Does knitting make you yawn, think of your grandmother or the smell of snow-soggy wool mittens drying on the kitchen radiator? Newsflash: Knitting’s gone organic, political, subversive, has even entered the realm of “High Art”. There’s knitting on buses. No, not people in buses knitting; buses that are covered with knitting. We’ll get to that.

Going organic with your knitting does take commitment

Want to go organic with your knitting? Read Ann Budd’s newest book Knitting Green: Conversations and Earth Friendly Projects, due out in April from Interweave Press. The book proved to be quite an eye-opener for me, a long-time knitter and fiber artist.  I’ve always regarded knitting, along with quilting as one of the original “green” pursuits because it’s done primarily with natural fibers which for the most part come from the earth, in the case of cotton, and from life in the case of wool and silk.

Since one of the book’s essays reminds us of “the sense of continuity inherent in practicing such an ancient art”,  it’s easy to regard this ancient art,  not to mention oneself, as pure and virtuous using these natural elements to create warm, functional, pretty things.

But other essays in the book, such as “The Gray of Green” and “The Meaning of Organic” really pulled this writer’s head out of the sand in terms of what the term “organic” actually means.  It seems that in order to process cotton there are quite a few non-earth-friendly things that must go on. The same goes for wool and silk. I never imagined how many silk worms give their lives to produce one pound of fine silk – about 2,600! PETA alert! For more on wool production, sheep farmer and knitwear designer Kristin Nicholas’ essay “Ode to Sheep”, is not to be missed.

Like so many things worth doing in this life, going organic takes a certain level of commitment (and maybe a little whining) and yet its collective and cumulative benefits are irrefutable. It really does take a village Hillary, and this book clearly embraces the concepts of our interdependence and oneness. Since timing is everything it seems important to note that going organic costs more too, which makes sense once one understands the rigor involved in rendering yarn organic, but it’s a tough sell in this economy. And don’t forget about all the tempting value-priced synthetics at the big box craft stores, and natural yarns dyed in jaw-dropping-but-not-eco-friendly colorways found in those upscale fiber shops which can entice even the most virtuous of yarn divas.

The book includes a variety of patterns for items knitted using earth-friendly fibers, such as a drop-in-the washer bag knit from hemp designed to hold “soap nuts”,  a substitute for phosphate-laden laundry detergent. Don’t miss the lovely lace tunic pattern knitted up in a yarn named “Allegoro”, after Mr. Global Warming himself, and a Kimono knitted with a silk yarn made from the ever-versatile soy, which the editors tell us is as soft as cashmere. Sign me up.

Knitting Green also suggests that those who are looking, and not finding, organic knitwear in the stores, should consider homemade.  “More and more yarn companies are rolling out 100% organic yarns…. Fashionistas who aren’t happy with the choices for organic knitwear available in stores should pick up the needles and walk into a yarn shop,” writes Budd.

Knitting as political activism

Anyone familiar with the crafts movement knows that knitting has enjoyed a colossal renaissance over the past several years among fiber aficionados, with creative souls discovering community, functionality, meditation, and even political activism. Would you like to see that bus covered in knitting, or vividly-colored scarves wrapped around the necks of Presidential statues as a way to raise money for the homeless? Then check out Yarn Bombing: Improving the urban landscape one stitch at a time by Mandy Moore and Leanne Prain to learn about the “Graffiti Knitting” phenomenon, a not-so-traditional, downright in-your-face kind of knitting practice.

Or Google Betsy Greer, who coined the term “Craftivism” and wrote her master’s thesis on knitting (why didn’t I think of that?)  According to Faythe Levine, coauthor of the book, Handmade Nation (and director of the documentary by the same name), Greer’s 2008 book Knitting for Good!: A Guide to Creating Personal, Social, and Political Change Stitch by Stitch “provides a platform for progressive, forward-thinking knitters and non-knitters alike who are interested in the idea that creativity can be a positive way to change the world we live in. It is chock-full of motivation, ideas, and inspiration to get you going or to keep you on the path you are already on.”

Suffice it to say, knitting: you’ve come a long way, baby!

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

When the New York Botanical Garden opens its new education center in Midtown Manhattan next month, city dwellers will have better access to horticulture and floral design classes.

The new NY Botanical Society Education Center will be in an 18th Century building near Grand Central Terminal

The New York Botanical Garden Midtown Education Center, located at 20 W. 44th Street (between 5th and 6th avenues), will offer adult education and professional courses that could lead to green jobs or help further the goals of urban gardeners, florists and locavores.

Among the inaugural offerings will be the Lynden B. Miller Lecture Series: The Challenges and Rewards of Urban Horticulture. Hosted by New York Botanical Garden Board Member and Director of the Conservatory Garden in Central Park Lynden B. Miller, the three-part series will give guidance to those interested in growing their own produce, greenery and flowers; and it will highlight the successful practices of New York’s notable public horticulturists.

The series lectures, on Wednesdays, from 6 to 7 p.m., will include:

• Up in the Air: Lessons in Urban Horticulture from the High Line, April 21, with Patrick Cullina, Vice President of Horticulture and Park Operations, the High Line

• Our Future, Our Food: The Role of Community Gardens in Urban Agriculture, May 19, with Karen Washington, community activist and gardener, and Member of the Botanical Garden’s Board

• Battery Park City: Maintaining a Public Park with Organic Methods, June 9, with Eric T. Fleisher, Director of Horticulture at Battery Park City Parks Conservancy

The center also will offer lectures in garden and floral design with area experts, such as Ken Smith, the artist and landscape architect who designed the award-winning roof garden at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).

Those who want to learn more can attend the center’s open house on Saturday, April 10, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The New York Botanical Garden, located in the Bronx, offers seven certificate programs in the botanical arts and horticulture. Its classes in Manhattan, like classes at its other satellites, will be taught by experienced professionals.

