The Green Life

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.

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."

Centenarian Strategies

Perfect place settings and flawless floral arrangements aren't really my bag, so I've got to thank healthy-home guru Debra Lynn Dadd for pointing out this heartening tidbit in her newsletter:

Apparently, the September issue of Martha Stewart Living included an article on "Living to 100" that discussed the importance of environmental health. In it, the author, Dr. Brent Ridge, noted that "Anything we bring into our homes or put onto our bodies can affect our health. I use natural or green products whenever I can--detergents, cleansers, toothpaste, shampoo, etc. If a bathtub cleanser is labeled 'nontoxic,' for example, that means it's safe for kids and safer for me and the environment." Ridge even got in a plug for composite lumber made from recycled materials, saying that it "looks beautiful and works well."

Eco-conscious ideas being promoted to 2 million mainstream readers? Now that's a good thing.

Green is the New Fierce

It's no secret around the Sierra office that I get an inordinate amount of enjoyment out of the so-bad-it's-good reality show America's Next Top Model. And tonight, I can watch my guilty pleasure without any guilt at all--in fact, I can even call it research. The next episode, titled "The Models Go Green" promises to set the girls up with a green mode of transportation (presumably not the Hummer limo they've been tooling around in the last few seasons) and move them into an "environmentally friendly Los Angeles mansion" (which, admittedly, sounds like more than a bit of an oxymoron). Maybe they can even find some ecofriendly weaves for the makeover episode.

Pop Corner

It's no "For Those About to Rock," but "March to ReEnergize Iowa" took on an anthemic quality when sung by Ben Folds at a Des Moines concert this summer. The indie singer-songwriter had whipped up a tune backstage to go along with the words on a flyer two fans handed him earlier that day. The topic: A march from Ames to the state capital to demand clean-energy solutions to global warming. Hmm, what rhymes with carbon dioxide?

Pop Corner

As Willie Nelson, Neil Young, and Dave Matthews head to New York City to play Farm Aid 2007 on September 9, a tour of another kind will be making its way to the yearly concert. Sustainable Table's cross-country road trip to promote eating local, ecofriendly food--and to find the best pie in the United States--will culminate at the 23rd annual fundraiser for family farms. Even more fittingly, the nonprofit's tour bus is powered by biodiesel, one of Farm Aid cofounder Nelson's longtime causes (he even has his own brand, BioWillie fuel) and the subject of his new book, On the Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and the Future of the Family Farm.

Mr. Manatee

Life imitates art once again: Actor Alec Baldwin, who played a marine biologist on a manatee-themed (though not especially funny) episode of The Simpsons, has recorded public service announcements for the Save the Manatee Club. The spots will be distributed to radio stations nationwide by the Jimmy Buffett-cofounded group, which works to protect the imperiled (and inexplicably adorable) sea cow.

Read All About It

A roundup of news worth noting from the past month or so:

BUSINESS/MONEY
* GE jumped on the green-credit-card bandwagon with its GE Money Earth Rewards Platinum MasterCard, which must be applied for online or by phone (to save paper, don'cha know). Boosters and doubters weighed in.

* A Portland startup has developed software to reduce paper waste while printing.

GRAPEVINE
* Actress/activist Daryl Hannah is working to green this weekend's Virgin Festival (sponsored by the media company, silly) in Baltimore. Music-lovers coming to see the Police, the Smashing Pumpkins, and dozens of other acts will also find plates made of sugarcane, biodiesel-run generators, and "green angels" monitoring waste disposal. Don't miss Explosions in the Sky, y'all. They totally rock.

* Puerto Rican actor Benicio del Toro has joined the campaign to preserve the island's Northeast Ecological Corridor. (Yeah, the article is in Spanish and from April, but even old news is worth reporting when it comes to Benicio.)

Pop Corner

First-time director Ali Selim's historical romance movie, Sweet Land (now available on DVD), was as low impact as it was low budget. The actors and crew worked under natural light whenever possible, carpooled to the set, and agreed to forgo flights home on weekends, while Selim offset any carbon dioxide emitted during filmmaking.

Pop Corner

Extravagant weddings (and the subsequent bitter divorces) are regular soap opera fare, but Days of Our Lives added a new twist when it married off lead characters Sami and Lucas in a green ceremony. Their May wedding featured organic flowers and food, biodegradable favors, and recycled-paper invitations, all of which were touted on the show's NBC Web site. Also detailed online were Sami's nine "close calls": three previous trips down the aisle and six nuptials called off at the last minute. Will the green wedding be the one with the fairy-tale ending?

