Post-Holiday Clean Up

After the holidays, it's inevitable -

- overflowing trash bins.  According to the EPA, American households produce a staggering one million tons of trash during the holidays alone!

Wrapping paper, cardboard packaging, broken lights, dying trees... they all get piled at the curb, waiting to go to the landfill.  Some cities might mulch your tree, but in many cases it too just gets thrown away.  And we all know that there is no such thing as "away."

I think it's pretty obvious what you can do to decrease your holiday waste footprint - recycle.  The wrapping paper, cards, envelope, and cardboard boxes are easiest - they can go in with your regular paper recycling.  You can even save yourself some money next year by re-using the paper or making small gift boxes out of the holiday cards.

But what about those dead, broken strings of twinkle lights?  There are even ways to recycle those!  Here in Michigan, a company called Holiday LEDs will recycle your lights for you.  All you have to do is mail them in - and if you team up with friends, family, or neighbors, you can share that cost.  Better yet, Holiday LEDs will send you a 20%-off coupon for new, energy efficient LED light strings.  Other companies are available across the country - visit Earth911.com to find resources in your area.

As for your tree, if you have some property the best thing to do is put the tree out to naturally decompose.  Next year, spend a little extra for a live tree - one with an intact root ball - and plant it in your yard.  Dead or alive, your tree will also create habitat for songbirds, chipmunks and rabbits.

If self-mulching or natural decomposition isn't an option for you, check with your city waste department to find out what they will do with your tree.  In Toledo, if you are on the new automated pick-up system, you will have to call the city to have your tree picked up.  Also, Toledo's Department of Solid Waste sends all trees to the landfill - and while they will eventually decompose there, it's a much slower process than it is in nature, and just adds to the volume of trash.  However there are several places in Toledo that will take Christmas trees and treat it as compostable yard waste - check this list for details.

And in Monroe County, Michigan, you can drop your tree off at any of these locations, free of charge.

Don't let the holidays be any different from other times of the year - do your best to reduce your waste, and recycle what you can!

Happy Holidays!

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday.  I will post again after the New Year.

Fixing Your Coffee

Consider the humble cup of coffee - a morning staple for many, a quick pick-me-up, a symbol of a civilized and hard-working society, a bookstore must.  It's also the world's second most valuable legal commodity after oil, with environmental and social impacts to match.

Did you know coffee trees grow naturally in the shade?  Yet in 1970's the industrialization of coffee farming moved many operations into the sun - requiring that fields in South America be clear-cut to accommodate the larger farms.  While this new way of farming allowed for greater yields, it has since severely damaged the already fragile eco-system of the rain forests.  Not only deforestation, but pesticide pollution, habitat destruction, and soil and water degradation plague the areas where coffee farming has been moved from the natural shade of the forest to the man-made open fields.

In addition, the large sun-grown operations are edging out the smaller family farms that maintain their centuries-old traditions in the shade.  The rustic farms are run out of business by the large operations that charge a fraction of what the coffee is worth - driving down the price on the market until the small farms can't afford to operate.  The "sweatshops in the fields" take over with only profits in mind - the welfare of their own workers is not even important.

There are two ways that you can contribute to not only a better coffee industry, but even get a better cup of coffee.  Certified Organic brands are shade-grown, not sun-grown, and won't contain pesticide or herbicide residues.  But also looking for the Fair Trade label ensures that the coffee was purchased at a fair price from small family farms that take care of their employees.  Most of the time you will find these labels together.

And don't forget to use your own mug instead of paper or styrofoam!

Sources:  Wikipedia, Global Exchange,  Organic Trade Association

Eco-Heroes: Adolph Murie

Adolph Murie – 1899-1974

Throughout his life, Murie had a passion for wildlife.  He earned his doctoral degree in biology, and became an important voice in preserving wild nature in the National Parks.  He conducted a number of studies, including an influential report on the wolves in Alaska’s Denali National Park (then called Mt. McKinley National Park).     Murie’s observations of the wolves in their natural habitat led to a ban on wolf hunting in Denali, and also contributed to future wolf reintroduction efforts in Yellowstone National Park.

Murie lived in Alaska for much of his life, and his love of the wilderness pushed him to oppose the development of the park.  In the 1960’s his voice was heard, and a proposed 90-mile paved road was stopped after 13 miles.

The Murie Center in Grand Teton National Park continues the conservation work started by Murie and his brother, Olaus, and The Murie Science and Learning Center in Denali was opened in 2004.

Green Briefs: Natural Air Cleaners

Some plants are particularly effective at absorbing the chemicals and pollutants found inside our homes and offices.  Clean up your indoor air and brighten your work and living spaces by surrounding yourself with plants such as spider plants, ferns, rubber plants, ivy, or palms.

