The Green Life

Climate Change on Display

The American Museum of Natural History in New York opened an exhibition this weekend on the science, history, and consequences of human-induced global warming. Called Climate Change: The Threat to Life and a New Future, the exhibition goes well beyond PowerPoint slides with hands-on activities for visitors of all ages and--here's the exciting part for those of us outside the Big Apple--a comprehensive online version that allows anyone with an internet connection to jump in, explore the science, and exchange stories about the effects of climate change on an individual level. If you stop by the new blog Signs of Change, you'll see prompts to think about how this often intangible phenomenon relates to energy bills, vacation plans, and driving habits. The site consists mostly of plain text (more video wouldn't hurt), but it boasts a goldmine of facts you can spout at your next climate change confab, including this one:

Fast Fact: Cranberries

Of 327,700 tons of cranberries harvested in the United States in 2007, only 5 percent were sold fresh.

Tips from a Green Chef

Get an old-fashioned gobbler.
Consider ordering a heritage-breed turkey, one of the hardy, genetically diverse species bred before factory farms became the norm in the 1960s. When cooking a turkey raised free-range, as many heritage breeds are, Karen Jurgensen suggests braising the legs (which are muscular and a little tough as a result of the bird's active life) to make them more tender and roasting the breast in the oven. For more information on heritage breeds, visit heritageturkeyfoundation.org.

Let nothing go to waste.
After the main event, Jurgensen suggests using turkey bones for a stock or soup, mashed potatoes for pancakes or shepherd's pie, and vegetables for a frittata (pictured above).

Stolen Solar Panels: Green Crime on the Rise

Thinking about adding solar panels to you roof to cut back on energy costs (and carbon emissions, of course)? Don’t forget to bolt them down--tightly. The New York Times reported yesterday a rash of solar panel thefts in California, the country's largest market for solar power. The panels aren’t disappearing completely, however. Many are showing up for sale on websites like Craigslist and Ebay. Glenda Hoffman, a homeowner of Desert Hot Springs, California, who recently lost 16 solar panels to thieves, told the Times that she has resorted to sleeping with a shotgun by her bed, and a .22 under her pillow.

Electronic Waste Flows "Virtually Unrestricted"

Used electronics shipped to developing countries from the United States are supposed to help bridge "the digital divide," says a new report from the watchdog arm of Congress--not support an industry that relies on toxic, open-air fires, acid baths, and cheap labor to recover precious metals from high-tech trash. Examining the fate of electronics exported by U.S. "recyclers," investigators from the Government Accountability Office, or GAO, found that computers, cell phones, printers, and other devices too often end up being dismantled abroad under unsafe conditions.

Who's responsible for the situation? While groups like Greenpeace and the Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition have called on manufacturers to eliminate harmful substances from product designs, regulation of hazardous waste disposal falls to the EPA, an agency described in the 63-page report as having an overly narrow focus and lax enforcement when it comes to e-waste.

Current regulations control only cathode-ray tubes, which are found in older TV sets and computer monitors. The tubes contain copper--a valuable commodity on the scrap metal market--and up to four pounds of lead, a known toxin. Americans are discarding them by the millions these days, in part because of the upcoming U.S. conversion to digital from analog TV signals, and the EPA requires exporters to notify the agency before shipping the devices abroad for repair or recycling.

Fast Facts on Disaster Preparedness

One in four U.S. adults has taken no steps to prepare for a natural disaster, according to the American Red Cross.

One in five Americans who have not planned for an emergency cites not knowing what to do as a major reason for being unprepared.

Share your stories: Have you experienced a natural disaster? Did you have plans in place? What advice would you give to others who might weather disasters in the future?

Keanu Reeves: The Day the Earth Stood Still

"Instead of being man against man, it's more about man against nature. My [character] Klaatu says that if the earth dies, you die. If you die, the earth survives. I'm a friend to the earth."
--Keanu Reeves describing his role as Klaatu in the remake of the sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, due out in December

Google Goes Big for Geothermal

Google, Inc. announced plans today to invest $10 million in an energy technology known as enhanced geothermal systems, or EGS. While conventional geothermal power plants generate electricity using ultra-hot steam stored in natural reservoirs one or two miles below the earth's surface, EGS can theoretically tap heat in dry rock by pumping cold water into artificial underground reservoirs. (Google produced the above video to show how it works.)

While geothermal energy offers a renewable alternative to oil and natural gas, large-scale plants do not pass unscathed through the thicket of environmental woes. U.S. News & World Report's Kent Garber explains:

Textbook Downloads -- Green or Not?

In four years, a typical college student in the U.S. spends $4,000 on textbooks. Not being of a generation to stand by and get squeezed, young scholars are starting to scream about rising costs. After all, an average student spends less than half that amount on alcohol in the same period, according to data from 2005.

But we know students care about more than beer budgets. How about the fact that four years' worth of college textbooks use the paper equivalent of yields from at least six 40-foot trees? With publishers furiously putting out new editions (New York Times Digital Domain columnist Randall Stross explains why ), the environmental footprint of college texts could swell to mammoth size all too soon. Not pretty.

Green Your Pool -- Cover Up

Splashing around in a pool can be a guilty pleasure this time of year. Sure, there's a drought, but it's hot! We've gathered tips to help you minimize poolside waste this week. If you don't have a pool at home, share the eco-pool love with someone who does.

Fast fact: Covering a pool can reduce pool heating costs by 50 to 70 percent.

Solution: Keep the pool covered whenever it's not in use. This offers the biggest savings in dry or windy conditions, which allow major heat loss from evaporation. For an indoor pool, covers put a damper on humidity and permit less reliance on energy-sapping exhaust fans.

Exception: If you use the pool only at night in a hot and humid climate (where less heat escapes through evaporation), letting the sun strike a pool uncovered during the day can mean lower heating costs.

Share your tips and ideas for keeping an eco-friendly pool or throwing a green pool party.