Daryl Hannah’s El Camino Is Up for Grabs
Date: January 18, 2008 | Category: Events, Lifestyle, Transport
Okay, we’ve got BIG news! Daryl Hannah’s 1983 Chevy El Camino, with a B100 biodiesel pump (and station included), just went up for auction on Ebay Motors. This baby is tricked out - it’s fully smoked and tinted and all that other stuff, I’m not well versed on, that happens in custom car shops. Decaled across the back window, in Old English typeface, it reads “Biodiesel.” So you’ll get all the recognition you deserve (though it’s kind of hard to read to the untrained eye). This car is pimpin’ in innumerable ways, not the least of which is its independence from foreign oil. To start your bidding, click here.
Have Your Pi and Ride It Too
Date: December 14, 2007 | Category: Lifestyle, Tech, Transport, Travel
Anyone who’s tried to bike around San Francisco knows, navigating hills by pedal power alone is downright brutal. With the capability to climb 99% of the world’s steepest hills with ease, Electrobike’s Pi might provide the perfect gateway to a carbon-free commute. The only energy Pi consumes is during its three hour charge session (or you can opt for the eight hour solar charger), and then when the pedaling gets tough, flick a switch for an electric assist (each charge gives 30 miles at 20 mph). Just by looking at it, there’s no mistaking it, Pi uniquely blends human and electric power - and at what roughly translates to a 750 miles per gallon equivalent - we’re talking a very cool leap here, though not an inexpensive one at $7,500 (still way better than the price of a car and a gym membership).
To Ship or Not to Ship
Date: September 11, 2007 | Category: Events, Lifestyle, Stores & Resources, Transport
The Post Office is the second largest employer in the United States (after Walmart) - so when they team up with McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC) to get “Cradle to Cradle” certification for all their shipping materials, it’s no small win for the environment. 1,400 ingredients that go into 60 packaging items were analyzed for their human and environmental health attributes, taking into consideration 39 criteria such as toxicity, renewable energy and recyclability. Mailing supplies such as labels and packing tape (of which 200 million pieces are used annually) were also examined, and the result is a Silver Certification from MBDC that should save more than 15,000 metric tons of carbon equivalent emissions each year (based on the recycled content). It’s nice to see a very ungreen industry - that of shipping goods to and fro - taking steps to be better stewards of the Earth. Don’t forget, however, each year America dumps 2 billion tons of mail into landfills. Keeping it local is still the most eco option.
Back to School in Eco Style
Date: August 28, 2007 | Category: Food & Drink, Kids, Lifestyle, Stores & Resources, Transport
We want our kids to start the school year off right, looking and feeling their best. This certainly means making sure the materials they’re wearing and the products they’re toting aren’t pesticide-laden or off-gassing harmful chemicals into the air (and their lungs). Back-to-school shopping can be fun and healthy - get them geared to go with the hippest eco has to offer. First and foremost, let’s talk about re-use. If you’ve still got adequate supplies and your kids are really in no dire need to accumulate more stuff (clothes, bags, pencils, etc.) revive last year’s gear. But if your children need the back-to-school touted “must haves” great options abound. Let’s start off with the quintessential back-to-school item, the backpack. Backpacks are conventionally made using PVC (polyvinyl chloride), widely known as “vinyl,” which is one of the most poisonous substances for the environment. On top of that, phthalates are often added as a plasticizer to make plastics more flexible - providing a double whammy of chemicals that have been shown to pose serious health risks such as cancer and endocrine disruption. Rule of thumb #1: avoid PVC and go phthalate-free. Earthpaks use 90-99% recycled materials and are extremely durable. They’re sporty looking - think Jansport, but each one saves 7-12 two-liter plastic bottles from ending up in landfills. Now let’s do lunch. Check out your school’s sustainability stance to see if they’ve jumped on the organic, local bandwagon. If not, contemplate what you can do as a parent to facilitate changes - Sustainable Table is a great resource or launching pad. In the meantime, a lunch-box is a necessity (it eliminates waste from brown bag lunches). However, most lunch-boxes are either vinyl and/or have high levels of lead-containing paint which has been linked to developmental problems in young children (at very low levels). It’s hard to ascertain the lead levels in any vinyl lunch-box, so better to steer clear. Mimi the Sardine offers the “lunchbug” in a variety of textiles that are Oeko-Tex Certified. Now let’s discuss school supplies. When it comes to paper always look for processed chlorine free (PCF) and the highest percentage of post-consumer recycled content possible. We at Ecofabulous adore our “tree-free” Ecopaper banana-leaf notebooks made using the agricultural waste from plantations in Central America - available at Office Depot. If you’re looking for something with a little more fab factor check out Ecojot’s notebooks at your local Barnes & Noble or Urban Outfitters. A staple-free stapler saves resources (and your child’s skin from possible accidents). The animal variety is an adolescent favorite. And if you want your kid to bloom in the classroom, get them a pen that does too. Bloomin’ Pens has a biodegradable Flower Pen (made from corn) that actually has a cap containing seeds which can be planted when the ink runs dry (Bill McDonough’s long-awaited dream has come true). If you’re looking for more of a one-stop-shop, check out Green Earth Office Supply or Office Depot’s Green Buy section where you can find everything in a smaller footprint form - from recycled binders to solar calculators. Shifting the focus towards back-to-school attire why not get them excited about how cool green can be. This fall check out Progressive Kids tee-shirts, screen-printed with water and vegetable-based dyes on Skal-certified organic cotton. We especially like the one that has an image of the Earth and reads “mine (don’t mess).” If your child is feeling as inspired by this gear as we are, they can log on to Kid’s Rock and get involved with other Progressive Kids. Simple Shoes has launched Green Piggies, a line of sustainable kicks just for kids. They’re using a host of environmentally friendly materials such as jute, organic cotton, crepe, recycled car tires, cork and more. And when all is said and done - you’re little ones have eaten their veggies and completed their homework - tuck them into bed in a pair of Hannah Andersson’s organic cotton pjs (Oeko-Tex Certified) and know that you’re doing your part to run a healthy home and take care of the ultimate household - Mother Earth.