Oceana.org has launched a bright, graphic, photo-rich web game called Ocean IQ Quiz where you and your kids can learn about ocean wildlife and habitats.

And quiz yourself.

The games are suitable for kids or adults. They are challenging. It took two of us, one adult, one teen, to score an 8 out of 10. Maybe we need to spend more time in the Explore section of Oceana website from which the material is drawn.

Try out any Ocean IQ Quiz and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a Wii, a trip to Baja California or Nautica clothing. You must be 13 and up to enter, and a resident of the United States, and you must include the email addresses of four friends to be entered in the drawing for the grand prize, the Baja trip. That trip includes an excursion with the ecotourism group SEE Turtles, which will take you to see turtles, in the sea, see?

Seriously, though, this is fun stuff. We found out, for instance, that we only thought we knew what a manatee looked like. Turns out the manatee has a cousin creature, which caused us to miss our second question.

“Whether you live a landlocked life or in a coastal area, the ocean can often seem both mysterious and so vast as to be invulnerable, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth,” said Andrew F. Sharpless, CEO of Oceana. “The Ocean IQ Quiz engages participants with surprising facts and insights, and rewards them for their knowledge. And the more they know, the more we believe people will want to protect the world’s oceans.”

Content for the Explore section of the newly redesigned Oceana website is provided by leading reference publisher Dorling Kindersley (DK).

The multiple choice quiz also offers five different versions, allowing visitors to take it more than once.

Snowboarding, skiing and skating will be front and center when the 2010 Winter Olympics open in Vancouver this week. But not far behind is another S-word: Sustainability. Sustainability has generated a lot of momentum, so much so that the Olympic website devotes numerous links to various aspects of the subject.

Pulse’s mobile dashboard will update every 15 minutes.

There we find out that hydrogen-fueled buses will transport people at some of the venues, several of the buildings are LEED-certified and many of the medals are made from recycled electronics. And, energy provider British Columbia Hydro has teamed with a local software company, Pulse Energy, to monitor energy usage at the games.

John Furlong, CEO of the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, says these games will establish a blueprint for Olympics of the future; a benchmark for others to follow.

The objective, he says. is to manage the environmental and economic impact of the Games
to create “lasting benefits, locally and globally.”

Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson has noted that these Olympics will have the greenest venues of any previous games and despite some criticism for the price of the new structures, he believes it has been a good investment.

Helping the Olympic committee track energy consumption at the games is the aforementioned Pulse Energy, a software company that has partnered with utilities company, BC Hydro. Their joint venture, the Venue Energy Tracker Project, will monitor energy and energy management of nine Olympic venues: the Richmond Olympic Oval, UBC Thunderbird Arena, GM Place, Southeast False Creek Community Centre, the Vancouver Olympic/Paralympic Centre, the Athletes Villages in Vancouver and Whistler, the Whistler Blackcomb Roundhouse Lodge and Snowmaking Facilities.

Pulse co-founder and CEO David Helliwell says the company has installed their energy management technology in each venue, then built a micro site to communicate the project’s objectives, features and results. The project’s mission is to showcase the green features of the Olympic venues and be the first Olympic Games to track its energy, communicating real-time consumption data.

Olympic visitors will be able to view the games’ energy consumption in real time on screens located in several different pavilions as well as at the media centers.

“At Pulse, we’ve developed software to keep track of energy and see where energy is wasted,” says Helliwell. The company has created user-friendly energy intelligence that allows buildings to save up to 25 percent on their energy costs, ranging from light bulbs to heating and cooling systems. Pulse measures a building’s performance and works with a variety of customers including engineering firms and utility companies, such as BP Hydro.

“It seemed like a natural step when the Olympics came to us and asked to help them be more energy efficient,” he says. Based in Vancouver, Pulse employs 40-plus workers. Their work with the Olympic Committee started in full force last September.

Helliwell points out that over the years, the Olympics have made some progress in sustainability, but the Vancouver Olympics will be the first time it’s been measured. And looking to the future, he says, “The 2012 London Olympics may be the biggest one yet.”

Another demonstration of sustainability at work will be the hydrogen fuel cell buses that will transport spectators at the Whistler venue. Developed by the Vancouver company, Ballard, the buses have around since 1991 and are operated by British Columbia Transit.

Fuel cells, says Ballard’s vice president of operations Paul Cass, have no emissions except water vapor because they make electricity by combining hydrogen and oxygen without combustion.

“These buses,” Cass said in a recent interview, “tie-in to the sustainability theme of the Games, . . . this is a real, live demonstration of green technology at work.”

The traditional gold, silver and bronze medals will also have a “green” component. The Canadian mining company, Teck Resources, has discovered a way to retrieve the gold, silver, and bronze from the circuit boards of old computers. They then have it melted down and recast into new Olympic medals.

The Vancouver Olympic Committee has a number of sustainability stories detailed on their website. One features an out-of-work man living at the Salvation Army who was trained in the CORE (Construction Orientation to Retain Employment) program and eventually became one of the many carpenters who helped build some of the Olympic structures. Another story chronicles an outreach program that partnered with the Aborigines of Canada to establish an official licensed merchandising program to showcase Aboriginal arts, culture and enterprise.

Basketball court at the LEED-built Richmond Olympic Oval

The Olympic Committee also recognizes their “sustainability stars” on the website. The 62 organizations or structures include:

• BC Hydro and Pulse Energy as well as Canadian Pacific Locomotives which moved game equipment and goods by train.
• Coca-Cola for its waste diversion program that will recycle 95 percent of waste materials and divert them from landfills.
• Panasonic for co-sponsoring a youth digital video contest and presenting an eco-ideas exhibit.
• The Richmond Olympic Oval, a LEED silver- targeted structure which was built by the City of Richmond with help from the Canadian government and is best known for its one-of-a-kind “wave” roof made from pine-beetle salvaged wood.
• The Whistler Olympic Park, also targeted for silver LEED certification (which can take more than a year to verify), because it is reusing wood waste, issuing contracts to Aboriginal companies, protecting local surface water through high-quality wastewater treatment and creating a sport and recreation legacy.

