Our guest today, Eric Corey Freed, sculpts innovative buildings that embody ecological and social responsibility. Architect, author, and educator Freed can be contacted through his website http://www.organicarchitect.com.
Our show was salted with a variety of topics and ideas! Freed mentioned five most important questions to consider when designing a building.
1. Where does the material come from?
2. What are the by-products as these materials are manufactured?
3. How are the materials delivered and installed?
4. How toxic are these materials?
5. What are we going to do with these materials when we're done with them?
No building system or material will get an A+ in sustainability in all categories. Take one material like bamboo, for example. As incredibly renewable as it is, bamboo still travels all the way from China to the U.S., which increases the carbon footprint.
Eric Freed will be speaking at The West Coast Green conference September 25th-27th. He plans to advise listeners of his "Extremely Unusual Look at Green Building."
Freed told us: If a standard escalator was put on a sensor to start running once someone steps on, and stop when no one is riding, an estimated savings of $6,500 per year and 75% of its total energy use would accumulate. Freed is driven to design buildings that give back. His idea of the zero energy home is a concept in which each home breaks even in its energy use in production, if not producing more energy that it uses. One favorite tip is the idea of the green roof. Planting on roof tops absorbs carbon, produces oxygen, and acts as insulation.
In an average persons home there are some simple changes we can make:
1. Change light bulbs to compact fluorescent.
2. Purchase a programmable thermostat.
3. Place (full) 2 liter water bottles in your toilet tank to displace the same amount of water with every flush.
4. Invest in double pane windows.
5. Our favorite tip involves grey water redistribution with the help of the handy Aqus system, found at watersavertech.com
The older system of building is extremely inefficient, but Freed conceives his designs as if they were inspired by nature. His idea of building like a tree treats the structure of the design like an ornament, with all parts relating to the whole. One of the greater ways to build today, is with SIP or Structural Insulated Panel. Visit West Coast Green to learn more and see a demonstration.
Visit Urban Revision.com to participate in a creative competition making a poster with your vision of the year 2050.
That's it for today!
Happy Monday,
Olana and Deborah
Monday, June 30, 2008
Friday, June 27, 2008
Live Like You Love the Ocean
Guest speaker J.Nichols from the Ocean Conservancy visited the show today. He reminds us that the ocean can't take it all, like many used to think. Rivers containing runoff from cities, agriculture and the entire world end up in our oceans can cause dead zones, which are repairable once we discontinue poisoning our our waters. The life and diversity of our world's oceans will replenish!
There are three issues we can look at concerning the health of ocean-life.
1. There is too much going in: oil pollutants, mercury and other contaminants.
2. There is too much coming out due to overfishing, and by-catch.
3. Damage in the coastal areas though development, habitat destruction, etc.
In response...We need to implement policies to help protect our oceans!!!
Nichols points out the importance of current Act "Oceans 21," which is legislation concerned with treating the ocean with the care it deserves.
Nichols started a Sea Turtle program called SEE Turtles found at www.seeturtles.org People can sign up to take sea turtle tours in areas where visitors do not harm the turtle habitats, meanwhile helping the coastal communities in which theses beautiful creatures are found. Eco tourism destinations include Baja, Trinidad, and Costa Rica.
In Monterey County Leatherhead Turtles are found. How we fish, what we do with our waste, and what we eat are all factors which determine the health of these turtles. Plastic bags floating in the ocean are easily mistaken for algae and will be consumed by turtles.
Although sustainable seafood can be confusing, one thing is pretty certain. Shrimp require nets sweeping over the ocean floor, killing everything in its path in order to catch this favored commodity. If you simply cannot give it up, PLEASE find sustainable shrimp! Take at look at www.Shrimpsuck.org for more information.
Have a great weekend, and thanks for listening! Feel free to comment.
Olana and Deborah
There are three issues we can look at concerning the health of ocean-life.
1. There is too much going in: oil pollutants, mercury and other contaminants.
2. There is too much coming out due to overfishing, and by-catch.
3. Damage in the coastal areas though development, habitat destruction, etc.
In response...We need to implement policies to help protect our oceans!!!
