The Green Life

The PB&J Solution

Livestock create a beefy portion of all greenhouse-gas emissions: 18 percent, according to the United Nations. Could the answer be as simple as two slices of bread and a slathering of peanut butter and jelly? Perhaps. Compared with a burger, this classic sandwich saves as much as 2.5 pounds of carbon dioxide, 280 gallons of water, and 50 square feet of land--even more if you wash it down with a glass of soy milk. "You don't have to change your whole diet to change the world," says the PB&J Campaign. "Just start with lunch."

Media Lounge

Come on in and feed your mind

THE CLEAN TECH REVOLUTION
a book by Ron Pernick and Clint Wilder
Sprinkled with enough acronyms to satisfy geeks and policymakers but accessible to the layperson, this roundup of the latest in renewable energy, transportation, and efficiency offers welcome solutions to global warming. The authors highlight innovations such as building-integrated wind power, flex-fuel plug-in hybrid cars, and a "smart" electricity grid that would monitor and modulate energy use--plus consumer tips and hot companies. --Debra Jones

THE GREATEST GIFT
a book by Binka Le Breton
Walking alone on an isolated Amazon road one morning in 2005, the 73-year-old American nun Dorothy Stang was shot to death by hired gunmen. Infuriated by her work to secure small land plots for sustainable cultivation, ranchers and loggers had put a bounty on Stang's head. Extensive quotes from those who knew her help recount the nun's fierce struggle on behalf of the forest and those who depend on it. --Marilyn Berlin Snell

WHAT WOULD JESUS BUY?
a film by Rob VanAlkemade
Feeling postholiday buyer's remorse? Confess your material sins to Reverend Billy. In this docu-comedy, the pompadoured preacher and his Church of Stop Shopping Gospel Choir sing at the Mall of America, get arrested at Disneyland, and hold an exorcism over a Wal-Mart sign. The real man behind the fake collar remains enigmatic, but his message is clear: Unless we repent our consumerist ways, the "shopocalypse" is nigh. wwjbmovie.com

EVERYTHING'S COOL
a film by Daniel Gold and Judith Helfand
When even Oprah is talking about global warming, it's clear the issue has hit the mainstream. So why are so many people still blase about climate change? In examining the causes of this complacency, this documentary profiles some of the people who are trying to wake Americans up, including a government whistle-blower, a ski-resort employee who brews his own biodiesel fuel, and an appealingly nerdy climatologist who's turning science into on-camera sound bites. everythingscool.org

Let's Talk: Discuss this selection with your friends and neighbors.

THE ART OF SIMPLE FOOD
a book by Alice Waters
OK, you've got organic food from the farmers' market. Now what to do with it? Seasonal-food evangelist Alice Waters takes the beginner cook by the hand, explaining everything from boiling an egg to planning a doable dinner party. Her foolproof secret is what made her Chez Panisse restaurant famous: the best ingredients, simply prepared. --Paul Rauber

(The Art of Simple Food cover courtesy Clarkson Potter/Publishers; Everything's Cool cover courtesty City Lights Media)

Fast Fact

If each U.S. household installed one low-flow sink faucet or aerator, it would save more than 60 billion gallons of water annually. epa.gov/watersense

A Fresh Look at Water

Though water covers almost three-fourths of the earth's surface, we can only drink one percent of it. "It's just a tiny sliver on this enormous globe that supports us," says Eleanor Sterling, a museum curator who's made such abstract facts vividly concrete with satellite images of water's global distribution, dioramas of ecosystems that depend on it, and a miniature interactive river that demonstrates water's power. The exhibit, Water: H₂O=Life, runs through the end of May at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

Arctic Blogs

Ever wondered what it's like to live and work in Antarctica? Save yourself lots of time and money traveling that far south by getting the scoop on the following Arctic blogs (As seen on Kottke.org):

Antarctic Journal
Big Dead Place
British Antarctic Survey
John Bean's Antarctica blog
U of Delaware blog
Nathan Duke
elisfanclub
Concordia Base
Base Dumont d'Urville
Mr Rose Géophy CZT45

