The Green Diaries

Save the light bulb!

2009-01-18T19:08:00.005Z

This Green Lady is back after a long hiatus due to the production of a very resource hungry addition to the family...a wee, little baby!

But the trials and tribulations of trying to be environmentally responsible whilst rearing a little one will be the fodder of my future entries. Because today I am obsessed with the new laws regarding the upcoming ban on the standard, every day light bulb.

It's nothing short of lighting fascism!

You might think that I would be shouting hurrah for the new laws to get rid of the standard incandescent light bulb, forcing people to buy compact fluorescent lamps (CFLs), which are considered to be 'eco-bulbs', instead. After all, I'm trying to be a mother earth role model.

But this new law is one of the strangest and most intrusive that I can imagine. We'll all end up blind and bedridden with ongoing migraines because...those eco-bulbs suck!

I used to buy them, seeing it as my duty to spend more for them in order to use less power, but they create a hideous organge/green/grey glow, give me headaches and make everything look grimy. Not only that, but they don't last as long as they say (negating much of their 'green' credentials) and because we don't leave many lights on anyway, we never really saw a reduction of our kilowatt usage when we did start using them.

In fact, I found them so heinous that last year I decided to go back to regular 40w bulbs, the kind that create a lovely white glow and allow me to read without squinting due to grey/green/organge glow mentioned above.

The really insanely annoying thing is, while on one hand the government thinks it wise to annoy us with this light bulb rule, they are going ahead and pushing through a 3rd runway at Heathrow that has received massive criticism from everyone except airline executives.

Do they think we're unbelievably dim? (clearly, pun is intended)

So we will be forced to live in terribly lit homes on the one hand, whilst the government is okaying a plan that will require construction that will produce about a gazillion tons of CO2, just for the construction, and then another gazillion tons due to additional flight capacity. And more noise pollution for us West Londoners.

It's all completely insane. I'm a lifetime liberal but I can't take this weird, stifling government anymore. Bring on the general election.

In the meantime, I recommend you stockpile regular bulbs if you value your vision and/or sanity.

Find out more and read some very interesting comments at:

+ The Times Online: Light bulbs to be phased out
+ The Telegraph: Brussels pulls plug on old light bulbs

The Great Garbage Patch- the nastiest of all plastic dumps

2008-05-26T09:09:00.009Z

I only just heard about what is called "The Great Garbage Patch" this week. It's a massive floating dump in the Pacific made up of plastic that collects and malingers, growing daily and destroying sea life in its path.

And when I say massive I mean massive - it's the size of 2 Texases (some say 2 continental North Americas)! A heaving mass of junk stuck in the Pacific gyre, a system of currents that provide the right conditions to magnetise all of the plastic debris chucked into the Pacific from land and ships.

Two times the size of Texas!

So how is it I have only heard about it now? I keep up on environmental news, I always read the NYTimes science sections, National Geographic, eco blogs - the types of publications that should be covering this type of thing.

After all, the great garbage patch is massive: physically environmentally and symbolically.

And scientists have been studying it for years...so why the lack of coverage, and action to get rid of it?

Maybe because it's hidden - the parameters of the great garbage patch start about 750 miles off of US shores and inhabit chunks of the Pacific rarely traveled by non-cargo ships.

Maybe because it's insidious - much of the plastic that makes up the patch has been broken down into tiny fragments that look like plankton, thus coining a phrase used by many oceanographers that it is like a massive sea of plastic soup. The marine life actually thinks the plastic fragments are plankton and ingest them regularly - thus killing off many animals. And for those that survive, ensuring plastic works it's way into our food chain.

It's a massive, skanky reminder of just how problematic the proliferation of plastic is. And with as estimated 80% of the garbage patch waste coming from land (i.e. the US) and 20% coming from passing ships, it seems criminal that such dumping practices have not been caught and punished.

It's also another reminder that the only way plastic can ever have a safe and useful place on this earth is when it's recycled and reused - the minute it is disposed of (even in sensible ways) it becomes an environmental hazard either leaking chemicals into the ground or polluting our oceans on a scale that seems unfathomable.

Bring on the plastic ban I say! Plastic bottles, plastic bags, plastic food containers - they are a convenience, not a necessity, and have a huge environmental cost. (And then there are the health costs that are just now being understood.)

And more importantly, why is there no international body regulating massive problems like this? Can't we find a way to start to clean the mess up? Can't we prosecute and heavily fine ships that dump and land side dumpers? What's the point of governments if they don't deal with issues like this?

Learn more:

+ Alphabet Soup: A Look at Pollution in the Ocean (video part 1)
+ Alphabet Soup: A Look at Pollution in the Ocean (video part 2)
+ World's biggest garbage dump: plastic in the ocean (video)
+ Great garbage patch info site
+ The world's rubbish tip (in The Independent)

Marks and Spencers starts 5p plastic bag charge

2008-05-11T09:17:00.002Z

After months of talking about it, and an official government stance in this year's budget that plastic shopping bags should be charged for, Marks & Spencer's has officially started charging 5p for every plastic shopping bag customers use.

Finally!

I know it's just one store for now, but it means a few million people a day will be deterred from getting a bag for a single sandwich or a soda, which happens ALL of the time. Prior to the charge coming into effect on May 6, every time I bought my lunch at an M&S it seemed everyone is front of me was getting a plastic bag for the tiniest of purchases, which made me want to smack them on the back of the head. Is it so hard to carry a small sandwich in your hand the whole 100 yards to your office if you don't have a reusable bag?

Me and the big guy have been bringing our own bags to stores for years and he now has his own discreet man bag, suitable for tough guys - a small black bag that folds up into the size of a pack of gum. He brings it everywhere with him now. My reusable bags are more flowery and when I forget one, I either try to hand carry what I've bought, or if I'm forced to get a plastic bag because I don;t have my own I a) mentally torture myself for being ditzy and then b) make sure I save it to put it into a specific bag recycling box, which they have at Tescos and Whole Foods.

I support a full ban on plastic shopping bags altogether, until they make them non petroleum based and completely bio-degradable. They aren't necessary and they leave a terrible legacy. 13 billion a year used in the UK alone, just sitting in landfill for the next thousand years. That's just nasty.

And if they aren't around people will be forced to use their owns bags, boxes, baskets and carts and that will be that. I doubt anyone will ever say 'Remember how great things were when we used to get those free little plastic bags?'

Find out more:
+ Official M&S bag charge press release
+Bag charge story in The Telegraph
+Country by country view of tackling plastic bag usage

Extra insulation proves a hit

2008-01-05T21:25:00.000Z

Our new cottage is proving challenging. Because we're renting, we can't go wild with winter-proofing it as we'd like. And when the temperatures dropped last month, every room was freezing with droughts coming in from the rickety windows and doors. The huge, ancient boiler chugged away trying to keep up to no avail. It was just so depressing.

Solution: Husband went out and bought rolls of foamy insulating tape and lined every gap and hole. He then put in a large wooden drought excluded to block the massive gap on our front door. The difference is massive. It gets warmer quicker and stays warm longer.

But it brings up the issue of environmentally negligent landlords. They don't double glaze, only buy efficient boilers when the ancient ones finally break down, and could care less about the energy leaking homes they rent out, as long as they're not paying for the gas bills.

They should all be forced to follow eco-codes for their housing stock. From what we've seen, they won't be progressive, or even sensible, unless forced to.

Recycling centre visit request

2007-12-16T12:09:00.001Z

I have made an official request to visit any of London's recycling centres for an in-depth look at how they really work.

Questions like a) who sorts out the 'mixed bags' full of various types of recyclables and b) how are they actually recycled?

Most people I speak to are cynical that anything happens to the mixed recycling bags - and I myself don't understand how our typical mixed recycling bag, which will usually contain up to 6 types of plastic, aluminum, glass and various types of paper (including little bitty pieces) can possibly be efficiently sorted and unless there is a huge team rifling through it all on conveyor belts.

I want to know - is it all a London borough con? Where is the evidence of how it is all actually recycled? I can never find any reports on it, apart from % of waste that is sent to recycling sites, not how much is actually recycled or how it is recycled.

On an amusing note, one of our friends accidentally put his recycling bag out a day early on his street in Notting Hill (in the Kensington & Chelsea) borough. He was then issued with an £80 fine ($160) after they searched through the bag to get his name for improper disposal - because he got the wrong day. Huh? In New York City they fine buildings that have placed recyclables in the garbage area which makes sense - being punished for NOT recycling, not punished FOR recycling.

