Archive for the ‘Food & Dining’ Category
July 1st, 2008
Build Your Ultimate Green Kitchen
Written by Joel Bittle, courtesy of GreenBuildingElements.com
A few weeks ago I offered my thoughts on green kitchens on a budget. Today, I want to focus on making your new kitchen as green as possible, without regard for cost. Remember, often the greenest options is to keep your current kitchen; many choose to repaint their cabinets with non-VOC paint or to tackle DIY cabinet projects. This article is for those building a whole new kitchen or are remodeling from the ground up. It’s up to you to determine the balance between what is the most green and what is the most practical for your project.
The three categories that determine a product’s green-ness are health, sustainability, and energy. Health takes into account the product’s offgassing of VOCs, or volatile organic compounds, especially urea-formaldehyde. In order to even consider something as green, it must contain very low to no VOCs. Sustainability looks at the life cycle of the materials used not just in the final product but in the manufacturing process as well. Products that are made from recycled materials or renewable resources fall into this category, as well as products whose manufacturing process embraces sustainability. Energy includes the water and energy usage of products such as plumbing fixtures and appliances, as well as the product’s embodied energy, which takes into account the energy used to produce and deliver the product.
Step 1: Design. If possible, design the kitchen with plenty of energy efficient windows or a skylight to maximize natural light and give you that important connection to the green outdoors (or the red bricks of the building next door.) For indoor air quality, make sure your hood vents to the outside rather than recirculating the air. Click here to find a green architect/designer near you.
Step 2: Cabinets. We are in an in-between phase right now where the major cabinet manufacturers realize they need to go formaldehyde-free but are still a few years away from mass production. Currently, formaldehyde-free cabinet choices are limited, and Neil Kelly Cabinets stands out as the leader. They offer Forest Stewardship Council certified wood cabinets with low VOCs. Midwesterners might choose to go with ultra low VOC wheatboard cabinets manufactured in Kansas by Koch Cabinets. To find other green cabinet companies, click here.
Step 3: Countertops. Silestone offers several colors with recycled content, one as high as 70%, which makes the Greenguard certified countertop one of the greenest. But IceStone recycled glass and concrete countertops, with their Cradle-to-Cradle Certification, take the crown as the greenest among an ever growing list of green countertops. Not just limited to countertops, IceStone has earned points for LEED’s “innovation in design” credit. Click here to find more eco-friendly countertop options.
Step 4: Flooring. I’m not quite sold on bamboo, yet. I do, however, like some of the cool patterns you can get with cork and linoleum. But the green flooring that impresses me the most is reclaimed wood flooring by Terramai. Offering a stunning mix of FSC certified wood from around the world, Terramai promotes conservation and sustainable building. Not limited to flooring, Terramai’s reclaimed wood creates a mosaic of wood in a cool mix of colors. Click here to find more green flooring options.
Step 5: Appliances. Because of the advances in energy efficiency in appliances, it is often better to replace your old energy wasting appliances, especially refrigerators, with new models. Visit the ENERGY STAR website for appliance lists, which show energy savings by model. For dishwashers, some of Bosch and Asko’s models are at least 140% more energy and water efficient than the federal standard. Fisher & Paykel sells dish drawers that can save water and energy if you just use one for small loads. (And yes, most energy saving dishwashers are more efficient than washing your dishes by hand.) For the cutting edge on refrigerator energy efficiency, check out Sun Frost, whose refrigerators are by a large margin the most energy efficient on the market - and they’re ready for solar, wind, or standard power inputs. Find more eco-friendly appliances here.
Step 6: Plumbing. Although the EPA’s WaterSense program doesn’t rate kitchen faucets, you can choose to install an aerator or go with a touchless faucet. While stainless steel and cast iron sinks contain recycled material, I’ve become a fan of recycled content hammered copper sinks that over time can develop a natural patina that is, you guessed it, green.
Step 7: Accessories. Recycled glass tile can make for a beautiful backsplash. Instead of a trash compactor, stick one of these home composters from Sun Frost right outside your kitchen door. Many of the products listed above can be used in creative and innovative ways. IceStone can be used as a backsplash. Terramai can be used as paneling.
Please offer your own thoughts on making your kitchen as green as possible below.
June 30th, 2008
8 Ways to Green Your Independence Day!
Written by Trey Granger, courtesy of Earth911.org
The Fourth of July: summer’s most famous holiday. Fireworks, barbecues and a day off to enjoy the sunshine. But can you make America’s birthday Earth Day as well? Here’s eight steps for an eco-friendly Fourth.
