it never leaves the stove top

Hands down many people will agree that aside from a roaring campfire, one of the best things about camping is cooking in the great outdoors. Now, if any of you out there are purist lightweight style backpacker campers, this post may irk you slightly as it has NOTHING to do with cutting weight out of your back. And listen, I hear you. I understand as I myself for THE LONGEST TIME fell into this range of camping style and thusly, all of my meals consisted solely of what I could make from boiling water or tiny airtight packets of tuna and carry on my back. However, in my later years and move to the great Pacific Northwest, I have re-discovered the joys of car camping. The wonders of being able to take everything you need - and probably a few things you don't - and live in the outdoors in perfect comfort! And my friends... this is where the irreplaceable cast iron skillet comes into play.

What would never cross your mind to throw in a backpack the cast iron skillet without hesitation will find its way into your car for camping and can be used for pretty much any dish you'd make around the campfire. From cooking up bacon in the morning to making delectable quesadillas at night, there is not one basic dish that can't be cooked up in a cast iron.

Sadly, in many households across the states, the cast iron skillet has been shoved to the back of many people's cookware collection over the past thirty some years. Granted, in some households it never leaves the stove top... but many people have switched to stick free easy cleaning teflon. But you know, that teflon is gonna ware out over time and the one dish that can take a licking and keep on ticking and be passed down to your kids... is the good old cast iron skillet.

So, to continue on an Classic Americanna theme, I'm going to share with you a small company called Borough Furnace (Murfreesboro, TN) who are venturing to combine modern design with a classic american product and... to make it out of upcycled materials.

These two cousins that make up Borough Furnace, shared a mutual love of industrial design and environmental responsibility. They wanted to get into business doing something that combined those passions... so, they started gathering scrap metal, things from junkyards, old furnaces, car parts, then melted them down to create a high quality classically designed product. Not only are all the materials completely recycled in their dual handled skillets, but the whole process takes place in their backyard! In fact, the furnace that they use for the process was constructed from recycled steel dairy cans and about 500lbs of hand mixed sand and clay.

Recently, Borough Furnace were showcased at the A+: "The Young Designers Platform" at the Accent on Design portion of the International Gift Fair in New York City. The duo walked away from the exhibition with the garnering of the Bloggers Choice Award by Jen Lockwood, a judge and blogger from The Daily Grommet. (You can catch the interview here). As well, they recently were featured on CoolHunting.com, which is always a sign of good things to come.

On a side note: My favorite meal to be cooked in a cast iron in the open air is the dish that I won Outstanding of the Day for in the 1995 Ohio State Fair Outdoor Cookery 4-H Competition (which... for those of you not familiar with 4-H, is like winning a huge ass stage race in cycling) is calico beans. If you like bacon, beef and beans this dish is for you! (Just a warning though, you may want a fair amount of ventilation in your tent for the post dinner aftermath.)

Calico Beans

(as written in the Ohio State University Extension Outdoor Cookery 4-H Cookbook)

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can kidney beans, undrained

• 1 (16 ounce) can baked beans with pork
• 1 (15 ounce) can butter beans, undrained
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar
• 1 tablespoon dry mustard
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 ounces bacon, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• salt to taste
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, fry the ground beef, bacon and onion together until ground beef is no longer pink. Drain fat.
3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the kidney beans, baked beans with pork and butter beans. Stir in the ketchup, white vinegar, dry mustard, brown sugar and cook beef mixture. Mix thoroughly, adding salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour the bean and meat mixture into a 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes.

(the Ohio State Fair, not every state is lucky enough to have an even amount of open letters to walk through)

Have an old cast iron laying around you need to re-season? Check here.

a little lost and confused...

Hello...

As I’m sure many of you fervent readers have noticed, I haven’t really posted a blog in a while concerning some environmental plea about not washing your hair, reusing that ziploc bag for the 1,000 time, or buying more compostable undies. It’s not that I haven’t been caring or looking out for those eco-friendly developments, it’s that I’ve been a little under and overwhelmed by them recently. With so many new products hitting the shelves promising to be the next green thing, famous actors or bank tycoons promising to save the world and Presidents seemingly drilling in places where that I thought were to be protected, lets just say... sometimes I get a little lost and a little confused.

