July 22, 2009 at 9:21 pm
· Filed under Uncategorized
- Femi Kuti, a headliner at the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival, possibly the greenest festival of the year.
Lollapalooza, Bumbershoot and, most of all, the Sierra Nevada World Music Festival are bringing together two of my favorite things: Music and sustainability. They are all focusing on recyclable or compostable bottles, plates and cups; carbon offsets for electric use and bio-diesel generators for the stages. Hey, it’s an improvement over the traditional trash-strewn, carbon-heavy music festival. But I’m kind of a whiner, so I’m still going to complain. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 21, 2009 at 11:45 pm
· Filed under Sustainability, going green, renewable energy ·Tagged green cities, sustainability and the economy, sustainable cities
I don’t quite understand the vehement anti-environmentalist movement. I kind of understand people with an irrational hatred of Al Gore. He’s kind of preachy and nutty, but I mostly I still hold a grudge against the whole Gore family for the Tipper stickers. Why did millions of small-town kids make Garth Brooks the best-selling artist of all time? Because they couldn’t buy any decent albums at Wal-Mart, their only music source. The chain wouldn’t carry most albums with the parental advisory stickers.
Anyway, I digress. The other argument against renewable energy and sustainability is a fear of economic harm as a result of regulations or sustainability practices. Don’t worry, profits and sustainability can work together. Read the rest of this entry »
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July 7, 2009 at 1:47 pm
· Filed under Saving green, Sustainability, going green
The American National Standards Institute is developing a sustainable agriculture standard and possibly eventual labeling for sustainable produce. The standards are not expected until 2012, but they may include measures of nitrogen fertilizer usage, water usage and more. The rules only apply to crops and won’t account for the entire production and transportation chain. I’ve got a better idea for buying sustainable food that will accounts for all the factors: go to a farmers’ market and talk to the farmers.
ANSI is working first on crops and might move on to meat later. Beef and other meat uses far more water, land and other resources than crops, so maybe they’ve got it backwards. I’m also skeptical about ANSI working with big agribusiness to develop the standards. Small farms with more crop rotation, less machinery and less need for fertilizer will likely produce more sustainable, organic food.
Like organic stickers, the sustainable labels may end up being a way to feel better about your food without really knowing where it comes from or what went into it. There is some fraud in organic labeling and many criticize the vague and sometimes arbitrary rules behind organic labeling.
At your farmers’ market, you can talk to the farmers and find out exactly how they grow and process their crops and meat. They may tell you they don’t pay to be certified organic but adhere to organic principles. Plus you’ll know that not much fossil fuel was used to transport the food to the market.
Finally, if you’re smart about it, farmers’ markets can be far cheaper. Toward the end of the day at my farmers’ market, I can fill a sack for $10 and have a week’s worth of vegetables.
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July 7, 2009 at 12:28 pm
· Filed under going green, renewable energy
Associated Content just published my story on the best energy-saving features for homebuyers to research. If you are buying a new house, look for south-facing windows and roofs, floors suitable for radiant heat, Energy Star appliances and other items that will help either immediately save money on energy bills or allow for cheaper, easier installation of renewable energy upgrades.
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July 6, 2009 at 11:18 am
· Filed under Saving green, Sustainability, going green ·Tagged red list seafoods, Sustainable seafood, whole foods
It’s no surprise that Whole Foods tops out Colorado supermarket chains on sustainable seafood, according to Greenpeace. The surprise is in the details. Safeway really isn’t a bad alternative — and Safeway seafood is hella cheaper.
Safeway and Whole Foods essentially earn the same grade for the labeling and promotion of sustainable seafood. Safeway also carries fewer “red list” unsustainable seafoods. To be fair, Whole Foods has a far larger overall seafood department, so it carries more of every type of seafood. The chain also provides more support for sustainability issues and a sustainability policy, according to Greenpeace. But these are subjective measures, and rampant “greenwashing” should make all environmentalists skeptical of sustainability policies.
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July 6, 2009 at 10:43 am
· Filed under Saving green, going green, renewable energy
Worship at the temple of Fat Tire cans
MillerCoors now reuses or recycles 98 percent of all brewery waste, according to the company. So now cheap beer is sustainable and eco-friendly.
Still, it’s got nothing on Fat Tire and other New Belgium beers brewed here in Fort Collins.
• In 2007, New Belgium was already at 99.3 percent using the same measure as Coors.
• Coors is down to 4.1 barrels of water used per barrel of beer. In 2007, New Belgium was at 3.9 to 1. Both companies are far ahead of the 5-to-1 ratio outlined in the United Nations Environment Program (and how funny is it that the U.N. must have debated the standards for water usage in beer production?).