Meanwhile, as green as these games hope to be in terms of the environment, “green” is not something the Olympic Committee wants to see on the ground. The Winter Olympics typically are a snowy series of events.

But if global warming skeptics need any further proof that climate change is a reality, they need only check out the current forecast for the Vancouver games. A city that regularly gets 48 centimeters of snow annually, has had one of the mildest winters on record. According to Environment Canada’s meteorologists, the average temperature in January was 44.9 degrees, much higher than the average of 37.9 degrees. It should be pointed out that compared to past Winter Olympic host cities (Calgary, Nagano, Salt Lake City, Lake Placid), Vancouver is probably the warmest of all. Currently the forecast is for mild temperatures and rain, not snow.

To combat the lack of snow, a massive snow-lift operation has been put in place. Canadian Air-Crane is using helicopters to dump between 13,000 to 15,000 pounds of snow from higher elevations into the Cypress Mountain bowl, the site of the snow boarding and free-style ski competitions.

Thanks to the snow-lift operation, Tim Gayda, vice president of sport for the Vancouver Olympic Organizing Committee, says, “I am 100% confident that the events will take place and we’ll have enough snow to get the job done.”

The two weeks of winter sport competitions will end Feb. 28. The population of Vancouver will go from 3.3 million back to its usual 2.2 million. And what happens to the Olympic villages and venues?

Perhaps the most important element of the Vancouver Olympics is the legacy component, says Helliwell. “These buildings will be utilized 50 years into the future,” he says. Oftentimes, venues that were built specifically for the Olympics, remain empty following the games, he says. “Beijing [the site of the 2008 Olympics] has a lot of empty stadiums.”

Which brings us back to that S-word: sustainability. It’s what the green movement is all about.

Copyright © 2010 | Distributed by GRN Network

Here’s an early entry in the running for Environmental Quandary of the Year:

Mount Tamalpais State Park. Photo: California State Parks

Up to his elbows in budget shortfalls and ravenous, under-funded programs, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger last year proposed closing 220 of 279 state parks. The reaction: Staunch opposition by environmentalists and park activists, so Schwarzenegger terminated the plan, if not the problem.

Earlier this month, he returned with a different solution: An estimated $140 million could be raised for state parks…if oil drilling off Santa Barbara could be expanded.

Drill, baby, drill…or no more parks?

Nice choices, eh?

Across America, state parks are becoming an endangered species, an easy target for politicians charged with making fewer dollars go a long way. The irony, of course, is unmistakable: At a time when people are looking for cheap entertainment and low budget vacations, communing with nature may become a fleeting option.

According to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, the state’s parks did very healthy business in 2009, even as the economy as a whole did not. Camper days rose to 714,592, up 5.3 percent from 2008, and an increase of 7.4 percent from five years earlier.

Including campground visits and other activities, 56 major state parks together drew an estimated 14 million visits, up 250,000 from 2008 and the highest total since 2006.

The poor economy almost certainly played a part in this, DNR spokesman Mick Klemesrud told the Des Moines Register.

“When we have dips in the economy, when unemployment is up, people tend to stick around,” he said. “People can easily borrow equipment to camp, if they don’t have any. Or, if they buy things, they are available locally, and are inexpensive.”

Unfortunately, budget vacations do little to fill state coffers. Iowa officials currently are considering closing some less-popular parks and limiting access at others.

Caught between shrinking revenues and hemorrhaging red ink, governors and legislators from New York to California have identified state parks as quaint, low dollar-producing luxuries that cash-strapped governments can no longer afford. And some proposed solutions are more drastic than others. In Idaho, for instance, Governor Butch Otter is hoping to disband the state parks agency, saving $10 million by selling the headquarters and moving management of 30 state parks to other agencies.

The financial consequences of these closures reach far beyond shuttered bureaucracies and laid-off employees. Lost tourist dollars associated with the parks will no longer support restaurants, shops, hotels and grocery stores in the towns nearest the affected facilities.

Critics of the closings cite another concern. During long periods of closure, they say, parks will be vulnerable to vandalism and theft, which could cause irreparable harm and make them even more expensive to reopen at a later date.

Yuma Territorial Prison. Photo: Arizona State Parks

Arizona is the latest to concede that nature may suffer in the climate change produced by the current cash crunch. The most recent plan involves closing more than half of the state’s parks, including popular attractions such as the Tombstone Courthouse and the Yuma Territorial Prison. State officials already shuttered five parks last year.

“We don’t have a choice,” said Reese Woodling, head of the Arizona Parks Board. “It’s either shut them all down right now or shut them down in phases, and we’re picking the ones that cost the state money.”

Which parks are likely to survive in the longer run? The ones that turn a profit, or at least come close enough.

Generally speaking, that means parks that have more going for them than simply a chance to hike, camp, fish or swim. In Arizona, that would include the likes of Lake Havasu (located conveniently near the famous London Bridge in Lake Havasu City) and Kartchner Caverns (which benefits from popular cave tours that cost up to $22.95 for adults).

To eventually save parks that don’t generate sufficient revenue, the state may have to be creative. One idea making the rounds in the legislature: Adding $9 to the fee required to register a vehicle. In return, residents who pay the fee would not be charged admission to state parks.

