by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Most of us want to curb our consumption, to be less wasteful, to conserve resources, to be kind to the earth, to stop global warming, to save the polar bears (and the rest of the animal kingdom), to ensure the availability of clean drinking water and healthy food, to save the environmental future for our children, to be a part of social change. There are many different ways to look at what we are reaching for when we consider changing our lifestyle habits. And some of us think about all of these things every day.

But there’s a problem with these ideas - they are, for the most part - invisible to the average person on a daily basis. It’s a bit like car exhaust - we don’t think about it too seriously since we can’t see it. (I’ve always thought that if car exhaust were black, we would all probably all drive a lot less!) Well, the same goes for our individual energy use. We may think about it when the electric bill arrives, but overall, it’s hard to relate to in the busy, distracting moments. So, how much could a visible use of energy change the way we use it? As it turns out, around a big, fat 20 PERCENT.

PowerCost Monitor, manufactured by Blue Line Innovations and introduced by The Green Office (see my prior post), is a wireless energy monitor for homes or small offices. By the picture, it looks like a thermostat but displays moment to moment - and total - energy use in dollars and cents and in kilowatts per hour as well as the highest amount you spend on your energy usage in a 24 hour period. It also displays the time, the temperature, signal strength and the battery strength of both the display and sensor units.

Cool. How helpful. No more “out of sight, out of mind”. Affordable, easy to install. Check it out at TheGreenOffice.com. Because good intentions are not enough.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Words matter. What your read online, in the news, in magazines and books, what you see on signs, or scrawled, graffiti-style, on brick walls. It all becomes part of our consciousness and eventually, part of our belief systems and actions, whether we know it or not.

Now, we can wear our messages on our chests (hearts?) since the printed t-shirt is still alive and well. Here are some favorites that I like to wear, but it’s my sister who sports quite a collection of green and other message T’s. She wears them when waiting tables early mornings in Tahoe (where she works to support her singing and acting habit) and says they prompt customers to strike up interesting conversations (and sometimes extra tips). Beth thinks it gives everyone the opportunity to talk about things they may not be aware of yet.

That’s the important part - being aware. Being Awake. And now there’s people out there making T-shirts to inspire us to do just that. My Time To Wake Up says to Be Aware or Beware”, one of the many reasons they offer these cool mens, womens and childrens t-shirts made from organic cotton and bamboo. Supporting the organic textile industry is a wake up call in and of itself - as we try to conserve water, and save nature, wildlife and ourselves from dangerous pesticides - but their web site offers much more than that. Some of many inspirations from MyTimeToWakeUp.com :

“Our goal is to do our part in bringing about urgently needed change in our world by highlighting the need to Wake Up to the problems that exist, but more importantly to Wake Up to the need to take action.

We humbly look at our earth friendly clothing as small beacons of light. When you wear it you are saying that you woke up and got involved in something that you believe in that helps your fellow man and that you are urging others to do the same. A small effort by many can mean a huge change for all.”

(The shirts in the photos are not from MyTimeToWakeUp. To see their shirts, go here. Be A-Wear!)

Build Sense, Inc.

“We only design and build genuine SUSTAINABLE houses. if you want a cheap code standard house, please don’t call us. if you want high utility bills and mediocre indoor air quality, don’t call 919-667-0404. if you like drafty and poorly lit rooms, don’t call us. if your weekends are better spent maintaining your home than relaxing with friends and family, please don’t visit buildsense.com. if you want to needlessly use enough water to drain falls lake, please don’t call us. if you need a five car garage for your hummer collection, please, please don’t call us. if you want to reduce your initial budget to bare bones only to pay twice as much as your “savings” in the first five years of operating costs, please don’t call us. if you think that global warming is a hoax perpetuated by nutty left wing liberals, please don’t call us. if you think that we will continue to have an inexpensive energy source in the next few decades, please don’t call us. if size matters more than quality, don’t call us. if you’re not interested in leaving a livable planet for the next generation, please don’t call us. if you’re content to live in a neighborhood without trees, don’t call us…”

Groundswell is “an all volunteer outfit of designers and activists committed to social change.” Last Friday, they caught up with our Founder and Creative Director, Jerry, and Sami, our Media Liason and Director of Sustainability for an interview, posted here.

This group of obvious visionaries, “confronted with the motto, “The truth is your best tool”, wanted to know just how The Change integrates “good for the world” businesses with politics, spirituality, anarchy and a free market to grow good commerce.

Jerry dives into the conversation first, explaining, “To create something I find some core truth that works for me. Yet when that truth is overlaid onto a brand that’s essential mission is to sell stuff at the highest profit –it becomes uh, what do you call it, oh that’s right, a fucking lie. I started to think about this around the same time I started becoming hyper-aware of all the problems we’re facing in the world. And SUV’s had a lot to do with this. Being surrounded by SUV’s really set me off. I did a lot of SUV flyering at first.”

For more inspiring truth, take a look.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I admit, whenever I felt a bit lazy or rushed, I used to tell myself driving just a few miles to get somewhere couldn’t be so bad. Other times, I tell myself I have too much to carry. And that’s just what I was thinking last night when I started to my car to make my weekly CSA pick-up last evening.

I live only 3 miles from the drop-off site, but I’ve been driving my car there for almost a year. The bike ride hasn’t been the issue - it was the jars and cartons. For some reason, I’ve assumed that I needed the car to transport them. Well, you know what they say about assumptions - !! This time, I stopped and looked at the jars…looked at my bike panniers…looked back at the jars…and it finally occurred to me that they would easily fit inside. And, if I put a jar on each side, there would be no danger of them hitting together and breaking. The 2 egg cartons fit snugly alongside, stabilizing the bags nicely.

