An Oldie but a Goodie

If you've never seen this, I can't recommend it enough. It's 20 minutes, but divided into seven short chapters so you can do a little bit at a time. Try this: make next week your "Story of Stuff" week. You won't regret it.

www.storyofstuff.com

Paper, Paper, Paper

Wanna cut through the paper confusion? Ok - two minutes - lend me your ear and let's talk terms:

100% recyclable
Well, this is great - but I mean, shouldn't all paper be recyclABLE? If it's not recyclABLE, it means the maker has mixed in some material that prevents the recycling process. (Speaking of which, did you know that Post-Its are not recyclable? The glue in the sticky part not only makes the paper non-recyclable - but if Post-Its go into a batch of paper to be recycled, often the glue actually gunks up the whole batch, rendering it trash, after all the effort people took to recycle it.) Anyway - yes, of course, recyclable is good. But if something is marketed as "100% recyclable" - look more closely. It could be that they're hoping to confuse people into thinking they're 100% recycl-ED. Which is different.

Recycled
Recyclable can mean lots of things. Virgin paper is recyclable. Recycled paper is, too. What you're really looking for is paper that is both. But let's talk more about THAT, too.

100% recycled - You'll sometimes see paper that contains 100% recycled content. Great. This means NO virgin paper was included in the source material used to create the paper. This paper tends to be more expensive, but sure feels nice knowing no forests were involved.

Some other percentage recycled - It's sometimes difficult to create paper fully out of recycled materials. Each time paper is recycled, its fibers get crushed and shortened - meaning at some point, they just don't make good paper anymore. So many materials and papers only contain a percentage of recycled material. This is fine, of course. Do be wary of companies sending you glossy catalog after glossy catalog (some companies are still really bad about this) touting 10% recycled material. Come on. They can do better than that - and they can also send fewer catalogs. I have a personal mission to cancel every catalog that comes to my house. If I want something, I'm gonna look online anyway, right? When's the last time you actually ordered something from a 1-800 number from a catalog?

Ok - so you'll see 20%, 40%, and upwards of recycled material. You may also sometimes see content differentiated as "post-consumer" and "post-industrial". The main detail here is that post-consumer has been SOLD. Newspapers, books, office paper, all that is post-consumer. Post-industrial includes many of these same thing - particularly newspapers and magazines that have been printed but not sold (these businesses are horrendous about this - some even say they overprint vastly in order to report their "circulation" as high, while up to half of those printed materials are never expected to sell). Post-industrial material also includes waste from the actual paper-making process, which is essentially then just rolled back into the front of the machine. In all, if you're choosy, post-consumer is preferable, though both labels are a little sticky.

Aaaaaah, so if you've read this far, you must really be interested in paper and recycling - or at least annoyed enough at all these opaque labels. Ok, so let's take it one step further:

Ecolabels

What does it mean when you see a label on a magazine that says "Mixed Sources" or "FSC" or "SFI" or "100% recycled paperboard", for instance?

**See FSC icon at right**

The FSC, or Forest Stewardship Council, is the most respected “eco-label” at the moment. They have three labels:

1) 100% - this means all of the material is virgin, but from FSC certified, well-managed (both environmentally and socially) forests.
2) Mixed Sources – though it might sound lesser, actually Mixed Sources means the material is from FSC forests and/or recycled.
3) Recycled – the wording on this is a little tricky, but my best translation is that products with this label are made with post-consumer recycled material. (It’s unclear to me whether all of the material needs to have come from sources that were originally FSC-certified, if that makes sense.)

You may sometimes also see this label


The SFI (Sustainable Forestry Initiative) is a far less respected entity, criticized frequently for having broad, vague certification parameters designed by lumber and paper companies to approve most of the procedures already in place in the logging and paper-making industries. In other words, SFI certification is cheaper and easier. Be wary of this certification, or do your own research. Some of my sources are a couple of years old, but more recent ones seem to echo their predecessors.