Pop Corner

Text-happy teens, rejoice: Sending messages via cell phone is waaay more ecofriendly than using a clunky ol' PC or laptop. (A computer requires 30 times the electricity for the task.) This tidbit comes from Seventeen magazine, which surveyed readers on green topics for an October spread titled "Do You Really Care About the Environment?" The 73 percent of teen girls who turn off the water while brushing their teeth do care, and so do the featured "cuties with a cause"--a group of floppy-haired high school boys who created a charity (relightny.org) that provides low-income families with compact fluorescent lightbulbs.

Movie Friday!

Winter weather getting you down? Escape to the movies with one of our "Film Fridays" selections. Each week we'll feature a movie with environmentally or socially responsible themes that’s currently in theatres or available on DVD.

Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 words or less and we may feature it on the e-mail list!

Thanks to Green Life reader Hema Simondes for today's movie review!

The Future of Food
Before compiling your next grocery list, you might want to watch this eye-opening documentary, which sheds light on a shadowy relationship between agriculture, big business and government. By examining the effects of biotechnology on the nation's smallest farmers, director Deborah Koons Garcia reveals the unappetizing truth about genetically modified foods: You could unknowingly be serving them for dinner.

If you subscribe to Netflix, this movie is available for Instant Watching on your computer.

Fast Fact

Less than one-fifth of obsolete computers are reused or recycled. Find a responsible recycler for your old PC or Mac at www.computertakeback.com.

Daily Tip: Jan 24, 2008

We all turn to Consumer Reports when we are thinking about purchasing a new car or vacuum cleaner, but did you know that they have published a "Complete Guide to Reducing Energy Costs"? Consumer Reports has made an excerpt from the report available on their site, called 20 Free Ways to Save Energy, which include using a crockpot, getting rid of that roof rack, and more! You can read the report here.

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Able Labels

For savvy shoppers, there's a raft of new reasons to look at labels: REI's ecoSensitive tag (right) ID's clothes made of materials like organic cotton, hemp, bamboo, or recycled synthetics. Stickers on all new U.S. vehicles now estimate the annual cost of fueling up. (In New York and California, they'll soon include information on greenhouse-gas emissions too.) U.K. manufacturers are adding carbon-footprint data to food ingredient lists, and a new California law will require the source of bottled water to be disclosed on the label.

Daily Tip: Jan 23, 2008

Do you bring a 6 ounce container of yogurt to work in the mornings for breakfast? To reduce your impact, instead try buying the larger 32 ounce yogurt containers and scooping your daily portion of yogurt into a reusable container. That reusable container could even be the old 6 ounce yogurt containers that you used to buy. You'll be reminded everyday of the waste you are preventing!

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Good Eats

Looking for ways to save money--and energy? Try making your next meal in a pressure cooker. In this recipe, fire-roasted crushed tomatoes add extra zing.

Shiitake Lentil Soup
2 1/2 cups dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 large sweet onions, shredded or diced
5 carrots (4 shredded, 1 sliced)
3 celery stalks, sliced
28 oz. can of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
2 heaping tablespoons garlic powder
1/4 cup uncooked wild rice
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice, basmati or long grain
3/4 cup dried lentils
3/4 cup red wine
7 cups chicken or vegetable broth

The day before you make the soup, cover the mushrooms in two and a half cups of water and soak them overnight in the refrigerator. The next day, slice the mushrooms and trim off the stems (reserving any remaining liquid). Saute the onions, carrots, and celery in a few tablespoons of canola oil in the pressure cooker with the lid off. Once the onions have turned clear and the vegetables are getting soft, add the rest of the ingredients, including the mushrooms and remaining soaking water. Seal the lid and turn the heat on high. When the pot starts whistling loudly, lower the heat until it produces a low, steady hissing. Cook for an hour, then turn off the heat and remove the pot from the burner. Let the soup sit for at least 15 minutes, or until the pressure button drops. Stir and serve. For a thinner soup, add a little water. Makes about three quarts. --Wendy Lyons Sunshine

Still cookin? Try the author's recipe for Coq-a-Barley Soup.

