Forget America Recycles Day, Celebrate Zero Waste Day!

Thu, 11 Nov 2010 13:33:00 -0500

America Recycles Day, "the only nationally recognized day dedicated to the promotion of recycling programs in the United States. One day to inform and educate." And what are they teaching you? That it is OK to buy disposable crap and throw it away, as long as you put it in the right place. That it is OK for corporations to stick you with the responsibility of paying taxes to hire people to take this stuff away and separate it and try and sell it. And who is doing the informing and educating? Who is behind America Recycles Day? Among others: ... Read the full story on Planet Green

There Are At Least 10 R's, And Recycling Is The Least Of Them

Wed, 10 Nov 2010 11:27:57 -0500

Recycling Week, and time to reiterate, reprise and repost our message that recycling is not the answer, zero waste is. Last year we listed 7Rs that did not include recycling. Refuse: Simply don't buy stuff that is overpackaged. Rot: Compost what is left over, turning it into valuable nutrients. Refill: In Ontario Canada, 88% of beer bottles are returned to the beer store, washed and refilled; just south of the border in the USA, the number drops to under 5%. ... Read the full story on Planet Green

Another Reason To Cook: Food Tastes Better When You Work For It

Thu, 04 Nov 2010 10:11:55 -0500

Why Cook? Now we can add another reason: a new study shows that the harder you work for your food, the better it tastes. Live Science reports:

When mice were given a choice between two foods � one food they had been made to work hard for, and another food they had acquired easily � they preferred the food that had been harder to get. And exertion made previously undesirable food tastier to the rodents.

Read the full story on Planet Green

Was Home Ownership Overrated? Is Renting Better?

Wed, 03 Nov 2010 15:37:46 -0500

It's A Wonderful Life, given the opportunity of home ownership in Bailey Park. They got to leave Mr. Potter's dense, mixed rental community. A few years ago on TreeHugger, right at the beginning of the Great Recession, I wrote a few posts suggesting that people might consider renting instead of following the Great American Dream of owning a house. When I wrote Is Home Ownership a Good Thing?, I listed some of the problems and quoted some well known thinkers: Lack of mobility. James Surowiecki in the New Yorker: " ]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Fool Around With The Eco-Cool Measuring Tool

Wed, 27 Oct 2010 12:50:38 -0500

Eco-Cool Remodel Tool is a cute graphic interactive tool from King County in Washington State; they say:

You�ll find tips and resources ranging from selecting healthy paint products, to what you should consider when replacing your furnace, upgrading your kitchen or landscaping your yard. Green home remodelling creates healthy, comfortable spaces that can save you money, increase your home's value and help protect the environment.

Like most of these things, it is designed around a typical suburban house with two car garage,]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

The Business of Sharing

Thu, 21 Oct 2010 14:09:43 -0500

The Business of Sharing. He then gets it a bit wrong, comparing sharing with renting, which still has advantages over owning, writing:

Renting is not a new business, of course. Hotel chains and car-hire firms have been around for ages, and the world�s oldest profession, one might argue, involves renting.

But eventually he gets around to what he calls "Collaborative Consumption," and lists some Planet Green and TreeHugger ]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

In Houses, Small Is The New Big

Wed, 20 Oct 2010 13:39:47 -0500

Small is the New Big, That Tiny Homes are the Next Big Thing, and that Small Houses Getting Big Coverage. The key point was that larger homes use more energy, cost more money, encourage lower density development and provide space to fill with clutter and stuff we don't need. On Planet Green I wrote two years ago:

As the recession takes hold and people are worried about money and jobs, it is important that we figure o]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

How To Separate Clutter From Stuff You Need

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 14:19:39 -0500

Happiness Project, "a memoir of the year I spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages." As a guest poster on Zen Habits, she lists Nine Quick Tips to Identify Clutter. It is hard to be a minimalist when the stuff just keeps piling up, stuff that takes up space that needs heating and cooling. Some of her suggestions are quite sensible, and some raise questions.

Would I replace it if it were broken or lost? If not, I must not really need it.

Not necessarily so. Our dishwasher is broken and beyond repair, and m]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

The Connection Between Environmentalism and Heritage Activism

Wed, 13 Oct 2010 13:17:21 -0500

the greenest brick is the one already in the wall, and that our heritage districts are energy conservation districts. In fact, I became such an ardent preservationist that I have ended up as President of the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. One of the constant problems that groups like ours or the National Trust For Historic Preservation is to become relevant to younger people; the membership skews old. On the other hand, the environmental movement skews young. How does one get the message across that saving buildings can help save the planet? At a conference in ]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Newfoundland Lieutenant Governor Defends Seal Hunt; Is it Defensible?