Revel With a Cause

Sure, you're still busy cleaning your grill after yesterday's festivities, but it's time to get ready for the next party! If you don't already have plans to rock out with 2 billion of your closest friends and (world) neighbors on Saturday, well, where you have you been? Tickets for the best (IMO) Live Earth show, at Wembley Stadium in London, are sold out, but that event--featuring performances by the Beastie Boys, the Foo Fighters, and Spinal Tap--and the 24-hour concerts from six other continents (yep, even Antarctica) are being broadcast online and on TV as part of the international effort to provoke action on global warming. Find--or host--a viewing party near you, and tell us, which bands are you most excited to see?

Now There's An Idea...

It probably won't make the next version of 50 Simple Things You Can Do to Save the Earth, but this "suggestion" in yesterday's Dilbert gave me a laugh. Hmm, yeah, no dry-cleaning your work clothes, no jetting around to boring meetings... on the other hand, watching TV and ordering pizzas in your bathrobe probably isn't going to save the world either.

A Tip a Day...

...keeps global warming at bay. (And other environmental problems too!)

Want to start living a lower-impact, higher-quality lifestyle? Not sure where to begin? Sign up for our new Green Life newsletter and receive an easy tip every day about a small change that can make a big difference. Simple steps like replacing conventional lightbulbs with more efficient ones, keeping your car tires properly inflated, or adjusting your thermostat a degree or two can save you money, reduce waste, and help save the planet. Don't delay, sign up today!

Pop Corner

With its scantily clad models luxuriating on a beach in front of a half-submerged Mt. Rushmore, it was hard to tell how seriously clothing maker Diesel took its global-warming-themed ad campaign. But the March Sports Illustrated cover photo of Florida Marlins pitcher Dontrelle Willis knee-deep in a flooded base-ball stadium bore an unambiguous message: "Time to pay attention." After describing how climate change is affecting sports--including shorter ski seasons, fewer fishing opportunities, and summer days too hot for football practice--author Alexander Wolff writes, "We don't have the luxury of looking on from the sidelines. We must become players too."

Pop Corner

Do not attempt to adjust the picture: That green tint on your television is from the Sundance Channel's new programming. The network, founded by actor and longtime environmental advocate Robert Redford, will debut a weekly three-hour block of ecofriendly TV in April. Plans for "The Green," the first segment of its kind in prime time, include a series profiling leading activists and innovators, feature-length documentaries, lifestyle shows, and news specials.

Putting the "Reality" Into Reality TV

Aspiring Rolling Stone reporters tackled four of "America's eco-disasters" for the MTV reality show "I'm From Rolling Stone." San Francisco hip-hop fan Krishtine de Leon's assignment brought her to Kentucky, where Sierra Club activists Lee and Aloma Dew took her on a "Tour de Stench" of Tyson's mammoth chicken houses and introduced her to the people who have to live with the pollution (and foul odor) these factory farms create.

"Can you imagine living right next door to a huge compound with 50,000 chickens and these huge exhaust fans that blow urine dust at you all day?" de Leon says of her experience in the March 8 issue of Rolling Stone, which features an exposé on Smithfield Foods, the nation's top hog producer. "I got to see how brave these people were to take a stand and to be willing to make sacrifices to change things."

Other contestants reported on environmental violations by Koch Industries and Asarco in Texas and the lasting legacy of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill in Alaska. Check out the final episode on Sunday night at 11 p.m. (EDST) to see which one lands the coveted gig.

Pop Corner

Hollywood often comes under fire for polluting our minds with sex and violence. But what it's certainly fouling is the air. A November 2006 report by UCLA's Institute of the Environment calculates that film and television production in the Los Angeles metropolitan area creates 140,000 metric tons of air pollution annually--more than the region's hotel, apparel, or aerospace industries. The media moguls do a better job on reducing waste; the two Matrix sequels, for example, got high marks for recycling 97.5 percent of the wood, concrete, steel, and other materials (about 10,000 tons in all) used to create their futuristic world.

Green Goes Glamourous

"The 10 easiest things you can do to help the planet" grace the cover of Glamour's April issue--right next to Drew Barrymore's smiling face and below "Real women confess their sex fantasies." Though it's billed as "the fantasy issue," there's nothing fantastical about the magazine's top ten tips, which include such simple and effective things as changing your light bulbs, taking transit or riding a bike instead of driving, using green household cleaners, and eating local or organic foods. Glamour's eco-coverage also includes a video tour of Hollywood activist Laurie David's green home improvements ("inspiration central!") and a round-up of green web links that you can "click to help save the planet."