1. Celebrate Outdoors
Whether you’re traveling for the three-day weekend (the Fourth is on Friday this year) or celebrating at home with family, have an outdoor celebration to minimize energy use. Better yet, check out a large gathering nearby where your personal energy use will be negligible.
2. Drink Lots of Water . . . In Large Containers
Depending on where you live, temperatures could reach triple digits on Independence Day. It’s important to stay hydrated, but plan ahead. Buy a reusable container to fill with water for your family so you won’t be buying and disposing of individual water bottles. You can also refill these containers at drinking fountains.
3. Know Before You Go
The beach may be a popular spot for your Independence Day getaway, but make sure it’s open before you head out. Use Earth 911’s sister site Beaches911.com to monitor the beach closures in your area. This will save you gas on a potential drive down the coast just to picnic in the parking lot.
4. BBQ With Propane
Wood and charcoal may seem like more natural fuel sources, but propane burns cleaner. You’ll get less smoke and you’ll have less of a challenge keeping a fire going. Make sure that you refill or recycle your propane tank once it’s empty using Earth 911.
5. Reuse Plates and Cups
If you’re celebrating at home, just use normal tableware and napkins that can be washed. At an outside celebration, pack up your disposable cups and plates and rinse them off when you get home. You can use the same set again next year, or recycle them.
6. Eco-Friendly Fireworks
Naturally something that explodes, creates lots of light and leaves a cloud of smoke also comes with pollution. Fireworks also release heavy metals like lead into the air. Of course, a Fourth of July without fireworks seems unnatural, but if you do put on a backyard show look for fireworks rich in nitrogen. These may cost a little more, but you’ll have less smoke.
7. Be Pet Cautious
Believe it or not, dog and cat ears are not made for the loud noises of fireworks. If your pets hear these noises, they might go running off. Then you’ll be using unnecessary paper for lost flyers.
If you live near a fireworks show, make sure your pets are shielded from the sound. If you lose a pet this July 4, visit Earth 911’s sister site PETS911.com to help find it.
8. July 5 is Cleanup Day
Independence Day events will produce lots of trash, much of which could probably be recycled. Head over to a nearby area this Saturday that held a July 4th celebration and pick-up some of the inevitable litter.
This story is part of Earth 911’s “Green Eight” series, where we showcase eight ways to green your life in various areas. Click here to see Earth 911’s “Green Eight” archive.
June 23rd, 2008
Reclaim Your Plate! The Sustainable Food Diet
Written by Caroline Savery, courtesy of Sustainablog
The jury is in: the most sustainable way to feed yourself is to grow your own food. There are many factors to consider when evaluating food sustainability. The primary concern is: what is the ratio between how much land is used, and how many calories are produced?
In asking this question, we can immediately eliminate meat from our sustainable diets. Pigs and cows are extraordinarily “inefficient converters of grain energy to calories,” as put by the executive director of Steel City Biofuels, speaking generally about fuel efficiency. In her presentation about Organic Farming during Pittsburgh’s Farm to Table Conference 2008, Dr. Patricia DeMarco, executive director of the Rachel Carson Homestead, noted that raising meat in the U.S. comprises 79% of all agricultural resource usage. While the health benefits of going vegan will be endlessly debated, at least doing so will be much more healthful for our environment.
The next question naturally becomes: how can we grow food in a way that nourishes the soil, produces a vast yield in a little space, and is maintained by nature?
Surprisingly, all of the above is easy to do, if you’re using the right methods. John Jeavon’s book “How to Grow More Vegetables Than You Ever Thought Possible” describes the biointensive method: growing food tightly together in ways that foster symbiotic relationships between plants, like those that would organically occur in nature. For instance, marigolds ward off common insect pests for their companion plants, tomatoes. But biointensive gardening is more than just knowing companion plant lists and spacing maps. It is understanding that each time you take a piece of food that you grew out of the ground, you are removing nutrients and minerals from the earth. It is essential that you find a way to return those resources. Maintaining soil health is the cornerstone of sustainable agriculture.
So you’re a greenie, just like me. You believe in doing everything you can to live a more sustainable lifestyle. Now that you’ve got the facts about sustainable eating, you recognize the importance of starting your own garden. However, you were raised watching TV and eating potato chips on a couch. If you’re like me, you know nothing whatsoever about gardening.
In this case, where do you start?
Follow the instructions on the back of the seed packet, and put some seeds in the ground. That’s what I did! Even better, follow the biointensive guidebook to learn which plants thrive beside each other and which tend to compete for the same nutrients, and arrange your bounty properly. Keep the seeds continually damp until they germinate. Then provide lots of sun.
I always believed there was something deceptively simple about that formula… but in my own practice, I found that ancient wisdom to be profoundly perfect.