Daily Tip: Jan 22, 2008

We're all in a hurry. But a little patience when ordering items online could cut your shipping carbon footprint by half, or more. Rather than have each item shipped separately as soon as it becomes available, ask that your order be grouped into as few shipments as possible. It might take a few days longer, but why have two or three big brown trucks stop at your curb when a single one can do the job?

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Movie Friday!

Winter weather getting you down? Escape to the movies with one of our "Film Fridays" selections. Each week we'll feature a movie with environmentally or socially responsible themes that’s currently in theatres or available on DVD.

Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 words or less and we may feature it on the e-mail list!

Blue Vinyl
a film by Daniel B Gold and Judith Helfand
on DVD/VHS

When filmmaker Judith Helfand's parents decide to replace the rotting wood siding on their suburban home with cheaper, more durable blue vinyl, Helfand embarks on a quest to find out whether it's possible "to make products that never hurt anyone at any point in their life cycle." Toting a slab of siding, Helfand travels to Lake Charles, Louisiana, the vinyl capital of the United States. What she uncovers there, and in another manufacturing center, Venice, Italy, is enough to convince even her stubborn parents to take the vinyl down.

Rent the movie with some friends and get a rousing discussion going with Sierra's film-club questions.

Daily Tip: Jan 17, 2008

Just say no" and "BYO" are two ways to reduce waste while shopping. For more tips, check out the Boston Globe article "9 Ways to use one less plastic bag".

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Pop Corner

Call it Survivor: The Landfill. The British TV series Dumped, which aired last fall, challenged 11 volunteers to spend three weeks living on a heap of garbage. The participants, including a 20-year-old student who "hates to be stuck in an environment without any nightclubs" and a 47-year-old personal trainer who lives on a boat and eats only organic food, were recruited under the working title "EcoChallenge," executive producer Helen Veale told the Guardian newspaper. "They all thought they were going to end up somewhere exotic like the Amazon rainforest."

Trendsetter

Diane MacEachern, age 55
Founder & CEO, Big Green Purse

After struggling for years to help pass environmental bills on Capitol Hill, former communications consultant Diane MacEachern wondered if it would be easier to change how people spend the bills in their wallets. So the mother of two created a Web campaign--with a companion book coming out in late February--to get women to shift $1,000 of their annual spending to ecofriendly products.

Q: Why focus on women?

A: Women are doing most of the household shopping, and they are more sympathetic to environmental issues than men. Women understand that when the planet is in trouble, they're in trouble.

Q: How do you suggest that consumers prioritize their spending?

A: Start by shifting $10 of your weekly grocery budget. For example, cut out bottled water--you're just paying for plastic and transportation--and spend the money you're saving on organic food.

Q: Some people say we can't buy our way to a better planet. Are there limits to what changing consumption patterns can achieve?

A: In a way, I feel that argument is intended to dissuade women from being in control of their own homes, spending, and lives. Money talks, and manufacturers are listening every time you put a product on the checkout conveyor belt.

Fast Fact

Women make 85 percent of retail purchases in the United States.

Daily Tip: Jan 15, 2008

If you’re in need of lumber, consider buying from ecofriendly wood providers. The Forest Stewardship Council has approved 59 million acres of timber forest in 47 countries for their environmentally responsible practices. Friends of the Earth also has buying tips on its Good Wood Guide site

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Advice for workers, actors, and shoppers

In the January/February 2008 issue of Sierra, Mr. Green opines on the best way for a touring actor to leave no trace, clears up concerns about cotton, and advises on workplace recycling.

Curious, concerned, or just generally confused about environmental issues of all stripes? Send your thoughts and questions directly to Mr. Green, or weigh in in the comments section.

