Compost - It is Berry Easy....

Especially if you live in San Francisco. I recently spent a week Northern California visiting friends, exploring the the possibility of a relocation to the west coast, and enjoying all that a city with a major commitment to the environment has to offer. San Francisco, the first city to ban plastic bags, is also leading the way in recycling organic materials.

Now back to that rotten pun. It is one of the many ads I saw on buses and signs throughout the city promoting SF's compost pick-up program. Along with recycling and trash, residents also leave out their organic waste (food scraps, food soiled paper, and plants) for the city to collect and compost back into nutrient-rich soil, which comes full circle, as it is used to grow organic food and wine.

Soon to be your next glass of Cab

You may remember the blog I wrote a few weeks ago about an innovative indoor composter and the harmful methane emissions produced when organic materials fester in landfills, so you can imagine how excited I was to learn about San Francisco's compost program. You can read more about their composting and environmental programs at the city's environmental website, and you can read about how the the recycling and composting works here. See an example of their many informative videos below.

Some people explain why your rotten stuff is good food for the soil.

If you don't live in a city that offers extensive recycling and composting options, get in touch with your local elected officials and encourage them to take action. Use San Francisco's example to encourage them to enact similar policies. Lastly, don't forget to spread the message by impressing your friends with your new and catchy composting puns. It's easier than you stink.

Downers - They May Be What's For Dinner

There are several reasons you may be concerned about beef consumption and production. Here are just a few:

• This CBS News Story of downer cows being grossly mistreated at a California meatpacking plant owned by Westland/Hallmark Meat Company, which supplies food to school lunch programs.

Video of a downer/Downer of a video

• Recent news of the "Biggest Beef Recall Ever." According to the New York Times, of the 143 million pounds of beef recalled, "37 million pounds went to school lunch programs."
  

• A reading of Fast Food Nation, The Jungle, or The Omnivore's Dilemma

• You have watched Super Size Me

• You have heard some disturbing environmental statistics, such as the fact that livestock manure accounts for 18% of methane emissions (a gas that contributes to global warming)

• Like me, you worked a stint at McDonald's in high school (file that under worthwhile learning experiences in a polyester uniform one need only have once - sorry, no pictures, and I had to give my uniform back)

So what's an omnivore and concerned citizen to do? The solution is a fairly obvious one - eat less meat! While the prospect of becoming a vegetarian may seem to drastic for many, it is important to know how our actions affect the quality of life for human and animal alike. The meat industry has become a brutal one, and if you decide to consume meat, it is critical to both your health and to the health of the planet that you know what happened to your meat before it became that neatly wrapped package in your market.

Here are three easy ways to insure conscious, compassionate consumption:

• Reduce the amount of beef you are consuming. Try to limit yourself to once a week or less. As Bill McKibben suggested in a talk I attended recently, try to think of meat as a condiment rather than as a main dish.

• Get to know your local farmers. No matter where you live, it is now easy to find grass-fed beef produced under humane conditions by small farmers.
  

• Educate yourself. Read some of the books suggested above, do a little research on the web, talk to vegetarians about their decision not to eat meat, patronize organic, local restaurants, and always be sure that you know what you are putting into your body.
  

Green Beer? Here!

For those of you heading out to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this evening (or this week for that matter...this seems increasingly seems like a holiday celebrated for a solid week), The Sierra Club has put out a great blog recommending beers produced in environmentally sustainable ways.

Step1: Add pint of booze (repeat as necessary)

The comments section of their blog is worthy of a read as well because many responsible beer drinkers have chimed in with the names of their favorite enviro-brews. The result is a pretty extensive list of beers that can adopt the mantra, "tastes great, less guilt!" (of the environmental fashion; I can't speak to the caloric content).

Step 2: Share your love of Ireland with the ladies

I am putting in my vote for Wolaver's Organic Pale Ale. It is made in Vermont by Otter Creek brewing. However, I am in Seattle this week, and as I want to be mindful of my pledge to eat (and drink!) locally, I will be sampling the many varieties of beer from the Fish Brewing Company.

Step 3: Well, you know

Happy St. Patrick's Day and remember to eat locally and drink responsibly (environmentally speaking and otherwise, of course!)

Lose More Waste Fast!

According to 41pounds, "By reducing your junk mail for 5 years, you’ll conserve 1.7 trees and 700 gallons of water, and prevent 460 pounds of carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere."

Clearly, your personal reduction can really add up. Right now, in order to produce America's unwanted mail, over 100 million trees are churned into junk mail annually, and 28 million gallons of water are needed to produce the 4.5 million tons of unwanted catalogs, magazines, and solicitation mailings that we all find in our mailboxes. After all of this, 44% of this mail is thrown away, unopened.

Fortunately, there are several easy ways to get yourself removed from the junk mail lists and prevent these wasteful mailings from ever being created with your name on them.

If you are a do it yourself-er, you can opt out of the mailing lists maintained by credit reporting agencies, which are in turn sold to credit card and insurance companies for mass solicitation. Just call the agencies' opt out number at 888-5-OPTOUT. You can also eliminate many of the unwanted solicitation letters and catalogs by following the steps outlined in Eco-Cycle's Stop the Junk Mail Monster guide.

There are also several companies ready to help rid you of 90 -95% of your junk mail both easily and inexpensively:

Greendimes.com is a service that costs $20; however, the company plants 5 trees when you initially sign up ,as well as one tree for each catalog you opt out of receiving.