In the meantime, as we turn the page into a new decade, America’s passion for nature may be tempered by political and economic reality. Part of that bottom line: Do a little homework before you plan the next family trip to the great outdoors. That park you’ve enjoyed so much in the past may be on hiatus, assuming it is coming back at all.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

Photo: Charlie Archambault

By Ashley Phillips
Green Right Now

In 2007, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) launched Green Hour, a campaign that encourages children to have 60 minutes of unstructured play outside. The campaign has since branched out into NWF’s “Be Out There” movement. “Be Out There” officially kicked off  last October in association with the movie Where the Wild Things Are. Sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, “Be Out There” seeks to inspire and connect children with the great outdoors.

“National Wildlife Federation’s  Be Out There campaign engages families, schools, communities and policy makers to give back to American children what they don’t even know they’ve lost: their connection to the natural world,” said Rebecca Garland, executive director of NWF’s Connecting People with Nature.

According the NWF’s website, the average American child now spends only four to seven minutes each day playing outside. This is half the amount of time that their parents’ generation spent outdoors. The negative health risks that are associated with this change are scary; the statistics are thoroughly documented.

Outdoor play increases physical activity levels and builds active, healthy bodies, an important strategy in addressing the obesity epidemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Obesity among children has more than doubled in the last 20 years.

The American Academy of Pediatrics cited a lack of outdoor time and inadequate doses of sunlight for creating a generation of children deficient in Vitamin D, setting them up for increased risk of bone problems, heart disease, diabetes and other health issues in a study this past October.

“We are encouraging parents (and teachers) to take the 2010 Resolution to Know the Facts about the benefits of outdoor time, go outside more often, and grow the movement by spreading the word to friends and family,” said Garland.

The NWF offers many activity ideas, some of which don’t require any additional items or cost, as well as online forums for parents and teachers to exchange nature ideas, questions and answers. Here are just a few fun activities to make the outdoors fun again:

• Bird Wreath – Make one by using edible bird treats such as acorns, berries, and bird seed.
• Alphabet Hike – Take a walk outside identifying things that resemble each letter in the alphabet.
• Winter Lanterns – Don’t let the cold weather keep you inside, use snow and ice to make a glowing sculpture.
• Backyard Scavenger Hunt – Make your own list or use the one from NWF, either way this is a great activity that you can change with the seasons.

Credit: Charlie Archambault

This issue is not being taken lightly; it has now reached Capitol Hill in the form of the No Child Left Inside Act (NCLI).

“The No Child Left Inside Act will address this crisis through our education system.  Hands-on environmental education in our schools will engage kids outdoors and help ensure they are environmentally literate when they graduate,” said Patrick Fitzgerald, NWF’s director of education advocacy.

The importance of getting environmental education back into schools coincides with getting children back outside. Children need to be connected with nature both inside and outside the classroom. Children need to learn about the environment and the key challenges that are facing it right now. Given the current climate challenges, the importance of teaching and understanding resource management is also being stressed. Conservation education and stewardship building, as well as outdoor recreation programs, would all be incorporated into the proposed environmental curricula.

In 2008, the No Child Left Inside Act was introduced and passed the House, but not the Senate. After the change in administration, the bill must be reintroduced and passed through both the new House and Senate. However, instead of introducing NCLI as an independent bill, its supporters are attempting to incorporate it as an amendment into the No Child Left Behind legislation.

“There is great momentum behind passing the No Child Left Inside Act this year by including it in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which Congress is expected to consider this year,” said Fitzgerald.

The bill proposes $100 million to be dispersed to states. This money would allow for teachers (k-12) to receive the proper environmental tools and training to eliminate the environmental knowledge gap.  Lead sponsors Sen. Jack Reed (D – R.I.) and Congressman John Sarbanes (D-Md.) have been able to rally supporters of both parties and the National NCLI Coalition now has 1,500 members.

A couple of states have taken their own steps toward environmental education. Kansas and Maryland passed state bills in the hopes of raising an environmentally conscious generation.

As well as the work with Congress, the NWF also is working on many other collaborative ways to raise awareness about the importance of getting children outdoors again, including:

• National Wildlife Week
• The Great American Backyard Campout
• National Wild Rumpus Day
• Continued work with medical professionals, including the American Academy of Pediatrics
• Monthly appearances on the Today Show
• Public Service Announcements
• Partnering with corporate sponsors who support the mission

To take the survey, go to Be Out There in 2010.

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by GRN Network

Cumberland Trail State Park. Photo: Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation

Government bureaucracies aren’t always the conservationist’s friend, but a convergence of federal, state and private funds will provide an additional 3,200 acres and 10 linear miles of trails at Tennessee’s Cumberland Trail State Park.

Acquisition of the Graysville Mountain area in Hamilton and Rhea counties was made possible by a grant from the Heritage Conservation Trust Fund, federal grants and private funds raised by the Cumberland Trail Conference.

Put together by the Land Trust for Tennessee, the deal is the product of $3.5 million in federal grants, a $1 million grant from the state’s Heritage Conservation Trust Fund from fiscal 2008, and a $300,000 contribution from the Cumberland Trail Conference, state officials said. It includes a 2,197 acre conservation easement that will be held by the Land Trust for Tennessee.

“This acquisition speaks to the power of leveraging resources and cultivating partnerships to accomplish more than we could do alone,” Governor Phil Bredesen said. “I’m pleased that a variety of agencies and organizations were able to come together to accomplish an acquisition that will benefit Tennesseans for generations to come.”

The area provides opportunities for fishing, day hiking, whitewater paddling, swimming, rock climbing and trail running.

Upon completion, the Cumberland Trail will be 300 miles long, cutting through 11 Tennessee counties from the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park on the Tennessee-Virginia-Kentucky border to the Signal Point near Chattanooga. More than 150 miles of the Cumberland Trail are currently open for public use.

One thing we learned in 2009 is that you can’t wait for big institutions to take the green lead. For every clean tech entrepreneur, there’s a climate change heel-dragger. We’re thinking of Copenhagen obstructionists, Congress and entrenched fossil fuel interests, as examples.

You can, however, do what you can.

