Fine Dining: Michelle Obama welcomed the cast of Iron Chef the White House garden to film an episode of the cooking show. The episode will premiere on January 3 on the Food Network. Ecorazzi
Poop Portrait: Artist Sam Mahon created a cow-dung sculpture of New Zealand environment minister Nick Smith to protest Smith's stance on dairy farm pollution. The manure bust sold for $2,220. Associated Press
Let's Work Together: President Obama met with 400 tribal leaders to discuss environmental coordination with the tribal nations. ENS
Underwater Matters: Sweden and Finland approved the construction of a gas pipeline under the Baltic Sea. Environmental groups have expressed concern about the pipeline's impact. Reuters
Less Thirsty: A study by the U.S. Geological Survey found that Americans used less water in 2005 than in 1975. Treehugger
At the Sierra Club, one of our icons is John Muir -- he’s our founder, after all. But who knew that Scotland was so fond of the man who made his name in the mountains of California? (OK, we admit that he was born in Scotland, but we think of him as our own.)
The folks at STV in Scotland must have Muir on the mind this fall – just as we did during Ken Burns’s The National Parks series – because they nominated Muir for the title of "Greatest Scot." That’s pretty good for a guy who left the country when he was 11.
There’s going to be a whole series of shows about great Scots, with the episode about Muir airing on Friday, Nov. 13. You’ll be able to watch the show online after it airs on TV.
Rows and rows of bikes parked on the sidewalk can make any greenie's heart swell with pride. But what happens when there are too many bikes and not enough parking spots? A Japanese company has come up with a phenomenal solution: the robotic bike tree.
The bike tree is a mechanical system that stores bikes in a large shed. Commuters place a tag on their bike and the machine sucks it into the storage system. When the person returns, the machine retrieves the bike. All bicyclists have to do is pay the monthly fee. The company has installed several storage systems throughout Japan that hold anywhere from 600 to 6,000 bikes.
The bike tree has prevented bicycle theft, diminished clutter in the street, and protected bikes from weather. However, it can be costly to rent a space each month and it requires a bit of infrastructure because the facility is underground.
Ever dreamed of chatting it up with Stephen Colbert? Or, dare we say it, Oprah herself? (We know you have, don’t deny it.) These and other celebrity “dates” and items are up for bidding at the sixth annual Chevy Chase Green School Auction. The proceeds benefit GREEN Community Schools, a program that creates partnerships between schools and communities to help both work toward sustainability.
The bids for some of the celebrity meetings are in the thousands-of-dollars range, but there are less expensive lots, such as a signed T-shirt from Paul Rudd, a signed book from Jimmy Carter, a suit and sunglasses worn by Paul Shaffer on The Late Show, and VIP tickets to The Daily Show. It all goes to a good, green cause, so check out the list of available lots and bid on them here.
Escape to the movies with one of our Movie Review Friday selections. Each week we review a film with an environmental theme that's currently in theaters or available on DVD. Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a short review and look for it in the next Movie Review Friday.
Garbage! is an in-depth look at the typical family's environmental impact. Living in a consumer-driven, pollution-oriented society, filmmaker Andrew Nisker became concerned for the type of environment his young son would grow up in. Interested in analyzing households' waste output, Nisker asked the McDonald family to hold onto every single piece of trash for three months.
As the McDonalds (Glen, Michele, and their three children) begin to save paper plates, candy wrappers, Christmas packaging, and everything else, Nisker traces the family’s eco-footprint to find out where their stuff comes from and ends up. To avoid health violations, the family disposed of “wet garbage” (compost materials such as food scraps, cat litter, and diapers) once a week but kept track of the weight thrown out. Nisker also examined the family's habits involving recycling, transportation, water, and energy.
Nisker’s journey from the McDonalds' home in Toronto took him to local supermarkets, rivers, and recycling plants, but also to landfills in Michigan and topless mountains in West Virginia. He interviewed community members about the impacts of detrimental production practices on the environment and people’s health, doing an excellent job of revealing an out-of-sight-out-of-mind disconnect that exists between consumers and their environmental footprints.
