Reflections on Earth Hour

On Saturday we joined the world for Earth Hour by turning off all the lights in our house as well as most other things too.  Well almost all the lights, we left the LED night light on in the kids' room for them.  We also kept the home network on so that our TED5000 home energy monitor could record electricity usage during Earth Hour.  We wanted to see how low we could go and pretty much turned it into a game.  I'm sure we would have had more fun if we hadn't both been under the weather.

Our normal baseline electricity usage is about 275W, which is made up of our cable modem, wireless routers, DVR, refrigerator, chest freezer, cordless phone and baby monitors.  I ran around the house shutting down and unplugging everything that I could.  In short order I got it down to 79 Watts as you can see in the picture.  Then the refrigerator kicked on, so I went further and unplugged that as well as the chest freezer. That was the first thing that made Alicia concerned, because she was afraid I would forget to plug them back in afterward, but I didn't forget.  In the end we got down to about 69 Watts.

We had our rechargeable lantern, which I charged from our small solar panel earlier in the day, a hand crank flashlight and an LED flashlight.  I had originally planned to do the dishes and clean the kitchen, but even with the lantern we didn't have enough light for cleaning.  Instead, using a laptop which I had charged earlier in the day from solar power, and my iPhone which I also used a week's worth of solar charging to run for the evening, I watched twitter coverage of Earth Hour and our power usage on our TED5000.


The hour passed by quickly and we kept everything off for an extra 30 minutes or so until we noticed that something had kicked in and was using about 300 W.  With a little investigative work, we determined it was the circulator pumps for our boiler.

Check out the graphs from our TED5000 and Google Power Meter.

Read more »

Don't Forget Earth Hour Tonight at 8:30pm local time

Join in the world wide movement to show support for our planet, Earth Hour.  Tonight, beginning at 8:30pm your time, turn out the lights for 60 minutes.  Instead of candles, I recommend having rechargeable lanterns and LED flashlights on hand.  I have our solar powered rechargeable lantern charged and ready to go.  In addition to turning out the lights, we will be shutting down the few devices we leave on all the time, including the DVR and baby monitors.  We will be keeping the network plugged in and running so that the TED5000 can continue to report data through Google Power Meter.  I also hope to capture some screen shots to show the difference we're making.  If you are going to participate, go ahead and sign up at EarthHour.org.

In the meantime, check out the official Earth Hour 2010 video:




Countdown:


Happy Greening and Turn Out the Lights Tonight!
Jon

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Resale!

I'm doing a last-minute push to get things ready for my Mother of Twins club's semi-annual Gently Used Clothing & Equipment Sale.  My club has been holding a "gently used" sale for a lot longer than I've belonged to the club, which for those who are wondering, is about 6 years.  The club holds the sale for a lot of reasons, that include raising money for the club, helping the members make a little money back on things they've bought (although it's often a wash for most members,  since many end up spending about what they make) and providing a resource for terrific bargains for the surrounding communities.  What we generally don't talk about is how great for the environment resale is.

If I didn't have a venue like this sale, freecycle or craigslist to dispose of all my children's gear and clothing,  a lot of it would go in the trash to landfills (there's just so much you can pawn off on friends and acquaintances).  Have you ever been out on trash day and seen perfectly good children's items out for the trash collectors?  It kills me when I see that.  Sometimes I think "well, maybe there's something really wrong with it so they don't want to even donate it somewhere",  then I think "maybe I should stop and pick it up and do something useful with it."   At this point,  I'm enough overwhelmed with my own belongings that I need to pare down that I can't handle taking in other people's stuff to get rid of (although my husband came home with 4 kitchen chairs he picked up on trash day last week that he has since repaired and intends to donate). 

I can tell that figuring out what to do with used children & baby stuff is a dilemma for many people, because with my new 3rd baby I didn't have any baby gear, so I let my friends know that I was looking for things like swings, exersaucers and boppies.  Many of them were actually relieved to get rid of stuff and seemed to feel guilty when they said they didn't want the stuff back.  They were concerned they were dumping the problem on me!

Another way to dispose of all sorts of household items that you don't need anymore is to donate them.  Some charities need you to bring things to them, but there are some that will even come get them from you.  Some of them use the goods for their clients, but many resell them to raise money to support their operations.  When you donate to these organizations you can get a receipt to list the donation on your taxes for a tax deduction.

So,  things that are still usable shouldn't be put on the curb for the trash.  Where should they go?  Here are some suggestions:
Craigslist - you can post for sale or for free.  Local listings,  you need to arrange a way to get the item to the interested party.
Freecycle - you give things away.  Often you can leave things out for the interested party to pick up at their convenience
Local mom's groups & friends - Some groups have standards around buying and selling, others just informally pass clothing, toys and gear around.  My Mother's of Twins group even gives each other high value coupons, particularly for formula.
Big Brother Big Sister Foundation - picks up all kinds of things in the greater Boston area, including cars!
Vietnam Veterans Association - Picks up almost anything about in about 30 states, you just call to schedule a pickup. They prefer items left outside, so you don't have to be home!
Goodwill - Takes a lot of stuff, you have to take it to them.  They have collection spots throughout the US.