Nichols points out the importance of current Act "Oceans 21," which is legislation concerned with treating the ocean with the care it deserves.
Nichols started a Sea Turtle program called SEE Turtles found at www.seeturtles.org People can sign up to take sea turtle tours in areas where visitors do not harm the turtle habitats, meanwhile helping the coastal communities in which theses beautiful creatures are found. Eco tourism destinations include Baja, Trinidad, and Costa Rica.
In Monterey County Leatherhead Turtles are found. How we fish, what we do with our waste, and what we eat are all factors which determine the health of these turtles. Plastic bags floating in the ocean are easily mistaken for algae and will be consumed by turtles.
Although sustainable seafood can be confusing, one thing is pretty certain. Shrimp require nets sweeping over the ocean floor, killing everything in its path in order to catch this favored commodity. If you simply cannot give it up, PLEASE find sustainable shrimp! Take at look at www.Shrimpsuck.org for more information.
Have a great weekend, and thanks for listening! Feel free to comment.
Olana and Deborah
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Fake plastic fish... is that what wil be left?
Beth Terry, an anti-plastic activist guru from FakePlasticFish.com. Visit this site to find so many resources on how to avoid plastics in your life.
Here are some websites she recommended:
Green Sangha - an environmental spiritual community
Algalita Marine Research Foundation - to find out more on plastics in the ocean.
Take Back the Filter - a citizens action to get Clorox to recycle the Brita Filters.
Eco Dent - eco groovy dental floss.
Perserve Toothbrush - a recycled plastic toothbrush.
Burtz Bees shampoo and conditioner bars for no plastic container hair care.
To go Ware - helping us get away from disposable food service items. But I think we can just go to a yard sale and buy some dishware there.
The following table is only approximate as we can not verify plastic biodegrading in 800 years because it hasn't been around that long...please keep this in mind...
The biodegradable time table.
* Banana peel, 2 – 10 days
* Cotton rags, 1 – 5 months
* Biodegradable plastic bags, 75 days
* Sugarcane Pulp Products, 30 - 60 days
* Paper, 2 – 5 months
* Rope, 3 – 14 months
* Orange peels, 6 months
* Wool socks, 1 – 5 years
* Cigarette filters, 1 – 12 years
* Tetrapaks (plastic composite milk cartons), 5 years
* Plastic bags, 10 – 20 years
* Leather shoes, 25 – 40 years
* Nylon fabric, 30 – 40 years
* Plastic six-pack holder rings, 450 years
* Diapers and sanitary napkins 500 – 800 years
* Tin cans 50 - 100 years
* Aluminum cans 80 - 100 years
* Plastic Bottles non-biodegradeable
* Styrofoam cup, non-biodegradeable
Note... the following is a reprint from the US Department of Energy...talking about the biodegradability of plastic....
"This depends upon the plastic (polymer) and the environment to which it is
exposed. Polystyrene decomposes quickly when exposed to sun and weather, as
do polyvinyl acetates, other polyesters, and polyvinylchloride. On the other
hand, polyvinylfluoride (DuPont's Teflon (TM)) is virtually indestructable. Even the same polymer can differ quite widely in its decomposition depending upon how it
is formulated."
So, the list above that says a styrofoam cup is non-biodegradable may not be correct... but there's also the question of whether it actually goes "away" or simply gets very very small and the particles themselves are still present in nature... and toxic.
That's it for today!
d
Here are some websites she recommended:
Green Sangha - an environmental spiritual community
Algalita Marine Research Foundation - to find out more on plastics in the ocean.
Take Back the Filter - a citizens action to get Clorox to recycle the Brita Filters.
Eco Dent - eco groovy dental floss.
Perserve Toothbrush - a recycled plastic toothbrush.
Burtz Bees shampoo and conditioner bars for no plastic container hair care.
To go Ware - helping us get away from disposable food service items. But I think we can just go to a yard sale and buy some dishware there.
The following table is only approximate as we can not verify plastic biodegrading in 800 years because it hasn't been around that long...please keep this in mind...
The biodegradable time table.