Summertime in October in...New York?

2007-12-16T11:41:00.000Z

Me and the husband found ourselves with a spare week on our hands in October and decided to make a last minute trip to visit my family and friends in New York. It was mid-October and I thought let's go now so English husband can see the spectacular east coast fall foliage for the first time. So we bought last minute tickets - bringing our flight tally to 3 for the year - 2 short hauls (Berlin & Outer Hebrides) and 1 long haul (New York). Taking the train or driving to any of these places is a) impossible or b) ridiculously long (13+ hours) so I feel vindicated in my pollution choices.

I packed a bag of woolie sweater, jeans and scarves expecting the typical brisk autumn temperatures.

But when we landed in New York we were greeted with summertime, balmy weather. My skin instantly glowed and my hair went into a mass of waves. For 5 days I had to wear the same sleeveless t-shirt and light pants I just happened to bring.

We drank outside, ate outside and took long, sweaty walks along the streets of Manhattan and Brooklyn and even had a beach day trip to CT. The warm weather felt fantastic, I have to admit. But it was freaky. Just like last year when we went to NY for Christmas and I had to peel my winter jacket off in the 60+F sun due to heat exhaustion.

And the hot temperatures retarded the famous burst of the foliage. Central Park was lush and green, barely an orange or red leaf in sight, and our trip up to the Catskills in the 3rd week in October was green for the first 30 miles before we started to see any colorful leaves in the spectacular mountain setting. The foliage was only at about 30% , versus the 80-90% it would normally be at that time of year. In fact, our first day visiting our friends' country house up there, it was so warm, we poured some beers and sun bathed in their gorgeous back garden which overlooked the green rolling hills. It was b-b-q weather. You could see the geese flying southward by in their fantastic migration formations, no doubt confused about why they were leaving such a summery place.

Back in London, there is no sign of bizarre warming in the least. It has been wintry for a good 6 weeks now, with a slight lapse into the low 50sF (12-13C) every now and then. And rain rain rain. Properly miserable November/early December. But the past week has been in the low 30sF (3-4C). And today is sunny and crisp - full hat and scarf weather.

Which means the heat is cranked up. Another tick in my sinner column. But it is supposed to be coming from green sources, which makes me feel not quite as bad.

Learning about biofuels

2007-09-30T10:18:00.000Z

I love National Geographic. It's just about the only publication I trust. Each story is crafted and researched for months by experts, fact checked and fact checked again (unlike just about any other 'news' source). It explores the unseen, wild and exotic in a way that is tangible and captivating. With some of the best photography around.

It's the reason I know anything about the world at all, really.

The cover story this month is on biofuels. It is, as usual, a thorough and balanced view of the potential future of fuel plus excellent pub quiz knowledge like: this year's Indy 500 was won in a car fuelled by ethanol and driven by a Scot. (hey!)

As a bonus, there is a complementary interactive piece online that compares the different types of biofuels.

+ National Geographic's Biofuel Inteactive

I wonder if someday we can use our household compost to power our cars...?

TGV - how energy efficient is it really?

2007-09-16T12:03:00.001Z

We took another holiday, using the TGV instead of flying as our mode of transport, in August, as our attempts to keep air miles down continues.

But as we zoomed through the French countryside at 180 MPH, we wondered how efficient is the TGV, really? Or have we just bought into the hype that it is more efficient than flying? After all, I've never seen any hard statistics other than soft evidence provided by The Guardian and various news sources. So we've been told by journalists (not to be believed for the most part) that train travel is significantly greener, but with the electricity required to hurl a TGV through the countryside, and electricity plants being a major contributor to green house gases, what was real, non-hype comparison?

Or was my sudden skepticism just an excuse to trade the 5 1/2 hours on the stuffy train in for 1 hour on a plane? (Always fun going down and an absolute pain coming back.)

With a little investigating, I found some statistical information comparing the efficiency of various modes of transport, based on MPG (and L/KM) for gas consumption and MJ/KM for electricity usage.

+ Trains vs. planes vs. automobiles - oil usage (research by James Strickland)

The difference in oil consumption is clear - planes with full passenger loads use 8-9 times more oil than a full high-speed train.

The electricity consumption per KM is also very interesting to compare - as the charts show, the TGVs fare well.

I now need to find some stats to calculate what the CO2 emission is per MJ/KM produced compared to the C02 emissions per L/KM consumed so that every mile of a TGV vs. a 747, Airbus or our car can be compared for actual emissions impact. In that comparison things like energy required to extract and refine and ship the oil should be included, as well as the energy required to electricity and the impact of the infrastructure to deliver the electricity.

Way too complex for me on a Sunday afternoon. In fact, I can't believe I even constructed the sentence above. (Maybe James Strickland can help.)

Consumptions and emissions aside, one of my serious pet peeves for plane and train travel is that none of the operating company's recycle. It's completely lame that they don't sort their rubbish, especially considering that most passengers buy canned/bottled beverages.

Bad news for moose

2007-08-23T09:54:00.000Z

I have lots to report on the eco-front including:

- The adoption of our massive composter
- Another trip on the TGV - pros and cons
- Waste calculator of moving house

But that can all wait because there is much bigger news to deal with.

Apparently, our fair friends, the moose, are huge contributors to global warming through...their burps.

+ The truth about moose

The study is more believable as it was conducted by seemingly neutral Nords, rather then lunatic Republicans.

We are trying to cut down on red meat as cows, and the over hearding of them, majorly contribute to the methane tally, but free-living moose, what can we do about them? Sprinkle the tundra with Rolaids?

Live Earth - was it worthy?

2007-07-08T11:43:00.000Z

Reasons I just could not get into Live Earth:

1. One of the main things we need to do to conserve energy is stay still, not encourage hundreds of performers to load up trucks and planes full of equipment and mobilise their entourages to get to global concert locations, not to mention the number of concert goers getting from A to B and the numbers of TVs on watching!

2. No one in the audience really seemed to give a toss (as seen by boo'ing of Terrance Stamp's well intentioned but oh so dull speech)

3. Nothing really informative at all was said to the audience - how about 'turn your AC down, your lights off when not in use, stop eating so much red meat, recycle and stop getting into your car for every little thing' instead of watered down 'take the bus once a week'. Yeah, that will do it.

4. 'Que sera sera' by David Gray- was he high or just a ****ing idiot to pick that song?

5. Jonathan Ross at Wembley said something incredibly stupid about how we each need to take responsibility for our actions and take the consequences as individuals. What? What we do effects EVERYONE else. We don;t walk around in our own ecospheres (well maybe he does.) Jonathan, were you smoking with David Gray??

6. The image of Madonna transforming into a sleaker Courtney Love rock chick, and giving her guitar (Madge? guitar? huh?) some amp, sent shudders through the ice caps. And she's way to old to say 'mother f***ers' without people laughing. Though she did look great and the performance, apart from strumming, was revved.

7. Why was it in Wembley Stadium and not somewhere outdoors where people could get a sense of the nature they take for granted?

Verdict: Lame Earth

Product review: Bio-D

2007-06-30T12:20:00.000Z

I was wondering around Planet Organic a few months ago looking for some new house cleaning products that were toxic free and affordable. A huge bottle of dish detergent with a punk rock style logo jumped out at me: Bio-D. I picked it up thinking it would be, like just about everything else eco-friendly, triple the price of standard toxin-full stuff and a bit of a let-down.

But no, it was actually cheaper than standard dish detergent ounce per ounce so I bought it, still cynical that it would barely suds-up and be weak and watery. But I was feeling adventurous.

After one load of dishes, I was a Bio-D junky. And here's why:

Bio-D Dish Detergent (Washing-up Liquid)

Super sudsy. No film. Smells good. Cheap. Lasts a really long time. No nasty chemicals. Cool bottle. Looks cool, too.

Vote: Major thumbs up.

So after this happy experience we decided to try their laundry detergent. Now, laundry detergent is a bit of a tricky one in our home as my husband is allergic to them all, apart from one called Fairy, for sensitive skin. But he's the one who actually spotted Bio-D laundry liquid and brought it home to try out.

Bio-D Laundry Liquid

No chemicals or dyes. Same price as mainstream stuff. Smelled a bit earthy at first. After first wash I was hooked. Clothes were incredibly clean and smelled like they had been washed in a mountain stream - no stuffy perfumes. No irritation to my husbands skin.

Vote: We're hooked.