Grapevine

Former Talking Heads front man David Byrne is writing a book, Bicycle Diaries, about urban cycling. * Nissan is installing real-time mpg displays in all its new cars. The company predicts they will cut gas use by 10 percent. * UPS is bolstering its delivery fleet with 300 new vehicles that run on cleaner-burning propane or compressed natural gas. * Virgin Atlantic and Air New Zealand are racing to be the first airline to test-fly a biofueled jet. * Tully's Coffee has started an in-store collection program for cups and other compostable waste. * The Israeli embassy in the United States is switching its fleet to hybrid-electric vehicles. * California utility Pacific Gas and Electric Company gave away a million CFLs last fall.

Movie Friday!

Winter weather getting you down? Escape to the movies with one of our "Film Fridays" selections. Each week we'll feature a movie with environmentally or socially responsible themes that’s currently in theatres or available on DVD.

Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 words or less and we may feature it on the e-mail list!

This week's selection:
The Yes Men
a film by Dan Olman
on DVD/VHS
http://www.theyesmen.org/movie

The Yes Men follows Andy and Mike, a pair of anti-corporate pranksters, as they pose as spokesmen for the World Trade Organization. They attend conferences and even a live television debate, planning to shock audiences with their outrageous proposals to improve global free trade in the best interest of wealthy nations. But Andy and Mike turn out to be the ones who are in for a shock. Amongst the hilarity, this documentary provides a strong social critique of the true nature of free trade, who it benefits, and who it does not.

-- Katie Mathis

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Daily Tip: Jan 10, 2008

According to the Sierra Club's Mr. Green, fueling your fire with sustainably harvested or dead trees may be the most ecofriendly way to feed a fireplace, but be sure to ignite them in an EPA-approved fireplace insert or wood stove to slash those nasty particulate emissions. And sometimes, it's better to let dead trees rot; forests may need nutrition from these arboreal corpses.

If you're still using a dirty old traditional fireplace, opt for artificial logs made of materials that might otherwise have been wasted, such as sawdust and wood chips. Because these elements are squeezed together under pressure, the logs are denser and drier than wood, so they burn cleaner and hotter while producing less soot.

Look for manufactured logs made of wood only, and avoid those that contain paraffin, a petroleum-based byproduct with dubious emissions quality. One of the biggest brands, Duraflame, has made its logs greener by phasing out all petroleum-based waxes. Some other options include recycled-paper briquettes (simplefire.com) and logs made of recycled boxes (cleanflamelog.com) and used coffee grounds (java-log.com). If only they smelled like a fresh-brewed espresso.

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Science on Tap

Global warming, stem cells, and invasive species aren't typical fodder for happy-hour chitchat. But "science cafes" bring experts to the corner pub for freewheeling conversations on just such topics. It's like the best college lectures--plus beer and minus the exams. The grassroots phenomenon started in 1998 in the United Kingdom; since then, at least 50 cafes have bloomed in the United States, bridging the gulf between great discoveries and regular Joes and Janes. To find an event in your area, visit sciencecafes.org. --David Ferris

(Illustration by Adam McCauley)

Help for Holiday Stragglers

OK, people, it's officially the first full week of 2008, the 12 days of Christmas are over and done with, and you can't use your New Year's hangover as an excuse anymore: It's time to take down the holiday decorations. Fortunately, it seems there are many companies and groups eager to help you wrap up the season in a green way:

Lights out: This year, you finally swapped out your incandescent Christmas lights for energy-efficient LED ones. Now, what to do with those old, wasteful, tangled strands? Retailer HolidayLEDs.com is accepting incandescent holiday lights for recycling through the end of the month. Send 'em to:

HolidayLEDs.com
Attn: Recycling Program
120 W. Michigan Avenue, Suite 1403
Jackson, MI 49201

Back to nature: Cut Christmas trees can--and should!--be mulched to help create healthy new soil. Check with your local recycling and disposal company to see if they do curbside pickup or click on over to Earth911 to find a recycling location near you. The National Christmas Tree Association has stories about other cool ways that trees are being recycled around the country.

