By Tao, Carrboro, NC

Remember my post about alternatives to using paper towels for hand drying? These 3 ideas are still echoed throughout the green community – nothing high tech or complicated: First, businesses can install hand dryers – they have an energy cost (solar options should be forthcoming??) but do save a lot of waste.

For those of us out on the street, the simple solutions are cost-free: my personal favorite is to shake well, then use the seat of your pants. Of course, the third choice is much more civilized – carry with you one of the many cloths you have at home – doesn’t everyone have a bandana tucked away somewhere? Or an old, soft t-shirt to cut up? Everyone uses backpacks, fanny packs and handbags to carry around a lot of stuff anyway – including a reusable shopping bag and water bottle, right? So throw in your cloth and, and voila, no more paper towel use. (I throw in two and have a reusable napkin, too.)

If you’re the type who likes things “official”, then check out PeopleTowels – a big square cloth that you can keep with you for drying your hands after washing! They are made from 100% organic cotton and come in some nifty colors and designs, so hanging it outside your bag is like an accessory.

Can I now say, I told you so? We don’t have to buy anything new to take up this eco-habit, but hey, I’m not going to argue with a great idea. So, whether you decide to go cowboy style, t-shirt, or are dying to fly your eco-freak flag on your bag, just say no to paper towels and napkins.

(photo from PeopleTowels.com)

by Tao, Carrboro

Just days after moving in to our 40+ yo house, Jerry and I shared a look – one that said, “This inefficient toilet is driving me crazy!”. Sure, it worked fine, and we had done the brick thing, and we were “letting it mellow”. Even so,  waiting for that tank to fill back up after flushing seemed endless and made me cringe every time. And, I literally lay awake at night, certain that it just had to also be leaking.

I started my research with Umbra on Grist (my fave eco-guru). First, I found out that toilets consume up to 30 percent of household use. And traditional toilets can use up to 7 gallons of water per flush – eek! Then I learned that the newer High Efficiency Toilets have kept improving – they work better and cost less. I searched the Watersense EPA site for a list of choices and found a supply store in my area.

I chose a low-end model that uses only 1.7 gal (they will go as low as 1.2) and has the newer powerful flushing mechanism needed for solid waste. I learned from the shop owner that the problem in the old version was not about amount of water, but about the flush action being insufficient. That has now changed – in fact, this new toilet “whooshes” like nobody’s business!

I spent $350 on my new toilet – an expense not factored into the reno budget, but as they say, the feel-good factor is “priceless”. We still mellow yellow and pee on the earth, but flushing when necessary is now something I can handle.

$350 is not exactly chump change, but worth cutting back somewhere to save enough to do it. In the meantime, check for leaks — you don’t always hear them (my old toilet did indeed leak), use a method of displacing. YOU are making a difference in water conservation. And you’ll enjoy it, I promise.

Jackson Browne doesn’t drink water out of plastic. He says this supposed convenience that we are overcharged for is actually inconvenient for everyone, considering what it is doing to our health and the planet. In fact, he has a lot to say regarding this issue when interviewed by Beth Terry of Fake Plastic Fish following the recent screening of the documentary, Tapped (a documentary which trails the path of the unseen and unregulated world of the bottled water industry).

Jackson isn’t just playing around. He keeps his metal water bottle attached to his belt, takes it on airplanes, takes his own metal coolers for his band and crew on tour, and declines the flats of bottled water left for him in hotel rooms. In fact, to be certain to get his message across, he tells us his latest idea is to leave a note saying, “This water’s being declined by a member of the worldwide movement to protect the planet and our own health and to take back our right to a clean environment.”

And, he’s having fun, In fact, he says “fun” at least 3 times in the same interview:

“It’s more fun to do it my way. It’s strong, it’s healthy, it’s empowering. It’s more fun than taking that crap.”

I’ve always loved the music. Now I love the man.

There is more to the bottled water issue than meets the eye. There are major health risks posed from BPA – the chemical building block of clear, hard plastic  – which wreaks havoc on our entire hormonal system – and from much smaller amounts than previously considered (go to Plastic Pollution Coalition for more. Our oceans and rivers clogged with plastic, our landfills overflowing, and baby albatross are dying of starvation from a belly full of the stuff – a metaphor for our entire society, Browne points out. Watch the video and find out why.

(Photo from StarPulse.com)

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Remember Green Dimes? I joined last year and yep, for just a few dimes I’ve gotten off and stayed off most junk mail lists. However, another holiday season is approaching and I’m seeing some new catalogs have found me. I’ve been calling some of them to get of their lists, but it usually involves a long hold period, and reciting my name and address endlessly.