Grist

TreeHugger

Credible Forest Certification

Now if you’ve FedExed anything recently, you’ve surely seen this one:

**See 100% Recycled Paperboard icon at right**

I happen to be a big fan of 100% Recycled Paperboard. Do know, however, that 100% Recycled Paperboard isn’t always recycl-ABLE, so keep your eyes open. It needs to be uncoated, for instance. You can pick your battles here, but I want you to know what’s what. I’m still investigating whether it’s possible to get FSC certification for 100% Recycled Paperboard since the original sources can’t often be certified and approved – but this may be more detail than you’re interested in...

Ok. I’m guessing I’ve exhausted the curiosity of even the most steadfast among you. But since you’ve read this far, now just start keeping your eyes open. It’s interesting to see which companies are choosing to do what (and not everyone opts for an eco-label, either – and some are even choosing FSC papers and printers but not including the label on their product), and it will continue to be interesting to watch how this industry unfurls and selects its standards.

So...Which Is It? (part 2)

(For part 1 – See November 13, 2008: Which is it? Diapers: Cloth or Disposable?)

Is it just me, or does it seem like environmental research seems to change its mind a lot? Opinions on water have swung widely in the last 20 years since the huge American shift into the bottled water crazy. So you may be asking…okay, greenies…which is it? Bottled or tap?

Well, some of these debates are a toss-up (see “So . . . Which Is It? (part 1) Diapers: Cloth or Disposable?) - but by most accounts, the great water debate isn’t one of them.

Bottled water:

o Is insanely expensive, both to produce and to buy.
o Is no purer or safer than tap water. Both are imperfect, but heavily regulated.
o Comes in plastic containers that require petroleum – and water - for their manufacture.
o Is heavy. And shipped. From other places. To a store. Where you buy it. And bring it home. To your house. Where clean drinking water comes, for free, out of the faucet. Check the carbon footprint on that one.
o Comes in plastic containers that are, yes, usually recyclable, but are also
(a) only occasionally recycled (Can you stand it!?) and
(b) so plentiful they end up cluttering landfills and floating in oceans.
The ones that do get recycled, well, great – but it takes energy to collect, transport, and convert recyclables. Couldn’t we just skip the bottles in the first place?


So, my opinion:

1) If you’re in the desert and stop at a gas station and you don’t have your special SIGG eco-thermos or access to a water fountain, yes, for Pete’s sake, and by all means, get a bottle of water and recycle the bottle when you’re done. But if you’re at work, at home, or on the town? Just go tap. No bottle making, filling, capping, shipping, docking, unloading, stocking, choosing, buying, toting home, disposing, recycling, and refabricating. Just water. So easy.

2) If you must, MUST have bottled water, you simply cannot abide by tap, consider getting larger sizes. The smaller the size, the more we need and the more we throw away.

Bottom’s up!

Molly

New Year's Resolutions

This Grist post got me thinking about resolutions. Ok, I'd already put some thought into resolutions. It's January 12th, of course, so I've forgotten most of them already, but I do remember spending some time thinking about it in December. In any case, this got me thinking. The combination of environment-crisis-must-be-dealt-with-NOW and economic-crisis-must-be-dealt-with-NOW may, in the end, be the very combination I (we?) needed to start putting our ideals into practice. Will 2009 be the year I (fill in wish to simplify life, slow down, appreciate the little things, eat organic/vegetarian, bike to work, etc. here)? Hard to say - but the conditions, to be honest, have never been better. It's an interesting post, anyway - take a look - and if you've had interesting thoughts about your own (or someone else's) resolutions, don't hesitate to post them here!
Molly



Got resolutions?

Some ideas for green resolutions that are achievable, meaningful, and maybe even novel

by Adam Stein (Guest Grist Contributor)

New Year's resolutions, as we all know, are almost entirely pointless -- made in one breath, forgotten in the next. So in that spirit of general futility, I offer a few ideas for green resolutions that, either through novelty or just ease of use, may inspire more than a passing commitment. Please leave your own ideas below.

Idea #1: help make "livable streets" a reality in your community

All politics is local, said Tip O'Neill, but most of us still don't pay much attention to local politics. Issues at a community level are often driven by the triumvirate of homeowners, business owners and car owners -- good people, no doubt, but narrow in their interests.

