July » 2009 » Earth Living Hope

Meetup Green Groups at Tavern on the Green in New York City

Posted July 31, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

Beam Green Social Club for Mothers

	Date:	8/19/2009
	Time:	6pm – 10pm
	Location:	Tavern on the Green

	Description:
	The Green Social Club meetings revolve around the foundational principles of Beam Green; the physical body aspect in relation to organic nutrition, the emotional aspect of love, loving oneself and one?s family, and the spiritual aspect of bringing more Light into the world. We are rooted in positive energy, love and Light. Beam Green?s mission is to be a positive Eco-educational community for families that will assist in the creation of children who are strong, vibrant, and healthy that they contribute to the world in countless ways. Team Beam Green is a panel of experts who will support you on your journey, one step at a time. Beam Green shows women how to be Green before conception, through the months of pregnancy, post pregnancy, caring for your child, and in the home.The basic structure of our monthly Green Social Club is as follows: 6pm Begin the evening with flavored waters, teas, and delicious vegan cookies from Babycakes http://www.babycakesnyc.com/ Please have dinner before arrival to The Club because Beam Green encourages women to finish eating dinner before 7pm in order to encourage healthy, healing sleep. Topic, Video Clip, Website, Movie, Book, and Restaurant of the month are discussed. We hear from members of The Club! Then at 7pm: Questions & Answers with our Clinical Nutritionist? 8pm: Main Event Guest Speaker!? 9pm: Main Event Guest Speaker!Due to the nature of The Green Social Club; please check back with updates for guest speakers each month. Beam Greenis a fun, Eco-conscious, and inspiring social club for women, devoted to imparting green knowledge to the next generation of parents. Its goal is “to be a positive eco-educational community for families that will assist in the creation of children who are strong, vibrant, and healthy that they contribute to the world in countless ways.”

The Power of Organic Cotton on Sundance Channel

Posted July 29, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

I just can’t seem to get enough of the Eco-friendly programming on The Sundance Channel. Their shows, including the hosts and the information presented, are the best out there in this genre. My new favorite is called Eco Trip, hosted by David de Rothschild, with the tag line “the real cost of living”. The show explores the origins and environmental impact of common everyday products. Eco Trip follows these products from their beginning to production to disposal, revealing the environmental, social and health effects along the way.

This clip is from an episode that tracks the life of cotton -organic grown cotton vs commercially manufactured. Hopefully the next time you are looking to buy a cotton T-shirt you will inquire as to it’s origins, as well as whether or not it is organic. Remember, that what we shell out at the register isn’t the only price we pay in the end for the products that we purchase and the companies that we support.

Alternative Energy Options and Renewable Energy Credits

By Freddi Bear and has 1 comment.

Sign up for green power
Getting green power may be as easy as checking a box on your energy bill. About 600 of the US’s 6,000 power utilities offer a green power option of one kind or another. In this sort of program, the local utility buys renewable energy (wind, solar, etc.) and then passes it along to customers. It often costs a bit more, but not much, and it helps support the industry for clean, green power. Before you sign up, though, ask where they’re getting their power from. If it’s a source like waste coal or waste-to-power, you might be better off buying your credits elsewhere.

I live in New York City and our energy provider is Con Edison who offers a few different green power choices. In fact, they have a comprehensive website with tons of information of how to reduce your carbon footprint. If you live in the NYC area visit Con Edison at : http://www.coned.com/thepowerofgreen/residential.asp

Buy renewable energy credits
Another way to support renewable energy and “offset” your own environmental footprint is to buy renewable energy credits (RECs). There are many websites that will help you calculate your energy consumption and buy a requisite amount of RECs to compensate for it. RECs are a pretty new idea; they’re not well understood and there are many rumors of not-so-green or altogether fake credits being sold. The most recognized certifier of RECs is Green-e, an independent, non-profit group that verifies renewable energy credits and certifies that they are what they claim to be.

Angelica’s Kitchen- The Best Vegan Food in New York City!!

Posted July 27, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

angelica kitchen

Last night I had dinner at my favorite and perhaps one of the most well known vegan restaurants in New York City, Angelica’s Kitchen. When I dine there and I am by myself I like to sit at the “community table” where I have met some very curious and delightful individuals. Angelica’s has daily specials that are usually so enticing that I rarely order from their regular menu. As was the case last night- I had the Saag Paneer, healthy & delicious. Supporting a business like Angelica’s is a pleasure because they have a great product and a philosophy of kindness and sustainability. Angelica’s Kitchen is truly an example of a green restaurant on a mission to help our planet and promote mindful eating and organic foods.

Not only is Angelica’s devoted to serving clean fresh and local foods, but they maintain direct relationships with the farmers and customers who support their business. Angelica’s Kitchen believes in fair trade and makes sure that it’s ingredients are purchased from vendors who use renewable sources of energy. They are active participants in the food donation program City Harvest, which collects food from restaurants throughout the NYC area and redistributes it to the homeless.

