down:2:earth

We moved our blog

2008-11-26T12:01:00.003-05:00

We have integrated our blog with our site - so you can now keep up with what we are doing at www.d2eboston.com/blog.

There is already a new post there for this week!

Next week we will have some website updates and the following week we will have a special announcement. So stay tuned!

What to do with old meds?

2008-11-18T10:00:00.002-05:00

Unwanted medications can contaminate drinking water. (Photo courtesy NOAA)

A friend of mine asked this question and I did not have an answer. There have been very few times when I have needed prescription medication, so this is an issue that I have not had to consider. Then today I came across an article on the Sundance Channel website.

"Many people may not be aware that improperly disposing of prescription or over-the-counter drugs, such as flushing them down the toilet, contributes to pharmaceuticals found in our waterways," said Mayor Richard Daley (of Chicago), announcing the new drop boxes on November 1.
– The Sundance Channel

This is great for Chicago - but what about everywhere else?

I did a little poking around on google and found an interesting article on medicinenet.com. Apparently there are studies going on to determine the effects of Prozac on fish...

Wisegeek.com recommends you call your pharmacist. They often have take-back programs or will know of how you can dispose of them.

I called the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy to see what they recommend but after speaking with two people that had no idea, leaving a message and not getting a call back. I suggest you call your local pharmacy to get the answer.

As my friend Aniko says, "I don't want to find out my old medicine is making fish grow three eyes." Or being treated for a depression that they did not know they had.

Save money if you can!

2008-11-13T21:10:00.000-05:00

Home Improvements: Energy savings with Tax deductions. Find out what you can take advantage of in 2009

I just found some information on how to save tax money in 2009. These types of incentives are great - but I was bummed to realize that both Betty and I have made some home improvements in 2008 that will not qualify. Dang-it! Ted did a big insulation and roofing job this year, and Betty installed new windows. But since the work was done in 2008 we don't qualify for the savings. When every dollar counts, this one hits hard.

I pulled this information from a blog called The Daily Green. Ted and I need to sit down and plan for 2009 so that we can maximize our efforts. We have many plans for solar, wind and green roofing. But all of these efforts require time and money. (Ted is in construction, so we usually handle our own home improvements.)

The information below is bitter sweet. Glad to see there are incentives, but really bummed that I can't take advantage of them because I acted too soon.

$500 for energy efficiency
If you can, wait until Jan. 1 to install new insulation, energy-efficient windows or an energy-efficient furnace, boiler or air conditioner.
A tax credit of up to $500 that expired in 2007 has been renewed for 2009. It covers up to 10% of the cost of a range of projects that meet certain specifications. Do $5,000 worth of qualifying work, and you not only get a $500 rebate, but also savings on energy bills for years to come.

Why wait? Of course, the heating season begins before Jan. 1, giving homeowners facing a northern winter reason to invest now — but because Congress had let the tax credit lapse, work done in 2008 doesn't qualify.

Also note these important limits, which cap the amount you can claim for any particular project:

Windows: $200
Exterior doors, roofing or insulation: $500
Most heating, ventilation and air-conditioning improvements: $300
Furnaces or hot water heaters: $150

We want to learn more about how homeowners can retro-fit their homes to be more sustainable without breaking the bank. If you have information on this - a website to share - or know of a person that can address this topic, please share. We are looking for speakers and this is a great topic to cover.

Localvore Thanksgiving - taking it old school

2008-11-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Above: Gardens at Fresh Pond, Cambridge. I pass these on my bike ride to work. I don't have a green thumb, so I depend on Farmers Markets, Harvest Coop and Trader Joes to get local, organic and fair trade items.

This Thanksgiving I am hosting my family, so I'm looking into some good Localvore recipes. Besides not having a green thumb, my culinary experience is quite limited so I'm looking for some simple recipes. Below are a few I found on the Sustainable Rutland blog - up in Rutland VT.

I'm all pumped up after visiting the farmer's market this morning. I must be hitting middle age.

LOCALVORE CRANBERRY SAUCE
1 cup Vermont Cranberry company cranberries
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup maple syrup
Cook carefully for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries "pop".
Cool to room temperature and serve.

LOCALVORE ROASTED VEGETABLES
Local Potatoes (cubed)
Local Parsnips (cut into chunks)
Local Garlic (whole cloves, or if too large, cut in half or thirds)
Local Onions (cubed)
Local Carrots (cut into chunks)
Local Butternut Squash (peeled and cubed)

Combine all vegetables in a roasting pan. Toss with melted local butter (or oil), and salt and pepper. Roast at 375 degrees until all vegetables are soft but not mushy (30-40 minutes, depending on size of pieces).

MASHED POTATOES
Use your favorite traditional mashed potato recipe using locally grown potatoes, local milk (or cream) and butter. Add locally grown roasted garlic, if desired.

SWEET POTATOES
Use your favorite sweet potato recipes using locally grown sweet potatoes and maple syrup instead of sugar.

BACON, APPLE AND FENNEL STUFFING
From Bon Appétit, November 2008

1 pound local bacon slices, coarsely chopped
10 cups local bread, cubed in 1” pieces
2 3/4 cups (or more) chicken broth, divided
1/4 cup local butter
4 cups finely chopped local onions
6 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled cored sweet-tart local heirloom apples
2 cups finely chopped fresh local fennel bulbs
1 cup finely chopped celery or celeriac
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 large local eggs, beaten to blend
2/3 cup chopped fresh local parsley, divided

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread bread cubes on 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Toast until light golden and crisp around edges, about 20 minutes. Cool completely.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine bacon and 4 cups water in large saucepan; bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer 10 minutes.

Drain, discarding liquid. Place bacon in large roasting pan. Pour 2 cups chicken broth over. Roast until broth evaporates and bacon begins to crisp around edges, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and 1 cup water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until water evaporates, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low; sauté until onions are soft, about 5 minutes longer.

Remove roasting pan with bacon from oven; reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Mix cooked onions, apples, fennel, and celery into bacon in roasting pan. Roast until apples and all vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Cool slightly. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store toasted bread in large resealable plastic bags. Chill bacon-apple mixture uncovered until cool, then cover and keep chilled. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before continuing.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2- inch glass baking dish. Combine toasted bread, 3/4 cup chicken broth, and bacon apple mixture in very large bowl. Mix in 1 teaspoon coarse salt and 3/4 teaspoon pepper. Mix in eggs, then 1/2 cup parsley. Add more chicken broth by 1/4 cupfuls if mixture is dry. Transfer to prepared dish. Cover dish with buttered foil; bake 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until top is browned, about 30 minutes longer. Sprinkle with remaining parsley.

KALE WITH SAUTÉED APPLE AND ONION
From Gourmet, December 2000

1 tart local apple
2 tablespoons local butter
1 medium local onion, cut into 1/4-inch wedges
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1 lb local kale, tough stems and ribs removed and leaves coarsely chopped
1/2 cup water

Peel, quarter, and core apple, then cut into 1/4-inch-thick wedges.

Heat butter in a 5-quart pot over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then sauté onion, stirring occasionally, until golden. Add apple and curry powder and sauté, stirring, until apple is almost tender, about 2 minutes.

Add kale and water and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until kale is tender and most of liquid is evaporated, about minutes.

Season with salt.

ENJOY! And as we all should do every day, let's count our blessings.

Reducing my impact, one habit at a time

2008-10-27T09:00:00.000-04:00

Above: Two weeks worth of recycling and trash. Since we have been composting, our trash bag has been reduced to half of a kitchen bag every two weeks. There is always room for improvement, but this reduction is significant.

In the wave of environmental awareness that washed over the US after An Inconvenient Truth I was one of the many that realized I should be aligning my actions with my values. I have always considered myself an environmentalist, but it was clear that I had more to learn and I would have to change some habits.

We have stated on this blog the importance of tackling one habit at a time. I have found that it takes me about three months to make a complete transformation from one habit to another. So I average about four habits a year. Below is a list of the habits I have changed this past year:

1. Reusable mug and fair trade for the coffee addict.
I started using my reusable mug for coffee runs - no more paper cups allowed. At the D2E office we buy only fair trade coffee and we make our own more often than we run out to the coffee shop. This has saved us a lot of money as well, which is a bonus for a small business. We love the New Mexico coffee from Trader Joe's and of course we run to the farmers market regularly to get our fix of Equal Exchange.

2. No more bottled water
I have a Shaklee water filter at home so I can feel good about drinking the tap water, and I have a Soda Club seltzer maker since my husband and I are addicted to bubbly water. I stopped buying bottled water and use my reusable metal bottles when I need to have water on-the-go. I have a small one that is easy to keep in my purse and a larger one that I bring with me on trips.

3. BYOB - Bring Your Own Bag
This one took some time. I now have multiple reusable bags that I keep for my shopping needs.

- I keep a bag that folds up into a little zipper pouch in my purse for unexpected purchases.
- I keep four bags at my apartment, two at my office and two in the trunk of my car. People that use their cars often will probably keep more bags in their car, since they will drive to the grocery store. I tend to shop at lunch time and I only buy for two meals at a time, for only two people. So I can get away with one or two bags that I can carry on the bus or in my messenger bag when on my bike.

Once you figure out your system - how many bags you need and where you keep them - this habit is very easy to keep. Since every time you use reusable bags at the grocery store, you are a walking advertisement for environmentalism, there is a bit of public pride that goes along with it. People often say to me "Oh, you are so good. I find it so hard to remember to bring a bag." and I always reply "One habit at a time. Don't be too hard on yourself, and give yourself a few months to change one habit." On the days that I don't have enough bags for my groceries or if I did forget to bring my bag, I get a paper bag so that I can use it to hold my paper recycling. There is an arguement about paper vs. plastic that is worth investigating. Each time I read about the bag issue, it just makes me realize how important it is that I bring my own bag.

4. Waste, Compost and Recycling
I have always recycled, so this was not a habit that I had to pick up. But I did start to look at what I was recycling and ask myself if I could change my purchasing habits so that I would not have the packaging that needed to be recycled. For instance - buy more fresh fruit and vegetables rather than frozen or canned. The great thing about this habit is that besides cutting down on packaging materials, I am also getting healthier food and supporting our local farmers.

I started composting and this has significantly reduced the amount of garbage that goes to our curbside. The photo above is what our curbside looks like every two weeks. We have significantly reduced the amount of trash we generate. We don't have to put the trash out every week. I highly recommend this. It really feels great.

5. Food
This one was tough for me and I am still working on it. I have been running my own business since 2001 and in the first three years I did not have much time for cooking. So I got into the habit of getting take-out or eating at the bar of a local watering hole. Besides the health and weight issues associated with this, I was spending way too much money on my meals. So I have spent the past year working on my cooking skills. I shop at the farmers market or walk down the road to Trader Joes during lunch. This has helped since it doesn't take time out of my day, and once I have purchased the fresh produce I am committed to cooking it. There is nothing worse than good food gone bad.

- Shop for produce and fruit at your local farmers' market. Many farmers' markets also have cheese, meat and baked goods.
- Look for grass fed, free range and organic labels (this labeling/certification is not perfect, but it is a good start and it encourages our food industry to recognize that consumers demand quality)
- Pay attention to where the food comes from - Local is always better.
- Pay attention to the packaging. Less is more.

6. Eco Clothes shopping
This one is another ongoing effort. I wear clothes every day, so I consider fashion an important way to express my values. Thanks to D2E I have found some great local stores that buy only from sustainable brands or local designers. This makes shopping easier since I do not always have time to sift through the clothing racks looking for organic cotton or bamboo. Besides that, there is more to the equation than just using non toxic and renewable fabrics. The company should have an invested interest in fair manufacturing practices. The communities that labor to make our clothes, whether they are in Los Angeles or Nicaragua, should be fairly compensated. The clothing industry should be a positive part of their local economy.

You will find a lot of great fashion companies at D2E who can educate you on the materials they use and the manufacturing standards they demand. All of our exhibitors care about the earth's resources and the people that help them manufacture their clothes (worth investigating: ENVI, IBEX, Jute & Jackfruit, Helen E Reigle, Tara Lynn, Del Forte jeans and COVET).

Some simple guidelines that I have adopted:
1. Think before you buy. Do you really need this garment?
2. Buy quality clothing that will last. Get away from purchasing cheap garments that start to deteriorate after a few washes or quickly go out of style.
3. Renewable and non toxic materials: Bamboo, Organic Cotton, Tencil, wool, hemp
4. Second hand shopping or trading with friends. Afterall, one woman's trash is another woman's ball gown.
5. I use non toxic, gentle laundry detergent from Shaklee to wash my clothes. I am more selective about what clothes go into the washing machine and/or dryer and I take good care of my delicates.

The fashion issue is so big, that even after making efforts to educate myself and shop wise over the past two years, I still feel there is much more to learn. I have learned that the leather used for boots and shoes has the largest impact in the whole process. Transportation from one country to another has a minimal impact compared with feeding the livestock, the methane that cows emit and the manufacturing process to turn a hide into a boot. I'm not sure if faux leather is better than real leather - this needs to be investigated. I'm plagued by doubts - it aint easy being a conscious consumer, but it is necessary.

I hope sharing my venture into a sustainable lifestyle can help others make changes. We are all in it together, and our purchasing power is one way we can make a difference.

Policies for our future

2008-10-22T08:23:00.006-04:00

Sometimes we have to be told what to do. As stated in earlier posts, we are learning how important policy is to our future. And though responsible businesses are taking the lead, we need policy to make everyone play nice in the sandbox.

Since it is difficult for the normal person, busy trying to make a living, to keep up with what is going on in our local governments, D2E is working to organize a panel discussion on policy. We want to create a forum for citizens to listen to and speak with their policy makers. The goal is to shed light on how our government can help us move faster towards a more sustainable world. Town, city, state, national and international policy makers have to step up to the plate and help us move forward. What have we done? What are we in the process of doing? And what should we do? Unfortunately the US is behind the game compared with other developed countries, but I have faith that we can catch up.

In today's Globe I read an article by Erin Ailworth:

Under an ordinance set to be considered by Boston city councilors today, commercial waste haulers could lose their licenses if they don't offer recycling services to customers. .... "If there's an area that we can improve in, it would be recycling," said City Councilor Michael P. Ross, who drafted the proposal.

Go Michael! I love hearing that elected officials are taking their responsibilities seriously. This is great news. Our cities have to make these rules, otherwise it might never happen.

My Sweet 16 Bicycle

2008-10-20T09:00:00.001-04:00

Isn't she a beauty. My parents gave me this bike on my sixteenth birthday. It was by far, the best bike I had ever owned. I realized immediately that I would have to enter some races and go on some long distance rides. It would be a shame not to. It is a Schwinn Superior with Campy parts - 12 speeds - super light - I love it. I declared then that I would never get rid of this bike. It would be a family heirloom.

This past summer a friend gave my old bike a new purpose. I needed a good commuter bike so we put on new pedals, handle bars and a seat. I have been riding an old 3 speed to work - from Arlington to the Back Bay. On the old bike, it would take me 1.25 hours to get to work. This past Friday I made it to work in 45 minutes. So 23 years after receiving this bike, I'm back on it and loving life.

Quality = Longevity

Vermont was green before green was cool

2008-10-17T09:59:00.008-04:00

Though we normally blog about changing habits, great sustainable businesses and organizations that are making a difference – this is a little human interest entry from the office of D2E.

