Green When You’ve Gone

by Matt DeNoto

In my first article on this site, I wrote about the confusion landfills have always caused in me. Today I’d like to write about another source of confusion – graveyards.

Graveyards have always seemed to me like an incredible waste of space. Acres of land kept practically barren in an eternal tribute to death. Bodies preserved unnaturally using chemicals, buried in expensive, pointlessly comfortable boxes. We are ‘returned to the Earth’ in the most contradictory way imaginable.

The only other option seemed to be cremation. Have your body burned to ashes, to be stored forever in an urn or spread somewhere.

It is an interesting indication of this mentality humanity seems to hold about everything having a finite period of usefulness, and of our not really knowing what to do with anything once that use has been fulfilled. When we’ve eaten our fast food, we throw away the wrapper. When our TV stops working, we toss it and get a new one. We always need new clothes or shoes, because we’ve been taught that these things are less a practical means of keeping ourselves warm or protected, and more about expressing how we feel at any given moment.

Getting rid of these objects is easy. We set them out at the curb and someone comes to take them away to t he landfill. We need never consider them again.

We seem to be following the same impulse when we die. Get rid of the ‘trash.’ But because this waste used to be a person, it’s not so simple. We must be honored. So we each get our own mini-landfill.

But just like with regular landfills, this tradition is ultimately unsustainable. This practice of coddling our dead is, in more ways than one, hurting us.

Besides the space issue, there is another practical concern. A large number of people die every year because of a lack of donated organs. Our strange obsession with preserving ourselves after we die is now literally costing people their lives.

But as it is with many of the facets of the Green Revolution, we are starting to reexamine death. We are starting to come around. Already, many of us have marked on our driver’s licenses that we wish for our organs to be donated after we’ve died, so that our passing may give life to someone else who needs it.

Others are going even further. The Centre for Natural Burial is an organization promoting a way of reintroducing our lifeless bodies back into the Earth’s cycle, wherein the body is prepared for burial without using chemicals and buried in a way that encourages decomposition. A grave may be marked with a tree or a shrub that does not intrude on the natural landscape.

Or, for the green extreme, you can have yourself composted. It’s not quite legal yet, but in some parts of the world it may be catching on. Think of it. Your body will be used to fertilize and grow the food for the next generation.

Doesn’t that sound more interesting that spending eternity in a box?

Getting to the Moon

Forty years ago yesterday, two men set foot on the moon.

It was the culmination of a long fought battle between the United States and Russia, answering the question “who would get there first?”

I have spent parts of the day listening to the radio commemorating the historic event.  I will be the first to admit that if this happened a year ago, I would not have given the coverage the time nor day.  Like many Americans, this day would hold absolutely no significance.

I am completely unqualified to go into details, but I have had the privilege of conversations, with someone who knows, that has led me to understand the magnanimous feat it was to get to the moon.  This truly was no small thing.  Just to give you a starting point, we went to the moon using a slide rule as a calculator.  The margin for error was more probable than it would be today using one of our mega-computers.  But we did it!

Sadly, as is with many things for America, that is where the story ends.

During the aforementioned conversation, there was also a discussion of how disheartening it was that we have so much knowledge and ability, but instead of using it to do things to advance the human species, we use it to engineer mini-malls and super highways.  For all of the potential that landing on the moon could have advanced us, we abandoned it like it were a lost cause.

What I realized today, though, is that this is the American psychology.  The only reason we even entered the space race was because we were in competition with Russia during the Cold War.  I contend that is why we Americans do anything; to win.  The question is to what end are we winning?  Is it winning if what we win at today, is what kills us tomorrow?

We have advanced technology only in that it serves us to go to war and “win” over another culture.  We have gotten the “next, better, best” in our cell phones, cars, homes, and clothing, only for the purpose of being the winner between ourselves and our next door neighbor.  We have used our skills to create chemicals that are injected to prevent wrinkles or make bigger breasts, in this perverse attempt at being alluring to the opposite sex.  We have created an agriculture system where we have dominated the planet so much, we are conquering it and killing it off.

Again, I am totally bastardizing this, but Carl Sagan once stated that in order for a civilization to participate in interstellar space travel (travel between stars), it would have to evolve beyond war and become globally peaceful.  Therefore, if we were visited by aliens, it would be safe to assume that they were more advanced then us by the sheer nature that they would have to be non-violent having evolved to a level where they can travel between stars.

I have come to fully understand what he meant by this.  I think, he has been proven correct.  Because of our insatiable need to compete and win, we abandoned the possibility that we could have human travel beyond the Moon.  That, to me, is sad.

