It’s Blog Action Day again!  Last year I wrote about climate change and this year the theme is WATER.  I don’t know that much about water, but I do know it’s a huge problem in third world countries.  Access to clean water is taken for granted in developed countries, but for much of the world, life isn’t so easy.  In fact, I believe one of the biggest killers in those countries are contaminants in the water that get people sick.   How terrible is that?   So take some time to read more at the BAD site and let’s work to give the world clean drinking water.

Funny, I was just thinking about how I always seem to be the exception and never quite fit into a category. One such case is in eating habits – I’m not a “true” vegetarian, but practically am most of the time. Then I come across this video, talking about breaking down the idea that you either have to be a vegetarian/vegan or a crazy carnivore. I consider myself neither, really. In fact, I like to say I’m a pseudo-vegetarian. I don’t eat meat much but I do have some periodically. And so now, a new breed of vegetarians can emerge, treating their eating habits sort of like a job… meanwhile, I think I’ll stick to my own brand of “vegetarianism.”

One of my fraternity brothers shared this link today, which I thought was a compelling image.  It takes you to a map displaying the approximate area of the spill, then allows you to overlay that to whatever area you want, just to see how much it would cover if it was in your city!  Here’s a look at LA (click to see a larger image):

One of the newest trends in eco-friendly products are these fun cards made from recycled paper pressed with seeds.  I’d assume they’re printed with vegetable-based inks.  So you get it, read it, enjoy it, then plant it!  Cool, huh?  There are a variety of wildflower seeds embedded into the sheets, so you never know what you’ll get.  It’s a nice way of disposing of paper products, letting them biodegrade as they give life to plants.

My favorite gas station is the BP Helios House on Robertson & Olympic in Beverly Hills.  Why?  Because it’s futuristic and as eco-friendly as a gas station could really be.  A bit of a conundrum, I guess, but it fascinates me with its energy-efficient lighting and environmental tips.  One of the things they have is a panel of postcards, each with a tip for greening your life.  When I was there not long after its opening, I grabbed a few of these.  Years later, I am finally putting them to use.

This image inspired me to try skipping the soil and see how it comes to life.

I’ve begun the planting process for one of the cards, so I thought I’d do some research on how to take care of them and get them to grow.  As I was doing that, I came across these pictures that got me excited for when the seeds blossom!  I’m also going to try soaking a sheet just in water until it sprouts.  Hope that works… good thing I have eight sheets to play around with.

A forest of sprouts! (Photograph used by permission from Botanical PaperWorks Inc. http://www.botanicalpaperworks.com)

The hard thing is that my office is so shaded from sunlight that I can’t keep them indoors, yet it’s been very windy outside and there aren’t really any places to put it.  I tried keeping it out by the plants today, but the wind kept drying it out.  I brought it inside at the end of day and hopefully tomorrow will be a milder day.  Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast this week, so we’ll see how that pans out. I’ll post a photo blog on it in a few weeks to show the progress!

How often do you replace your toothbrushes?  If you listen to your dentist, you probably do every three months or so, which means you go through three or four a year.  At that rate, Americans would be producing far more than the 50 million pounds of waste per year we already do from throwing those little guys away.  Since toothbrushes are inherently in need of replacing periodically, how do you avoid the waste issue?

Well, why not try Recycline’s Preserve toothbrush?

First of all, their handles are entirely made from recycled yogurt cups saved from ending up in landfills.  It’s free of BPA and the bristles are brand new, so you can rest assured it is safe to put in your mouth.  They consulted dentists to come up with the curved handle to help you reach those tricky places at just the right angles.  The tiered bristles are designed to fit around your teeth and gently massage your gums.  You have a choice of Ultra Soft, Soft, and Medium stiffness for the bristles, depending on your sensitivity.  Preserve toothbrushes also come in delicious colors such as Berry Red, Eggplant, and Pear Green.

Besides that, they come in a reusable travel case, complete with ventilation holes!  The case is made from wood-based plastic from renewable forests so you can feel good about using them too.  Once your toothbrush has reached the end of its effectiveness, you can send it back to Recycline in a postage-paid envelope.  Their partner company will recycle it for you and make plastic lumber for park benches, picnic tables, and boardwalks.  Rest assured that your environmental impact is minimized and every effort is made to keep plastic out of landfills!  If you like, you can even purchase a subscription to their toothbrushes and get a new one sent to you every three months, along with an envelope to send back your used one.

So, the next time you’re looking for a replacement toothbrush, think Preserve.  You’ll responsibly minimize your environmental impact associated with dental hygiene and even enjoy a better clean!  It’s truly “Nothing wasted.  Everything gained.™”  What’s not to love?

[written for OppGreen Insights]

A few nights ago, I went to a screening of HOME, a film by Yann Arthus-Bertrand.  It’s a film that brings to light many environmental issues surrounding the planet.  It has such spectacular graphics that sometimes it doesn’t feel real.  Plus, you’re seeing things from a bird’s eye view (or, more accurately, a hot air balloon’s eye view), which is rather unique in itself.  Such images are striking possibly purely because of the difference in perspective you get.  Whatever the case, the beauty of the film is undeniable and the message it spreads is powerful.  In fact, you should go see it yourself - it’s free to the world!