I am “camping” in an urban forest, where natural forces have reclaimed previously “residential” property. Thus, my area’s soil is probably extremely unhealthy and heavily contaminated. Knowing this, I planted beet, carrot, swiss chard, nasturtium, cucumber, bean, and radish seeds (all fairly shade-tolerant species), with some leaf compost, expecting nothing to grow. And then, everything did. In concert with fermentation, a person can grow many meals worth of vegetables and fruits–for all seasons–in one smart garden.
Here are some helpful tips I picked up while being tutored in basic biointensive gardening.
+ To deal with pest infestations (commonly: aphids), spray the plant with garlic or onion oil, or with a mild soap/water blend. This is a very effective, environmentally harmless remedy.
+ Plant tomatoes (and others with tender stalks) up to the growth of their youngest two leaves (see photo).
+ When winter is on its way, help to prevent erosion in your yard by planting cover crops, such as oats, cereal rye, or legumes, etc. These plants have short but hardy roots, which maintain nutrients and nitrogen while suppressing weed growth. Tear them up and use them as compost in the spring!
You can also learn more about Organic Gardening 101 here.
June 19th, 2008
Planning a Green Wedding or Family Reunion
It’s wedding season — and also family reunion season– so we thought we’d share some insights on how to make your Big Event a Big Green Success!
Location
To limit the carbon footprint of your event, you’ll want to have it as close to the majority of attendees as possible. It may well be very romantic to have your wedding in Southern Mexico, but just think of all of your guests flying there and the resultant carbon emissions! Keeping it close to home will really lower the footprint (and the cost!).
And have the event out-of-doors if at all possible. Fresh air and sunshine always make an event more fun. Maybe you can find a wonderful park or a community garden and contribute to the non-profit that runs it?
Green Event Planners
If the whole process seems a bit over-whelming, there are now many green event planners available to take the eco-worries off your mind. In the San Francisco Bay Area, ZahZoom Weddings & Parties will help you make your dream green event a reality. Angelique Events in Los Angeles will plan a spectacular, sustainable event for you. Lyndsey Hamilton Events plans eco-friendly weddings and events in New York and New England.
Invitations
Do you really need to use paper invitations? They are expensive for you, likely to get lost or tossed by your guests, and cause more trees to die in vain for the production of paper! A pretty email works just great, or you can use Evite and make up a snazzy invitation, and track RSVPs online. Here’s an eco-snap to that!
Food and Beverage Choices
As with location, local is best. Try to either buy local, organic foods from farmers near you, or work with a caterer who can handle this process for you. Here’s an article with wonderful green catering resources all across the United States. Or you can refer to Local Harvest’s list of organic restaurants, or our very own organic restaurant directory here at Low Impact Living. Check ‘em out!
Reduce, Reuse and Recycle the Mess
Try to eliminate disposable plates and cutlery from your plans. Either rent the real stuff (ceramics, metal) that can be washed and used again, or get recycled and/or compostable plates and dishes.
And make sure to have plenty of recycling bins for beer bottles, soda cans, etc. One bin never seems to be enough!
Rings
If it’s a wedding you’re planning, consider using a family ring, or purchasing a vintage piece. Remember in the world of green, reusing something old is always more eco-friendly than buying something new. Maybe your family has some old gold jewelry that are not being used anymore? You can have them melted down and turned into a new treasure. And the variety and quality of vintage jewelry is mind-boggling.
If new is your thing, check out the ring selection from Brilliant Earth, which makes jewelry from sustainably sourced gold and gems. There are several other eco-minded jewelers that have caught our fancy. Give them a look!
Dresses
If you need a wedding dress, may we suggest you use a pre-loved, vintage dress? It’s the most sustainable way to go and you will save a LOT of money. Learn more about sources of vintage fashion here.
But if a new dress is what you fancy, definitely go with an eco-friendly designer. We love the work of Morgan Boszilkov and the Natural Bridal Collection, which is a new line of eco-friendly designer wedding gowns. All of her designs are hand-crafted in the U.S. and 5% of profits are donated to environmental causes. Her designs are elegant, beautiful, luxurious and Green!
Gifts or Favors
We personally think favors are unnecessary and will get tossed like most paper invitations, but if you want to do favors, how about seed packets? It’s a great way to spread a love of nature. Or how about making a donation on everyone’s behalf to a wonderful environmental non-profit like The Nature Conservancy or the Natural Resources Defense Council? Now that’s a great way to spend some money and have an impact!
June 16th, 2008
Recycling? Starbucks? Hello?
I don’t go into Starbucks very much any more because I pretty much break out in eco-hives seeing all of that plastic and paper waste being shuttled across the counter and out into the unsuspecting, inundated world. But occasionally I have to break down and get an ice coffee with a shot of hazelnut.