* Banana peel, 2 – 10 days
* Cotton rags, 1 – 5 months
* Biodegradable plastic bags, 75 days
* Sugarcane Pulp Products, 30 - 60 days
* Paper, 2 – 5 months
* Rope, 3 – 14 months
* Orange peels, 6 months
* Wool socks, 1 – 5 years
* Cigarette filters, 1 – 12 years
* Tetrapaks (plastic composite milk cartons), 5 years
* Plastic bags, 10 – 20 years
* Leather shoes, 25 – 40 years
* Nylon fabric, 30 – 40 years
* Plastic six-pack holder rings, 450 years
* Diapers and sanitary napkins 500 – 800 years
* Tin cans 50 - 100 years
* Aluminum cans 80 - 100 years
* Plastic Bottles non-biodegradeable
* Styrofoam cup, non-biodegradeable
Note... the following is a reprint from the US Department of Energy...talking about the biodegradability of plastic....
"This depends upon the plastic (polymer) and the environment to which it is
exposed. Polystyrene decomposes quickly when exposed to sun and weather, as
do polyvinyl acetates, other polyesters, and polyvinylchloride. On the other
hand, polyvinylfluoride (DuPont's Teflon (TM)) is virtually indestructable. Even the same polymer can differ quite widely in its decomposition depending upon how it
is formulated."
So, the list above that says a styrofoam cup is non-biodegradable may not be correct... but there's also the question of whether it actually goes "away" or simply gets very very small and the particles themselves are still present in nature... and toxic.
That's it for today!
d
Monday, June 16, 2008
Climate Solutions
The thing to say about todays' show is simply.. Get The Book!! Climate Solutions, a Citizens Guide, What woks, What doesn't and Why" by Peter Barnes, published by Chelsea Green Press.
It's a fantastic, easy to read book about the solutions to climate change.... find answers to cap and trade, and carbon taxes, and all the jargon we hear on the news.. but hear it in a way that makes sense, including the pros and cons and better alternatives.
So, there... just read it!
Some suggestions from Peter today...
1. He recommended we look at climate solutions as a policy problem and we need to put pressure on our elected officials to change the policies around carbon emissions. In California write these two senators and tell them to pass "zero emissions" by 2050 Boxer and Feinstein...
2. We can join 1sky.org to support their work and join their email network.
3. Also join wecansolveit.org, Al Gores climate change site.
4. Check out Peters site, Cap and Dividend.org that outlines ways to stop CO2 emissions using market-based solutions, without reducing household incomes.
We need to reduce Co2 emissions ASAP.. can we do it?
Deb
It's a fantastic, easy to read book about the solutions to climate change.... find answers to cap and trade, and carbon taxes, and all the jargon we hear on the news.. but hear it in a way that makes sense, including the pros and cons and better alternatives.
So, there... just read it!
Some suggestions from Peter today...
1. He recommended we look at climate solutions as a policy problem and we need to put pressure on our elected officials to change the policies around carbon emissions. In California write these two senators and tell them to pass "zero emissions" by 2050 Boxer and Feinstein...
2. We can join 1sky.org to support their work and join their email network.
3. Also join wecansolveit.org, Al Gores climate change site.
4. Check out Peters site, Cap and Dividend.org that outlines ways to stop CO2 emissions using market-based solutions, without reducing household incomes.
We need to reduce Co2 emissions ASAP.. can we do it?
Deb
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Eco Cities - Redesigning for the Future
Michael Gosney of Green Century Institute came on the show today to discuss how we redesign and rebuild our human settlements and integrate natural systems to lower the CO2 emissions of the places we live.
Michael had plenty of resources to share... here's a list.
Wiser Earth is an online tool for collaboration on projects, and is the brain child of Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest.
Also check out Visible Strategies and Sustainability Dashboards as tools to help build eco cities.
For your home use go to GreenHome.com to find products that lower your energy use and walk softer on the planet.
Check out Ecovillage.org for a network of community villages.
and BuildGreen.com for suppliers of green materials and builders of alternative structures.
Arcosanti is currently the best model for a sustainable city.