Like all small business owners, we never stop working. Even while we are relaxing over the weekend we will be reading up on the latest sustainable topics or reviewing blogs and talking to people about our mission. On Sunday Oct 5, during the 50 states in 50 days tour, Good Morning America came to Killington, VT. Ted and I spend a lot of time up in Vermont, so when we heard that this was happening we decided to try our first attempt at Guerilla marketing. What the heck? Right? My grandfather's voice was in the back of my head saying "There aint no free lunches Missy" but I shrugged if off for the excitement and rush of my smiling face and our website being on the screen while America watches the weather report.

So we made a sign - a simple sign - that had the D2E website url on it, and nothing more. I figured that if someone was going to get a glance of it, it should be clear and to the point. I don't watch much TV myself, so I was not sure what size the sign should be... I realized upon arrival that we had made the muthuh of all signs. It was big.

I was able to get into the front row of people that would be standing behind Marisol the weather woman. I decided to use the small sign, since I was up front - and Ted took the big sign to the back. I could see my sign in the monitor that was facing us, so I was sure that I was successful. I strategically put my sign right next to the little girl next to me, thinking the camera would be attracted to her cute face. Reveling in my success, I easily ignored the pain in my knees from kneeling on jagged rocks for an hour while we waited for the two minutes of live TV that we had.

After the weather report, I met up with Ted again only to learn that he was in the back of the crowd with our big sign, holding it above people's heads while they were filming. Apparently he was doing this while they asked us to keep our signs down, so he was scolded and asked to leave. Ted started to really like this guerilla marketing stuff.

In the end, we did not get on national television. They cropped us out! The nerve. But all was not in vein, we did make it to the front page of the Rutland Herald in VT. : )

Considering this was our first attempt we felt that it was a success and it definitely was good fun. The whole crew at GMA was great and Wendy, the producer of the Vermont segment, did a great job. I think they enjoyed their time at the peak as well.

On another note, one of my fellow sign holders was wearing a beautiful IBEX jacket.

MEET JOHN BASSETT: John Bassett Recycled Glass

2008-10-06T10:00:00.000-04:00

John Bassett will tell you he’s fascinated by light, structure, line, texture, balance, and color … in that order. Growing up in a family of both artists and thinkers, it’s not surprising that he can articulate his creative process in such exacting terms. What might surprise people is that he can also beautifully articulate what he does for an audience of five-year-olds. And for someone who has recently exhibited his work at the Children’s Museum, he’s has a lot of practice doing just that!

Big question first: So what are you doing to reduce your global footprint?
I make art from recycled stuff.

That works! Now, onto what we’re all wondering: How do you explain your profession to a five year old?
“I melt bottles and make things for people to look at.”

Have you always been a glass artist?
No, I actually worked most of my life as a carpenter, but I’ve been doing glass since 1979.

What is it about glass that you find so interesting?
I’m happiest in the rich, associative world of recycled glass and other found objects. I find myself focused on that most conventional quality of glass—its transparency.

Any early influences?
I was a kid who drew and painted. My uncle, Richard Bassett was a painter, but I think it was really my grandmother’s gardener who was my biggest influence. His name was Joseph LeBeau. Today, he might be considered a “naïve artist.” He also made fantastic, wonderful moving toys for kids using brightly painted Popsicle sticks and discarded lumber. He gave them all away. I have only a very small toy he made and don't know if there are any others left. I think the kids who enjoyed his toys were the only people who appreciated what Joseph made.

That seems sad.
Joseph LeBeau's story isn't really sad, I think. He was loved and is still remembered by me and probably by his family and a few other kids. A lot has changed for the better since the 1940's and 50's when he made his toys. People have learned to see and to value naive artists and the things—buildings, signs, manufactured stuff—we see every day. And people have also learned to value kids’ art. I remember when I was an architecture student about 1963 going into a public elementary school in Cambridge and asking for kids drawings and paintings. Teachers were surprised by my interest and many didn’t save the art—and neither did the kids. That wouldn't happen today.

I’ll bet Joseph be happy that kids are enjoying you’re work.
I think he would!

Visit John at www.basglas.com.

Interview by Anna Goldsmith of the Hired Pens.

My own backyard oracle

2008-09-29T10:00:00.005-04:00

MARGERIE - My backyard compost bin, not to be confused with a big black silo.

I can remember watching Fraggle Rock when I was a kid. I loved Margerie the trash heap oracle. My mom had a compost pile in the back yard that we lovingly named Margerie, after the wise advisor. When I left for college in 1987 Margerie was but a fond memory. I lived in the greater Washington DC area, and we did not have a compost pile. I did not realize then how hip my mom was - quite ahead of the curve. It was not until 1996, when I attended graduate school in Switzerland that I encountered another compost. I lived in an 8 story apartment building in Basel and there was a compost area in the back garden that all residents could share.

I was amazed at how little trash my roommate and I accumulated. We were keenly aware of this because the Swiss collect their trash collection taxes from the sales of their state trash bags. So, in order to get your trash picked up at your doorstep, you must purchase trash bags with the official state seal. These are more costly than plain trash bags - which encourages you to produce less waste. BRILLIANT!

We only bought the small trash bags, which are about half the size of a typical American kitchen trash bag. We put out one of these small bags a month. All of our fruit and veggie scraps would go to the compost and all of our bottles, cans and paper would be recycled. I am not sure if there was less packaging in Europe, or if I was just too broke to buy items that have packaging. My purchases mainly consisted of food, beverage and train tickets.

Now that I am living in the Boston area and trying to live as sustainable as possible, I have installed a compost bin in my backyard. For those of you that do not have yard space, there are some great indoor compost options to explore, like these from Nature Mill.

And check out this info supplied by Nature Mill:

The Biodegradable Irony

Food and paper decompose by themselves in nature. They are, however, the two largest components in landfills, accounting for nearly 50% of all municipal solid waste. There is more food and paper in landfills than diapers, styrofoam, and tires — combined. According to the US EPA, food waste is the #1 least recycled material.

Landfills are layered deep and saturated with water. No oxygen can penetrate. As a result, even "biodegradable" waste will remain embalmed for centuries to come. Landfills produce methane, a harmful greenhouse gas 21 times more potent than carbon dioxide (according to the US EPA), and leach toxic chemicals into our air and drinking water.

Check your local city hall to see if they sell compost bins - or visit Boston Building Materials Coop, located at 100 Terrace Street in Roxbury (near Roxbury Community College). If you don't have a car or can't travel to Roxbury, a great on-line store to visit is The Alternative Energy Store. Have fun greening your home!

Citizen Democracy; taking action

2008-09-22T10:00:00.010-04:00

MY NEIGHBORHOOD - before taking action
(The trash bag is what I used to collect all of the trash)

The more I learn, the less I know. This is part of the curse of working on Down:2:Earth. I keep learning about more issues that inspire me to change. And change is something we humans don't do so easily. As I have said on earlier posts, I have found that I am better off focusing on one change at a time. If I try to take on too many at once, I get overwhelmed.

So now I am finally reading Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappe, who was one of our keynote speakers from D2E 2008. One of the topics she brings up is Citizen Democracy. At first, this sounded like a weight on my shoulders. I thought that she was going to convince me I have to get involved with a political campaign. But as I read on, I was relieved to learn that though she is talking about action, she encourages us all to find our own form of action. I have never been good at following directions, so when someone inspires me to find my own direction I am much more responsive.

I love that she outright said "stop complaining". This inspired me to get up early and walk my neighborhood with a trash bag. For the past few weeks I had been complaining about the litter that was left behind from one of our local church festivals. After one morning of work the litter is gone, and I don't get upset when I take Lucy for her walks. Of course, I am also thinking that though this was a great initial venture into Citizen Democracy, there is more in store for me.

LUCY JOINS ME AS WE FINISH UP OUR CLEANING MISSION

What a bright Idea

2008-09-15T08:00:00.005-04:00

The general public now knows that Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs (CFL) are more energy efficient than traditional incandescent lighting. This is old news. CFL's provide more light with less power, less coal is burned and this means less CO2 is going up into the atmosphere.

But D2E has not devoted a blog entry to these little money savers, so here it is. And to the left is a close up of a CFL in Lorelei's apartment. Below you can see a full photo of the über cool lamp that she found on the sidewalk in Cambridge, with the side table that was also found on the Cambridge sidewalks. This lamp has to be circa 1960. Free-cycled furniture and CFL's, how can you go wrong?

Aside from helping the environment we should note that you can also save money. Although some name brand CFL's are somewhat more costly ranging from $7-$20, in the long run they save you money while helping the environment. If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an ENERGY STAR qualified bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year, more than $600 million in annual energy costs, and prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions of more than 800,000 cars.

There are those skeptics however, that argue that CFL's are just as bad for the environment because they contain Mercury and become hazardous waste once they have served their purpose. (We like skeptics, by the way. Skeptics help us get to the truth.) The National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), suggests that CFLs of 25 watts or less, the equivalent of a 100-watt incandescent bulb — contains no more than 5 milligrams of mercury, the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. Even though the amount is minimal it is vital that these bulbs be disposed of properly.

You can find a location where you can drop off these CFL's here.

If a CFL breaks do not use a vacuum to clean up the mess, and

Ventilate the room by closing all interior doors and opening all exterior doors or windows to the outside.
Remove all materials you can by wearing disposable gloves and scooping up the glass and powder with a stiff paper or cardboard. You can then pick up smaller fragments using duct tape. Grab a damp paper towel clean the surface once then clean it again this time adding a dish soap, dry it all up and dispose of the paper towel.
You can pick up a mercury-absorbent container linings for broken CFL's, if and when they are available.

Not all CFL's are the same, they come in many different shapes and sizes and are used for rooms around the house. With the popularity of CFL's and the growing consciousness of the environment there are even newer light bulbs coming out like electron-stimulated luminescene (ESL), so check out your options. If you don't believe in the benefits of using CFL make your own test. I have, so far I haven't found the need to replace any light bulbs I bought the ones I have in March.

This post is courtesey of our wonderful summer intern, Nathalie. We miss her!

To LEED or not to LEED

2008-09-08T09:32:00.011-04:00

We at D2E have been fans of the Forbes Loft project for a while now, so it was great to see this article in the Globe today by Erin Ailworth. Besides outlining all of the innovative features that will help Forbes be a great example of sustainable living, the article also bring up an interesting point about the LEED certification. Though this certification was created to avoid greenwashing and to help consumers identify a real green building from one that just markets itself to be one, Forbes is not going to seek LEED certification. They have decided that they would rather put that money and time into the building and let it speak for itself. Like any new venture in life, there are kinks to be worked out and it seems that LEED has some growing up to do.

"This is, in part, why LEED even exists today," Hicks said. "If you look back in the early '90s, there were all these buildings being built that were saying they were green and all they had were photovoltaics on the roof. And that's not a green building. Green buildings are more comprehensive than that." - Tom Hicks quoted in the Globe article

On the other hand...

Galinsky said the Forbes Park team is "not anti-LEED," but he doesn't believe the project needs the certification. The LEED process can be "slow, confusing, and frustrating," he said, adding costs to a project's bottom line. Galinsky said he would rather use that money on conservation and renewable-energy efforts.

Take a look at this article on Grist.org by Auden Schendler.

We're concerned that LEED has become costly, slow, brutal, confusing, and unwieldy, a death march for applicants administered by a soviet-style bureaucracy that makes green building more difficult than it needs to be, yet has everyone genuflecting at the door to prove their credentials. The result: mediocre "green" buildings where certification, not environmental responsibility, is the primary goal; a few super-high-level eco-structures built by ultra-motivated (and wealthy) owners that stand like the Taj Mahal as beacons of impossibility; an explosion of LEED-accredited architects and engineers chasing lots of money but designing few buildings; and a discouraged cadre of professionals who want to build green, but can't afford to certify their buildings. A growing number of LEED veterans have, or soon will, throw in the towel. LEED is broken. This article explores what went wrong, and begins a discussion of how to fix it.

We are not architects here at D2E. We are critical consumers trying to navigate this gray zone - looking for ways that we can live a more sustainable life. So the complications with LEED certification just make it harder for us. We'd like to think that if a building is deserving of a LEED stamp of approval, it would be easy to aquire. It is unfortunate that this is not the case and this is more reason for us to host D2E. We research each exhibitor and they have to pass our criteria before we allow them to participate. We do the homework for other critical consumers that are busy with their families and jobs, as they should be.

BIG Belly

2008-09-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Last week I grabbed a pizza and headed for Copley Square to enjoy my lunch in front of the park. When I finished my delicious Uppercrust I headed for a trash receptacle and encountered Big Belly!

Big Belly is as friendly as he sounds, being the first Solar Powered Trash Compactor that does exactly that, compresses the garbage thrown into it's belly making room for five times more trash than traditional trash receptacles.

The best part about Big Belly is that he is powered by solar panels when compacting all the trash and he reduces the number of collection trips needed to pick up all trash. This cost effective friendly belly cuts fuel use and greenhouse gas emissions by 80%.

Next time you see Big Belly be sure to feed him trash that his belly can compress!

One step forward, two steps back

2008-09-03T08:22:00.006-04:00

Back in May I wrote an entry about greenwashing. In this entry, I questioned the Sierra Club's criteria for their endorsements, specifically talking about the Chevy Tahoe.

"How is the Sierra Club determining which products to endorse and should we trust them?" – D2E Blog, May 14, 2008

When we saw that the Sierra Club also endorsed Green Works by Clorox, but not any other great cleaning products (like D2E exhibitors Shaklee and Seaside Naturals, or Method or Mrs Meyers) I started to loose faith in their brand. It started to become clear that the Sierra Club was not using their brand as a stamp of approval based on open criteria, but more as a marketing tool.

Don't get me wrong, I am a capitalist 100%. I like to see nonprofits and for profits working together for a common goal. I see all three parts of sustainability as equally important; environment, social and economic. But we have to be transparent about our dealings and the goal is to create a new and improved environment for commerce. At least that is how we see it here at D2E. We see our weekend of exhibitors as the future of business. These people are doing business the way it has to be done in order for us to evolve. (See D2E Criteria here and D2E 2008 footprint here.)

So I was pleased to finally learn some details about the Sierra Club endorsements. Anya Kamenetz lays it out for us in the September issue of Fast Company. I recommend you read the whole article since Kamenetz does a good job reporting. She confirmed my suspicions about the Sierra Club, and she confirmed my belief that consumers are smarter than many marketers think. Apparently the Sierra Club has been taking an undisclosed amount of money from Clorox in exchange for the endorsement, and it made no demands for Clorox to offer recycled packaging or change the environmental profile of any other Clorox products.

"The take-home message for the Sierra Club and other nonprofits may be that they need to draw a careful distinction between two types of nonprofit/for-profit relationships: cause-related marketing and endorsements. .... In endorsement relationships, on the other hand, a group such as the Forest Stewardship Council or the Sustainable Fishery Advocates puts its seal of approval on a product that claims some mission-related benefits. No money should be involved, or that seal isn't going to be worth much." – Fast Company, September 2008

My take on this whole issue is that we are moving one step forward and two steps back. I am happy to see nonprofits working with for profits. But obviously they need to be careful about how they do this. I am also happy that a large company like Clorox is working to create products that are better for the environment and better for people. These large companies can touch more people, thereby expanding the natural market and educating more consumers. There is a moral to learn from the Sierra Club's story, and hopefully it will help us move that one step closer to becoming a sustainable economy.

By the way, in the same issue of Fast Company there is an interview with Jeff Swartz, CEO of Timberland. We are big Swartz fans here. This is a business person that is walking the walk.

