simple + green

image credit: 4×4jeepchick

Los Angeles hasn’t kept too high of a profile when it comes to green building. But late last month, a significant change is underway.

The city of Los Angeles has become the largest city in the nation to impose green building rules that would potentially cut millions of tons of pollution over the next decade.

The announcement was made on Earth Day.

According to the story on Inhabitat:

The law will require new commercial buildings and high-rise residential structures over 50,000 square feet to meet LEED standards, including drought-resistant landscaping, use of recycled materials, and energy efficient heating, cooling, and lighting. This makes LA the latest of 14 US cities that have required private developers to meet greener building practices. These legislative efforts were heralded by several groundbreaking reports released earlier in the month.

The mayor has also set a target:

The mayor has pledged to reduce the city’s carbon emissions 35% below 1990 levels by 2030, an effort that will also require a crackdown on the city’s coal-dependent municipal utility and a move toward electricity from renewable sources.

This is a fantastic move, and based on everything I’ve read on it, Los Angeles should be applauded.

Now that LA is moving more to Green, there is one big question:

Is the race on between San Francisco and Los Angeles: who will be the greenest city?

Can you envision a day where you print something out for a quick read… and then reuse the same piece of paper the next day?

Well, researchers in California have created paper that will do just that.

According to this article on ComputerWorld.com: Xerox Corp.’s research arm yesterday showcased its latest innovations, including erasable paper.

Scientists demonstrated paper that can be reused after printed text automatically deletes itself from the paper’s surface within 24 hours.

Instead of trashing or recycling after one use, a single piece of paper can be used a second time, and reused up to 100 times, said Eric Shrader, area manager at PARC.

The so-called “paperless society” was supposed to begin years ago, as the PC revolution began. Yet, we’re more paper-dependent than ever.

As the number of electronic documents produced increases, about two to five pages are printed in the office for daily use, like e-mail messages and Web pages, which are discarded or recycled after being read.

It’s no secret that we’re still wasting large volumes of paper. Even if the paper is recycled, deforestation is still a result. Here in my office, we go through huge volumes of paper. Often people will print out large documents, only to forget them at the printer.

Reusable paper sounds like a fantastic solution for this.

The reusable paper they’ve created:
1. reduces waste
2. is environmentally safe
3. helps reduce overall printing and paper costs

We’ve got a ways to go before mass adoption, but this is certainly a great step in the right direction!

Great post on Behind The Greens: Good Causes Gone Bad.

Apparently, Doubletree Hotels and the Arbor Day Foundation are working with Teaching Kids to CARE on an awareness project.

The goal is to help students learn more about nature and the outdoors through a tree tagging campaign titled Get To Know The Tree Next Door.

In an attempt to educate others, over 10,000 students will be tying tags on trees that detail unique facts about the tree.

But let’s just say that their methods of promotion leave a little to be desired.

Read the post and either laugh or cry. Or, just see what you think.

If you haven’t seen it yet, check your listings for a repeat: HGTV has been running a very interesting show called 20 Ways Your Home Can Save The Planet.

Curious about the 20 ways? I’m sure you’ve seen most of these ideas before:
1. Plug into the hottest appliances: look for energy-efficiency models
2. Keep your cabinets and countertops green: use sustainable materials
3. Look for eco-friendly dishes and cookware: keep an eye out for chemical-free options
4. Think energy-saving when you think windows: insulated windows are the key
5. Recycle with style: recycling materials, turning them into gifts and more
6. Consider planet-friendly floors: cork, bamboo and tile are sustainable options
7. Make a new bed, organically: organic mattresses, sheets and more
8. Paint it safe: use paint products with low volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
9. Switch your bulbs: replace incandescents with compact fluorescents to save both energy and money!
10. Make your family room family- and earth-friendly: use natural flooring materials
11. Furnish naturally: look for wood products that are formaldehyde-free, hemp accessories
12. Keep your garage gear green: manual lawnmowers, non-toxic pegboards
13. Go with the low flow: low-flow water fixtures such as showerheads, faucets and toilets will help reduce consumption and cost.
14. Renew your bathroom with reclaimed style: look for eco-friendly tile, countertops and fixtures.
15. Go natural: go chemical-free in the bathroom with everything from organic hand soap to bamboo hand towels.
16. Stock up on earth-friendly office supplies: use items like recycled computer disks and earth-friendly inks
17. Be green when you clean: from high-efficiency washing machines to dryers that save water and energy.
18. Choose good wood: base home projects on wood that has been farmed, clear-cut and stained with natural products.
19. Plant for the planet: use plants that require little watering and maintenance.
20. Keep nature natural: Seek out items crafted out of recycled materials like chairs made from plastic milk jugs or corn-husk planters.