Just in time, I heard about a nonprofit, founded in October of 2007, which gets consumers OFF unwanted catalog lists. The online steps are simple and quick and once you’re in the system, you can return conveniently any time a new catalog shows up. This means you can still receive the catalogs you want, but, think twice (or three times) about how much you really get out of these when you can use their websites to browse products and place orders.

CatalogChoice.org is free and does not share your information with ANY lists of services. They already have over one million members and have kept over 13 million unwanted catalogs out of the mail. Catalog Choice also has a program for merchants which can help them clean up their distribution lists to save mailing costs, while actually increasing their customer base and respect customer preferences.

I’m signing on today, before the holiday mailing madness really gets in gear. Join me.

I received this comment last week from another eco-conscious reader – thanks Marney Whitney – I’m glad to know that awareness of our wasteful habits is growing and that others are getting into the details:

Hi There,

I have a cold today and was thinking just how many tissues I wasted in one day.  Even more disturbing is how many tissue boxes I have in my house and continue to buy. It would be so nice to refill my tissue boxes just like I do my napkin holder / paper towels, etc. I try not to use paper products but inevitably
I do end up using some so a refillable tissue holder seems logical to me. Any thoughts on this?

You’re right, Marne, tissues add up when you have a cold. I do usually break down and get a box when I get a bad one. But, the rest of the year, I use a cloth for sniffles. As I’ve mentioned before, I carry a bandana with me as a napkin, hand-dryer and more. At home, I cut up old cloth (old soft t-shirts work well) into squares for napkins, rags and lots of other uses. I keep two metal buckets in the corner of the kitchen – one with clean cloths and the other for those headed for laundering. In the bathroom, I will use toilet tissue instead of tissues or cotton balls because I can tear off small amounts (I never thought Sheryl Crow was joking about the one square!) and it will biodegrade in the toilet.

There’s lots of little habits we could break that after a short time, we wouldn’t miss at all and I think it would help us get a handle on the difference between needs and luxuries. If we all only used a box of tissues when we have a cold (hopefully we’re all getting bad colds only about once/year!), it wouldn’t be an actual problem.

Of course, the entire issue has a solution – REUSABLES from BetterForGrownUps.com. Leah Carter and her husband, Zac, started with the creation of baby products  – BetterFor Babies.com – and have followed up with reusable hygiene products for the rest of us, including tissues and cotton rounds.

It’s the same with a lot of things we have become accustomed to having without actual need. For instance, if only the people who needed trucks or vans had them (perhaps for a home business or carpooling), then there would be a lot less fuel-hogs on the road. Sadly, our perspective is way off in this regard and we could benefit by simply starting taking at new look at the small things – if you start with tissues, then paper towels, then paper plates, then napkins….and then the big things begin dawning on us. And, even with something as simple as tissue use, considering the numbers, this alone will save lots of trees (and all pollution and water waste) that goes into production of these luxury items.

Evolution. Revolution. Solution!

Thanks for thinking small and doing BIG, Marney. Get Well Soon. Tao

Tao, Carrboro, NC

With the flood of green news and ideas out there and growing, it can at times be hard to keep your priorities straight as a consumer. Here’s a quick glance cheat sheet from GreenAmericaToday.org:

10 THINGS YOU SHOULD NEVER BUY: styrofoam anything, paper towels, bleached coffee filters, teak and mahogany, chemical herbicides/pesticides, chemical household cleaners, PVC plastic toys, plastic utensils, farm-raised salmon, rayon

8 BODYCARE TOXINS TO AVOID:  mercury/thimerosal, lead acetate, nanoparticles, placenta, hydroquinone skin lightener, phthalates, petroleum by-products, fragrance

10 FAIR TRADE PRODUCTS TO LOOK FOR:  tea, chocolate, bananas, sugar, rice, vanilla, clothing, wine, olive oil, coffee

10 OF THE WORST CORPORATE CRIMINALS TO AVOID:  Wal-Mart, ExxonMobil, Coca-Cola, Nestle, Monsanto, General Motors, Dominion, Citigroup, Shell Petroleum, McDonald’s (To learn what they are doing wrong – and how you can stop them – go to www.GreenAmericaToday.org, click on Responsible Shopper.)