When old is new again

2008-08-29T17:01:00.000-04:00

One person's trash is another person's treasure. Sometimes it is a clever designer finding a new use for an old thing - other times it is curb-side shopping, and other times it is passing on your old stuff to organizations that can redistribute it. It's all good.

One of the great things about this blog is that it keeps us actively looking for sustainable businesses, products, organizations, events and news around town. We learn something new each day at D2E and we love sharing it.

Since finding new owners for old goods is clearly sustainable, today we wanted to feature More Than Words. This is a student-run organization that sells donated books. It's simple: you have some old books that are cluttering your home, they can sell them to raise money. High school students learning how to run a business.

Beauty in simplicity.

Embrace the different shades of green

2008-08-26T09:50:00.008-04:00

Some like to hike, others like to bike. Embrace your shade of green and let your friends find their own.

Since the resurgence of environmentalists - shall we say since the premier of An Inconvenient Truth - people have been more actively changing their daily habits. I'll admit that I am one of them. Though I was raised to be aware of politics, care about human rights and be good to the earth, the amount of attention the media has been giving the environment has helped keep me über-aware of my own impact.

So slowly but surely I have been changing my habits. I eat less meat (I am contemplating going back to being a vegetarian, but have not yet made the move). I don't buy bottled water. I use my travel coffee mug religiously. I recycle. I use my own bags for groceries. I ride my bike to work or take public transportation. I am in the process of setting up my compost bin. This compost bin is taking longer than I would like. I seem to be quite tired at the end of each work day and I need to set aside some time to put this together. In the meantime, I will admit that I have been hording veggie scraps in old Chinese take-out plastic containers. I am hiding them from my husband so that he does not get grossed out. So don't tell him.

I have learned that it is easier to change one habit at a time. Taking on too much change all at once can lead to frustration and failure. So once I get the compost bin up and working, my next step is to take on a volunteer job. I am trying to work my schedule so that I can spend some time on ReVision farm. I love what they do, and want to be a part of it.

I am inspired by people every day, and that motivates me to change much more than having someone tisk-tisk me. At this point I would say my shade of green is a sea foam green. I am not a light green, nor am I a grassy green nor a dark emerald green. I have made some great strides in the past year, but I have a way to go.

So back to letting everyone be their own shade of green, Beth Teitell was doing a story for NPR on green shaming/environmental harassment. She called me for some information. I mentioned to her that while attending seminars to learn more about sustainable business people were shaming the fact that we all had to meet instead of having a webinar. I can see their point, but we are human and we still need to interact. There are times when a webinar is appropriate, and there are times when we should meet face-to-face. Anyone that has had to run their own business knows the importance of networking.

You can hear the story, titled "Is an enviromaniac loose in your office?", on
the Marketplace website. Check it out - I'm sure there are many of you out there that can relate.

In the meantime - keep up the good work.

Boston Bikes & Builds Green

2008-08-22T10:48:00.008-04:00

What a beautiful August morning in Boston! I met up with the Bike Friday convoy and biked with the crowd all the way to City Hall Plaza. The weather was perfect, I met lots of other bike enthusiasts and I enjoyed a free bagel, banana and coffee. My convoy started in Lexington and picked up people along the way. We were the largest convoy so we each won a T-shirt. What more could a girl ask for? Well, a photo with the Mayor of course.

Lorelei from D2E with Mayor Menino. I love this guy. Besides all the great work he is doing with Boston Bikes, he is working to make the urban affordable housing green as well. This guy is the real deal.

Erin Ailworth reports in today's Globe:

"The mayor is the leading mayor in the country in the creation of affordable housing," O'Connell said. "And now he has become the leading mayor in the country in the greening of affordable housing."

A big congrats to Nicole Freedman who is heading up Boston Bikes. She organized the event and we had a great turnout this morning. I'm still all pumped up on adrenalin and ready to conquer the work day.

Staycations are hot this summer

2008-08-19T10:28:00.005-04:00

Above: Boston at sunset. Taken from a friend's roof deck. It's always fun to crash friends' houses in different areas of town - just be good and bring a host gift.

When I started my own business my budget was tight, so there was no chance of a big vacation in a far-away exotic place. When I took time off I would venture into Boston or take the bus to NYC for an urban day off, and travel up to VT and NH for hiking and fresh air. I have recently learned that the high price of gas (and therefore air travel) has affected tourism in the US. Staycations, vacations close to home, are in.

After googling staycations I was surprised to see how much chatter is happening about this subject. It really is hot this summer, so there are many resources and opinions out there. The article in the Globe today by Nicole Wong instigated this blog entry and below are some of D2E's favorite local attractions.

D2E list of Boston area stuff-to-do
- Walk Boston
Check out this website to find events that involve walking and Boston. The group has a higher mission to make Boston more walkable, and while doing this they offer some fun Boston walks. It is well worth checking out.

- Boston Public Library
Julie visited the library last night and saw two great exhibits. One on WWI posters and the other was called Movingline. According to Julie it is well worth the visit. The library offers something for everyone, at every age, so definitely check out their website. You will be pleasantly surprised.

- The New England Aquarium
What would a tourist day in Boston be like without a stop at the aquarium? My husband and I like to go on late night urban bike rides and we always stop at the aquarium to say hello to the seals. They are definitely distant relatives of Lucy, our labrador.

- Lobstah!
A few weeks ago my husband and I decided to explore the north shore after work. We had never been to Gloucester and wanted to check it out. While driving around we discovered The Lobster Pool in Rockport and loved having our steamers outside while the sun was setting. If you want to stay in metro Boston, there are plenty of options.

- Urban Bike Rides
Get out your bike, your helmet and tour the city. Check out Boston Bikes to see what the city has going on. And Urban Adventours will take you on a guided tour with other bicyclists. If you do not have a bike, you can rent one from Urban Adventours - so no excuses!

For a more comprehensive list, visit the City of Boston's website. It is amazing how much this city has to offer.

Planet Tran

2008-08-15T12:50:00.000-04:00

Last week I traveled to Colorado Springs. It was my first time traveling alone and had an early flight. I wanted to make sure I would reach the airport on time and have everything under control. My past experiences with cabs haven't been the greatest. Once my cab arrived late and nearly made me lose my flight. On another occasion my cab showed up in an SUV and had another passenger inside. Since this was my first time traveling alone I didn't want to anything to go wrong, I wanted to go with a vehicle that was reliable and eco-friendly (if there was such a thing) and there was...it's called Planet Tran!

Planet Tran uses Toyota Prius Gas Electric Hybrid vehicles as taxis. These cars rely on battery power when running at low speed or when the car is stopped for up to 15 minutes. Planet Tran's mission is to start a livery service based exclusively on the Hybrid electric gas Toyota Prius. With Oil prices on the rise these vehicles are the way to go. Planet Tran's vision is "an urban transportation infrastructure that utilizes the most efficient transportation technology available." If a cab drives on average 50.00 miles a year a driver could save $3.850 in gasoline costs per year by switing to a hybrid vehicle.

These fuel efficient cars look slick and are eco-friendly. The driver (Matt) was punctual to the minute, he was standing outside the car, greeted me, carried my luggage to the trunk, opened the door for me and was very courteous the entire drive to the airport. Apparently Planet Tran is known for having drivers that are pleasant and knowledgeable. Best of all their rates are reasonable considering the cost of the car. A Ford Crown Victoria costs $7,000-$10,000 while a Prius ranges between $21,500-$26,000.

A trip from Harvard Square to Logan Airport cost me $40, which is $5-$10 more than a regular cab that consumes more gas and carbon emissions. Think about this next time you need a ride to the airport.

Sustainably Yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Vertical Farms

2008-08-11T14:53:00.004-04:00

If we continue to live vertically, we should begin to grow vertically. Vertical Farming shares this idea at the core of it's philosophy, it occupies less space than horizontal farming and has the potential to be as beneficial if not more, than traditional forms of farming.

If we look at the tags indicating where our food is grown, we would realize that a lot of what we eat is either shipped or flown to us from different states and many different countries. The amount of energy that these modes of transportation use and the number of trips needed to deliver our food grows as our population grows. The increasing development of urban centers leaves less and less room for the growth of vegetation in our cities. This begs for a solution like the one brought forth by professor Dickson Despommier at Columbia University with his concept of vertical farming.

Until now there are several proposed projects for vertical farming in the U.S., in places like Seattle, Las Vegas (of all places), New York, and cities outside the U.S. like Toronto in Canada.

What about Boston?
Thankfully a lot of people in Boston are conscientious about where they buy their food. There are shopping centers like Harvest Co-op which buys products from local farmers and is a drop-off for CSA's. We can't forget Re-Vision Urban Farm in Dorchester, which we highlighted in our previous blog. Then of course, you have the Farmers Markets scattered around greater Boston which take place from May to November. Our local market is in Copley Square, but there are plenty in other neighborhoods. There are also websites like Boston Community Change which promote local small businesses.

Boston is a city that would welcome and benefit greatly from one of these projects. Having a self sustaining vertical farm to feed the urban population is something that more cities will be looking into as populations increase, and the cost of food rises. Although there are no set proposals for vertical farming in the city of Boston yet, we believe its only a matter of time before Boston has it's first self sustaining vertical farm!

A Farm Grows in Dorchester

2008-08-08T11:56:00.010-04:00

Today members of the down:2:earth team took a field trip to reVision Urban Farm, we met with Matt Kochka, the farm manager who was kind enough to answer some of our questions and gave us a little tour. Arriving at the farm we saw a vast patch of land covered with green vegetables, this scene contrasted with the Dorchester triple deckers surrounding the plot and the McMansions that are being constructed just a block away. Farms in town - what a concept!

The main mission of the farm is to give shelter and hope to pregnant and parenting homeless women. Matt said that the average stay lasts from six to eighteen months. With that mission in mind, they have managed to do so much more than give hope. They grow organic food that is then sold to locals at discount prices, benefiting the local community. The woman staying at the house can help tend to the garden and gain important working skills. The food served at the house is healthy. Local volunteers can gain a greater sense of community and experience an urban farm. reVision is able to earn 20% of it's funding from the sales of produce.

After noting the significance of this income, Matt pointed out that they still need donations from individuals and labor from volunteers to survive. NOTE: Wednesdays are a great day to volunteer a few hours at the farm. Since they sell their produce on Thursdays, Wednesdays are busy preparing and much help is needed. Nathalie and Lorelei are looking into their busy urban schedules to see if they can get down to their roots once a week.

The farm grows collards, lettuce, tomatoes, squash, rasberries, carrots, sweet potatoes, and kale. They also have two green houses where we found Rachel Cory, their intern for the summer. We interrupted her while she was thinning seeds to plant mustard and lettuce. She is currently attending Bryan Mawr, enrolled in a program called Growth and Structure of cities, where she learns about issues of urban planning, economics and sociology. (Phew - someone is looking into this!) Her internship has been six months long and she said that she has enjoyed it very much.

Rachel and Matt both like having the opportunity to reach out to the community. The work they do at the farm is complicated in some ways, but in others it seems so fundamental. With the rise in food prices and health issues from pesticides and processed foods, this farm seems like a no-brainer. Why is it so unique? Well, it is a bit complicated and someone has to run it and fund it. If you want to donate - the parent organization is Victory Programs. You can donate right on their website.

We were very inspired by the initiative at the farm, which has been around for over a decade. We hope to go back in a couple of weeks and volunteer at the farm. Matt said that volunteers are always welcomed and participation is encouraged. You learn skills on how to grow your vegetables, and learn valuable life skills that benefit those that are interested in sustainability. And of course, you are part of a community when you volunteer. You meet interesting people and expand your world.

No appletini, thanks, but pass the organic wine!

2008-08-06T14:39:00.008-04:00

Last night I attended one of the Boston Green Drinks events and thoroughly enjoyed the company. (Greater) Boston Green Drinks meets at a neighborhood pub on the 1st Tuesday and 3rd Wednesday of every month, from 6:30 — 9:30 pm; details of the meeting are sent out to subscribers approximately one week beforehand. If you have any questions or would like to be added to the distribution list to receive monthly reminders, send an email to bostongreendrinks@gmail.com. I highly recommend it!

I met people from all over the city doing great things; from the Charles River Conservancy to EarthWatch to our neighbor, the Lenox, to young students looking to meet professionals already in the sustainable business sector. Since our whole mission at D2E is to promote businesses that are abiding by the triple bottom line* while educating consumers about how to live sustainably in our urban/suburban environment, this was a great place to talk to people about interesting programming options. We always want to hear about the challenges and victories of individuals living in greater Boston. How do you commute? What recycling challenges are you facing? What is the best way for an apartment dweller to compost? We want to know. Send your ideas to info@d2eboston.com.

* Triple bottom line: Financial, social, and environmental effects of a firm's policies and actions that determine its viability as a sustainable organization.

Some green drinks from our exhibitors:

French Rabbit is changing the way wine is made and packaged.

Tetra-Prisma containers are state-of-the-art packaging that will revolutionize the wine industry. 100% recyclable, Tetra-Prisma containers reduce packaging by 90% in comparison to typical glass wine bottles. They may not look as romantic, but they work great for Shakespeare on the Common.

Kunde Wine Estates are looking at every aspect of their business.

For example, cover crops are employed to reduce energy usage, water conservation, control erosion, increase soil fertility, and create habitats for beneficial insects. Vegetation management and the placement of nesting boxes for owls and other raptors throughout the vineyards support a natural, pest free environment. These approaches to winegrowing create a naturally healthy environment which results in well-balanced vines and wines.

So if you like a glass of wine with your meal, consider your sustainable options!

Are the oil prices affecting you?

2008-08-04T10:22:00.007-04:00

On my way to work this morning I stopped at a local gas station to put some air in my front bike tire (see photo above). I had to take a photo since the garage had a little moped in it instead of a car - sign of the times.

While there I got into a conversation with the station owner about the price of oil/gas. He had an interesting tip for those of us that heat our houses with oil: you can hook up your hot water heater with electricity so that you don't have to use any oil until the cold months come.

Obviously this is not a solution - but every little bit helps these days. Since I do not drive much, the price of gas does not make a big impact on my daily life. But my apartment is heated with oil and I felt the price increase this past spring when I had to re-fill the tank - OUCH! And like everyone else, I have felt the ripple effects with the increase in food costs and my vendors' fees.

Below are some excerpts from today's Globe article by Erin Ailworth.

The increase will have an especially dramatic impact on the nearly 1 million households that are heated with oil, which now sells for about $4.70 a gallon, up from $2.59 a year ago, according to the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources.
Heating costs are expected to keep rising, the report says. The state's average household oil bill next year could top $3,000, according to the report by the UMass Donahue Institute, a university think tank. All told, consumers can expect to spend $4.45 billion for gas and oil heat in 2009 - a $469 million increase from 2008.
....
"Maybe the people who are very, very wealthy won't bat an eyelash. But for the regular people who are working from paycheck to paycheck and week to week, and don't have anything in the bank account, this is devastating," said Joseph P. Kennedy II, chairman of Citizens Energy Corp., a Boston-based nonprofit. Kennedy's company provides discounted oil to low-income residents and senior citizens. To help reduce bills, he said, the state should create an energy bank to finance energy-efficient home improvements.

An energy bank - that is an interesting idea. I also like the carbon taxes. We have a lot of work to do - time to get busy!

As always, if you have any interesting programming ideas, please let us know. We are booking speakers and workshops for the April Down:2:Earth event.

MIT Shares Solar Research

2008-08-01T12:14:00.003-04:00

Check out this article in the Globe by Elizabeth Campbell.