As it turns out, this decision is more important than I previously thought. Not only do short trips matter to the environment, but “Sixty percent of the pollution created by automobile emissions happens in the first few minutes of operation, before pollution control devices can work effectively.” Whoa. There goes my rainy day rationalization! “Since “cold starts” create high levels of emissions, shorter car trips are more polluting on a per-mile basis than longer trips.” For more, go to Bike2015Plan.org.

Needless to say, I hopped on my two wheeler and was back with my milk and eggs in less than 25 minutes. And, as always, feeling energized and lighter from the exercise. In fact, after putting things away, I rode again until sunset, wondering about how many other ways I could save energy, fuel and emissions that I had not thought of yet.

There’s good and bad news about all of this. The bad news first from League of American Bicyclists: According to the Nationwide Personal Transportation Survey, 25 percent of all trips are made within a mile of the home, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of the home, and 50 percent of the working population commutes five miles or less to work. Yet, more than 82 percent of trips five miles or less are made by personal motor vehicle. (Read more details about driving habits here.)

The good news is that many of us can change these daily driving habits with a little creativity and determination. Consider walking, riding bicycles or scooters, ride-share and public transportation. If possible, carry less, or simply get your gear on. You may have to get used to stepping out of the “race” to get places, but there’s no better way to avoid stress and tension. Your fitness and stamina will improve quickly as your habits change and your body will thank you for many years to come.

by Tao Oliveto, Eno River, NC

Yesterday, after another scorching day, we went to the Eno River at early evening, wearing bikinis and boots and with dogs in tow. Before long, we found a deep spot and jumped in. I found out herding dogs aren’t crazy about swimming, but will be happy to run along the water’s edge while you float downstream. By the time we got out, it was dusk, the sky was growing dark and rumbling. Only our boots made it back on for the hike back. The rain was loud and hard and wet.

It was the perfect mini-adventure.

Well, almost perfect. Those hiking boots and that bikini in the photo above, are both old eco-news. I wear my boots in rough and usually wet conditions daily, so I need durability, comfort and performance. With this kind of wear, I have been (somewhat guiltily) replacing them about every 3 years. I’m happy to learn that next time, I can find all those qualities from “going-green” companies like Patagonia and Timberland, which have several versions of outdoor boots, ranging from light to heavy duty. More recently entering the outdoor shoe scene, (always-have-been-green) Vegan Essentials has these rugged-looking hikers available.

As for the bikini - I haven’t worn out a swimsuit since my years of water-skiing and windsurfing. (I no longer waterski because of the fuel use and my windsurfing equipment went to a friend when I could no longer walk to a beach.) So, a new suit is not in my future. However, “window shopping” is still fun when the suits are sexy without being sinful. At least 5 designers are taking the plunge into green fabrics. There are even bikinis ala recycled plastic bottles by Aaron Chang and Faeries Dance.

Guys who like it wet, can go with quick-drying hemp trunks at Rawganic.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

The curtain I wrote about last week, has arrived from Health Goods. I was first pleased that it was sent in minimal packaging, with NO promotional materials included. The good news just kept on coming when I read the cover sheet (which was printed on recycled paper with vegetable-based ink):

100% RECYCLED polyester fabric

Water-repellent and anti-microbial

Fabric and product made in USA

Requires no shower rod hooks - buttons made from sustainable  Tagua nuts

Each full size curtain saves 130,000 BTU’s of energy

It comes in 3 sizes, so I was able to get one for my stall shower without all the extra material. I’ve used it a few times now and it truly is water-repellent and has no smell whatsoever. I’ve been fighting mold on my hemp/cotton curtains for so long, that this is a thrill for me. This curtain will never need to be replaced - it’s heavyweight and obviously durable - what a happy thought!

To order or for more info., go here. Pass it on to your showering friends!

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

According to a recent article in the NY Times, market research done by the Shelton Group, consumers surveyed in 2007 were between 22 and 55 percent less likely to buy green products than in 2006. That’s more than HALF as likely to prioritize sustainability. What’s up? This sounds crazy, considering the increase of information and availability of green alternatives to just about everything. According to this study, that seems to be precisely the problem - green information overload. Also known as green fatigue, or eco-burnout.

Environmental organizations, working hard to reach and keep a reluctant “soft middle” (meaning, most of us) are scrambling to simplify their message by offering “cheat sheets” to being more sustainable and a “tiered” system of choices according to how much you are ready to do for change. Although I’m all for anything that will get the many balls rolling, but I’m not so sure we can afford to dial back what has barely gotten started. We’ve reached one of what is bound to be many bumps in the road to Change - let’s not turn back now. It’s time to evolve.

It’s fairly obvious that it was lack of information and truth that got us here, so it’s time to keep talking, not rationalize away our efforts. Denying “consumers” information about the industrial process certainly wasn’t an accident - marketers knew that there were some things better left unsaid. The popular quote by Paul McCartney, “If slaughter houses had glass walls, everyone would be a vegetarian”, speaks loudly about all types of consumer habits. If we actually could see the sweatshops, the polluted waters, the chemicals and the waste - most of us would automatically be more conscious participants in the economy.

Unfortunately, transparency in the corporate world has never been suggested, let alone encouraged or required. With governments still slow to regulate “business as usual”, we are left with not much but the hope that consumers will make informed, social and environmental choices when available. When it comes to information, this is when we should be asking for more, not less. When it seems and feels complicated, we can start with our common sense - we know more than we think - and we can change more than we think. We’re at that familiar crossroads when there are only two roads to travel upon and one is no longer an option. We are in the midst of a social and cultural evolution.

When I was a kid and easily overwhelmed with learning, my father used to say, “Put on your thinking cap”. It always worked.