5 THINGS YOU SHOULD ALWAYS BUY GREEN:  Paint (no or low-VOC), paper, light bulbs, appliances (Energy Star), fruits and vegetables (organic, local, in-season)

“Green America is a not-for-profit membership organization founded in 1982. (We went by the name “Co-op America” until January 1, 2009.) Our mission is to harness economic power—the strength of consumers, investors, businesses, and the marketplace—to create a socially just and environmentally sustainable society.”

Green America works focuses on economic strategies, working to mobilize business leaders in a way that links social justice and environmental responsibility and empowers both personal and collective action. For more, visit GreenAmericaToday.org.

by Tao, Carrboro, NC

Want to work with your hands? Be an entrepreneur? You’re not alone, although many people will initially fall into the category of ‘have to’ rather than ‘want to’. This isn’t all bad. I’ve talked to friends who have been laid off, and after the initial shock has worn off, admit that they are finding freedom and satisfaction in the choices they face. It’s not all golden – one friend moved in with his brother to make ends meet, but subsequently went back to school to prepare for a new career that he’s excited about and has already found part-time work to get him through the process.

Others are leaving (or being forced to leave) corporate positions to work with their hands. Lisa Maris Grillos founded Hambone Designs with her brother, Hernan Barangan, and began designing and making bicycle bags which they sell online through Etsy.com.  John left a lucrative finance career to establish a business restoring and refinishing flooring and says he enjoys the feeling of completing a hands-on project. A laid-off teacher and her pregnant daughter decided to start a cookie-making business.

There is a collective soul-searching and/or disillusionment with corporate America as we begin to question the value of how we spend our days at the office. With the help of the internet, starting a business is getting easier and less expensive with online services like LegalZoom.com. Starting/owning a business is never a bed of roses, but I think there’s something to the fact that it challenges our abilities, confidence and identity. According to this NY Times article, research shows that we tend to find and have more resilience in adversity – a kind of call to arms – and mentions the publication of : Reset: How this crisis can restore our values and renew America.

There’s also a strong case for the value – soulwise and otherwise – of working with your hands. After finishing a Ph.D. in political philosophy and finding the academic job market bleak, Matthew Crawford, author of Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry Into the Value of Work, spent the winter rebuilding and old Honda motorcycle, saying, “The physicality of it, and the clear specificity of what the project required of me, was a balm.”

This resonates with me, for despite the fact that my work has been mostly physical, I have constantly sought outlets for creating like drawing, painting and sewing. Others make projects of their homes or yards. The author quotes one of his high school shop teachers who says, “Without the opportunity to learn through the hands, the world remains abstract and distant, and the passions for learning will not be engaged.”

Of course, we can channel this energetic soul-searching to sustainable ends in our everyday lives and work.

That’s the best news I’ve heard all day.

Paul Watson, founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the pirate-protectors of whales, knows how to get things done. Although many animal protection agenices, like the Humane Society, resist condoning militant tactics of rescue groups, they can’t deny the effectiveness and determination of Paul and his crew of so-called “Pirates”, as they pursue whaling ships who who defy the world-wide anti-whaling treaty (transgressors are listed as Japan, Iceland and Norway). In his own less than state-of-the-art ships and in less than ideal antarctic conditions, the Sea Shepherd crew patrols the oceans with a mission – “to end the destruction of habitat and slaughter of wildlife in the world’s oceans in order to conserve and protect ecosystems and species.”

The idea of Sea Shepherd was formed when Captain Paul Watson founded the Earth Force Society in 1977 in Vancouver BC, Canada. The original mandate of both organizations was marine mammal protection and conservation with an immediate goal of shutting down illegal whaling and sealing operations, but Sea Shepherd later expanded its efforts to include all marine wildlife. Dedicating his life to protect the environment and animals since the age of 10 (read his full bio here), Paul was also one of the co-founders of GreenPeace.

Now you can see just what it takes to stop illegal whalehunters in the documentary, At The Edge of The World, released August 28th. Director, Dan Stone bankrolled this film himself – to the tune of 1.1 million dollars – after being exposed to the horror of seal slaughters. He was drawn to the story of Paul Watson when he heard him described as, “Someone who’s actually doing something.” When asked to describe the film, Dan said, “The action and adventure that unfold in the film also bring into play the larger questions of ends and means, injustice and indifference, idealism and greed, laws and politics and life and death.” Insisting that the camera is the most effective tool in fighting whaling, he has since helped create (as exec. producer) an Animal Planet Series called, Whale Wars.

Maybe sometimes it takes a little pirate to be a real hero and to get things done. Namaste and more, Paul and crew.

Photo from SeaShepherd.org