Jennifer Grayson2013-05-18T21:23:32-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/author/index.php?author=jennifer-graysonCopyright 2008, HuffingtonPost.com, Inc.HuffingtonPost Blogger Feed for Jennifer GraysonGood old fashioned elbow grease.Eco Etiquette: 4 Things I've Learnedtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.18237672012-08-23T01:33:30-04:002012-10-22T05:12:07-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Well, my greenies, Miss Eco Etiquette is going on an extended hiatus to pursue other projects, so this will be the last bit of advice I'll be dispensing for at least the near future (in public, anyway). It's been a privilege to have been entrusted with your conservation-related conundrums these past three years, and I have to say that the research I've done in the quest to answer them all has been enlightening for me, too: I've certainly gained some wisdom of my own since my first column that sparked the series. Here, my eco etiquette epilogue:
1. Eco crayons aren't sustainable if you have to use three Magic Erasers and half a bottle of Soft Scrub to get the scribble off your walls. Vegetable-based laundry detergent isn't worthwhile if your clothes fade after three washings. We eco-minded folks love to buy "green," but look at the big picture: Sometimes it's the conventional choice (e.g., petroleum-based washable Crayolas) that uses less resources in the long run.
In writing this column, I have tested out a lot of eco products, and the truth is that many either aren't up to snuff or are guilty of greenwashing. So I refuse to feel bad buying a conventional dishwashing detergent that actually works: What's the point of using the "natural" one if I have to waste water and electricity running the dishwasher on a longer cycle or even twice to get my dishes clean? And I don't care how many pairs of slip-ons one altruistic company donates to shoeless people in third-world countries; I'm not going to squander money and materials buying yet another pair that will disintegrate after a month of wear. If you really care about the environment, you, too, will value effectiveness, durability, and refurbish-ability over a label that claims "green."
2. If you want to change minds, politeness will only get you so far. When I first began writing this column, I was convinced that leading by example would be enough to bring my not-so-sustainability-minded friends and family over to the green side. I didn't want to be one of those elitist eco-nags, after all; surely everyone would just notice all the cool green stuff I was doing and want to copy my sustainable style, right?
In some cases, that approach worked. My plastic-water-bottle-addicted friend, for instance, finally admired my reusable glass version enough times to adopt one of her own. But when it came to other, not-so-obvious issues -- why she should avoid GMOs in her baby's formula, for example, or why my mom buying kosher meat was not the same as buying organic -- I not only had to explain why these things were important, I had to broach the topics myself.
Was I annoying sometimes? Probably. But I care about the health of the people I love, and most of them aren't mind readers. Lesson learned: If you want to be heard, well then, speak up. And while we're on the subject of how to speak up, here's another nugget...
3. Know that most people don't care about going green for green's sake. While I do believe there will always be people (You! Me!) who care deeply about saving the planet, nature, overpopulation -- all the heavy stuff -- I've found that for most, these concerns will usually be overshadowed by more immediate and tangible needs, like: How am I going to pay the bills? So if you want to make a convincing argument for going green, curb the carbon-speak and show how it's going to save green. (Pocket $100 a month in gas money by biking to work! Buy delicious local veggies at the farmers market for cheaper than the sad-looking ones at the grocery store!) Framing an environmental argument in terms of one's personal health (plastic = yucky carcinogenic chemicals) can be pretty persuasive, too.
4. If you want a completely green household, be prepared to run it yourself. My husband is environmentally minded. He drives a hybrid car, he likes eating organic. But let's face it: If left to his own devices, he'd be bringing home groceries in plastic bags and ordering takeout in Styrofoam containers three nights a week. It's not that he doesn't care: It's just that being organized (e.g., keeping the pantry stocked with bulk bin goods) and planning ahead (e.g., remembering to bring reusable bags to the supermarket) are my strong suits, not his. And that's OK. You can do your best to enlist your wife, partner, children, roommate in your quest to go green, but heed my advice: It is so not worth destroying a relationship over a compost bin.
Wishing you success in your eco endeavors!
-EE
Got a question that can't wait? Check to see if I've already answered it in the Eco Etiquette archives, here. ]]>Eco Etiquette: How Do I Store Produce Without Plastic?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.17044652012-07-26T01:24:41-04:002012-09-24T05:12:25-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
I started shopping at my farmers market this summer. I've noticed people putting fruits and vegetables directly in their totes, without taking the plastic bags some vendors offer. But how do you keep produce fresh in the fridge without the plastic?
-Raina
Not long ago, I asked myself that same question. I had recently invested in a large set of organic cotton reusable produce bags, and while I was feeling mighty proud of myself each time I ventured out to the market (look how eco-friendly I am! Who needs those wasteful plastic produce bags?), the scene in my fridge a few days later was less than pretty.
Stored in plastic, fruits and vegetables would have normally stayed fresh for at least a week. But left in my new reusable bags, all my beautiful produce fast turned into a wilted, spoiled mess. (Even the "crisper" bin seemed to do just the opposite, no matter what the setting.)
Enter Beth Terry. As author of the blog My Plastic-free Life and the recently released book Plastic-Free: How I Kicked the Plastic Habit and How You Can Too, Terry knows how to keep everything from persimmons to parsnips fresh with nary a plastic bag in sight: She's lived plastic free (and not just in the produce department) since 2007.
Terry's storage methods come largely from Ecology Center Farmers' Markets in Berkeley, CA, which created this guide on how to store more than 60 kinds of fruits and vegetables. But being the plastic-free pro that she is, Terry of course had some suggestions to add. With her help, I've created a condensed version for you that includes her input, below.
*Note: While the Ecology Center guide occasionally calls for paper products, Terry tries to limit these; she opts for cloth bags or plastic-free reusable containers instead. ("While plastic is truly problematic, all single-use disposable bags and wrappers have an environmental footprint," she says.) She suggests a variety of different bags and containers on her site.
FRUITS Apples. Store on a cool counter or shelf for up to two weeks. For longer storage, place in a cardboard box* in the fridge.
Citrus. Store in a cool place with good airflow, never in an airtight container.
Apricots/Nectarines/Peaches. On a cool counter or fridge if fully ripe.
Cherries. Store in an airtight container. Don't wash until ready to eat; added moisture encourages mold.
Berries. Very fragile; stack in a single layer if possible in a paper bag* or reusable container. Only wash before you plan on eating them.
Dates. Drier dates (like Deglet Noor) are fine stored on the counter in a bowl or the paper bag* they were bought in. Store moist dates (like Medjool) in the refrigerator for longer than a week, either in cloth or a paper bag to minimize moisture (Terry says a glass mason jar also works).
Melons. Store uncut in a cool, dry place, out of the sun up to a couple weeks. Cut melon should be in the fridge; an open container is fine.
VEGETABLES Always remove any tight bands from your vegetables to allow them to breathe.
Asparagus. Place loosely in a glass or bowl upright with water at room temperature (will keep for a week outside the fridge).
Avocados. Place in a paper bag at room temp. (To speed up ripening, place an apple in the bag.) Terry places hers directly in the fridge; for a cut avocado half, she keeps the pit in and places it in a glass wire bale jar.