The next Bio-D trial was after a good wander in the new, massive Whole Foods that just opened in London. We went to get more Bio-D dish detergent when a pump bottle of Bio-D wood polish caught my eye. I had been looking for a healthy wood poish option for about 2 years and never found anything. It was a bit more expensive than the Pledges of the world, but was in a massive bottle and no aerosol or nasty chemicals. Of course I had to try it.

Bio-D Household Polish

Really buffs up the wood. Not streaky. Great shine on some of my antique furniture. No build-up so far. No nasty chemical smell after a clean.

Vote: Keep it coming!

If you see it, and are feeling like a change, have a try and let me know your verdict.

Lights-out London

2007-06-10T12:41:00.000Z

London is going to take part in one hour of lights-out across the city on June 21, the summer solstice, from 9pm - 10pm. What a way to celebrate the longest day of the year. I can't wait!

Apparently, by not using any electricity for just one hour, the city will save 300 tons of CO2. Amazing.

Cities around the world have already held the symbolic, and practical, lights-out events. Hopefully, they will become a normal part of city life rather than just annual statements.

+Guardian article on Lights-out London

The official site, including a register-your-support page, is at:

+Lights Out London

Send us your lights-out experiences and please participate!

New York Cabs Go Hybrid

2007-06-01T10:17:00.000Z

Found this in The Ecologist.

The biggest, grimiest, big-car loving, gas guzzling never-a-dull-moment NY is bringing is requiring all of the iconic yello cabs to go hyrbid by 2012.

This is really, really exciting news. It should make a huge difference.

New York cabbies go hybrid
New York's distinctive yellow cabs will all sport hybrid engines by 2012, according to an announcement made by City Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday.
Date:23/05/2007 Author:News

The new cabs will be phased in immediately, replacing the current fleet as and when the cars come to the end of their 5 year working lives. The move is part of New York's bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 30 per cent by 2030.

Bloomberg said:
'The benefits of this policy are going to be felt by generations of New Yorkers. Going hybrid will shrink the city's carbon footprint.'

A yellow cab on the city's streets currently gets an average of around 14 miles to the gallon. A hybrid equivalent could manage 30 miles to the gallon. By October 2008, there will be at least 1,000 hybrid cabs on New York's streets.

The city also plans to introduce hybrid buses and refuse collections vehicles, and there has been discussion of a London-style congestion charge.

Flight confessions and carbon off-setting

2007-05-28T12:19:00.000Z

I am embarrassed to say we took 2 round trip short haul flights in May alone. One to the Outer Hebrides for a Scottish isles wedding and one to Berlin to see the sights. We did try to take trains to both destinations but the costs and travel time were not possible.

That said, the flights were still quite costly (though 1/2 as much as trains) and as I say every time I'm stuck in an airport, flying always takes way longer than people perceive. By the time you get to the airport, go through security, wait for boarding, lay-overs, delays, wait for luggage at other end... The 630 miles door to door to the Hebrides was 9 hours from London (!) via Glasgow and Berlin (about 650 miles) was 6 hours each way including delays. If we had used the trains and ferries we would have only traveled a few more hours each way.

To offset there travels, plus our household emissions, I did some carbon neutralization research and shopping today. Everyone talks about carbon offsetting but I don't know anyone who has actually done it who recommends any company in particular. So I did a Google search to get me on my way.

+ Carbonneutral.com - I heard about this site a while back. They do gifts and household offsetting packages. But when I tried to calculate my emissions and find appropriate offsetting projects, their website structure and design got in the way and I went in circles. Which quickly put me off. Noble cause, bad website. If you're the perseverent type, give it a look.

Frustrated, I tried my search again and ended up at:

+ Climatecare.org - This website is easy to get around, has clear information on all projects, videos of projects in action and a long list of partners. The easy to use calculators help you figure out how much CO2 you've emitted with flights, household and driving and the cost to offset it through their various programs which include:
Bioenergy (turning crop waste into biomass briquettes)
Human energy (replacing diesel water pumps on farms with human powered treadle pumps,much like the play pumps)
Wind energy - building wind turbine infrastructures
Efficient lighting and cooking stoves
Rain forest restoration

Each flight we took in May was about .4 tons of CO2 for the both of us. And I rounded up for our household emissions (though the husband just reminded me we already subscribe to green energy sources for our electricity). All in the costs of offsetting for the year was about £35 ($65 dollars).

I also did a quick calculation for my company, where staff fly constantly to meetings with oversees customers and we have a huge, old office with air conditioning (that people still have on with windows open - it's infuriating) - and the cost was in the range of £4,000 pounds to offset! Me and office manager only just got paper recycling costs sorted (we now recycle all paper) - this will be my next mission.

San Fran bans the bag

2007-04-22T09:58:00.000Z

It's about time an American city banned plastic bags and, living up to its reputaion as the progressive city of free love and tree huggers, San Francisco has taken lead. (Thank you, JP, for sending this in!)

+San Fran says so to plastic bags (Reuters)

Non-degradabale plastic bags are wrong for so many reasons. Most will never break down. They are oil based, creating yet another demand for the most contrversial liquid in the world. And they are unnecessary. Yes, there was a time before plastic bags...our ancestors were in fact able to get their groceries home.

And you can make a statement with your reusable grocery bag. There are some pretty trendy ones out there now. And there are all sorts of carts and shopping trolleys - it's a growing market. We have a cupboard full of bags on wheels, burlop and sturdy reusables. Though the poor husband often gets stuck walking the streets of London with my flowery re-usables.

Tesco has a funny ad showing the various things that can be used to haul groceries as they are encouraging the customers to get over their bag plastic addiction. They have a points reward scheme for every time a shopper does not use a bag. They save money, we save land fill.

But the UK government should get off of its backside and follow the Irish and San Fran initiatives and get rid of the things!

Innovation spotlight: Play Pump

2007-04-06T09:38:00.000Z

My sister sent me this case study on a new(ish), and incredibly simple technology, that was devised in South Africa in the late 90s when some engineers found a way to pump clean water reserves using roundabouts (merry-go-rounds) that kids play on as the engines. So play time = clean water.

Genius!

+ Article on Roundabout Outdoor Play Pump

+ Play Pumps Official Site - Includes information on helping to sponsor play pumps where they are most needed

+National Geographic Kids - play pump news story and video

Out now: The Meatrix 2

2007-04-01T13:44:00.001Z

The long-awaited Meatrix 2 has arrived!

+ The Meatrix 2

Like the 1st installation, The Meatrix, this is a real eye-opener with the gruesomeness of big-farm practices made clear whilst at the same time remaining compelling through the clever narrative device.

Congratulations to Sustainable Table and Free Range Studios on their hit series!

Hello green baby!

2007-03-24T10:49:00.000Z

Exciting news - nephew Dylan has arrived! Momma Loz and Poppa Ren have a fine wee nipper in residence.

So in honour of L'il Dylan, I've done some green baby research on his behalf, as I'm sure he'll grow up to be a lion of an ecologist - his pop is a fab green researcher and mum recycles everything she can.

Let's start with...nappies (aka diapers)
Our worst landfill contributions happen before we can even walk - yes, the nappy debacle. I just read that almost 8 million disposable nappies are thrown away in the UK each day. That's something like 1.5 billion a year in the UK alone. Should we putting our infants in litter boxes?

Of course, there are alternatives to the typical gel filled, non-bio degradable nappied which flood the shelves.

I had a peek in Green Baby off of Portobello to see what I could find yesterday as Momma Loz has her hands full on the homefront. I have to say I was overwhelmed by the collection of washable nappy options, so I picked up a catalogue with info instead. It looks like the biggest thing to overcome with reusable nappies is the constant washing and drying and the initial cost, though over time the options are probably cost-effective.

The Ecologist article from last year is quite illuminating on the whole topic.

+The Ecologist on reusable nappies

For a real life view of trying to convert to reuasble nappies, an old episode of There's No Waste Like Home had a mother of 3 take on the reusable nappy challenge and, despite a shaky start and nappies drying on every available heater, she got on quite well with it. I can't find more info on that one episode, by the TV show website does include a link to The Real Nappy Campaign, full of useful info.

One of the stores that I found with a full range of washable nappies is Green Baby, the very crunchy baby shop.

+ Green Baby Washable Nappy Info

And the less effective but still noble, eco-disposables are gel free and 100% cotton apart from the plastic fasteners, which are not bio-degradable. It looks like Tushies has cornered the market.

+Eco-disposables

Moms, we want to hear from you. What works and what doesn't?