Guilt.

We all have it and suffer from it and I am not alone. Yes, sometimes I debate if I really want to stick my hand all the way into the bottom of the peanut butter jar in order to clean it out so that it’s nice and clean for the recycling people. Yes, sometimes I’ve forgotten to bring my reusable bag into the grocery store and out of sheer lazyness... didn’t say anything when the clerk handed me my goods in a plastic bag instead of the paper like I was intending on requesting. And yes, sometimes I took a shower multiple times in a week and maybe left the water running as I brushed my teeth or perhaps I used the light from the open refrigerator to illuminate my late night cheese and cracker making cravings.

This summer, when it seemed so many people around the world were pulling together for 350.org to climb mountains, gather in public green spaces and photograph themselves holding up the number (350 is the number of parts per million, that scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere) I found myself wondering exactly what that had to do with anything? People will join into a cause with good intentions and efforts at making a difference, but how does climbing a mountain or traveling to the Arctic Circle just so you can wave a banner with a website posted on it do anything more than just provide for good public relations for you and your environmentally friendly efforts? It seems to me that if your travels to said far off location caused more environmental harm than staying at home and writing a blog would have, it’s a little counter productive. It’s one thing if you want to climb a mountain, but to do it for a cause while joining in on the eco-friendly bandwagon seems a little far fetched to me.

I don’t race bikes for the environment, in fact me traveling by car go participate in a race some 50 miles away is not at all eco friendly. Likewise, me traveling to a far off location to bag some summit isn’t really doing the local environment any good. It’s putting more impact on the land, creating more erosion, and filling the air with more smog that ruin even the best photo attempts. While these are things that I enjoy doing because I like the challenge, these are also things that make me cringe and fill with guilt. I wrestle with these conflicts all the time and honestly, sometimes I get a little down on myself.

However, I am reminded that by going to these places and experiencing the love of the land, that I have been given a direct connection to the wonders and joys that that place has provided. I can preach for all the good things that can come of it, and... I have the knowledge and the desire to fight to keep those places protected and pristine. To do nothing and to sit at home all day everyday, in order to not increase my carbon footprint would be ridiculous, far fetched, and to waste the gifts and the joy that mother nature have bestowed upon us. And... there are ways that while I’m not making the trip for the sake of curingcancer.org or finding ways to reversegreenhouseemissions.org or more sustainablewaysofcookingtrailfood.org, I can make a difference. I can pick up trash that isn’t mine that I find along the way, I can pay my trail fees, I can buy local produce, I can tip a few more cents into the jar at the local coffee place, I can support organizations that work hard to protect and maintain those places.

We aren’t all millionaires. We can’t all build sail boats made 100% out of recycled plastics, we can’t always afford to buy organic, we can’t always spring an extra $8.50 for a pair of earth friendly undies. But, there are little things that we can do everyday. My goal for you readers, for this Earth Day and this coming year... is not to climb some mountain for the sake of an environmental cause. You need to climb it for yourself. And while you’re there... take a photo, take a memory, take away some little part of a reason to keep caring. Because it’s going to be “that thing” that in the laziest deepest darkest days of winter or the most energetic sunniest days for backyard barbecues... makes you turn off the lights when you go outside, it makes you turn off the water when you’re brushing your teeth or the car engine while you’re waiting for your friend, and it’s that thing which makes you truly care about the world around you. Because if anything, sometimes you’re allowed to be a little selfish.

Happy Earth Day ya’ll!

food for thought....

Just some updates about things going on in the world that are pretty darn tootin interesting. Consider yourself informed.

If you haven't already planned out your wardrobe for tomorrow (cause some people do that, in fact... in high school and college I used to do that too, but enough about me and my OCD tendencies...) plan to wear blue! Tomorrow, January 12 is Wear Blue Day in support of our oceans and a strong National Ocean Policy. This national policy is under review by the Obama Administration and will protect, maintain and restore ocean, coasts, and Great Lake Ecosystems. And, if you live in San Francisco, New Orleans or DC, tomorrow you can even take part in rallies to show your support. (Here in Portland, we can show our support by buying blue doughnuts at Voo Doo. True story.)