Personally, I think we need to start creating our own eco cities just in the places we live and one of the best ways to do it is to take back the streets on which we live. Not major roads, but the small side streets that don't have a ton of traffic... take it back. Like the days when kids played hockey on the streets.. get out there, put up a barrier and play Frisbee or have a BBQ with your neighbors. The revolution starts just outside our front door! Really!
Deb
Michael had plenty of resources to share... here's a list.
Wiser Earth is an online tool for collaboration on projects, and is the brain child of Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest.
Also check out Visible Strategies and Sustainability Dashboards as tools to help build eco cities.
For your home use go to GreenHome.com to find products that lower your energy use and walk softer on the planet.
Check out Ecovillage.org for a network of community villages.
and BuildGreen.com for suppliers of green materials and builders of alternative structures.
Arcosanti is currently the best model for a sustainable city.
Personally, I think we need to start creating our own eco cities just in the places we live and one of the best ways to do it is to take back the streets on which we live. Not major roads, but the small side streets that don't have a ton of traffic... take it back. Like the days when kids played hockey on the streets.. get out there, put up a barrier and play Frisbee or have a BBQ with your neighbors. The revolution starts just outside our front door! Really!
Deb
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Shopping to save the world
Our guest today was Diane MacEarchern, author of the newly released book, The Big Green Purse: Use your spending power to create a cleaner, greener world".
The show was packed full of ideas, too many to list here... in fact most of them are on the Big Green Purse website... but here are some that we came up with on the show.
1. This summer see if you can catch a ride with someone going your way, or offer to take some one with you. Check out Craigslist for ridesharing opportunities, rideshare
or Ride Amigos
2. Commit challenge to be 1 in a million by intentionally shifting at least $1000 of your existing budget to environmentally-friendly products... if we do this, we can have a noticeable ONE BILLION DOLLAR IMPACT in the marketplace.
3. Check out Freecycle.org to get and give free stuff.
Gas Buddy for lowest gas prices in your area.
And Buy Nothing Day, which is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving, but principles of such can be translated into our daily shopping.
And we had a great comment from Herb from Carmel, who recommended making your own gifts and crafting items from found supplies! Good idea! Thanks Herb!
Talk with ya tomorrow,
Deb
The show was packed full of ideas, too many to list here... in fact most of them are on the Big Green Purse website... but here are some that we came up with on the show.
1. This summer see if you can catch a ride with someone going your way, or offer to take some one with you. Check out Craigslist for ridesharing opportunities, rideshare
or Ride Amigos
2. Commit challenge to be 1 in a million by intentionally shifting at least $1000 of your existing budget to environmentally-friendly products... if we do this, we can have a noticeable ONE BILLION DOLLAR IMPACT in the marketplace.
3. Check out Freecycle.org to get and give free stuff.
Gas Buddy for lowest gas prices in your area.
And Buy Nothing Day, which is traditionally the day after Thanksgiving, but principles of such can be translated into our daily shopping.
And we had a great comment from Herb from Carmel, who recommended making your own gifts and crafting items from found supplies! Good idea! Thanks Herb!
Talk with ya tomorrow,
Deb
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Diversity and the Environment
An excellent discussion today.. but way too short. I think Carolyn Finney and I could have talked for another hour or more! But we did hit some important topics... and some more important solutions.
The most outstanding comment about the lack of diversity in the eco movement are the exclusionary practices, conscious or unconscious with in the media and our own event/organization formation. Ways to combat these practices are to make sure we look at who all the share holders of the issues are and get them to the table, or better yet, go to their tables and ask if we can participate in their debates. This opens our minds to see problems in new ways and certainly to find solutions in ways we hadn't imagined.
A good movie to check out is "Refugees of the Blue Planet", and some websites to check are
http://www.wholecommunities.org/
http://www.ecoschools.com/Edible/Edible_wSidebar.html
www.environmentaldiversity.org
http://www.lta.org/training/lclp/dc_07.htm (This is a course in Diversity and Conservation)
And we didn't mention him on the air, but Carolyn suggested checking out John Francis, Planet Walker ...http://www.planetwalk.org/
Let's get him on the show!!