And so I did last week, and tho’ it was refreshing and delicious, I had the same nagging thought I have every time I go there–”Why oh why are there no recycling bins at Starbucks???”
Wistfully I looked at the display of Ethos Water bottles and realized if I bought and drank one, I would be in the position to put my bottle into the trash. Now where is the Ethos in that?
Then I saw the business card of the store’s District Manager! Right there on the barista bar, there was a stack of her cards. Brilliant! I will contact this woman and she will illuminate the Starbucks recycling mystery for me. And she did respond to my email and she was great. She said she was personally concerned about this issue and that when she managed a store herself, she worked on getting recycling in place. Then she informed me that “The long and the short of it is that every store is a little different, depending on the landlord and the recycling capacity.” And here is the official word from Starbucks:
“Starbucks is committed to protecting and improving the environment, and is continually pursuing opportunities to reduce, reuse, and recycle our waste products where commercial facilities exist. Most of our retail store recycling is conducted “behind the scenes” in the back room (boxes, milk jugs, etc.). If you are not certain that recycling is taking place in a store, please ask a store manager; he/she can explain what we are doing, what is recyclable in the local area, and what the landlord will allow for waste disposal. One of our challenges is that some parts of the country can process more recyclable materials than others. We are working with a recycling subcontractor to locate local recycling facilities to process materials generated from each store.”
Well that’s sort of okay…but only sort of. I don’t think out-sourcing the process to the local stores is really going to get the job done. Starbucks may need a National Recycling Czar. (Or do they have one already?) And here’s another notion– why not give a discount to people who bring in their own re-usable cups and mugs? That would really help educate folks about the importance of moving beyond disposables.
To be fair, I also decided to kick the tires at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. I went to two stores in Los Angeles and again, no blue bins. Now I was really sad. Where in this town can a girl recycle her plastic cup? Her water bottle? Do we have to take everything home?
Here’s where you come in: we can let our coffee chain friends know where we stand on recycling. Starbucks can be reached by clicking here or you can call 1-800-235-2883. (I did and I spoke with a charming guy who shared my concern.) For Coffee Bean you can click here to register your thoughts, or you can call them at 1-800-TEA-LEAF (1-800-832-5323).
Thanks and I’ll see you on line at the counter! Don’t take the last maple scone.
June 15th, 2008
Tips for a Greener and Healthier Summer
By Katy Farber, courtesy of EcoChildsPlay.com
Today I swam for the first time this summer. Ah, a crisp cool Vermont river swept away the dirt and grime and I finally felt alive again after feeling wilted most of the day. We don’t get heat like this often in good ole’ Vermont, and I’m not used to it.
All that fresh water, the frogs calling and the warm night air got me thinking about how to have a less of an impact on the planet with my family this summer, and how to keep the kids safe and healthy, while enjoying this fleeting and beautiful season.
1. Use chemical free sunscreen for the whole family. There are many toxic chemicals in conventional sunscreens. Look for sunscreens that have Titanium Oxide (which stays on the surface of skin) and not much else. There are some safe brands and more information here.
2. Garden, and compost your food waste. Or, if you don’t have a green thumb or access to garden space, you can support local growers by visiting farm stands, farmer’s markets, or participating in CSAs.
3. Eat simple, local, summer foods. By doing this you will avoid your family’s exposure to many chemicals in processed foods. You can get some great recipes at this localvore site (it is local to Vermont– search for localvores in your area to find recipes and information).
4. When traveling use these tips to increase your fuel efficiency, and pack your own food so you don’t have to eat fast food on the road. You’ll spare the earth the packaging, and your children the unhealthy food and corporate marketing becoming engrained in their little minds. (I’ll never forget when my daughter at 2 yelled out, Mommy! An M! When we drove past a McDonald’s).
5. Unplug. Play outside, visit parks, go swimming. By doing this you will instill a respect and love of all things wild in your children. They will get great exercise and sleep better at night.
6. Grow your child’s natural intelligence. Identify trees, bugs, wildflowers and salamanders together. It doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Pick up a guidebook or visit a website to learn a few names to teach your child.
7. Live with natural light as much as possible. Who need electric lights most days in the summer? Turn them off and save electricity.
8. Speaking of sunlight, turn off your dryer and let the sun dry your clothes outside.
9. Have a safe, chemical free lawn. Chemicals like those used in Chemlawn and other lawn treatments are toxic to humans and pets. Instead, if you must have greener grass, find an organic safe brand to use.
Enjoy this season of juicy fruit, bare feet, and fireflies.
