by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Food leftovers are the single largest component of the waste stream by weight in the United States. Households throw away more 25% of our food - about 96 billion pounds of food a year. Meanwhile, the average restaurant generates 50,000 pounds of waste a year - 50% of it is food. Overall, about half of the food produced in the U.S. is wasted.

The rest of the developing world is catching up. Food waste in Hong Kong has doubled over the past 5 years - restaurants are now fining patrons for uneaten food, by the ounce or by the sushi. Although restaurants are ultimately responsible for controlling their end-of-day waste, it’s up to the consumer to change habits. Order only what you can eat and take home what you can’t (come prepared with your own to-go container or ask for your food to be wrapped in foil rather than put into a box). If leftovers are not your doggie bag, at least you can feed your home compost.

When did we start throwing food away - before or after we started installing disposals in kitchen sinks? Food and water make the world go ’round, yet we take both for granted. Shifting this perspective is especially important for children - some of the biggest wasters at home and in school lunchrooms. It’s up to parents to make an early impression. I remember my mom often saying, “Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.” It was really unusual to throw any food away. (Parents, give your kids what they need, not only what they want, establishing better eating habits - and less wastefulness in the future.)

Landfills are the largest human-related source of methane in the United States, a greenhouse gas that is 21 times more potent than CO2. Most of the methane produced is from anerobic kitchen waste, which, when oxygen depleted, ferments rather than composts. As it turns out, food in landfills causes more problems that non-biodegradables. Food for thought.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time Tour de France champion, has announced plans for opening a bike shop and commuting center in downtown Austin, TX, in May of this year. It will include bicycle/gear sales, bicycle storage and showers for commuters, a training facility and a cafe. Now you can ride in to work, grab a shower, breakfast and a chat with other riders before continuing to the office (by foot, bus, or pedicab).

Mellow Johnny’s, named for the yellow jersey, is making good-sense use of an existing 1950’s building and it is not just about the bike. Lance acknowledges the importance of encouraging and supporting a cycling culture in growing cities like Austin, “We have to promote (bike) commuting. This can be a hub for that.” Armstrong also promotes the addition of safe roadways for cyclists, positioning the new shop in close proximity to the the Lance Armstrong Bikeway, a path conceived of by a local cycling activist and subsequently funded by the city of Austin, that loops approximately 6 miles through the center of the downtown area.

With the revitalization of urban areas and the move towards mixed-use communities, an accessible mass transit system combined with a commuter bike center and safe bicycle lanes is what every city needs and what an eco-motivated population deserves. And I think many of us are motivated and inspired by new ideas and hope for a liveable and happy future.

And, I’m motivated by heroes like Lance, who, instead of resting on his laurels, is doing what he knows best and doing it for Change. Now I know that I’m riding with the best of them.

This product showed up at Whole Foods Market last week and I almost squealed with joy. You see, in my naive way, I thought we could save billions of gallons of water by simply learning to love our dirty little cars. Waking up is hard to do, but I’ve seen the error of my wishful ways. For the time-being, it seems we like our cars and we like ‘em clean.

Enter the environmentally safe, water-saving, super-effective and easy to use waterless car wash formula. Not a moment too soon. Just spray and wipe. If you don’t believe me, visit the websites, read the testimonials or just check in “down under” - it seems they’ve been using this similar formula there for years.

Now available in the U.S.. In fact, the clean car lover is covered coast to coast by two companies who are in it for all the right reasons. Eco Touch, based in the Northeast, was launched by James Dudra after spending a college semester abroad in drought-sick Australia while the Lucky Earth folks, Jeff and Lisa Peri, on the West Coast, set their sights on eliminating the chemicals used in conventional car washing.

Missions accomplished on both fronts. Now we just have to get it out there. Home washing wastes hundreds of gallons compared to pressurized commercial sprayers, so tell your neighbors, families and friends. Then get the word out to your full-service detailers, car dealerships and municipalities fast. And please, oh please, someone enlighten the well-meaning school-kids, raising money with hoses and buckets at parking lots all over America this Summer!