Speaking of oceans. Who out there likes pirates?

When it comes to movies, I like pirates! And when it comes to choosing between pirates or ninja's, I'll gladly choose pirates any day. However... some people out there do not like pirates; most notably, those who make their living with traveling the high seas and live in constant fear of Somali Pirates. Many of these vessels whom live in fear are in fact illegal commercial fishing trawlers parked off the coast of Somalia who for many years, have been scooping up the oceans bounty and limiting the supply of fish to local fishermen providing their families and communities with fish. In response to these pirate attacks, many of those illegal fishing boats have not been returning and as a result, the bounty of fish that local fishermen have been able to catch has been outstanding. For many, they are catching fish like marlins, barracuda, red snapper and oranda, that have not been in supply for many years. This is bringing even more sport fishermen to the coast which is helping local tourism and put money in the pockets of the local communities. All this doesn't mean that the piracy is okay, in fact... it presents even more problems in some aspects, but it is a nice little silver lining to the murky cloud of piracy.

Wanna talk about murky clouds? Talk about the murky cloud of what goes into a filler that helps contribute to 70% of the ground beef that Americans eat each year. This murky cloud is called "Pink Slime" and last year, the Federal Government bought and used 5.5 million pounds of this processed meat to be used in our public schools and fed to our kids. Pink Slime is basically an answer that the food industry developed in response to recent outbreaks in E. coli and salmonella in our food supply. What happens is that a company (Beef Products) buys the cheapest, least desirable beef on offer (fatty sweepings from the slaughterhouse floor, chock full of E coli 0157 and antibiotic resistant salmonella), then it sends the scraps through a process which grinds the scraps into a paste, separates out the fat, and then ammonia is added to kill pathogens. This paste (known as pink slime) is then marketed widely to hamburger makers. To the food industry, this seems like a great idea: pink slime is really really cheap, it's sterile, and because it is so laden with ammonia, it helps kills what ever pathogens remain in the ground beef it's mixed with.

However, according to an article in the New York Times that ran last week, more often than not the ammonia added to the meat paste doesn't always kill the pathogens, infact... tests have proven that it helps add to the pathogen levels. Apparently, from 05-09, the school lunch program officials tested Beef Products (the meat made with the slime) had 36 positive results for salmonella per 1,000 test in comparison to a rate of 9 positive results per 1,000 tests in other suppliers. And the thing is... this is new news to the public, but not to the Government, the USDA, and not to the fast food industry, who have been aware of the potential harm for pink slime all along. The only thing "pink slime" has going for it, is that it's cheap, and that's why it's in our food supply. And.... even in light of this recent revelation to the public, the AP reports that fast food chains McDonald's, Burger King and agricultural conglomerate Cargill Inc. (who all use Beef Products "pink slime" in their burgers) say that they'll keep using the meat and that their products are safe. Kind of makes you want to go out and rent Food.Inc huh?

Oh, and in attempts to clear up some murkiness regarding water... have you guys heard about Katie Spotz? Katie is a 22yr old from Ohio who left home a while back headed directly for Sengal armed with only a 19ft row boat, two oars and three months worth of dehydrated food in a quest to become the youngest person to row across an ocean solo and the first American to do so from Africa to South America. The trip is 2,500 miles long and will take Katie appx 70 to 100 days alone at sea. And why is she doing it? Well, not only does she like a good challenge, but she likes a good cause. Katie has teamed up with Blue Planet Run Foundation to raise money for communities around the world to have access to safe drinking water. Spotz, who apparently is no stranger to endurance challenges has prior completed a 3,300 mile bike ride across the US for the American Lung Ass., completed a 150 mile run in the Mojave and Colorado desert, ran a 62 mile ultra-marathon in Australia and just last year she became the first person to swim the entire length of the 352 mile Allegheny River to increase the awareness for the need of safe drinking water. You can help support Katie and her efforts by donating to Blue Planet Run, who since 2002 has been working in 214 projects in 18 countries to bring safe drinking water to over 200,000 people. $30 may be a tank of gas for you, but to someone in a third world country, it can bring a lifetime of safe drinking water. You can follow Katie and her epic trip here, as she's updating her status frequently on her progress. Good luck Katie and watch out for those pirates!

