Being green around the holidays can be tricky. Many of our best rituals (Thanksgiving, July 4th, Labor Day, Super Bowl Sunday…) rely heavily on consumption (and, by extension, produce a ton of waste). So, for this July 4th, we thought we’d share some simple tips for green tweaks.

1.) Go Local

You don’t need read Michael Pollan to know food just tastes better when you know where it’s from. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of knowing you’re supporting local farmers. Perhaps it’s because your body knows when you’re eating fresh and when the food is processed. Either way, you’ll be doing the planet some good by buying food that hasn’t been trucked in from across the country.

2.) Go Easy

It’s nice to have leftovers, but how many hamburger patties and hot dogs got tossed last year at your July 4th party? When you’re buying and prepping the goodies, go easy. When you’re stacking your plate with potato salad, beans, ribs, hot dogs, watermelon and whatever else, keep in mind you’ll probably be throwing some of that out. So for all the piggies out there- myself included- there’s no shame in multiple trips to the food table.

3.) Go Gas

If you’re a purist, charcoal might be the only option for you. Try a 100% All Natural Hardwood Lump Charcoal. Fewer chemicals are always a good thing, but they also produce less ash than generic charcoal. Another good option is Wicked Good Charcoal, which is made from industrial scrap wood. Kingsford Charwood is good too. But gas is probably your greenest bet- it produces about half the emissions of charcoal.

4.) Go Silver

Well, maybe not silver, but at least think about using the silverware. Most July 4th meals are finger foods anyway (do we need more than a spoon?), but it might be worth busting out the cutlery instead of using the plastic alternatives. But if you’re hell bent on disposable products- and, I’ll be honest, I don’t blame you- there are some good biodegradable products you could choose. Branch and Eatware both have some good sustainble/compostable picnic accessories.

5.) Go Green

Let’s see, in my July 4th overall roundup… Be safe. Have fun. Recycle. Compost (if you can). Enjoy the fireworks (hopefully these new “eco-friendly” fireworks will catch on). Don’t go on any carnival rides- I’m still not feeling right from my ride on the tilt-a-wheel.  Go see The Hangover (finally saw it and it’s hilarious!). And, oh yeah, go U-S-A!

]]> http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/07/03/five-tips-for-a-green-july-4th/feed/ http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/07/02/this-buds-for-all-of-us-biogas-from-landfill-powers-brewery/ http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/07/02/this-buds-for-all-of-us-biogas-from-landfill-powers-brewery/#comments Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:58:18 +0000 Rich http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/?p=3599 The Anheuser-Busch brewery in Houston, TX will have 55% of it energy needs met from landfill biogas. It’s a big move for the country’s leading brewer- AB holds a 49.2% share of U.S. beer sales and is a subsidiary of the world’s leading brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev- and, if the program is a success, could bring the entire industry along with it. Landfill biogas consists of roughly 50% methane, a green house gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide, and is created when organic material decomposes in landfills. It can be converted into alternative fuels, heat, steam or used to generate electricity.

The project is a partnership between the brewery, Republic Services (a leading provider of solid waste collection) and Ameresco Services (the largest independent energy services company in North America). Pipelines connect the brewery to McCarty Road Landfill, the main recipient of refuse from the residents and businesses in east Houston and surrounding suburbs.

In the project’s press release, AB explains, “the benefit of this clean energy project is equivalent to planting more than 121,050 acres of pine or fir trees or taking 97,550 motor vehicles off the road. Additional gas from the McCarty Road landfill also is captured, processed and sold to a local utility.”

Check out our previous posts on various green initiatives by brewers.

[source: Anheuser-Busch, PR Newswire]

]]> http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/07/02/this-buds-for-all-of-us-biogas-from-landfill-powers-brewery/feed/ http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/07/01/ltt-pick-of-the-week-elephant-jourals-walk-the-talk-show/ http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/07/01/ltt-pick-of-the-week-elephant-jourals-walk-the-talk-show/#comments Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:45:48 +0000 Rich http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/?p=3583 For those who haven’t seen Elephant Journal’s great interview series, “Walk The Talk” Show, it’s time to put it on your must view list. Waylon Lewis, the laid back host of the show (and brains behind the journal itself), has spoken with an impressive roster of guests on a remarkably broad range of topics.

Episodes of note include conversations with Graham Hill (founder of TreeHugger.com), Rick Peyser (of Green Mountain Coffee) and Bill McKibben (professor at Middlebury- my alma mater- author & environmentalist). Most recently, Lewis had an interesting chat with Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma) about the link between a healthy diet and the environment.

In that conversation, Pollan explains

“our eating decisions- what happens on our plate- represent our most profound engagement with the other species we share this planet with. We change the land more through our eating than anything else we do. We change the climate more than anything else we do. We change the composition of species on the planet more than anything else we do.”

Click here to go to Ele’s site and watch the rest. And while you’re at it, follow Waylon and co. on twitter.

But in an opinion piece offered last week by WSJ columnist Kimberly Strassel, the skeptics were once again given full voice. Strassel points to a climate-change bill in the Australian Parliament that may get killed due to what she calls the “growing number of Australian politicians, scientists and citizens [that] once again doubt the science of human-caused global warming.”

“Among the many reasons President Barack Obama and the Democratic majority are so intent on quickly jamming a cap-and-trade system through Congress,” Strassel writes, “is because the global warming tide is again shifting. It turns out Al Gore and the United Nations (with an assist from the media), did a little too vociferous a job smearing anyone who disagreed with them as “deniers.” The backlash has brought the scientific debate roaring back to life in Australia, Europe, Japan and even, if less reported, the U.S.”