Visit them at http://www.angelicakitchen.com/

“The Lazy Environmentalist” Saving Planet Earth One Hairdresser At A Time

Posted July 26, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

Amazing new show on The Sundance Channel called “The Lazy Environmentalist” covering an array of green living topics. This clip highlights a portion of an episode discussing the changes that can be made by hair colorists in their product choices. Hair salons need to begin using safer and more environmentally friendly ingredients both for the benefit of their customers and for the well being of the planet!
Host of the show, Josh Dorfman, goes on to interview Hairstylist Roya Adjory and we discover that there are plenty of alternative green products that can be substituted for the one’s with harsh and dangerous chemicals. You can view the entire episode at www.sundacechannel.com

Help Our Planet With “Low Impact Laundry”

Posted July 24, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

laundry

I don’t always realize how much the everyday things I do can effect the environment. One of these is doing laundry and let me tell you my laundry basket fills up fast. One big change I have made is in the detergent I use to wash my clothes. I have tried a few different “green” brands and my favorite one so far is Seventh Generation. I learned so much from these tips including the fact that most dry cleaners use toxic chemicals in their cleaning methods. Read these tips from “Low-Impact Laundry” by Starre Vartan at www.greenopia.com and change your ways in order to help our planet!

What to do: Cut back on the number of loads you wash by spot-cleaning and hand-washing your garments. Use cold water washes unless clothing is super-dirty- most clothes don’t need a warm water wash. Besides conserving resources, it makes your clothes last longer and colors stay darker. Make sure to always choose the appropriate wash size. Some new models of washers automatically adjust, but if yours doesn’t, use the knob that indicates whether a wash is small, medium or large.

Be Soap-Smart Why: Most detergents contain phosphates, which can cause overgrowth of algae in water, and is harmful to aquatic life. Many also contain synthetic fragrances and chemicals that are not biodegradable. Chlorine bleaches and some fabric softeners contain toxins, too. Even if your town or city processes waste water most of these chemicals persist though the filtration process and end up in our water supplies.

What to do: Buy plant-based or castile soaps for laundry, and opt for fragrance-free detergents. Detergents with phosphates in them will say so on the bottle. Baby shampoo works well for hand-washing. Try treating stains with lemon juice, hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar before you wash. Get rid of fabric softeners, which are totally unnecessary and pollute local air (really- a study showed asthma is exacerbated by fabric softeners and dryer sheets). A few companies like Ecover and Seventh Generation make all-natural spot cleaners and fabric softeners if you must use them. When it comes to drying, use a rack next to your washer for socks, undies, polyester ’sport’ fabrics, and thin cotton fabrics, so you can cut down on your dryer time. Even better; use a clothes line to naturally freshen your clothes and dry them for free.

Bonus: Hanging up clothes on a line is a good workout! Try a New Dry Why: “A lot of dry cleaners use chemicals with some type of by-product that uses a bleaching solvent, which is harmful and also bad for the clothing,” says Bob Smerling, owner of Brentwood Royal Cleaners in Santa Monica, who uses only environmentally-friendly methods and cleaning agents. Conventional cleaners also use perchloroethylene (perc), a chlorinated solvent that accumulates in body fat and is recognized as a possible human carcinogen.

What to do and where to go: If you have a garment that simply can’t be hand-washed or washed on the delicate cycle and hung dry, find a dry cleaner that uses carbon dioxide (CO2), Green Earth solvent or other hydrocarbon cleaners. If you had something dry-cleaned the traditional way, take the garment out of its bag and hang it outdoors to reduce the amount of perc vapor you bring into your home. And always save your dry-cleaning bags, clips and hangars to bring back and reuse next time.

Become “Carbon Neutral” Starting With Your Car

Posted July 23, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has 3 comments.

These days being “Carbon Neutral” has become quite the trend. One of the best ways to help our planet is to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that we produce on a daily basis. There are many different ways to accomplish this and one of the easiest in my opinion is with your vehicle. Unfortunately, most of us cannot give up our cars and use public transportation because the areas we live in do not provide adequate alternatives. So here are a few suggestions on how to continue driving and reduce your negative impact on the planet.

Maintenance – Keep your car tuned up and running efficiently.
More Maintenance – Replace your air, oil and fuel filters according to schedule.
Tires - Keep your tires properly inflated (just this can save 400-700 pounds of CO₂ per year!).
Drive better - Studies have shown up to 30% of the difference in mpg is due to driving habits alone. You could save more than a ton of CO₂ per year by:
– Accelerating slowly and smoothly
– Driving the speed limit
– Maintaining a steady speed
– Anticipating your stops and starts
Make your next car a super efficient one (41+ MPG).
Household fuel efficiency – If your household has two cars and one is used mostly for commuting, make the commuting car a real gas sipper.
Downsize - Get rid of your car altogether.

Some might find that last suggestion impossible so I suggest checking out the book How to Live Well Without Owning a Car by Chris Balish and it may change your mind.

