Peter's Eco Lunch. Homemade 100% canvas, REUSABLE, lunch bag featuring stainless steal cutlery and reusuable containers.
I’ve noticed lately two things: 1) there are a lot of tips to show you how to build a green lunch and 2) there is a lot of talk about how organic food doesn’t hold any more nutrition than conventional food. The discussion that could happen based on these trends is amazing, and I would like to add a few points to hopefully further the discussion. Read the rest of this entry »
Some time ago, I posted a link about United Solar Ovonic and its new plant in Greenville, Michigan, my home town. Well, the piece finally aired: NBC Nightly News & United Solar Ovonic. It’s a short piece that describes how former Electrolux employees are being trained and employed at the new solar-cell plant. The company will manufacture solar panels that stick on roofs, and will then be distributed across the world, especially Europe.
I love to hear that my home town gets to partake in the reinventing that is needed given the current economy and how awful it has been for folks living there. But, caution is the word that comes to mind when I hear stories like this. Sometimes, it seems we become so eager to jump on any bandwagon that screams new jobs when so many are hurting for lack of work, we then forget to ask questions to see if it is truly a good idea.
In my previous post, I wrote about how Greenville has a history of smokestacking to attract industry and how that has contributed to the situation Greenville now faces with no industry where industry once flourished because the jobs have all fled to places that offer cheaper labor, such as countries in Asia or south of our borders in Mexico.
I suppose, the only thing I want to offer to anyone reading this blog is to consider the 3 Es of sustainable development, economy, equity, and the environment. So, even though the new plant boasts green energy, how is the product manufactured? Is it done with the 3Es in balance with each other? Does it reach the Triple Bottom Line? Are the folks working the line being paid a decent wage, with adequate time off so they can spend time with their families? Is the company borrowing on borrowed time to pay for its venture, or do their own books balance?
I just hope those questions were asked before this deal was brokered. I do hope the Green can be put back in Greenville, both monetarily and with the environment in mind.
Ecological Footprint Quiz by Redefining Progress
When’s the last time you checked your ecological footprint? Do it today. Redefining progress has an ever-evolving tool to measure your impact on this earth.
This man often has a Craig’s List ad, and if you’re in the Portland Metro area… Nic is a great source for barrels. Check out this site to see what types, sizes, and prices he offers. And, of course, for his wit in describing what on earth you can use a barrel for.
If we really want to consider all aspects of sustainability, we must consider our economic contributions. I’ve been thinking green for many years, and now is the time (more than ever) to continue to refine how I act green.
So, if for example, natural systems should produce and decompose to produce again, then we need to be thinking very locally. If mulching is important in gardening, then what better source than truly local – mulch from your neighborhood or your own yard.
The City of Portland was trimming tree branches near electrical wires this week, and we saw the sign, “Free Wood Chips.” So, we told the gentlemen we would like to take them up on the offer. Friday, 10 cubic yards of wood chips were dropped on our driveway, the same spot that hosted 4 cubic yards of screened dirt three months ago. Being able to sieze opportunities like this is crucial when thinking about going green. How can we use what we have? What options are within our reach that won’t cost us out of pocket anything? Not only have we not paid for these, I’m comparing this to all the $3.50 bags of cedar-bark mulch we purchased from Lowe’s last summer; but we also got them delivered for free too! Just think about it.
A lot dealing with sustainability answers the question, “How can I do for myself?” A major component of sustainability is keeping things local, and what’s more local than supplying for yourself from your place on this earth? Whether it be an apartment, a small house with a small yard, or a farmhouse, a new book breaks it down in simple ideas for the Average American.
The Urban Homestead: Your Guide to Self-Sufficiency (review and blog) examines this question in a simple, easy-to-read format. It’s what we did with the Tolman Guide, it but makes the techy stuff easier to swallow. In The Urban Homestead you will find easy to understand tips for making your own cleaning products, how-to-compost and what to look for, and even a lengthy section on fermentation and storing food.
I will admit, I was a bit envious when I read it. The thought, “We did this first!” kept screaming through my head. But, they did it in a manner that’s easier to understand, and they hit many highlights of living in the city.
A must-read for any person who wants to live closer to the land in the city.
Some folks, when discussing ‘going green’, emphasize the extreme holistic side of going green. They would like everyone to stop what they are doing and convert most everything away from anything deemed harmful. For example, plastics are a big no-no to these folks. Granted, much can be said about the evils of plastics, such as the creation of PVC. For example, Judith Helfand does a fantastic job describing the intricate lifestyle of vinyl in her documentary Blue Vinyl. In this film, Helfand raised some interesting and poignant questions such as, “What’s the Average Joe supposed to really do to get out of these vicious cycles?” The green folks who would like us to abandon plastics all together often don’t seem to address these types of questions well, if at all.
Plastics, it is argued, are bad for us, for our environment, and our psyche. But, we must contend that plastics are here and we do need to do something with them. So, if we’re not to use them, then what? A very important part of ‘going green’ is closing the loop on our production and consumption. If we abandon one side of production in favor of another, we must close the loop on the abandoned side and ensure a closed loop system for the favored side. So, although folks may feel plastics aren’t for them, we still have a larger societal wide concern with what to do with those pesky plastics.
One way to close the loop on production systems is to remember the quaint coined phrase, “Reduce, Reuse & Recycle.” First, we must reduce our impact on the earth, which means simply not wasting as much as before. And, if at every level we are continuously reducing our waste, we won’t be satisfied until we get our waste as close to zero as possible. Second, we must reuse what we have until it is no longer usable. In the case of plastics, many of us have become accustomed to using plastic for things like food storage. Reusing means reusing that same Ziploc container over and over until it can no longer store food or anything. If certain greenies desire total abandonment of said Ziploc container, that should raise a red flag about their true intentions. Lastly, the 3Rs instruct us to recycle that which we have not reduced and is no longer suited for reusing. Previous posts direct Portland residents where to recycle these pesky plastics. And, rest assured, when recycling with the Master Recyclers, many of the plastics to be recycled are turned into wood-composites suitable for fences, benches, and other household improvement projects.
The moral of this diatribe is to close the loop on our systems so we are not impacting the earth more than we already are. If we take from what is already extracted, we won’t have to extract more from our limited and prescious resources. If someone, then, suggests to you to abandon all your plastics, remind them that the 3Rs come first and once your loop is closed you will find alternatives should you desire them.
In Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas Counties, recycling curbside got easier with the roll out of the big blue bins. Many residents will find they can now recycle yogurt and margarine tubs, for example, at the curb. No longer do you have to collect and haul to New Seasons or another place that recycles those hard-to-recycle plastics.
But, curbside recycling is not perfect. There are still many items that aren’t accepted in the big blue bins. However, there is an answer! The Master Recycler Program offers “Recycling Roundups” a few times a year at various locations around the Metro Area. At these locations you can recycle the following:
Just like curbside, be sure each item is free of food residue. Be sure and rinse and separate plastics with numbers by each number separately (bags and plant containers go in the first two categories, no Styrofoam food trays even if they have a number). Also, the volunteers, we are cautioned, do not collect garbage. So, be prepared to take back what they cannot accept. If you have questions call ahead, 503-823-7530 (City of Portland Office of Sustainable Development).
Here is a short list of items they cannot accept:
For packing peanuts, many packing supply stores will accept and reuse them. For Styrofoam Blocks, you know the formed or molded Styrofoam in which electronics are packed, there are haulers who will accept those items. Call Metro, 503-234-3000, to find a business near you.
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