However, in all of this, I had a thought that might be a glimmer of hope.  Our need for competition is what might be killing us, when you apply it to climate change; the need for stuff in order to outshine a friend, a neighbor, or even a country.  But what if we use competition to save us?

Who is the first to reduce their CO2 emissions for 100ppm?  Who is the first to come up with a sustainable way to get its citizens water?  Imagine the first country to be “off the grid”?  What if we made saving the planet a race to see who can get us all to the finish line first?

vegetarian for one day

Americans are addicted to their meat.  They eat a lot of it.  Too much, actually.

A recent United Nations report concluded that the meat industry causes almost 40% more greenhouse gas emissions than all the world’s transportation systems — that means ALL of the globe’s cars, trucks, planes and ships COMBINED.  This accounts for 18% of greenhouse gas emissions into our atmosphere.

So, one reporter went on a mission to find out what could happen if every American went without meat for one day.  Here are the statistics:

 

If everyone went vegetarian just for one day, the U.S. would save:

• 100 billion gallons of water, enough to supply all the homes in New England for almost 4 months;
• 1.5 billion pounds of crops otherwise fed to livestock, enough to feed the state of New Mexico for more than a year;
• 70 million gallons of gas — enough to fuel all the cars of Canada and Mexico combined with plenty to spare;
• 3 million acres of land, an area more than twice the size of Delaware;
• 33 tons of antibiotics.

If everyone went vegetarian just for one day, the U.S. would prevent:

• Greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 1.2 million tons of CO2, as much as produced by all of France;
• 3 million tons of soil erosion and $70 million in resulting economic damages;
• 4.5 million tons of animal excrement;
• Almost 7 tons of ammonia emissions, a major air pollutant.

 

Don’t you think for all these benefits, it might be worth a try?  And then, after you try one day, try two days.  And just ever so slightly increase the vegetarian days… and think of how this one VERY SIMPLE thing could change the world!

For the original article go HERE.

leavin’ on a jet plane…

There are mixed emotions today as the search for an environmentally friendly fuel for airplanes took a leap forward with the world’s first flight powered by a second-generation biofuel, derived from plants that do not compete with food crops.

Air travel contributes 3% of global carbon dioxide emissions, and is one of the fastest rising contributors to climate change, but the search for a greener alternative to kerosene jet fuel has been problematic. So while it seems like a great thing that a successful flight occured, it does not mean that the search for sustainability is over.

The two-hour test flight, by Air New Zealand, which took the Boeing 747 over the Hauraki Gulf, showed that the jatropha biofuel was suitable for use in airplanes without the need for any modifications of the engines.

The search for alternative fuels has been arduous. Airlines cannot use standard first-generation biofuels such as ethanol because these would freeze at high altitude. However, environmentalists argue that manufacturing biofuels can produce more emissions than they absorb when growing, and can also displace agricultural crops and push up the price of food. In fact, “Robin Oakley, head of Greenpeace UK’s climate change campaign, warned against overinterpreting the results of the test flights. When Air New Zealand announced its biofuel plans in November, he said: ‘We need a dose of realism here, because this test flight does not mean an end to the use of kerosene in jet engines. The amount of jatropha that would be needed to power the world’s entire aviation sector cannot be produced in anything like a sustainable way, and even if large volumes could be grown, planes are an incredibly wasteful way of using it.’”

While there does seem to be a solution on the horizon, it is nothing like the solution of reduction. At this time in history, it seems ludicrous for people to not be able to see the world. However, the limitation of travel by plane may be the only thing that will save the world. In order to make air travel carbon neutral, we (globally) would have to reduce our travel by 60%. The ocean and (current) plants on our planet are able to absorb a certain amount of CO2, about 2 billion tons a year. But, humans emit 6 billion tons a year. Meaning, every year, we have a surplus of 4 billion tons of CO2. And, as I have explained before, it will take 10 years for that amount to reduce to 2 billion tons. All the while, each year, we are emitting more. Can you even imagine what two billion tons are?

I understand that in this era, travel sometimes is necessary. If you do find yourself in a plane, consider buying a carbon offset. And, please, remember it is a luxury, not a necessity.

The article about the New Zealand flight can be found HERE.

nice move

A few weeks ago, Los Angeles Mayor Villarigosa announced city wide plans to increase the source of power from traditional energy methods to solar. As if Burbank was waiting for the announcement, today it unveiled the very first solar airplane hangar.

The new 60,000-square-foot structure at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank is believed to be the industry’s only solar-powered airport hangar. Its rooftop photovoltaic panels provide enough juice to operate the building’s lights and to recharge electric-powered ground equipment such as forklifts and tow vehicles. The array can also keep an airplane’s electrical system humming inside the hangar while mechanics perform their chores.