The bit that struck me the most was when it said that Dubai has just about as much sunlight as you can ever hope for, yet not a single solar panel.  It’s not really something that I had thought of before, but it’s ironic, isn’t it?  The great thing about films like these is that they not only inform you and teach you, they make you think.  They don’t always have the answers for you, but they bring about certain issues that are important to consider.  Just by starting conversations and getting people aware of things they should consider, they’re making a vital contribution towards the betterment of this world.  In addition to learning that tidbit, the film also showed me an area (I believe it was in Germany) that has solar panels covering the rooftops.  If a place like that with less sunlight can take advantage of the energy provided by the sun, why aren’t the countries closer to the equator and with far stronger sunshine following suit?

It’s truly a fantastic film that should be shared with the world.  By making it free, what better way to spread it far and wide?  That is his goal, and he has been traveling all over the planet to promote the film, answer questions at screenings, and generate the sort of momentum we must gather to turn the environmental movement into something that will truly change the world.  We are changing for the better, but not fast enough.  It’s not too late to right some of the many wrongs that have happened, but all too soon it could be.  Hence, it’s important that we take action now, in a way that we haven’t been.  Copenhagen was disappointing in the lack of unity between countries and that NEEDS to change.  We’re the first and only species that has ever done so much harm to the very environment we live in.  Are we set on self-destruction?!

I hope not.  Which is why I appreciate efforts like these to get people to take charge of the future and make this world better, not worse.  And for those who laugh and make fun of the environmentalists out there… well, you can be the ones to blame when our progeny no longer have a safe planet to live on.  That’s just a lose-lose situation for us all.  It’d be pitiful for a “great” population such as ours to contribute to our own undoing.  So much for being superior.  Ultimately, the film ended by saying that “it’s too late not to be optimistic” and I think that’s true.  If we give up hope, all is lost and we destroy so much beauty and wonder.  So, we have no choice but to put our hearts and souls into saving the future of the planet and believe that we can.  I certainly believe we can.  Now, will we?

photo credit: Chris Doolittle

Firefighters in California have adopted a fire suppression policy for over a century now, which works very effectively in the underbrush type fires of Northern California, but do very little to stop the brush type fires of Southern California.  In fact, wildfires are still occurring increasingly year after year, with over 99% of the ones in coastal Southern California started by human activity.  It’s not just an issue of how we fight the fires; it’s how we prepare ourselves to prevent the fires.

Much of the problem arises with urban sprawl.  As our communities push further out into the undeveloped land surrounding us, we not only put ourselves at risk of being in the path of a wildfire, we are more in danger of starting them.  Since fires are something humans feel they can control, more or less, there is often a misconception that we can just stop the unwanted ones from happening.  However, that is not the case, especially since our homes are teeming with highly flammable materials, including the very palm trees swaying our backyards.  Fires are bound to break out, whether caused by humans or nature.

So, we should follow Dr. Jon E. Keeley’s advice: think of wildfires like we do of earthquakes.  We certainly don’t go around trying to patch up the San Andreas Fault, and neither should we try to stop all the brushfires from igniting.  As a matter of fact, in a study conducted by Keeley and Fotheringham in 2000, they found that chaparrals (native plants in Southern California) need periodic wildfires to help their seedlings grow!  It’s actually the smoke and chemicals from charred wood that allow the seeds of chaparral to germinate, otherwise they lay dormant.

Chapparals have adapted to the wildfires that swept the area every decade or two and now need them to continue to survive.  That’s not to say that the increased frequency of wildfires is a good thing, though!  When fires occur too frequently, native chaparrals die before they get a chance to recover and soon the hillsides are replaced by non-native weeds and dry vegetation.  These new plants are far less resistant to burning, increasing the frequency of fires, which spread to kill off even more native plants.  And thus the cycle continues, to the point that of the nine megafires (fires that burned more than 100,000 acres) in the past century, half occurred in just the last six years.

So how should we deal with the wildfires?  Well, to start off with, it would be smart to NOT build homes and developments in high-risk areas, which experts have identified.  Then, for those homes that are already on the fringe of wild land, clear out the vegetation in a 100-yard radius.  Also, homeowners should be cognizant of the materials in and around their homes.  Palm trees in particular are dangerous because they are extremely flammable.  Embers flying from a burning palm tree in your yard could then ignite a fire on nearby structures.  Finally, we should accept that wildfires are part of the cycle of life for our local vegetation and have a plan like we do for earthquakes.

To learn more, check out Dr. Keeley’s Oppenheim Lecture Series presentation.

I’m an advocate.  Of what?  Well, anything that I like!  I’m not the type of consumer who happily uses products without sharing with friends and family.  In fact, I’m often selling them on certain brands and converting them to what I enjoy.  It ranges from free things to useful things to just plain cool things.  It’s often in technology or green products, but could be in anything that has caught my attention (take a look at my wishlist and sharelist).  In the coming weeks I want to start a series of posts showcasing some of these products and services I like best.  And perhaps, just perhaps, you’ll be convinced too.  :-P  I’m just sayin’…