And in that spirit, here are 11 ways to lower your carbon footprint this New Year. Adopting even one of them can help reduce the pollution that’s leading to dire consequences. And while some New Year’s resolutions are hard, and cost you money (gym fees aren’t going down you know), these resolutions are likely to save you money, reduce your exposure to toxins and help you lead a healthier life. We’ve included only those ideas that really make a big impact, and scuttled those that we consider to be “boutique green” — those non-starter nice ideas that matter, but just a little bit.

To help make this list something you can really use, we’ve included some nifty online tools that can help you find a greener track in 2010.

(Photo: Green Right Now)

1 — Drive Less. If you live in the city, or in a small town, you can accomplish this easily. Hop on the bus. Use the corner grocery. Walk. In the suburbs, which were designed to disperse us, it’s trickier. But you can group errands, your kids may be able to walk to school. And maybe this is the year that you ask your employer about working from home one day a week, to cut your commuting costs.

Here’s some ammunition: If you work for a large company, it may soon be inventorying its greenhouse gas emissions. New EPA rules will require some 12,000 of the country’s largest emitters to inventory their GHGs in 2010, and while this mainly concerns utilities, power companies and other heavy industries, it is likely to launch a new era of transparency. Companies across the board could soon discover that a friendly work-at-home policy would cut their carbon imprint, as well as yours.

In the meantime, you can find many Ride Share programs already up and running.

Another sign that things may turn your way: Insurance companies may reward temperate driving with better rates. Check out MileMeter, a company based on giving preferential rates to those who take it easy on their wheels.

If you’re in the market for a new car, find the most economical ones at fueleconomy.gov.

Breakdown of U.S. power sources (Image: EPA)

2 — Buy Green Power. Do this and drive less and you’ll have cut a big slice out of your personal or family energy consumption total. Many power companies now offer menus where a consumer can select a green power package, or even power generated specifically by wind (especially in big wind generation states like Texas, Iowa and Minnesota). Some companies offer cleaner power packages that focus on hydro-power — not the greenest, but better than getting your electricity from a coal-fired plant. Use the EPA’s map finder to see what’s available by state. The EPA also puts out a Guide to Green Power.

You’ve probably heard by now that buildings — commercial and residential — account for nearly 40 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions produced in the United States. That’s largely because they use electricity produced by coal-fired plants, the most carbon polluting of all electricity sources. See the chart above, which shows that about half of our electricity is fueled by coal, the cheapest and dirtiest source of power. So hooking up with a green provider really does make a difference. You’ll reduce your personal carbon footprint, and you’ll be helping shift the market toward cleaner options that your children and grandchildren will need.

3 — Connect with Congress. Send your senator or representative a letter that you support action against climate change. This might take a little time, but the net, aggregate effect could be big. You could point out your personal efforts to conserve; special needs for clean air (like we all don’t need that) and maybe mention the kids and grandkids that you hope to protect from catastrophic changes brought about by human greenhouse gas emissions that are melting the glaciers, turning the oceans acidic, ruining habitat and agricultural lands. Congressional leaders are pretty easy to find these days on the Internet. Congress.org helps you connect. Just type in your zip code and voile! Congress.org also chronicles environmental bills, and their many permutations on its news pages.

4 — Buy Local, Organic Food (when possible). Used to be that this was touted as a way to strengthen the local economy, which frankly didn’t much concern most Americans over the past few decades as groceries burst forth with more and more far-flung, highly engineered foods and treats. But rather than get started on that, let’s just say that getting back to basics can be good.

Farmers Market (Photo: Green Right Now)

There are two main points in favor of going local and organic: The first is better nutrition. Even though experts still debate whether organic produce is nutritionally superior to conventionally grown (with pesticides) food, this debate will soon go the way of the one over whether cigarettes are damaging. A 2008 review of recent studies comparing foods, found that organically grown produce and grains are indeed more “nutritionally dense” — which makes intuitive sense because organic farming doesn’t poison the soil with pesticides, allowing plants grown there to take up the full nutrient load from the ground. The study was done by the Organic Center, a group with a bent, but check out the candlepower of the experts involved and you may be swayed.

The second argument for buying local is indisputable. If you want to lower your carbon footprint, or your “foodprint” as it’s now called, buy food that comes from closer to home. It will come with fewer “food miles” and have contributed less to greenhouse gas emissions. And by the way, it will help the local economy.

5 — Reduce Harmful Chemicals. Step back from some of the toxic chemicals you buy for household use, and those you use to “treat” the lawn and you will be contributing to cleaner indoor air and healthier ground water, especially if you use no-phosphate laundry and dishwasher detergents, now widely available. Consider, too, trying Soap Nuts, the natural laundry soap that is highly concentrated and comes from, well, a nut. We also like Dropps, an eco-laundry detergent packed in individual pouches that dissolve in the wash. Presto — packaging gone!

Outside, try using corn gluten as a pre-emergent weed killer. You will be restoring life to the soil, which can then better sustain life. We won’t get into the debate about whether organic lawns look better than chemically greened turf, some do, but often they don’t have that same ethereal green glow. But a healthy organic lawn can look pretty good, and the availability of organic options in mulch, weed suppressants and other organic compounds is growing.

6 -  Reduce the Personal Paper Products You Use. One word here: Forests. We need to cherish them again, not plunder them to wipe our noses. Look for personal paper goods made from recycled and unbleached paper. This simple step, if we all made a concerted effort, can go a long way toward saving forests. Even Kimberly-Clark, maker of virgin fiber Kleenex, is offering recycled tissues and paper towels and has pledged to take sustainable steps (after a three year tussle with Greenpeace). We’ve printed it before, but it’s worth mentioning here that the Natural Resources Defense Council has put together a guide to the brands using recycled paper. The list of environmentally conscientious products is growing! And one other thing, instead of even using paper towels, try a washcloth. We use one that’s made of hemp, which is naturally germ resistant.

