By Tomas Roman
KGO-San Francisco
The recent storms haven’t done enough to replenish the water supply in Santa Clara County, so the county is asking for more voluntary conservation. Now some businesses are taking the extra step of installing new technology to save water.
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Tags: Cities/States · Community · KGO · Xeriscape & Water
By Barbara Kessler
After nine years, Mary Bakatsa’s garden is bearing fruit…and vegetables…and flowers…and herbs. It is a chorus of life, and supports more activity than even Mary imagined when she started gardening nearly 20 years ago with a few potted herbs.
Along with her flowers and veggies, which grow side by side, she has [...]
Tags: Green Enthusiasts/Researchers · Organics · Trees/Plants/Yard · Xeriscape & Water
By Barbara Kessler
Mary Bakatsa is “organic all the way” in her sprawling Austin garden. But that doesn’t mean she simply avoids pesticides and blithely sits back to watch. Organic gardening is more proactive and veteran gardener Bakatsa runs dozens of schemes to nudge nature in the right direction. She places certain plants near others [...]
Tags: Green Enthusiasts/Researchers · Organics · Xeriscape & Water
By Shermakaye Bass
Ah, the smell of freshly mown grass. It’s the smell of childhood, of school vacations and picnics and lying in the backyard, finding faces in clouds. No one will deny that plush turf is a big part of modern Americana. But the imported, “exotic” grasses of our childhoods, nostalgic and fragrant as they [...]
Tags: Green Enthusiasts/Researchers · Greener Businesses · Organics · Trees/Plants/Yard · Xeriscape & Water
By Shermakaye Bass
To sort out which grasses to use and where, we consulted native grass expert Bill Neiman, head of operations and farming for Native American Seed in Junction, Texas. For much of the United States, he recommends “Native Sun Turfgrass,” a blend of 34 percent Blue Grama and 66 percent Buffalo grass created [...]
Tags: Green Enthusiasts/Researchers · Organics · Trees/Plants/Yard · Xeriscape & Water
By Barbara Kessler
There’s been a lot of talk lately about energy independence. Important, no doubt. But we need to think about preserving water too, and nothing works harder toward this goal - or offers as much creative satisfaction - as Xeriscaping.
Planting drought-resistant and native plants that survive on natural rainfall is a familiar concept in [...]
Tags: Energy/Water · Organics · Xeriscape & Water
By Melissa Segrest
Green Right Now
Plenty of Hollywood celebrities profess their love of the environment and their green lifestyles. That ardor extends to their children’s clothes, but of course just any old socially conscious onesie won’t do. Thus, the rise of ultra-trendy kiddie clothing lines with an environmental bent.
Tiny Revolutionary T-shirts have shown up on the children of Sheryl Crow (with son Wyatt, left), John Travolta, Matt Damon, Courtney Cox and more. The makers say their kiddie T-shirts are “100 percent sweatshop free and earth-friendly” organic. Because a big chunk of the cost of a T goes to organizations such as Africa Aid and Hands to Hearts, these simple shirts can cost as much as Mommy’s Calvin Klein T ($40). And they’re funny, too. Among their cuter offerings are the Ghandi T proclaiming “Be the Change you Want to See in the World,” and the “More Milk, Less War” T-shirt.
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
Just like you hunt for that Energy Star tag when examining a fridge or washer, people in California can now duck under the hood of any new 2009 model car to get an at-a-glance emissions rating.
The Environmental Performance sticker, mandated to begin on Jan. 1 for all new model cars, will include two scores, one rating the car’s smog emissions and the other its greenhouse gas output. The air pollutants for the latter include carbon dioxide emissions, which make up the greatest volume of greenhouse gases. Gas engine cars emit nitrous oxides, methane gases, hydrocarbons, carbon dioxide and other emissions. [Read more →]
By Barbara Kessler
Green Right Now
You’ve got party plans. And your regular dinnerware just won’t accommodate the crowd. What’s the green solution?
There are several options on the market, including recycled plastic plates and pressed paper plates that will biodegrade (shout out to Chinet; who knew?). But there’s only one product we’ve seen that covers the green spectrum like moss on rocks: Verterra disposable dinnerware.
These ingenious plates, bowls and trays are not just biodegradable, they turn into compost in two months. They’re made from an all natural product, fallen palm leaves, and therefore claim no trees. They’re chemical-free and use no petroleum-derived waxes or epoxies, either as a component or in their production; they are not bleached or dyed, like so many paper products and their manufacture employs people in Southeast Asia, paying a fair wage (according to the company). And, they’re lightweight to ship. And, they look lovely on the table.
They’re so green, the only thing about them that’s not green is their color. They’re beige. But that’s OK too. They mimic bamboo or wood, lending a look of sophistication that you just can’t achieve with your typical grocery store or even party store paper plates.
Like other products that really hit the green mark, Verterra plates and bowls are a reincarnation of a time-tested practice. While on an internship in India, Verterra CEO and founder Michael Dwork discovered a rural woman pressing palm leaves into a crude waffle-type iron, then pulling out the stiffened leaves to serve food on them. Already an environmentalist, he latched onto the idea and worked over time to perfect designs and a process to make it marketable.
We did our own test with a couple samples of Verterra to see if the stuff, which is billed as microwave safe, would hold up under stress. Sure, it was great with chips, cold veggies and breads. But could it withstand a couple steaming helpings of chili, without wilting on our coffee table or springing a leak? And what would happen if a visitor abandoned a full bowl for a few hours.? We wanted to really test the mettle of this leafy invention.
As you can see from the picture of our bowl of chili, about two hours into the project, Verterra was holding up. This bowl survived a thorough rinsing, but we wouldn’t consider it safe to reuse because of potential food residue. The plates we used for crackers and chips, however, seem sanitary enough for reuse after a quick rinse. (The Verterra website defines their product as intended for single use.)
So we dig this stuff. We like its scavenger history, its hip demeanor and the price is not a deal breaker, at 50 cents to around dollar per piece. We’re wondering where it will pop up in retail outlets, but for now you can order on the Verterra website, where you can also check out other reviews.
Copyright © 2008 Green Right Now | Distributed by Noofangle Media