We love reading about innovations in alternative energy - and it was especially heartening to read in this article that Daniel Nocera from MIT was able to check his ego at the door and publish his findings early. This way he is sharing his research with the greater science community and others can apply it to their own studies. He's basically bringing us closer to a society that is not dependent on fossil fuels.

Go Daniel!

"MIT researchers say they have discovered a way to use solar energy cheaply even after the sun goes down, which could make it a mainstream source of power within the next decade. ....

Nocera and the MIT research group said they opted to publish their findings to allow the science community to work on the technology.

"The challenges confronting the world in energy are too big to let anybody's single ego or money get in the way," Nocera said. "And we're talking about some really challenging problems.""

So nice to end the work week on a positive note!

Local Events Worth Noting

2008-08-01T11:36:00.004-04:00

Thanks to the Harvest Coop e-mail newsletter, we are able to pass on the following local events.

1) Leave your car at home and reap the benefits with Go Green Streets
2) Join your community to help weatherize a neighbor's house
(yours could be next)
3) Jump on the bus and visit the Red Fire Farm Tomato Festival
4) Expose your kid to gardening at the Growing Center Playgroup
5) Put on your best bamboo shirt and attend the Boston Vegitarian Society Dinner

1) GO GREEN STREETS
Leave your car at home on August 29! WEAR GREEN and COMMUTE GREEN (walk, bike, bus, carpool)! Check out our website for this month's raffle items (including a $15 gift certificate at Harvest Coop) and discounts at other local businesses for those who participate! www.GoGreenStreets.org for more info or to sign up your company or school!

2) WEATHERIZATION BARN-RAISING
At the home of Steve Miller and Sally Benbasset
Sunday, August 10 3:00–6:00pm
92-96 Henry Street, Cambridge

If the federal government won't cut carbon, let's do it ourselves!
- Help to weatherize a neighbor's home (a skill you can take back to your own home), while you party with neighbors.
- Learn how to install pipe insulation, a programmable thermostat and more.
- Meet the brand-new CEO of Cambridge Energy Alliance in his first public appearance. Ask him about the direction of the Energy Alliance while drinking lime rickeys!
- Enjoy live music and pizza.

A group of Cambridge-area residents has come together to form an Energy Co-op. Our goal is to work together to make our neighborhoods more energy efficient. We are also exploring possibilities for district energy systems in which neighbors share renewable local energy.
We're looking for the next home to weatherize. You supply the materials and pizza. We do the work. Come talk to us about it.

For more information contact Steve Morr-Wineman at swineman@gis.net.

3) RED FIRE FARM TOMATO FESTIVAL
TOMATO FESTIVAL - Red Fire Farm has been putting on a tomato tasting for eight years now, and it's grown into a huge event on the farm with three live bands, four chefs, crafters, local producers with samples, food vendors, 75 tomato varieties to taste and lots more going on. A highly recommended time to visit the farm!

Saturday, August 23rd, 12-5pm
Barn Contradance (with some of the members of Wild Asparagus, I hear!) 7:30-10:30pm
Check out the Tomato Festival page of the website for more details.

4) GROWING CENTER PLAYGROUP
Every Friday through August 29 (except July 4); 10 am-noon
Play! Play! Play!...at our drop-in playgroup. For children age 0-5 years of age and their caretakers. For more information, contact Aileen Bellwood at 617-623-0097 or growingcenter@aol.com

5) BOSTON VEGETARIAN SOCIETY DINNER
Join the Boston Vegetarian Society at Veggie Planet for a delicious four-course vegan dinner among friends new and old.

MONDAY, AUGUST 4, 2008
Veggie Planet, 47 Palmer Street in Club Passim
Harvard Square, Cambridge

6:40 PM - Arrive, check-in, socialize
7:00 PM - Chef Amy Swanson introduces the menu
7:10 PM - Dinner begins

RESERVATIONS REQUIRED.
Please email Info@BostonVeg.org and give name(s).
"Plethora of Zucchini" MENU - using the freshest locally grown ingredients available.
- Salad of Zucchini and Yellow Squash Ribbons with a Fresh Herb Vinaigrette
- Chilled Zucchini Soup topped with Fried Basil Leaves
- Entrée of Baked Stuffed Zucchini with a White Bean, Local Bread and Herb Filling accompanied by a Farm Fresh Tomato Ragu
- Dessert of Chocolate Zucchini Cake and a Special Non-Zucchini Surprise

No animal ingredients
$25 includes tax and beverage. Service is extra. Pay on site after the meal. Cash or check (made out to Veggie Planet) only; No credit cards.

Meet others in BVS - never hesitate to arrive alone to a BVS dinner!

Love all the great things happening in our area!

Taking Action

2008-07-30T09:36:00.004-04:00

In my busy life, trying to run a business while keeping my husband, my dog and myself happy, I find it hard to be an activist. I am so active trying to make a living while enjoying my own life, the thought of getting politically involved is daunting. But I try to stay aware and be active when I can. I read the Globe every day (okay, I scan it and read the articles that interest me) and I read the Boston Business Journal each week (this one I actually read from cover to cover). I read the NY Times on the weekends, I subscribe to a few blogs and I get the David Suzuki and 350 newsletters.

Through these news outlets, I have become 'sort of' active and I have become aware of others that are much more active. My 'sort of' activeness began with No Impact Man when he made it easy to send a letter to his congressman and now I am getting involved with 1 Sky.

My business is all about promoting sustainable businesses and educating people about how to live a more sustainable life in our urban environment, so I am lucky in that my job is involved in the effort to help make our economy and our lives more sustainable.

This morning the Globe published a piece titled "Breaking a town from the center", written by Bill McKibben and Sue Halpern about how their little town in Vermont unified to keep their post office from closing down. This is a great story about how individuals can help make a difference. It is also an insight into how the commercial parts of our towns and cities are so important to our communities.

On my end, I am going to sign up with 1 Sky and see what I can do while my congressional representatives are home for the summer. I'm sure they'd love to hear from me during their summer vacation!

Eco-friendly Dry cleaning

2008-07-28T16:01:00.001-04:00

Sustainable Tip of the Week:
Don't dry-clean all your clothes!

Sounds bizzare I know, I didn't want to believe it either especially because many of us are so reliant on these services. I don't intend to persuade you to stop using dry cleaning services altogether, but rather persuade you to use eco-friendly dry cleaners. You may want to after you learn of the effects dry cleaning has on our environment and your health.

Here are the facts:

Of the 35,000 dry cleaning business in the U.S. 85% still use the toxic solvent perchloroethylene (perc) known to cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, and which has been linked to reproductive problems, as well as disorders of the central nervous system.

International Agency for Research in Cancer has labeled perc a probable human carcinogen, as has the EPA in a recent Cleaner Technology Substitutes Assessment.

Alternatives and Why They’re Better:

Liquid CO2 is created by obtaining CO2 emissions from previous industrial and agricultural processes and putting them under high pressure until it compresses into liquid form. CO2 is an abundant and renewable resource, and its production does not contribute to global warming.
In liquid form, it carries biodegradable soaps as water does in a washing machine. Once the process is over, the CO2 turns back into a gas and over 90% of it is reused.

Unfortunately, this process is more expensive than traditional dry cleaning, and even though the machines used save a business money by requiring fewer employees to use it, businesses are reluctant to buy and utilize the machines because they cost over double what traditional dry cleaning machines cost. The biggest proponent of liquid CO2 cleaning is a company called Hangers which has franchises all over the country.

Wet-cleaning uses water and non-toxic, biodegradable detergents to clean fabrics. It is a straightforward process to perform, but because the process uses just water and soap, more time and skill is needed to clean the clothes effectively and carefully. Some of the waste products, such as steam, get reused later in the process. Wet-cleaning is less expensive than other “green” dry-cleaning methods such as CO2 cleaning.

GreenEarth (liquid silicone dry cleaning solution) is the brand name for a liquid silicone dry cleaning solution. Silicone is a naturally occurring substance, primarily in the compound form SiO2, or sand. Silicone is used in many other consumer products such as shampoo, soap, and lotion. After it’s been used, the silicone decomposes into three natural substances: sand, water, and carbon dioxide. The process has done very well in consumer satisfaction reviews and isn’t exceedingly expensive. People like that their clothes come out odorless, softer, and the colors seem more vibrant.

“Organic” Cleaners- Many dry cleaners try to market themselves as environmentally friendly by calling themselves “organic.” However, this doesn’t mean they’re actually being green. Some “organic” dry cleaners are trying to be more eco-conscious, but the solvent they use is still very harmful. The most common “organic” dry cleaning agent is DF-2000. It is less toxic than perc, but it is petroleum-based and it contributes to global warming. Under this process, the clothes are cleaned with DF-2000 vapor, so the clothes never get wet. This saves energy because the clothes don't need to be dried but the agent itself isn't very eco-friendly.

Here is a list of some Places Around Boston that are Eco-Friendly Cleaners:

Corner Cleaners
1301 Washington St. Newton,
MA 02162 Phone: 617-969-1711

Moonie's Cleaners
233 Bowdoin St. Dorchester,
MA 02122 Phone: 617-282-1046

Natick Cleaners
13 Watson St. Natick,
MA 01760 Phone: 508-655-8200

Kelly Green Cleaners
266 Hyde Park Ave. Jamaica Plain,
MA 02130 Phone: 617-522-5961

Bush Cleaners
0219 Newbury St,
Boston MA 02116

Clevergreen Cleaners
Beacon Hill
109 Charles street
Boston, MA 02114 617-523-6925

If you go to any of these dry cleaners drop us a line and let us know what you think of their services.

Until next time.

Sustainably yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Ride Bikes!

2008-07-25T10:14:00.005-04:00

Today is officially BIKE FRIDAY! So I grabbed my bike at 7am and made my way from Arlington to City Hall Plaza where Nicole Freedman, Boston's Bicycle Tzar and head of Boston Bikes, met me with some great bike schwag and breakfast. It was a perfect morning for riding to work, and I was joined by hundreds of other Bostonians, Newtonians, Lexingtonians, etc.

Cities really are just a bunch of neighborhoods, and this event made me feel like I was part of a community. I loved it. I met the people from Greenstreets, a great grass roots organization that is promoting alternative forms of transportation. They were happy to see that I wore green and I was happy to support their cause.

The next Bike Friday event is August 22nd, but don't wait until then to get out your bike. It feels great to get into work with your adrenalin pumping. Ride bikes!

Zipcar was represented - we love Zipcar.

There's good big business, and then not-so-good

2008-07-23T11:18:00.005-04:00

At D2E we get über excited about the little things. We applaud printing on both sides, we love hearing that local restaurants are sourcing from local farms (I ate at Hungry Mother last night) and we love seeing people walking down the street with their reusable mugs. These little deeds go a long way. We also love to see big businesses strive to make a difference. These efforts need to happen and below are two examples; Timberland and Dunkin Donuts. One is great, the other, not-so-great.

Timberland
Yesterday I attended an Ad Club event that highlighted Timberland's 2007 Earth Keeper campaign. This was a great example of a big company making a big difference. I had seen their billboards and posters all over town last year, but I did not know about what they did on the back end. Below is a short list to give you an idea of how a media company (Mullen - Media Hub) and a big retail company can put their heads together and come up with some great sustainable marketing ideas.

- All billboards were re-purposed and made into reusable tote bags, sold at Timberland stores. (They raffled two off, but I wasn't so lucky.)

- The energy used to run their TV ads was offset, meaning that the money was invested into renewable energy.

- The Earth Keeper shoe was made with recycled materials (old tires and plastic bottles).

- Recycled materials and soy based inks were used in the packaging. (They put these requirements in their RFP's when looking for vendors.)

It was refreshing to hear a big business talk about the environmental impact and the social impact that their company makes. Timberland was completely honest and upfront with the audience, making no claims to be perfect. They are doing their best to treat the world, the way they would want to be treated.

Dunkin Donuts
On the not-so-warm-and-fuzzy note - our office is in the same building as a Dunkin Donuts store. The store is currently being remodeled, so there is a lot of construction going on outside. Yesterday as I was walking to work, I saw that the crew was disassembling the signs. So I asked if they would be recycling them or just throwing them out. The answer was that they would be trashed. So, since I am a quirky graphic designer and I collect old signs, I offered to take them. I wanted to put the big "715" sign on our office wall, since we are located at 715 Boylston Street and I love this sort of re-purposed/found art. How cool would that be? To have a big 715 sign on our wall? Pretty cool. And I figured I could take the old Dunkin Donuts sign and add it to my personal collection. I assured them that I would not have these signs in public, that they were for our office and my private collection. (I'm not yet able to begin an art collection, so I focus on old signs.)

Alas, I heard through the construction super that they feared there would be a liability issue. Does this seem like a knee jerk fear reaction from corporate America? The owner did not even call me to have a conversation. I think that is what bothered me the most. I had given my card to the construction crew supervisor and he passed it on to the owner with my request. I did not even get a courtesy call to say "Thanks for taking an interest in our brand, but..." And to boot - we have given them a key to our office so that they can access our utility closet during construction. We went out of our way to help them.

I should note that the construction crew and the store manager have been exceptionally nice throughout this whole process. I have not met or spoken with the owner, so I can't speak for him/her.

As a designer, I can understand if this is a branding issue. They may fear that I would hang the sign on a public street or in an adult book store. But if the owner had called me it would have accomplished much more for the brand. I would have felt like a person, not just a number that adds to their bottom line. And there would have been a slight chance that we could have found a better home than the land fill for these signs. Perhaps this franchise owner could have put me in touch with corporate to see if there was a better solution.

Sustainable Carpets

2008-07-21T10:40:00.001-04:00

Today Down:2:Earth has compiled a helpful list of sustainable carpet companies that are healthy for your home. The main problems with carpets is that once used, they generally end up in landfills. And some carpets contain backings with PVC's which contain petroleum and are a danger for your health, especially if they are in your home. Now that I think of it, whenever we find something that is bad for the environment, it is bad for us humans as well. So let's clean house!

Thankfully technology has brought the carpet industry a step further by implementing manufacturing processes that allow for more environmentally friendly productions. As consumers it is our responsibility to know how some companies are more sustainable than others, while understanding what goes into their manufacturing process, and the energy involved producing these carpets.

While these questions can't always be easily answered we have done some research to help you make up your mind for the purchase of your next carpet.

Lees Carpet/ Mohawk Carpets
These two companies have partnered up and are a leading sustainable carpet company. Some of their technologies, like Lees' Duracolor stain-resistant dye technology, will keep your carpet clean and make it last longer. Durability is something we look for. Most of their carpets are either made from recycled bottles or from recycled carpets - even better! Their backing system contains no PVC's and they make them from recycled materials such as window shield wipers. They even use tires to make outdoor carpets. Mohawk company shows to have a social commitment as well as an environmental commitment by donating 25 cents per square yard sold from selected carpets for cancer research. They pretty much recycle everything in their manufacturing process from beginning to end. Wow - we applaud this.

Milliken Flooring Company
Are sustainable in their attempt to reduce their energy consumption and water usage by 50% in their manufacturing process. Since 1999 they have had zero waste dumped into landfills. Their carpets have no VOC off gassing and their backings are PVC free. Milliken's Earth Square is a closed loop system where all carpets are made of 100% post consumer product.