We greet again: Old holiday cards can provide cheer a second time around. Send them to CardsDirect, which will distribute those that can be reused to charitable organizations and recycle the rest:

CardsDirect 2007/2008 Card Recycling and Re-Use Program
200 Chisholm Place, Suite 220
Plano, TX 75075

Of course, you can also recycle old cards yourself, and/or turn the images into gift tags or new cards for next year.

The gift keeps giving: No need to hunt for receipts or wait in line at the store. Unwanted gifts can be swapped for what you really want online. Even gift cards can be sold back or exchanged.

Daily Tip: Jan 8, 2008

If you don’t have laundry facilities in your home, visit one of the ecofriendly Laundromats that are starting to show up in many cities. They have more efficient machines (usually front-loaders), sell detergents without harmful additives, and may also offer wet cleaning, a less energy- and chemical-intensive version of dry-cleaning. Schlep your clothes to and fro in an organic cotton laundry bag or petroleum-free (non-plastic) basket.

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Daily Tip: Jan 7, 2008

Think globally, eat locally. Food that's grown and produced nearby reduces transportation-related emissions and can also be safer because you know the source. If you have them nearby, farmers' markets and farms' U-pick or roadside stands are great places to shop. And some grocery chains like Whole Foods try to stock regional food. (Their qualifier: the food has to travel seven hours or fewer from the farm to be considered local.) But you can look at the label in any grocery store. The sticker will often tell a fruit or vegetable's origin.

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Winter weather getting you down?

Winter weather getting you down? Escape to the movies with one of our "Film Fridays" selections. Each week we'll feature a movie with environmentally or socially responsible themes that's currently in theatres or available on DVD.

Seen a good eco-flick lately? Send us a review of 100 words or less and we may feature it on the e-mail list!

This week's selection:

Winged Migration
a film by Jacques Perrin
on DVD/VHS
http://www.sonyclassics.com/wingedmigration/

"For eighty million years, birds have ruled the skies, seas and earth," says filmmaker Jacques Perrin. "Each spring, they fly vast distances. Each fall, they fly the same route back. This film is the result of four years following their amazing odysseys, in the northern hemisphere and then the south, species by species, flying over seas and continents." With this strategy, Perrin and his crew have produced a visual treat.

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Daily Tip: Jan 3, 2008

How many phone books do you need? Stop getting those bulky throwbacks by contacting the manufacturer (their contact information is usually listed on the phone book’s inside cover) and asking to be taken off their mailing list. Use online phonebooks or search the web to find what you need instead.

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New Year, New You

Eight ecofriendly resolutions for a happier, healthier 2008

1. Bring camaraderie to your commute
Carpooling saves gas and turns traffic delays into socializing opportunities. Find fellow riders at goloco.org and zimride.com.

2. Be an informed eater
If you're torn between the trout and the halibut, text 30644 with the message "FISH" and the type you're considering to learn which is the more sustainable choice (fishphone.org).

3. Junk the junk mail
Inundated by catalogs but too lazy to call and get off their mailing lists? Just register with catalogchoice.org, which will do the legwork for you. (Services like greendimes.com and 41pounds.org stop other kinds of junk mail too--for a fee.)

4. Become a mix master
DIY kits make it easy to blend up your own nontoxic household cleansers, skin products, and pet-care items (all from eco-me.com) as well as all-natural baby food (freshbaby.com).

5. Learn to share
At neighborrow.com and borrowme.com, you can find neighbors willing to lend you books, tools, or other things you'd rather not buy.

6. Give back on your next getaway
Count whales or plant trees in exotic locales--opportunities abound at greenvolunteers.com and in The Ethical Travel Guide (Earthscan) and The 100 Best Vacations to Enrich Your Life (National Geographic Books).

7. Just say no to bottled water
If tap water is good enough for some of the country's top restaurants, isn't it good enough for you?

8. See more meaningful movies
Sick of Hollywood fluff? Subscribe to a socially conscious film series at earthcinemacircle.com or ironweedfilms.com and get cinematic conversation-starters delivered to your door.

What's your green new year's resolution? Share it with us in the comments section.

(Illustrations by Josef Gast)