41pounds.org is run by a nonprofit organization that gives 1/3 of the $41 junk mail reduction fee to a charity of your choice.

Stopthejunkmail.com allows you to opt out of receiving catalogs, magazines, book clubs, and nonprofits for $19.95 a year.

Catalogchoice.org is a project of the Ecology Center, and their service, which allows you to opt out of receiving catalogs, and their service is free!

Also, don't forget that most of your bank statements, investment reports, and bills can all be paid online. Contact your companies and ask for paperless statements. Let's be frank - the only mail we want to find in our box is a new movie to watch anyway, so make it happen and save some precious resources at the same time!

Stars: They're just like us!

Angelina and George - "just like us" - sort of...

Okay, I realize that quoting US Magazine is incriminating, and I do admit to reading it when
a) stuck in line at the supermarket
b) on an airplane (but only if someone else has purchased - recycling!)
or
c) I find myself in a doctor's office waiting room - yes I am one of those people who makes the greedy grab for People and the like.

But you have to forgive me, I used to work in the film business after all, and I like to keep track of what those well-meaning and/or brutishly dumb celebrities are up to....sadly, often it is not much.

In fact, one of the reasons I found myself disenchanted with the film industry during my four year tenure was that I got into film because I thought it was one of the most powerful mediums going. A good film has the power to change the way we think about a topic in less than two hours.

The Oscars this week were just a reminder that there are plenty of celebrities who are using their magical fairy dust of fame to do something worthwhile; George Clooney is a UN Peacekeeper, Angelina Jolie is a UN Goodwill Ambassador, and Don Cheadle is working as an advocate to end the genocide in Darfur.

Like it or not, the actions and voices of celebrity carry weight, and for those of you interested in more than Brittany's latest stop on her train wreck tour, there are two good websites with plenty of celebrity to quench your craving for gossip (the good kind that is):

Do Something - This website, whose mission is to "use the internet to help young people change the world," has a section devoted to celebrity hyjinx of the responsible variety. My favorite post this week is "Celebs Get Hy."


Ed Norton Happy with his Hybrid

EcoRazzi - This website is shamelessly devoted to all things green AND cool, and their topics of coverage range from film and tv to fashion and shopping. As an added bonus, their writing is often laugh out loud funny.

While I must quibble with the idea that stars are just like us, we can certainly steal their ideas for doing some more good in the world.

Lose Waste Fast!

Food takes the full circle with no pollution or waste

Now at first blush, this may not sound like the most appealing project on which to embark. However, if you are like me, much of your daily trash is vegetables, egg shells, or coffee grounds, all of which goes into a landfill. According to the EPA, food waste is the #1 least recycled material, and the Earth is running out of landfill space.

Now I realize that I may sound like an infomercial, but I have been searching for a good indoor composter for a long time. I live in New York, and the usual compost pile that we had during my days in Vermont would definitely not be welcome (with regard to either square footage or smell) in my apartment.

So hooray for the NatureMill, a composter that can be used indoors or out, and you can add up to 120 pounds a month of organic waste - vegetables, coffee grounds, dairy, meat or fish. The upper tray provides the necessary environment for composting - cultures which consume the waste products, heat, moisture, and air flow. Every two weeks or so, a light goes on in the lower tray to let you know that your new compost is ready!


Stage 1 in the dirt making process

If you still need convincing, consider the tons of organic waste presently residing in landfills and producing greenhouse gas emissions as it decomposes. This harmful methane emission, which is much more potent than carbon dioxide, is a byproduct of organic matter decomposition in oxygen starved landfills. By composting you are also closing the loop, as no fossil fuels are needed to transport your dirt into your garden or potted plants.

So help keep the Earth clean, and make your own dirt!

What exactly does that V Stand For?

I am not really a fan of Valentine's Day. I understand that this is not a novel idea, as many people also dislike the category of holidays that come with expectations of consumption, manufactured affection, and inevitable feelings of exclusion for those who find themselves without a significant other.

Rather than boycotting Valentine's Day altogether, I offered to spread the love on my own terms - by volunteering at the V-Day benefit at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York.


New friends at V-Day!

For those of you not familiar with V-Day, it is the organization founded by Eve Ensler. While I have been a fan of Ensler since the early days of The Vagina Monlogues, I really had no idea how influential she has become until I started doing a bit of research about her organization.

The woman of the hour - Eve Ensler

The goal of V-Day is to end violence against women by providing safety, helping women to reclaim their lives, and working to educate and change the practices currently threatening women all over the world.

To date, V-Day has raised over 15 million dollars. It is a true grassroots organization; money raised through benefits and performances of The Vagina Monologues is kept and used in the community where the money is raised. V-Day is empowering women and men all over the world to take a stand against violence.

This is the tenth anniversary of V-Day, and each year Ensler focuses on a certain area of the world. This year, Ensler centers the V-Day lens on New Orleans, and in April, V-Day will bring Superlove to the Superdome and will celebrate their 10th anniversary in style with their V to the Tenth Celebration.

Superlove will take place April 12-13th in New Orleans. The V to the Tenth performance will feature performances of The Vagina Monologues, V-Day activists from all over the world, and of course, celebrities - Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Jessica Alba, and Rosario Dawson to name just a few.

Consider attending the event or buying a ticket for a gulf coast resident to attend in your stead. Help to end violence against women all over the world - that's a "V" we can all stand for.