Carbon, Climate Change, what??

Some of you may have seen the news stories regarding the Climategate scandal - for those who haven't, here is a link to a good, unbiased article covering the basics:

Climate sceptics claim leaked emails are evidence of collusion among scientists

In reality, it doesn't matter whether you believe in climate change or not - if it is caused by humans or just a natural cycle of the planet, if it will end in catastrophe or if it will have no serious effects, if it was a government conspiracy or if the media blew it out of proportion.  In the end, every 'solution' to climate change, whether it be wind power, hybrid vehicles, bio-fuels, reducing the use of plastics, energy-efficient buildings... these are all good things, good practices, and good solutions for other problems besides climate change.  Reducing our impact on the planet is important, no matter what catchphrase you give it or what reason you assign.

At my company, our purchase of carbon offsets is focused on the investment in and support of renewable energy projects in the United States.  The company we purchase through, NativeEnergy, builds wind farms and bio-gas energy plants in the U.S. - one of their current projects is the wind farm in the town of Greensburg, Kansas, featured on Discovery Channel's Planet Green.  Their metrics for determining the amount we contribute to them is based on carbon (metric tons of CO2 produced via car and air travel), but in the end we are simply proud to support their efforts in renewable energy.

Sustainable Guide for the Holidays

Need gift ideas for the treehuggers on your list?  Want to pass on the spirit of sustainability?  Click on these links for green, fair trade, and charitable gift ideas!

• About.Com


• Treehugger


• The Daily Green


• Environmental Defense Fund


• Green America


• Gaiam


• Yahoo


• Global Exchange


• The Rainforest Alliance


• Etsy


• Whole Foods Market


• Planet Green


• The Body Shop


• Aveda


• Mother Earth News


• Charity Navigator


• The Ultimate Green Store


• Patagonia


• Care2


• The Rainforest Site


• The Animal Rescue Site


• Gifts With Humanity


• Ebay’s World of Good


• Ten Thousand Villages


• To Write Love On Her Arms


• American Cancer Society


• Changing the Present


• Product(RED)

What's all the fuss about...? Hybrid Vehicles

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, “So do you drive a Prius?”  My answer is no – but not because I don’t think hybrid cars are worthwhile.  There are a lot of pros and cons to hybrid vehicles, and it’s important to understand when and why hybrid technology is a good choice, and when and why it might not be.

How it works

A basic hybrid has two engines – a highly fuel efficient gas engine, and a large electric motor.  The gas engine is used to start the vehicle and operate it at highway speeds.  It also works to re-charge the battery of the electric motor, and takes over if the battery loses charge.  The electric motor operates the vehicle during typical city use – stop-and-go driving – and the braking system continuously recharges the battery.  Contrary to popular belief, hybrids do not need to be plugged in!

The Good

The most obvious benefit to the hybrid system is fuel efficiency.  Hybrid gas engines range between 40 and 60 mpg when in use on the highway (for car models; SUVs will be lower), and the normally less-efficient city driving is managed by the electric motor.  When idling the motor simply shuts off, saving power.

When compared to a fully electric vehicle, hybrids also have an advantage in the fact that the driver will never be stranded without power.  When the battery runs low, the gas engine kicks in and begins recharging the electric motor.

Monetarily, the federal government offers a tax break to hybrid drivers, and the amount of money spent annually on fuel can usually be cut in half.  Many insurance companies also offer discounts to hybrid drivers.

The Bad

The key to deciding whether a hybrid is the right vehicle is your driving pattern.  If the majority of your road-time is on the highway, you’re not going to benefit as much from the hybrid technology as a city driver.  The biggest benefit of a hybrid is the electric motor, which you’ll recall is only used in stop-and-go driving.  You’ll still get great gas mileage on the highway, but it’s kind of missing the point of a hybrid vehicle.  Highway drivers would better benefit from a fuel-efficient gas vehicle.

The other catch is the price.  Hybrid cars often cost significantly more than gas vehicles, and even though advances in technology and high demand have brought the prices down, they can still cost up to $10,000 more than an inexpensive four-cylinder car.

The Myths

While the technology within a hybrid system is complex, the maintenance is no more difficult than that of a regular vehicle.  Many critics lament over the disposal of the battery, but proper care of the vehicle ensures that it won’t need replacing.  And some systems, such as the regenerative brakes, last longer than in regular vehicles.

Hybrid cars also have a bad rap for being “funny looking.”  This may just be a matter of taste, but many car manufacturers are hearing the buzz and converting their standard models into hybrids.  The Honda Civic, the Chevy Malibu, even the Lexus RX crossover now come with a hybrid system, yet they look exactly like their gas-powered counterparts.

These are just a few things to consider if you’re thinking about making the switch to hybrid.  For more information, check out www.hybridcars.com