There are some nice media articles on Katie, her training and video footage on her website and here. Check em out.

A hella good listen!

What do you get when you have 40 top and upcoming artists donating their music for a hella good cause? A hella good listen!

1% for the Planet, who I've blogged about before, has just released a compilation of tunes where 100% of the proceeds from the sale go to help fund environmental non-profits. Included in the disc are fan favorites such as Jack Johnson, G. Love, Mason Jennings, Josh Ritter, Katie Herzig and my personal favorite... Brandi Carlile (singing a new unreleased tune!!!)

I picked it up yesterday early on amazon.com for $3.99, but apparently the cost of the compilation will be $10. You can find it on itunes, amazon, or select retail stores.

And, unlike other "save the world" music compilation cd's, this one happily isn't full of songs you'd never really want to listen to again. You know the type, songs about saving the whales and hugging trees don't exactly get top billing on my itunes playlists... but this one is full of acoustic chill worthy music. So, for 40 songs... it's worth a buy and a listen, over and over and over again.

getting dirty and then coming clean...

Hey folks, just coming back from a little bit of a sick/holiday/pre-occupied break to share a collection of notes that hopefully will keep your mind on the green side of things. And no... I'm not talking about that smelly fungus that appears to be growing on your kitchen sponge. For goodness sake, throw that thing out already. Or better yet, clean it off well and then use a produce bag (not the plastic ones) but the ones that bulk potatoes and onions are packaged, and wrap it around your sponge for a little extra grit when scrubbing the sides of your green bean casserole dish. That is so much better than throwing it away. However, if you do have green moldy stinky stuff growing on it.... I'm not going to say anything if you do decide to toss it. It'll be our little secret. ;)

You've heard me confess before how I'm not the world's best showerer. It's not that I like being dirty (we'll talk about that later), maybe it's just that I'm lazy, or maybe truly I realize what a waste of resources it is to shower and soap every day. Well, according to some new studies recently published on the online version of Nature Medicine, dirty kids are healthy kids. Apparently, scientists have discovered that being too clean, can impair the skins natural ability to heal. Basically, when bacteria live on the skin they trigger a pathway that helps prevent inflammation when we get hurt. This bacteria then changes our bodies natural overactive immune responses that can cause cuts and sores to swell. So, when we let ourselves and our kids roll around in the mud and try to eat cigarette butts at the beach, we help our body build it's natural immunity. Our current obsession with cleanliness in developed countries also coincides with the recent growing trend of allergies people have. According to the study, rates of allergies in the UK have tripled over the last decade. It's gotten so bad that one in three people there have some kind of allergy. I say, let your kids get dirty, chances are their bodies will be better adapted to dealing with the nasties.

This is pretty much the same view that my mother shared with my brother and I while we were being nursed. As a teacher in our city's public schools... everyday my mom was exposed to germ after germ from disgustingly dirty teenagers. Rather than feed us from a sanitized bottle... she breast fed us and passed those mcnasties on to us. As a result, my brother and I had very very strong immune systems and a good appreciation for teenage sarcasm.

Speaking of mcnasties and dirt and germs... one place germs love is public bathrooms right? Well, the CDC recommends that you wash your hands after using a public restroom to prevent the spread of disease, but think about all that gets wasted when you wipe your hands with a paper towel? In fact, each person uses about 741 pounds of paper each year! Luckily, many companies and establishments have started using electric hand dryers and recycled paper towels, and then some companies like People Towels, are swinging on the green and encouraging folks to buy organic-cotton hand towels which come in cool patterns and colors. Essentially, I like their designs and that they create no waste and reduce a user's carbon footprint... but at the same time, for what they are - they are a little spendy. Personally, I've always been a big fan of using cloth dishrags, napkins, and hankies to do my dirty work. The great thing about them is that you can use them, abuse them, and then throw them in the wash afterwards. It's just that simple. And, for the more dirty work like cleaning my house, my car, my bike - I've always used old white v-neck t-shirts that are too dirty or stretched out to be seen in public and ripped them up to hand-held sizes. Add in a little simple green and you're good to go. No waste or paper needed.