Basil. Store in an airtight container/jar loosely packed with a small damp piece of paper* inside, left out on a cool counter.
Broccoli. Store in the fridge: Place in an open container or wrap in a damp towel.
Carrots/Celery/Radishes. Cut off tops to keep fresh longer and place in a closed container with plenty of moisture. Terry stores these immersed in containers of water in the fridge (change water frequently).
Corn. Leave unhusked in an open container if you must, but corn really is best the day it's picked.
Cucumber. Wrap in a moist towel in the fridge. (Terry likes plain cotton tea towels.) Fine in a cool room if you're planning on eating them within a day or two.
Garlic/Onion/Potatoes. Store in a cool, dark, place. (For onions, good air circulation is best; don't stack.)
Greens (Collards, Chard, Kale). Store upright in a glass of water (like a bouquet) on the counter or fridge. Eat these vegetables first, since they lose color quickly.
Lettuce. Keep damp in an airtight container in the fridge. Terry admits that salad greens are difficult to keep fresh; her strategy is to eat these early in the week, though some of her readers have had success vacuum packing in glass.
Spinach. Store loose in an open container in the crisper, cool as soon as possible.
Sweet Peppers. Only wash right before eating; wetness decreases storage time. Store in a cool room to use in a couple of days, in the crisper if longer storage is needed.
Sweet Potatoes. Store in a cool, dark, well‐ventilated place. Never refrigerate.
Tomatoes. Also never refrigerate. Depending on ripeness, tomatoes can stay for up to two weeks on the counter.
Zucchini. Fine for a few days if left out on a cool counter, even after cut. Wrap in a cloth and refrigerate for longer storage.
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Easy-peasy, right? (Refrigerate snap peas in an open container, by the way.) Do you have other plastic-free methods that work for you? If so, please share them in the comments, below!
An earlier version of this post incorrectly linked the product recommendations listed on Terry's site to lifewithoutplastic.com]]>Eco Etiquette: Can Our Cities Save Us?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.16669512012-07-12T00:02:43-04:002012-09-10T05:12:03-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
My husband and I are close to retirement (I know, even in this economy), and I'd always thought we'd move somewhere out in the country, but after seeing this story about America's greenest cities, I'm intrigued. Is living in a city greener than living in a small town or quiet suburb?
-Suzy
Well, first off, that depends on what city you're talking about; whether it's Bend, Oregon, with its organic breweries and ubiquitous solar panels, or Beijing, with its life-shortening smog and 12-day traffic jams.
But generally speaking, living in an urban environment can be significantly "greener" than living in a tree-lined suburb, at least concerning carbon emissions. It has everything to do with efficiency: People in cities drive less, walk and use public transportation more, and don't have water-sucking green lawns to tend.
They also live in smaller spaces, which require less electricity and gas to power/heat/cool, not to mention fewer material possessions to furnish. All in all, city dwellers use about 40 percent less energy than suburbanites, according to Edward Glaeser, a Harvard economist and author of Triumph of the City. ("If you love nature, stay away from it," he wrote in this Boston Globe op-ed.)
It's not only environmental efficiency that's drawing more dwellers to cities; it's economy of life. At a global trends conference hosted by Ford I attended last month, urban expert and ArtPlace director Carol Coletta spoke about the powerful draw of cities for Millenials, who want to be close to technology, art, and social life, and don't want to deal with the responsibility of owning a car. (Yes, Ford is prescient enough to envision a world where American transportation may mean something other than two cars in every garage; the company is already collaborating with car-sharing service Zipcar.)
In fact, says Coletta, 85 percent of Millenials say they prefer urban living. (Of course, this may also have something to do with the high unemployment rate for early twentysomethings -- cities are where the jobs are -- but I digress.)
A smaller footprint, more convenience -- sounds great, right? Unfortunately, cities may not be able to support a sustainable way of life for much longer if their leaders don't take a harsh look at reality. Urban populations are swelling: For the first time in nearly 100 years, American cities are growing faster than suburbs. And the trend is global: It's anticipated that in 20 years, 5 billion of the world's then–8 billion people will live in urban areas.
The first step in confronting any problem, of course, is to acknowledge that there is a problem. And this, fortunately, is where some cities are leading the way.
Late last month, UCLA released a study -- commissioned by the city of Los Angeles -- examining future temperatures for the LA area. The study was groundbreaking in its detail: 2,500 times more precise than previous climate models for the region, the researchers were able to predict temperatures down to the neighborhood scale (2 ¼ miles).
The study found that sometime between 2041 and 2060, the number of extreme heat days (above 95 degrees) in Downtown LA will triple; in LA's nearby valley areas, those days will quadruple. Even LA's typically breezy coastal areas will see an overall temperature rise of 3 to 4 degrees.
The news isn't good, but the information is real. And armed with it, LA's leaders and citizens can not only work now to help limit the damage (the goal of making the city coal-free by 2020 is a good start), they can also prepare for the climate change realities that lie ahead.
Other cities are following suit, even without the level of detailed information granted by the UCLA study. Chicago, for one, has an aggressive climate action plan in place: The city is installing permeable pavement to reduce flooding, planting trees equipped for warmer weather, and laying down heat-absorbing green roofs on the city's skyscrapers, all in anticipation of a climate that scientists say may be more Baton Rouge than blustery by the end of this century.
At the national level, we've hemmed and hawed about taking any meaningful steps toward confronting climate change; we've allowed politics and partisan bickering to obliterate prudence and measured foresight. Cities can't afford to do this. The people are coming and the temperature is rising. Green is the only way to go.]]>Eco Etiquette: Dealing With Not-So-Green Summer House Gueststag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15954232012-06-14T00:15:13-04:002012-08-13T05:12:05-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Every summer our dear but not-at-all eco friends come to stay with us; every year we're left dealing with the waste that's left in their wake. They ask us to buy junk food snacks, they want to order take-out every night (all those containers!), and I spend the whole week fishing their recyclables out of the trash. Oh, and they only drink bottled water and always complain about our scratchy (recycled) toilet paper...
-Alexa
What is this, a house or a Hilton? Maybe this year, you should add tags to their bottles of water like the hotels do, stating there will be a $5 charge added to their room for each one consumed. See if that'll deter 'em.
Seriously, though, I would conveniently "forget" about buying the bottled water this year. Just make sure the house is stocked with snacks and other necessities any reasonable house guest would expect. If your friends request a Fiji upon their arrival, just say something like, "Oh, John and I got this great water filter so we don't have to buy bottled water anymore. I was feeling so guilty about all that plastic trash that's collecting in the ocean. Have you heard it's like a floating landfill the size of Texas?"
If, after that, they still want to go out and buy their own bottled water, well, you're just going to have to suck it up and make sure all the empties go in the recycling bin.
But with the biggest eco offender likely out of the way (a week's worth of plastic water bottles), I would take a deep breath about the rest. When you consider the fuel emissions of the flight I'm guessing your guests took to visit you, a bag or two of Doritos pales in comparison. (And seriously, organic corn chips come packaged in plastic, too.) You don't want to be so overzealous in your quest for eco-righteousness that your guests feel unwelcome.