More bad news creates a global buzz

2007-02-10T10:44:00.000Z

It's official. The entire western world has gone green mad.

Global warming is now regular news usually supplemented by another feature on boroughs that don't recycle. There are now regular debates on television shows, radio, print, in the office, at parties...

So, everyone is talking about it, panicking, worrying, wondering what is true, what is hype.

But what is anyone actually doing about it? I only know a handful of people apart from my husband and me who have actually changed their lifestyles. It seems to be all of the rage in media land but not in reality.

If you have made active changes to your life, let me know, I want to profile you.

In the meantime, I hope everyone starts embracing the little things they can do:

Turn off the lights
Turn down the thermostat
Take public transport of walk when you can
Try to reduce your flying by at least one flight a year
Buy locally grown and made goods

But I'm still convinced that businesses are the worst culprits. I continue to chip away at our company and am have begun the responsible office movement.

As a leaving note, the news on the Parisian climate meeting with the world's top climate scientists presenting 20 years worth of research. The verdict: there is a 90% probability that is human activity causing the warming of the planet.

+ New York Times article on the Parisian summit and global research

+ A NYT collection of the latest green news and debates

Are any offices green?

2006-12-17T10:51:00.000Z

When the Swiss Re Tower (aka the gherkin) in London was built it was heralded as an eco-friendly sky scraper that used clever engineering to maximise natural ventilation and sunlight to massively reduce the energy the building needed. Eco-architecture is becoming more and more popular for new buildings, particularly skyscrapers, as a smart design helps reduce running costs for these massive structure.

+ BBC article on Swiss Re

Smaller, older offices aren't so easy. The one me and my husband are working in now is an old Georgian structure made of brick with huge windows. It is a proper oven and during the UK heatwave this summer office temperatures were often nearing 30 - 35 degrees (Celsius). With all computers and lights on it soared even higher. So the AC went in, the windows got shut and now we're in winter, but strangely, the AC is still on because the building still retains so much heat from all of the electronic equipment and complete lack of decent cross-ventilation. And then the windows get opened because it becomes so stifling from the lack of fresh air and we have AC pumping straight out the window...in winter. This is a classic office conundrum. The employees want to be comfortable, old buildings aren't built for comfort, new technology is put in that requires an excess of electricity, but doesn't work and....the windows get open...in winter...while the AC is on...

To make matters worse, half of the employees don't shut off their computers at night which create heat while wasting electricity and a number are of people are constantly plunging the AC temperature down to keep them at a perfect icy temperature, again in winter.

It's also an office that has its employees fly off to it's international clients at the drop of a hat.

So, to combat this rating F for the office eco-grading, me and the office manager will be working to change all off these terrible practices and turn the office around. On our list: full recycling, new travel policies, a possible eco-office report by a professional, enforced lights and computers off at end of the day policy, the use of hybrid car companies for taxis and more. The husband and many co-workers are dying for a sustainable office so there should be some good support. Another mission!

As for our own house, everything is ticking along. We barely use the car anymore, fill up our blue bags for recycling and have the heat on at a minimum (helped by the unusually warm winter) and all equipment goes fully off when not in use, no more standby. We're still getting our seasonal veg delivered from a Somerset farm and use many gentle cleaning products at home.

We are using our one bi-annual flight to go to NYC for Christmas. Where the family will be receiving acres of forestland and adopted goats in needy villages as presents. I may throw in a spa voucher or two so I don't get called crunchy behind my back. We may be greener but we still have reputations to maintain:)

The blue bags have landed

2006-12-02T11:12:00.000Z

After emails and calls to our local London council, Westminster has finally included our block of buildings on the recycling route. Hurrah! We now have stacks of big blue bags just waiting to be filled.

Of course, in true govrenment fashion, not all recyclables are allowed in the bag (they have a limited list of what they will accept) so we have 2 on the go now - the blue one and 1 to collect non-conformist recyclables which we take to the local collection bins.

The Stern Report came out a few weeks ago - a UK government report that was years in the making and predicts catastrophe unless massive environmental actions are taken now - which may be why Westminster suddenly enabled recycling on our block. I'm sure the pressure is on to at least look like they are trying.

More good news: I'm no longer getting rides to work. My husband has started working in the same place as me so we now take the bus together. Ahhhhh, isn't that sweet. But, if I am totally honest, I do miss jumping into the passenger seat and listenng to the radio without the gross smells of a city bus. And it was only 10 minutes instead of 35 minutes. Maybe we should buy a G-Wiz. Hmmmmm.

Is it just me, or is Al Gore sexy?

2006-10-15T13:28:00.000Z

We finally got to see An Inconvenient Truth which was playing at our local cinema in Notting Hill the other week.

I wasn't sure what to expect as documentaries with an agenda can be so preachy and dull and stilted.

But An Inconvenient Truth was like going to an awesome lecture presented by a knowledgable and passionate speaker.

The film was packed with hard information presented in great story telling fashion, a balanced point of view, little judgment and total conviction and passion. Really well directed by Davis Guggenheim.

And, I think the ladies in the house would agree, Al is a fab leading man and he looked kinda sexy in front of his globe. Al, who knew?

For someone who thinks she knows a lot about global warming and its impacts, I was left feeling like a complete neophyte. Gore does a powerful job of showing the impacts of global warming at all levels of life and how we got into this mess. But with an optimistic 'we do have power to change this' message.

There were a few big lessons in this film apart from the eye-opening scientific evidence of what's happening to the earth's atmosphere.

Lesson 1: How deceptive media coverage has been on the whole warming issue. As someone who used to work at a national newpaper and intern at CNN, this was no surprise. But to see the stats on how the news as a whole has decided to cover scientific findings was a shocker. Despite a constant, unified voice by the scientific community that warming is a growing and severe crisis, the media is constantly playing the 'is it really so bad?' card? I'm guessing this is because lots of journos are lazy and believe oil company sponsored press releases by 'think tanks' because they arrived in their in box first, while quite a few other journos are barely literate. But I'm guessing another big reason for this slanted and contrarian coverage is the result of editors (and Murdoch) barking orders to 'find a flip side' to the scientific evidence i.e. find the big business side.

Lesson 2: The whole audience was dismayed, but again unsurprised, to learn just how pathetically feeble and corrupt the Bush adminstration has been. Appointing an ex-oil man to a key Environmetal Agency and then letting him red-line key scientific findings? Wow. And America's backwards slide to bigger cars and more CO2 emissions. Another blow to America's already crumbling reputation in Europe. I could hear audience members loudly bashing my homeland as I left, nothing new there, sadly.

Lesson 3: Al Gore should definitely run again. As the lights came up, my mister said 'Why the hell wasn't he that charismatic and commanding and likable during his election campaign?' And asked how the hell George W got in...twice. To the Europeans (and still 1/2 of America) it's a total mystery how Bush ever got a job, let alone the job. They just don't understand the power of the cowboy hat as a campaign tool.

Definitely see this film. It's educational, it's inspirational and it's critical.

To find out more:

+ An Inconvenient Truth

+ Stop Global Warming March

Oh, Al, run again! And Bush, you've got 2 more years. Please, please try to be a better leader.

Product research by the EWG

2006-09-27T20:53:00.000Z

Our Californian Correspondent, Senorita Julie, sent in the best link.

+ Environmental Working Group

It's a hard hitting think tank that provides all sorts of product reviews, including one on cosmetics. It dissects the ingredients of common soaps, shampoos, moisturizers etc and highlights hazardous ingredients, then gives the products and overall rating.

I'm a big Origins fan, though my skin seems to be getting more and more sensitive, which I had attributed to age and city living. But when I looked at the ratings of my favorite products, I was mortified. Seriously harmful stuff in my daily Origins skin regime that can cause dry skin, hives and sensitivity. Just what every girl wants in her moisturizer called 'constant comforter.'

I'm going to have to start slathering my skin in olive oil, it would appear.

Actually, there are a few products that receive very good ratings, though I haven't really heard of any of them. I sense a shopping beauty experiment coming up.

To check out the cosmetics and other products you use, use the quick links drop down menu on the homepage and then get researching.

My husband, who is allergic to many skin products, should find this an invaluable site.

Thanks Julie. You may have saved years off of my skin and apparently my reproductive organs as well?! Bejesus!

Research the companies you buy from with Ethiscore

2006-09-24T19:20:00.000Z

Green Correspondent Alice sent us a link to a company called Ethiscore which reviews companies on an ethical basis.