The film is informative and easy to follow without being overwhelming. Nisker’s passion for change is refreshing and original. His commitment to the cause is demonstrated in part by his emotional struggle to part ways with his precious, albeit polluting, Jeep. Garbage! presents a fantastic experiment about household waste paths and is a must-see for anyone interested in environmental issues; Nisker really does prove that “the revolution starts at home.”
Overcoming Opposition: Despite a boycott by seven Republican
senators, the climate bill was passed under the leadership of Barbara Boxer
and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. CBS
Food Frenzy: The U.N.'s food agency says that low-carbon farming in developing nations could increase food yields while cutting emissions. However, farmers are limited by upfront costs. Reuters
Packing Light: In an effort to save steel and money, as well as to prevent waste, Sprint and Cadbury partnered to produce smaller, more environmentally friendly packaging for some of their products. GreenBiz.com
Significant Stimulus: The Department of Energy has supplied some $30 million in economic-stimulus money to renovate and increase efficiency for seven hydroelectric projects. Matter Network
TV Trauma: People in the U.K. worry about the environmental impact of TV disposal, after the switch to digital resulted in a 70 percent rise in dumped TVs over the last year. Treehugger
A recent study found that people feel more relaxed and generous after viewing nature scenes. We're not sure if listening to birdcalls on a cell phone has a similar calming effect, but it probably doesn't hurt--especially if the purchase of the birdcall helps a conservation organization. Ringtone providers Wildtones and Conservation Calling offer a variety of animal sounds, ranging from howler monkeys to hungry lions, and both companies donate a portion of their proceeds to environmental nonprofits. The Smithsonian National Zoological Park sells ringtones created from recordings of the zoo's inhabitants, and a portion of the profits benefits these animals. Choice Accessories donates proceeds from certain ringtones to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, but readers should be aware that this site also sells hunting equipment. So now that you know where to find distinctive sounds for your phone, it's time for the fun part: matching up the folks in your contact list with representative chirps, croaks, and roars.
Great news! We can all go home. No need to campaign about the climate anymore. The earth is actually improving because of carbon emissions. At least that’s what Plants Need CO2 says. The group, a pending nonprofit organization, hopes to woo climate activists with its tag line: “CO2 is Green.”
Why, pray tell, is it green? In short, it's good for plants. Carbon dioxide is “essential” to the earth and provides food for all living creatures. The site even explains that the carbon dioxide produced in China has made the country greener and plants thrive there. That’s funny. Aren’t China’s cities some of the most polluted in the world? China’s citizens say that pollution is a big problem in their country.
It seems this organization, led by retired energy-industry executive H. Leighton Steward, has forgotten about EPA's ruling earlier this year. You know, the one that says that greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, contribute to air pollution that harms the environment and human health? So the group launched campaign ads promoting fossil fuels.
Clorox deserves a tip of the hat. Many sustainability decisions these days by large multinational corporations often are economically motivated. But for this multi-billion dollar consumer-product manufacturer, safety was the primary factor in its decision to convert all of its U.S. factories that use chlorine gas to safer chemical processes over the next few years.
Clorox’s transition will reduce contamination risks to millions of Americans who live near these facilities.
Greenpeace was the catalyst behind the change, writing to Clorox, Dupont, and Dow about the issue, only to hear back from Clorox CEO Donald Knauss. The company’s Fairfield, California, plant will be the first of seven to be converted, a process that will take about six months.
Don't get us wrong: using DIY cleaners is still more eco- and health-friendly than using toxic products such as bleach. Still, Clorox’s decision marks another green step in the right direction. This one follows the Sierra Club’s partnership with Green Works, Clorox’s natural household-cleaning product line.
It's fall and that means new TV shows and nonstop sports action. But
while you watch, your carbon footprint continues to grow. This week's
tips are about how to green your TV habits.
Tip #4: Do Something Else
You can adjust all the brightness settings, turn off all the surrounding lights, stick to smaller screens, and unplug when you're done. But when it comes to your television, the best emissions-reducing habit is simply to watch less. Instead, go for a hike, read a library book (our weekly reviews can help), write, draw, play a board game, exercise, or volunteer.
Tell us: What do you do instead of watching television?