Airlines are a leading cause of CO2 emissions into the atmosphere accounting for 12% of emissions from all U.S. transportation. While this hangar does little in terms of reducing airplane emissions, it is nice to see an airport trying to offset the damage done by its industry. Especially when you consider that buildings, and all things involved making a building, account for 33% of U.S. emissions.

All in all, it appears as though Los Angeles will be a leader in dictating how cities are becoming sustainable. You can read the whole article HERE, via the Los Angeles Times.

green isn’t just the color of their fatigues

For the first time, the U.S. Army released a Sustainability Report in a move that shows its commitment to going green. This is due in part to a global action to environmentally sound living, but also because the Army has found, like many of us, that it is just simply cheaper to be green.

In their efforts, they have:

1.) committed to making all new buildings LEED certified
2.) decreased their water usage by a third
3.) moved towards making environmentally friendly “war machines”, including a tank that can be broken down into recyclable parts.
4.) built a 12 acre solar farm in Colorado

Nevertheless, “The Army is at the very early stages of its sustainability journey… There is still much progress to be made and still much to learn,” warns the 62-page report.

A shortfall is the Army’s inability to stop producing so much hazardous waste – 45 million pounds in 2006 alone. Not only is the amount large by any standard, but it is 35 percent higher than in 2003. One reason for the rise is that the Army produced more ammunition and trained its soldiers more often to prepare them in the “Global War on Terror.”

They may still have a long way to go, but at least they have started down the path. I, for one, think that is a major step in this progress.

You can find the entire article at the Environmental News Network, HERE.

Coca-Cola v. Pepsi…. good gosh, if I had toooooo….

I do not condone the drinking of sodas. I know. Bold statement. But in my book, “Of all Things Being Equal”, I liken soda to heroin. I know. Bold statement. However, I think the proliferation of High Fructose Corn Syrup is addicting and the leading reason we are obese, and soda seems to be the substance of choice in getting that “fix”.

All of that being said, if I HAD to choose between Coke and Pepsi…. because of THIS article, I choose Coke.

Do I like the fact that it takes almost 3 liters of water to make one liter of Coke? No. Do I like the fact that number is actually better than it was last year? Yes. Coke has continued to show that it is making every effort possible to reduce its footprint. It has extensive recycling programs, energy efficient coolers and electric delivery vehicles.

In conclusion… don’t drink soda. If you have to, and really who does?… but, if you have to, drink Coke.

go green, part two

Here is part 2 from the Designers and Agents event in Los Angeles this past week. To see part 1, please go HERE.

Moving on……

LOTUS SPRINGS: Luxury is their philosophy. Green is their commitment.

They offer a contemporary and sophisticated line of home lifestyle and clothing products. Their collection uses 100% environmentally friendly products creating harmony between style and sustainability.

From all the lines I saw, this is the only one with a comprehensive line for home and baby, as well as personal style items. As with all the clothing at the event, it is soft. One big difference with this line is how they get that softness…milk. My background in science helped me to understand this, but the lactic acid helps breakdown the fibers naturally, to create an incomparable softness.
What stood out most about this line, though, is the detail. Even if we want are lounging around the house, we want to know we look good. In this line, you may be wearing a comfortable pair of pants, but the delicate details still allow you to feel feminine and graceful.

I wish I could find a picture of this one pair of pants, because they were my favorite. Although, there was a nice wrap dress that I think many an outfit would look great with the long wrap cardigan. They are a brand new line, so hopefully you will start seeing this line in your town.

You can go HERE for their website.

THEA GRANT: Thea Grant, the jewelry collection, is a collaboration in design and exploration of artistic form by Thea Grant and Nicolás Bazzani. Their materials range from vintage brass to sterling to gold and result in effects ranging from rock’n'roll to delicately gothic.

I cannot rave about this line enough. I’m going to start this by saying that I love bold, fun, fearless jewelry… and this line matches my taste. They use reclaimed material to make the pieces. It looked to me that many of the items were vintage or antique costume jewelry refashioned for contemporary styles. One bracelet that I fell in love with is made from an antique rhinestone shoe buckle. Gorgeous!

I have many of the costume pieces from my grandmother and my great aunt, that, as much as I love them, do tend toward a traditional style. So, it is fun to see what can be done with the pieces to update them… and then guess what? By updating what you already have, you haven’t bought anything new, therefore using our already depleting resources!

The line can currently be found at Barney’s CO-OP. Before you come back and yell at me…yes, the pieces are more expensive than I might normally recommend. But this isn’t jewelry that you throw away. This is modern day Coco Chanel…which means as funky as it may look to you, it is classic. Believe me.

