CT Green Scene

Happy Friday: Seafood Choices You Can Be Happy About

By Kate McLaughlin, Blue Ocean Institute

Kate McLaughlin has studied fish all over the country—from herring in Massachusetts’s rivers to Steelhead Trout in northern California.  She is currently Blue Ocean Institute’s Seafood Program Director.

Eight conservation groups in the U.S. & Canada teamed up to get the word out about ocean-friendly seafood.  The message?  Look for ocean-friendly seafood choices that you can be happy about.

Why should people Be Happy about their seafood choices?

Seafood can be a great addition to any family’s menu.  Who doesn’t want a low-fat, high omega-3 addition to their dinner plate? 

And just as you’re thoughtful about other environmentally-responsible choices you make (like recycling, or buying farmers market vegetables), you can be thoughtful about your seafood choices and be happy with the results. 

People can go to www.facebook.com/BeHappyFish to learn more about ocean-friendly seafood, find family- (and ocean!) friendly recipes, , and show support for the ocean by signing a pledge to support ocean-friendly seafood or posting a pic of your best fish face. 

What are some ocean-friendly choices that people can be happy about?

Farmed mussels are a great choice.  Mussels can filter 10-15 gallons of water a day, eating microscopic plankton they strain out of the water.  Since mussels filter their food from their surroundings, we don’t have to catch wild fish to feed to them (as is the case with some farm-raised seafood, like Atlantic salmon).

Other great choices are U.S. farmed catfish, farmed Arctic char, wild Alaskan salmon, and Pacific cod.  You can find recipes for all of these fish on the Be Happy Facebook page.

In the above list of ocean-friendly choices, there’s a mix of farmed and wild fish.  Should people be asking where their fish comes from and whether it’s farmed or wild?

Asking where your seafood comes from is a great first step in getting to know the fish you’re eating.  Next time you’re at the store, look for signs in the seafood case that note whether it’s farmed or wild, and you’ll see there’s more farmed seafood out there than you might have guessed. 

(Did you know that half of the seafood produced globally comes from fish farms?)

Why is Blue Ocean involved with the Be Happy outreach effort?

Blue Ocean works with seafood lovers, scientists, and chefs to communicate the science of seafood.  And now we’ve teamed up with seven other organizations in the U.S. & Canada to help more people from coast-to-coast find seafood choices they can be happy about.

Common Good Market Makes Common Sense

by Heather Burns

Have you ever bought something just because it was a good deal? Over the years, I’ve been guilty of “retail therapy,” like buying discounted designer shoes that were a half size too small; plastic, disposable toys made in China because they were 4 for $1; and a new comforter (full of fire retardants) with each new season that fell apart within months.  While these “bargains” may have temporarily quelled my urge to consume, not only did they mean nothing to me 5 minutes after walking out of the store, they came attached to an enormous ecological price tag.

My awareness has grown over time and I've made progress toward becoming a more conscious shopper (mostlly by avoiding places like the mall altogether), but Rick and Elizabeth Conrad, co-founders of Common Good Market have a mantra: buy things made to last by people who live and work in your community. An online marketplace of artisan-crafted home goods sourced and assembled in New England, Common Good Market has a vision of connectivity that inspires.

Quality vs. Quantity

“When we focus on buying items based on quality, beauty and utility – we surround ourselves with things that serve our needs and that we treasure, value and pass on,” Conrad says. “I’ve been married for thirty years and like a lot of people in that situation, we’ve accumulated a lot of stuff that has or will end up in the waste stream. Instead, we can buy things made by people whose story we know and whose work we love.”

Conscious consumer advocates would argue that this type of “conscious consumerism”—that is understanding that value extends beyond price – is more personally rewarding and has far less negative impact on the environment than purchasing disposable or products that suffer from planned obsolescence.