This won't change if you don't help make it change. Happily, a thriving network of community organizers is doing great work to promote a people- and environment-centered development agenda, ranging from this new bus system in Cleveland to this bike-sharing program in Tulsa to this massive street festival in New York.

Support their good work! A few ideas for getting involved:

1. Get smarter about development issues by spending some time with the great resources at the Livable Streets Network. Subscribe to their blog, subscribe to an affiliated blog focused on your community, watch their films, or read and contribute to their wiki.
2. Find or start a local group using the Livable Street Network's online tools.
3. Get involved with a local organization like Transportation Alternatives (based in New York). Or support them financially by attending some of their fun events.

Idea #2: eat more plants

I'll take it as given that no one is going to adopt vegetarianism as a result of this blog post. But, speaking as one omnivore to another, perhaps I can convince you that reducing the environmental impact of your diet is both easy and enjoyable. The carbon footprint of food is an insanely complicated topic, so I'm going to organize these food-related resolutions around a radically simple proposition: eat less beef. Some possible resolutions:

1. During your weekly shopping, substitute chicken, pork, or fish for beef. Better yet: beans, pasta, or veg.
2. Spend the few minutes necessary to figure out the provenance of your non-beef meat, and find a convenient source of stuff that isn't evil.
3. Read anything by Michael Pollan. If your Pollan library is full stocked, start working your way through Taras Grescoe.
4. If you cook, learn one new vegetarian entree per month.
5. If you don't cook, start. Make one dinner per week from scratch. No burgers.
6. Pick one day a week to go fully veggie.
7. Or go completely meatless for all your lunches.
8. Etc.

Idea #3: downgrade your gadgets

I hesitate to post this, because, well, it smacks of treacly feel-goodism. But anyway: I recently lost my spiffy web-enabled cell phone. I replaced it with a comically out-of-date, refurbished flip phone, with the intention of riding out the last few months of my service contract and then getting a shiny, shiny iPhone.

Here's the heartwarming bit. Since switching to the junky, used phone, my quality of life has gone up appreciably. Turns out that when you're stripped of mobile email and web, your heart rate decreases, you have more serendipitous encounters with puppies and wonder-filled children, and your bursitis goes away. I miss the mapping functionality of my web phone, but I find the survival skills I honed during my pre-mobile-internet years slowly returning.

So no iPhone for me. The key to this act of voluntary simplicity was making it involuntary. Resolving to spend less time stating at little screens never would have worked.

Do you have a love-hate relationship with any electronic encumbrances? Now is as good a time as any to cast them off (read: recycle them). The environment may or may not benefit, but your pocketbook probably will, and your sanity almost certainly will.
http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2009/1/4/103253/4022?source=living

Great Q&A on Children's Art Supplies

Poster Child
On children's art supplies
By Umbra Fisk
15 Dec 2008

Hey Umbra,

I've got a niece with a second birthday coming up and I'd like to get her a present that doesn't involve sitting in front of a computer or TV. So, I thought, how about an art set? What better way to get those creative juices going at an early age than some finger paint and crayons? But crayons must have some crazy toxins in them, and what about finger paint ... do I need to be concerned? I've heard about veggie paints, but don't know where one can find them -- or how to make them. Ideas please!

Sudha N.
Seattle, Wash.


Dearest Sudha,
Children's art supplies are a fabulous gift idea, and if you follow a few simple guidelines, there's little need for concern. The bigger problem with child art is that the freeform techniques of the toddler atelier may freak out neatnik parents and cause many opportunities for battles of the will. If your relations are fastidious, may I suggest including a smock in the kit? Perhaps a miniature dropcloth and several large sponges? Maybe a large fence, to create a hermetic seal around the art area? Plus a parenting book helpful in the toddler years -- such as Becoming the Parent You Want To Be?

The toddler art set should include modeling clay, crayons, paints, and colorful papers, with glue, tape, and scissors for the overseeing adult. Kids also love stickers.