+ Ehiscore

It rates companies based on their scores against 20 ethical business criteria grouped into 5 main categories: environment, people, animals, politics and product sustainability. And reviews are included for everything from cell phones to banks, chocolate (a must read!), butter and computers.

There are a few reports which are accessible for free or you can access the full library of scorings for a set subscription fee of £15 (about $25) per annum.

The results can be surprising. Some of the organic food industry faves like Green & Blacks fall far behind lesser known brands. And Ecover has a far lower Ethoscore rating than I would have thought.

It's a relief to have such a comprehensive look at companies to help guide shopping decisions. Have a look and see what you think.

If there are any other sites like this that you recommend, let us know.

Thanks Alice for enlightening us!

Tetrapak gets responsible

2006-09-24T19:19:00.000Z

Another great tip from Green Correspondent Alice. It looks like the Tetrapak carton makers are pushing for every council to start collecting and recycling this ubiquitous packaging that is used for just about every type of consumable liquid.

+ Tetrapak recycling

It's a very informative site - not your standard PR 'we're so green' babble - with educational info on what the cartons are made of, how they are recycled, what they can become post-recycling plus maps of where in the UK they can be collected.

I looked up our council (Westminster) in London on the 'where are cartons collected' maps and found that Westminster is one of the only councils registered 'not interested'. That sucks, Westminster! It's bad enough our block of building doesn't get kerbside recycling (we still lug it to the local sorting bins) but to not even show any interest in collecting a major product is truly rotten!

Kudos to Tetrapak for actively pursuing more recylcing of its own products and informing the public with a website. More big business should follow in their foot steps.

Curry's flogs solar panels

2006-09-24T19:18:00.001Z

This is no longer breaking news due to my lax blog updating (sorry) but apparently one of the UK's biggest home stores is now selling solar panels.

Green Correspondent Ren sent us this clip:

"Curry's have started selling solar panels in the hight street.
Shoppers in West Thurrock, Essex, and Fulham and Croydon in Greater London will be able to snap up the £1,000 panels, manufactured by Sharp.
An installed system that could halve the electricity bill of a typical three-bedroom home costs £9,000, Currys says."

For more info read:

+ BBC coverage of Curry's solar panel announcement

That's way too expensive if you ask me. I'm hoping that like all new technology solar panels will get cheaper and cheaper every season. We all remember when cell phones were a fortune - now they're practically free. So, Curry's, when will we see the £500 solar panel system?

We are still looking for a new home though, as we'll be in London, and limited to flats, we'll need to find a solar panel that works in a garden. If anyone has done this, we'd love to know how it's going.

Calculate how much water you use--again

2006-09-24T19:17:00.000Z

This one comes from Correspondent Hines, who, even in the midst of world travel with fiancee Tara, still has time to send us less exciting Londoners greenie websites. Well done Hinesy.

This, like the carbon emissions footprint on BP.com, is a quick and easy way to figure out what you're using and where.

Our household came in at 1/2 of national averagee but that's still 34 buckets of water per person per day. I bet the environment misses my pre-professional days when I'd wear the same pair of jean 3, 4, 5...6 times before washing them.

Care of Correspondent Hines, reporting from Ecuador, behold the water calculator.

+ Find out how much water you use

The sin list

2006-07-30T21:13:00.000Z

I have been keeping this blog for almost 4 months now. My mission: to become a more considerate, educated environmental citizen including using earth-friendly products, reducing my greenhouse emissions, buying locally and becoming more proactive.

Well, it's time for my self-assessment.

First, the bad news:

- After months of using Ecover products only, I gave in and bleached the kitchen sink and bathroom last week. It was just getting too grotty with the lack killer toxins. Is that shallow of me? I've gone back to Ecover but I have to confess, the power of bleach felt good. I'm sorry fish!

- This is really bad. My husband has been giving me rides to work. It's 3 miles there and back. I usually take the bus home. It's been so hot in London and the tube in unbarable (and insanely unreliable) and the bus is suffocating and full of lunatics who eat smelly, spicy food at 8:30 creating a pre-work nausea. I do walk home about once a week, though the pollution caused by selfish people like me ruins the healthy effects of said walk. I should be flogged.

- I've slipped backwards on plastic bag usage and forgotten my canvas bag on a number of occasions in the past week. I blame it on the heat - the London heatwave has turned me into a doddering, plastic bag taking fool.

- Haven't found apartment living compost solution. But working on it.

- The worst sin yet: We flew to NYC and California. That's about 1,000,000 air miles. And when our hybrid car that we reserved fell through because of an admin hitch, I gave into my husband's dream of renting a red Mustang. And then we drove it over 1,000 miles in a week. We used a small oil field somewhere in Khazikstan for our trip. I should be excommunicated and barred from my own blog. I vow, as Tara is my witness, that this muscle car folly will never happen again. Grade: F.

And the good news:

- Our household recycling is in full swing. We are prolific. And the waste I can't recycle at work (plastics, namely) I rinse out and carry home to recycle here. Feeling quite smug about this.

- My push for recycling at a company I was freelancing at helped raise the issue at the office and a huge dialogue was opened up with the result being more green measures there.

- We've rewired our flat (hubby did, that is) so we can turn off all electronics at the mains instead of leaving them on idle which uses energy.

- We took train to France instead of flying and rented teeny C1 Citroen on the other end. And we recycled all of our waste there, too. The French have recycling containers everywhere which helped.

- I have become a recycling cop. (Is this good or bad?) Our friends now make sure they have recycling bins in full view when we come over. I'm still working on a few recycling cynics.

- My husband has become eco-minded as well. (Apart from Mustang incident.) A huge bonus!

- Have started reading The Ecologist. A bit slanted and preachy, but some interesting info.

So, all in, OK progress. Not great, not too shameful. But lots of room for improvement.

**I will try to be less snobby and lazy and start taking bus to work again instead of being driven. And I will hide the bleach again.

Product review: Riverford Vegbox

2006-07-30T20:48:00.000Z

I'm ashamed to say it's taken me this long to try an organic vegbox from a UK farm. Well, I finally got with the program and decided to give Riverford Organic Vegatables a try.

I had a flip through their very well laid out website, chose a nice medium size vegetable box and some other products. The vegetable boxes include seasonal vegetables mainly grown on their farm. Two days later, the box was delivered to our central London home in a sensible, reusable, fold up cardboard box. And in it, we found and array of good and dirty summer veg including:

Bunch of beet root (my fave)
Bunch of carrots
Fresh mint
Fresh rocket (arugula)
An assortment of lettuces
Cabbage type head (yet to be tasted)
Potatoes
Chard
Bunch of onions
Cherry tomatoes

And the verdict: Excellent quality all around.So much better than supermarket organics. Just had some beetroot soup that we feel all the better for.

And it came in the nick of time as my poor husband had to abandon his mission a few days ago of finding good produce at Planet Organic because the choice was so lousy.

Riverford - we plan on being regular customers.

And the package came with a booklet on how the farm works, their ethos and interesting info on the farming process and the A-Z of seasonal vegetables. Which I insisted on reading aloud over our dinner of Riverford greens. How my poor husband does suffer sometimes.

+Riverford

It was almost as good as the pick your own we did a few weeks back - we had our first go in the asparagus fields. Very exciting.

And my husband's green halo has taken on a new glow after dissuading me from buying our friends' babies presents at The Gap reminding me that if we can buy locally grown veggies that we should should buy all baby presents from local businesses as well. Thus saving me from another faux pas to add to my green sin list, which I'm compiling next. (It's shockingly long.)

Wiki Green

2006-07-27T13:30:00.000Z

There's a new wiki cheat sheet on staying green.

+Wiki goes green

It's the standard list on reducing your carbon footprint but to the point. Worthy of sticking on your energy efficient refrigerator door.

There will be a test on this next Thursday, class, so please be prepared.

Relieving your travel guilt with carbon neutralization packages

2006-07-11T21:46:00.000Z

Brother Ren, who shall now be called Research Ren as he is better at it than I am, has sent in this guilt-alleviating website which allows anyone to purchase carbon neutrlaization packages.

+Carbon Neutral

Question you may have: What is a carbon neautralization package? Is it something that can only be purchased at Star Trek conventions?

Answer: These packages plant trees to help absorb the nastiness left in the air from your flight to the Maldives.

It will also calculate how much CO2 you emit on flights based on your destination as well as CO2 you emit with your car mileage.

It's a smart site, easy to use and I feel more green-angelic just for looking at it.

