By Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Dog poop is one messy eco-dilemma. Dog and cat poop will degrade on it’s own in open air. Unfortunately, when wrapped in plastic and placed in a landfill, it could be there for decades. We have to scoop the poop in public areas, so what is a eco-conscious dog owner to do? Compost, of course.

I’ve used the Doggie Dooley composter - it’s a great design, but Plenty’s Annemarie Conte tells us how to make your own for less than $10. In either case, you ‘ll have to dig a hole, so you may as well give the DIY version a shot first.

Go here for complete and super simple directions.

Apartment dwellers may be out of luck on this one. However, don’t give up too soon. Talk to your landlords and/or a few pet-friendly neighbors. Your composter lives virtually hidden underground and will take up very little space.

Unfortunately, the soil where I am now is not porous enough to keep a septic system working well, so for now, I’ve gone back to using the compostable scooping bags from BioBags, which can make a difference once the poop hits the landfill. Of course, using biodegradable trash bags to put them in will help this make the most sense. (I don’t recommend flushing poop because this wastes a lot of water.)

By the way, you can use your Dooley septic system for cat waste from the litter box, too. BTW, be sure to use ammonia-free, natural litter in any case - my favorite is Swheatscoop - it clumps and is dust-free.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

What do Bill Maher, David Letterman and Bob Barker have in common besides television? When it comes to how we treat animals, they get it.

In the Ecorazzi news, Bob Barker donates 1 million dollars to his Missouri alma mater to establish a undergraduate animal-ethics program that will teach about animal advocacy. Mr. Barker closed every telecast of his long-standing game show, The Price is Right, by urging people to spay and neuter their pets. He doesn’t feel it was enough. At age 84 and recently retired from his day job, he plans to commit even more time to his activist work for the animals.

Bill Maher, in response to criticism that PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, sometimes “crosses the line” in their activist efforts - Says Bill, “It’s not the worst thing in the world to cross the line. To me, a much worse thing is to never even approach the line. ”

David Letterman, late night TV host, on the circus - “What is more American than eating cotton candy and watching animal abuse? Am I right?”

My closing reminders: Adopt from shelters and rescues, don’t buy from breeders. Spay and neuter. Train don’t restrain. Don’t visit the circus or urban zoos. Don’t eat animals raised in feed lots. Support animal advocacy with your words, your actions and your wallet. Animals have a lot to teach and share with us. Let’s pay attention.

Have you seen the photo moving around recently of the sea bird and it’s stomach contents?

It’s a shocking look at what was found inside a dead albatross from the Hawaiian Islands. This poor bird swallowed more than a half pound of plastic, including what appears to be several bottle caps and a cigarette lighter.

Sierra Magazine captions it with this quote from Art Buchwald,

And Man created the plastic bag and the tin and aluminum can and the cellophane wrapper and the paper plate and the disposable bottle, and this was good becaue man could then take his automobile and buy his food all in one place and he could save that which was good to eat in the refrigerator and throw away that which had no further use. And pretty soon the earth was covered with plastic bags and aluminum cans and paper plates and disposable bottles, and there was nowhere left to sit down or to walk. And Man shook his head and cried, ‘Look at all this God-awful litter.’

P.S. This was written in 1970.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I belong to a CSA where I get a weekly supply of unpasteurized cheese, butter, milk and eggs. Each of the members takes a turn picking up the group’s weekly supplies. I had my turn last week. After a quiet 40-minute drive on a two lane road, I arrived at “my” farm. There were 11 cows, including a 10-day-old baby who nibbled my fingers when I was petting her. There were lots of chickens roaming freely around the barn and small house, seemingly oblivious to the cats and a dog.

While the farmers, Brandon and Andrea, quietly and busily filled my coolers with orders, their two small children toddled around, playing with sticks and picking through pebbles. At one point I saw Chloe, a tiny blond girl of around 4, walk confidently up to a newly hunted deer hanging under the porch. It’s head was covered in burlap and hung close to the ground. I watched as she lovingly placed her arms around its neck and rubbed her hands through the fur, whispering something that I could not hear.

When I was loaded up, I found myself reluctant to drive away. Something drew me in to this scene on this cold, sunny day. I can only imagine it was life itself.

I know the farmer who raises and milks the animals who give me milk to drink and feeds the chickens whose eggs I eat. I now know the animals themselves. I know a whole lot more than I used to.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

There’s a productively firey debate going on over bio-diesel - even among the local users who are questioning the inclusion of animal fats in the waste oil blends. Vegans and others are concerned over the possibility of financially supporting the conventional meat-producing industries (who, as we know, practice toxic and cruel methods of farming and slaughter) by purchasing bio-diesel fuel.

As a soon-to-be member in our local bio-diesel co-op at Piedmont Biofuels. and environmental and animal rights activist, I want to know the facts. Below are excerpts from letters recently published in our local Indy, in response to this brief article on Piedmont Biofuels. It is worth reading the entire letters if you can - they frame the debate well.