Wed, 06 Oct 2010 13:57:16 -0500

It seemed so odd to be a TreeHugger in Newfoundland's Government House, listening to Lieutenant Governor John Crosbie's spirited defence of a way of life that includes the seal hunt. He talks of how the aboriginals has been doing it for 5,000 years, and what important a part of Newfoundland life it is. Crosbie explained that life is tough here, regaling us with the story of how 78 Newfoundlanders died on one night on the ice when a blizzard moved in. It is very hard, given how warm and wonderful and open everyone is here, not to be sympathetic. In fact, it is hard to find a single person here who doesn't talk about how Newfoundland was built on the cod and seal industry. Now that the cod is gone, the seal is about all there is left of the traditional way of life that supported villages ... Read the full story on Planet Green

The Three Most Important Words About Green Design: Make It Easy

Thu, 16 Sep 2010 12:19:34 -0500

Green Building Advisor has hit on the three words that should be posted in our faces while we work: Make It Easy. He has nailed it. Because we don't make it easy for people to be green. We don't give instruction manuals for homes like the car manufacturers do with cars. We don't have easy-to-use controls; I have seen setback thermostats that make VCR programming look simple. I have a fancy Rinnai water heater on my wall that heats both my domestic hot water and my radiators; if it went out]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Home Energy Saver Calculates Bang For the Buck

Wed, 15 Sep 2010 12:55:08 -0500

Rocky Mountain Institute's Cool Citizens Guide as our guide, but it is old now (1992) and the numbers are seriously out of date. But it was and is a great guide to the low hanging fruit. Then we recently discovered the Minnesota Power Pyram]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Live Where The Smart People Do

Wed, 08 Sep 2010 10:09:10 -0500

Richard Florida of the Martin Prosperity Institute explains that college towns that are home to large research-intensive universities have the highest percentage of PhDs, masters or professional degrees. That makes sense, but how does it make a difference? Florida and his associates crunched the numbers, asking:

What extent is metro �braininess� associated with better rates of economic performance? Human capital is a key driver of economic performance, according to a wide range of economic studies. And the Brainiest Metros Index reflects a small but high-powered subset of hum]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

5 Ways To Lighten Your Load And Live As If You're On The Road

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:36:05 -0500

Apartment Therapy makes and interesting point, that perhaps we should live as if we are about to travel. After a summer on the road, they say "It's been a great reminder that when you're surrounded by people you love and beautiful places, you don't need that much stuff." There is nothing new in living as if you are in transit; that is pretty much how people lived 800 years ago. From TreeHugger:

Witold Rybczynski writes in HOME: A short History of an Idea that in the middle ages, "people didn't live in homes so much as camp in them. The nobility owned many residences, and travelled ]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Fast Food Kid's Meals Have Adult-Sized Fat, Calories and Salt

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:42:54 -0500

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) had a bite of a few of them and found that they had half a day's worth of calories and more than a day's recommended intake of salt. PCRM's nutrition director Susan Levin says:

"Kids shouldn't have to dodge cholesterol bombs packaged in colorful, toy-filled boxes. We're losing the war against childhood obesity, but fast-food chains are still making obscene profits by targeting children with high-fat meals."

Of course, the fast foo]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Take Your Kids To School With Walking Buses, Bicycle Trains, Anything But Cars

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 11:43:43 -0500

the most dangerous place to be as a child is in a car. But that is how so many kids get to school, or they get picked up in a cheesewagon and get bused. There are a lot of reasons for this; in America, the biggest is low density sprawl that causes the schools to service huge areas, too far to walk. Another, perhaps more significant reason, is parental fear, that it is not safe to let their kids out alone anymore. Even though statistics show that crime and abduction rates are down, those Amber Alerts and scary news stories make parents very protective. But in fact, walking to school not only is good for the environment, it is good for the kids. Read the full story on Planet Green

The Box Appetit From Black + Blum: The Designer Approach To The Lunchbox

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:13:46 -0500

More like a ceramic bowl than your standard food container and with better functionality. The �glass like� lid locks to the body for a water tight seal and has an ingenious sauce dipping area (good for sushi lovers). A sauce pot is ideal for salad dressing (or ketchup), so you can dress your salad just before you eat it. An inner dish allows yo]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Bamboo: Is It Really As Green As It Is Made Out To Be?