Consider the case of my red-blooded Southern cousins, who came to California for a visit with their longtime foodie friends, only to discover upon their arrival that the friends had become strict vegans. Now, this would have been fine had the friends been willing to compromise and go out for a few meals where everyone could order something to make them happy, but no: The friends insisted on preparing every meal at home, trying to convert their guests to a vegan diet, too.
"It was interesting to see how they prepared all this food, and some of it was delicious, but two days in we were absolutely starving," said my cousin. If the hosts' goal was to make sure their friends wouldn't be back for another visit anytime soon, they accomplished it.
If your aim is to enjoy your friends' company rather than count their carbon emissions, then loosen up and compromise where you can: Order takeout from a place you know uses compostable, not Styrofoam containers; label your recycling, compost, and trash bins so it's clear which is which (and nicely explain the difference); and buy them a pack of the softest recycled toilet paper you can find (I like Seventh Generation).
Remember, too, that no house guest is perfect, hence wise Ben Franklin's aphorism about fish and visitors. Even guests who are acutely aware of their hosts' eco inclinations can misstep: Take my mother-in-law, who likes to throw used paper towel in the recycling bin when she comes to visit (composting only!). But forever-trying-to-please love that she is, she also always treats us to ridiculously expensive local pastured steaks from the best butcher in town. (I append our microfiber cloths with a roll of paper towel for her visits and do eat sustainably raised beef on occasion, in case you're wondering. See? Compromise!)
Which brings me to my final point: One of the reasons my MIL knows about the grass-fed butcher is because while I try not to preach green while she's visiting, I do feel free to introduce her to some cool stuff that just so happens to be sustainable. As you should do with your guests: Go shopping for dinner together at the farmers market; take them on a beautiful hike by the river; serve up some wine from a growler filled at your local winery.
If your guests are shrugging after the farmers market and still tossing cans of Diet Coke in the trash, then pour yourself a big glass of that local vino and slap on a smile. You can scrub your house with Dr. Bronner's and vinegar from top to bottom when they're gone.]]>Eco Etiquette: What's The Latest On Eco-Friendly Air Travel?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15415412012-05-24T03:46:13-04:002012-07-23T05:12:05-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Has there been any progress regarding more eco-friendly air travel? It seems like there was talk for awhile about using biofuels, but what's the latest? I have to take a lot of flights this summer, and I'm feeling mighty guilty about all those carbon emissions.
-Sam
Forget the carbon emissions for a second. With the news this week that airlines will start charging families extra to sit together, I may finally give up on air travel altogether. I mean seriously, how much more inane can all these surcharges get? If I have the choice, I'll take my hybrid car and a stretch of open road and a trunk where I can toss in my bag without having to stuff it first in a carry-on sizer, thank you very much.
In the modern world, though, most of us can't completely avoid flying. There are business trips (though telecommuting is finally becoming a more feasible option); can't-miss destination weddings; and family in far-flung places. My brother lives in Boston, and I'm probably not going to set off from Los Angeles for a cross-country road trip with my screaming toddler anytime soon.
So back to those carbon emissions: Until bio-based jet fuels become not only cost effective, but truly sustainable (greenhouse gases associated with production and food security issues have hampered progress), eco air travel will continue to be an oxymoron.
The good news is that the aviation industry is investing heavily in green fuel research. In fact, you may have already flown on a French fry oil flight and not even known it: To date, more than 1,500 passenger flights have tested advanced biofuels.
The issue, at least superficially, is cost: The Republican-led House Armed Services Committee has dictated that the Defense Department cannot purchase alternative fuels that are priced higher than "a traditional fossil fuel." (Though rather shamelessly, exemptions have been made for coal and natural gas.) But the real cost here will be progress: The US military has paved the way for advances in the commercial aviation industry with its early adoption and testing of biofuels. If these military programs are no longer, who knows to what extent the entire industry will be stymied?
Biofuels (sadly) aside, there are new plane designs that may offer some hope for the environment: Southwest Airline's new cabin interior features recyclable carpet, as well as lighter seats made with eco-friendly materials. Boeing's new 787 Dreamliner uses lighter materials and a more aerodynamic design to achieve a 20 percent jump in fuel efficiency, though you'll have to catch it on a flight from Denver to Tokyo. In 2013.
So for now, if it's a vacation you're planning, I urge you to first consider a regional road trip via hybrid or rail over a far-flown locale. A family of four traveling in a Prius from Los Angeles to San Francisco, for instance, will expend 50 kilograms of CO2 each way; fly that same family to Hawaii, however, and they'll be adding 2.76 metric tons of CO2 to the atmosphere (note: these calculations include radiative forcing).
And of course, there's always the staycation, which more and more people seem to be taking these days thanks to the rough economy. I personally like camping in the backyard, but you can find more fun ideas here.
If air travel is a must, you can lessen your environmental wingprint by choosing a nonstop flight (50 percent of a plane's emissions occur during takeoff and landing); packing light (lighter plane = less fuel); and taking public transportation to the airport (I'll take the JFK AirTrain over a cab in traffic any day).
Then, make it your mission to tackle what waste you can whilst you travel. It may seem inconsequential in light of all that carbon you're spewing, but it does add up: Did you know, for instance, that 1 million plastic cups are used on US flights every six hours? We can do so much better, and all it takes is a little advance planning. Here's what I take with me on every flight:
Homemade snacks/meal. Airport/airplane food is heavily packaged and heavily processed. I pack plenty of healthy food in a reusable lunch bag.
PeopleTowels.These reusable hand towels are a great alternative to those flimsy paper napkins on the flight.
Natural hand sanitizer. I don't trust that tepid non-potable plane water. For a more thorough hand-washing, CleanWell sanitizer kills the germs without the toxic chemicals.
Borrowed book. I'm a sucker for gossip mags on planes, but my conscience (and my brain) feels better when I save trees and borrow my reading material from the library instead.
Collapsible cup. Sometimes a bumpy flight warrants a cocktail. This collapsible stainless steel cup serves one up sans the disposable plastic.
I'd toast to safer and more sustainable summer travel, but quite honestly, I'm too depressed about the Republican push to end military biofuel research. Call your representative!]]>Eco Etiquette: 9 Time-Saving Tips For Busy Green Moms (PHOTOS)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.15010152012-05-08T16:33:19-04:002012-07-08T05:12:08-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Any time-saving tips for us eco-minded moms? I try my best to go green, but lately I feel so overwhelmed that I have a hard time even remembering to take out the recycling bin!
--Erin
For the first several months after my daughter was born, I put on a good show. I learned how to fold cloth diapers into absorbent little angel wings and made my own baby wipes. I tucked the babe into a sling and lugged canvas bags of vegetables from the farmers market. I whipped up organic dinners every night from scratch. I soaked beans. I breastfed.
I also worked from home, conducting phone interviews as my daughter snoozed on my shoulder or writing while she bounced in her baby chair. It wasn't easy to "do it all" (especially since my husband had to go back to his long houred job a week after she was born), but it was manageable. Or maybe I was just hopped up on new-mom adrenaline.