Now that I've talked about ways to get rid of stuff,  I'd like to suggest that you buy second hand as well.  For children about 6 and under, it is very easy to find nice, barely used clothing at great prices.  I am so used to shopping at these sales,  that I have a hard time spending more than $2 or $3 on a piece of clothing for my children.  It has totally ruined me for shopping in real stores!  It's great for my budget and often there are things that someone else's child would barely wear, my child thinks are "awesome!" 

Mother's of Twins clubs have sales all over the country that are open to the general public,  often in the spring and fall.   I recommend googling for your local club & sale.  Goodwill stores are also all over the country and a great way to find bargains.  Keep an eye on craigslist, freecycle and church and yard sales as well.   For books I shop at my local library - twice a year our "Friends of the Library" group has a book sale where I can pick up all kinds of great books, including children's books for 25 cents a piece!  They also take all my outgrown books :)

Happy Green Shopping and Disposing!
Alicia

And for those in the Boston area, come shop at our sale this weekend:
March 27, 2010 – Spring Sale!
Winchester High School

80 Skillings Road
Winchester, MA 01890-2899
9:30am – 1:00pm

Cash only!

Check out the TerraCycle Green Up Shop Popping Up in NYC

Beginning this Saturday, March 27th and running until May 1, TerraCycle will open a popup Green Up Shop and boutique on 8th Avenue at 41st Street in New York City. The shop will showcase a wide range of green products (including over 100 TerraCycle products) and services and host exciting weekly events including eco-friendly film screenings, lectures, workouts, and DIY workshops. 

The Green Up Shop is in honor of the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.

If you are in the New York area Monday - Saturday 11 am - 7 pm, check out the Green Up Shop.  Be sure to click on the Events link for additional details including a schedule.  Some of the events and exhibits that peaked my interest include:

In addition to selling its affordable, fun products made from waste, TerraCycle will use the space to collect over 30 different non-recyclable waste streams, turning the store into the world’s largest ‘Upcycling Center.’Consumers who drop off waste will be entitled to a discount on the products they purchase! TerraCycle is also proud to work with a unique line up of NYC-area designers all as socially and environmentally responsible as the rest.

Brooklyn-based RePlayGround creates eco-gifts and DIY products that enable consumers to use household waste to make, eco-friendly products lamps and trivets! RePlayGround and TerraCycle are partnering to sponsor a free DIY table at the store that will allow children to make a fun, free item from drink pouches or other food wrappers. Stop by weekly to collect the various products you make yourself!

RESTORE™CLOTHING a mid-town based clothing company that makes a full range of
eco-friendly clothes that feature organic and recycled materials and socially responsible manufacturing. RESTORE™CLOTHING is partnering closely with TerraCycle to help organize the green design themed pop-up shop and will find sponsorship and co-host the many events planned for the space in the month of April including some with our friends at SAVE THE GARMENT CENTER.

Stay tuned for some additional TerraCycle news coming soon regarding other exciting promotions going on in recognition of Earth Day.

Happy Greening!
Jon

Recap from World Water Day

Yesterday, March 22, was World Water Day.  In honor of that and because so many people ask us about the impact of bottled water, here is a video I enjoyed on TreeHugger.com: Annie Leonard Releases New Video on Story of Bottled Water for World Water Day.  

The Story of Bottled Water is co-produced with five leading sustainability advocacy organizations, including Corporate Accountability International, Environmental Working Group, Food & Water Watch, Polaris Institute and Pacific Institute.

Happy Greening!
Jon

Foray into the World of Organic Wines

Last week was our first foray into organic wines.  We may have tried some before with friends or out at a nice restaurant, but this was definitely the first time we went out to specifically buy an organic wine.  To be clear, we enjoy a nice glass of wine occasionally, but are far from wine connoisseurs.  We generally prefer reds like Shiraz or Merlot, and also love a good Riesling, but I digress.  Back to the start of our organic wine adventure, or as I should probably call it "wine made from organically grown grapes."  The background behind the official terminology is nicely explained by Pure Natural Diva in her article about Organic Wine & Wine Making Basics which happened to be posted as we were halfway through our first "bottle."  Among other things they explain the difference between "organic wine" and "wine made from organically grown grapes."

Alicia stumbled upon a wine tasting at a liquor store and was told about a new brand of organic wine called yellow+blue,  which interestingly enough, the store did not carry.  The sommelier told her about this new wine company that was shipping the wine in kegs, and then bottling here in the US, to reduce the embodied energy and lower the carbon footprint.  This intrigued us because they were taking into account more than just the production of the wine, but also the transportation.  With their method they were able to reduce the carbon footprint of the wine by 46%, but they didn't stop there.