Shaw Carpets
This company re-uses their carpets at a larger scale. They have a system where carpets are collected, brought to a central location where they are sorted into different fiber streams and then recycled to become new carpets. Their green label plus assures there is no off gassing emitted from their carpets. The fibers that they use for their carpets are nylon, polypropelyn, wool, and nylon type 6 which is used in their recycling system. As a company Shaw carpets has come up with green edge initiative which is a list of all the things they do as a company to be sustainable. For instance using dyes that are less toxic and need less water, and using epic hardwood floor made from recycled wood.

Interface Flooring Systems
Was the first company to come up with modualr carpet systems, this concept in environmental in and of itself because it eliminates the need to replace an entire carpet floor if there is only one section that is damaged. As a company they came up with Mission Zero which seeks to eliminate any sort of environmental damage the company may be causing by 2020. Finaly Interface uses recycled vinyl backing for their carpets which some claim is damaging to your health. They have great designs to boot - and we love that.

That's all for today, tune in next week to find out about more sustainable items for your home.

Sustainably Yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Bike Friday

2008-07-18T12:24:00.006-04:00

One week from today - Friday July 25th - Boston will host an official BIKE FRIDAY! Tell all of your colleagues and choose your best bike/casual-Friday outfit for work. I am already thinking that my black and white checkered Sara Campbell dress (local designer) will be perfect with my circa 1970 red three speed (as long as my wrench husband can fix it next week since I rattled it a bit on my commute home the other day and had to McGiver it with one of my hair bands). The skirt is full so I can easily ride my bike with it, and it has spaghetti straps for these hot summer days.

Let's celebrate not using gas - exercising our bones - and good local fashion all in one day. Okay, not everyone has to wear a dress, but this is a great way to get into the habit of riding your bike to work. The website asks people to wear green - so I will have to look into my wardrobe to see what I have. I may end up with a green bow tied onto my black and white dress. Nobody's perfect.

I know you have been thinking about it, so you have one week to get the tires checked, grease the chain and make sure you can find your lock (I have no idea where I left my lock). If safety is your concern, we will be escorted by police! Do it just to feel like a president - it is an election year after all.

If you are riding from Lexington or Arlington, I will see you on the ride! Read the website for all the details - ride bikes!

Sustainably yours,
The D2E team

DIY is alive and well!

2008-07-17T08:29:00.003-04:00

We had to share this great innovation that has been making it's way around the web. We discovered it on inhabitat, which is a great blog on sustainable innovation and design. They found in on flickr and unfortunately we do not know who created this wonderful contraption.

Spreading the love,

D2E team

Sustainable Flooring

2008-07-07T10:30:00.013-04:00

If you're thinking of renovating your home, and installing new floors, but want to use sustainable materials, we have a solution for you.

Down:2:Earth has compiled a list of what flooring types are eco-friendly and sustainable.
First let me share with you some facts on why flooring isn’t good for the environment:

Traditional flooring negatively impacts the environment because it uses valuable natural resources and harmful chemicals. Its production can use wood and water at an extremely fast pace that often leaves the resources unsustainable. The production can give off dangerous petroleum by-products and the treatments and finishes for the wood can give off many volatile organic compounds that include carcinogens such as formaldehyde.

Some alternatives and why they’re better:

CONCRETE
Many homes have concrete bases underneath their floors. One new eco-friendly flooring trend is to leave the concrete exposed, stain it, seal it, and leave that as the floor. It never needs waxing, is easy to clean and removes the need for carpeting. It can also be energy friendly: during the day, concrete absorbs heat from direct sunlight, conserves it, and releases it through the night. Despite what many may think, concrete does not have to be dull. Check out this design on concrete from Transparent House.

BAMBOO
Bamboo’s vitality makes it a sustainable and eco-friendly alternative to traditional flooring. The plant is fully grown within three to five years whereas a hardwood tree can take 40 or 50 years to mature. If the plant is cut correctly and responsibly in a manner that leaves enough of the stalk and roots intact, the plant can regenerate. Also, the plant doesn’t need lots of chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides to grow. An important aspect of Bamboo, however is the that it grows in warm wet climates in Asia which means it has to be transported all the way from Asia which which has a significant ecological foot print. Nothing is perfect, but these are some better options to consider.

CORK
Cork can be a renewable and recycled alternative to traditional flooring. It is either harvested from a tree as bark and the tree re-grows the bark for the next harvest or it is made from the waste from wine cork factories. Cork is an excellent insulator so it conserves heat and has exceptional memory, meaning it retains minimal marks when dented. Air pockets in cork make the product soft to walk on and reduce the wear and tear on the floor since the cushioning prevents shoes from grinding on the flooring. A unique advantage is its noise-canceling, which is great for music studios.

RUBBER FLOORING
It is important to note that there are two types of rubber, one is synthetic made with petroleum, and the other is natural rubber, which is removed from the sap of the rubber plant. These rubber plants are found in sub-tropical climates like Brazil. The rubber is compressed then sold. It is important to know what part of the world the rubber comes from and it's manufacturing process because some rubber floorings may contain PVC, plasticizers, or halogens. Rubber flooring is ideal for high traffic areas, although not so much for kitchens where grease and water become slippery.

RECLAIMED WOOD
Reclaimed wood is wood that has been taken from existing buildings, which is then refinished and recut. It can come from old barns, factories, warehouses, boxcars, wine barrels, and from the bottom of riverbeds. Reclaimed wood is great for several things that range from making furniture to installing new floors. At the same time reclaimed wood can be regarded as reliable because it has already weathered the elements, so one can be sure of its stability. See this great example.

Good luck with the renovation! Hope this week's issue of sustainable home was helpful, until next week.

Sustainabily yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Policy and Art are alive in Boston

2008-07-07T09:09:00.007-04:00

While reading the Globe this morning, in my effort to be more informed of our policy makers, I was again heartened to read not only about progress in our local government and non profit sector, but also I read about some great art. So this Monday morning I am feeling all warm and fuzzy about living in a city and state that is taking action and growing culturally. In this morning's Globe I found two articles I'd like to pass on. One about Green Collar Jobs and one about a local heavy metal artist, Skunk who makes robotic sculptures out of old bicycle parts.

In regards to the green collar jobs, our job panel from this past year's show was a direct response to Van Jones' call for action. We at down:2:earth are trying to use our show as a forum for discussion and a resource center. So we brought together some young people working in the green sector with Galen Nelson from the City of Boston to talk about opportunities and to inspire people. We were surprised to see how many people over 20 years old attended the workshop, and that taught us that we should expand our job related event this year. D2E can't be the answer for every sustainable issue, but we offer a great opportunity for people to talk and learn. So please let us know if there is an issue that you want to be covered. We are working on our programming for the April 2009 show, and we want to hear your thoughts.

On Social Justice from today's article:
"We're going to need to see a lot more of this stuff on a much larger scale than we have before," says Penn Loh, executive director of Roxbury's Alternatives for Community & Environment, an organization focused on eradicating environmental racism that is also a member of Community Labor United. "This could be as big as the New Deal and the restructuring of the economy after the stock market crash and the Great Depression. We're at a turning point in human history."

On Skunk:
We love Skunk.

Policy and Pits

2008-07-03T09:20:00.002-04:00

On the eve of celebrating our country's independence, there are two things on my mind; policy and pits. I should be thinking about the BBQ, sun, fun and fireworks. But I can't seem to get policy and pits off my mind. This is what happens when you are consumed with trying to figure out how consumers (like myself) can live more sustainable lives, thereby helping the world become more sustainable. You start to think about EVERYTHING!

Betty just came into the office talking about Genetically Modified Food and how our government will not pass a law that forces companies to label food that has been genetically modified. Great - now I have something else to think about.

Tip for fellow environmentalists, localvores, social thinkers, activists, and health nuts: Be careful about how you use your energy. Not everyone can take on all of the earth's problems, so be smart about how you educate others. Inch by inch, life's a sinch. Yard by yard, life is hard. We want everyone to drink the organic kool-aid, but we can't force it down their throats.

Policy.
I have always known that it is important to stay up-to-date on the dealings of our politicians. (I am talking about law-making, not love-child making.) That is something that every American learns in school. We are a democracy, and that means that each person has a say in how this country is run, well, sort of. We can all vote and we can organize ourselves to promote change. I do believe this. I do vote. But it is hard to keep up with politics when you are running your own life. That is why we vote in representatives that we trust, well, sort of. Because we are too busy to know everything.

In our exploration to learn how we as individuals can live more sustainable lives, I have come to learn that it is really important to have a grip on what your representatives are doing about the issues you care about. I know we all learned this in the first grade, but I am finally understanding that lesson. So it took 30 years, I'm a late bloomer.

So I was pleased to read the article in the Globe this morning about Governor Patrick's new energy bill; The Green Communities Act. In an effort to help spread the word, we are talking with the Northeast Energy Efficiency Partnerships about having a panel on policy at Down:2:Earth next April. I am personally excited about having the opportunity to hear our own politicians talk about their work, and the ability to ask them questions.

Pits.
And now on to the pits. I have known since I was a teenager that I should not wear antiperspirant. My parents made it clear that we are supposed to sweat, and that we should not block our pores. I have learned as an adult that there is an issue with the Aluminum ingredient in antiperspirant products. From what I have read on the internet, it is controversial. But logic tells me that my Mom is right. We are supposed to sweat - so learn how to live with it.

I am currently weaning myself off of antiperspirant and trying out various types of deodorants, in an effort to not offend my co-workers. I will keep you posted on this most important subject, and I am going to investigate the issue further to see what more I can learn.

Stay tuned for more policy and pits!

B.Y.O.B

2008-06-30T11:52:00.006-04:00

Here at Down:2:earth we try to come up with ways in which the average person could become more eco-friendly.

Sustainable Tip of the Week- Bring your own bag

If you haven't heard the facts about the plastic bag issue, it's worth investigating.

According to the EPA, over 380 billion plastic bags, sacks and wraps are consumed in the U.S. each year.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the U.S. goes through 100 billion plastic shopping bags annually. (Estimated cost to retailers is $4 billion.)
Plastic bags are made of polyethylene
Polyethylene is a petroleum product
Production contributes to air pollution and energy consumption
Four to five trillion plastic bags are manufactured each year
Americans use over 380 billion polyethylene bags per year
Americans throw away approximately 100 billion polyethylene bags per year
A plastic bag can take between 500 to 1000 years to break down in the environment.
On average, we use each plastic bag for 12 minutes before discarding it. It then can last in the environment for decades.
Plastic bag litter is lethal in the marine environment, killing at least 100,000 birds, whales, seals and turtles every year. After an animal is killed by plastic bags, its body decomposes and the plastic is released back into the environment, where it can kill again.

Until now Germany, Australia, China, and Uganda are some of the countries that have banned, or are working towards banning plastic bags. Although the U.S. has not banned plastic bags yet there are several companies taking a responsible approach to the issue.

What can we do? Say goodbye to plastic bags and say hello to stylish cloth bags...

EcoVixen made in the U.S from recyclable cotton. Left. " You don't want to return as a bag do you"?... Don't mess with Karma. Right. I'm not made in China. Made in the United States...and proud of it.
For a proud and responsible Bostonian. A product of Sea Boston USA made from 100% Cotton Canvas.

ECOBAGS EarthTone Cotton String Bag Set. These colorful cotton string bags are great to store away in your purse, great for your produce.

Verde Bags were created by Gina Sample as a stylish statement against plastic grocery bags.
Happy Bags has a wide variety of bags with fun designs on them, some of them are even made from recycled water bottles.
Mini Maxi Shopper. Lorelei has this one and can vouch for how efficient it is. "I keep it in my purse because it can fold up to be a wallet sized pouch, and when I need it come grocery time, it's there."

This concludes our sustainable tip of the week. Tune in next week for more!

Sustainably yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Boston Green Building Resource

2008-06-27T14:24:00.034-04:00

One of the advantages of having great board members is that we get invited to all of the sustainable events held in Boston. Nexus, a down:2:earth exhibitor, held an open house yesterday. The event was free and open to the public. The Showroom featured a series of companies that promote and sell sustainable building materials which ranged from carpets, to paints, to flooring materials that are sustainable for your home.

We were able to talk to the vendors one on one and ask about their products. The event had a great turnout and was very informative. Kudos to our friends at the Nexus center who did a wonderful job organizing the event.

Here are some photos of the exhibitors.

Boston Green Building

Lees Carpets

Phillips LED lighting

EQcountertops

Museum of Science - Green Trail

Bostik

See you at the next event.
Nathalie Zegarra

Paint without Poison

2008-06-23T14:30:00.023-04:00

This week we bring sustainability into your home. Today we blog on sustainable paints, what companies are sustainable, where you can find them, and how to get rid of the paint you don’t use.

If you are a homeowner or just renting something we all do is paint our house. Most people think about the color they would like and nothing else. They don’t think about the company they are buying the product from, or how the paint is made, or even what chemicals it may contain, and whether these are harmful to your health.

Sound familiar?

Take for instance Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC). These compounds are solvents that are found in most paints and are emitted through fluids such as paints, varnishes, cleaning liquids, disinfectants, which all release organic compounds. These compounds have proven to be a public health hazard, and are a contributing factor to the ozone.

At d2e we think it’s important to question how sustainable your paint products really are, for this reason we have compiled a list of sustainable paint companies for your home.

Old Fashioned Milk Paint

Old Fashioned Milk paint contains only natural ingredients. The milk paint is made from milk protein, clay, earth pigments and lime. It is biodegradable and comes in 20 colors. It contains no VOC’s or harmful toxics whatsoever.

Benjamin Moore Aura Paints

What makes Aura paints eco-friendly is that when it dries, it releases only one third as much in VOC then your regular paints. Aura features something called Colorlock which means it has full washability in all sheens, and has minimal odor, and one hour recoat time. Best part is these are available in 3,300 colors.

Green Planet Paints

This company is run by Meredith Erinson was one of the first companies in the U.S that makes natural clay paints. These paints contain no VOC’s. Sustainability for this company comes for the shared responsibility of choosing premium raw materials to produce a product that does not harm the environment or the household in which it is used.

Green Planet Paints does not contain petroleum, in fact their paints are Soy-based and contain waterborne alkyd resins. Since it is a small company they produce small batches of customized paints so that the waste is minimal.

Yolo Colorhouse

They have paints for both interiors and exteriors, what makes this company sustainable is it’s use of clay paints, milk paint and lime plaster finishes. They have both low VOC, and zero VOC paints. As part of their theme on sustainability they feature natural colors for the home which can be viewed on their website. These paints are Green Seal certified and are a non-profit organization setting standard for environmentally responsible products.

Mythic Paint

All of Mythic Paints are low VOC’s their paint is both sustainable, and still has high performance. Their patented technology is scientifically formulated to offer qualities of water-based paints without the need for toxic solvents. This is what avoids the bad smell. Their paint does not contain lead, mercury, formaldehyde, or other known toxic materials.

Until next week!
Nathalie Zegarra

Celebrating 'til we're green in the face

2008-06-19T16:54:00.005-04:00

As we walked out of our office for a mid-day coffee break (note: reusable mug in tote) we were reminded of the energy and excitement that is generated by a public event. We were also reminded of how lucky we are to work downtown. Not only can we commute via public transportation, every championship parade goes right past our office door. Gotta love that!

Everyone was in great spirits today. Even the Lenox Hotel across the street was sporting a sign that said "Congratulations Boston Celtics, From the Other Green Team in Town" referring to their sustainable status as a hotel.

