A Greener Vacation

By Rachel Tanis

As the warm days of summer approach, my mind always turns to travel. I can’t wait to plan my next summer vacation and look forward to lounging away my time in some tropical locale. This year, I’m going to put a little more thought into my adventures and be sure to make the entire experience greener. That means that my green vacation starts before I ever leave home.

Before leaving home be sure to…

…turn off the air conditioning or heat if possible. If not, adjust to temperatures that will protect your plants, animals and plumbing, though this shouldn’t be the same comfortable temperature you’d want if you were actually home.

…turn your water heater to “vacation” or its lowest temperature setting. This means that the water sitting in your hot water heater will not be continually heated again and again when no one is using it.

…unplug appliances that won’t be used while you’re away so that they are not drawing a charge, unnecessarily.

…stop newspaper and mail delivery. You may be able to donate your newspapers to a shelter, nursing home or school while you are away. If you really want the papers, most companies will hold them for you. Stopping your delivery services means that you won’t come home to soggy mail or newspapers, in the event that it rains at home while you’re away enjoying the sunshine.

When planning your trip…

…check out travel books from the library rather than buying new ones. You’ll not only save money, but trees as well!

…plan your trip to include public transportation whenever available. Check for a website created by the municipality that you’ll be visiting for a link to their department of transportation which can usually provide you with maps, schedules and pricing for public transportation like buses, shuttles, subways and trains.

…take advantage of green technology like e-tickets offered by most airlines. A big plus of an e-ticket is that picking up your ticket at the airport makes it harder to lose or forget!

Businesses Going Green

By Rachel Tanis

While the downsizing in the newspaper business is nothing short of traumatic if you work, or wish to work, in the industry, many publications are seeing black over green decisions. Choosing to operate in a greener manner by reducing print copies or switching their publications entirely to virtual formats (see the Detroit News and Christian Science Monitor websites for two such examples) is a move that is actually helping the businesses operate in a profitable state.

It can be argued that the newspaper move was one to save ink and not really an actual attempt at running a more environmentally-friendly operation. I have mentioned many times over the last few months in this blog several different business maneuvers, aimed at saving corporate dollars, which have doubled as an advantage for the environment. (You might remember the four-day work week or telecommuting policies at companies like Sprint). It might be impossible to distinguish motive from effect, but regardless, sound business decisions that have a positive effect on the environment are always a worthwhile investment.

Some companies have a reputation for going green. Ford Motor Company built a green roof on its Dearborn assembly plant in 2003, long before it was chic. The roof is actually 10.4 acres of a “drought-resistant perennial groundcover, planted into a specially layered bed,” that the company claims will last twice as long as a traditionally constructed roof. The roof soaks up rainwater and carbon dioxide, and reduces the plant’s overall energy costs by working as a layer of insulation protecting the assembly plant against the cold Michigan winters. The roof even earned the company a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest living roof.

Even though they passed on the cost to customers, businesses like Star-Kist have made environmental changes that are for the better. Star-Kist reacted to negative press that it received when customers learned that it was accidently catching (and sometimes harming or killing) dolphins in its nets while fishing for tuna. In response, the company moved its fishing operations for safer areas, even though the tuna was less plentiful there. (Lagace)

And, the return on the investment has been high for most of the environmentally-friendly changes that companies have made. For example, in 2004 General Electric (GE) invested $7.5 million dollars “into technology to reduce energy consumption and waste products.” In 2005, the company’s “Ecomagination” line (the one that you’ve seen all of those inspiring commercials about) brought in a handsome profit: “$10 billion in revenue, and an expected $20 billion by 2010.” (Voigt)
In this time of economic opportunity it is important for companies to remember that the new frontier is green, and so are the rewards!

Sources:
Ford Installs World’s Largest Living Roof on New Truck Plant. http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=15555
Lagace, Martha. Going Green Makes Good Business Sense. Harvard Business School: Working Knowledge. http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/3015.html
Voigt, Kevin. Business sees green in going green. CNN: World Business http://edition.cnn.com/2006/BUSINESS/12/14/environment/index.html

Labeling the Grocery Store

By: Rachel Tanis

Wandering through the produce aisle of my local grocer recently, I was surprised by the number of labels that are found on fresh fruit. An orange was labeled “certified organic,” while a papaya read “rainforest alliance.” A few rows over a sign hung over chocolate bars reading “made with fair trade certified cacao beans.” I wondered what all of this meant. What happened to the simpler labels like “use by Friday” or “made with fresh ingredients?” I thought that things were really getting sophisticated a few years back when I had to choose between regular eggs and those from free-range chickens. But, with all of these new labels popping up all over the grocery store, I thought that it was worth investigating the new lingo. Here’s what I found:

“Certified Organic” – means that the item was grown without the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, and also on land that was free from such chemicals for at least the last three prior years. If you are looking to save money these days, choose which items you will purchase in their organic state, and which you will buy without the label. Since organic items tend to be pricier, purchase produce that you consume the skin on (apples, grapes, strawberries, blueberries) in the organic versions. Those that you peel the skin off of (like oranges and bananas) are less likely to have been directly affected by chemicals.

“Rainforest Alliance” – this group focuses on maintaining worker rights and welfare, forest sustainability and managing how farms manage their crops. This includes working with farms to ensure that they grow crops in such a way that they are careful to preserve the rainforest and its natural inhabitants.