You can visit the website HERE.

LEAF: Love the Earth fashion

Using the time-honored wisdom of organic farming practices, LeAF’s natural cotton does not pollute, leave any by-products and never any overproduction. By purchasing from marginalized producers and workers, we can actively promote better standards in line with international labor and environmental codes. We consciously try to improve and empower the lives of these individuals by moving them from a position of vulnerability and exploitation to one of security and self-sufficiency.

Let me start by saying that the founders, Debra and Marie Helene, are wonderful. I had the nicest time speaking with them, mainly because I feel, like myself, they believe that being “green” is not just about the products you wear, but the way you live your life, what you put into your body and how you treat others. Debra is a photographer, author and cinematographer and Marie Helene is a fashion editor for a prominent French magazine. Put the two together and you have a wonderful line of clothing made from 100% organic and sustainable farms in India.

I feel as though I am repeating myself, but the philosophy behind all of these companies are that the products are classic pieces made sustainably, so that you don’t have to throw them out for the new season. And, this line follows those same rules. It is a clean, fresh line, but also is undeniably different. I mean for one thing, they are European, so they aren’t going to follow a traditional American trend. They are feminine, with a touch of high fashion. They care about the cuts and the silhouettes created in each piece, fantastic colors… well, and this may sound odd, but there is just a sense of ease and effortlessness about them that they will quickly be your favorite pieces in your closet.

Obviously, the picture is not a piece of clothing, but it is from their website and I think it’s pretty. Please visit their site HERE. They are not currently in Los Angeles, but hope to be so in the Spring of 2009.

So lastly, I want to mention REUSENIKS. I have been talking about all these great clothes, and most of them if not all are home-washable. However, Reuseniks is a product I have not seen at a few events and I want to make a mention of them.

I have a lot of items in my closet that require dry cleaning. And, I cringe every time I go to pick something up and it is protected by the plastic bag. Many dry cleaners are trying to renovate their methods to be more earth friendly. Well, fortunately, Reuseniks came along to take it one step further.

Reusable, cloth, garment bags. You can use it to bring all the clothes to the cleaner, and then use it to take all the clothes home. And, not a drop of plastic in sight.

If you are a heavy dry cleaner… please consider buying one of these. You could even encourage your cleaners to give you a reusable bag discount in the same way markets do…? Just a thought.

Go HERE to check it out and buy one!

So that is my summary of the D&A event. I hope you have an idea about some wonderful clothing alternatives that help the environment, not hurt it, while keeping you fashionable and trendy!

If I get information about where to purchase the items, I will for sure pass it along to you all!

fair trade

Have you ever wondered if buying fair trade products equals buying environmentally friendly products.

I have. Fortunately, Slate did the research for me. Click HERE for the article by Jacob Leibenluft.

Here’s the bottom line: If you care about both global poverty and climate change, you can’t always have it both ways. The Lantern suggests you keep things in perspective: Boycotting bananas from the Dominican Republic may reduce your carbon footprint a tad, but you’ll make a bigger dent by putting that hamburger meat back on the shelf once in a while—and you won’t be cutting a poor grower out of the global economy.

go green, part one

This weekend was the Designers and Agents event in Los Angeles.

For those of you who don’t know, and I was one of you until this weekend, upcoming fashion merchandise is put up for display in these large loft spaces. If you own a boutique, you can visit these “marketplaces”, see the upcoming collections and order stock for your store. The D&A marketplace focuses on cutting edge fashion and lifestyle. (If you are interested in learning more about them, and other events they may have, I highly recommend their site. You can go HERE.)

This year D&A launched their Green Market. This is a sustainable trade event encompassing the world of fashion and lifestyle. You can get the full details by clicking of the “greening” button on their site, however, I have included an excerpt of their mission:

“In addition to expanding fashion and lifestyle brands we will invite ecologically minded businesses, community based organizations and a selection of sustainable business models that we believe our audience of taste makers and influencers will find of interest.”

When I heard about, I decided to go and see what this was all about.

Let me tell you. I was impressed. There was space after space of merchandisers that were trying their darned hardest to blend the environment and great fashion; whether it was jewelry made out of reclaimed gold, or made from organic cotton, or vintage clothes cut and sewn together to be fresh and new. I was really in awe of every single person there. Each one was so passionate about their product and wanting to make a difference.

I am going to highlight a few of my favorites. (And, no the order does not imply preference… I loved them all equally). There are seven stores I want to mention, so this will be in two parts. Here are the first four.