Thu, 12 Aug 2010 13:19:03 -0500

Apartment Therapy recently asked the question and concluded that "Bamboo isn't always better." Like everything in building and life, there are tradeoffs and compromises. TreeHugger and Planet Green have been looking at this issue for a number of years; do we agree with their answers? 1. Is bamboo more durable than the other material you're considering? Bamboo has been marketed as being harder than wood; it is not necessarily. The darker it is, the longer it has been carbonized, and the softer it is. Many think the stuff is going to be hard and impervious to denting and it just isn't. It is also harder to refinish than solid wood. ... Read the full story on Planet Green

A Story of Too Much Stuff

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 10:13:36 -0500

Frugal Green Living, , the idea of Living With Less, and long before it even started we wrote about how to get ready for the recession. I follow quite a few other bloggers who actually practice what they preach, like Trent and Everett. (I admit to being a complete failure.) Another that I follow but have not written about is Tammy Strobel of Rowdy Kittens, where she writes:

Somewhere along the way we start thinking we need more and more s]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

New Lessons From Old Buildings

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 12:50:13 -0500

Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk put front porches on the houses in Seaside, the iconic planned community that was the first big demonstration of New Urbanism (and where they filmed the Truman Show) They did it to reduce the need for air conditioning, but found other benefits as well, telling NPR: "People would sit on the front porch instead of in the backyard because they]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

The Minimalist Workday: 50 Strategies for Working Less

Wed, 04 Aug 2010 13:54:24 -0500

Far Beyond the Stars and on the sales of his two e-books, The Art of Being Minimalist and Minimalist Business. He doesn't need a whole lot because he doesn't own very much, having tossed everything away until he owns just 57 things. (although he counts 20 socks in 10 pairs to be one thing). Of course, he doesn't own a car. ( I wrote about him earlier in Read the full story on Planet Green

Travelling Light and Packing Tight

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 15:42:47 -0500

in one post: Start with the right bag. If the bag is bigger you will fill it up. Wear your clothes a number of times. "it's entirely possible to bring lightweight, quick-drying clothes that can easily be washed in the sink at night and worn again the next day." They also recommend good]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Ten Secrets To Cycling With Traffic

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 16:28:46 -0500

Biking Toronto has prepared an interesting list of secrets that we will share, with a bit of commentary: Drivers Don�t Want to Kill You Sounds like an odd secret, but they have a point. "The vast majority of drivers don�t want to kill you� they just don�t understand you. As well, the very LAST thing 99.99% of drivers want to do ]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Pellet Furnaces Are Hot!

Wed, 21 Jul 2010 09:00:15 -0500

Pellet Stoves vs. Wood Stoves: Which is Greener? On the other hand, they are a byproduct of the lumber industry, made from sawdust that might otherwise have gone to the landfill, they are usually relati]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Hydroponics: Not Just For Grow-Ops Any More

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 13:13:31 -0500

as Sami so delicately put it, "a certain herbalist demographic." But it is way older; it became popular in the '30s as the science was perfected. Pan American Airlines actually grew vegetables on Wake Island to feed its trans-Pacific Clipper passengers because the cost of air freight was so high and the island had no soil. Many were convinced that it would revolutionize agriculture and dramatically increase yields. It's used today in commercial greenhouses, but what about doing it at home, if you don't have a garden? Fortunately, there is a lot of inform]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Suggestions from 'Round the Blogiverse for Beating The Heat

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:55:45 -0500

Modern Eco Homes has one that we like:

Take advantage of public centers and programs � think public libraries, pools, recreation centers, etc. The public pool is an affordable, fun place to cool down with the whole family and any indoor activities (such as free kids programs at the local library) will likely have air conditioning. You can cool off without using any resources within your own home.

Alex Wilson of Read the full story on Planet Green

It's HOT Out There: How To Cycle Through It Safely.