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

Carol Moseley Braun learned a thing or two from her political career - much of it in regards to the problems with with farm policy. As a former Senator, Ambassador and presidential candidate, Braun calls the current farm subsidies, “hideous” and advocated more practical assistance for farmers wanting to transition to organic growing and other programs that would put healthier foods in communities and schools. An advocate of the teachings of Rudolf Steiner and Adelle Davis, Braun is still walking the talk.

In a recent interview in Grist, Braun’s post-political endeavors supports biodynamic farming - “the most sustainable farming model in the world.” Biodynamics is more than “organic”. It uses methods which optimize the health value of food and the land it comes from. “Bios” means life and “dynamis” means energy - meaning biodynamic farming refers to working with the energies which create and maintain life.

In 2002, Braun founded Good Food Organics, a parent company to Ambassador Organics, a line of coffees, teas and spices now being carried in Whole Foods Markets and other health food stores. As the first company to market the benefits of biodynamic farming, she hopes it build a constituency and serve as a “point of reference” for people in choosing best quality for best health. Braun hopes to expand her product to “real food” and to make it more accessible to lower income communities.

For more on the methods and benefits of biodynamic farming, enjoy this contribution from friend and nutrition counselor, Greg, below:

by Greg Gillette, Asheville, NC

Biodynamic farming is the most comprehensive, holistic approach to working with the land. It encompasses the Earth, stars, planets, animals and humans working together to bring forth a truly self-sustaining living farm. It is far more than organic farming. Biodynamic agriculture is an ongoing, living path of knowledge rather than an assemblage of methods and techniques.

Many wonderful methods are utilized on a biodynamic farm, such as: integration of crops and livestock, crop rotations, comprehensive composting, planting and harvesting to the cycles of the moon, sun, planets, and stars, using livestock manure as fertilizer, feeding the livestock from the crops, careful observations of nature, and the use of special Biodynamic preparations, which consist of naturally occurring plant and animal materials that are combined in specific recipes in certain seasons of the year, and then placed in compost piles. These preparations bear concentrated forces within them and are used to organize the chaotic elements within the compost piles. When the process is complete, the resulting preparations are medicines for the Earth, which draw new life forces from the cosmos.

Biodynamic agriculture is a part of Anthroposophy, which was founded by Rudolf Steiner. Anthroposophy is a spiritual scientific approach to life, which integrates precise observation of natural phenomena, clear thinking, knowledge of the spirit, and our connectedness with each other, the Earth, the Cosmos, and the spiritual world.

Contact Greg Gillette at dancegreg@yahoo.com

Bio-fuels are an encouraging concept for all countries, but reverting back to a mass-production mentality could land us back in utopia-minded pergatory. By producing bio-fuel from industrialized GMO corn soy or sugar cane, you have taken one step forward and another back. Mass-produced fuels from any source, come with their own set of problems, including the overuse of resources, fertilizers/pesticides, deforestation, soil degradation, soot, or displacement of native plants or wildlife.

When you’re talking bio-diesel fuels as a sustainable and low pollution solution to energy consumption, local - once again - leads the way. Although experimental cellulose ethanol, made from native switchgrass, slash and agricultural bi-products, can produce a bonus in clean energy - they can store excess CO2 in their roots and the surrounding soil, reducing global-warming gases by as much as 90.9% - mass production could cause logging slashes and destruction of wildlife habitats. In truth, it will take a combination of conservation and sustainable fuel production to derail what could be nature’s - or at least, our own, demise.

In my area, we have bio-diesel plants making fuel from local waste oils, the majority of it from plant-sources. Any fuel production takes equipment and resources, but locally-produced bio-fuels can provide us with the most sustainable source of fuel yet available. Its production recycles a material that would otherwise be discarded and a DIY version is affordable and accessible to those willing to do the work. Widespread use of local used cooking grease bio-fuel would require little land use and could reduce global-warming gases as much as 75.6%.

