My Favorite "Green" iPhone App: TreeHugger

A few days ago TreeHugger released their new iPhone App with the same name.  I have been using the mobile TreeHugger site for months on my iPhone with reasonable success, but the iPhone app is so much better.  The TreeHugger app provides a very straightforward, clean access to the wonderful content at TreeHugger.com.  I've tried numerous approaches to keeping up with articles at TreeHugger.com with limited success including reading on the web, reading on the mobile web, and reading through RSS feeds (both in Google Reader and Outlook).  The TreeHugger app beats them hands down.

Here is what I like most about it:

• Clean - the interface is simple and clean without all the adds and side bars down the sides that the webpage has
• Very quick performance - articles load quickly and are easy to scroll through and include pictures
• Can quickly scan article titles and read the ones of interest
• Category navigation so I can skip the fashion ones ;-)
• Easily share articles to email, facebook & twitter
• Browse and listen to Podcasts

Things I'd like to see improved in the next version:

• The flip ad at the bottom - I'd gladly pay a couple dollars to have an ad-free version
• No indication of how much time is remaining when listening to podcasts
• Video posts don't seem to work

Here are some shots of the various sections of the Treehugger app on my iPhone


Happy Greening!
Jon

Vegan Buttercream Icing and Chocolate Cake

Many people are vegan for environmental reasons and we could write many posts on the topic.  However,  I'm currently not eating dairy or soy because of the baby.   As a result, I've been discovering many new vegan treats, particularly in the cereal bar and dessert lines.  I have been finding that many mainstream items don't have any dairy (or soy) in them, which has been making my life much easier.

When I started this diet I was pointed to an amazing cake recipe that uses baking soda and vinegar as the leavening agents.   This cake is moist, fluffy, delicious and has a great cake texture.  It's also a very easy to make, one-dish recipe.  I highly recommend it!  http://www.choosingvoluntarysimplicity.com/mix-in-the-pan-chocolate-cake/

I often "healthify" recipes to sneak stuff into my family's diet.  However, I decided this time that I should try the recipe as written,  to evaluate if this was a good basic recipe to start with and use for occasions where I need a special treat.   Next time I'll add whole wheat flour, maybe some brown sugar and wheat germ.  I will definitely post an updated recipe if that works.

Now, for the piece de resistance amazing vegan buttercream icing!  In this case I didn't measure,  so I'll have to guess at the exact measurements.  I made more than enough for the 8x8" cake.  It was probably the right amount for a 9x13" cake.

4 T earth balance natural buttery spread (pictured)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup vanilla rice milk

Cream butter substitute with electric mixer.  Add powdered sugar and beat until mixed and crumbly.  Add vanilla and some of the rice milk.  Beat well.  Add more rice milk until spreadable consistency.  I did not measure, so 1/2 cup is a guess.   Beat well to create a smooth and fluffy consistency.

We loved this icing!  It was a great substitute for regular butter cream frosting.  The spread I used was soy free as well as dairy free and it stated clearly on the side that it is vegan.  I found it at Whole Foods.  The rice milk was Market Basket generic vanilla rice milk, which had calcium and Vitamin D in it (the reason I drink it).  It spread easily,  I let my 5 year-old ice the cake that is pictured above (and half eaten).

I heartily recommend the cake, the icing and the buttery spread.  I used this spread in place of butter on bread and in apple crisp.  So far, it's a great find!

Happy Greening and Happy Eating!
Alicia

Let Your Voice Be Heard (UPDATED)

There are many ways to do good for the environment, and there are many things that you can do as an individual.  However, there are some things that are best done by governments, such as pass laws to fund large clean energy projects or set emissions limits.   When there is something you want to see the government do, the most effective way to let your voice be heard is to call your local, state or US representative and let them know what you think.  To be clear, unless you're calling your local town council person, you're not likely to get them on the phone, you're going to get a staffer in their office.  However, that staffer, and all their other staff, are keeping careful track of what issues people are calling about, both pro and con, and how many calls they're getting.   They monitor email as well, and it is not bad to send email,  but they know as well as you and I do that it is *easy* to get people to send an email, or fill out a form to have an automated email sent.   It's a lot harder these days to get people to make a phone call about an issue, so they're only getting calls from people who really care.  It also takes real time from real staffers to field these calls, so they get more attention from your representative.