Then my daughter turned six months old and began crawling.
And teething, which meant what little sleep I had had went out the window. And eating solid foods (making baby purees was time-consuming; cleaning the diapers was a nightmare). Every day felt like a giant hamster wheel. I couldn't remember a night when I wasn't slicing and steaming and scrubbing and feeding up until I collapsed in bed.
I don't remember my exact breaking point, but it was around the time our building's washing machine broke for the umpteenth time and I had to schlep soiled diapers to the laundromat three times a week. (My daughter was in the sling for that, too. Fun!)
Our lifestyle may have been green, but it certainly wasn't sustainable; something would have to give. Here this was only my first child, and I worked from home! How did moms with more kids, moms with full-time jobs go green without going crazy?
I have two words for you: Time management. (Plus a few clever shortcuts thrown in.) Here's what I -- with help from my most efficiently eco mommy friends -- have learned since those early days.
]]>Eco Etiquette: Forget Earth Day?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.14364522012-04-19T02:56:46-04:002012-06-18T05:12:02-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
This week, I had originally planned to write a piece about Earth Day optimism. The column was supposed to highlight the most exciting and uplifting environmental news I could find (Evangelicals are becoming tree huggers! More celebrities are going vegan!), all in the hopes of inspiring you, my dear Earth Day enthusiasts, to keep fighting the good fight.
But you know what? I really don't feel like it.
I never expected being green to be easy, of course, but the news as of late has been so abysmal that even eternal eco-optimists like myself want to stick their head in the sand.
US greenhouse gas emissions are on the rise once again. One in 88 American children now has autism (with pollution being named a possible cause). Tornado megastorms are ripping across the Midwest faster than you can ask, Is this related to climate change? (Scientists are hesitating on this one, but interestingly, the American public isn't.)
Then, there are the recent setbacks; the ones that make it seem like no matter how many of us cry out for change, we'll never be able to rise above political infighting and the powers that be (Big Oil, Big Ag, Big Chem).
So forgive me if I don't feel like having butterflies painted on my daughter's face at our local Earth Day celebration this weekend.
I know, I know: The founding of Earth Day in 1970 was instrumental in opening people's eyes to the environmental devastation we had inflicted. It was the impetus to pivotal pollution-fighting legislation like the Clean Air Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. More than a billion people worldwide are expected to participate in Earth Day this year, which is remarkable, if by sheer number alone.
But here's the reality: After planting a tree at a local event or recycling their old electronics, the majority of people (companies, our government) will go back to business as usual. They'll make choices that are beneficial to the environment when it's convenient or profitable; they'll look the other way when it's not.
Why? Because we haven't set the stakes high enough. In fact, we've missed the mark entirely. Save the planet, goes that familiar refrain each Earth Day.
But it isn't the planet that's at stake this Earth Day; it's us.
I say it's high time we reposition the environmental argument. Our planet is indeed in peril, yes, but only the planet as we know it, in its beautiful, lush, human life–supporting state. Global temperatures are rising, polar ice caps are melting, and wildlife extinction is happening on a scale unprecedented in the earth's history.
But the fact remains that regardless of what we do -- burn through every last bit of fossil fuel, fill the oceans with trash, raze what little rainforest we have left -- the earth will endure. The human race, however, may not.
Our planet has sustained cataclysmic events before, after all, like the asteroid collision 65 million years ago that likely wiped out the dinosaurs and up to 70 percent of all living plants and animals.
It's also made it through times as hot as anthropogenic global warming is likely to cause, like during the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum some 56 million years ago. (Though there were evidently an obscene amount of insects. Something for the few humans who are left to endure daily and nightly 100-plus degree temperatures to look forward to.)
If more people took a moment to absorb the brutal reality that this is, in fact, a fight to save our life on earth as we know it, including the lives -- nay, the mere existence -- of our children and grandchildren, maybe we would stop bickering over regulations for power plants.
It sounds scary, but that's because it is scary. Nice as the sentiment of Earth Day may be, people rarely make sweeping change in the name of altruism. How much more effective would it be if we changed the name of Earth Day to Save the Human Race Day?
]]>Eco Etiquette: What Would Health Care Repeal Mean For The Environment?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13871572012-03-29T03:58:00-04:002012-05-28T05:12:02-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
What's the Green stance on the president's health care law? Has anyone looked into the effect that repeal would have on the environment?
The court's final decision isn't expected until June, of course, but with an apparent split among the judges now a very real possibility -- and the reality that if the individual mandate portion of the law is struck down, the whole law could fall along with it -- a lot of people are talking about what would happen if "Obamacare" goes kaput.
But health care repeal could have broader implications not only for the health of the economy and the health of the American people, but for the health of our planet, as well. Why? Well, an insured population is one that has regular access to preventive care. And preventive care is, where both cost and resources are concerned, the least wasteful way of providing effective medical care. (Compare: nutrition counseling for a pre-diabetic versus a diabetic foot amputation and prosthetic.)
Take that away, however, and our for-profit, quick-fix, waste-driven health care system will only get worse. A look:
Pill pollution. Pharmaceuticals -- including antibiotics, antidepressants, and sex hormones -- have already found their way into the drinking water of 41 million Americans. With people denied regular care for chronic conditions like pain and depression (or medication-free alternatives like talk therapy), we'll continue to be a pill-popping nation. Think logic dictates that people with health care coverage -- including prescription drug coverage -- will consume more prescription drugs? Consider: Over 70 percent of people who abuse prescription medications obtain them not from a doctor, but from friends or family.
Overpopulation. Speaking of pills, or rather one in particular... regardless of whether or not you believe that a health care plan should include contraception coverage, the fact remains that access to affordable birth control is our best defense in a world threatened by overpopulation. (Read: Better Access to Contraception Could Slow Global Warming.) Anyone can buy a condom at a drugstore, of course, but other more effective methods that require a doctor's prescription and/or supervision -- like the Pill and the IUD -- may be out of reach for many Americans if the president's plan ceases to be.
Hospital waste. US hospitals produce an astounding 6,600 tons of waste every day, and much of it isn't recyclable (think: needles, syringes, IV tubing, soiled paper gowns). If Americans aren't able to see a doctor before illnesses become complicated to treat, this figure will only increase: We'll continue to see more otherwise preventable surgeries, more hospitalizations, and a lot more toxic medical waste polluting our land and water as a result. This gets back to my original point about preventive care.
Pesticide-laden commodity crops. You don't have to have seen Food, Inc. to know that our food system needs fixing: US agricultural policies are fueling our genetically modified, atrazine-doused, high fructose corn syrup-laden junk food habits -- along with our national epidemic of obesity, diabetes and heart disease. We're not currently forced to look at this connection to our out-of-control health care costs, but I guarantee we'll start hearing a lot more about it, once insurance companies are tasked with keeping costs in check as they provide coverage for all.
With repeal? Let's just keep spraying the pesticides and gobbling up the junk food! Who needs a cost-effective way to prevent disease (like gasp! a healthy diet) when insurance companies can keep raking in record profits?
]]>Eco Etiquette: Being Black In The Green Worldtag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.13467192012-03-15T04:58:04-04:002012-05-14T05:12:01-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Hope you don't take offense, but why does it seem like all environmentalists are Prius-driving white yuppies? Aren't we going to have to move beyond that stereotype if we want to make a difference? And any advice for reaching out to folks in my own African American community?
-Jessica
No offense taken, Jessica. I may be a white tree-hugging girl from a bucolic town in Connecticut, but even I defy the stereotype you described: I don't drive a Prius (I walk and run errands locally), and no one would accuse me of being a yuppie (see my Organic on Food Stamps video). I have been called a hipster on occasion, but only when spotted in my husband's 1985 Mercedes 300D that can run on biodiesel...
Alright, so maybe I do fit the eco-cliché you just described. I agree that it's a problem; this failure of the green movement to reach a more multicultural audience. I've spoken at enough green events to know that too often, we're just preaching to the choir. And the choir likes to shop at Whole Foods and wear organic Lululemon.
There are certainly people of color doing brilliant work in the environmental realm, like Rebuild the Dream founder Van Jones, or Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, who's put LA on track to slash CO2 emissions 35 percent by 2030.
But there aren't enough. Not when you consider how minorities are disproportionately affected by environmental degradation. African American children, for instance, have a 500 percent higher death rate (you read that right) as a result of asthma than white children. That's not surprising, considering that 68 percent of African Americans live within 30 miles of a coal-fired power plant. Contrast that with 56 percent of whites.
Of course, I would never purport to know what it's like to be black in the green world, which is why to answer your question, I reached out to Brandon McEachern, a 28-year-old native of Greensboro, NC, who's bringing environmental awareness to "the young hip-hop generation" via his organic lifestyle group and blog Broccoli City.
The exuberant McEachern and I spoke in LA earlier this week, where he was kind enough to school me in the how-to's of inner-city environmentalism.
Jennifer Grayson: It's clear you're doing something different in green, Brandon -- the name Broccoli City is an attention-getter. Where did it come from?
Brandon McEachern: Broccoli City is a term I've been using for as long I can remember. Let's say I saw some nice shoes: I'd be like, Ooh, that's Broccoli City; that's a pretty girl, that's Broccoli City.
JG: So nothing to do with green?
BM: Not at first. But after moving to LA for a production job, I started thinking about something else I could do -- I'm sure you know from living out here that everybody in LA has another hustle. At the time, everyone was starting T-shirt companies, so I started making T-shirts that said Broccoli City.
JG: I had friends with T-shirt companies!
BM: Well, I had an environmentalist friend in Atlanta, and she was like, When I think of Broccoli City, I think of either the environment or weed. And I was like...
JG: Hmm. Which one should I pick?
BM: ...[laughs] I'm going to go with the environment. The first thing I had noticed was how healthy people eat out here. So she started schooling me on the food I eat, saving energy, and I was like: Wow! I can't believe I don't know these things. A lot of people in my generation as far as the hip-hop realm don't know them, either. We decided to make the shirts organic and spread a positive message. It burst off from there.
JG: Why do you think the hip-hop generation isn't more environmentally aware?
BM: It's a problem of access. In LA, if you go to Santa Monica, you'll see the Euphoria [raw food] restaurants, Trader Joe's -- all these places you can get healthy food, that knowledge. But when you go to an all-African American or Hispanic neighborhood, you see liquor stores on every corner.
BM: I have conversations with my big brother back in NC, saying, I don't want you feeding my nephews and nieces McDonald's. He says, Bro, I feel you, but it's right here. What am I supposed to do?...The price point is a hurdle we need to jump over as well. But at the end of the day, people in my community are also known for going out and spending X amount of money on Jordans.
JG: It's like what Mark Bittman says about people who claim they don't have time to cook, yet the average American spends an hour and a half a day watching television.
BM: One thing I know about my culture is we hate to be preached to. Don't you ever tell me what I can and what I cannot do. It's better just to ease [the green message] in there. And to ease it, you have to come to the people looking like the people. Let's take you for instance. If you were to go down to Crenshaw today and say Yo, all y'all need to be eatin' right, blazay blay blazay blooh...
JG: That totally sounds like me!
BM: ...You're probably going to get cussed out. Not because your message isn't great, but because you don't look like TaNeesha, you don't talk like Byron. I emphasize that with Broccoli City: We want to see somebody who looks and talks and and acts like us. Then it becomes cool.
JG: Makes total sense. So what's it been like for you with the green community at large?
BM: Going to green events, you know...you're like the black guy. I wouldn't necessarily say I'm the only African American there, but the only African American dressed the way I dress. They look at me like, Hey what are you doing here? Uh, just trying to learn what you guys are learning...
JG: And also, everyone there is already green.
BM: Our goal is to touch people who don't know about this lifestyle, right? That's why I wanted to see how I could mix the worlds. So we do a lot of events where we might have hip-hop acts, but then there's an organic food truck outside.
JG: Everyone loves a food truck! So how's the response been? Are the worlds mixing?
BM: The feedback has been ridiculous. I have people calling me saying, I was about to throw some trash out the window, but I thought that wouldn't be very Broccoli City of me, bro, so I recycled, my homey, I recycled. I'm out here tryin'. Oh man, I see people trying. And that's all you can ask for.
You can learn more about Brandon and his work at BroccoliCity.com.
]]>Eco Etiquette: How To Be A Gracious Green Guest (And Proselytizer At The Same Time)tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.12955432012-02-22T23:36:36-05:002012-04-23T05:12:01-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
I went to an elegant dinner party a few weeks ago where the hostess had thought through every detail of the menu: The place settings were just so, the wine was delicious... Between the main course and dessert I offered to help clear plates in the kitchen. I was horrified to see every bit of trash -- paper cocktail napkins, uneaten food, glass bottles -- all thrown into enormous black plastic bags. Even worse, I joined in! I almost said, What, you don't recycle? You don't compost? But I didn't think that would have been very polite. What could I have said or done to educate this woman without offending her?
-Sarah
Boy, is it hard to bite one's tongue in these types of situations! Or not: Your temporary case of Sustainability Stockholm Syndrome (where one identifies with the trashers) is a common reaction, and who could blame you?
This woman had welcomed you into her home and cooked you a lovely meal. To have called out your hostess at that juncture in the evening (right before she brought out the hand-piped profiterole tower, no doubt!) would have made you a most ungracious guest.
Nor would it have been a very effective means of encouraging her to change her ways; in my experience, most people respond to criticism by either clamming up or going on the defensive. No one enjoys being admonished, especially by an environmentalist who, just a few moments before, had no problem polishing off the filet mignon with her third glass of South African syrah.
So what could you have said to enlighten your hostess? The situation is tricky, because it sounds like this woman is an acquaintance rather than a close friend. A close friend would probably know by now that you're the ardent environmentalist who sometimes needs to espouse her green beliefs with gusto. My friends do; though I still take care not to annoy them too much. (Another eco etiquette tip: People tend to tune out a nag.)
I know you're hoping I have some sort of brilliant diplomatic catchphrase that I use in these dinner-party-type situations, but quite honestly, I have yet to find one. Some might suggest a surreptitious method of getting your point across:
You: Oh, I don't bother sorting my recyclables anymore, either. Since the economy tanked, there are so many homeless people going through my trash that I know those bottles will get recycled whether or not I'm too lazy to throw them in the blue bin.
But most people are smart enough to recognize passive-aggressiveness when they hear it. And they don't like it.
If, when you had first noticed the bottles being tossed into the trash bags, you had cheerfully offered to the hostess, "Want me to be in charge of recycling?!" -- that would have seemed innocent enough.
Let's be realistic, though: Assuming the house even had a recycling bin, that solution may have saved a few glass bottles from a landfill fate, at best. I doubt your hostess would have been eager for a green overhaul -- let alone a larger conversation about what America's lagging recycling rates bode for the future of humanity -- as she was rushing around trying to clear tables, percolate coffee, and plate dessert.
If you're truly interested in converting your hostess from prodigal to proactive, the only way to open her eyes is to do it on your own green turf: Invite her to a dinner party where the fare is farmers-market fresh, the wine is served out of growlers filled at your local vineyard, and the handcrafted soy candles cast a soft organic haze over the delighted diners gathered around your reclaimed railroad-tie dining table. Feel free to go eco-crazy.
When it's time to clean up in the kitchen, recruit your former hostess to scrape plates into the compost bin. Then, when she asks what compost is, that's your entrée to explaining (in an excited, never preachy way) the hows and whys of your green household.
Seriously, though, before you invest all your energy in converting this woman, ask yourself: Why are you so determined to "educate" her, as you say? If it's because you think the world will be a better place when this woman learns to recycle, then go for it.
If, though, it's because you're frustrated by the widespread ignorance surrounding environmental issues, I say invest your valuable energies in an effort that could have far broader reach, like volunteering for an environmental literacy organization like INFORM, or petitioning FDA to require labeling for genetically modified food. It may not feel as immediately satisfying as chiding someone for not composting the cocktail napkins, but it'll pack more sustainable punch in the long run.
Today's question came to me from Sarah Finnie Robinson over at PracticallyGreen.com, a great starting place for new greenies who want to make a difference. ]]>Eco Etiquette: What's The Environmental Cost Of Cut Flowers?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.12646472012-02-09T02:52:36-05:002012-04-09T05:12:01-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Are cut flowers really bad for the environment? My wife loves them, and I know she's probably expecting a bunch this Valentine's Day.
-Mike
Selfishly, I don't want to write this article, because I fear if I veto one more of my husband's romantic gestures for not being "eco" enough, he'll give up on me forever.
First, I banned the trails of cards we used to leave each other on anniversaries. (Why should we kill trees to say I love you?) Then went the chocolates, nestled in layers of crinkly plastic and boxed up with a polyester bow. (Only fair trade and in recyclable packaging, please!) Even wine that was bottled with a plastic stopper had to go by the wayside. (Can you try to find bottles with a natural cork, babe?)
I seriously want to punch myself in the face just reading this. The man is a saint.
So when he surprised me last week with a bunch of magnificent calla lilies, I of course didn't have the heart to tell him what I'm about to tell you: Conventional cut flowers are just about the least natural thing you can get your sweetie this Valentine's Day.
I know, it's hard to believe: Flowers are so beautiful, so organic looking -- in the truest sense of that word. How could they possibly be bad for the planet?
To answer that question, let's take a look at the lifecycle of your run-of-the mill supermarket red roses, which most likely began their journey in a production greenhouse in South America. Seventy-eight percent of cut flowers in the US are imported from countries like Ecuador and Colombia, where warm weather makes for ideal year-round growing conditions.
The rest of the growing conditions, however, are less than optimal, at least where the environment and workers' rights are concerned. Output is key, since US demand is so high (particularly on holidays like Valentine's Day, which will see the sale of 200 million stems of roses alone), so flowers are doused with a toxic cocktail of fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides to keep disease and vermin at bay.
Once the roses are harvested, they're stored in an energy-eating chilled warehouse, transported to the airport in a gas-guzzling refrigerated truck, flown via cargo plane to the US (sorry, no refrigerated airplanes, but I think the carbon emissions from flying are pollution enough), and then shipped yet again via refrigerated truck to their destination -- in this case, the supermarket.
There, they wait in -- you guessed it! -- a refrigerated display case, until someone snaps up a dozen to take home and surprise his honey. But the journey doesn't end there: Once the flowers fade in a week or so, they're tossed in the trash (unless you compost) and sent to the landfill, where they decay and emit methane, a potent greenhouse gas.
Factor in the not-easily-recyclable cellophane floral wrap, those little plastic water tubes that get capped on the flower stems, plus an add-on polyester Teddy bear and mylar balloon filled with helium (a precious gas that the world is running out of, by the way), and you've got yourself a veritable Valentine's Day eco-disaster. (Am I the V-Day grinch, or what?!)
If you still have your heart set on fresh flowers, you don't have to forgo them entirely, though. Seeking out blooms that are certified either USDA organic or sustainably grown by the third-party Veriflora program will go a long way toward reducing your pesticide petalprint. Buying in-season flowers from a local grower (you can find one on LocalHarvest) is another eco option that can help support native bee populations threatened by colony collapse disorder.
But if you want to impress your Valentine with your romantic as well as environmental prowess, I say ditch the cheap carnations and try this sustainably suave suggestion: Give her a package of rare heirloom flower seeds along with a beautiful vintage flowerpot. Then tell her you want to plant them with her this Valentine's Day and watch the flowers grow along with your love.
Happy V-Day!
]]>Eco Etiquette: Is 'Made In America' Better For The Environment?tag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.12329162012-01-26T01:56:55-05:002012-03-26T05:12:01-04:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
I was shopping with my friend the other day, and she said she tries to buy American-made products whenever possible. From a green perspective, is this a good thing? I mean, what if it's between organic sheets made in China and regular ones made in the US?
-Jennie
...We will not go back to an economy weakened by outsourcing, bad debt, and phony financial profits. Tonight, I want to speak about how we move forward and lay out a blueprint for an economy that's built to last, an economy built on American manufacturing, American energy, skills for American workers, and a renewal of American values.
This blueprint begins with American manufacturing.
The President's State of the Union address Tuesday night, which included his declaration above, was a rousing call to action not only for American companies to reinvest in homegrown skilled workers, but for anyone who's ever felt a pang of guilt at the "made in China" tag on the back of a recently purchased T-shirt.
But what about supporting the eco-nomy? Does buying American-made also help the environment, as your friend suggests?
As a general rule, I believe it does. When you choose products manufactured here at home, you avoid the extra fuel expense of shipping foreign-made goods halfway around the globe. Those fuel costs are significant, considering that nearly 60 percent of everything we buy now is imported.