We're taking the Eurostar/TGV to a wedding in the south of France in 2 weeks rather than flying but we still have all of those air miles to make up for from our London-NY-San Fran-LA-London trip so looks like we'll be using this site's offerings to help to plant a small forest somewhere. (Though I do wonder how effective it really is. Better to stay off of those planes - see previous entry on why airplanes suck!)

It also lets you buy carbon neutral presents for your friends. The green brigade will love it.

And if you're a business, it has planning and packages available to reduce your emissions.

Government to remove green obstacles - or is it just talk?

2006-07-10T11:43:00.000Z

Brother Ren has informed us that the government have been talking about getting rid of the planning permission requirements for micro wind turbines and solar panels by early July.

I can't find anything online - has anyone out there heard anything about progress on this?

Whilst searching for updates on the above, I came across the Environment Agency website which seems to be a good source for more serious green affairs in the UK.

Spudware to the rescue!

2006-07-10T11:35:00.000Z

My bother-in-law Ren found this totally cool new range of utensils from Vegware - presenting Spudware!

Who thought fully biodegradable cutlery could create such excitement?

Spudware in action

Mission: to persuade all of the stores we food shop with to start carrying this type of biodegradable utensil.

Progress: Marks & Spensers' new packaging for their sandwiches uses cornstarch instead of plastic and FSC approved card board.

The Lazy Environmentalist

2006-06-26T22:14:00.000Z

I am in complete adoration of the Lazy Environmentalist blog. All of his June pieces have been very interesting.

Check 'em on out!

The piece on eco-transport and the new media zeitgeist are good little reads and link throughs.

Lazy Environmentalist

My apologies about lack of entries lately. Working hard to get the $/£ to but those Ecover products! Though, I confess, I have longed for the harshness of bleach to whiten my ever greying sinks. As lovely as Ecover cleaners are, they have a hard time lifting stains on porcelain. Except their toilet cleaner (never thought I'd be writing about that) which is unbelievably powerful. What's in there I ask?

On homefront: We're continuing our search for a flat with a garden so we can get own solar panels / grey water system / wood turbine / organic veggie plot going. Watch this space.

After our California trip, it's nice to be back in London where there's a Smart Car on every corner and Vespas instead of Hummers. And the national papers seem to be attacking SUVs in cities more and more regularly. I recently saw a bloke drive through a red light at a busy pedestrian intersection in his Range Rover, while on the phone, as an ambulance was trying to get by him (!) while he continued his big-car mayhem oblviosly...just embodied the whole clueless SUV driver thing to a tee! I'm not totally anti-truck. They are necessary for a lot of folks who live out in the countryside. But in big cities? No way.

Finally, our friend Julie has sent in some interesting news on the eco-front in California which I will make sure I get out to y'all soon.

Green stars

2006-06-08T06:19:00.000Z

The more we ask people about their views on being eco-friendly the more inspired we get.

Some eco-green stars need to go to:

Julie and Luis who have started their own organic garden in the heart of Hollywood.

Christina, super cool actress, who campaigned to get recycling started on her TV show Kevin Hill (she played saasy red headed lawyer) and won. She's now consdering starting an industry-wide campaign to get recycling bins on all sets. Thousands of bottles are used by cast and crew every day, and very few sets recycle. They need a Christina kick up their trailers--go Christina!

My mom who is buying organic as much as possible. Go mom!

Brooklyn's own Michele and Charlie who have installed state of the art recycling compartments in their new kitchen, have eco-products galore in the house and have bought their first composter for their stunning garden.

Mr. Hugo of London who is petitioning to get more serious recycling efforts going for his apartment building.

Virgina of Portland, Oregon has recently attended a master recycler program (how cool is that?) and has promised to send on the details.

Paul and Heather who now recycle in their east London flat and order the local veggie basket for their organic greens.

Husband and I have some catching up to do...

The Californian paradox

2006-06-08T06:02:00.000Z

Apologies for the lack of entries. We've been in Los Angeles, Napa and New York for the past 2 weeks. It was a whirlwind USA tour which was fantastic but on a green note, I have such airplane emissions guilt! We've just booked a train for a trip to the south of France instead of flying to try and start to correct the balance.

And my last entry about flying--it still holds true. Not only did our flights not recycle anything (we flew Virgin and Jet Blue), on the way back from LA to London (Virgin) we had to make an emergency landing in Newfoundland to get a sick passenger medical attention which required an additional fuel load courtesy of a massive fuel tank.

Our USA visit gave me lots of material which I'll spread out over a few entries.

First, with California fresh in our minds, I have to ask, how green is California really?

The answer, it seems to be totally schitzophrenic.

Exhibit A:
Lots of Toyota Prius cars, which get 60MPG city
But...
SUVs are EVERYWHERE. Including Hummers. They are common as muck in LA. Huge hunks of metal with idiotic drivers. The ultimate nouveau riche chav mobile.

Exhibit B:
Good at-home recycling values - everyone we visited recycles consistently
But...
Businesses don't seem to recycle or care(restaurants we tried to recycle bottles we had ordered from looked at us blankly)

On the positives, we saw our first eco-friendly dry cleaner (photo on way),lots of solar panels on the houses of Topanga and a huge wind farm in northern California.

The Green Store Scheme

2006-05-16T21:32:00.000Z

The UK goverment is being so slow in bringing in green legislation. I'm still surprised that there is no tax on plastic carrier bags a la Ireland and many other European countries.

I'm hatching a plan to start a Green Store Scheme whereby stores can voluntarily join forces with the policy of 'to show or support of reducing waste, we will only give you a plastic bag if you pay' with the proceeds going to a worthy eco-cause. Need to get the ball rolling in the private sector!

It would require a lot planning, canvassing, PR and a few willing high profile stores to start the trend. I'm thinking each store would carry a poster and information on conserving, recyling and reusing. The one catch - I'd need to quit working to have time to even get to step 1. Any volunteers?!!

So a Segway, a horse and a car were standing at the bar...

2006-05-12T12:54:00.000Z

While I was walking to the tube the other day, I saw the coolest thing.

A skinny middle-aged man in a helmet on a Segway overtaking a group of cars that was overtaking 2 horses making their way back to the satbles.

19th, 20th and 21st century transport means all lined up. I wish I had had my camera.

Why airplanes suck

2006-05-06T18:01:00.000Z

Everyone who knows me knows that I hate flying. It's loud, uncomfortable, confining and if things go wrong there's no way out. (I'm an advocate of parachutes under seat, not inflatable vests.)

But the real reason I hate flying these days is the environmental impact.

a) Apparently you're better off driving to your destination, alone, even if it's thousands of miles away, than being on a full plane. That's how bad the fuel consumption is.

b) Planes dump their emissions in the most delicate part of the stratosphere and there's nothing to help mitigate the damage. For all of the pollution cars create, we have our plant life down here to help soften the blow.

c) They are noisy, booming things and no matter where we go, we seem to be able to hear one or see one, even the far hills of Scotland.

d) The amount of packaging they use per passenger is amazing. When my husband recently flew on a short haul flight to Amsterdam, he asked the air steward of they recycled any of the cans, cups etc and the air steward dismissed his question as lame saying 'that would be far too expensive.'

So they are massive air polluters, noise polluters, they create masses of plastic rubbish, are complete fuel hogs and the actual airlines don't receycle their waste or seem to care to.

And how does the UK government respond? Subsidies of course! They prop them up with heaps of money to mke it cheaper for consumers to perpetuate the cycle! The subsidies work out to something like £500 per person in the UK that go to the airline industry.

How insane is that?

Vanity Fair gets green

2006-04-23T15:24:00.000Z

Just bought the green issue of Vanity Fair (May 2006). It's packed full of research and helpful tips, including a small booklet of 100 simple ways to have a greener lifestyle. The booklet covers the basics like:
+ buy energy efficient light bulbs
+ don't leave things on standby
+ bring your own bags shopping
+ walk or bike whenever you can
+ buy A grade appliances (most energy efficient)
+ recycle diligently at home
+ get your office to recycle
+ try to fly less as it's massively dirty and wasteful form of transport apparently, even if your flight is packed to capacity, you're using way more fuel than if you drove alone in a regular 30 MPG all of the way - alone! - and that includes long haul trips (at least that's what I read in Leo Hickman's book.)