Green Homes Made of Recycles Materials You Would Never Have Thought Of

Posted July 22, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

Here at Earth Living Hope we don’t expect most people to be willing to give up their creature comforts at home in favor of houses made of beer bottles or refurbished airplanes. However, these creative ideas help live sustainable lifestyles and they show what’s possible if we think about helping out planet and dream of something different. We can create green living structures that are aesthetically pleasing, Eco-friendly and a definite conversation piece. You may not be reusing an airplane wing today, but maybe you can reuse some used lumber or furniture, or perhaps switch to paints that are better for your air quality.

You may not believe your eyes but this is an actual Buddhist temple in Thailand built entirly out of used beer bottles. It was made using over 1 million Heineken and Chang bottles, this temple is by far the coolest use I have seen for recycled beer bottles!

temple

A new trend that is more common than you would think is to buy and convert old airplanes into homes. I know, this idea struck me as suprising, but I like it, I mean why not? The price is right, an old 727 can go for around $2000 and then the cost to remodel the interior comfortably is around $22,000-$30,000. These prices all depend on the condition and availability of the planes, so I am sure that the prices can vary widely.

plane home

To view all of the amazingly inventive and planet friendly ideas for homes made out of recycled materials follow this link: http://www.thedailygreen.com/living-green/blogs/recycling-design-technology/treehouses-building-green-recycled-homes-460509?click=main_sr

Do Our Attempts for Carbon Nuetrality Do More Harm Than Good?

Posted July 21, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

Did you know that for a family of four to fly from New York to Honolulu and back produces more carbon dioxide emissions than the average American family car does in one year. Many scientists agree that carbon offsets do not work and that they can cause more harm to the environment than any potential benefits they may have. Wouter Buytaert, a scientist at Imperial College in London specializing in environmental studies said, “Planting fast growing pine trees on grassland will help to lock up carbon in the tree, but it may also disrupt the soil and release carbon already stored in the grassland. And in some cases there can be severe negative side effects too. Extensive areas of grassland in the upper tropical Andes, South America, have already been planted with pine trees, paid for by carbon credit schemes. The pine trees guzzle water much faster than the native grass, reducing stream-flow by around 70 percent and drying up the water supply for towns and cities downstream such as Cuenca and Quito in Ecuador. “It is just a case of substituting one problem for another,” he said.

If we are ever to become a carbon nuetral world we will have to come up with some better ideas and fast to help our planet. We need to have our goal be sustainability and conservation, otherwise we will never succeed in our mission.

For more information and to take the Green Guide’s Smart Travel quiz follow http://www.thegreenguide.com/travel-transportation/green-travel-quiz

(Quotes found on National Geographic website article by Kate Ravilious)

What Exactly is the “Free Range” Chicken Standard?

Posted July 20, 2009 By Freddi Bear and has no comments yet.

A large part of green living, and helping our planet, is where we eat, what we buy, and where it all comes from. I have gone back and forth from being vegetarian to omnivore and I always have tried to eat organic and free range meats. So I wanted more information on the source of what the real definition of this term is and the actual qualifications that need to be met for something to be called free range.

It turns out the the term “free range” can be rather loosely applied in some countries. The birds may still be de-beaked and while not in cages, only have a very limited area to move around in. They may be crammed into sheds in the thousands and although the birds have access to the outside, it’s only the chickens close to the door that can get out.

This close quarters living can cause all sorts of health problems for the chickens. I remember a colleague from years ago who worked on one of these farms telling me his first job of the day was to wander through the barn, picking up all the dead birds, of which there were quite a few, and parts of birds – wings or legs that had fallen off.

On some farms, even if the birds do have external access, it’s often to enclosures that are covered in gravel with no plant material or worse still, just mudbaths mixed with old droppings.

For free range egg laying birds, they are often still subject to malnutrition to increase profitability and live in eternal daylight in order to stimulate egg formation. The massive amounts of calcium needed to produce eggs can cause bone weaknesses in these birds.

Before you pay out extra money for your free range chicken and eggs, learn more about the farm they come from. You may be in for a bit of a shock. Criteria that your free range chicken and eggs should meet:

• Clean housing and shelter from the elements
• Protection from predators
• No antibiotic use
• No growth hormones
• Natural foods + addition of vitamins and minerals only as required
• The land must have shade, shelter and palatable, sustainable vegetation
• No mutilation of beaks and claws

Section fom www.greenlivingtips.com found in the food tips section on free range chicken.

Earth Living Hope

Green Living Tips – What to Eat. Where to Live. What to Buy.

Meetup Green Groups at Tavern on the Green in New York City

Related Reading:

The Power of Organic Cotton on Sundance Channel

Related Reading:

Alternative Energy Options and Renewable Energy Credits

Related Reading:

Angelica’s Kitchen- The Best Vegan Food in New York City!!

Related Reading:

“The Lazy Environmentalist” Saving Planet Earth One Hairdresser At A Time

Related Reading:

Help Our Planet With “Low Impact Laundry”

Related Reading:

Become “Carbon Neutral” Starting With Your Car

Related Reading:

Green Homes Made of Recycles Materials You Would Never Have Thought Of

Related Reading:

Do Our Attempts for Carbon Nuetrality Do More Harm Than Good?

Related Reading:

What Exactly is the “Free Range” Chicken Standard?

Related Reading: