Go Greener Tips

pimg height=183 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_ecogeek/solar-speakers.jpg width=468 //ppHere’s a great design concept just in time for summer when gatherings move outdoors and you want the music to move with you. Finnish designer Pekka Salokannel has created the portable and solar-powered Gramo Speakers that allow you to hook up the music inside or outside while skipping the need for electricity./ppThe speakers are outfitted with three layers of solar PV panels that charge a built-in battery pack so even in the dark, the speakers can keep the party going. If you need to move the speakers further than your patio, they fold flat so that they can be easily carried in a pocket or bag. The volume is be controlled by soft-touch controls on the speakers./ppThe Gramo is designed to work with your computer, iPod, or iPhone./ppSince the speakers are still just a concept, there’s no information on the sound quality or pricing. Regardless, it’s a wonderful design. I hope to see these, or something similar, available soon.br /br /
via a href=http://www.ecofriend.org/entry/eco-gadgets-solar-powered-speaker-brings-sustainable-music-to-your-tabletop/Ecofriend/a/p

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div class=image style=float:right;padding-left:8px;img alt=image name height=230 src=http://a323.yahoofs.com/ymg/daily_green_news/daily_green_news-642656619-1241211575.jpg?ym3aPMBDSmR5oDNo width=300/br /em(Photo: Carmen Martínez Banús / iStockPhoto)/embr /br //divpThe a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/organic-food-tips-47-040801green food movement/a, at its most basic level, boils down to this old adage: You are what you eat. That’s why so many people avoid foods with a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foodspesticide residue/a, foods that were grown with fertilizers derived from fossil fuels, foods derived from genetically modified seeds or genes, milk or meat from animals pumped up with hormones or antibiotics…./ppWhile we can look for a USDA Organic and other reputable labels to find those foods grown to our standards, now it seems we should also consider the packaging that bears the label./ppA a href=http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/es9011417 target=_blanknew study/a published in emEnvironmental Science and Technology/em suggests there’s more to avoiding packaging than avoiding waste. The chemicals in food packaging — specifically papers treated to resist grease — are being found in human blood, suggesting that those chemicals are leaching from the packaging to the food, and then to us./ppYou are what you eat, yes. You are also what that food was packaged in. And that means your blood runs thick with perfluorochemicals, according to the University of Toronto study. (Thick is a deliberate overstatement, given that the chemicals are measured at a scale of parts per embillion/em, but when it comes to chemical exposure, that’s the scale that health experts often worry about.)/ppThe two most common chemicals detected are known as PFOS and PFOA, and a deep and growing body of research has already raised serious concerns about their safety. Neither is used directly in packaging, but both result from packaging chemicals — polyfluoroalkyl phosphoric acid diesters (diPAPs) — breaking down inside the human body./ppThis is the first study to link levels of PFOA and PFOS in blood to food packaging./ppOther studies have linked PFOA and PFOS to a range of health problems, including a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/infertility-cause-47020204infertility in women/a, and to liver, immune system, developmental and reproductive problems in lab animals./ppIn addition to food packaging, the chemicals are used to make breathable clothing, nonstick cookware, upholstery, carpets and many personal care products./ppPFOS is being phased out in the U.S. by its main manufacturer, 3M, and it is being considered for worldwide ban by the United Nations. PFOA, also known as C8, was developed by 3M and then manufactured by Dupont. The Environmental Protection Agency has asked U.S. companies to voluntarily stop using the chemical by 2015. /ppBoth chemicals are long-lived in the environment, and have been found widely throughout nature, including in high concentrations in Arctic wildlife, far from sources of industrial pollution. There appears to be no plans to phase out diPAPs from food packaging, however, so people will likely be exposed to both chemicals as diPAPs break down in the human body./ph25 Tips for Avoiding Packaging/h2pAvoiding packaging helps you reduce waste. It’s one of the best things you can do to a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/organic-food-tips-47-040801green your diet/a. When it comes to grease-resistant paper packaging, it also may be an important part of protecting your health./pollistrongEat real foods:/strong Real foods — fruits and vegetables, whole-grain bread, rice, etc. — typically aren’t heavily packaged, or processed./lilistrongBring your own bag:/strong Use a reusable bag made from canvas, cotton or other fiber to avoid wasting plastic or paper bags at the grocery store./lilistrongBuy in bulk:/strong Whenever possible, buy and store extra rice, beans, root vegetables and other foods that store well, in order to cut down on both waste and cost./lilistrongStart a garden:/strong There’s nothing like a href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/organic-gardening-tips-460309planting your own garden/a for cutting down on waste and enjoying the literal fruits of your labor./lilistrongStore food in glass:/strong Ditch the plastic for food storage whenever possible, and use glass./li/olbr /pMore from The Daily Green/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/organic-food-tips-47-040801?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgGreen Your Diet: 18 Steps/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/Dirty-Dozen-Foods?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Dirty Dozen: 12 Foods to Buy Organic/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/environmental-news/latest/healthy-recipes-47012605?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgThe Real Food Diet: Superfoods For a Health Boost/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/recycling-symbols-plastics-460321?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgWhat Do Recycling Symbols on Plastics Mean?/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/food-iq-quiz-44101001?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdgTest Your Food IQ: Take the Quiz!/a/pbr /pReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/pp /p