(The Natural Resources Defense Council has a great listing and guide of well known paper products and their processes which include how much material is recycled and also post consumer. It also includes a listing of things you can do to make smarter paper choices. Check it out.)

Speaking of cleaning... does anyone else have a Swiffer? I have one and occasionally I'll use it to wipe my wood floors, but I always feel bad how it's "dead" after it fills with dog hair after a few swipes. I've been known to flip the pad over and use the other side but still... I get a little guilty tossing the cleaning paper away and not even coming close to cleaning my whole floor. Luckily, some others have also felt this guilt and have created more eco-friendly answers to the Swiffer problems.

This, for example, is a cotton swiffer cover which is hand crocheted. Apparently, it's reversible and washable and does a great job at picking up wet and dry spills. Sadly though, it seems to have recently sold out on esty, lets hope they make some more. Also, you can easily use the handle of your Swiffer and attach microfiber towels to it. According to this great little blog, these two folks discovered that microfiber towels work just as well as the Swiffer towels when it comes to cleaning your house. Better yet, you can buy a pack of them for $5 at the store and just wash and rewash them as opposed to throwing them out and buying more all the time. As well, when your loved ones give you a Shamwow this holiday season, you can clip that little baby right into the Swiffer for clean floor after clean floor. Shamwow!

Seasons cleanings y'all!

rinse, repeat, rinse and repeat again

I jenn levo, have a confession to make which may or may not make me a bad American. Depending on what side of the fence you sit on, you may choose to exile me to France, a hippy commune in the woods, or congratulate me for not being wasteful and for taking good care of myself. I on average, wash my hair only every other day - and that's even on a good week - if I've been busy, it'll be less. And maybe it doesn't seem like a huge deal, but I work out at least five days a week and I sweat. But - does that leave me a stinky sweaty greasy mess? Not really. (I mean, I think honestly over the years only one or two people have complained and compared to current statistical amount of people in my life -as determined by facebook friends- that is a teeny tiny percentage.) Who knows, maybe it's helpful that I have five people in my work office and we don't ever have to really touch or see people from the outside world unless we want to, but if my sanitation habits were really that bad... I would have hoped someone would have told me face to face by now.

See, the thing is that apparently Americans love their shampoo. In fact, the average American washes their hair about 4.59 times a week (twice as much as Italians and Spaniards). And, according to some fresh and clean smelling Georgetown college students interviewed by NPR last March.. to not shower everyday is "completely heinous.... and after a workout, it's disgusting not to wash your hair." On the contrast though, washing your hair that frequently, says hair stylists and dermatologists... is waaaaay too often. In fact, when you shampoo as frequently as four and a half times a week - you actually strip your hair of beneficial oil and in the long run, cause more damage to your hair than help.

So, not only am I looking out for my hair's well being, but I've learned over the years that the way we Americans view proper hygiene is directly related to the advertisements that have been shoved down our throats since the wee 1900's. Some of these early advertisements used sex to sell their products and over time, it became an accepted fact that to wash often was clean, and clean is sexy. Not that dirty is sexy really... but what happened was a market was created where prior there was none. Back then, it was the norm to wash your hair once a month but over time ads convinced people it was proper to do it more and really, much like lemmings jumping off a cliff, the trend just escalated throughout the last century. In the 60's and 70's, more ads featuring people like Farrah Fawcett in a Faberge ad, Cybil Shepherd in a Clariol ad, Christie Brinkley for Prell or the pretty Breck girls sold the idea that that they could shampoo their way to beauty by washing their hair every day. It's a win win for the hair care companies; the more we wash our hair, the quicker we go through it, the more we go back to the store and buy more, and the more money ends up in the pockets of the company owners. Welcome to consumerism and instant cash flow!