There's also a lot of info about forward green-sense global activists, politicians and business. My favourite profiles:

+ Wangari Muta Maathai - She's currently the assistant environment minister in Kenya, is a biology professor and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for her work as a tree-planting activist in Kenya where over 90% of the natural forest land was stripped in recent decades in the name of economic 'progress' vis-a-vis corrupt governments. Her tree planting mission started as the simple act of planting a few tree seeds in her own backyard. She then started handing out seeds to local women, and then women all over Kenya. The movement spread and strengthened and becameThe Green Belt Movement. The group follows the belief that if you start to look after your environment with simple things like tree planting then a virtuous cycle can be started that help create community spirit and hope, support progressive politics and ultimately create a strong society where growth is achieved sensibly and for communities and environment, not at its cost.

+ Hank Paulson - He's the Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs. And apparently he's a tycoon with a green lining. He's also the chairman of the Nature Conservancy Board of Governors in the US and he's an activist - he's pledged to reduce carbon emissions produced by Goldman Sachs offices around the world by 7% by 2012. And when one of the company's loans went bad and they ended up with over 600,000 acres of forest land in Chile, he swayed the board into donating it to a conservancy group in the name of the people of Chile rather than liquidate it to service the debt. As Hank is a green master of the universe, he sounds like one of the few people who should be encouraged to take over other companies and bring them up to Hank standards. If it turns out he bikes or walks to work - and has his assistant shop with reusable bags - he may be green crush worthy. Oh, way can't my mom find a man like Hank?!

And Al Gore, the man who should be (and really, technically was) president, delivers a stately address on the eco-union. Oh, Al, come back to us! Get into that Oval Office and undo some of the Bush regime damage, please!

On the Hollywood front, the nice fluffy bit to push the copies, we have a now organic buying Julia Roberts and a Tango driving George Clooney. And, less fluffy, the ever awesome Bette Midler and the New York Restoration Project, which she founded. The project reclaims disused land and lots in New York City, clears away the rubble, fights off the developers and recruits the community to build the land into communal gardens. Right on, Bette!

One of the things that is cool about this issue (and Vanity Fair can be decidely uncool at least a few times a year) is that it's another push into the public consciousness and another big, popular spotlight on being eco-sensible. And it helps to show that being green doesn't mean going out and being a self-sustaining hippy. It's more about being hip than hippy. Maybe now the soccer moms will get into it.

What the issue helps highlight in its own preppy, celebrity worship way is that being green means being a sensible consumer, a sensible person, thinking about how you live, being aware, putting some work into your environment (at home, locally, nationally, globally), being proactive and making a few tweaks to the way you live.

And funny enough, it's not so painful. In fact, it feels good.

Can we be green AND have a car?

2006-04-18T17:29:00.000Z

The product reviews are on their way tomorrow... but first, we have one HUGE new product review - a car.

I'm so ashamed!

But I've been carless for about 6 years now and, man, it felt good to get out of London and not be fleeced by the train companies. For American readers, train tickets here are about 4-5x more expensive than in the states. And gas is about $7/gallon. They get you every which way in the old UK! There's one man somewhere on this island sitting on a huge stack of gold...

Our car is a Spanish Seat and it gets about 40MPG highway, 30 city. Not great but not terrible. I pushed for something compact with way better fuel consumption but the Mr. found our green list cars to be wimpy drives. And he was getting aggravated by the never-ending requirements--especially since he does the majority of the driving as I have yet to figure out how the hell to get round a round-a-bout in London without having a nervous breakdown.

We had a tight budget and were only looking at second hand cars. The most green one that we both loved the look of was a Honda Insight but there was only one used for sale in the ENTIRE country and it only sat 2 people and was a fortune for a 2nd hand car.

So with super green cars out of our price range or too mushy for the man, I had to do something to compromise. So a 5 year old clean burning Spanish set of wheels it is.

Though, we've agreed our next purchase, when we've got more car dosh, and more need for a car (i.e. if we ever leave London and move to the countryside) will be a super green model. We're waiting for Honda and Toyota to get use something green, nippy and affordable.

The worst part about now having said car is I can feel the LA girl in me coming out and suddenly I want a ride everywhere. And I mean everywhere.

To be continued...

Free the beer bottles!

2006-04-17T11:25:00.001Z

Friday night is beer night at the offices I've been working with for the past few months. It's a hip, modern web agency with standard new media perks like a pool table and an open frig policy on Friday PM.

But, despite protest, it's one of those modern companies that's lazy about things like recycling. (Thus making it stone age, really.)It recycles paper but no bottles or plastic. I've sent emails to to the head of operations but to no avail. I've even tracked down the dude that picks up the paper in his huge green recycling truck who said 'We can pick up everything but this company just does paper.'

So Friday I offered to recycle the bottles of the people I was chatting to by taking them home. No one thought it was weird. (I stopped myself at picking bottles out of trash cans though someone offered to do it for me! I'm just to vain to be propery green, huh?)

In fact, everyone who gave me their bottle thought it sucked that there was no recylcing in the office.

One of my Germans colleagues said -

'It's so strange that they don't recyle here. It's not even a part of the dialogue in the UK. In Germany we just came in at the top of the recyling league tables and everyone talks about it but here, it's like no one cares.'

Then he handed over his Becks bottles. Good man!

I got home and looked for the European recycling tables online but found nada. I'll keep looking. If anyone knows where I can find them, please do tell!

But I did find these:
+ Quick overview of European nations with great recycling records from Recycle Now
+ A 121 page country-by-cuntry green analysis for Europe by the EEA (European Envoronmental Agency I think?) for 2005. It's pretty heavy reading but if you're interested, I can send you a copy. Just drop me a request in the comments.

It's not easy being green

2006-04-12T22:16:00.000Z

I just found out that the BBC2 has a new TV show about a family that goes for a completely sustainable existence in a new series called It's Not Easy Being Green.

I've been waiting and waiting for a show like this and can't believe that I only found out about it by accident in a blog search.

BBC2 - where is your advertising???

We'll definitely be watching next week.

Has anyone seen it and what are your thoughts?

Can eco-products compare?

2006-04-08T15:02:00.000Z

We've been trying to expand our ecological product usage. Our cleaning cupboard is now full of Ecover cleaners and we're replacing old standbys like bleach with the less toxic vinegar.

After reading the latest edition of The Ecologist, there are enough products to try out to last us year and years. In fact, the more I read, the more I realise how just about everything I use, from my shampoo to our laundry detergent, has a weird array of chemicals. But can I move to happy-hippy beauty products and still fight of the wrinkles? Will our always stained porcelain sink respond to earth friendly Ecover instead of the Ajax that I've used since the dawn of scouring time?

To help answer the questions for ourselves--and give you some insights--I've decided to start a product review once a week. It will be as non-biased and as thorough as possible.

I'm also going to try to bring more concrete research into this so it isn't just the typical blog me me me babble. So if there's anything you'd like to see investigated, let me know. And one of our friends, a top notch reporter, has volunteered to contribute a piece or two when she can.

Product review 001 - Ecover Floor Soap

Pros: Smells great - light and natural with no chemical overhang; actually lifts the dirt off floor unlike some of the harsher cleaners; doesn't leave a residue; rinses well; lasts ages; recyclable packaging (as are all Ecover products); moderate price.

Cons: I wish Ecover would get more competitive with the pricing. This was about 20% more than the mainstream floor cleaners, but to capture the greater market, price really needs to be come down.

Overall: Top marks.

Product review 002 - Ecover dishwasher tablets

Pros: None of the toxins found in normal dishwasher tablets; all packaging used, including the teeny weeny covering on the tabs, is recyclable.

Cons: Covers the dishes in a film; dishes come out looking dirty, sometimes food is still on them, especially compared to mainstream products like Finish; really expensive; have to put water temperature to highest to get dishes even remotely clean; end up rinsing a lot or handwashing after using.

Overall: Needs serious improvement

Product review 003 - Cuvee Gabriel Merlot (South of France)

Pros: We're usually disappointed with the organic wines we try--they tend to lack body --but this one is much fuller and usually tastes great; better if you let it breathe first; can proudly bring it to parties; moderate price (Â£5.85 at Planet Organic).

Cons: Drinking it now so can't think of any.

Overall: Top marks

Coming soon: Is going green getting more fashionable (just look at the latest Vanity Fair)? What do all of the recycling labels mean? What nations get top environmental marks and why aren't we all following their lead? What ever happened to bottle deposits? Are green box deliveries any good? What really happens in recycling plants? What is ecotricity all about? And more product reviews...