We received an email from Marque Cornblatt the other day encouraging us to check out his website, Gomi Style. I decided to pop over for a look and it seemed quite interesting (and fun) so I made sure to earmark it for further investigation.
Cornblatt himself seems to be a colourful (literally – check out [...]

We received an email from Marque Cornblatt the other day encouraging us to check out his website, Gomi Style. I decided to pop over for a look and it seemed quite interesting (and fun) so I made sure to earmark it for further investigation.
Cornblatt himself seems to be a colourful (literally – check out [...]

When we first received an email from Chad Pescod, owner of Enviroresponsible Inc, I was a tad skeptical to be totally honest. We get a lot of e-mails requesting links or suggesting we write an article about this and that (and the other thing), so I figured his email was no different.
My skepticism probably tripled [...]

I’d be lying if I said I’ve never dreamed of writing a emNew York Times/em bestseller. My little book, ema href=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Ultimate-Cheapskates-Road-Map-to-True-Riches/Jeff-Yeager/e/9780767926959/?itm=1 target=_newThe Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches/a/em, has sold okay, at least well enough that the publisher has me writing another one. But in terms of total sales, mine has never even entered the same solar system as books on the NYT list. div style=float:right;img alt=book shelf class=img height=230 hspace=10 src=http://l.yimg.com/a/feeds/us/grn/green_cheapstake/local-library-tip-med.jpg vspace=10 width=300//divpObviously, part of the reason for that is the fact that I write for and about cheapskates. Most of the folks who contact me to say that they liked my book eventually get around to admitting that they borrowed it from the a href=http://www.publiclibraries.com target=_newlibrary/a rather than bought a copy of their own. That’s fine with me. I’m a big supporter of public libraries and, of course, libraries pay for the copies they loan out. Libraries are inherently green institutions, a perfect example of what being a Green Cheapskate is all about. /ppBut then there are those readers who write to say that they loved my book so much they spent every lunch hour for the past two weeks standing in the back of a href=http://books.barnesandnoble.com target=_newBarnes Noble/a reading the whole thing. Those are always the fans who conclude with, PS – I can’t wait to read your next book! Ah, but for the economic realities of publishing. /ppMaybe I’m just trying to assuage my NYT emlist envy/em, but I had a touching email from a reader last week that made me feel even better than if I’d landed a berth on the emTimes/em’ prestigious roster. She wrote to tell me that my little book has occasionally had one of the longest waiting lists on the website a href=http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php target=_newPaperbackSwap.com/a, a terrific website where you post books you want to get rid of and send them off to folks who want them. You receive credits for the books you send to others, and then redeem your credits for books others are looking to giveaway. Books need to be in good condition, and you pay only for the postage on books you send out (usually about $2.50 per book). /ppThere are lots of other book exchanges on the web as well (some may charge membership and processing fees), including: /pullia href=http://www.bookmooch.com target=_newbookmooch.com/a/lilia href=http://www.bookins.com target=_newbookins.com/a/lilia href=http://www.SwapTree.com target=_newSwapTree.com/a/lilia href=http://www.titletrader.com target=_newtitletrader.com/a/lilia href=http://www.campusbookswap.org target=_newcampusbookswap.org/a/lilia href=http://www.novelaction.com target=_newnovelaction.com/a/li/ulpIn the current economy — with cash tighter than a drumhead — maybe there should be a strongnew/strongemNew York Times/em bestseller list, one composed of those books with the longest waiting lists at the public library and on sites like PaperbackSwap.com. That would be a list of the favorites among readers who are smart enough to understand that there’s a greener — and cheaper — way to read the books they want to read. /ppOf course, that doesn’t mean I’d turn down a slot on the emTimes/em’ current list if they come knocking./ppstrongMore from The Daily Green/strong/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/save-money-megaflip?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg30+ Ways to Save Money by Going Green/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/vodka-uses-460424?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Surprising Uses for Vodka/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/going-green/latest/green-tips-10-easiest?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg10 Easiest Green Tips/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/healthy-eating/eat-safe/super-foods-44030408?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg7 Superfoods You Should Be Eating/a/ppa href=http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/natural-swimming-pools-460908?link=reldom=yah_greensrc=syncon=artmag=tdg23 Breathtaking Natural Swimming Pools/a/pbr /pemJeff Yeager is the author of the book a href=http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Ultimate-Cheapskates-Road-Map-to-True-Riches/Jeff-Yeager/e/9780767926959/?itm=1 target=_newThe Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches/a. His website is a href=http://www.ultimatecheapskate.com/ target=_newwww.UltimateCheapskate.com/a./em/ppReprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc/pp /p