7 — Buy in Bulk. This reduces packaging and can make shipping easier and more efficient. Look for large laundry boxes, wine in boxes and soup… in boxes. The packaging is more degradable and you can buy bigger, storable portions. Bulk products can help conserve energy in many ways, even beyond the savings in packaging. They can make shipping more efficient, and when the carton is degradable, recyclable or reusable, it can save on landfill space and pollution.

8 — Invite Wildlife into the Yard. This can be a tough concept for people who’ve spent a lot of time keeping wildlife out. And we understand. We don’t want moles or armadilloes digging up our garden either. But there are ways….set aside a brushy area in one corner of the yard to serve as a haven for small critters and birds. Plant native plants that feed butterflies and birds, and don’t forget shrubs that produce winter berries.  Construct a water garden to support amphibians. The hows and whys here get pretty deep. We can recommend a book, Bringing Nature Home, for people with yards. People in apartments can do their part by hooking up with a local conservation project.

9 — Conserve Water. We assume you don’t let the water run when you brush your teeth or shave. This year, pledge to take shorter showers or install rain sensors for your lawn sprinkler. Set the dishwasher on economy and see if it doesn’t get the job done; wash only full loads of clothing. We found a new way to conserve this year by using waterless products to clean cars. The Baye’s High Performance Waterless Wash/Detailer produced a great shine — and used NO WATER.

10. Generate Your Own Power. This is still a pricey proposition, but the cost of residential solar installations came tumbling down this past year. And we saw neighborhoods incorporating solar power in ways that don’t even show, with tiles that mimic shingles. On-site wind is a growing option for homeowners with the space and the gusts to try it. Some wind installations have gotten more compact. And don’t count out geothermal, also available on a residential scale.

Michelle Obama oversees an education day in the White House Garden (Photo: White House Photographer Samantha Appleton)

11 . Grow Your Own Food. Take a look at your yard, it’s probably not working for you, but it could.  This past year saw a boom in home gardening led by the First Family, who installed a bountiful food garden at the White House. Without the Park Service to help, you might have to run with a smaller scale project, but even if you’ve only got a condo deck or windowsill, you can grow a few herbs and tomatoes. Urban dwellers also can find a rooftop garden to help with, like  Brooklyn’s Rooftop Farms for instance. Or, provide the patch of ground and hire the garden help, as detailed in this story by KGO-TV.

Happy Harvest and Happy New Year!

Copyright © 2010 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media

Let’s shop green without being obvious about it, OK? You can, you know. There are many ways to tweak the holiday list this year to skew it toward recycled, socially conscious, energy-conserving goods. Of course, we don’t like to advocate lots of consuming. We definitely don’t buy that theory that it’s our patriotic duty to purchase our way out of the recession.

On the other hand, we are going to exchange gifts this holiday season. With that in mind, here are a few humble suggestions for keeping it green (and affordable), subtly:

A TOASTER OVEN

Black and Decker CTO6301 convection toaster oven

Mom, dad, a kid on her way to college. Lots of people can appreciate the utility and electricity savings of a toaster oven. Did you know that the average 1500 watts used by a toaster/convection oven is less than half, or even more, than that used by a full-size oven? How many times have you heated the entire oven just to warm rolls for dinner? Or to bake a couple ramekins of dessert? Or broil a tuna melt? Or brown a small brushetta?

Turn that big oven off, and use a tool that’s sized-right for the job. That’s the very sound idea behind this “smart” appliance. There are dozens to choose from. The Black & Decker one shown here can be had at Amazon and other stores for around $60. It gets good reviews for durability, space and function.

THE WOVEL

THe wovel uses see-saw action to shovel snow.

This goofy looking simple machine just might keep some snow blowers off the road. It’s unique enough to keep the relatives marveling about the weird gift Aunt Sally got Uncle Mel, but it’s got its serious side: It powers through snow without using fossil fuels.  More importantly to most users, it makes the job of shoveling the white stuff, pound per pound, easier. Easier on the back, mainly, because the motion of pushing and then “throwing” the snow engages leg and arm muscles.

We don’t actually have one, and we wonder if it’s quite as easy as it looks, but the see-saw action does appear to take a load off the back, a victory over bending, raising and twisting to shovel snow the old-fashioned way. The Wovel has made several YouTube appearances since being named on Time’s Best Inventions List in 2006. Check out this video by a convinced user.

It is expensive for a shovel ($119.95 retail), but it solves a problem, without adding another pollution-spewing machine to the household arsenal.

RECYCLED TIRE WALLET

Recycled Tire Wallet made by artisans in El Salvador

Number three on our list is black, but so very green. This completely recycled, vegan friendly wallet is made from discarded tires. But it looks so much like the standard leather version we thought it would qualify as a green gift that doesn’t stand out as different. Each 9 x 3.5 inch wallet has a slot for money and six slots for credit cards, just like you’d expect. A Fair Trade artisan group in El Salvador makes these wallets, helping provide jobs and living wages in their community. You can buy it ($30)  through the GreenHeartShop in Chicago, at their online store.

Green Heart helps promote artisan craft goods, clothing and food from around the world and in the U.S.

Planning a low-impact, money-saving Halloween is so much more rewarding than trying to turn some other holidays green. You don’t have to argue with relatives about whether or not to have a turkey, or disappoint the kids with gifts to humanitarian causes in their names at Christmas. All you really need to do is think creatively, get holistic about your pumpkin, maybe dust off the sewing machine and take it easy at the store.

Here are our best nine ideas to help you get started.

Halloween Chico Bag

1 - Get A Reusable Halloween Bag

This is a no-brainer, the equivalent of buying CFLs. If you can’t do this, hang up your werewolf mask right now. We like this Chico Bag. It is reusable, affordable and designed by kids. Buy it at Greenfeet for just $5. Or find a pillowcase for treats. Either way skip the clunky orange plastic pumpkins, unless you’ve already got them, then: reuse, reuse.