Then, too, there's the issue of the poor environmental standards in overseas factories that have given us lead in children's toys and melamine in dog food. In 2005, the Chinese Ministry of Health estimated that 200 million Chinese workers were regularly exposed to toxic chemicals. That same year, 386,645 workers died as a result of occupational illnesses.
Those statistics are appalling; similar occurrences would be unimaginable in American factories, where we have laws (and ahem, government regulation) in place to protect our workers and our natural resources. So by buying American-made, you're ostensibly supporting a cleaner, safer environment.
I could also spend the rest of this article calculating the potentially minimized land and water use involved in the making and transporting of the conventional cotton sheets versus the shipping-related fuel costs of the Chinese-made organic cotton ones, not to mention the recyclability of their PVC packaging. But such minutiae is missing the point.
I say, buy the American sheets and move on, because we need to talk about the bigger opportunity here, which is: Where we can focus our American manufacturing and purchasing efforts to have the biggest impact on the environment and our economy.
The answer is: Our infrastructure.
President Obama didn't make this connection in his speech (infrastructure was mentioned later, in the context of jobs), but a new book that should be on every environmentalist's -- heck, every American's -- reading list does.
The book is a collection of essays called Dream of a Nation, and much like the President's speech, it calls on us to come together as Americans in our work toward a sustainable future. Edited by Tyson Miller, each essay posits an innovative -- but eminently doable -- solution to our country's most challenging problems.
One essay, aptly named "Make It in America" (by Campaign for America's Future's Eric Lotke), raises a crucial point: If we're going to rebuild our crumbling roads and bridges, it's not enough to do it with American workers -- we need to do it with American parts.
Sound obvious? It's not. Lotke explains that while nations like Canada and the EU (and yes, even China) actively source home-manufactured products for their public projects -- even writing it into their trade agreements -- the US does not.
This is preposterous. Why are we importing Chinese steel modules to build American bridges (as was the case in the recent reconstruction of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge), when we could make them in America and create even more much-needed jobs here at home?
Why not make those parts here, where we can oversee the environmental conditions under which they were created, and account for their quality?
If the American parts companies either don't yet exist or aren't up to speed to produce the materials we need for these projects, we'll just have to create them or invest in their retooling, generating more American jobs in the process.
Of course, the Great Green Hope of making anything in America would include -- as Obama highlighted in his address -- the realization of our own clean energy economy. Completing the circle, that would mean bridges assembled by American workers, using products built in American factories that are powered by American-harnessed wind or solar power.
For now, it's the dream of a nation. But as the President laid out for the American people, the blueprint is there. We just have to follow it.
]]>Eco Etiquette: 5 Eco-Friendly Ways To Lose Weighttag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2012:/theblog//3.11854742012-01-05T04:35:26-05:002012-03-05T05:12:02-05:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Surprise, surprise: My New Year's resolution is to get rid of that spare tire I acquired over the holidays. (I'm a sucker for eggnog.) I'm curious: Are there ways to lose weight that are better for the environment than others?
Given the, ahem, enormity of the problem, it's important to note that the method of weight loss is somewhat moot. It's the losing weight part that matters, at least where the planet is concerned: Worldwide obesity is adding an estimated 1 billion extra metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere each year, thanks to higher fuel and food demands of the overweight.
Translation: We're getting fatter, we're making our cars heavier, and it's taking a heck of a lot more gas (read: carbon emissions) to push our portly patooties on over to the drive-thru.
Weight gain hasn't only increased oil dependency at the pump. Obesity has increased airline fuel costs, as well, to the tune of 350 million additional gallons (or 3.8 million tons of CO2) a year.
Those statistics were the best I could find, and they come from an American Journal of Preventive Medicine report published back in 2004. By 2015, weight-related transportation emissions will likely be even higher, since it's predicted that an astounding 75 percent of Americans will be overweight.
Then, check out these five eco-friendly weight loss tips, below. I've put the easiest ones first, so you'll be more motivated to give them a go.
Hit the hay an hour earlier. What does extra shut-eye have to do with being skinny? Look at the science: More than 24 studies link a healthy night's sleep with a healthy weight. In one recent study, dieters who slept for 8.5 hours a night lost 55 percent more body fat than their 5.5-hour-a-night counterparts. But by turning off the lights (and the TV, and the computer, and the iPhone) early, you'll be slimming electricity consumption, too -- by as much as 20 percent per household.
Give up the gym. Don't take this too literally if you live in a frigid winter climate where joining a gym is your only exercise option (most experts say you need to move to lose weight), but if you live in say, Southern California, why not swap that energy-eating treadmill for a date with Mother Nature? Hit the paths in a local park, go for a weekend hike with your family, or even better: Leave the car that you would have driven to the gym at home and try a bike commute instead.
Get cookin'. Restaurant portions are huge and fast food is laden with fat, calories and genetically modified corn, so it should come as no surprise that Americans' weight has steadily risen as we eat less and less of our calories at home. The slim solution? Make like Jamie Oliver and cook fresh food as often as you can. Organic is nice if you can afford it, though not necessary: You'll be doing your part by cutting down on packaging waste and energy-intensive processed food.
Frequent the farmers market. The next step is to support local, sustainable agriculture by shopping at your farmers market. With all those farm-fresh fruits and veggies, you will be eating healthier; but the real weight loss effect here has to do with food appreciation. Once you know the farmer who woke up at 2 a.m. to bring your eggs to market, it's not as easy to absentmindedly wolf down the resulting omelet as, say, a Taco Bell breakfast burrito. Mindful eating = mini-er you.
Swap the burger for beans. For the biggest impact on both your waistline and the planet, the answer is easy: Go vegetarian, or even better -- vegan. Vegetarians are typically up to 20 percent slimmer than meat eaters; vegans, even more so. And since animal agriculture accounts for more greenhouse gas emissions than all cars, trains and planes worldwide, you really will be making a difference. So feel good about hugging those trees along with your skinny new self!
]]>Eco Etiquette: More Tips For A Zero Waste Holiday Seasontag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.11331952011-12-07T01:39:59-05:002012-02-05T05:12:01-05:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Are you currently in the throes of Christmastime consumerism? Don't fret: This week's Eco Etiquette features Part II of my interview with Bea Johnson, author of The Zero Waste Home blog. (For Part I, click here.)
Bea is helping us trim our trash along with the tree, as well we should: Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, Americans will produce an astonishing 25 percent more waste. That's 1 million tons of garbage a year to stuff our stockings.
Jennifer Grayson: I personally love the "experience" gift -- a massage or concert tickets, for instance -- which you suggest as a way to minimize waste. But what about for people who are more into "things"?
Bea Johnson: You can give consumables in a reusable jar. Something that you or the kids make is especially good for teachers. I don't know if postal workers accept food, though...
JG: I'm pretty sure they take tips.
BJ: There you go -- money -- that's totally reusable [laughs]! You can also buy a used gift.
JG: I like to call that vintage.
BJ: Last Christmas, when my son asked me for a chess board, I bought it used. I actually looked at my local thrift shop and couldn't find one, so I bought it on eBay.
JG: I read on your blog, though, that you once accidentally bought a new item on eBay, thinking it was secondhand.