SUST: An organic ethically made clothing line manufactured in San Francisco (yay local!). Essential pieces for a woman’s wardrobe, SUST pieces are meant to be kept as classics that can be dressed up or down.

They use 100% organically grown cotton, encouraging sustainable farming practices for the health of ecosystems, workers, our communities, and well let’s face it… the world.

OK. So this stuff is cute and holy cow is it soft. Without meaning any offense to the SUST crew, it reminded me of a much MUCH better American Apparel, especially in terms of the colors and the… energy… of the line. Fun and fresh. The quality of how it was made (stitching, design detailing) showed me that they are creating pieces that are durable and stylish, yet classic, that these are the pieces that will be in your closet forever. And, isn’t that what being sustainable is all about? This is about not having to throw out your clothes every year cause they have fallen apart or aren’t fashionable anymore.

And… oh! The mod dress. Seriously, my absolute favorite of the collection! But, I could see every piece competing with James Pearse, who isn’t sustainable or locally made. So given the choice… choose SUST!

Go HERE for their site. And, if you go to their site, click on collections… the green dress. The mod. Isn’t it adorable!

*I was able to take a picture from the catalog that I was given. Sorry for the poor quality, but at least you can see how adorable the line is…

SOY BEAM: environmentally friendly candle collection that blends sustainability, design, and craftsmanship to create a gratifying, aromatherapy experience.

Started by two friends that were concerned about what they were buying and its effect on the planet and people, they set out to create an environmentally friendly, yet luxurious and elegant, candle.

And, boy did they! The candles are made with organic and wild crafted essential oils, pure cotton wicks…and you know this is my favorite… NON GMO SOY!!!!!! They are poured into reclaimed glass, and once the candle is done, you can clean it out and have a wonderful glass container. They are packaged in 100% recycled biodegradable boxes, printed with soy ink, and to protect the wax until use they are covered with paper seals that are embedded with flower seeds. So, you can throw it into the earth and watch what sprouts. I mean that is a bang for your buck!

The scents are incredible and include Mandarin and Grapefruit, Geranium and Rosewood, and my favorite Clove bud and Cinnamon.

And if all that weren’t enough, I got to love them for the single fact that we share a logo… a golden spiral!

Check out their site HERE

TOPO RANCH: Named after the founders great great grandfather’s ranch, here in California, Topo Ranch clothing is 100% organic cotton.

“Topo Ranch believes that greener pastures lead to a brighter future. We don’t claim to be experts in going Green, but we do know that little things can add up and make a difference.”

This line is just so much fun. First off, it was one of two lines that carried good looking men’s clothing. I know we women tend to buy more and have more variety of clothing we think we “need”, but it is a shame that men don’t have the same eco-friendly clothing options that we do. So, moral of the story… go here!

The shirts are so soft. And the graphics are fun. I guess if I had to categorize the line reminds me of what a typical beach community might wear… fun tanks and tees, hoodies, button ups… I wish I knew more specific style names. But, the kind of clothing you would go to the beach on your cruiser, hang out all day, have a bonfire and some great times with friends.

The graphics were really unique and my favorites were a toss up between the “Organic Matters” and “Moth Deer” (which is exactly as it reads… a moth with antlers.) OOoh… and the Bandana Smock shirt that I have pictured… adorable!

So go HERE to check out there stuff. For Los Angelenos, they have a store in Venice, and what I was told is that the first Friday of every month all the stores stay open late, music blaring, appetizers and wine, and just a good old community hanging out.

HARVEY BAGS: These folks have been around a very long time. I have loved since I first saw them… ooh, I hate to say it… 10 years ago.

If you don’t know the Harvey bag is the “seatbelt bag”. Mine is red and I have had it for at least eight years… and it does not show it in the least! It is so durable. But, why wouldn’t it be, it is made of seatbelts… which are supposed to, you know, save our lives!

From what I understand, they didn’t used to be sustainable. But that’s okay. They saw the light. Apparently, when a seatbelt does not pass inspection, Harvey’s goes in and grabs what they want to make the bags out of. The lining is reclaimed material, as well.

Like I stated above, part of sustainability is that the product is so well made that it doesn’t have to be thrown out every year. These items have become classics, while also maintaining a sense of whimsy that we all love to have in our collections. They provide a splash of color to your wardrobe… and may get a cute buy talking to you about. They are real conversation starters.

I really have loved them since I first laid eyes on them. And, I love them even more that they are using reclaimed products and making less of an impact on our home!

Go HERE for their website.

I will have the last three later tonight or tomorrow. Don’t want to bombard you with too much information… this turned out longer than I thought. Whew!

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