2 – Make Your Own Costume

Don’t sew? Keep it simple – a cape, fairy wings, a skirt or a toga can be made from remnant material or old sheets with minimal stitching. Use inexpensive, iron-on fusing tape to make seams. Cut with pinking shears so fabric won’t unravel. We won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting you use a sheet to be a ghost (duh!), but old sheets can make good costume base material. Accessorize princes and princesses with glitzy fabric leftovers from the wedding/party section of any fabric store. We once glammed up Ginny Weasley with a pastiche of recycled duds, using a red robe from two previous Harry Potters, and a moon-and-stars cape from wizards past. Capes, velvety robes and glittering trim can add a lot of drama for little sweat equity. Here are some basic instructions.

Boy Snatched by Alien (Photo: Homemade Costumes)

But… if you’re making your own, why stop there? Get creative.  Turn your kid into a child being snatched by an alien, a mom-niacal optical illusion they won’t soon forget (that’s just the kid in the photo; the alien is affixed to his back). Read details at Costume-Works.com, where veteran costume maker, Colletta, mother of six  and grandmom, showcases homemade costume submissions. There’s some amazing stuff here, from Oompa Loompas to boys dressed as both plane and pilot. (Your kid may not remember being a pirate from a package, but he’ll surely recall the day he trick-or-treated as a cardboard plane.)

3 – Hold a Costume Exchange Party

This is novel idea could work for the under-10 or over 30-crowd. Any grade-schooler whose accumulated a few dress-up outfits and costumes would probably love to trade one in for a “new” one from another kid. So share!  Make it a party by allowing participants to “buy” the costumes with coins or points earned at activities or games. You’ll be recycling and creating a fun experience.

We think this idea, now wafting around the Internet, may have taken flight at GreenHalloween.org, a website founded by Seattle mom Corey Colwell-Lipsome and her mom and partner in green adventures, Lynn Colwell. Green Halloween delivers many ideas for making spooky parties healthier and greener, like skipping the candy and serving black olive and orange bell pepper pizza. See their neighborhood Halloween kit for more.

(Photo: AllRecipes.com)

4. Make pumpkin bread

It’s yummy and healthy. Pumpkins are full of beta –carotene (present in all orange veggies) which is converted to Vitamin A. Some nutritionists consider these orange foods to be Super Foods” with properties that protect against cancer and strengthen the immune system. Another reason to celebrate the orange. Drizzle icing over it for picky eaters or serve plain and warm, a perfect fall treat for a Halloween gathering.

There’s a healthy, light recipe using buttermilk on AllRecipes.com, and another delicious pumpkin bread recipe on Cooks.com. (And countless more, but these two are not too sugary.)

Twisted Fruit snack (Photo: Clif Bar)

5. Give Trick-or-Treaters dried fruit treats...

Treats can be tough when you’re thinking green. There’s a problem from the git-go with all that individual packaging and while you may want to give something healthier, you don’t want to suck the fun out of the evening for visiting Draculas. Dried fruit is one answer. Try Clif Bar’s Twisted Fruit sticks.

Or combine dried mangos, pineapple, cantaloupe and dates into a sweet mixed-fruit goodie bag. Downside: You’d have to package it yourself, which might raise suspicions that your treat was tainted, leading to its expeditious disposal at the recipient’s home.  Hardcore greenies also might have trouble with including tropical fruit, but there are lots of local dried fruits, from apple chips to dried cantaloupe slices. available stateside.

6. …Or crackers

The University of Illinois Extension service came up with these ideas for healthier treats: Cheese and cracker packages; sugar-free gum; juice boxes; raisin or nut packages or peanuts.  We say no to the Aspartame gum, and hold those peanuts (God forbid you’d give them to a kid with a peanut allergy). The crackers sound like a plan though. Butter crackers, graham crackers. Kids love them, especially after consuming a pound of sweets.

Halloween Crackers (Photo: Martha Stewart.com)

And wait! There’s a variation. From Martha Stewart (who else) comes this idea for Halloween “crackers”, as  in those party favors that you pop open. She uses orange crepe paper and plastic spiders. No, we don’t think the world needs more plastic spiders, but these crackers do reuse toilet tissue tubes. Fill the tube with selected treats and fulfill your Martha leanings.

7.  Don’t forget popcorn

Kids with braces won’t like you, but popcorn would be a welcome departure for some wee spooks. Here’s an idea that uses a little plastic, but not so much as to violate the green spirit: Take some of those thin plastic gloves that servers wear in cafeterias and stuff them with popcorn. Paint the nails red, add some gashes or creepy tattoos; bind the glove closed with a rubber band and give a “hand out” at Halloween.

8. Decorate with compostable stuff

Straw is really great for animal bedding, but it can be used as a  garden mulch. So if you’re decorating with straw bales for fall, spread it on the flower beds afterward. Dried colored corn can be re-purposed as a winter treat for squirrels and birds. Hang a string of dried garlic on the door to ward off evil spirits on Halloween night, and doubtless you know it can be cooked with later. Cardboard can be easily turned into tombstones, and later used as a weed cover.

De-decorate by turning off all the lights except for a few candles at the door. Put on some scary music, dress like a gangster and you’ve turned your casa into a mysterious manse. (We concede it won’t give Tony Soprano nightmares, but it might hit the right note for small tricksters). Bada-bing!

Heirloom pumpkins (Photo: GreenRightNow.com)

9. Use the whole pumpkin

If they weren’t orange, pumpkins would be the ultimate green Halloween veggie — and some of them actually are green, or blue, on the outside. These heirloom pumpkins (see picture) make some of the best pumpkin foods. Carve them into jack-o-lanterns at the last minute so you can pull out the pumpkin meat for soup or a pie. Remember to roast the pumpkin seeds. We again defer to AllRecipes for directions on this.