Have a great day,
d
The most outstanding comment about the lack of diversity in the eco movement are the exclusionary practices, conscious or unconscious with in the media and our own event/organization formation. Ways to combat these practices are to make sure we look at who all the share holders of the issues are and get them to the table, or better yet, go to their tables and ask if we can participate in their debates. This opens our minds to see problems in new ways and certainly to find solutions in ways we hadn't imagined.
A good movie to check out is "Refugees of the Blue Planet", and some websites to check are
http://www.wholecommunities.org/
http://www.ecoschools.com/Edible/Edible_wSidebar.html
www.environmentaldiversity.org
http://www.lta.org/training/lclp/dc_07.htm (This is a course in Diversity and Conservation)
And we didn't mention him on the air, but Carolyn suggested checking out John Francis, Planet Walker ...http://www.planetwalk.org/
Let's get him on the show!!
Have a great day,
d
Monday, June 9, 2008
Green media and appropraite technology
We had two guests on Tomorrow Matters today.
Lesley Nagy from Your TV 20, host of Your Green Life came on to discuss media's role in bringing the green movement to a forefront. We decided to unseat Rush Limbaugh in media domination. Let's go girls!
And Miguel Aznar from Sustainability Tour came on to discuss a Santa Cruz bike tour he's pulling together to teach about our amazing choices we have in the area food and wine wise, but also in technology. He's pointing out that we don't have to grudgingly sacrifice to use lower tech methods or eating locally; that we can create visceral senses of pleasure.
He asked the question of what is the true external costs of technology and offered his blog to dialog with him on subjects such as the appropriateness of nanotechnology. Check him out at knowledgecontext.blogspot.com.
Also read Michael Pollen, author of Omnivore's Dilemma ... read his article called "Why Bother?" http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-lede-t.html
Any ideas?
deb
Lesley Nagy from Your TV 20, host of Your Green Life came on to discuss media's role in bringing the green movement to a forefront. We decided to unseat Rush Limbaugh in media domination. Let's go girls!
And Miguel Aznar from Sustainability Tour came on to discuss a Santa Cruz bike tour he's pulling together to teach about our amazing choices we have in the area food and wine wise, but also in technology. He's pointing out that we don't have to grudgingly sacrifice to use lower tech methods or eating locally; that we can create visceral senses of pleasure.
He asked the question of what is the true external costs of technology and offered his blog to dialog with him on subjects such as the appropriateness of nanotechnology. Check him out at knowledgecontext.blogspot.com.
Also read Michael Pollen, author of Omnivore's Dilemma ... read his article called "Why Bother?" http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/20/magazine/20wwln-lede-t.html
Any ideas?
deb
Friday, June 6, 2008
We break the record!
Today's show with Joy Colangelo had the most calls of any program in the history of Tomorrow Matters! We had 10 calls!!
Also, we had our first outward argument about bike rider versus car driver right of way and etiquette. Very juicy! Clearly Joy doesn't like car drivers and several car drivers don't like her or other bike riders.
Where is the peace?
John from Carmel gave us the best piece of advice and that was to practice the Golden Rule.. treat yours as you would have them treat you. Perfect! But what about the caller who went to report a rude biker who kicked her car and flipped her off and had her information taken, as though she was the criminal?
Two other pieces of advice came out of the show.. first, if you're going to fish off a kayak, and second, go out to the kelp and attach yourself you the kelp either by hooking it on to your boat or dripping your feet into the water, one on either side of the boat, so you don't float around too much.
Eat kelp to offset the toxins in the fish... but make sure you know what type you're eating before you do. We'll talk more about this in July.
Check out Joy's editorial here..http://www.montereyherald.com/joycolangelo
Happy weekend.
deb
Also, we had our first outward argument about bike rider versus car driver right of way and etiquette. Very juicy! Clearly Joy doesn't like car drivers and several car drivers don't like her or other bike riders.
Where is the peace?