Once the wine arrives in the US for distribution, they also bottle it into aseptic packaging (juice box packaging).  I know what you are thinking, but this isn't your ordinary box around a bag that has a bad rap.  Instead it is a Tetra Pak which is about the size of a bottle of wine, it fits in the same space, but holds a third more wine and weighs significantly less.  A case of wine in traditional bottles weighs 40 lbs and holds 9 liters of wine, where a case of yellow+blue wine in tetra paks weighs 26 lbs and holds 12 liters of wine.  That is an improvement of 50% by weight of wine to 93% wine according to yellow+blue.  Which makes a significant difference in the carbon used to transport it and in manufacturing and waste products.

All of this sounded pretty good to us, but how does the wine actually taste and is it going to break the bank? So recently, I took a walk during my lunch break to the Harvest Coop, which is listed on the yellow+blue site as one of our local retailers that carriers their wine.   I eventually found the yellow+blue selection, but could not find a Merlot or Shiraz (our preferred varietals) to try.  Turns out they do not make those varieties of wine.  I settled on the 2008 Malbec which sounded like we'd like it.  At $11.50 for the bottle, it was towards the upper end of what we'd buy for a table wine, but realizing that this is for a full liter, and not a typical 750ml bottle, it is definitely competitively priced with decent table wines.  I also picked up some yummy Taza Chocolates (local Mexican stone ground chocolate) as a treat.  The chocolate went quickly, but we held onto the wine until an appropriate evening.  With 3 kids and not enough sleep, whine is more common in our house with dinner than wine.

We finally cracked the seal, since it doesn't have a cork, last week to enjoy with a homecooked Italian dinner.  We enjoyed it.  While not the style we normally drink, it was delicious and went well with the meal. The yellow+blue does contain Sulfites, which I learned is a normal part of the wine making process and is added to most wine to help it keep a little longer once it has been opened.  Our bottle lasted 3 days without any problems.  A liter of wine is a lot for two tired parents to drink in a single night, especially on a school/work night.  On one of the other evenings, we had the wine with cheese and crackers (well, I had all the cheese and Alicia had only crackers), and it went well.

So the next time you are looking for a bottle of wine, consider purchasing a more sustainable product, such as a pak of yellow+blue (Tetra Pak).  Let us know what organic wines you have tried and what you think of them.

Happy Greening!
Jon

A Radically Different Way of Farming that Improves the Environment

After the disheartening look at the state of farming in King Corn I luckily found the opposite end of the spectrum in Chef Dan Barber's TED talk How I Feel In Love With a Fish.  In this talk he discusses  his journey to find sustainable fish to serve on the menu.  He presents a real example from Spain of how to sustainably raise fish that not only generates healthy & tasty food, but also enhances the ecological system naturally.

Acquiring sustainably produced and delicious fish is a dilemma today faced by professional and home chefs alike.   We have over fished the seas causing the collapse of 90% of the large fish populations we love to eat like tuna.  The first "sustainable" fish farm's choice of sustainable protein fish food turned out to be chicken parts.  Even though this fish farm practices many sustainable practices, it doesn't hold a candle to the second sustainable fish farm that Dan found in Spain.  Not only is this fish farm sustainable but it is actually repairing the environmental damage caused by the previous land owners who used it to raise cattle. 

One of my favorite quotes from the talk is how Miguel describes their secret to success.

We farm extensively, not intensively.

The video is well worth the 20 minutes listening to Dan talk as it shed light on the "sustainable" fish farming practices and provides a shining example of how we can be successful raising food and beneficial to the world around us.   Not to mention, Dan is funny throughout.

So sit back and enjoy the show and please share your thoughts in the comments.

Happy Greening!
Jon

p.s. you can get an interactive transcript of the talk at the link above.

How we came to be Corn Fed Americans

Last night, I watched the documentary King Corn and it has changed my views on inexpensive food and how big of unintended consequences shifts in governmental policy can have.

Most of the American diet these days comes from corn.  Not the sweet juicy ears you can sink your teeth into during the summer, but rather the inedible "tastes like cardboard" kind that is grown to supply the huge cattle and processed food industries.

Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis take you along the journey from Boston back to their great grandfathers' home town of Greene Iowa to grow 1 acre of corn and see how the corn goes from there onto our tables in meat and other foods and drinks.

As a nation, we have achieved the goals set forth by the US Department of Agriculture in the 1970s to make vast quantities of inexpensive food, but at what cost?  What has it cost the farmers?  What has it cost the environment?  And what has it cost us in terms of our health? 

Watch the movie and find out.  Even better watch it with some friends and discuss afterward.  I promise you, you will think a bit harder the next time you consider that juicy hamburger or steak or bag of chips.

Happy Greening!
Jon

p.s. we're going to try to grow corn this year in our garden (the yummy kind you can eat directly)

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