Building a Living Economy

And it’s not just the environment that benefits from products like those featured by Common Good Market – the local economy is also positively impacted by purchasing locally-sourced, handmade or small batch manufactured goods. “When we choose to buy a table made by a local artisan using sustainably harvested woods, we will absolutely spend more money on that table than we would spend for a table at the chain furniture store. The table at the chain may look nice and may even be made from solid, sustainably harvested wood. But if the table is imported, then how did that purchase support our local workforce? How much of what we spent went back to support the people living and working in our own neighborhood,” says Conrad.

“Visit our site (www.commongoodmarket.com) and read artisan profiles about the lives, passion and dedication of the artisans we’ve come to know and love,” Conrad says.

Cut your energy bills

This article originally appeared in October 2009 Consumer Reports Magazine.

You can save $1,500 with these 4 strategies

Most homes, including yours, waste energy. That inefficiency is costing you plenty, but it doesn't have to. Even if you've already switched to compact fluorescent bulbs and retired the refrigerator in the basement, there's more you can do. Some of the simplest projects, such as adding insulation and sealing cracks and duct work, can yield the biggest savings. And thanks to new federal tax credits, it will take less time for those projects to pay for themselves.

Yet in a recent nationally representative Consumer Reports survey of 2,014 Americans, only 12 percent had added or upgraded their home's insulation in the last three years. Just a paltry 5 percent had insulated their heating and cooling duct work.

Conflicting and confusing claims can make it hard to know where the real savings are. So we've examined the claims across four key categories—heating and cooling, water, recycling, and electricity—and ordered them by potential money and energy savings based on national rates for electricity, gas, and water. We've also mined our survey data to figure out what consumers are doing and where there's room for improvement. The result is a road map for taking your home's energy efficiency to the next level.

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?

Green Energy Options in the Home

by Courtney Dumais

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

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

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

Flea Markets: A Green Bargain

by Simone Pipek

Simone Pipek is a native of Cologne, Germany. She has worked with numerous German women’s magazines, including the German edition of Elle magazine. At the tender age of 29 she made the move to New York where she has been living for the past 10 years. She has worked on a number of writing projects since then in both German and English. She also writes on a regular basis as a New York correspondent for the German blog, Die Frohe Botschafterin. She grew up with a green consciousness. Caring for the environment is not only a trend for her, but a lifestyle. In her opinion, knowledge is power. So being educated is key to protect the earth. She is very happy about all the new bike paths the city has to offer.
 

If you are a little like me, and I hope you are, you love bargain hunting. These days, we all have to stretch the dollar. But shopping at big department stores is usually not the answer. Their merchandise, often manufactured without a hint of fair trade, carries a hefty carbon footprint and a veneer of toxic paint.

Better--and much more fun--alternatives are flea markets, antique stores, and last but not least, Craigslist.com. For me, it’s the thrill of the chase for the ultimate piece of wall hanging, the dresser that just needs a little love, or the floor lamp that only requires a new shade to come to life again. Priceless. Or, at the very least, easy on the budget.

There’s something else that makes it all worthwhile. Discovering that very special item, I am automatically being told a story. Those pieces lived a life before they met me, and in my fantasy I can draw pictures of the former life and think of many different tales this night table or vase might be able to narrate. I just have to listen closely when I touch and smell it for the first time.

And the best part is, I am buying something that has already been built. I’m not responsible for diminishing any further resources by my purchase. While it might be second hand, it’s new to me. The literal translation for used, or second hand, furniture in German is “Zweite Hand.” And that expression hits the mark.

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.

My Cup of (Green Organic) Tea

by Elizabeth G. Howard

I have a real problem with the perennially-peppy, "EVOO"-chugging hypocrite Rachel Ray, which might explain why I have never become a true convert to Dunkin Donuts coffee.

That doesn't mean I don't appreciate DD and their brilliant re-branding strategy that saved them from a deadly one-two punch of healthier eating and viral spread of the Starbucks experience.

However, whether you are clinging to your cup of Joe at the moment, or, like me, huddling around a mug of green tea, there is something about the hot beverage that instills true loyalty and keep us focused and motivated, especially in the mornings.