I want her hair AND her bike

Overtime though, just convincing people to use the product more often is not enough. I come from Cincinnati, land of hygiene friendly Proctor and Gamble and by growing up there I became highly aware of the products they sold. In fact, one of my favorite games - that I still play today- is what I call the Supermarket Challenge. Basically, you challenge yourself to take a trip down the beauty aisle or the soap/cleaning aisle of a grocery store and try to not find at least two products with the P&G logo on the back. I was always amazed at how many competing products P&G made that all line the store shelves and all essentially do the same thing. The only real difference is they are just packaged differently or come in different colors or smells. Once I notice this, I take a step back and look at all the packaging it takes to hold all those products. All the boxes for the tubes of toothpaste and all the plastic bottles. Then to think about all the card boxes boxes they came in for shipping, and how far they came from, how much gas was used, where they were made and how many different chemicals are in each one just so that we, as Americans.... can have a choice when we go to the store about whether we want a shampoo that conditions and shines, or one that calms down fly-aways, or one that builds body and adds texture, or one that smooths but adds natural curl and really, it's quite overwhelming. Why do you think we need plow over farms to make way for more parking lots and more massive Super Wal-Marts in America? So we can have more choice when it comes to our shampoo and health and beauty needs of course. Really folks?

In a similar note: I laugh and am disgusted when I see Nair ads aimed for pre-teens. I'm sorry, but 10-14 year old girls do not need to be worried about hair growth on their legs.

Some people in some very eco-conscious circles of society have even gone as far as to give up shampoo completely. Blogger Jeanne Haegele, who writes a great blog called Lifelessplastic, went three months without using shampoo. Instead she washed her hair with baking soda twice a week and conditioned it with a vinegar rinse. She stopped the experiment after a bad case of dandruff, but now washes with a shampoo bar (much like the great ones LUSH sells) a few times a week and even used baking soda for deodorant. Personally, I'm quite the fan of Dr. Bronners All-in-One soaps which pretty much can take care of all your cleaning needs with just one product. Not only are they certified under the USDA National Organic Program, but there are also certified Fair Trade. Better yet, at some grocery stores here in Portland they sell the soap in bulk meaning you can just bring your own reusable bottles or jars with you to collect your cleaning needs. Their line of soaps and products have increased over the years, but their liquid soaps are still my go-to for when I'm out camping or hiking and only want to bring one soap with me. As well, their ingredients are all things I can pronounce and don't mind washing my hair or doing my dishes with - I don't know how I feel about washing my hair with Dawn, regardless if it gets grease out of my way.

Basically, before you go to rinse repeat, and rinse and repeat again... just think a little more about why you are doing it and if it needs to be done so frequently. I'm not saying we need to be crunchy not shaving, soaping, showering citizens... but our beauty and hygiene regimes do create more waste than actually necessary. I mean, the more dirt you have on your body the better your natural insulation will be and the less you'll have to spend on heating this winter - right? So, next time you see me with a sheen or glow emitting from my head that you think is just grease - rest assured that I probably just came from the gym. It's not grease, but healthy good old american sweat. The kind you can be proud of.

be cautious opening overhead compartments, shift happens.

"You're making me go to the bathroom before I board the plane? Wha? You're shitting me?"

Apparently not.

One airline company in Japan has started asking passengers to go to the toilet before boarding in an attempt to limit carbon emission and weight *. The airlines, All Nippon Airways (ANA) claims that empty bladders means lighter passengers, a lighter aircraft and lower fuel usage. ANA is stationing one airline staffer at the boarding gates to ask and remind passengers to "take care of business" before boarding. Over the course of 30 days, ANA is hoping that the weight saved will lead to a five-ton reduction in carbon emissions. If the airlines proves that their method is working in this 42 flight trial period (which began Oct. 1), they will extend this policy. Based on an average human bladder capacity of 15oz, if 150 passengers relieved themselves on board, this would amount to 63.7kg of waste. Really, this isn't a half bad idea. I'd rather go to the loo than pay an additional fee for my luggage. But, that makes my excuse of needing to the bathroom to check out the cute thing in 15F not as plausible.

