Achieve Green

And On Our Left…

greengirl — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 22:56:33 +0000

A good friend of mine will soon be guest-blogging here as the automotive correspondent. So, give a green welcome to Jason Gullickson…

Big Yellow Taxi

greengirl — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:08:58 +0000

While I was doing research for the Flowers chapter of the book I’m writing on eco-weddings, I stumbled across a really cool project. It ran from September of 2007 until year’s end, so I’ve missed it. But, I thought it was cool enough to mention again. For the 100th anniversary of the New York City metered taxi, schoolchildren painted 750,000 square feet of adhesive panels as part of the Garden in Transit project. These flower panels were then affixed to New York City yellow cabs as a moving art exhibit.

The environmental angle came on November 1, when VeriFlora, a certification organization for organically grown flowers, gave 80,000 environmentally and socially responsible flowers to taxicab drivers. They handed these flowers out to passengers and pedestrians with a message attached to ‘move this flower along!’ New York as a walking garden. Too cool.

Tile My World

greengirl — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:50:49 +0000

I was just floating around Gmail and came across this awesome tile site via their weblinks. They’ve got eco-friendly tile, including cork, pebble mosaics and recycled glass. The cork is recycled from the stopper industry’s byproduct (think: the end of wine corks). Modwalls.com also supports some great causes.

Cork is a particularly good substance to use in construction. According to the Rainforest Alliance, “cork oak forests are one of the most sustainable natural systems, and supports one of the highest levels of biodiversity among European forests.” Cork comes from the bark of the cork oak tree. It’s harvested every 10 years or so, and harvesting it doesn’t hurt the tree.

Weekend Census VIII

greengirl — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 13:43:40 +0000

For the few of you that can afford traveling with gas prices being what they are, a series of links on green hotels:

Nancy and Newt?

greengirl — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 16:10:19 +0000

You’ve probably seen those vaguely unsettling commercials with Nancy Pelosi and Newt Gingrich or Al Sharpton and Pat Robertson sitting on a couch in some outdoor setting. Weird as those may be (and they sure work to get my attention), they represent a cool organization. The We Campaign is part of the Alliance for Climate Protection, a non-profit started by Al Gore. They’re trying to raise awareness about global warming and climate change, convincing people one at a time of the scientific truth of this issue. They’ve got some great tips about what you can do to minimize your personal impact.

Red Pill, Blue Pill

greengirl — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 13:28:44 +0000

As I was just about to throw my empty prescription bottle in the recycling bin, and being very grateful that my city takes no. 5 plastics, I wondered what options there are for cities that don’t accept anything but a no. 1 or 2 plastic. I did some checking, and there aren’t tons of options, but there are a few. Apparently, many pharmacies won’t take them because after too many reuses, the child-proof ability of the caps begins to break down. (Don’t they know that kids are the only ones who can get those things open?)

Some veterinary clinics and animal shelters reuse the bottles for giving out doses of medication to furry patients, so check with your local vet clinics. Or, you could send them to Jacob Willard in West Virginia for his 4H project. If you have a plastic lumber manufacturer near you, they’ll take most types of plastics. Everyone has thought of using them to keep screws, craft supplies, etc (after thoroughly washing, of course), but one of the coolest reuse ideas I found is to keep plants watered by punching a hole in the bottom, burying it in the dirt and watering.

Weekend Census VII

greengirl — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 17:03:53 +0000

In honor of spring cleaning, websites that sell green alternatives to common household cleaners:

Begley’s Best (yup, Ed Begley Jr.)
Clorox GreenWorks
Eco Concepts
Ecosense from Melaleuca
Ecover
KC Products
Mia Rose
Seventh Generation
Simple Green
Sun and Earth
And some homemade alternatives: Alternatives from the EPA.

Activism as Art as Activism

greengirl — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:10:10 +0000

The blog associated with the method line of products recently posted about an incredible art installation in Sao Paolo. Sao Paolo is home to the Tiete River, one of the most polluted waterways in the world. The artist, Eduardo Srur, has created an installation of 40′ long (huge!) plastic PET bottles along the embankments of the Tiete River to raise awareness of pollution and the need for recycling. They’re lit from within and look darn cool in the nighttime shots. I recommend checking out his ‘Art’ link - he’s got some amazing, larger-than-life stuff.

Hooray for cows!

greengirl — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:35:45 +0000

A new study in the UK just revealed something that many of us already suspected: organic milk from cows allowed to graze freely on grass is healthier than traditional milk. The study found that organic milk contains 67% more vitamins and antioxidants than traditional milk. It also contains 60% more of the healthy fatty acid CLA9, which has been shown to shrink tumors. Organically farmed cows get more than 80% of their diet from grazing on grass, as compared to 37% for cows raised to produce ‘ordinary’ milk.

Eat locally

greengirl — Wed, 28 May 2008 13:19:25 +0000

I recently finished the food chapter of the book I’m writing on Eco-weddings. It includes information on why it matters to eat lower on the food chain, eat organic and eat locally grown products. I thought I’d post the section on eating locally here:

Your food travels an average of 1,300 to 1,500 miles (depending on the literature) before it reaches your local supermarket. Just think of how much fuel is used to drive a truck that far. Buying locally ensures that more of your dollar goes to the farmer. Local farmers will keep about $0.90 of each dollar you spend. Food that is shipped across the country has money going to marketing, distribution and the parent corporation, leaving the original farmer with $0.21 of that dollar you spent. Local produce needs to be sprayed with far fewer chemicals to keep it looking fresh for the 24 hours it travels to your kitchen. When food is shipped long distances, growers have to focus on growing varieties that will maintain their color over distance, which usually involves losing taste and gaining preservatives. Local farmers can work with heirloom varieties and select for taste instead of shelf life.
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