HGTV keeps things at a level that appeals to many. But they still manage to hit a lot of really good ideas.

The thing I’d like to see HGTV do is to focus less on buying eco-friendly solutions, and more on implementing solutions: grey-water systems, solar and wind power. Granted these are larger-scale than buying an FSC-certified chair, but the impact can’t be questioned.

Then again, if HGTV didn’t include a good dose of product endorsements, they may not be able to have shows like this!

Thankfully, I have met most of these ideas already. I’m not too much for buying products based on recycled goods. And our migration to having a yard that requires minimal water and maintenance is not yet completed (or started for that matter!).

But we have the rest of these already in action.

How about you?

SFGate.com has an interesting rundown on energy-saving HDTVs, based on CNET reviews.

The models surveyed:
1. Olevia 252T FHD
2. Philips 42PFL7432D
3. Samsung HL-T5687S
4. Sharp LC-32D44U

The winner is the Samsung, which received a 7.6 out of 10. The Philips (6.9 out of 10) and Olevia (6.9 out of 10) pretty much tied out at #2.

What fascinates me is the “energy-saving” aspect of these HDTVs. Namely: where is that content in this article?

I dug through every single review and couldn’t find a single reference to the energy savings of any of the units.

Why are energy-saving HDTVs such a big deal? Well, consider that, according to CNET,

it can cost between $33 and $223 a year to watch TV, depending primarily on screen size and technology type.

I’ve read stats that large screen HDTVs, etc. can use as much energy per year as your refrigerator. One of the big contributors: passive or phantom energy consumption, which is essentially your TV drawing amps, and energy, when it’s off.

For model-specific consumption, check out this table, specifically Score (per size).

According to the article, they “measured how much electricity these TVs actually use when they’re on - and off.” The top performers were to be listed there.

But I don’t see anything that makes these HDTVs energy efficient.

Am I missing something? Please let me know if I’ve slipped, as this is slightly confusing!

image credit: mmcdonnell

simple+green Friday roundup. And what a week it’s been!

Earth Day!
Lots happened on a national level, not the least of which was Oprah’s big Earth Day show. More info on eco-Oprah here.

The San Jose Mercury urges us to celebrate it all year long.

Google, Yahoo, AOL and more got into the Earth Day spirit on Tuesday.

The Great Lakes Earth Day challenge has been a success so far.

Wal-Mart donated a tree. And not just any tree: it’s a a Colorado blue spruce tree. This is a nice story.

Also…
Food Sticker Shock: Grist notes that the cost of food is suddenly spiking, and looks at the main reasons why. Climate change is one possible reason, but you may be surprised about some of the others.

Last Saturday was National Hanging Out Day - did you know? Treehugger reminds us (as I did here) about the benefits of less impactful dryer alternatives (including the best: letting the sun and wind dry your clothes!). Did you know that roughly 6% of the nation’s electricity is used by electric clothes dryers?

Remember the Golf TDI Hybrid that Volkswagen debuted a short couple of months ago? Autobloggreen says it’s probably not going to happen. As usual, cost is the main reason for its demise. Disappointing.

On a bright note: in California, a Santa Cruz judge has called a halt to apple moth eradication through aerial spraying in Santa Cruz County “until state agriculture officials conduct a comprehensive review of the chemical spray’s environmental impact”. I did a post about the scary risks last month. This is great news, but what about the rest of the Bay Area?

That’s it for the afternoon. Onward to next post!

image credit: tanakawho

Kudos to Grist for a great post, which spurred my post today:

We all know about our carbon footprint. But about water footprint? Waterfootprint.org is a site that takes a hard look at water consumption and how it affects our environment. Specifically: the amount of water each of us uses, and its overall effect on the planet.

Here is how they define a water footprint:

The water footprint of a nation shows the total volume of water that is used to produce the goods and services consumed by the inhabitants of the nation. Since not all goods consumed in one particular country are produced in that country, the water footprint consists of two parts: use of domestic water resources and use of water outside the borders of the country. The water footprint includes both the water withdrawn from surface and groundwater and the use of soil water (in agricultural production).