After watching the parade we all came back to the office and talked about what a great experience it was. We realized two things: 1. These types of events are important for our culture, for our economy and for our basic human needs. Even though throwing a party or having a parade is not the most environmentally friendly thing to do, it is socially beneficial and hey - it's fun! So let's just try to create the least amount of waste possible when planning these events. 2. We need to work on the basic rule of thumb - No littering. As Betty put it, "Who didn't get the memo on No Littering?"

All around this was a great time and I was happy to be a part of it. We did not leave anything behind and we only took memories.

What a great season! Go Celtics!

Any chance this was biodegradable confetti?!?!?! I'm plagued by doubts!

Sustainable Architecture Part II

2008-06-16T10:20:00.022-04:00

As I promised last week we will continue with our list of notable buildings. This week's focus is on sustainable commercial buildings. Most of these buildings have similar characteristics when it comes to building sustainably. Things like using natural resources such as water, light, air, and incorporating it in their design, consequently saving electricity and eliminating for air conditioning and heating.

Let's begin!
The Macallen Building, formerly a printing press, was designed by Office dA, Inc. in collaboration with Burt, Hill architecture firm. Located in South Boston this building has a green roof technology, that collects rainwater runoff for landscaping use, saving the building 600,000 gallons of water annually! The building also has vents that are kept open in order to let fresh air into the apartment lofts. This building also uses sustainable materials such as insulation made from recycled jeans.

The Epicenter. Home of Habitat for Humanity, a non-for-profit organization located in the South Boston. It was designed by Arrowstreet Architects, and is one of the few platinum LEED certified, non-for-profit buildings in Boston. This building features solar panels, recycled car windshields, and other recycled materials for their washrooms, most of which were recuperated from building debris. The building is conveniently facing south where huge windows let the natural light in. The Epicenter also uses natural ventilation as a replacement of air-conditioning mechanisms. To top that off they store rainwater which is harvested and stored for landscaping!

The Genzyme Center, located in Cambridge Massachusetts is designed by Behnisch & Partners, architecture firm is based out of Venice, California. The creative minds behind this impressive commercial building have incorporated a top lit atrium allowing natural light to enter the entire building while providing light to almost every corner. This building has night time ventilation, and uses a curtain glazing system. There are several indoor gardens for employees to enjoy while looking up at a complex system of mirrors that deflect the light from the sun into different parts of the building.

San Francisco Federal Building, designed by Thomas Mayne (founder of Morphosis) is located in San Francisco. This building takes into account the health of it's employees and the environment. Take for instance the incorporation of sensors that open and close the windows mechanically during the day improving the in door air quality creating natural air flow ventilation. This building also reduces the need of electricity by having big windows that rung from the floor to the ceiling. An interesting concept in this building that perhaps not all employees are happy with is that the elevator stops every three floors to encourage employees to utilize the stairscase as a way to exercise and socialize with one another.

New York Times Building, designed by Renzo Piano (Italian architect) last on our list today demonstrating the evolution of sustainable, commercial designs. This building is made mostly from glass and steel. It uses technology to monitor the amount of direct sunlight and glare entering the building and adjusts the intensity of the light on the inside accordingly. It's ventilation systems incorporates 85% efficient filtration and a humidification system to maintain optimum indoor air quality.

Well that's a wrap for this weeks sustainable architecture, join me next week to see what we have on our lists

Sustainably yours
Nathalie Zegarra

Styrofoam Removal!

2008-06-13T10:32:00.019-04:00

My days at down:2:earth have been great thus far. Best of all, these sustainable minds put their money where there mouth is. For instance as you may have seen from our previous blogs we have implemented a recycling program with Earthworm and have already recycled 481 pounds of paper...saving the equivalent of 4 trees!

During my interviewing process I remember seeing this box filled with Styrofoam peanuts in Lorelei's office. I realized three weeks later that the box wasn't part of the decor in her office, but rather she couldn't find someone that would recycle them. After several attempts to contact different UPS and FedEx locations, she put me to the test and gave me the mission of finding a more sustainable destination for the Styrofoam than a land fill.

I quickly jumped online, ran a search, and was heartened to see that I wasn't alone! Other people had the exact same issue and were actively seeking out ways to recycle their unwanted packing materials. In a chat forum I found online, someone recommended a UPS Store store location where they accepted the Styrofoam peanuts. The only requirement was that they be clean and placed in a clear bag. So, if you have some Styrofoam lying around and want to get rid of it sustainably, this is the place for you!

After work, I hopped on the T and headed towards their location on Mass Ave. The guys there were very nice and even let me take a picture of them doing their part to save the planet.

“We are not the most sustainable business, but we try to do what we can with the little things. We don’t want people to throw out something we can re-use.” They went on to say that currently all of the Styrofoam that they are using is biodegradable and recyclable.

At the end of the day, you may not be working for a company that is completely sustainable, but what matters is that you try to help out however you can. Who knows...in the long run, being sustainable might even save you money! Like those airlines that are attempting to reduce their costs by serving drinks from big bottles instead of using individual cans. It’s safe to say that airlines aren’t the most sustainable businesses out there, but if they can figure out a way to chip in, so can we!

Nathalie Zegarra

Mom Hint: Farmer's Markets are Cool

2008-06-11T15:29:00.008-04:00

Warning: This is a warm-and-fuzzy blog entry.

While visiting friends in San Francisco we went to their local farmers market. (Note: We drove in their spiffy hybrid. Quite a different experience from Ted's truck.) This is a great way to get a taste of the local culture while also helping your friends with one of their weekly chores. I have been shopping at farmers markets since my mom introduced me to the concept while growing up in Portsmouth NH. As an adult I have come to realize that the beauty of going to the farmers market goes far beyond the healthy and delicious food that you bring home for your family. You get to meet the farmers and their families, generally they are outdoors, the selections change each week and there are often other cool vendors or street performers to add to the flavor of the event.

Reasons to shop at the Farmer's Market:
1. Mom says so!
2. The food is fresh and delicious (healthy).
3. You are supporting your local farmers.
4. You can talk to the farmers about organic produce and pesticide use.
5. You will likely have fun while shopping.

Below are a few photos from the market - and our most excellent meal that followed.

People of down:2:earth!

2008-06-09T12:06:00.026-04:00

I have the honor of joining the down:2:earth team to blog about the latest news and information on sustainable living. To tell you a bit about myself, I’m originally from Bolivia and migrated to Canada at the age of four. We moved back and forth every few years until the end of high school, at which point I enrolled at the University of Toronto to study International Development. As my interests continued to evolve, I changed gears and came to Boston to study Interior Architecture and Sustainable Design at the New England Institute of Art. Like many of you out there, I didn’t feel that my two cents would help much to protect the environment…

…until I took a course that focused on the use of alternative sustainable materials for construction! Over the semester, I found myself compelled to track down companies, materials, and designs that were inherently sustainable, and grew interested in volunteering and participating in any way that I could. This is precisely how I came across d2e and fell in love with their philosophy!

Come to think of it, it’s pretty incredible that I now get to share my daily research on sustainability with the readers of d2e!

So what am I going to blog about? Sustainable architecture, furniture, materials, technology, and the companies that are driving these trends forward. If there’s anything specific you would like us to blog about, feel free to send us an email at info@d2eboston.com. I also encourage you to comment on any of my ramblings, because this is a community after all, and my two cents plus your two cents can really add up!

In the beginning…

I’d like to begin this journey by talking about Sustainable Architecture. It is absolutely mind-blowing to think about the impact that building construction has on the environment, the resources and the energy they consume, and the raw materials they use in often inefficient and irresponsible ways.

But 21st century architects and designers are already starting to evolve. Today there are hundreds of companies and organizations that focus on the development of sustainable buildings . They aren’t all beautiful, and few if any are traditional, but together these designs are bringing us ever closer to a responsible future.

With that in mind, I’d like to share a couple of my favorite sustainable homes with you. I love that there are enough out there to start an entire blog, and these are just a few of the more notable projects out there (stay tuned for more in the weeks and months ahead…)

Let’s start locally with “Big Dig House”. As it’s name suggests this home used 600,000 pounds of recycled material from the Big Dig, made mostly from steel and concrete. It was designed by Single Speed Design Firm located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Second on our list is Eric Doub from Ecofutures Building (Colorado). He designed and currently lives in this sustainable home with his family, and accurately named the project ”Solar Harvest”. Not only is the house is oriented south to receive maximum exposure to the sun, but it is powered by solar electric roof panels, has no heating system, and yet manages to keep warm in the winter time… even the built-in hot tub!

Third on the list is North Carlton Green House in Melbourne, Australia, designed by Zen Architects. This home has a rooftop garden where the owners store rainwater in tanks and reuse the grey water from the gardens. Because of the glass walls and big windows the house gets a lot of natural light, eliminating the need for artificial lighting during the day time. How’s that for sustainability…this home is greenalicious!

Fourth on the list is a Cottage at Jarvis Lake, Ontario. This A-frame beauty is also powered by 8 solar panels producing 5500W of power – enough to power the whole house. It also has a wood fired Jotel stove as a heating system, and it receives spring fed water directly from Jarvis Lake. Beautiful all year round and no electrical bill…yay!

Last but not least on this week’s list is a true minimalist home designed by Jun Igarashi in Hokkaido, Japan. This box house has a smaller ecological footprint than your average home. Mind you, when 130 million people live on an island that’s smaller than California, you have to think small!

Well, that wraps up our sustainable homes for the week. Tune in on Monday for the next installment in our sustainable buildings series, and don’t forget to write in and comment to let us know what you think!

Sustainably yours,
Nathalie Zegarra

Local Fashionistas Unite!

2008-05-29T12:48:00.007-04:00

Sew What?!? I'll tell you what to sew! Sew your heart out at this great event in Somerville, MA. Bring your own clothes for a swap and do-it-yourself workshop. Take a pair of recycled jeans and a skirt to make a cool hand bag or a jumper. Do what you want with whatever material you want. Let your creative spirit sing - all with recycled materials. Bring your unwanted clothing and accessories - leave with a customized refurbished pimped-out whatever you want. Love it!

The Somerville Arts Council and Fusion Ethos Fashions are hosting this most excellent event.

Sew What?!?
Saturday, May 31
3pm – 7pm
Central Plaza in Union Square
Sommerville, MA

Sewing machines and notions will be available to alter items on site! So even those of us who have a hard time with the sewing machine can participate. Get out and create!

Image from Vintage Cookie, one of a kind jewelry made with reclaimed or rediscovered items and high quality stones. Vintage Cookie is one of many local artisans that will be at the event.

Home made seltzer!

2008-05-24T09:49:00.006-04:00

It is amazing what joy these little bubbles can bring. I try to drink as much water as possible and I avoid sugary drinks all together. So my favorite drink when looking for some flavor is seltzer water with a splash of cranberry or a wedge of lime. However since I became aware of the huge water bottle issue, I feel guilty each time I buy a bottle of seltzer. Living with guilt is such a bummer. But it can be a good motivator to find a better solution.

Enter the Penguin by Soda Club. I have to start off by saying that I love this machine. I love the design and I love the crackling bubbles that it produces. I smile each time I see this penguin on the counter next to my Alessi sugar bowl - the two are quite a hoot.

Just yesterday I made my first bottle of seltzer water. It reminded me of the time I made butter in girl scouts. I stared at the clear bottle with all of the beautiful bubbles rising to the top and I could not help but wonder, where did these bubbles come from? Of course, they came from the CO2 container, but the moment was quite magical.

Details: Assembly was simple for someone like my dear friend Brenda who has no problem reading through an instruction manual and following the steps. It was a bit more challenging for someone like myself who prefers to plow through everything on my sometimes faulty intuition and muscle power. Luckily I am old enough to know my limitations. So when I opened the box and pulled out the parts and the manual, I set it back down and let it wait until I was in the right frame of mind. My husband rolled his eyes, thinking that he could probably assemble it blind folded as it was really only a few parts. But I did not want to damage the machine in haste, which I have done numerous times in the past trying to shove parts together. So I waited.

Yesterday was designated the day of assembly. I did not have any appointments to run to and could focus on the job at hand. My mind was clear, and I did a little seltzer jig to bring good vibes to the room. First I put all of the pieces out on the counter and opened up the manual. I read each stage and followed the directions. I got a bit tripped up trying to figure out how to open up the canister that holds the glass bottle. This is one of those things that just requires "getting the feel" for it. Once you have released the canister it pulls up and opens for you in a cool Star Trek way. After opening and closing the canister a few times I managed to get the feel and now it is easy.

I was a bit freaked out with the CO2 canisters. I do not normally handle things like this, so I had Hollywood driven fears that it would explode in my hand. It did not. I had some trouble trying to take a protective plastic cap off the canister, but my husband easily popped it off by using a butter knife as a lever. Very clever. In Hollywood that would surely have been a disaster, but I guess in real life it is okay.

Once I had everything assembled, the water bottle was filled with Arlington tap water and ready to rip, I pushed down on the penguin's cute little bill to bring on the gas. I was a bit timid at first, again fearing that the Penguin would explode and trigger the pipes in our building to burst and then a tidal wave would engulf the town of Arlington. But my fears soon turned to pure joy when I hit the gas release button and opened the canister to find a bottle of bubbly seltzer ready to enjoy.

Ahhhh.... bliss....

Impact: As always, we need to look at the big picture. What waste does this machine bring and how does that compare with buying seltzer in plastic bottles, or just denying myself of seltzer altogether? Soda Club does a good job talking about the impact of their product and at this point I feel good about it. I can send the empty CO2 canisters back to the company and they will reuse them. Soda Club states that "Empty carbonators are returned to Soda-Club to be cleaned, inspected and refilled with CO2 drawn naturally from the air. Carbonators are reusable as long as they remain in good condition."

So at this point I am feeling good about my penguin. The main impact comes from manufacturing the product and shipping. I used to think shipping was a huge issue, but now I am learning that it is a smaller part of the big picture. This leads me to believe we should look into this subject a bit more and blog about it.

Amazing how one blog always leads to the next.

Good food and company

2008-05-20T10:50:00.005-04:00

We finally had our wrap-up board meeting for D2E 2008 at Lineage restaurant in Brookline. Great food and conversation kept us smiling and entertained all night. All of the hard work to make D2E happen pays off when you hear stories from attendees that left the show empowered and ready to start making changes in their every day lives. We all worked hard to bring top notch exhibitors to the show and to keep our educational programming unbiased and relevant to the everyday consumer.

PHOTO: Starting with the exceptionally talented man on the left and working our way around the table, we have: Peter Nobile, Julie Roper, Terry Swack, Andrea Atkinson, Lorelei Grazier, Ilene Bezahler, Nina Berger, Betty Fulton, Dan Ruben and Jen Baldwin.

A big thanks to our amazing board - and we look forward to the next year! Stay tuned.

Chocolate or Vanilla?

2008-05-15T17:37:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately, or fortunately, most decisions in life are not simply about taste. When you decide what to put in your mouth, you are not only contemplating the flavor but also the nutritional value or the cost or the convenience... When you are making personal decisions you can decide what is best for you. Some people care about their weight, others care about energy level, others care about allergies and for some, it is merely about getting a morsel of food. When it comes to business, your decisions affect your brand.

When planning D2E we have to make decisions about what exhibitors we want to participate, what kind of sponsors we are looking for and of course the educational programming. Every decision we make will reflect upon us and send a message to the public. We can rationalize that a Hummer is green when it runs on vegetable oil. But is that the message we want to send to our kids?

Based on all that I have learned in my exploration to live a more sustainable life, I have come to realize that we need to re-think our American dream. This is not an easy task and I do not have the answer. But I am working to change my own habits, one at a time, and I am re-thinking my personal and professional goals.