“Fair Trade” – when applying this statement to a chocolate bar, you can be certain that your chocolate bar is making a political statement. Cacao beans purchased from “fair trade” farmers are paid at least .10 cents more than the current market rate. This means that the profits are to be invested in the farmer’s community through things like education and health care initiatives. The “fair trade” stamp also means that certain environmental standards are also met, which are similar to those followed by farms which are certified organic.

“Free Range” – by now, we are probably all familiar with this term. Legally speaking, only poultry can be certified “free range” by the USDA. However, even among free range poultry, the definition remains wide. Free range birds must be allowed outside to graze and feed during all of their life cycles, and are not to be fenced-in, or pastured, so that they are kept from eating a variety of plants and seeds. This is tricky though, because some farmers may allow their chickens to graze for a while before returning them to a pen, while others may never cage their birds. Either way, a free range farm must be certified by the USDA and is one certain way to ensure that your meal is well-rounded. Free range birds consume different plants and seeds which lead to a different flavor. Also, some argue that their muscle-to-fat ratio is different because of all of the additional roaming.

“Farm Raised” – those we are concerned with free range issues will likely raise their brows at “farm raised” game. Farm-raised game and fish are raised within pens so that they can be easily managed. Their diets are carefully prepared, often with limited exposure to the naturally-occurring foods that they would eat in their native environments. In addition, farm raised animals can be crowded which may raise toxin levels in their systems. However, let it be said that the USDA has strict rules on the amount of toxins (such as mercury found in fish, for example) permit able. So, while there may be no real health danger from consuming farm raised animals, you’re taste buds may prefer animals with a more natural appetite.

“Wild Caught” – we often see this label on fish, such as salmon. “Wild caught” means that the fish was not raised on a fish farm where farmers are sure to know exactly how many fish are swimming in each holding area, since it is all regulated by the USDA. Some salmon farms occur in the wild, but they are not considered “wild caught.” These “wild” salmon farms are man-made farms created in the ocean to raise many fish under more natural circumstances. Thousands of salmon unnaturally captured in the same ocean holding tank has destructive consequences on the environment around it. Fish excrements, found in abundance as they are in ocean farms, have been known to destroy wildlife and sea beds. Be happy though knowing that “wild caught” fish are actually caught out in the deep blue where the fish have lived a natural life.

Happy Eating!

Which Shade of Green Are You?

By Rachel Tanis

When you hear the word green, you probably picture a color in your mind. Maybe it’s the color of a deep, rich emerald, or maybe it’s the color of a freshly mowed lawn. Maybe you picture a green that’s more reminiscent of the sea after a storm, or sliced scallions. Use the scale below to help determine which shade of green you are when it comes to your dedication to environmental causes. It will have you seeing green in a whole new light.

Not-Quite-Green-Yellow
• You co-wrote Sarah Palin’s infamous speech on climate change… or the lack there-of.
• You called the police on your neighbor’s “smelly and unsightly” compost pile.
• You have seen a recycling bin before, but never use one.

Pale Green
• You brag about the fact that you ingeniously re-used your old t-shirts as garage rags.
• You drew a little green planet on your calendar as a way to help you remember Earth Day next month, even though you’ll probably forget all about it.
• You planted a tree. Once.

Kelly Green
• You stopped your newspaper delivery service and began paying for their online version as a way to help save the environment.
• Your neighbors called the police on your “smelly and unsightly” compost pile.
• You grow your own vegetables and are researching how you can have your own sustainable kitchen.
• When your date asks you to pick up the movie from Blockbuster, you usually go for An Inconvenient Truth.

Emerald Green
• You own a signed DVD copy of An Inconvenient Truth.
• Al Gore is your friend on Facebook.
• You traded in your gas-guzzling Toyota Prius for a bicycle and two lawn-mowing/lawn-fertilizing goats.
• You’ve tried to make your own tofu.
• After biking around town in January, you signed up on the Chevy Volt waiting list!

Green Things for a Greener St. Patrick’s Day!

By Rachel Tanis

St. Patty’s Day is just around the corner, and those of us living north of the Mason-Dixon are hoping that with spring greener and sunnier days are sure to follow. Celebrate the last big holiday of winter by taking steps to make it a greener celebration. Here are some ideas on how to make your good ole’ Irish holiday truly green, without dying an entire tributary of the Mississippi!

To celebrate the day give away green party favors, such as seedlings. Begin today by planting small trees (seedlings) in little terra cotta pots with some fresh potting soil. Take good care of them and remember to give your friends instructions on how to maintain them as well.

Don’t think you have a seasoned-enough green thumb to raise a mini-forest before St. Patty’s Day? Give away packets of seeds. Bonus points for completely green colored plants like herbs such as cilantro, parsley or basil.

Instead of wearing a green shirt, wear a greener green shirt. Buy a plain, organic cotton t-shirt and dye it green using natural dyes. Boil spinach leaves and use the concentrated water to dye your shirt pale green. Or, to make a golden green color, boil the peels of golden delicious apples with the spinach.

Make invitations to your St. Patrick’s Day party by using recycled paper. Make your own recycled paper by following the directions found here. Be sure to include some bits of old green paper or dried leaves for color and effect!

Instead of drinking too much green beer, try “brewing” your own healthy, organic drink as a pick-me-up. Use a juicer, blender or food processor to combine organic vegetables. Try Dr. Oz’s (Oprah’s now-famous doctor) recipe for a green drink by blending together the following:

1 lemon (the whole thing if your appliance can handle it)
½ cup parsley, chopped
1 rib of celery
2 big handfuls of spinach
1 piece of peeled ginger
1 medium cucumber
2 apples, sliced and cored
Ice cubes to proper consistency (optional)

Best of luck to you!

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