And if you want to calculate your own water footprint, go here for the quick version or here for the extended survey.

According to the quick calculator, my water footprint = 3709 cubic meter per year, which translates to 979,814 gallons! (I need to try the extended one to see if I can get that back down…)

That is way too much in my book. Especially since I’m a 95% vegetarian who lives very simply. Also, when you consider the following facts:

* The production of one kilogram of beef requires 16 thousand litres of water.
* To produce one cup of coffee we need 140 litres (36 gallons) of water.
* The water footprint of China is about 700 cubic meter per year per capita. Only about 7% of the Chinese water footprint falls outside China.
* Japan with a footprint of 1150 cubic meter (303797 gallons) per year per capita, has about 65% of its total water footprint outside the borders of the country.
* The USA water footprint is 2500 cubic meter (660430 gallons) per year per capita.

Global warming will play a massive role in the future of our water supply. So, in the same way that we conserve energy, rethinking water consumption has to be at the forefront of our mindset.

Check out Waterfootprint.org to get a sense, not only of your own water consumption, but also that of others.

Oprah celebrated Earth Day with an entire show devoted to ways to save the planet. Oprah-style of course. This means that she had special guests ranging from Julia Roberts to Sandra Bullock to Al Gore.

The show focused on several main areas:

1. Organic Eating:
Julia Roberts and green expert Sophie Uliano discussed the top seven organic foods to keep in your kitchen.

They are:
1. organic baby food
2. organic dairy products
3. organic meat (raised without hormones and antibiotics being the key).
4. organic rice
5. organic snack food, specifically anything containing corn, wheat and/or oats.
6. organic peanut butter
7. organic fruits and vegetables, specifically organic raisins, potatoes, green beans, cucumbers and strawberries.

2. Eliminating Food Waste
Sophie Uliano and Julia Roberts also discussed how composting can enrich your garden, and walked through the actual process.

With three young children at home, Hollywood mom Julia Roberts says her family used to waste a lot of leftover food. “I [used to] just cry and scrape plates and think, ‘How can I be doing this?’”

Thanks to her eco-conscious friend Sophie Uliano, author of Gorgeously Green: 8 Simple Steps to an Earth-Friendly Life, Julia says she discovered a way to put her waste to good use—composting. “I do love composting,” she says. “This is one of the things that Sophie has really been on me about.”

Sophie says it’s easy to turn leftover fruits, veggies, grains and paper products into compost, a natural alternative to commercial fertilizer. “You can turn your waste into gold—literally brown gold,” Sophie says. “It’s the most nutritious thing that you can put in your garden.”

3. Eco-Friendly Beauty
Be aware of what’s in your favorite beauty products, read the label. Also, finding natural alternatives to your favorite products.

According to Consumer Reports, only 11 percent of ingredients in personal care products are tested for safety in the United States. The Environmental Working Group says one in 13 women are exposed to known or probable carcinogens in these products every day.

Green expert Sophie Uliano says these types of chemicals in products like shampoo and body lotions could be harming our environment because they are washed down the drain into our water supplies. Our bodies are also absorbing these chemicals. “Our body’s a living organ, and it absorbs almost everything you put on it, so we really need to take care of that,” she says.

4. Sandra’s Solutions
An environmentally conscious childhood inspired Sandra Bullock to reduce, reuse and recycle at home and work.

Actress Sandra Bullock isn’t new to the environmental movement. Growing up, Sandra says her mother raised her and her sister on macrobiotic foods and taught them to be wary of chemicals and pesticides.

“It wasn’t fun as a kid. We went to the neighbors for our Cheetos and the good stuff. … I hated it then, [but] I love it now,” she says. “She recycled everything—nothing was bought and disposed of. It’s astounding to me now more than it ever was when I was a kid.”

5. Conservation Campaign
Nobel Prize winner and former Vice President Al Gore encourages Americans to join the fight against global warming.

Though leaders are starting to listen to Gore’s urgent warnings, he says the world is still at risk. “We’re still dumping 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the earth’s atmosphere every day,” he says. “Vindication would be when we really stop doing that and turn the corner, but the exciting, positive news is that there are a lot of good changes under way now.”

6. How to Go Green
Tips to inspire us to start making a difference in the world.

Make going green a part of your daily life. Julia Roberts and green expert Sophie Uliano suggest small changes you can do to make a huge difference in our world. Plus how you can save the environment and save money - at the same time!

