The Green Life

Did you know, the food industry is responsible for 1/3 of all global greenhouse emissions? The industry is a culprit of 3 major emissions: carbon dioxide via transportation and processing of food products, methane from livestock, and nitrous oxide due to various agricultural practices. We get to vote for elected officials in the ballot box but we also get the change to vote with our wallets. The items we consume send a loud and clear message to producers. Every meal you eat makes a statement.

Low Carbon Diet Tips:

1. Love Leftovers:

Food waste dumped into the landfill causes the release of methane, a greenhouse gases 23 times more potent than carbon dioxide. So heed your mom's advice and don't waste food! This doesn't mean you always need to be a member of the clean plate club. Getting creative with leftovers is a great way to save our lovely planet and save some green in your wallet.  Check out the NYTimes Bitten blog's leftover ideas here.

2. Think Season and Region:

Local, in season foods are typically the best low carbon choice. Your local farmers market in a great option in the summertime. As for food shopping in the winter, try to do your best to decrease your intake of tropical fruits, tomatoes, cucumbers, and lettuce. All of these foods have high levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

3. Skip the Beef and Cheese:

18% of the world's greenhouse gas emissions come courtesty of livestock production. Health and carbon wise these two foods should be eaten minimaly.

4. Pass on Processed and Packaged:

Processed and packaged food require a lot of energy to be produced. Do your best to elimanate the unnecessary waste. Lately I have been bringing my own jars and bags to Whole Foods to stock up on nuts and granola.

Bottom line? Nobody, and no diet is perfect. Do your best to factor in the carbon impact of your food choices next time you pick up groceries. The little improvements we can all make add up.

Want More? Here are some GREAT sites for learning more on low carbon diets:

http://planetgreen.discovery.com/food-health/experience-season-food-2.html?campaign=daylife-article

http://www.eatlowcarbon.org/

http://www.circleofresponsibility.com/

'Coal Country' Poses the Biggest Obstacle in Senate Climate Debate NYTimes

Recycling is a pretty basic aspect of being green. Like so many things in life recycling can be a pain at first but once you get in the habit you'll wonder why you didn't start earlier (hello dieting, quitting smoking, paying bills on time....the list of vices goes on). Recycling allows us to take an object at the end of its useful life and reuse all or part of it to make something else. Essentially the consumerism version of reincarnation.

Earth 911 has a great search engine to find all the info on household recycling in your state. Click here to get started. No, really. Do it now.

Environmentalists have always known that biking is a great form of eco friendly transportation. From small towns to big cities bikers can be seen careening through the streets burning only calories. In these economic times biking has become increasingly popular and today the NYTimes style section explores the stylish side of biking. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/16/fashion/16CODES.html  

To keep your metabolism rev-ed up nutritionists advise eating small meals every 4-5 hours. An energy bar and piece of fruit is my go-to snack around 3pm and right now my bar of choice is Cliff Bar's Z Bar for Kids. The organic bar is a powerhouse and meets all my criteria: tasty, filling, made with wholesome goodness, inexpensive, and low calorie/low fat. Nutritionally, this 120 calorie bar has 3g of fat, protein, and fiber. It also has vitamins A,C, and B as well as calcium, and iron. Clocking in at $0.99 at my local organic market its also deliciously inexpensive.

100% electric Tesla sportscar

A mainstay of America's car culture, the Ford Motor Company recently announced its plans to invest $550 million to turn a factory that previously cranked out large, gas guzzling SUVs into a small-car plant that will produce an all-electric version of the Ford Focus in 2011. The electric Focus will be Ford’s first all-electric passenger car for the mass market. The move represents the massive changes occuring in America's approach to transportation as consumers start to demand fuel-efficient vehicles.

The fated EV1 from GM (the first modern production electric vehicle)

Thomas Friedman's Op-Ed in Sunday's NYTimes presented a great argument for a establishing a fixed, durable price on carbon. As a vote on cap and trade nears in Congress, this timely piece is a great read explaining why a carbon price mechanism is necessary.

Friedman beseeches President Obama to convey the carbon issue to the people with the "passion and clarity needed to move the country." He admits the task will require more than one speech, but gives the President some ideas of where to start:
“My fellow Americans, I want to speak to you about a new economic law. You’ve heard of Moore’s Law in information technology. I’d like to speak to you about the ‘Law of More’ in energy technology. Americans, Indians, Chinese, Africans, we all want more — more comfort in our homes, more mobility in our lives, more technologies with which to innovate. But there is only one way all 6.3 billion of us can have more and not make this an unlivable planet, and that is by living our lives and running our businesses in more sustainable ways and properly accounting for it."

Read the entire Op-Ed from the Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, columnist and author here

The New York Times Home&Garden section has a great slideshow of Petz Scholtus' green apartment. Scholtus is an eco-product designer in Barcelona and has completely renovted her 18th-century apartment into a green machine. Get a peek inside her place here

Give and Get back. Celebrate today by doing something good for our planet and then treating youself to an Earth Day freebie.

Participating Ben&Jerry's Scoop Shops are offering A free ice cream cone.

Bring 3 bottles to a Disney Store and receive a free, unspecified gift.

Canadian coffee drinkers can enjoy a free cup of black gold from Starbucks if they bring in their own travel mug.

O'Charley's is giving away a free Strawberry Lemonade.

Aveeno is holding a drawing for free Aveeno Envirosax reusable cotton bags and samples of its Nourish+ shampoo and conditioner. It will also donate $10 to Global Green USA for each prize given away.

The online site Grist is giving away a free download of the book "Wake Up and Smell the Planet."

Today is the 39th year of environmentalism and activism for Earth Day. Here are some quick facts on the green holiday.

1. Since 1970, the amount of greenhouse gases emitted in America has increased 75 percent. We also have more than twice as many cars on the road (but those cars have gotten more efficient).
2. Earth Day isn't just an American designation. It's celebrated by 175 countries worldwide.
3. The first Earth Day kicked off a decade filled with environmental action. Later that year, the EPA was founded. Many important pieces of environmental legislation were passed that year, among them: Clean Air Act, the Water Quality Improvement Act, the Endangered Species Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act and the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act.
4. Earth Day is a day of service, and a great opportunity to get involved in community clean-up projects. Are you looking for an Earth Day event? Check out the Earth Day Network's directory here.