Based on the previous blog entry, a friend contacted the Sierra Club to inquire about their criteria for endorsing products. Below is the response.

Thank you for contacting the Sierra Club.

We received a couple of emails about this and I got this reply from Carl Pope:
"The comments are accurate. My personal view is that no one needs an SUV -- if you need 4wd a Subaru will do, and if you are a serious rancher or plumber you need a pick-up. A mini-van will handle the soccer team more safely.

But there are no equivalent sized vehicles that get as good gas mileage, no hybrid subaru wagon or mini-van, so I think it was the best new car of this year."

Your support of the Sierra Club is greatly appreciated. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns.

"Explore, Enjoy and Protect the Planet."

Best Regards,

David Perry
Sierra Club Information

I wonder if The Sierra Club realizes the power of their endorsement. They are telling people that this is a great vehicle to purchase and you can feel good about it. I think, and I hope, that there is someone out there that really needs this huge SUV. My husband drives a big truck, but he is in construction and he uses it to haul loads every week. So I understand the need for trucks. But I don't understand promoting it as a green option to the general public. I wonder if the Sierra Club is going to taint it's brand with these types of endorsements.

The Tahoe may be the best in it's class, but should we be promoting this class for the environment? Is this like promoting open toe high heels at a rodeo?

Greenwashing Galore

2008-05-14T13:50:00.007-04:00

When Betty and I started talking about producing Down:2:Earth, it came from our desire to cut through all the bull. We are both skeptical consumers that want to support businesses that are conducting themselves in a way that is good for the community and the earth, as well as their pockets. We also wanted to learn how we could make a difference ourselves as individuals, as consumers and as small business owners. So we hired a young, enthusiastic environmental major from Tufts (Jennifer Baldwin) and we put together a list of criteria. We also enlisted a board of advisors that consists of some great local sustainable experts.

Considering how much hype the whole green movement has received it is hard to decipher between what is really making strides to improve our life and what is just marketing. So we were pleased to see Beth Daley's story in today's Globe. See excerpt below.

"Just how green should you feel driving the new Chevy Tahoe hybrid sport utility vehicle?

The eight-passenger vehicle is plastered with "hybrid" labels. An automobile magazine panel that included the executive director of The Sierra Club named it the "Green Car of the Year."

But the Tahoe gets only about 20 miles per gallon - not much better than the nonhybrid Honda Pilot SUV, which also seats eight. The celebrated Toyota Prius gets around 46 miles per gallon.

"How a 6,000-pound behemoth can be the green car of the year is beyond me," said David Champion, director of Consumer Reports Auto Test Division. "It's a marketing exercise rather than reality.""

Unfortunately this brings up another question to be answered. How is the Sierra Club determining which products to endorse and should we trust them? The Sierra Club has a great reputation, as far as I know, but now I wonder. Perhaps I am looking at this from the wrong angle. Some people really need powerful vehicles to climb over mountain passes in snowy conditions and haul heavy loads. So perhaps this is a great alternative for that person. This sounds like a job for our research intern. More info to come later.

In the meantime, we will continue navigating this great gray space working to set the bar high and promote the companies that are helping us move to a more sustainable future.

It's bike week in Boston

2008-05-13T09:56:00.004-04:00

Boston is embracing the bike - and it is about time. (Above photo is from my bike commute to work yesterday. This is the traffic at Fresh Pond. I love riding past cars on my old three speed.)

I have never lived in such a car centered urban environment and I have lived in Washington DC, Budapest, Switzerland, NY NY and Portsmouth NH. Boston is the worst. I did not even need a car in any of the other cities. But when I moved to Boston it was a real challenge to go on job interviews in Watertown, Waltham, Boston and Cambridge without a car. The US in general makes it tough to live without a car, but that is a whole topic of it's own for another day.

Let's get back to the warm-and-fuzzy bike week celebrations. You can check out the Mass Bike Coalition site to keep up-to-date with all things bike in Massachusetts. I recommend becoming a member and getting on their mailing list. That is how I heard about the pancake breakfast this morning at Broadway Bikes. Unfortunately I could not attend the breakfast. My dog Lucy demanded that it was her turn to join me at work, so I took the bus. But tomorrow I bike!

Definitely read today's article in the Globe - you have to see Mayor Menino in his track suit riding with all the other enthusiasts. It really is a sight to behold. He bought a Trek last year and has been focused on making Boston a bike friendly city every since. We love that!

"In July, the city plans to unveil its first designated bike lanes, on Commonwealth Avenue between the Boston University Bridge and Kenmore Square. The city may also add bike lanes to Massachusetts Avenue between Albany Street and Huntington Avenue, Tremont Street along Boston Common, and on American Legion Highway, which runs past Franklin Park.

By year's end, officials plan to install 250 bike racks across the city and 750 over the next three years."

Wohooo! Beat traffic - get in shape - arrive to work in a great mood -
GET ON A BIKE!

I have been trying to bike to work 1-3 days a week. I will admit, I am a fair weather bicycle commuter. I don't like to arrive to work with a mud stripe down my back. And Lucy, my dog, likes to accompany me to work at least 2-3 days a week. So I split my days between the bike and the bus/dog. But one day, my handy husband Ted will make a customized dog trailer for me so that Lucy can come to the office when I bike to work. Ahhhh... that will be sweet and I will be in great shape.

Energy Raisers

2008-05-08T09:02:00.002-04:00

Back in the day communities used to come together to help raise a barn. Now we have communities helping each other install solar panels - I love this! Check out the article in the Globe today and look at the amazing cost savings (see excerpt below).

"By eliminating labor costs, the New Hampshire group has been able to reduce the price from more than $10,000 for a conventionally installed system to as little as $3,000, organizers of the group say. Federal tax credits and local company rebates - such as those available in New Hampshire - can reduce the price even further, to as low as about $1,500, they say." - May 8, 2008 Boston Globe.

Mom Hint: From Lint to Flint

2008-05-02T12:32:00.004-04:00

I have learned a lot from my Mom over the years so as we approach Mother's Day it seems appropriate to pass on one of her great tips. When home for Easter I pulled a college stunt and brought some laundry home. I try not to revert to old habits, but my schedule was so dang busy in the month before D2E, it was hard for me to do my household chores. So I brought home a load of laundry, making my Easter feast a two-fer (and giving my brother a chance to heckle me).

While doing my laundry I noticed that my Mom had a ziplock bag with laundry lint from the dryer. This seemed odd, and I wondered if she had found a way to recycle it.

Mom hint #1: Use dryer lint to help start your camp fire.

Yup, my Mom's pretty cool. She recycles and she camps.

The D2E tribe

2008-04-16T16:26:00.007-04:00

As we evaluate this past year and look forward to the next, it is nice to see some photos from the inaugural D2E. As one exhibitor said upon leaving on Sunday night, "I have found my tribe."

Without doubt there was a positive vibe in the air throughout the weekend. All of the exhibitors, attendees, speakers, chefs and volunteers were on the same wave length. We all wanted to learn, talk, taste and move forward into a more sustainable world. We each want to make a difference, and we can. So below are just a few photos that we managed to collect. We will post more - and I will continue to blog about our own findings on how we can all make little changes, one at a time, that will make a big difference for us all.

Enjoy the photos!

Recycling efforts at D2E

2008-04-04T13:48:00.003-04:00

We just received the report from the Hynes that specifies how much was recycled during the weekend of D2E. We had two forms of recycling; single stream and compost. The single stream consists of cardboard, paper, plastic and bottles. The compost consists of food scraps and compostable plates, ice cream samplers, forks and cups.

We recycled .65 ton of the single stream and .73 ton of the compost items. It is worth noting that one month ago the Hynes would have only recycled paper and cardboard and for a show the size of D2E it would have totaled only .27 ton. So we recycled 1.09 ton of waste that just one month ago would have been put into a landfill. The Hynes is happy, we are happy and we hope this gives you the warm and fuzzies as well.

I'd like to take this moment to thank the Hynes for being so supportive of our mission. When we initially approached them about our need to recycle as much as possible and to off set the energy costs, we did not have to spend time selling them on the idea. They had already begun working on this new program and they saw D2E as the perfect show to launch it. Aramark, the food vendor was also quick to jump on board with plates, forks and cups that can go into the compost along with all the table scraps.

As we recover from the past few months of intense preparations and the weekend filled with stimulating discussions and fun events I will be posting more info and photos. And then we are to 2009! Here's to more companies realizing the importance of the triple bottom line; economics, social and environmental – and may we all learn to walk forward with "Bold Humility" as stated so eloquently by Frances Moore Lappé.

D2E Video Project

2008-03-31T10:54:00.003-04:00

The Down to Earth video showcase premiered Friday night with several of the filmmakers in attendance and a special guest appearance of the six Boston high school students who appear in Island Ambassadors. The Ambassadors are volunteer rangers at the Boston Harbor Islands National Park. They speak about how the retreat to the natural stillness of the islands balances their very urban lives in Boston.

The videos are all very diverse and they added a nice element to the show. We appreciate all of the submissions and look forward to having another community project for next year.

For anyone who wants more information on the videos and the artists who made them, check this out:

What is Sustainability (2:00) -- an introduction to the themes of the program by Mark Adams, painter and cartographer with the National Park Service.

Human Nature (3:00) -- Linda Price-Sneddon. Linda is a painter and educator from the Boston area with an atmospheric take on the contrasts between urban and rural landscapes.
http://www.pricesneddon.com

Model of the Universe (4:20) -- About environmental sculptor Natalie Miebach, two-time fellow at the fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown MA.
http://nathaliemiebach.com/

The End (1:30) -- painter/sculptor/filmmaker Carlos Ferguson has created a whimsical take on the end of the world.

Climate Change in Malawi (3:00) from the Photostory Project created by Wellfleet photographer Deirdre Portnoy. Dee puts cameras in the hands of people in developing communities in Haiti, Peru and Malawi.

Shine Your Light (3:00) by Adam Frelin. Adam's ingenious method captures and redirects a familiar beacon. Adam teaches at SUNY Albany.
www.adamfrelin.com

As Is - Down-Sized Life (excerpt about Truro sculptor Joyce Johnson) (5:00) by Dr. Maryanne Galvin. Dr. Galvin profiles the lives of women who have made the most of simplicity in their lifestyles. The piece focuses on distinguished Cape Cod sculptor Joyce Johnson.
www.mgproductions.biz/About/

Inchwork from Science Shorts by Boston video artist Sam Smiley. Sam's videos crystalize and reinterpret the science documentary style.

Swarm -- Poems by Nick Flynn (3:00). Nick's book, Blind Huber, is a series of meditations on bees and beekeeping.
www.poemhunter.com/nick-flynn/

Code Red Bunny (1:00) from Science Shorts by Sam Smiley.
www.virtualberet.net/

Floating Boulder (2:00) -- a paradox by Adam Frelin.

Kettle Pond Swim (3:40) by Mark Adams and Matt Bates, is an underwater montage filmed in Wellfleets little known freshwater ponds.

Maidenfly Love (1:00) from Science Shorts by Sam Smiley.

Hognose Snaking (3:00) by wildife biologist Todd Tupper with Mark Adams. The beauty and charm of reptiles -- the tragedy of roadkill.

Sea Turtle Disentanglement (3:00) by the Provincetown Center for Coastal Studies. Scott Landry of the Center documents the rescue of a giant loggerhead sea turtle. The Center's programs include whale conservation, Massachusetts Bay water quality and land-sea interactions.
www.coastalstudies.org/

Arbor Day (3:00) by Boston filmmaker John Coyne. A springtime sprint through the Arnold Arboretum.

Christmas Warming Alphabet (2:30) by conceptual artist and gadfly Jay Critchley. Jay's work skewers consumerism and the loss of community character.
www.jaycritchley.com/

Boston Harbor Island Ambassadors (9:50) by the Island Alliance.
www.bostonislands.org/ia/index.asp
www.bostonislands.org/ia/youthprograms_bean.asp

Thanks are in order ...

2008-03-21T22:51:00.008-04:00

Now that we are one week away from D2E and the whole office is focused on finalizing details for the show, I'd like to take a moment to say thanks. Thank you, thank you, thank you to our amazing Board of Advisors. (Ilene Bezahler pictured above talking with Betty about the food programing.) They would get out of bed extra early and stumble into the Clear Conscience Cafe in Central Square, Cambridge at 7am to help us make this happen. They did this because they believe in our mission, they want to help us do it right, and Dan at the Cafe serves up some mean coffee and pastries. I would show more photos of the board, but this is the only one without someone's eyes closed, Peter's hair sticking straight up, or my thumb in front of the lens. Please do visit our board page to learn about these amazing people.

We discussed many issues that helped shape D2E:
• If a company offsets all of it's energy and claims it is carbon neutral, does that qualify? No.
• If a big company that does not have the best track record is making significant strides to turn around, does that qualify? Sometimes - this leads to a lengthy discussion. We decided that we should support these efforts, so we will explore this more in the second year.
• If a bottled water company is carbon neutral through offsets, has established a recycling program and has a charity set up in the developing country that helps replenish the rainforest, do they qualify for the show? No. Bottled water is a huge problem. We can't promote that.
• If a local designer runs a small shop but does not focus on using sustainable materials, should he/she be in the show? Maybe. This depends on the focus of the work. We try to have more than one reason to have them in the show. For example, being a local small business is good for sustainability because you are helping the local market (and adding to the local character). But the business should have at least one other trait, like manufacturing it's products in the US, or using non-toxic materials, or focusing it's efforts towards society or the environment, etc. Just being local is not enough.
• Can we save money and use vinyl banners to hang at the show? NO!

We narrowed our criteria down to a list of about 30 qualifying traits that make up a sustainable business. No one business meets all of them so we have to make each decision separately. We have been navigating a huge gray space and we are the first to say that nobody is completely green. This is part of the reason why we decided to use blue and brown as our main colors. That, and the fact that brown was Lorelei's favorite color as a kid and Betty went to UNC, hence Carolina Blue.

Seriously though, we are focusing on sustainability - the triple bottom line: environment, society & economics. We (the big we) need to consider all three for success. So we felt that the color green is too strongly associated with the environment. We needed to expand our reach.

So now that we are one week away from the show, I may have lost 5,000 carbon pounds during the process but I gained some extra cushion around my mid-section. A few too many vegan treats will do that to ya. So to celebrate my vegan love handles, below is a photo of the lovely Clear Conscience Cafe. I recommend it to everyone. It is LEED certified, it is comfortable, and they serve great fair trade coffee and make some mean treats. Check it out!

I lost 5,000 pounds!

2008-03-11T19:51:00.000-04:00

Yes, it's true. The office at D2E went on the Low Carbon Diet and I have lost 5,000 carbon pounds since we started this exploration. Since I never shy away from a challenge, I have set my goals on loosing another 5,000 pounds between now and June. (After a networking event I sat down at the bar to do my homework. Luckily this diet does not deprive me of wine.)

What are carbon pounds you ask?
This nifty workbook takes you through action items that shrink your carbon footprint. You calculate for your whole household - which means my footprint is significantly larger now that I am married. I went from being equal to a European citizen, taking public transportation and abiding by my good eco-habits, to being a typical American. I have my work cut out for me.

For those interested in learning about actions items they can take and working on it together as a team, this workbook is great. We did it together at the office and it did help to hear other stories, share tips and hold each other accountable.