The reason kids' supplies are differentiated from adult supplies is that "adult" art stuff often relies on harmful ingredients. Paint dyes can contain heavy metals; there are solvents in paint, glue, and markers; modeling clays contain vinyl; powders and sprays pose inhalation hazards, etc. Obviously all these problems aren't so great for grown-ups either, but we are larger, don't randomly eat our toys, and have the option of turning on ventilation, wearing protective gear, and making our own choices about danger.

Shop at a store that sells children's art products. The products should be certified as non-toxic. At a minimum they should bear two seals: the federally mandated "conforms with ASTM D-4236" (meaning they have been properly labeled as to their chronic health hazards) and a seal from the Art and Creative Materials Institute. The ACMI seals will say either AP for approved product, or the older but similar CP for certified product. Do not buy any art supplies with a Warning, Caution, or Danger label -- or a Poison label, of course.

Crayons aren't too complicated -- Crayolas are made out of paraffin wax and pigment, and the label is stuck on with cornstarch and water. There have been a couple scares about lead and asbestos in crayons. I truly believe that the major child craft manufacturers are doing their best with quality control -- any bad toxics incident would put them out of business -- but sometimes things appear where you least expect them. The asbestos was related to a talc used in the crayons; it's debated as to how bad it was, and of course it has been eliminated.

That said, if you can find craft supplies that have few ingredients, and list all of them, they are likely less potentially hazardous than those peddled by the mainstream manufacturers. Beeswax crayons are one example. The trouble is, these "natural" supplies can be quite expensive. I would find them at my local hippie/hipster toy shop, or by searching "natural art supplies for kids" online.

For more details in each category of art supply, our friends at the Washington Toxics Coalition have a handy chart of what to avoid and to choose. They have links to a dough recipe, and finger paint recipes abound on the www, with easy-to-find ingredients and ideas for vegetable-based dyes such as onion skins and beets.
Your idea is a great one, and there's no need for concern, just basic common sense. Don't forget to spend time making art with your niece. Toddlers need companions to encourage, teach, and assist them. And people of all ages need some low-pressure art time.

Artistically,
Umbra

http://www.grist.org/advice/ask/2008/12/15/?source=ask

No More Junk Mail . . . ?

Do you guys know about these? Here are a handful of resources for stopping junk mail from coming to your house. Just think of how much waste is generated by a single credit card company by all those offers.

https://www.41pounds.org/signup/?grist (This one costs $41 but is a great organization.)

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt063.shtm (Free information)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16531776/ (An article with a handful of resources)

Post comments if you know of other good options!

Sustainability 2008: Kindermusik's 2008 Sustainability Report

Get your own - Open publication

We're proud to release our first Sustainability Report!

For 30 years, Kindermusik International has created and brought to classrooms the world over a body of work that has transformed music education and informed teaching methods and parenting skills. Yet we have come to know we have a responsibility beyond the classroom. We want to become a small company that is truly a model for others who seek to make a responsible profit while honoring its people and its planet. We are guided by core values at Kindermusik International, the first of which is “We do what is best for the parent and child.” In these days in which so many companies are focused on the “quick buck,” we consistently strive to make choices for the long term.

Discover more about our commitment to sustainability in our first Sustainability Report (below), detailing our commitment to the environment through measurement, impact reduction, education, and activation.

How do you save 1% on national CO2 emissions and $3 billion in energy costs with the push of a button? According to some studies, just wash in cold!

Here's an easy one!
Molly

* * *

Most of us are unaware of the full extent of energy required to wash our clothes. A staggering 85-90% of this energy is used by the water heater. Only 10-15% actually goes to running the washing machine. A switch of all U.S. washers to cold water would mean a savings of about 30 million tons of CO2 per year.

Water heating accounts for approximately 19 percent of total home energy use, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute.3. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, using less water and using cooler water can both reduce the amount of energy used for washing clothes. (In situations where hot water is necessary, for example, to clean diapers or bedding, just use cold water in the rinse cycle.)

Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3), a national climate campaign sponsored by the Center for a New American Dream, has issued a challenge: Wash at least four out of every five loads of laundry in cold water for a month. Push the "cold/cold" button on your washing machine for 80 percent of the loads you do this month, says C3, and you'll cut 72 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions this month alone.