When we first received an email from Chad Pescod, owner of Enviroresponsible Inc, I was a tad skeptical to be totally honest. We get a lot of e-mails requesting links or suggesting we write an article about this and that (and the other thing), so I figured his email was no different.
My skepticism probably tripled [...]

We received an email from Marque Cornblatt the other day encouraging us to check out his website, Gomi Style. I decided to pop over for a look and it seemed quite interesting (and fun) so I made sure to earmark it for further investigation.
Cornblatt himself seems to be a colourful (literally – check out [...]

By Dave McIntyre -

Climate change has the global wine industry terrified. The rise in average temperatures threatens to make it difficult, if not impossible, to produce balanced wines in regions that have defined quality for centuries. That delights British winemakers, who dream of supplanting Bordeaux or champagne. But it does not bode well for hotter climes, such as Napa Valley.

So wineries are trying to save the planet. A group called the California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance announced last week that 359 energy-saving projects at the state’s wineries had eliminated more than 30,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions over the past four years, the equivalent of removing more than 4,200 cars from rush-hour traffic. We can all applaud that. But “sustainable winegrowing” means more than saving electricity; it means protecting the land, and here’s where an “Earth-friendly” winery can influence us as consumers: by making better wine.

Are wines better if they are produced in an Earth-friendly manner? I think so, but I cannot prove it. I believe wines taste more vibrant when they are grown without pesticides and herbicides; they express a sense of place, an individuality that cannot be conveyed by a simple label of “cabernet” or “merlot.”

I’ll admit I want to believe that, but it makes sense. Earth-friendly farming should produce a better crop, whether it’s local lettuce or Carneros chardonnay.

There are three shades of green winegrowing: sustainable, organic and biodynamic, or what I like to call S/O/B wines. Unfortunately, there is no clear definition for any category, so there’s a “buyer beware” aspect to this discussion.

Sustainable, simply put, means the grapes were grown with few or no chemical fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides, so the soil is nurtured and not depleted of nutrients. Sustainable viticulture differs from organic mainly in its lack of a formal definition or certification and oversight by an outside body. Sustainable growers maintain the freedom to use non-organic chemicals in dire situations when their crop is in jeopardy.

Organic is the most problematic category because of confusing legal definitions. When the U.S. Department of Agriculture issued regulations a few years ago defining “organic” agriculture, it characterized organic wine as that grown in organically certified vineyards and made without added sulfites. Sulfites keep wine from spoiling, and the wine industry typically refuses to sell you a product that is likely to go bad before you have a chance to enjoy it. So you are more likely to see a U.S. wine labeled “made from organically grown grapes” than one labeled simply “organic.” Or there will be no mention of the “O” word at all on the label.

Biodynamic winemaking goes way beyond organics: It views the vineyard as a holistic ecosystem and prescribes vineyard practices according to phases of the moon.

It might feel good to buy an Earth-friendly selection, but what ultimately matters is how the wine tastes. Try one with an open mind, and be prepared to have your conceptions of how the wine should taste challenged: That’s terroir, a sense of place, the flavor of a healthy vineyard.