Bring It!

There's a bit of a problem with these delightful hot (or iced double-half-caf with a twist) drinks, naturally, as they are never going to be local for us Westerners.

Tea is grown primarily in India and China, and coffee beans, my friends, grow around the world like a belt -- at the equator, ideally with temperatures of 60-70F and rainfall of about six inches per month or more.

So, like almost everything green we do, we have to compromise. Here's some options:

READ MORE

X-Actly What I Wanted

by Elizabeth G. Howard

I had really just one thing on my Christmas list this year that I REALLY wanted, and this is it: a wall-mountable pencil sharpener.

I don't have to tell most of you who are over the age of 30 what the nostalgia factor of this item is. You can instantly remember the scent of pencil shavings and hear in your memory the familiar grinding noise, the one you made as you cranked away at the wall-mounted sharpener in your third-grade classroom.

At my school, it was the one place in the whole school you could go without asking permission. Mrs. Bacchus (yes, that was her real name... amazing the awareness of names you achieve when you are grown up. My first-grade teacher was Mrs. Lemming) would eyeball you as you got up, so you'd have to give body signals to ensure she knew just where you were headed-- and not, apparently, to escape out the door to pull the fire alarm. 

The Forest for the Trees

But for me, it was more than the nostalgia. I love to write anything anywhere, not just virtually. And as I progressed through My Office Life, I noticed that pens were all disposable, as were even the pencils, in their clicky-plastic casing. The only time you ever came across a real PENCIL, made of wood, was at trade shows, where they were given as quirky gifts that were merely there to carry around a logo. To use them, you had to cram their heads into sad, whirring electronic sharpeners that inevitably lived on that one secretary's desk that you didn't much like to talk to anyway.

What We Are Made Of

So it was these two things that pushed me to edge of desire this season of receiving. Colin was renovating a room and needed a pencil to mark the boards he was cutting. I discovered we had just one busted out pencil in our house. The eraser was gone, and its lead was warn to the nub, unusable without a sharpener. Colin had to use a pen to mark the boards, a pure travesty in my mind.

My Dad always has had a wall-mounted pencil sharpener in his shop and he used it as frequently as his children did as they worked on their math homework. He reminded us that we all make mistakes, and we have the tools to fix them.

So now I have my Boston X-Acto Wall/Table-Mountable Pencil Sharpener KS, Model 1041. It is made in China and I can see that it isn't as sturdy as the ones I used a a kid. But I was happy to receive it shipped in a box with almost all paper packaging. The simplicity of my sharpener reminds me of my own strengths, of the energy I have to give to things, and all the extra crap we don't need.

I think it makes me more human, and I like that.

Thanks, It’s Just What I Wanted!

by Eileen Weber

One Christmas, my sister-in-law gave my husband a nose flute. Yes, a nose flute. It is exactly what it sounds like and it sits untouched in his sock drawer for obvious reasons.

There is a little piece of me that dreads Christmas. Inevitably, and I say this with only a touch of guilt, I get a gift that is just…well, less than thoughtful. And somehow, my husband’s nose flute comes to mind.

What is thoughtful is the “green” gift. Below, thanks to TheDailyGreen.com, you will find a a partial list of last-minute gifts that don’t tweak your environmental guilt button. These are just some of the gift items you can pick up before you croon “O Tannenbaum” with your Uncle Murray after he’s had the last of the hot crab dip.

1. Giving Handmade Gifts
You can make or bake. It doesn’t matter as long as it’s from the heart. After all, isn’t it the thought that counts in gift-giving?

2. Green Knickers. Yup. Underpants. Who doesn’t need a clean pair of underpants on Christmas?

3. Recycled wine glasses. These little beauties are available at Target.

So when Aunt Martha has had a few too many and knocks one over, you can tell yourself at least they were cheap.