Wed, 07 Jul 2010 12:20:51 -0500

This post is part of our Better Biking feature, a discussion of many of the ways that we can engage in two-wheeled transport a little more effectively. Stay tuned for more! If bikes are truly going to be part of our transportation system, they have to be usable all year round. Right now it is really hot across much of North America, and some people are probably looking longingly at that air conditioned car in the driveway. Don't do it! There are lots of ways to adapt your riding to the hot weather. Some tips: Copenhagenize your ride. While cycling is very good exercise, urban biking isn't about exercise, it is about getting from point A to point B. This is t]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

10 Ways to Keep Cool Without Air Conditioning: A Planet Green Roundup

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:49:21 -0500

Author Stan Cox Explores Some Uncomfortable Truths About Our Air-Conditioned World makes one think about what the alternatives are. Planet Green and TreeHugger have covered many of them; we round them up ten of them here. Use awnings. According to the Washington Post, The Department of Energy estimates that awnings can reduce solar heat gain�the amount temperature rises because of sunshine�by as much as 65 percent on windows with southern exposures and 77 percent on those with western exposures. Your furniture will last longer, too. We noted in Planet Green last spring that this can translate into a s]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Are Dedicated Cycling Lanes Better For Cyclists? Or Should We Share The Road?

Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:06:20 -0500

This post is part of our Better Biking feature, a discussion of many of the ways that we can engage in two-wheeled transport a little more effectively. Stay tuned for more! There is so much passion in the cycling community; witness the comments to our previous post Do Bike Helmets Save Lives? Or Do They Hurt Cycling? -It may have generated a record number of comments for Planet Green. Almost as controversial is the question of dedicated bike lanes. Before there were cars, cyclists agitated for smooth, paved roads. In 1896 there was a Read the full story on Planet Green

Living A Minimalist Lifestyle: Tips From Everett Bogue

Thu, 24 Jun 2010 15:50:49 -0500

You think you need to live with less? Check out Gutted, chock full of hoarders who desperately need to spring-clean their lives. Everett Bogue is one of the more interesting writers about living a minimalist lifestyle. He started it when he left his day job to pursue "a location-independent life." Now, his only fixed address appears to be Far Beyond The Stars, where he writes about living with less. He quit his job, got rid of everything but seventy-five things (including socks, although I do not know whether he counts a pair as one thing or two) and started his own small business, writing about his experiences and sellin]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Do Bike Helmets Save Lives? Or Do They Hurt Cycling?

Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:20:20 -0500

This post is part of our Better Biking feature, a discussion of many of the ways that we can engage in two-wheeled transport a little more effectively. Stay tuned for more! First of all, I should get it out of the way and say that I always wear a helmet. Furthermore, two years ago my answer to the question of whether one should wear a helmet would have been absolutely straightforward, and wrote on TreeHugger: The Bicycle Helmet Debate is Over. Really. Wear a helmet. You wouldn't think there would actually be any question about it, really. But in fact it is a big debate, and the issue is much more nuanced. Do Helmets actually work?]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Those Damn Vuvuzelas: They are Not Only Annoying, They Can Make You Deaf

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 11:44:55 -0500
New Scientist explains why they are so loud:
The loudness can be explained by the bore shape, which is roughly conical, and flares. As well as creating sound at a frequency of 235 hertz, the instrument generates harmonics � sound at multiples of the fundamental frequency. We have measured strong harmonics at 470, 700, 940, 1171, 1]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Frugal Green Living: More Cheap Ways To Stay Cool This Summer

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:36:04 -0500
article in Slate:
Air conditioning takes indoor heat and pushes it outdoors. To do this, it uses energy, which increases production of greenhouse gases, which warm the atmosphere. From a cooling standpoint, the first transaction is a wash, and the second is a loss. We're cooking our planet to refrigerate the diminishing part that's still habitable."
So every year about this time, Planet Green offers suggestions for low cost, low ene]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

A Riot Of Gorgeous, Green And Practical Sheds From USA To UK

Wed, 09 Jun 2010 13:25:09 -0500
"It is the loveliest study you ever saw...octagonal with a peaked roof, each face filled with a spacious window...perched in complete isolation on the top of an elevation that commands leagues of valley and city and retreating ranges of distant blue hills. It is a cozy nest and just room in it for a sofa, table, and three or four chairs, and when the storms sweep down the remote valley and the lighting flashes behind the hills beyond and the rain beats upon the roof over my head-imagine the luxury of it." Sounds nice. Over in the UK, wher]]>... Read the full story on Planet Green

Frugal Green Living: Real Minimalism is not just a Pretty Fa�ade

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:10:29 -0500
Frugal Green Living on Planet Green, but have promised our editor that I will be back and on schedule. This series started with me cutting up my credit cards and becoming bound and determined to get my financial life under control. In the process of learning about living with less, I have studied writers from Diderot to Thorstein Veblen toRead the full story on Planet Green

Recent Posts By Planet Green's Lloyd Alter