile phone use will top 3.25 billion users in 2007. Yikes.

Well, here in Connecticut...you can do something!

During the month of May (and year-round for those of you who are interested), The Metropolitan Learning Center Class of 2013 is sponsoring a collection of old and/or unused cell phones for recycling through Phoneraiser. 

Cell phones may be dropped off at MLC, located at 1551 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield, CT.  Cell phones can also be given to any MLC student from Bloomfield, East Windsor, Enfield, Hartford, Windsor and Windsor Locks.  To arrange a collection box for your company/office or for pick-up of large quantity donations, call 7th grade parent representative Laurie Prouty at (860) 212-2383 or email MLCclassof2013@aol.com.

Sneaky, Green Feet: Earth-friendly kids' footwear

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: I’ve found environmentally friendly shoes for myself, but have had trouble finding similar shoes for my kids. Are they out there?    -- Dawn Masterson, Augusta, GA

Kids’ shoes are a quickly expanding market and companies with a green perspective are now jumping into the race with mini versions of everything from flip-flops to slippers to heeled dress shoes. While green kids’ shoes from makers like Simple, which offers organic cotton EcoSneaks with car tire soles, might seem expensive at $40 or more, they are durable enough to get passed around from sibling to sibling. “It is an investment if you’re going to do quality,” says Craig Throne, general manager of footwear at Patagonia.

 

"Image Courtesy "Isabooties and Patagonia."

Will Connecticut Ban Plastic Bags?

It seems there's another battle being fought, though both sides appear to agree on one thing: plastic bags = bad news for the environment. Retail stores seem to favor incentives such as charging for using plastic, or rebates given for plastic bags that are returned to the store, but lots of people think an outright ban is the way to go.

What's most interesting is yet again, our youth in Connecticut is leading the charge!

According to this article in The Day...

On Monday, the growing movement to curtail the use of plastic bags by grocery stores and other retail outlets gained a foothold in Connecticut when the legislature's Environment Committee heard testimony on a bill that would ban the use of non-biodegradable bags by 2010. Americans use an estimated 50 billion to 80 billion plastic bags annually, only a small fraction of which get reused or recycled.

“Life will go on without plastic bags, as it did for thousands of years,” said Emily Rintoul, 15, of Portland, one of several youths who urged lawmakers to push Connecticut to become the first state to enact a law to ban or discourage their use. “Please don't pass this burden of these bags onto my generation.”

Eleven-year-old Malaika King of Hartford, who preceded Rintoul with similar testimony, concluded by handing out nylon reusable bags to each member of the committee. Her mother, Imani Zito, sells the bags in her store, The Green Vibrations Alchemy Café and Eco Boutique in Hartford.

Coffee to Go?

Committed to reducing their carbon footprint, bicyclists meet at JoJo’s Coffee Shop at 22 Pratt St. in Hartford on the last Friday between January and March before pedaling to work. And with the bike racks on the front of Hartford buses, they can hop a bus if the chill gets to be too much.

Commissioner Gina McCarthy says, “What could be crazier than a New Englander riding their bike to work in the cold, winter months? Not much. For an exhilarating, healthy adventure, join other bicyclists who share your enthusiasm, and have a great time meeting for coffee after your ride. I’ll meet up with you again in the spring.” 

The Capitol Region Ice-Bike to Work program is sponsored by Hartford-based law firm Murtha Cullina LLP, and encourages commuters to leave their cars at home and cycle to work to help to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion. Commuters save money on fuel and enjoy health benefits.

I say HAT'S OFF to those committed, just like this guy I saw pedaling around my neighborhood last summer.

Contact:
The Central Connecticut Bicycle Alliance

The Graying Of The Greens

ERIN WALRATH and her fiancée, Peter Mariano, chat during Fairfield County Green Drinks, a cocktail party at the Westport Arts Center for people interested in environmental issues. (MICHAEL KODAS / February 13, 2008)

With Aging Memberships, Environmental Groups Reach Out To Younger Members

by STEVE GRANT |  The Hartford Courant

Something's happened to Connecticut's venerable environmental groups. They're aging, often dominated by members and leaders well into their 50s and beyond. Greens gone gray.

It has them worried. "The environmental community must make room for younger, more creative and less bureaucratic individuals who will stick their neck out on important issues and who will have the energy and expertise to galvanize the public into action," said Allan Williams of West Hartford, a longtime environmental activist and member of the Sierra Club.

Fearful of a loss of relevance, concerned they might lose influence in shaping state policy, long-established groups like the Connecticut Audubon, the Connecticut chapter of the Sierra Club and the Connecticut Forest & Park Association are now reaching out to attract younger members, employees and board members.

"We certainly do want to attract younger people," said Adam R. Moore, executive director of the forest and park group. "We've been working on that, just like every environmental group has been."