• New Belgium also relies on 100 percent renewable energy, and every employee gets a free (and really cool) bike. Not sure of the stats for Coors, but I don’t see any wind turbines or solar panels at the Golden plant. I also haven’t seen many Coors employees riding bikes to work.
• Finally, New Belgium is slowly catching up to Coors in packaging. Fat Tire and other New Belgium brands are now available in cans, which are more easily recycled and lighter, making them less energy-intensive in the trip from Fort Collins to your neighborhood bar.
Cheers
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July 6, 2009 at 10:26 am
· Filed under Carbon output, Saving green, going green
Clear-Lite, a compact fluorescent bulb maker in Florida, has the health dangers of CFLs all wrapped up. Also read my tip for saving money on the energy-efficient bulbs.
Clear-Lite hasn’t taken the mercury out of CFLs. Manufacturers say it’s not possible to make them without mercury. Instead, the company essentially created a bulb condom, an allegedly unbreakable silicon skin wrapped around the bulbs. The skin surrounds an incandescent-style shell around the swirly bulb.
The skin still doesn’t solve the problem of potential mercury poisoning during the manufacture of bulbs, but it negates the health hazards of breaking bulbs. As critics note, CFL manufacturers and the EPA list a rather elaborate process for disposing the bulbs while minimizing health threats. Wrap the CFL, no mercury poisoning.
Another argument against CFLs is the high cost in comparison to incandescent bulbs. It’s tempting to try to save money by only buying a couple of CFLs at a time to replace burned-out incandescent bulbs, but if you buy them by the dozens, you save a bunch of money.
Hardware stores sell contractor packs of the bulbs. Home Depot has 48 CFLs for $79. That’s $1.65 per bulb. The marginal extra cost quickly makes up for itself in electric bill savings. I bet you have 48 bulbs in your house. If not, sell them to a neighbor or something.
The safe Clear-Lite CFLs will be on the market soon, according to a press release.
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June 25, 2009 at 12:51 pm
· Filed under Carbon output, Sustainability
I know this sounds like an ad, but this is all about saving green by going green.
Lowe’s has 10 percent off Energy Star appliances including fridges, washers and dryers. If you like, take your Lowe’s flyer to your local appliance store and see if they will match the price. Save money while supporting a local business.
The salesman at my local appliance dealer told me my Bosch washer is the most energy-efficient washing machine on the market, and it gets clothes pretty dry while it washes them. A couple hours on the line and they’re ready to wear.
Fridges and freezers are big energy users, so an Energy Star model could save plenty of money. Top-mount fridges save even more energy, and are cheaper. If you can forego the ice and water dispenser in the freezer, you’ll also save some energy.
Of course, if you replace a working appliance, try to sell it on Craigslist or something. Don’t just dump it in the landfill. If your fridge or freezer is dead, try turning it into a home for compost worms.
The sale runs through June 28, and my shameless plug for Lowe’s runs through this sentence.
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June 17, 2009 at 10:11 am
· Filed under Carbon output, Sustainability
Leilani Munter is on a mission to shrink NASCAR’s eco-footprint and talk about sustainability at concerts, conferences and events all over the world. In the meantime, she might bring me together with my dad.
First off, my dad and I get along really well. We’ve just always disagreed on auto racing. He is a former amateur racer and a really big fan. He has vinyl records of the sound of races.
I, on the other hand, don’t even like to drive. I also think watching cars drive in circles is a boring waste of gas.
But now we can agree on one small piece of the racing world — Leilani Munter. Woo hoo.
One of my favorite sustainability sites, Grist, lauds her as one of 13 badass greens. I’m a sucker for lists and this is a great way to fight the squishy hippie myth. And there can never be enough coverage of John Fetterman, my favorite badass mayor. Who would argue with that guy?
Gotta go sing Kumbaya with dad.
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June 16, 2009 at 9:48 pm
· Filed under Uncategorized
This week, Congress introduced two sustainability bills that could make a difference domestically and around the world.
• Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson introduced a bill to add algae-based biofuels to funding and tax credits for biofuel projects. The move followed a Congressional meeting last week with algae-based biofuels researchers and developers from Fort Collins and other cities.
• Steve Isreal, D-New York, launched House Resolution 2878, which would authorize microenterprise assistance for renewable energy projects in developing countries. The bill is a good, but flawed idea.
Combining microfinancing with renewable energy is a great idea. However, the proposal will likely face opposition because of added deficit spending. The bill proposes $10 million in funding for 2010 and 2011, increasing 50 percent each successive year.
Perhaps the bill could be amended to focus on microcredit loans that would be repaid or perhaps a tax credit for microcredit lending. Though it would reduce government revenue, it would encourage the idea for private citizens rather than having the U.S. government call the shots and possibly tie the funding to national security and other interests.
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