Speaking of airlines, here are a few tips from the Sierra Club to help green your friendly skies.

Tip #1: Hand it Back

When your flight attendant hands you a napkin with your drink, politely decline it, explaining, if you like, that you'd prefer to save the paper. Even better, write to the airlines to urge them to train flight attendants to offer napkins rather than giving them without asking; point out that this can save untold numbers of trees, plus some corporate cash. To find contact information for your airline, go to this link and click on "Airline Consumer Contacts.

Tip #2: Ensure Recycling

Before giving your cup or can to the flight attendant collecting trash, ask if the plastic or aluminum will be recycled. If the answer is no (it usually is; see some amazing stats here), stash yours in your carry-on and dispose of it in the first recycling bin you see after you deplane. Later, call or write your airline’s customer-service department to urge them to implement a recycling program.

Tip #3: Lighten Your Luggage

The equation is simple: Heavier luggage burns more fuel. So if everyone leaves a little more at home, we’ll save immense amounts of emissions. (Incidentally, this is a good reason to lose body weight too.) And remember to get those liquids, gels, and aerosols out of your carry-on if they weigh more than 3 ounces; otherwise, they’ll end up in the landfill before their time.

Tip #4: Offset

This is the obvious tip for greening a plane flight. It's still controversial—some people view carbon offsetting as penance for an irrevocable sin already committed. But we (the Sierra Club) think it's better than nothing. If you're going to fly anyway, what's the harm in also funding renewable-energy projects and trees being planted?

So, you think that taking a cruise might be a better option that flying to your vacation destination? Think again. Cruise ships are a smorgasbord of waste. Like anyother ocean bound vessel, cruise ships affect both the water and the air with the waste it produces. First, there is an issue of bilge water, which collects in the lowest part of the ship and contains oil from leaky engines. Most of the time, ships will treat the bilge water before re-releasing it, but there have been cases of irresponsible ocean dumping in the past. Then, there are air pollutants that fly out of the smokestacks, Then, unlike smaller vessels, cruise ships carry thousands of passengers, each of which produces waste that can end up in the ocean. A recent EPA survey of Alaska operating boats reported that cruise boats produced an average of 21,000 gallons of sewage a day. Those ships also produce an average of 170,000 gallons of greywater, which has been known to carry detergents, oil, grease, and food waste which depletes the oxygen content of sea water.

What about carbon dioxide emissions? According to this article on Slate:

“Carnival Corp.'s latest environmental report (PDF), the company's ships emit 1.17 pounds of CO₂ per passenger mile, assuming full occupancy. Industry statistics suggest that the most popular cruises last seven days and that the Caribbean is the No. 1 destination. So let's say you've decided to take Carnival's weeklong Western Caribbean cruise, which leaves from Miami and stops at Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; Isla Roatan, Honduras; Belize; and Cozumel, Mexico, before returning to Florida—a total of 1,826.5 miles. Your personal emissions for the voyage—not counting any time spent on land—would thus come to 2,137 pounds of CO₂, or just about a ton. In 2006, fossil fuel-related CO₂ emissions in the United States were 21.8 tons per capita—or about 119.5 pounds per person per day. So a seven-day cruise produces about 18 days' worth of carbon dioxide. In contrast, a round-trip flight on a narrow-body jet from Miami to Grand Cayman would emit about 340 pounds of CO₂, assuming an industry standard 80 percent occupancy.* That's a lot less than a cruise, but then, it's not an apples-to-apples comparison since a cruise ship provides transportation and accommodation and entertainment. Based on the Lantern's back-of-the-envelope calculations, though, the overall emissions would still be lower if you could keep your carbon footprint during your week in the Grand Cayman at less than double what it would be at home.”