4. Renewable Bamboo Cutting Boards It’s a cutting board. It’s bamboo. It’s a renewable material. What’s not to like?!

5. Sprig’s Discover Rig For the little “green” tyke in your life, a truck that is made of recycled wood and reclaimed plastic. Available at Toys R Us.

6. Recycled Watering Cans You know, you just can’t prepare enough for the next season. While we’re barely into winter, let’s start thinking of spring!

7. “Upcycled” Gifts Using old materials and making them new, discarded cassette tapes are made into a wallet. Who knew there’d be a great use for the Best of ABBA?

8. Staple-free Stapler A bit like having the ice-free ice tray, isn’t it? However, this little gadget punches the paper in and folds it over so there’s no need for a metal staple to keep your papers together. Sweet office equipment.

9.Foldable Bike from Dahon Speed P8 It’s a bike. It folds up. It’s a green way to travel. What more can you say?

10. Dedicate a tree at TreePeople.com What could be greener than giving a tree? Give a big tree. Give a small tree. Heck, dedicate a hedge if you like. Either way, it’s better for the planet.

Whatever your choice this holiday season, it’s never too late to get a thoughtful gift and it’s never too late to think about the environment while you’re doing it.

Nose flute photo courtesy The Nash Company.

 

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.

Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags

On What to with A Handful of Dog Poo

by Elizabeth Howard

After we got finished discussing wine, films, Sex and the City, Myanmar and the general state of the weather at our cozy Southport luncheon, we finally got around to chatting about poo.

It started innocently enough, with a conversation about weaning ourselves off of plastic grocery bags. 

It evolved from the full-fledged bags to finding a replacement for the produce bags, which I had recently found a solution for.

"But then, you know," Carol asked, "what do you do about picking up the dog poop?" Carol is nothing if not practical. And she has a Black Lab.

Not to worry: when we aren't slathering butter on a cob, or pumping it into our gas tank, corn apparently has another brilliant use: biodegradable dog poop bags!

NOTE: The instructions on this product say you can toss the pet waste in the compost heap. DON'T!! Pet feces should not be mixed with normal garden compost that may come in contact with food. For a better alternative, check out Sharon Slack's Pet Waste Composter.

How Green can St. Patrick’s Day Be??

By Kia Martinson-Wenzel

www.ESTOccasions.com

You won’t need the help of wee little leprechauns to make your St. Patrick’s Day celebration green in all sense of the word. Just a little clever planning and effort will lead to a successful green event.

First off, comes the invitations to your green party. Online sites like www.evite.com and www.zoji.com allow to send and keep track of your guest list. Do something clever and have everyone bring a green article of clothing that can be donated to the Salvation Army. This is a great way to get a head start on spring cleaning and to help out others.

Visit your local nursery and purchase a full sheet of clovers in mini biodegradable planters. Fill one of your trays at home with them and place them in the middle of your party table as the centerpiece. Best thing is, that at the end of the party, let your friends take some home with them to plant. So with one stop you have taken care of your centerpiece and favors.

Serve www.Steaz.com sparkling green tea soda. Their use of the best tea leaves and organic sugar cane gives the product an amazing taste. Now there are more flavors than just green tea to try. Local Whole Foods, Wild Oats, Trader Joes and other health stores do carry them. Finding a great organic beer is getting easier for all of your beer lovers. In Portland Maine, Peak Organic Beer brews three different types of beer. All of their barley and hops are grown without toxics or pesticides. www.Peakbrewing.com Serve these all in your biodegradable plastic cups. The Fabrikal cups are made agricultural crops, like potatoes and corn. They are reusable but the amazing thing is that they can be placed in your compost pile and they will biodegrade. Order them at www.greenearthofficesupply.stores.yahoo.net

Start your party off with a chilled cantaloupe melon soup. This can be made in a day or two before the party. Serve them in shot glasses as a starter or a passed appetizer. For added cuteness place them in the clover tray and give the centerpiece an extra duty. A simple Kiwi and green grape salad is a refreshing treat. While it can be hard to locate great food that is green in color, just remember to keep it green in the other sense.