Roll Out the Green Carpet

The Oscar statuette may glimmer with gold, but this year's nominees are looking pretty green. Tinseltown treehugger Leonardo DiCaprio is up for a best actor award for his role in Blood Diamond, a socially conscious flick that netted five nominations. Top nominees Penelope Cruz, Forest Whittaker, and Ryan Gosling will join DiCaprio in arriving at the ceremony in eco-friendly vehicles, and Al Gore's global warming call-to-arms, An Inconvenient Truth, is nominated for best documentary (and best original song). Get ready for tonight's main event by listening to Sierra Club Radio's interview with Truth director Davis Guggenheim.

Pop Corner

The sea-lovers over at Oceana, who've partnered with Organic Bouquet for today's holiday, report that "Christina Aguilera recently gave Ellen DeGeneres one dozen of the 'world's tallest roses' on her talk show. The six-feet tall roses are shipped from Ecuador and are sold exclusively through Organic Bouquet." We always knew there was something we liked about that not-so-Dirrty girl...

Pop Corner

A tree hugger with a tiara? That's Allison Rogers, the 25-year-old beauty queen who will represent Rhode Island in next week's Miss America competition. The Harvard University grad, who works as an environmental education coordinator on campus, eschewed typically uncontroversial pageant "platforms" like promoting character. Instead, Rogers chose global warming as her issue, writing, "I have a dream that one day we will live in a society that runs on renewable and nonfossil fuels, with low-impact vehicles, where 'sustainable' lifestyle choices are second nature for all of us."

Oprah Wants You

Weight-loss success stories are regular feature on the Oprah Winfrey Show. Now the queen of all media is looking to spotlight another type of dieter: one that's cut back on carbon emissions. If you're doing your part for global warming, Oprah wants you:

"Are you worried about global warming? Have you and your family made changes around your household to save energy and cut carbon emissions? Do you recycle and set your thermostat to energy saving cycles? Do you use public transportation to help reduce your fuel consumption? Have you found a way to make a difference in your home or in your yard that you could share with our viewers? What are your specific ideas to reduce global warming in your home? Tell us what they are. The Oprah Winfrey Show is looking for families who are making a difference in reducing global warming that can share their stories and creative ideas. Please only respond if you are willing to be on television."

Good luck, and let us know if you make the cut!

Pop Corner

Liquefied-natural-gas facilities are just a little bit outside People's usual fare of fashion faux pas and baby bumps—but not when celebrities get involved. Model Cindy Crawford and actors Halle Berry, Pierce Brosnan, and Daryl Hannah drew the magazine's attention in October when they attended a rally to oppose a planned LNG terminal off the coast of Malibu. In addition to marring the multimillion-dollar view, the fuel port would be a source of smog and greenhouse-gas emissions, making the idea a double bummer for the sexy surf town. No wonder a similar project proposed for Long Beach Harbor is now losing steam.

5/21/07 UPDATE: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the Malibu proposal last Friday; earlier this year, local officials abandoned plans for the Long Beach terminal due to safety concerns.

Feuds, Fashion, and . . . Fighting Global Warming?

It's always fun when environmental tidbits make their way into the gossip columns. (Not least because it makes reading them legitimate "research.") Eco-celeb-about-town Leonardo DiCaprio merited a mention in the San Francisco Chronicle's "Daily Dish" for starting a popular discussion on the "Yahoo! Answers" web site about global-warming solutions.

So far, more than 9,000 readers have contributed their ideas for "smart, simple, and serious" ways that "we can all take action in our own homes and where we work"—and only a few turned it into an opportunity to dis Leo's movie choices.

Pop Corner

In between comedian Jack Black's hosting antics and Shakira's shaking hips, MTV made time for a speech by Al Gore at its annual Video Music Awards. With the channel's audience sharing Gore's concern about global warming--81 percent of 13- to 24-year-olds surveyed say that action must be taken right away--MTV has launched a two-part Break the Addiction Challenge, including a 12-step program to reduce personal contributions to global warming and a contest for U.S. and Canadian campuses to switch to 100 percent green energy.

Pop Corner

Holiday film releases will include The Blood Diamond, a political thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio and set in Sierra Leone, where control of diamond exports fueled a bloody civil war in the 1990s. Though the industry has taken steps to keep "conflict diamonds" off the market, some companies are trying to address human-rights and environmental issues in other ways, such as by using diamonds from more strictly regulated Canadian mines (brilliantearth.com, cred.tv) or creating gem-quality synthetics (greenkarat.com).