More choices for environmentally responsible purchasing are available now, so keep your eyes out, but before making that purchase there are few questions to ask to help you on your way.
1. Is it hazardous? Does it contain any “WARNING,” “CAUTION” or “DANGER” labels?
2. Is it reusable or at least more durable?
3. Can you find a product made from recycled and/or recyclable materials?
4. What is the product life cycle? Will the manufacturer take the product back or will it need special disposal?
5. Does the product conserve energy or water?
6. Is it made from plant based materials?
Find more resources at Healthychild.org to learn about easy steps you can take in creating a healthier environment for our children. For some food choices scroll down in baby & kid on ecofabulous.
Earthcars Rev Up for the Eco-Revolution
Date: August 2, 2007 | Category: Lifestyle, Tech, Transport
In a perfect eco-world we’d all be walking to work, but let’s get practical. In the US the average person spends more than a hundred hours commuting to work each year (according to Census Bureau Reports). Earthcars.com has sped onto the scene fully-equipped to answer all your questions. They’ve got a simple motto: “be cool, drive green,” and they’re making it accessible and easy to not only research but to purchase your next earth-friendly car. They’ll educate you on all the available earthcar options and make sure you know the difference between ethanol and biodiesel. And using a four-globe rating system, they’ll tell you just how environmentally conscious every car is (based on a list of factors including the cleanliness of the manufacturer). Earthcars will even keep you abreast of current research and developing technologies for the most promising green car concepts. And with over 30,000 vehicle listings and a cache of dealers in your area, you finally have all the information you need gathered in one site to make a well-informed consumer decision. Greening your commute has never been more interesting or efficient.
Who’s the Greenest of Them All!?!
Date: May 17, 2007 | Category: Events, Transport
A BIG Yahoo for Yahoo! On Monday I attended a very exciting launch in New York’s Times Square, where Matt Dillon joined David Filo (Yahoo! co-founder) and Matt Peterson (CEO of Global Green) to announce Yahoo’s "national call to action" - the "Be a Better Planet Challenge". In a dramatic metaphorical display, vine-wrapped Ford Escape hybrids seemed to grow up out of Times Square. These vehicles are part of the fleet of hybrid taxis that Yahoo! is donating to New York and an example of what the winning city, to be announced June 8th, will receive (unless they opt for the cash equivalent instead - to be dedicated to eco-city projects). There are few options you can choose from to participate in the "Be A Better Planet" challenge: 1. Take the Green Pledge: Visit Yahoo! Green and commit to lowering your carbon diet by pledging such actions as changing light bulbs, taking public transportation, using reusable shopping bags, properly inflating tires, recycling, …and more! 2. Yahoo! Answers: Answer environmental questions and contribute to the growing body of knowledge and advice on "Yahoo! Answers" 3.Yahoo! one Search: use this new search service where results are optimized for mobile phones. You can enter keywords and find relevant resources for items such as "organic food," "public transportation," "recycling" and so on…. Doing some or all of these things will contribute to your own town’s overall ranking! There is some instant gratification involved, you can see the actual rankings in (nearly) real-time on an interactive map. For participating you will also receive a free energy efficient compact fluorescent light bulb (CFL), while supplies last of course…. The announcement coincided with the launch of Yahoo! Green, a new site that is definitely worth visiting, and staying awhile to explore. It is a one stop shop jammed packed with easy to use tips, tools, resources and communities to assist us in our plans to become better planetarians. There is a menu of actions that you can choose from and pledge to perform in order to reduce your carbon emissions and calculate the estimated impact. Not only is it informative and thought provoking, it’s fun to play around with to see what actions that you may already be taking, which ones are immediately achievable and which ones you will want to work towards. Good luck to you…and your hometown!