If there is going to be children at the party, have them all bring two old coffee cans and have them make their own Lime ice cream. This is a great way to show them how to recycle a common household item and it is fun. http://crafts.kaboose.com/coffee-can-ice-cream.html

Last of all, for all the parents who send in treats for the St. Patty’s Day parties at school, this year send in a packet of seeds for each child. Have your own child pick out their favorite green veggies and give peas, cucumbers and lettuce packets. We can all hope the children will be interested in growing and making their yard a little greener this spring.

         

Cost Effective and Earth-friendly Landscaping

EARTH TALK
From the Editors of E/The Environmental Magazine

Dear EarthTalk: Is it possible to landscape my property in a green-friendly way? I would like to create a more natural and wildlife-friendly backyard, but I don’t want to break the bank doing it. Are there any tax incentives for completing such projects?     -- Michal Avraham, Olive Branch, MS

One common misperception about adopting green practices around the home is that doing so will cost more money. But this may be true only in the short run. There are certainly some up-front outlays to converting a conventional backyard into a more environmentally friendly space (like any landscaping job), but homeowners should be able to make their money back within a few years through savings on their water and yard service bills alone.

Landscapes designed with the principles of nature and wildlife habitat in mind are often referred to as
“ naturescapes” (or “xeriscapes” when they also require little water to maintain). They usually replace most lawn grass and instead populate space with native plants that are attractive to wildlife for food or shelter.

According to the nonprofit PlantNative, maintaining a green backyard can cost up to 90 percent less than keeping up a traditional lawn-based landscape. “Since naturescapes effectively take care of themselves, there is little or no maintenance and hence little or no maintenance cost,” says the group. The average American lawn costs about $700 yearly to maintain, says PlantNative, which also points out that the average household lawnmower is used upwards of 40 hours a year, the equivalent of a full work week.

Good Tea, Very Good Tea

In this month's issue of Natural Awakenings, there is a simple, direct article reminding us why we should pass on the skinny caramel latte double foam and go straight for tea-- especially green tea.

You have never had to convince me about the virtues of a leafy warm beverage-- for some reason, even though my Mom was always a Folgers drinker, I followed my Dad's preference of hot Liptons in the evening. It wasn't the health qualities tea brings with it after steeping, but the mere warm-y goodness of it.  Drinking tea, even at my desk on a busy afternoon, opens for me whole moments of pause, time to just sip and commune with my thoughts.

Tea, in some way, has a direct line from my lips to the slower part of my brain, it seems. No matter how much I love to indulge in cup of sweetened-cream Dunkin D's coffee (a poor substitute for Tim Hortons I might add), I still consider myself, truly a tea drinker.

If you are wondering what I buy in the tea aisle, it has recently come down to two brands: Numi and Yogi. Recently I decided to fully commit to organic teas, and I go back and forth between Yogi and Numi. Yogi Tea, made in Eugene, Ore., has a mad variety, but they are not entirely organic. Still I am charmed by their recent re-branding, especially the thoughtful teabag-tag and yoga-on-the-box advice.

Numi, out of Oakland, Calif., is a bit more serious, intense and rich, slightly more expensive (not by much) with a wilder undercurrent. When I hold a box of Numi in my hand, it feels like a commitment-- a very good one.

So, if you happen by the Wild Harvest aisle of Shaw's and spot of woman standing, gazing lovingly at the shelves of tea, say hi. I'm often there, visiting the boxes, seeing what is new, trying to resist.

Linen and Towels - The Perfect Green Solution

Or... Use What You've Got

by Elizabeth Howard

In offering green tips, I work generally on the principle that other people, like me, are imperfect and not immune to temptation.

As for me, I have a problem with the lure of lush bath towels and crisp new sheets.

By way of confession, at right I have posted a photo of my linen closet. Note that it is perfectly well stocked (though not perfectly folded) with towels, hand towels and face cloths. The sheets--indicating various stages of taste, husband's bachelorhood, duvet shades and mattress sizes-- are nonetheless, intact and well-stocked.

So, what's the tip? For most of us, by now it should be obvious, though I will be the first to admit, actually living this tip isn't easy.

It's worth repeating though, and I will because REUSE is my favorite R: Use what you've got!

Die, Old Habit!

Stopping ourselves from making purchases, for the sake adorning or updating our homes (or ourselves, not to mention those bothersome children and pets, OY!) isn't easy. I mean to tell you, it is downright a pain in the donkey.

So here's something to puzzle yourself with when you are, like me, wandering around Crackville (aka Target), goggling at the pretty-pretty, matchy-matchy blue margarita glasses and serving platters.

"How many towels does it take to screw in a compact fluorescent light bulb?"

Existential? Sure. But then, it's all a personal matter of how you face the crisis: just push your Target trolley through it.

Join the Yogurt Brigade!

It appears my plea for finding a use for yogurt cups was heard... once again by the innovative folks TerraCycle.

In conjunction with Stonyfield Farm, TerraCycle's Yogurt Brigade is collecting 6 and 32 oz yogurt containers from the Northeast part of the country and arranging to have them reused as disposal planting pots! Brilliant! You can get rid of all those pesky, lidless yogurt cups!

The second brilliant part of TerraCycle's scheme? For every pot you send, they'll donate 2 or 5 cents (more for the biggies!) to a charity of your choice! You just need the Tax ID number!

There are certain guidelines for the Yogurt Brigade so be sure to read their FAQs before signing up.  For any questions, send an email to info@terracycle.net or call 609-393-4252 x 36.

Be sure to read about TerraCycle's other brilliant brigades for Drink Pouches and Plastic Bottles.
 

De-commercializing the Holidays... A Swap

by Elizabeth Howard

Every year, earlier and earlier, the decorations come up at the stores. Ugh.

This year, on Halloween day at Target, I overheard one morose father contemplate giving out candy canes for Trick or Treat: the sales associates were stripping down the Halloween merchandise before the holiday had even started. Why? To make way for the lighted trees and green and gold wrapped Hershey's Kisses.

That's why I LOVE this article "12 Ways to Decommercialize Christmas" by Megan Kamerick, posted on Bankrate.com. She offers a slew of ways to take it all DOWN a notch. Number one on the list is my favorite, a "Yankee Swap" or what my Canadian family calls a "Chinese Gift Exhcange." Called by many other weird names-- White Elephant, Thieving Elves, and my personal favorite, Dirty Santa-- it's a gift exchange for adults: one gift each, a price limit, a certain amount of creativity and theft! How can you go wrong?

Just Beat It

One of the hardest things to deal with at this time of year is the pressures, most significantly, I believe,  the pressure of competition. For example, one woman ahead of me in line at Christmas Tree Shops was spending $300 on wrapping paper, stockings, their stuffers, and dozens of other throw-away pieces of junk. What for? A school Christmas party. At what point does (or has?) the "holiday spirit" become infected with something else entirely?

At the holidays, I feel there seems to be a sense that because we have the means, we need to somehow-- if not each other-- at the very least outdo ourselves. A better and bigger gift, party, tree than last year.

The decision to embrace a greener, more holistic lifestyle definitely means fighting all sorts of demons. And for American consumers at the holidays, the meanest demon of all is that one inside, something like "competitive goodness," which, if you are looking for it, often disguises itself as "giving."

Freecycle Connecticut

by Elizabeth Howard

Recently my husband and I acquired a Connecticut-sized house and suddenly it occured to me that I needed stuff. Not just the decorative, make-it-your-own stuff, but basic, don't-want-to-look-like-a-squatter stuff: a rake, a lawn mower, bookshelves, lamps. Where we lived before, we had much less space, and no grass.

So there I was, wandering in Home Depot, depressed. I couldn't bring myself to buy that plastic rake and that shiny shovel. I mean, there is something wrong about buying a clean hoe. You just know the next day you'll turn the corner and spot "10 for $10" sign on a pile of rusty, dirty, perfectly good garden tools at a tag sale.

Letting the weeds grow and the garden fester, I researched. Craigslist was good. But Freecycle one upped it.

So what exactly is Freecycle?

The Freecycle Network is a web of individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots and nonprofit movement of people who are giving away and getting stuff for free in their own towns. Currently, there are about 4100 local groups and almost 4 million members in the world. Groups are moderated by local volunteers. In the U.S. these groups are run through Yahoo Groups. Membership is free.

How do I join?

In Connecticut there are currently 34 Freecycle groups, including groups for New Haven, Stamford/Greenwich, Litchfield area, Torrington, Bridgeport area, Hartford, Shelton/Oxford area and many others. The Freecycle website makes it simple to find the groups nearest you, and you are welcome to join more than one. However, some groups may ask for a zip code to verify the area you live in. This is to limit the groups to the local areas and to prevent spammers on the web groups.

Growing Green Businesses

More and more people are bringing their awareness of green living to their place of business. From large corporations like Walmart to small businesses like my neighborhood printer--a growing number of businesses are becoming more environmentally responsible.

According to an April 2007 Gallup survey, 47% of small business owners are taking steps to being more environmentally responsible. They're learning that eco-conscious choices not only help the planet and the people on it, but boost their bottom line as well. Lower maintenance and operating costs, and a growing market share of consumers who are supporting green business make environmentally sound business a wise choice. What's more, grants like those available from the Connecticut Clean Energy Fund can refund up to half the cost of installing solar panels, which quickly decreases utility costs.

Want to learn more about recycling in your office?  Check out these resources.

Recycling: www.earth911.org (general office), www.eiae.org (electronics), www.dell.com/recycling, www.apple.comenvironment/recycling/program, www.hp.com/recycle (computers), www.greendisk.com (computer disks, CDs), www.rbrc.org/call2recycle (batteries and cell phones), www.lamprecycle.org (fluorescent lamps and bulbs (containing mercury), www.carpetrecovery.org, www.antron.net (carpet).

Source: Priority Magazine, September/October 2007

Reduce the Negative Effects of Stormwater

If you haven't already, you should read our post about how stormwater runoff affects our water supply. Thankfully, there are several simple ways to reduce the effects of stormwater in your yard and neighborhood as suggested by EPA and written up in the Spring 2007 issue of The Habitat, the official newsletter of the Connecticut Association of Conservation and Inland Wetlands Commissions, Inc.

Keep litter, pet wastes, leaves and debris our of street gutters and storm drains, which lead directly to lakes, streams, rivers, and wetlands.

Use organic fertilizers and herbicides. There are lots of great options out there.**

Buying Locally--Farm Markets and Beyond

Summer is a great time to purchase fresh produce from one of Connecticut’s organic farm markets. Not only will you support your local farmers, you’ll greatly shorten the average 2,500 miles from field to table that most food travels. What's more, the environmental advantages of buying locally can extend well beyond shopping at your local farm market or organic grocer.

For example, buying furnishings, appliances and building materials saves the tons of greenhouse gas emissions that are emitted as a result of transporting raw materials (by cargo ship, plane, train and semi-truck) and finished products long distances to distributors and retailers.

Purchasing gently used or pre-owned items through Craigslist or Hartford backpage can greatly extend a product's lifecycle, thus diluting its embodied energy (the amount of energy needed to produce a new product) and giving away your unwanted household items can provide others with necessities and make room for your new purchases.

When building or remodeling your home, you can find high-end or unique salvaged building materials at urbanminers.com or greendemolitions.org and feel good about saving energy that would otherwise be spent on mining, extracting, processing and producing new material. 

So when considering a new purchase visit local shops, artisans, and furniture makers. Mine garage sales, thrift stores and flea markets to put a unique spin on everyday items and have fun exercising creativity while treading a little lighter. 

B-Greener Tip--Buy Shade-Grown Coffee

Like most, I've gotta have that first cup (or two) of morning Joe. I buy organic and fair trade whenever I can, but I've recently learned that buying Certified Shade Grown coffee helps conserve vital rainforest habitat for the birds that we rely on for help pollinating our food supply (and not to mention the rainforest is our greatest defense against global warming).

According to experts with the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center's Coffee Corner, an exploding demand for coffee has led to the increased production of sun-grown coffee, which grows more quickly and produces higher yield. The problem is that sun-grown coffee is usually grown where shade (or forest) plantations used to exist. Now farmers must use high levels of fertilizers that lead to soil damage and the destruction of forest as a long-term resource for native peoples and wildlife.

There are 150 species of migratory bird species that rely on tropical forest canopy for survival, and studies show that the diversity of migratory birds plummets when coffee plantations are converted from shade to sun. When buying coffee, check the label or ask your grocer for certified shade grown coffee and sit back and relax.

Measure Your Footprint

According to the Connecticut Climate Change website, "Your carbon footprint is a representation of the effect you, or your organization, have on the climate in terms of the total amount of greenhouse gases you produce (measured in units of carbon dioxide). Many of your actions generate carbon emissions, which contribute to accelerating global warming and climate change. By measuring your carbon footprint through such tools as the Safe Climate Carbon Calculator, you can get a better sense of what your individual impact is and which parts of your lifestyle deserve the greatest attention. Armed with such information you can more readily take effective action to shrink your carbon footprint, thereby minimizing your personal impact on the climate."

B-Greener Tips for the BIRDS!

I love listening to and watching the birds that come and visit my yard. If you want to attract more birds, as well as do your part to conserve dwindling wild bird populations, read these tips offered by Partners in Flight.

And if you don't get past this intro, at least stop using chemical pesticides on your lawn--each year, 4 million tons of pesticides are applied in the U.S. exposing 672 million birds to the harmful effects of these chemicals. One-tenth of those exposed, or 67 million birds, are estimated to die as an immediate result!

B-Greener @ Home Tip

These B-Greener @ home tips come from “POWER TO THE PEOPLE: How to fight global warming, lower your utility bills, and take a stand for a more sustainable future,” compiled by The Audubon Society and the Rocky Mountain Institute.

Seal Air Leaks for better heating and cooling. The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) estimates that air leakage accounts for up to 10 percent of a homeowner’s energy bill. You first priorities are to seal your attic and basement. Then seal windows, doors, vents, electrical sockets, and anywhere else air is escaping. If you’re having trouble finding leaks, you can hire a professional to find them with a blower door test or infrared technology. CL&P and the Energy Star program offer this service. Cost: $100 (Do-It-Yourself) - $600 (professional). Annual Savings: $60 - $70. Payback: 1.4 – 10 years.

Cheat Your Water Heater. Water heating can account for roughly 19 percent of a home energy bill and some estimates say that CO2 emissions from running that heater are double your car emissions! The majority of U.S. houses have gas water heaters, but almost 40 percent use doubly expensive electric systems. Make your water heater work more efficiently: wrap it with an insulating jacket; insulate hot water pipes; turn the heater off when you're on vacation; install timer controls that switch off heater when your at work or sleeping; add anti convection valves and loops; and turn the temperature down to 120 degrees F or less. Cost: $80 - $100. Annual savings: $57 - $123. Payback: 0.7 - 1.9 years.

Slay Vampires. An energy vampire is an electronic device--a TV, phone, fax, computer, or cell phone charger--that draws energy even when it's in "standby mode." These vampires can suck up to seven watts of energy per hour. How do you conquer them? Buy energy efficient appliances that use one less watt per hour in standby mode, plug computers into smart strips that sense when you shut down power to certain receptacles. Ordinary power strips can also be easily switched off when electronics are not in use. Cost: $0. Annual savings: $5 - $34. Payback: Immediate.

Read all 21 useful tips.