John from Carmel gave us the best piece of advice and that was to practice the Golden Rule.. treat yours as you would have them treat you. Perfect! But what about the caller who went to report a rude biker who kicked her car and flipped her off and had her information taken, as though she was the criminal?
Two other pieces of advice came out of the show.. first, if you're going to fish off a kayak, and second, go out to the kelp and attach yourself you the kelp either by hooking it on to your boat or dripping your feet into the water, one on either side of the boat, so you don't float around too much.
Eat kelp to offset the toxins in the fish... but make sure you know what type you're eating before you do. We'll talk more about this in July.
Check out Joy's editorial here..http://www.montereyherald.com/joycolangelo
Happy weekend.
deb
So much cool permie info!
Benjamin Fahrer from PC Designs was in today and he's our amazing permaculture guru.
There's so much to share with you I'll just do bullet points.
* We have enough water, we just need to limit consumption
* Ask yourself, how much do you need versus how much do you want.. they're usually different answers.
* Follow the way nature works with soil... it doesn't till... it mulches and layers.
* Generally small irrigation stores have better products for drip systems, moisture sensors and timers then larger places like Home Depot... locally go to Martens Irrigation or Scotts Valley Sprinkler.
* Most plants don't like full sun, even if it says that on the tag... a bit of shade is a good thing.
* All of our buildings, residential and commercial need to harvest rainwater, use greywater, think about our watershed and use ponds to filter.
* Keyline Design is making cuts into soil to distribute water over the land in a way that slows it down,spreads it out and sinks it in... which is a major Permaculture prinicple.
* Don't use fresh water to deal with you poo... check out the Humanure Hand Book at http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html... where you can get 255 pages of crap.
It says that on the website, I swear!!
*Check out: http://www.carbonfarmersofamerica.com/ - learn how farmers are changing climate change.
www.wiserearth.com - type in permaculture and go for a ride!
oasisdesign.net - Art Ludwig's site for endless grey water tips
http://www.bioneers.org/node/1446 - this is a cool interview with John Todd about Living Systems... turning grey and black water into usable water.
http://www.onegreenworld.com/ - for tree graphing info
http://www.soilandhealth.org/ - a great site from Australia on Soil building
That's it! But you can get more info from Ben if you write psdesigns@earthlink.net
Happy gardening,
d
There's so much to share with you I'll just do bullet points.
* We have enough water, we just need to limit consumption
* Ask yourself, how much do you need versus how much do you want.. they're usually different answers.
* Follow the way nature works with soil... it doesn't till... it mulches and layers.
* Generally small irrigation stores have better products for drip systems, moisture sensors and timers then larger places like Home Depot... locally go to Martens Irrigation or Scotts Valley Sprinkler.
* Most plants don't like full sun, even if it says that on the tag... a bit of shade is a good thing.
* All of our buildings, residential and commercial need to harvest rainwater, use greywater, think about our watershed and use ponds to filter.
* Keyline Design is making cuts into soil to distribute water over the land in a way that slows it down,spreads it out and sinks it in... which is a major Permaculture prinicple.
* Don't use fresh water to deal with you poo... check out the Humanure Hand Book at http://www.jenkinspublishing.com/humanure.html... where you can get 255 pages of crap.
It says that on the website, I swear!!
*Check out: http://www.carbonfarmersofamerica.com/ - learn how farmers are changing climate change.
www.wiserearth.com - type in permaculture and go for a ride!
oasisdesign.net - Art Ludwig's site for endless grey water tips
http://www.bioneers.org/node/1446 - this is a cool interview with John Todd about Living Systems... turning grey and black water into usable water.
http://www.onegreenworld.com/ - for tree graphing info
http://www.soilandhealth.org/ - a great site from Australia on Soil building
That's it! But you can get more info from Ben if you write psdesigns@earthlink.net
Happy gardening,
d
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
World Ocean Day - June 8th
In honor of World Oceans Day (http://www.theoceanproject.org/wod/index.php) we had two activists and business people on the show today.
Sarah Graham the Program Liaison for Pacific Explorer Whale and Dolphin EcoTours (exploremontereybay.com)
Sarah says Ecotours have 6 principles they must adhere to...
1. They must raise sensitivity to travel destinations.
2. They must minimize impact.
3. They must build environmental awareness
4. Provide direct financial benefit for conservation
5. Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.
6. Provide positive experiences.
If tour can do all of these things they can join the International Ecotourism Society. Check them out at http://www.ecotourism.org/.
Sarah made the point that if you pour used car oil or any toxic fluid down street drains, they'll flow to the bay and damage kelp which will in turn effect the abundance and quality of beer. Her generic person is "Steve from Kansas"... and he'll get the eco-connection via the threat to his favor drink.
She probably has an idea there.
And Frank Emerson from the Alliance of Communities of Sustainable Fisheries (http://www.alliancefisheries.com/)came in and we had a brief discussion on what the term sustainable fisheries are. Frank gave some great examples of healthy runs in Alaska, but left us hanging with a quick peak at the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
http://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/pebble_mine.htm
This project is so damaging to the environment it puts ANWAR in the kiddy pool.
We need to get involved in this one and not allow the applications for permits to be approved. "To properly understand the threat to Alaska's most prolific ecosystem, we recommend studying a map of the area which will indicate the most unfortunate location for the proposed mine. As former Governor Jay Hammond said "I can't imagine a worse location for a mine of this type unless it was in my kitchen"."
Check it out!
deb
Sarah Graham the Program Liaison for Pacific Explorer Whale and Dolphin EcoTours (exploremontereybay.com)
Sarah says Ecotours have 6 principles they must adhere to...
1. They must raise sensitivity to travel destinations.
2. They must minimize impact.
3. They must build environmental awareness
4. Provide direct financial benefit for conservation
5. Provide financial benefits and empowerment for local people.
6. Provide positive experiences.
If tour can do all of these things they can join the International Ecotourism Society. Check them out at http://www.ecotourism.org/.
Sarah made the point that if you pour used car oil or any toxic fluid down street drains, they'll flow to the bay and damage kelp which will in turn effect the abundance and quality of beer. Her generic person is "Steve from Kansas"... and he'll get the eco-connection via the threat to his favor drink.
She probably has an idea there.
And Frank Emerson from the Alliance of Communities of Sustainable Fisheries (http://www.alliancefisheries.com/)came in and we had a brief discussion on what the term sustainable fisheries are. Frank gave some great examples of healthy runs in Alaska, but left us hanging with a quick peak at the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay.
http://www.renewableresourcescoalition.org/pebble_mine.htm
This project is so damaging to the environment it puts ANWAR in the kiddy pool.
We need to get involved in this one and not allow the applications for permits to be approved. "To properly understand the threat to Alaska's most prolific ecosystem, we recommend studying a map of the area which will indicate the most unfortunate location for the proposed mine. As former Governor Jay Hammond said "I can't imagine a worse location for a mine of this type unless it was in my kitchen"."
Check it out!
deb
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Great Green Beer!
On Todays' show Greg Owsley Chief Branding Officer from New Belgium Brewing offered these tips for a better tomorrow...
1. Calculate your carbon footprint, just to know how much of an impact your creating in the world... a good site for that is at http://www.earthday.net/footprint.php.
2. Several Adages of New Belgium Brewing are 1. Walk before you talk, 2. Admit your flaws (always a good leadership policy) 3. Go with your soul and 4. Make ripples.
3. They're making ripples by giving to 1% for the Planet (onepercentfortheplanet.org), and by encouraging bike riding instead of personal vehicles ... check out Team Wonderbike at http://www.followyourfolly.com/folly_wonderbike.html to participate.
4. Profit is important in any business, but using that profit for activism is awesome! And placing caps on CEO salaries is a great way to walk your talk. The owner of New Belgium, Jeff, limits his income to 12x that of the lowest paid person.
5. Try using the "open book" management style, as in your employees have access to the company financials.
6. Companies need to consider themselves on the path to becoming sustainable, as it's an on going activity. We can always do better.
There's more to hear and learn.. click on the TM archives to listen to the show.
Cheers!
Deb
1. Calculate your carbon footprint, just to know how much of an impact your creating in the world... a good site for that is at http://www.earthday.net/footprint.php.