If you keep washing 80 percent of the loads in cold water for a whole year, you can save more than $60 in energy costs for the year -- or $100 a year if you live in regions with high electricity costs.

If you’re in the market for a new washer or dryer, use Energy Star machines for greater water and energy costs.



Difficulty level: Easy

Material taken from:
http://www.terrapass.com/blog/posts/energy-tip-17-w
http://planetgreen.discovery.com/home-garden/beat-the-heat-wash-in-cold.html

When Times Are Tight...

I can't tell you how many times people have told me some variation of the idea that although they'd love to live more sustainably, they just don't make enough money to buy all those expensive green products. So here's where my eyes cross.

OK. So let's talk for a second.

There are TONS of really lovely organic, green products out there. Tons. And really, they're beautiful. I, personally, am setting up my two-and-a-half-year-old daughter with a twin bed for Christmas, so am deep into shopping for a mattress and bedding. To be honest, I would love to get her an organic mattress and beautiful sheets and blankets that are hand-loomed by Amish farmers and yadda yadda. Between you and me, yeah, I can't afford that. TJ Maxx for the sheets, JC Penney for the mattress, done. So Molly, I'm lost. What's your argument here?

My argument is this:
In times when money is tight - as it is for so many of us at the moment - it's NOT time to put your good green intentions aside, waiting for better days when you can go out and buy all the lovely green products you want, to make the planet a better place. The truth is, despite clever advertising, buying a recycled bottle of something doesn't save the planet. Buying a canvas bag doesn't save the planet. BUYING LESS saves the planet. A little bit.

A couple ways to be both money-conscious AND environment-conscious:

-Stop shopping to feel better. At the risk of sounding preachy, go to the library. Go for a walk. Cook something. Grow something. Paint something. Many of us admit (me, too) that STUFF makes us feel good. We get a secret little thrill when something breaks or runs out because it's just a little bit exciting to get to buy a new one. See if you can find another way to scratch that itch. Your wallet and the planet will both thank you.

-If something breaks, consider fixing it. In the world of Targets and Walmarts, it's sometimes the case that buying a new TV or bike or vacuum is almost the same price as getting an older one repaired. Plus the time and hassle - I mean, do you even know where you would get a TV repaired in your town? Well, here's the challenge: find out. And if you've bought the cheap version of something, fully expecting it to break within a year or two so you can just buy a new one, here's the next challenge: next time, buy a nicer one and keep it for longer.

-Drive less. I won't say much here because you know all about it - and because really, winter's not the time for me to get aggressive about putting people on train platforms. (I live in Chicago, for pete's sake.)

-Use the library! If you're a book-hound or have book-hound kids, you'd probably be astounded to add up your bookstore costs for a year. But hey, remember the library? No kidding - same books - FREE.

-Hand-me-downs. Yup - when times are swell, maybe you're too good for this - but now's a great time to start passing kids' clothes around with your friends or checking out second-hand stores nearby.



Remember, reduce first. Keep track of what you bring INTO your house and just try to bring less. Less packaging (buy bigger), less paper (go digital!), less stuff...

If you must buy something, plan to re-use it, to use it for as long as possible, to buy it used, and to pass it on when you're finished with it rather than throwing it away.

And if you must buy something that will get emptied, used up, and discarded, make it a top priority to buy only things that are (a) made of recycled materials and (b) fully recyclable. Both, if possible. I'll post more some other time on reading labels on bottles, jars, etc. so you know you're not getting duped - but the very short version of recycling-savvy is that the only items that are easily recycled and recyclable are #1 and #2. Steer clear of #7 - it is not recyclable. #3-#6 depends on where you live.

But now I'm off topic.

The point is: being truly friendly to the environment, if that's what you want, isn't to buy a cute dragonfly notebook with recycled paper and brown cardboard cover, or pottery barn sheets with 10% recycled content. The truly friendly choice is to write on the back of some of the hundreds of sheets of office paper you recycle or discard every day, or to hang onto your current sheets just a little bit longer.

Bottom line: A tight economy really doesn't have to mean you put your green goals on the back burner. Think green the next time you're doing your checkbook/credit card/budget mantra, "reduce, reduce, reduce".