Do you hear the quiet but persistent voice underneath all the debate? “Think globally, act/produce/buy locally…” There’s environmental and economical promise in the right blend of local and sustainable production of fuel, food and all other consumables. For a thorough and concise comparison on the available sources of bio-diesel, go to Sierra Magazine.

Community + Diversity = Sustainability. Are you bio-ready?

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

Let’s start off 2008 with a review and summary of the basics. Call it what you’d like, going green, Eco-living, sustainability, the bottom line comes down to one thing -

No Impact Man puts it simply as: DON’T WASTE ANYTHING.

Think carefully about not only what you do, but what you have and what happens in the process of having and you’ll see that this covers everything we’ve ever heard about getting “greener” and, more importantly, it’s not complicated at all. It applies to our food, water, vehicles, houses, electronics, clothes, etc.. and all of our habits.

If you’ve been taking steps towards a sustainable lifestyle, keep going. If you haven’t started, do it now. If you’ve done all you can at the moment, tell 10 people about it. I promise that you will make a difference and you’ll smile more. To help you along, here’s a review of the basics:

Peak oil is coming - Get a bicycle, drive green and drive less, fly less.

Peak water is already here - turn off the damn faucet! Even California’s governor, Arnold, “terminates” excess water used by his kids in the shower.

Go for the CFL’s - It saves money and CO2. Here’s an up to date guide to CFLs for all occasions from Grist.

BYOB - Bag and Bottle, that is. Americans throw away more than 60 million plastic bottles each day. It takes around 1,000 years for them to biodegrade. More than 10 million barrels of oil are used to produce bottled water every year in the U.S. (not including transportation). Most tap water is just as safe as bottled water, but if you prefer to abstain from both, get a filter for your tap. I’ve been using Living Water Systems for years. Go to Klean Kanteen for portable stainless steel water bottles.

It’s cool, it’s easy, it’s important - bring your own reusable bag every time you shop and keep plastic and more paper out of landfills. It started at Ikea, spread to San Francisco and Paris…this year, even Whole Foods Market is swearing off plastic bags at check-out.

Stop junk mail and recycle paper. 1/3 of our landfills contain paper (unable to biodegrade normally).

Eat and Buy Locally. It’s about your community and the environment.

Now you’ve got a good start. Get creative and motivated about your life and love for your planet. Our future depends on us. To find out more you can do, go here.

by Tao Oliveto, Carrboro, NC

My year of Buy Nothing New pledge ended, without fanfare, last Fall. As a result, I’m happily hooked on thrift, reused and recycled purchasing for most of my needs but, beginning with a holiday order from Real Goods, I’m occasionally shopping new again. When possible, I stick with local goods, but did find myself online this month, buying some things I couldn’t find here - namely, organic cotton underwear and 3 thermal shirts.

I’ve always liked online shopping. It’s fast and easy. However, I’ve been nagged by the thought that my new stuff has to travel many miles to find me and I can’t say, “I don’t need a bag” when checking out, like I would at a local store. I need to know, by the bottom line, is online shopping more eco-responsible than shopping at retail stores?

Much to my relief and surprise, I’ve heard some good news through Ideal Bite and Cool-Companies. A report by the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions, a non-profit organization that helps companies and public institutions reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, show that internet shopping has significantly decreased energy demand since 1998 and could have an even larger impact on energy and resource savings into the future.

Despite their size, e-commerce warehouses use 1/16th of the energy used to operate retail stores. More e-commerce equals less need for retail space and the resources used to build and maintain it. This, of course, means saving open space and trees through both less construction and the decrease in paper use - a savings of as much as 2.7 million tons of paper per year. What about the environmental costs of shipping? More good news: ground shipping uses 1/10 the energy of driving yourself to the mall and even shipping 10 pounds of packages by air, uses 40% less fuel than the same purchase made by car.
Of course, all these energy savings means less power plants and less greenhouse gas pollution. And less driving and shopping means more free time for us. It’s becoming obvious that the balance of our future depends on our willingness to change our habits and perspective. It can be a win-win for our lives, our environment and the economy. Now that’s something to celebrate.