BJ: eBay has so many new items. When searching, you have to check that little box on the side that says "used."
JG: Good to remember.
BJ: Also important: When you pay for the item, you can add a message to the seller. Ask for no plastic shipping materials -- request recyclable materials -- because then when you get all the plastic, it's up to you to discard it.
JG: Ugh, I hate those foam peanuts! How do you feel about regifting?
BJ: There is nothing wrong with regifting! If you have something you were going to give to Salvation Army, why not put it aside instead for someone you know is going to enjoy it? Although: You really have to know the person is going to enjoy it.
JG: Right. It's not Zero Waste if you're just passing off your junk to someone else. What about other holiday tips? Decorations, for instance--
BJ: For the tree, we use a potted topiary from our deck. The tradition started when my husband had just quit his job to start a company; it was killing me to buy a $50 tree to be up for one week and then put on the curb. The first year was a little odd because we were so used to having a Christmas tree, but now we love it! The decorations look great on it.
JG: I'll bet your kids have an emotional attachment to the tree, now, too -- it's like they get to dress it up every year.
BJ: Yeah! Also: Instead of buying a garland, a string of popcorn looks fantastic. Then after the holidays, you can hang it outside for the birds.
JG: Or even cranberries -- I've seen that before. It looks very pretty.
BJ: I also love making a gingerbread house. The kids always look forward to that. We make it from scratch, and they get all excited that we use bulk candy to decorate it.
JG: You even buy gingerbread house candy in bulk?
BJ: Candy stores usually sell different types of candy in bulk -- just pack it in a reusable bag. Speaking of reusable bags... you can find reusable cloth gift bags now, too. Then there's furoshiki, which I think more people should know about.
JG: I know about it from your blog! What's so interesting is that all of these tips are so old-fashioned. It's what people used to do before we could go to Target and buy bobblehead Santas.
BJ: I used to shop there in my previous life. We would go, like, every week and I would spend hundreds of dollars...on what? I have no idea. Disposable Christmas décor can get really out of hand. You use it once and throw it in the garbage can. That's essentially what you're doing with your dollars.
JG: Speaking of dollars, how much less do you think you're spending than the average American over the holidays?
BJ: I can't say for the holidays, but my husband has run the numbers from five years ago [before Zero Waste] compared with last year and found we're saving 40 percent overall.
JG: Wow, talk about motivation for a Zero Waste lifestyle... I think I just found my New Year's resolution! Happy holidays, Bea!
And happy holidays, HuffPost Green readers. Miss Eco Etiquette will see you all in 2012!
]]>Eco Etiquette: How To Have A Zero Waste Holiday Seasontag:www.huffingtonpost.com,2011:/theblog//3.11199322011-11-30T02:45:57-05:002012-01-29T05:12:01-05:00Jennifer Graysonhttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/jennifer-grayson/Send all your eco-inquiries to Jennifer Grayson at eco.etiquette@gmail.com. Questions may be edited for length and clarity.
Any tips for how to reduce waste over the holidays? Despite my best eco efforts, I can't seem to put a stop to all the useless gifts, disposable decorations, piles of wrapping paper, etc.
-Claudia
If your garbage can is already feeling fuller than usual, you're not alone: According to the Environmental Protection Agency, American household waste increases an astounding 25 percent between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, or an extra 1 million tons each year. That's an awful lot of trash for the sake of good tidings.
And that number may be higher this holiday season. Despite the down economy, Americans are still buying, buying, buying: This past Cyber Monday was the heaviest online shopping day of all time, with $1.25 billion spent.
While Ms. Eco Etiquette personally tries her best not to cave in to all the consumerism, admittedly even she has a hard time keeping her trash can lean and clean this time of year. (Maybe she's too polite to tell well-meaning gift-givers no?)
So this year, I'm calling for outside help. Meet Bea Johnson, author of The Zero Waste Home blog. She, her husband and two sons live in a lovely home in Marin County, Calif., like any other stylish American family, save for one caveat: The amount of trash they produce in a year can fit in a quart-size jar. (Don't believe me? Watch this video.)
That doesn't mean they're short on holiday fun, though, as I learned when I spoke with Bea before the Thanksgiving break. She says it's possible to not only trim the holiday waste, but eliminate it altogether. Read, then get inspired to start some Zero Waste traditions of your own.
Jennifer Grayson: First off, I have to tell you I'm a fan of your blog. My family and I recently had to move to smaller temporary housing, and we put a lot of our belongings in storage and sold the rest. We're kind of loving it. It's very freeing to not have so much stuff around.
Bea Johnson: You know, that's how Zero Waste started for us, because we also moved from a large home to a small one; in between we lived in an apartment, had to put our stuff in storage and loved living with less. Once we did find a house that was small, we were like, OK, we need to get rid of all that stuff we had.
JG: So speaking of all that stuff: How does the Zero Waste Home avoid it over the holidays? What are your plans this year?
BJ: This year, we're going to Hawaii for Christmas. The kids don't know about it yet, but it's going to be all paid for by renting out our house.
JG: Spoiler alert. I hope your kids aren't reading this.
BJ: It's really easy for us to rent out our home, since we live so simply -- it's 15 minutes to clear the house of our personal belongings. We each have a carry-on; we open our carry-on, the whole closet fits in the carry-on, and then we're out of there. That's how we paid for our trip to France this past summer.
JG: Wow. Most people wouldn't be able to do that because it would take weeks to pack everything up. So fabulous as that sounds, do your kids get actual presents, too? Or do you just give experiences?
BJ: This year, it's going to be all experiences because in Hawaii, we'll probably also get them a snorkeling or mountain bike excursion. Last year, I gave the kids a subscription to a monthly surprise family activity [SFA] where we do something fun we've never done before. They really enjoyed it -- it's the Christmas present that keeps on giving.
JG: It sounds like they've really embraced the Zero Waste lifestyle, even during the holidays.
BJ: At first, it was an adjustment. The holiday season has become a competition with the other kids. You know your kids are going to go back to school and they'll be comparing presents, so you think you need to have a well stocked tree. But our kids are fine with it; last year, they each asked for only one present, and we didn't ask them to do that.
JG: For us, the biggest challenge is our very generous extended family. We have a 15-month-old daughter, and the presents just keep coming.
BJ: This is where you have to be super proactive. Send an email ahead of time to let your loved ones know you're happy with what you have, you don't need anything else, and you would rather the grandparents take the money they'd spend on toys and come visit you so you can spend time together. Time, to me, is more valuable than anything.
JG:Dear Family, please stop showering our daughter with toys... Yikes, I don't know if I can do that.
BJ: It helps to give really concrete ideas, otherwise people get kind of lost because they're so used to buying stuff. We always say movie tickets or a bowling pass, or a gift certificate to a local ice cream shop.
JG: OK, Bea -- you've inspired me. I'm off to write that email...
Want more tips for a Zero Waste holiday season? Part II of my interview with Bea Johnson covers edible holiday decorations, slashing your budget by nearly half and how to re-gift like a pro. Check back here next week!
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