As ever, this was a great show. Most of the information I already knew.

One thing did stand out: Al Gore had previously been called out for buying a huge house in Tennessee, which had a massive carbon footprint. They have since outfitted it with solar panels, all CFLs, effective landscaping and a number of other eco-friendly changes.

We know that Oprah has deep resources. Did she reference any changes that she is making to her own home, studio, etc.?

We Tivo this show, and I may have been out of the room if she said anything.

Does anyone have information on Oprah going green in her home life?

image credit: thingermejig

Today is Earth Day. More than anytime in our lives, the businesses in our lives are becoming eco-friendly, touting all-natural and selling us Green products.

Which is a little unusual, but ultimately good thing…

When we can tell that their product is actually Green.

Any confusion you feel is not limited to any one area. From household cleaners to clothes to shaving gel, labels and marketing messages can be confusing to consumers.

The organic label is a known commodity. But what about “Earth friendly” or even “Green“?

This is the dilemma posed by a recent article in the SF Chronicle:

As Earth Day 2008 arrives on Tuesday, American consumers face a renewed outpouring of environmental marketing claims - boasts by companies that their products are everything from “100 percent natural” to “recyclable,” “eco-friendly,” “sustainable,” “biodegradable,” or just plain “green.”

Along with these claims has come a new wave of environmental seals and certifications aimed at helping consumers sort the real from the hype.

For those of us who have been environmentally aware for a long time, the trend towards Green can be the realization of a dream. But for many people and businesses, it wasn’t until 2006 when Al Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” brought global warming and its effects to the fore.

That film and the surrounding buzz is credited with sparking a new wave of environmentalism. And with that comes an opportunities for businesses to sell Green products and services:

Consumer spending on natural foods, vitamins, body care and cleaning products grew by 28 percent to $22 billion between 2004 and 2006, according to Mintel, a market research group based in Chicago.

Companies rushed to publicize the green aspects of their existing wares or to launch new green items. The number of new consumer product launches tracked by Mintel that involved green claims shot up from five in 2002 to 328 in 2007.

But, as one firm has discovered, not all Green claims are true.

TerraChoice… tried to gauge the reliability of all these claims last November with a survey of about a thousand consumer products that made a total of 1,753 environmental statements.

The good news was that very few of the products - less than 1 percent - made outright lies about their environmental benefits.

The bad news was that nearly all the products committed more subtle forms of what TerraChoice called “greenwashing.”

Greenwashing, as I posted awhile back, is the act of making one’s product / service / company appear to be more environmentally-friendly or Green than it really is.

Ultimately, the bottom line for everyone is the most obvious: be educated, understand what you’re buying.

“There should be a big caution to consumers: Don’t base your purchasing decision on some green dot unless you know what that green dot really means,” said Scot Case, vice president of TerraChoice Environmental Marketing.

image credit: mauroguanandi

Earth Day was born 38 years ago tomorrow. According to what I know, it was an event triggered by public outrage over the Santa Barbara oil spill of 1969.

The first Earth Day I remember acknowledging was in 1990. That seems to be the point where “modern environmentalism” was re-born. I grew up in California in a pretty “aware” household, but I don’t recall a point where the world started talking loudly about general environmental issues until that point in 1990.

But this got me to thinking about what people do for Earth Day, myself included. People engage in many different Earth Day activities around the world:
- turning off lights, keeping energy use down or off for the day
- teaching kids about global responsibility
- instituting new programs (education, action)
- celebrating en masse
- wacky stunts!

I almost did something slightly wacky for tomorrow. My intent had been to run to work. As in: run the 5 miles to the office, work a full day, then run back home. I would have allowed for an hour each way, mostly due to the maze of routes I’d need to take.

However, logistics (I actually need to run at least one errand during the day - how terrible!) and preparation (the fact that I’d need to have all work clothes ready at the office, and was not ready to do so) have scuttled those plans.

But all is not lost.

As I won’t be running to work, I am making some pledges for Earth Day:
1. finding alternate means of transportation to work 1 time a week
2. selling my current car, and replacing the with the most fuel-efficient car possible
3. phasing out all regular lightbulbs in our home, replacing with CFLs, etc.

And I’m sure there is more that I will be doing.

Which brings the question, which you can either add a comment on or mull over for yourself:

What are you doing to honor Earth Day? What changes can you make to improve our planet?