If you’re planning on cruising sometime soon, you should check whether your boat comes equipped with an advanced wastewater-treatment system (PDF, not to be confused with the life vest known as PFD’s). You also might check if the ship can plus into local power grid systems when docked rather than continue to run it’s engines. Some cruise ship companies are also offering other environmental fixes, like green laundry facilities that re-use water from the air-conditioning systems to kitchens that serve local and sustainably sourced food.

As well, here is a handy little chart that rates the "greeness" of various cruise companies. Check it out. While you're at it, read this comprehensive article in the NYTimes about cruises.

And... if you needed more reasons not to go on a cruise, check this video out.

it's kinda like Epcot, but about coffee

So, you've heard of greenwashing... how about localwashing?

In a recent trend to buck big corporate chain retailers, large companies are working hard at rebranding themselves to a appear softer, gentler and more "local". They want you, as a maybe slightly educated consumer, to feel perfectly okay about going to them as if they were your backyard neighbor to borrow a cup of sugar. Whether it's Wal-Mart selling a "local" potato from Idaho or a NYC Whole Foods selling local coffee beans roasted a few miles away but actually grown in Ecuador, it's getting a little rampant. In a similar situation, Starbucks, the company responsible for coffee on the map across the US, has tried to not just soften their image... but to erase it in some cases.

Seattle, Washington.... home to Grey's Anatomy, rain, Pearl Jam and Starbucks has noticed that business in some of their stores located in more independent and alternative spots around town... has fell off to a trickle. It's not that people are not drinking coffee in these locations, they'd just rather go to the homegrown local coffee shop on the corner than go to the big green. In order to compete with the mom and pop joints, Starbucks has closed those stores and later reopened them under another name... such as 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea.

At 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea, there is no Starbucks logo to be found anywhere on the premises, not on the door, not on the bags, not on the coffee and not on the website. As well, the stores use a manual machine to make espresso rather than the automated type found in most Starbucks stores. 15th Avenue, which still carries Starbucks roasted coffee... was created to give a more rustic, organic, and home grown community feel.... much like your local coffee shop on the corner. Serving beer and wine alongside the coffee as well as offering poetry and open mic nights, Starbucks spent over a year sending coffee shop researchers to popular Seattle coffee joints for the purpose of "observation". In fact, several Seattle coffee shop owners who saw the researchers there day in and day out, feel a little cheated that Starbucks ripped off some of their atmosphere.

What I find most amusing about all of this is that I find that Starbucks is literally trying to cheat and fool the customer on their "coffee experience". And if that's not the intent.... I don't really understand the purpose for these stores, granted... placing "inspired by starbucks on the door" is a little transparent, but I just don't get it. While some people chose to go to Starbucks because the green apron is familiar and everywhere they go, there are even more people who chose not to go to Starbucks since they are everywhere you go. Are these are the people in which Starbucks is trying to cater to? I think, that if you want to support local businesses and you're smart enough to not go to Starbucks on a regular basis... then you'd be smart enough to not go to a place like 15th Avenue Coffee and Tea if they are in your neighborhood. And really, aside from tourists... who else is going to be duped by this? Is this for the customer who shamelessly likes Starbucks but feels bad about going, and really... they'd like to go to one of those little mom and pop places but finds the baritisa's with the tattoos and piercings slightly intimidating? Is this so they can feel better? Will they feel better as a result or will they just feel like they are cheating themselves? And if Starbucks is trying to appeal to tourists who don't know any better... is Capitol Hill in Seattle really the best place for that? Don't they make enough money off the people who go to Pike Place Market in order to go to the original Starbucks just to say they've been there? I mean, maybe something like this in Tulsa could work.... but in SEATTLE? I find that highly unlikely.

As my friend Heather pointed out... its kinda like going to visit Morocco at Disney's Epcot when really you're just in exotic Orlando, Florida.

Oh, and check out their awesome (cough) unpolished and unprofessional looking website and blog, cause you know... mom and pop coffee shops can't afford good design.

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-metblogs review of the place along with photos!

-When the 15th Ave store opened up, some kind protesters showed up outside the store in green aprons inviting people to the new, rebranded, neighborhood Starbucks. It's kinda funny.

-another review with some scathing commentary.