New links:
Global Ideas Bank--another great resource full of information and ideas.
The Meatrix -- a clever reminder on where cheap meat comes from and what's gone wrong with modern day meat production

The Not So Ideal Home Show

2006-04-02T22:33:00.000Z

We went to the much publicised Ideal Home Show today in Earl's Court. It was touted as having a eco and sustainable living theme. But it was actually a massive jumbo mall of home wares. There were the slice and dice men whizzing through carrots with ginso style knives, fake leather bean bags chairs, log cabins booths, TV sales tents and...a lonely recycling exhibit sponsored by Recycle Now.

Where were the solar panels and wind turbines and Huf Haus booths? Where was the info on happy composting and energy efficient boilers? Not by the pub on a trolley...

So we left with our lone Ecover jute bag that we found at the Ecover stand buried in tat and with despodent staff who were bummed by the complete lack of green theme. The organisers did have a huge, Vegas style waterfall with some shrubs stuck to it in the middle of the circus...maybe that was the green offering?

We did have a fun Sesame Street style wander through the Recycle Now exhibit which was in the style of a recreated tin can and had pretty cool info on what happens in the recycling process.

If anyone is interested, here goes:

Plastic bottles are crushed and chopped into plastic flakes which is then spun and mainly used for poly-based materials which goes into things like fleece clothing or that polyester leisure suit you wish you had

Glass is crushed and 80% of it (in the UK anyway) becomes new bottles and glassware

Paper gets pulped and reused mainly as newspaper, recycled paper goods and other useful things such as loft insulation and even road surface material

Young designers contributed some cool ideas which were on display such as a solar-powered compost bin, a unit to deal with cloth diapers (nappies), coffee tables made of recycled goods and a bio-degradable garbage can.

I was mesmerised by the rotating video on life inside of a recycling plant. I must arrange a visit into one soon for some proper reporting. Undercover of course!

Your ideas

Thank you to everyone who has written in with encouragement and great ideas. I'm going to collate them all for my next entry. Please keep the ideas coming on in!

Other green bloggers

Randomly found some great green sites including one by City Hippy who has compiled miles and miles of articles and diaries in his ventures in the green life.

And there is one called Green Diary which is very educational - Ecologist and National Geographic style blog coverage.

Guide to Ethical Living

For those of you who'd like a copy of Leo Hickman's educational and entertaining book, it's called 'A Good Life: The Guide to Ethical Living'. It was published in 2005 by The Guardian and Eden Project Books and should be available on Amazon.

Speaking of the Eden Project, we have that on our list of trips for the year. Anyone who has been, what did you think?

Why isn't all packaging recyclable?

2006-03-26T10:39:00.000Z

It's been an interesting week trying to buy household products and food only made from recyclable packaging. A mixed bag. Literally.

For example, I just made a rocket (arugula) salad with fresh mozzarella. The rocket I bought from Waitrose last week was in a recyclable bag made from recycled plastic. However, the rocket I bought from Sainbury's today was in a bag that did not have the recyclable sign, nor was it made from recycled plastic. The Sainsbury's mozzarella was equally guilty.

However, Sainsbury's does use some bags that are recyclable, mainly for their organic products.

Less confusing were the products in cardboards boxes/cartons and aluminum packaging. All clearly recyclable. And almost all of the plastic packaging we bought was recyclable apart from a few random items we bought at Marks and Spencers and the lunch spot Eat. Things like salad containers that looked like they were classic candidates for the recycling pile turned out not to have any recycling symbols on them anywhere. And we gave them thorough inspections. Even the husband was getting completely annoyed by the plastic that should be recyclable languishing in the no-label zone.

A mystery: hidden recycling label on top, none on bottom

Rather than throw the non-recyclable offenders away, we've saved them to log them into our 'do not buy' book. One book encouraged people to save such packaging and mail it back to the stores with an official complaint. Instead, I'll make a list of the offending products and mail some letters to the stores that need to improve.

For your shopping information: Waitrose is the most consistent for using packaging that can be recycled and/or is made from recycled materials. Sainsbury and Tesco need to get way better.

I'm curious to know which stores are the best and worst on this front in in the United States.

There also needs to be some sort of consistency with recycling codes. It should be incredibly simple to identify what can be recycled but instead it can be confusing and obtuse e.g. a circular arrow with no text.

As encouragement to beginning recyclers, when we found out how much of our household waste could be recycled, our trash was been reduced by 75%. Yes, 75%! And it was actually our 12-year old niece who turned us onto the fact that we could recycle all cardboard--a trick I had been missing. Go the youth of England. And if we could compost, we'd have nearly zero garbage.

Separating recyclables is so simple and pain-free. We just have a catch-all bag next to our regular garbage can. When it's full, we pop it down to the local recycling bin.

With my recycling antenna up all week, it became a topic of conversation amongst friends. It turns out that quite a few of our friends do not recycle at all, even though most of London has front-door pick-ups and you don't even have to separate.

My task this week is to find out about the recycling lifecycle---where do the cans et al go, and how do they become repurposed? As quite a few people don't recycle because they don't believe it actually does any good (we're a cynical bunch!!) it should prove a useful bit of research.

I'm now on a conversion campaign! But trying not to be an annoying nutter about it.

Right, the new Planet Earth documentary series is on now. It's a BBC series and it's absolutely wild. Spectacular. But my better half is threatening switch to Tog Gear unless I get off of the computer.

Please let me know your tales of recycling and any useful information you have for me to include in my 'where does it go?' research.

2006-03-19T21:15:00.000Z

Just found this hep-cool green blog. Lots of good green references and shopping tips.

Greenloop

Lots of recycling this weekend. Ralph made me clean out my stash of plastic bags which I have such guilt about releasing back into the world. They seem so inocuos in our broom closet. But Westminster Council has installed a new bag recylcing container so now we can guilt-free get rid of them knowing they are going into recycling loop. When we got there with our bag full of bags we found a like-minded yuppy doing the same things. Bonding in at the recyling depot in W2.

We've been really really good about not using shopping bags - we either stuff already used bags in ours pockets before we go to the store or use our durable canvas style bags. But still a few sneak through every now when we find oursleves bagless and in need of stuff.

It amazing the interest from grocery employees who really dig the fact that we bring our own bags. One French woman who works at the little corner store near us told me she was so fed up with giving school kids bags for a can of soda that she's started to refuse bags to shoppers who, in her opinion, don't need them. And she's gone to the local school to ask them to teach the kids about recycling and being ecologically responsible.

I'm appalled that the government here in the UK hasn't gone the Irish route to charge for plastic bags. I see people take large plastic bags for gum or a small snack bar during lunch breaks all of the time. I want to flick them on the back of the head. How so many people can be so clueless about such basics is staggering. They really should be shamed into being less idiotic.

The government should be launching awereness campaigns and apply necessary taxes to force people to be responsible. Why the UK is so far behind, I don't know.

It's been a few years since I lived in the US. Are there any states that have plastic bag charges? Must research.

Mission for this week: To only buy goods in recyclable packaging. Will let you know how we get on and which products have eco-friendly packaging and which don't.

2006-03-17T16:38:00.000Z

This winter, my husband and I decided we were going to go green.

We were already slightly eco-friendly types, in the non-hippy way, but there was a lot of room for improvement. And when my mother-in-law gave us a book on ethical living we realised how ignorant we were on, well, just about everything to do with sustainability. Which was a bit of a shock as I always considered myself a mother-earth-loving, modern gal with my cool, retro reusable shopping bags, my willingness to walk miles for a recyling bin, my loathing of everything SUV (they are just so ridiculous, clunky and ugly) and my preference for walking and cycling over anything with a combustible engine.

But this ethical living book by Leo Hickman was a real eye-opener. Everything we did seemed to need a good review. Cleaning, travel, shopping, restaurant selections, getting from A to B...everything!

No more leaving the water running when brushing the teeth, no more taking cabs (unless desperately inebriated), recycling everything possible, no more asparagus shipped from Chile, no more meat with every meal, a switch to buying organic and environmentally-friendly products.

Research, lots of research, and consideration was required for just about every move we made.

But it all seemed like the least we could do to make amends for the fact that we live in a big flat that is a fuel-hog, that we never go without and... husband's (now forbidden) love for eight-litre sports cars.

My husband thought it would all be insanely difficult and a complete killjoy for our normally fun and easy lifestyle. I was sure it would all be very doable and that once we looked, there would be green options everywhere.

The reality has proven to be a mixed bag.

And this blog is all about sharing our green trials and tribulations, successes, news and views and getting yours in return.

Because we need all of the help we can get on our green mission!