Afterward, take the pumpkin to the compost pile. See Earth 911 for composting directions. If you don’t have a compost pile, fall’s a great time to start using leaves, grass clippings and garden dredge. It’s positively frightening how useful the resulting mulch will be come springtime.

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media1 –

As you sort through which Disney character your child will be and find the candy of choice for the trick-or-treaters, think green this Halloween. From candy to pumpkins, there are many ways to make this holiday eco-friendly.

Here’s an idea for an organic treat, Yummy Earth lollipops or drops.

Invented by two dads who simply wanted a healthier alternative to candy, Yummy Earth is now the number one seller of organic candy in the United States. Available in 21 flavors, Yummy Earth offers gummy bears, gummy worms, lollipops, and candy drops. Yummy Earth is 100% USDA and EU certified organic. With no artificial coloring or high fructose corn syrup, these candies also are gluten-free, peanut-free, and tree nut-free.

So what do they put in there to still make it taste fabulous? The company uses raw organic brown sugar instead of processed sugar or artificial sweeteners. Other ingredients include, “citric acid made from Israeli sugar beets instead of genetically modified corn; bright red coloring from Japanese purple carrots instead of artificial red dye; real pomegranate extract for our Pomegranate Pucker lollipops and candy drops. Organic pumpkin and black currant also is used to create the vibrant colors,” stated Rob Wunder, Yummy Earth co-founder.

Yummy Earth is widely available at Toys R Us, Babies R Us, Whole Foods, Marriott Hotels, Amazon.com, Harry and David, Smoothie King, Sprouts, Borders Books, and other health food stores.

The Natural Candy Store also offers healthy candy alternatives. Each item is marked by symbols indicating which dietary categories it fits in with, such as vegan, organic, gluten-free, allergen-free, kosher, and the Feingold diet. This candy store also features jelly beans, sprinkles, cotton candy, and chocolate!

Their gummy worms aren’t as scary as some Halloween goodies, but they’re vegan or vegetarian; made with pectin instead of the gelatin (which comes from animal hooves and hides) used in so many gummy candies.

Fair Trade "Action Kit"

If it’s chocolate you seek to give, make it Fair Trade. In fact, send that chocolate with a message to buy Fair Trade Trick or Treat Action Kit composed of candy, an info card and a Mexican streamer.

It may make your house the most political on the block, but the grassroots message will be sugar-coated; the kit includes 40 dark chocolate treats.

(By the way, be sure to practice green hygiene on H-Day. Make sure those candy wrappers do not end up on the sidewalk or in any yards.)

Earth-friendly costumes are a little harder to come by. Harrisons Halloween Costumes for infants are not organic, but they are 100% cotton, so they are a great alternative to synthetic costumes.

There are multiple free patterns located online for children’s costumes, for example if they want to be animals, fairies, or even a chocolate chip cookie.

As far as completely organic, there are not many options, so this year choose to reuse and recycle. Go through your closets to see what you can turn into a costume. If you are blessed with the ability to sew, make your own costume. Either way, minimize your carbon footprint by using materials you already have.

Several websites can provide guidance, such as Mahalo, which publishes a list of easy throw-together  costume suggestions.

Adam Archer thinks the world would be a much better place if people would only spend more time playing games on their computers and mobile phones. And he may just be right.

Archer, the founder and CEO of GamesThatGive, has a simple but compelling proposition: You sign on to play casual games on the site, designate a charity you want to support, and then sit back and have 70 percent of the revenue from advertising on those games go to your charity.

He calls the concept “guiltless gaming” and says it can get a child in Africa vaccinated against Polio, teach a low-income child to read, or help feed a family of four. Simply by playing online games, you end up making a difference in the world.

The GamesThatGive site is only a couple of months old, but has attracted 4,000 registered users and so far has raised almost $2,500 for charities. Leading brands such as Dominos Pizza, Pepsi, and Mastercard have signed on as charter advertisers.

Among the charities you can chose to support are Feeding America, the United Way, the US Fund for UNICEF, DoSomething, and about a dozen others. Archer said they are limiting the number of charities they will support in the early stages so they can raise a meaningful amount of aid for each, and not dilute their impact.

Archer first saw the need for something like this after graduating from college and spending two years backpacking around the world. He saw people who were barely subsisting and who lived in deplorable conditions.

“I came back to the States and this culture shock ensued. I started to notice all the opportunity and privilege here,” Archer said. “After backpacking through Africa for eight months, I actually flew back from Johannesburg into Las Vegas . It was like going through a time machine and literally people were throwing away money. I was like: There ought to be a way get people to give some of that money to the people I saw (who were less fortunate).”

After working a few years at Microsoft and Apple, Archer began thinking about connecting technology to the greater human needs he had witnessed.

“I started going around and asking people why they didn’t do more to help people who were less fortunate and I kept getting the same answer. Everybody said, ‘Well, I actually wish I was doing more.’ If you pressed them they would say, ‘I don’t have time’ or ‘I don’t have the money’ or ‘I don’t know how to help.’ So I started thinking about the ways we could use new technologies coming with mobile devices and the Internet and thinking about existing behavior.”

About a year and a half ago, he finally arrived at the solution: Let people play games and have fun and marry that with advertising that supports leading charities.

“It’s pretty simple,” he said. “The better you do at these games, the longer you play, the more you donate. There’s 145 million casual gamers in the US alone and they play on average over 5 hours a week, so that’s more (time) than magazines or newspapers, that’s more than they’re watching online video, that’s even more than they’re spending on social networking sites.

“But you’ve got to make it fun, you’ve got to make it easy, you’ve got to use technology and you’ve got to get people to tell their friends – and that’s games.”

Copyright © 2009 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media