 Today I got perhaps the most effective political action phone call I've ever received.   I must say that I'm not sure what group it was that called me,  but their goal was to get me to make a phone call to my new US State Senator,  Scott Brown.   The person who called asked me if he could connect me to Scott Brown's office so that I could tell his staffer that I am one of Senator Brown's constituents and that I'm in favor of the Clean Energy Jobs Bill and I want him to vote for it. [Note update on Jobs Bill at the end of the article.]

I try to be very careful about what I'm saying I'm in favor of, and I didn't want to find out later that this was one of those tricky things that sounds like one thing but is really something else, so I told him that I wasn't really familiar with this bill.  When he told me that it was co-authored by Senator Kerry, I said "stop right there, if Senator Kerry wrote the bill, then I'm sure I'm in favor of it." OK,  I'm a little biased, but I didn't want to waste his time if I didn't need any more information.   I agreed that he could connect me to the Senator's office because I have heard of the bill Senator Kerry had sponsored and I do support it.

When I was connected to the Senator's office I ended up speaking to his voicemail.  The message stated that if I have a specific need that I should fax it to them, but that otherwise I could leave a message.   I left a message with my full name, that I was a constituent,  my address and that I want him to support this bill and anything else that is in favor of clean energy.

It's easy to click on a form and send an email through sites like moveon.org, and I encourage you to get on their email lists and send those emails.  However,  to have your voice be really effective, it's important to pick up the phone and make the phone calls.

One site that provides you with information about who to call and what to tell them is 1sky.org.   This site actually has a tool that helps you make these calls without running up your phone bill (other than paying for incoming calls).  You enter your phone number and address and then their system calls your phone with a connection to your Senator's office.  They even provide you with talking points and what the important issues of the day are.  If you would rather call yourself, they also have a lookup based on zipcode to provide you with the phone numbers for your US Senators and Representatives.

1sky.org has a lot of great information about actions you can take in person as well as coordinating phone calls and other campaigns.   They focus on climate issues and have a page on their positions.

It's important that each of us continue to turn off the lights, compost our food scraps and recycle,  however, take a minute to reach out to your government as well.  Here in the US, the most effective way for most of us to do that is with a phone call (outside of voting on Election Day!)

Happy Greening,
Alicia

Feb 23, 2010: Update on the Clean Jobs Bill: It is going to the Senate floor for voting, because Senator Brown, the one I called, voted with the Democrats.   WBZ TV Boston Coverage   Wall Street Journal Coverage

Energy Saving Tips for Renters

One of the questions we've been asked numerous times is

What can I do as a renter to save energy?

A general rule of thumb is anything that is good for a home owner is also good for a rental property, but it is limited by what you are allowed to do by your landlord. The EPA has a Top 10 List for Renters that is worth a read for renters and home owners as well.  Even if you are limited as a renter by the changes you can make to the space, you can definitely make a difference.  I encourage you to talk to your landlord and find out if they are willing to make the improvements or at least permit you to do it and provide the raw materials like caulk and weatherstripping.   Often a landlord is happy to pay for materials if you put in the sweat equity as it is a win-win situation.

Take a look at the Top 10 Tips for Renters and see if you can work out a mutually beneficial arrangement with your landlord to save energy.

Happy Greening!
Jon

First Days with our TED-5000 Home Energy Monitor

Understanding your home energy usage is an important step to to reducing it.  You can get a good first start by just looking at your energy bills and thinking about why there are peaks and valleys and how this year compares to last.   To go beyond looking at your bills and save even more, you need a little help from some tools.

The beginner tool for measuring your electrical usage is a Kill-A-Watt electricity usage monitor.  You should definitely borrow or buy one if you haven't already, to measure the electric usage of devices like cable boxes, cell phone chargers, TV, etc. around your house - both in their on and off positions.

The advanced tool in understanding and therefore reducing home energy usage (in this case just electricity) is a home energy monitoring device such as the The Energy Detective (TED-5000).  There are a number of different home electricity monitors that measure and report your entire home electricity usage.  I like the TED-5000 because it logs usage so you can see patterns, works with Google Power Meter and can also monitor solar and wind installations.

The TED-5000 that Alicia bought for me as my Christmas and birthday present finally arrived this week after a known supply delay from the manufacturer.  We set it up and configured it to interface with Google Power Meter. We have been having lots of fun playing with it!  After a few weeks of usage I will write a more detailed post about the TED-5000, but for now here are my first impressions.