2. Several Adages of New Belgium Brewing are 1. Walk before you talk, 2. Admit your flaws (always a good leadership policy) 3. Go with your soul and 4. Make ripples.
3. They're making ripples by giving to 1% for the Planet (onepercentfortheplanet.org), and by encouraging bike riding instead of personal vehicles ... check out Team Wonderbike at http://www.followyourfolly.com/folly_wonderbike.html to participate.
4. Profit is important in any business, but using that profit for activism is awesome! And placing caps on CEO salaries is a great way to walk your talk. The owner of New Belgium, Jeff, limits his income to 12x that of the lowest paid person.
5. Try using the "open book" management style, as in your employees have access to the company financials.
6. Companies need to consider themselves on the path to becoming sustainable, as it's an on going activity. We can always do better.
There's more to hear and learn.. click on the TM archives to listen to the show.
Cheers!
Deb
Monday, June 2, 2008
Tips from the Green Love Cast
The Love Doctor (as Spencer likes to call himself) was in today!
Several emails came in over the weekend from listeners around the Bay...
1st question asked was "How do you convince your spouse to unplug cell phones chargers and the like when not in use"... You have to look at this data and the decide...
The Union of Concerned Scientists has this to say...
Phantom energy loss, represents 5% but taken across all U.S. households, or an estimated 65 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year or$5.8 billion annually or 87 billion pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide.
Some of the biggest energy wasters are the adapters that come with rechargeable battery-powered cordless phones, cell phones, digital cameras and music players, power tools, and other electronic devices. Most draw power whenever they’re plugged into an outlet, regardless of whether the device battery is fully charged—or even connected.
* Unplug it—Unplugging devices when they are not being used eliminates any potential energy loss.
* Check the label—When buying an appliance or electronic device, choose the model that uses the least standby power.
* Keep it simple—Avoid buying products that include “bells and whistles” you don’t need.
I suggested kicking them in the shin if after all this info they still didn't unplug their phone... I know, too violent. So, really.. just unplug their charger and tell them to deal.
2nd question asked about earth friendly lube... this is a great question and doing some research I found this product. It's amazing!!
See this site: www.yesyesyes.org/ingredients.htm
Looks like an excellent product and the ingredient list is thorough. Check out the back pocket size for immediate situations!
Also, The Ecologist has this article on KY.
http://www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=1109
Keep the questions coming...we'll get to phthalates in sex toys and go from there.. next Green Love Cast is July 14th.
Deb
Several emails came in over the weekend from listeners around the Bay...
1st question asked was "How do you convince your spouse to unplug cell phones chargers and the like when not in use"... You have to look at this data and the decide...
The Union of Concerned Scientists has this to say...
Phantom energy loss, represents 5% but taken across all U.S. households, or an estimated 65 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity each year or$5.8 billion annually or 87 billion pounds of heat-trapping carbon dioxide.
Some of the biggest energy wasters are the adapters that come with rechargeable battery-powered cordless phones, cell phones, digital cameras and music players, power tools, and other electronic devices. Most draw power whenever they’re plugged into an outlet, regardless of whether the device battery is fully charged—or even connected.
* Unplug it—Unplugging devices when they are not being used eliminates any potential energy loss.
* Check the label—When buying an appliance or electronic device, choose the model that uses the least standby power.
* Keep it simple—Avoid buying products that include “bells and whistles” you don’t need.
I suggested kicking them in the shin if after all this info they still didn't unplug their phone... I know, too violent. So, really.. just unplug their charger and tell them to deal.
2nd question asked about earth friendly lube... this is a great question and doing some research I found this product. It's amazing!!
See this site: www.yesyesyes.org/ingredients.htm
Looks like an excellent product and the ingredient list is thorough. Check out the back pocket size for immediate situations!
Also, The Ecologist has this article on KY.
http://www.theecologist.org/archive_detail.asp?content_id=1109
Keep the questions coming...we'll get to phthalates in sex toys and go from there.. next Green Love Cast is July 14th.
Deb
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