Letter: “The use of animal feedstocks financially aids the producers of them by providing one more revenue stream, allowing them to avoid disposal costs—whether it is the main item produced or incidental to the production of some other. If you purchase a product, you support its production. ” Read More

Portion of response: “Poultry farmers have been getting paid for their poultry fat for years, this is not a new revenue stream for them created by biodiesel demand. Poultry fat gets fed to cattle, swine, and poultry, and turned into cosmetics among other uses. Small scale biodiesel producers, who are offering an alternative to petroleum, are trying to stay commercially viable by utilizing the feedstocks that are most cost effective; these usually end up being ones that are found closest to home.” Read more

This shows, once again, that there are no uptopian answers to consumption issues and that we should all stay open and informed from all angles when making lifestyle choices.

My bottom line on Bio-diesel? Though it’s preferrable to recycle and reuse our waste products (of any kind), it’s more important to remember that this does not take away the need to REDUCE OVERALL CONSUMPTION. I’m not switching to bio-diesel so that I can wile away the miles in a car with a little less guilt. I’m still going to choose walking, bicycling and mass transit when possible and overall, drive less.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I’ve been raving about the eggs I’ve been getting from my CSA, my co-housing community and the Farmer’s Market. I know they are better because they look different - beautifully and variable colored shells, the yolks are a rich, dark gold - and they taste better. That part is somewhat indescribable. Words like - real, rich, smooth, fresh and more, come to mind. The dogs, who would not eat any conventional egg shells I tried to add to their food, enthusiastically gobble up the local version. I happily pay around $3.00/carton for these beauties. I’m getting more than my money’s worth.

The results are in. Mother Earth News Egg Testing Project announced that eggs from organically and naturally fed, free-range hens are nutritionally superior to industrialized chicken farms which deprive chickens of natural food, light or living conditions and administer hormones, antibiotics, and use pesticides. I’ll bet you didn’t know there have been at least 8 studies done of this nature since 1978, showing similar results. The FDA may have had something to do with that.

According to the study of 2007, “real free-range eggs contain as much as:

1/3 less cholesterol, 1/4 less saturated fat, 2/3 more vitamin A, 2 times more omega 3 essential fatty acids, 3 times more vitamin E and 7 times more beta carotene.

USDA labeling regarding the definition of “free-range” is yet unclear, allowing large, conventional producers to mislead consumers about the actual farming practices being used. And, if you think turkeys have it bad, it’s equal or worse for the masses of chickens raised and slaughtered in horrific conditions.

If you don’t have access to a Farmer’s Market, research your community’s CSA groups. Even metropolitan cities like Minneapolis have them. Talk to your grocer and ask about his egg suppliers.

Is the value of our food and planet in our hands as consumers? Eggs-actly.

By Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Here at our co-housing community, we’ve got people who willingly share their knowledge and skills, whether it is growing vegetables, managing outdoor compost piles, hosting honey bee colonies, tending butterflies or watching over chickens. So I wasn’t surprised when I was invited to attend a day of worm wrangling - learning how to house and feed your very own composting “wigglers”. All I needed was a tub with a lid and some compost scraps - redworms and snacks provided - gummy worms, of course. Here’s Susan rounding up a few.

Vermicomposting (using worms to decompose food waste offers many advantages - it turns kitchen waste into nutritious soil for plants, decreases waste collection. It’s surprising low maintenance and produces less odor than traditional composting. Each person produceds approximately 2 - 3 pounds of food scraps per week. One pound of worms will eat about 4 pounds of scraps per week. A 2 x 3-foot box is suitable for 4 - 6 people and they will live happily contained in any convenient space in your home, basement or garage.

Large scale worm farms, currently at work in Hong Kong, are part of a initiative to deal with the growing amount of waste and the equally growing shortage of landfill space in many areas throughout the world. You can watch the worms at work and hear from a worm “farmer” here. Or, find your way into the world of worm wrangling here.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

I’ve been eating, drinking, sleeping, sharing, reading, thinking and celebrating sustainability (throw in a little fretting, too) for so long that sometimes I take things for granted - like the information that I’ve collected over a decade that keeps me in the green groove. Each time I’ve learned something new that I can do or change to make a difference in my health and my world, it’s a bigger and better rush than a king-sized espresso - and I can’t wait to tell others. If some of these ideas are old news to you, indulge me by simply passing it on to someone who may not have yet heard.

Did you know? Paraffin candles are a non-renewable waste-product of the petroleum industry. That’s why they are toxic and that’s why they are cheap. The petroleum in the wax releases toxins and most of the wicks are made with lead, which also leaches into the air when burned. This petrol-toxic soot stains walls and contaminates our lungs and tissues. Don’t buy them, don’t burn them. Nature provides a beautiful and better alternative in Beeswax. (How do the bees do it? Find out here.)

It’s not hard to understand that beeswax candles are “natural” but the good news only starts there. Beeswax candles and their lead-free cotton wicks give off the same bright light spectrum as the sun, rather than the “disorganized” light from paraffin that can cause eye strain. Beeswax is naturally and subtly scented by the honey and flower nectar that the bees eat. Beeswax not only burns longer but emits healthy negative ions which actually clean the air and potentially energize the body.

You’ll find a wealth of sources for natural beeswax candles both online and in health stores. Remember to buy local when available and support your small farmers. Bee Well!