Pop Corner

Are hybrid cars trendy enough to inspire a backlash? In July, the state of Virginia changed a law that had exempted drivers of the green vehicles from some carpool-lane rules, a perk officials say was "contributing to the eroding performance" on two local highways. Similar concerns were the subject of a CNN segment on "hybrid hate" that aired earlier this year. At least one of its star witnesses, a Cadillac Escalade driver who couldn't understand why his pricey ride didn't guarantee equivalent privileges, could have stepped out of a South Park episode.

"Smug Alert!" saw residents of the cartoon town snapping up hybrid "Piouses" and feeling good about themselves--until they learned they were creating toxic clouds of "smug" that could destroy their home. "Look, hybrid cars are important. They may even save our planet one day," a character explained. "What you all need to do is just learn to drive hybrids and not be smug about it." Though the townspeople weren't up to the challenge, environmentalists would rather fight smug than smog any day.

We'd Bet on Al and Oprah Too

Though the cost of my monthly bus pass thankfully doesn't vary along with the price of fuel, I loved David Letterman's timely "Top Ten" list on July 28:

Top Ten Dumb Guy Ideas For Lowering Gas Prices

10. Make all roads downhill.
9. Cheaper self-service price if you pump the oil and refine it yourself.
8. Gas comes from dinosaurs, so all we need are more dinosaurs.
7. Invade Iraq.
6. Give Cheney a sawed-off shotgun and have him stick up an Exxon.
5. Tax cuts for the rich.
4. Get Bush and the middle east to straighten everything out on Oprah.
3. Jet packs for everyone.
2. Gas only costs 12 cents a gallon in Venezuela; drive to Venezuela for gas.
1. Get tubby genius Al Gore to figure it out.

While you're waiting for those jet packs to show up, why not try out these simple tips for increasing your mileage? Less money to Exxon means more left over for you.

New Job for Mr. Jolie

Actor Brad Pitt has narrated a six-part PBS series on green architecture called design:e2. No, really. The topic should be a good match for the "carbon-neutral" movie star and longtime Gehry groupie. Check local airdates for the show, which runs through early July, and let us know if it's first-rate or fluff.

Pop Corner

One of the hottest movies released in 2005 was the political thriller Syriana, starring George Clooney and Matt Damon. Clooney plays a veteran CIA operative who gets entangled in a web of greedy oil companies, cynical politicians, and corrupt regimes. Director Stephen Gaghan, who wrote the screenplay for the drug flick Traffic, notes that oil and illegal narcotics both come from "some pretty screwed-up places that you didn't want to examine too closely."

Loosely based on a real CIA agent's memoir, the movie (due on DVD in May) paints a bleak picture of the causes and consequences of our dependence on oil. The film's production company, which specializes in socially conscious entertainment, has partnered with the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council to campaign for energy-efficiency improvements, increased fuel economy, and other cures for oil addiction. Find out more at participate.net/oilchange.

Pop Corner

In between all the photos of hot babes and cool gadgets, lad-mag Maxim found room to tell readers of its September 2005 issue how to "stick it to the utility companies" by living off the grid. Tip #11: Use propane for your heating system and "save electricity for your PS2!" (That's "PlayStation 2" for Sierra readers happily beyond Maxim's demographic.) After all, how much fun can the simple life be if you can't play Grand Theft Auto?

Pop Corner

It's really no surprise that the writers of Six Feet Under, the acclaimed HBO series about a family-run funeral home, were attuned to the latest trend in death: green burials. After killing off one of the main characters in the show's final season, they had mourners wrap his body in a simple (and biodegradable) burlap sack and bury it. The practice, which avoids the toxic chemicals used in embalming, has long been popular in the United Kingdom (see naturaldeath.org.uk) and is on the rise in the United States, where at least four cemeteries are devoted to low-impact interment. ethicalburial.org

Welcome!

"The Green Life" was launched in the November/December 2005 issue of Sierra magazine as a place to showcase trendsetting people, cool products, and empowering ideas. Quickly we saw that there was too much happening, too fast, to limit our coverage to a few bimonthly pages, and thus this blog was born.

When we devoted our January/February 2005 issue to the burgeoning green-lifestyle movement, we saw there was a huge interest in earth-friendly options for living well. What we wear, where we live, how we get around, and how we spend our money affects not only our own quality of life, but the quality of our environment. Fortunately, style and sustainability increasingly go hand in hand, reaffirming our belief that the best things in life truly are green.

What's your favorite green product? What ideas have made your life a little easier and the Earth a little happier? Share your rants, raves, tips, and questions with other readers and us.

--Jennifer Hattam, editor