She continues,

“The number of skeptics, far from shrinking, is swelling. Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe now counts more than 700 scientists who disagree with the U.N. — 13 times the number who authored the U.N.’s 2007 climate summary for policymakers.”

Granted, this is an opinion column, and therefore not a work of journalism, but Strassel’s suggestion that Inhofe- of all people- is uncovering “the collapse of the ‘consensus’” strains credulity. The WSJ seems in conflict with itself, as its journalists begin to report on the reality that, as this global trend towards green innovation and sustainable business continues, the U.S. will either be buying it or selling it. Meanwhile, opinion columnists like Strassel insist that this “unconvincing green science” will do nothing for us but risk job losses. Which side prevails?

]]> http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/06/30/ltt-opinion-wsjs-mixed-bag-on-climate-change/feed/ http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/06/30/ecorock-re-inventing-drywall/ http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/2009/06/30/ecorock-re-inventing-drywall/#comments Tue, 30 Jun 2009 11:55:11 +0000 Rich http://lovetomorrowtoday.com/?p=3580

In a presentation at TED in January (but published earlier this month), Kevin Surace, CEO of Serious Materials, discusses his company’s (potentially) world-changing invention, a new eco-friendly drywall material. He introduces EcoRock, a clean, recyclable and energy-efficient drywall created by his team at Serious Materials and explains why it can make such a difference.

As he explains, 52% of the world’s CO2 emissions is tied to building construction. In fact, the CO2 emissions from just one house are the equivalent to driving your car around the planet six times. With that in mind, Serious Materials began R&D to develop a new type of drywall that could dramatically reduce those emissions. After testing 5,000 different mixes, Surace’s team hit upon a winning formula. Popular Science magazine named EcoRock ‘Green Product of the Year,’ for its re-invention of drywall.

As the company explains,

Traditional gypsum drywall has remained virtually unchanged since its invention over 100 years ago.  Our increasingly fragile world requires rapid innovation to meet the changing conditions of our environment.  EcoRock is an evolutionary leap in drywall— an advanced solution that offers superior performance today, without sacrificing the prosperity of tomorrow.  We call this ecolution.

It’s Cradle to Cradle Gold certfied, uses 80% less energy to produce gypsum drywall, is made of 80% recycled materials and is designed to be entirely re-utilized at the end of its life. Bring on more ecolution!

Our friends at Brighter Planet have created a fun (and green) tribute to the Michael Jackson. A throw back to VH1’s ‘pop-up video’ series, the above version of MJ’s early 90s hit “Black or White” music video provides the viewer some eco tidbits related to the visuals. For example, when the King of Pop is doing his thing on the Statue of Liberty, BP tells us that, while this NY landmark used to generate a lot of CO2, “since 2006, windpower has provided its electricity, avoiding an estimated 6000 tons of C02 per year.” When George Wendt’s character gets blown out of the roof by his guitar playing son (Macaulay Culkin) and flies through the night sky, BP explains “flying at night produces more than double the emissions of daytime flights.”

Nice work, guys! As the “Man in the Mirror” used to say “if you wanna make the world a better place take a look at yourself and make a change!” Shamon, indeed!

Most bottle caps are non-recyclable, typically made from a more rigid type of plastic that is different from the bottle itself. But with the help of its network of salons and stores and in partnership with community schools, Aveda is seeking to collect these old caps that would otherwise be thrown away. The company will send the collected caps to its recycler where the material will be recycled into new caps and containers. Not all lids make the grade- “if you can bend or break the lid with your bare hands,” Aveda’s site explains, “then it does not meet the rigid plastic definition.”

Aveda has been a leader in sustainable innovation. Earlier this year, seven Aveda products were given Cradle To Cradle certification. The company also recently received a DuPont Award For Packaging Innovation for a shampoo bottle made from 96% recycled content.

[sources: Aveda}

The Chongqing plant is the first “green” beverage plant ever built in China - and the first plant of any kind in the industrial center of Chongqing- to comply with rigorous LEED standards. The plant uses over 35 water and energy saving designs and utilizes the world’s most advanced technology, including an environmental management system that monitors water and energy use on every production line and every piece of individual equipment in real time.

The facility is designed to use 22% less water and 23% less energy than the average PepsiCo plant in China. To save water, the plant utilizes a high-pressure cleaning system, water-free conveyor belt lubricant and water-saving fixtures. Plant associates re-use water for landscaping and general cleaning instead of using potable water. To save energy, 75% of the plant’s indoor areas feature natural lighting, including a skylight in the packing area and warehouse. A roof garden insulates the office building and saves energy for cooling and heating.

The new plant is expected to help PepsiCo annually reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3,100 tons; water usage by 100,000 tons; and overall energy use by four million kilowatt hours compared to the former Chongqing plant. It also will serve as an educational center to raise awareness of good environmental practices among students in the local community.

“This plant reflects our deep and long-term commitment to China,” said Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo chairman and chief executive officer. “It is also an important milestone in our green journey, on which we are partnering with the Chinese government, industry and others to continue to promote the health and longevity of our planet.”

[sources: PepsiCo, PR Newswire]

During the recent Tube strike in London, one commuter decided to capture the thrill and convenience of riding to work on his bicycle. The youtube clips, from kmcyc, which have the feel of a real-life video game, provide a fascinating vantage point of how to beat the chaos caused by the underground strike. As kmcyc writes, “anyone want to see lots and lots of cars going nowhere? Well hop on your bike and cycle around the Tube Strike!”