Samples of some habits I picked up:
- Yes, we changed our light bulbs. It is one of the easier tasks, and it must be done.
- Shorter showers. This one is very difficult for me, as my apartment is old and cold.
- Turn down the heat. Keep the temperature low when not at home and at night while sleeping.
- Cold water for cleaning clothes.
- Eating lower on the food chain. More veggies and bugs! (Okay, I have not yet bitten into a bug, but I can't wait to see David Gracer grill up some insects Friday night at D2E.)

Future goals
- I will compost! I am looking forward to learning about my composting options at D2E. The Alternative Energy store should have some information.
- Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) - I am going to sign up for a CSA this year, and I am very excited about it. Harvest Coop will be at D2E and they are a convenient drop-off, so I'm hoping they can help me choose the right one for me.

Lucy loves Bison too!

2008-02-26T08:39:00.004-05:00

While grocery shopping last week I found a new toy for Lucy - the Protected Wildlife Bison Dog Toy. These stuffed animals represent endangered animals that are under protection. Sergeant's, has partnered up with the National Wildlife Federation and will make a donation to the NWF for every toy that is registered. Please note that the toy has to be registered on-line for the donation to be made.

NWF has three main missions - 1. Confronting Climate Change 2. Restoring Wildlife Habitat 3. Connecting People with Nature. So in celebration of the NWF and our new Bison toy, Lucy and I decided to head outdoors. We need to get out of the office and remember why we are working so hard.

Beantown = Greentown?

2008-02-22T13:45:00.000-05:00

Last week Popular Science Magazine came out with a list of “America’s 50 Greenest Cities,” and Boston ranked #3, with Cambridge right behind at #6.

I have to say I’m surprised. There are a bunch of rankings out there about the Greenest Cities, from more devoted sources (like Grist, SustainLane, and The Green Guide), as well as less devoted sources (who knew Forbes magazine had one?). The criteria are always subjective. Popular Science lists “Green Living” as one of their criteria . . . what does that really mean?

New York City always seems to get short shrift, no matter what the list. Even though more than half of its population commutes on its public transportation system, the best in the US, it came out 20th behind green powerhouses Honolulu, Hawaii, and Huntsville, Alabama. Whuh?

It seems like Boston’s high ranking is mostly based on “preliminary plans” for a power plant to convert grass clippings and other yard waste into electricity and fertilizer. Hopefully that project won’t go the way of Cape Wind. Maybe we got extra credit for the Green Monster and the Celtics . . .

I guess what matters most is not making it to the top of the lists and chillaxing, or arguing over minutia, but using the spirit of competition to encourage all cities and their citizens to move "greenward."

FishPhone = Phat.

2008-02-18T14:47:00.006-05:00

Ever wonder what type of seafood is the safest for your health and the environment? If you’re like me, you usually only remember to ponder this before ordering dinner in a restaurant, or before buying seafood in the supermarket, when the information isn’t readily available.

Enter FishPhone, “the nation’s first sustainable seafood text messaging service,” brought to you by the nonprofit Blue Ocean Institute.

To vet your seafood choice, text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish you’re considering. They send a text back with their assessment of the species health and better alternatives to fish with significant environmental concerns.

Fish are assigned a color from the best option (GREEN) to the worst option (RED) based on environmental concerns (like habitat damage from fishing/farming the species or overfishing) and human health concerns (like high levels of mercury and PCBs).

To try out the service I texted “FISH Red Snapper” that I ordered last time I was in a restaurant, and within 30 seconds got the following unfortunate text back: “Fr: Fish Phone Snapper (RED) significant environmental concerns; fisheries management is poor and populations are declining.” Oops.

Blue Ocean’s Guide to Ocean Friendly Seafood is also available as a website, a webpage for your cell phone or PDA, and for technophobes, as a wallet-sized pamphlet you can print out.

I added FishPhone to my cell phone’s contact list so I won’t make the wrong choice again!

Saving trees, one fax at a time

2008-02-14T16:29:00.000-05:00

Since we in the D2E office are planning an environmental expo, we are becoming very conscious of the impact of even the tiniest actions of our business. For instance, every day we get at least one advertisement faxed to us. Ironically, we often receive ads for ink cartridges. Do the ink cartridge companies really think we’re going to call them after their junk faxes use up all our ink?

We’ve started collecting the faxes and other pieces of one-sided paper in a cardboard box for reuse. The ads really add up! We are also calling the advertisers to remove our fax number from their list, which takes a little extra time, but will save a lot of paper.

As for the paper we can’t reuse, the D2E office signed up for Earthworm Recycling about 6 months ago. Earthworm is a nonprofit based in Somerville that recycles mixed office paper for businesses. We recently received a report on our progress; we have already recycled 481 pounds of paper, which is roughly equivalent to 4 trees.

Interesting factoid from Earthworm’s website:

Did You Know . . . Enough office waste paper is thrown away each year to build a 12- foot wall between Los Angeles and New York City?

Business as an agent of change

2008-02-14T08:30:00.003-05:00

For the past year we at D2E have been researching companies and organizations that we feel add value to the consumer's life, and make sense for our environment and society. Betty and I felt strongly that all businesses should be considering these factors – the end user (value of the product or service), the environment, society and of course profit. I should say profit with a capital P, because it is such and important factor. Profit can mean the money gained so that one can send her kids to college. Profit can be the money gained so that the Non-profit can help more people or animals. If nobody profits, where are we?

I am not an economist or an academic. I am a mere small business owner that has earned my MBA in the trenches. But I have learned the value of business. Business can be an agent of change. We business owners can help society progress in a positive way. We create jobs and we help stimulate the economy. Take Lush as an example (shameless plug - but their stuff is so great). This company offers great bath products to the consumer. Why are they great? 1. They are fun, so they deliver joy to the one using it. 2. They smell good. 3. They will clean your body. 4. They do not conduct any animal testing. 5. They do not contain any toxins. They are made with fresh organic fruit & veggies. 6. No sweat shops. 7. They minimized packaging... This company considered many factors when they were developing their products. They did not ignore the fact that in the end, the product has to work. It has to deliver value to the end user. If a product is merely environmentally friendly it will not live long.

And we can't ignore corporate responsibility. I attended the Boston Business Journal Philanthropy Summit this year and their panel sponsored by State Street on how businesses can help end youth violence in Boston (Urban Violence is a Business Problem). Our society has some serious issues to deal with - and it takes a village to raise a child. Or, perhaps, it takes a conscience corporate community to raise a city.

As for D2E - we decided early on that we wanted to make a difference. How can we use our skills to create something that is useful for the end-user and good for the planet and community? Well, we made a few decisions early on.

1. We created a Board of Advisors that could help us do the right thing. They know a lot more than we do about the environment, so we knew we would need their help in order to avoid green washing.
2. Inspired by Van Jones, we decided that we had to have en event for the youth of Boston. We need to reach out to the kids and let them know why these issues are important and show them the opportunities that are here for the taking. So on Sunday, March 30 at noon we will host a YOUTH FORUM. We will have a panel of professionals from different sectors of the sustainable economy talk about how they got to where they are, and why it is important to pursue a career in this emerging sustainable economy. Why should we care?
3. We decided to focus on design and innovation. Our hope is that in the future one will not gain any marketing points with the green label. So we want D2E to showcase good design and innovation that just happens to consider the planet. On Saturday we will host a symposium on SUSTAINABLE DESIGN. The panelists are a diverse group and they will talk about how design, science and policy all come into play and can help create a more sustainable future.

We at D2E want this event to be beneficial to the consumer. We want to help consumers find products and services that enable them to live their day-to-day lives with style and comfort, while shrinking their footprint. We want to inform and entertain.

So that is my thought for the day, and I hope that you all attend our show and feel we have added value to your life.

Beware Toxic Toothpaste and Lethal Lipstick: The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics

2008-02-07T15:26:00.000-05:00

I was floored by a recent conversation I had with Mia Davis of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics. I never knew that beauty and personal care products like shampoo, conditioner, lotion, aftershave, and makeup aren’t regulated by the FDA or any other branch of the US government. (read more here)

Unfortunately it is common (and legal) for companies to use ingredients in these products that are known or suspected carcinogens, mutagens or reproductive toxins, like mercury and lead.

The Compact for Safe Cosmetics is a pledge taken by over 700 companies to remove toxic chemicals and replace them with safer alternatives. Signatories pledge to follow the European Union’s laws for cosmetics, which are the strictest currently available. Notably absent are all the big cosmetic companies, as well as some that I thought were the best, like Aveda, Origins (manufactured by Estée Lauder), and The Body Shop (manufactured by L’Oreal).

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), one of the founding organizations of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, operates the Skin Deep database, a safety guide to cosmetics and personal care products. On this website you can type in a brand, product, or ingredient to find it’s toxicity score, health concerns linked to the ingredients, and safer alternative products.

I was upset to see my facial cleanser rated 7 out of 10 - a high hazard – with ingredients linked to cancer, reproductive toxicity, neurotoxicity, immunotoxicity, allergies, and bioaccumulation. I will be replacing that ASAP. I wonder if it's bad to throw such products into the trash?

Check out this YouTube video about “Fragrance” by EWG.

Re-boot for the New Year

2008-02-03T18:51:00.000-05:00

One way a fashionista can conserve rather than consume – the local cobbler.

While taking stock of my wardrobe I noticed that my boots needed some TLC. So rather throwing out the old so I could buy some new, I brought them to my local cobbler. This is one of the little things in life. It sounds silly, but I felt all warm and tingly inside knowing that I was bringing some business to a neighbor and extending the life of my beloved boots that have served me so well over the years.

Some background: I decided when I turned 30 that I would not buy cheap shoes. I have a pair of boots from 1999 and two pair from 2006 (I fell for the "buy one get the second for half price"). They were not cheap, but I wear them often and now they fit like a glove.

Cost: $60.00 for four heel repairs, adding protective rubber and a polish to top it off. That is significantly cheaper than a new pair of leather boots.

Conclusion: I have no intention of hanging up my boots! I am almost officially in the bragging zone – next year my black round-toed boots will be ten years old. That definitely qualifies as bragging rights over a fair-trade shade-grown latte with my girlfriends. At the 1369 Coffee Shop, of course. Buy local!

Volunteer Vacations

2008-02-01T16:49:00.000-05:00

I know there are a lot of people like me out there. I love Boston half the year, but whine and complain about the cold, dreary other half. It’s around this time that I start daydreaming about equatorial climates and checking flights on Expedia and Travelocity (which both offer carbon offsets!).

Many people want to escape on a packaged tour or cruise, to avoid spending hours planning and booking when they work full time. Fortunately, several organizations offer packaged options that are also environmentally and socially responsible, for those who head south of the border for more than just beaches and bars.

The Earthwatch Institute, Crooked Trails, and United Planet are three examples that offer "voluntourism" trips to exotic destinations, but with the opportunity to join projects tracking dolphins, protecting nesting sea turtles, building homes, surveying coral reefs, and with other conservation and philanthropic missions.

If you're a student and some of these might be out of your league, lots of universities organize volunteer vacations during winter and spring break, which are fun and economical alternatives. I met one of my best friends on a trip to Assateague Island National Seashore, where we installed fence to protect endangered bird nesting areas.

Check out this site on "VolunTourism."

"Pass the Vegi-Squid, Please."

2008-01-29T11:33:00.000-05:00

There is a lot of information out there about the environmental impacts of eating meat, including carbon and methane emissions, air and water pollution, and deforestation (depending on the source). After learning all this and reading a really frightening brochure on animal slaughter, I converted to vegetarianism for several years.

During that time I discovered several restaurants in the Boston area that offer more than just salads and sides to vegheads like me. The Boston Vegetarian Society has a great list, and even sponsors a vegetarian Food Fest every fall. Here are a few of my favorite veggie restaurants:

- Veggie Planet is an iconic vegetarian restaurant, and a staple for those of us north of the Charles. Their inventive dishes, like Vegan Peanut Curry and Open Face Grilled Cheese, are offered on either organic pizza dough or rice. They also have salads with tofu croutons, incredible organic Mac and Cheese, soups, and desserts. Veggie Planet also donates a portion of its profits to Food For Free, a non-profit helping to feed the hungry in Cambridge.

- Grasshopper in Allston raises the bar, with all-vegan cuisine. They do fake meat like you wouldn’t believe, but also noodles, soups, spring rolls, and of course, veggies. The last few times I went there I found that everything just tasted like the sauce, but it’s still a fascinating safari into the world of fake meat (and yes, they have vegi-squid).

- All-Vegan Buddha’s Delight in Chinatown also specializes in faux meats galore. I once ordered a seafood platter there, and they made a really impressive looking lobster tail out of goodness knows what . . . again, not the most flavorful meal I’ve had, but it's fun for vegans to have a whole menu to choose from once in a while.

LEAP for girl power!

2008-01-27T12:27:00.000-05:00

In my networking travels, while attending events that are focused on issues that I believe in, I found LEAP - Lifetime Empowerment and Awareness Program. I met Deborah Weaver, the founder, at an event organized by the Boston Business Journal and sponsored by State Street. The event was focused on how businesses can help to end teen violence in Boston. Since we at D2E strongly believe that business is not a four letter word and we can act as agents of change, we are actively pursuing ways to strengthen our corporate citizenship. Basically, we are working to pay our own rent and make a difference while doing so.

Back to LEAP. This is a great program and I encourage everyone to check out the website. On the surface, LEAP trains girls to physically defend themselves. The wonderful side effect of this training is self empowerment. LEAP gives girls options and helps them make decisions in spite of fear. The self-reflective skills that are gained through the LEAP program help strengthen girls' ability to say "no" in difficult situations, to create safe and constructive boundaries, and to identify and trust their own feelings.

How cool is that? It took me years of falling down to learn to trust my gut. If you know a girl between the ages of 8 and 18, I suggest you check out LEAP. It is not just for inner city girls - we country girls need to learn how to defend ourselves as well.

Vampire Energy - SCARY!

2008-01-18T11:15:00.000-05:00

While reading WorldChanging, I was surprised by a concept I was not familiar with - vampire energy.

Even when appliances are turned off, they can still use a lot of electricity in standby mode, to keep little lights blinking, and to keep all those digital clocks on microwaves and DVD players showing the wrong time.

These little amounts of electricity really add up when multiplied by the number of appliances in our homes, and the number of homes in the country. The U.S. Department of Energy estimates that vampire energy will consume 20% of our nation's electricity by 2010. That’s 20% of our nation’s power plants operating just to keep our appliances OFF!

This cool vampire info graphic from GOOD Magazine shows how much electricity and money is wasted each year for particular appliances. Now that’s scary.

To prevent vampires from drinking up your electricity, unplug all your electronics when you’re not using them. Or try plugging a bunch of related appliances into a power strip and keep that turned off. My computer, printer, and speakers are all plugged into a surge protector, and because its a little annoying to bend under the desk to turn it on every time I want to check my email, I’m actually using my computer and its entourage of energy-sapping devices less often.

For the eco-gadgeteer, there are lots of cool gadgets emerging to deal with the problem for you, like GreenSwitch, Kill A Watt and Savasocket.

I could buy a new fair trade soccer ball with all the money I'll save!

WorldChanging = LifeChanging

2008-01-15T10:23:00.000-05:00

In my sparse spare time, I’ve been making my way through WorldChanging: A Users Guide to the 21st Century. This life-changing book is a compendium of state-of-the-art sustainability solutions, and should be required reading of anyone who will live a substantial portion of their lives during the 21st century.

WorldChanging thinks way outside the green box, bringing together ideas on how to turn technology, social networking, crafting, and everybody’s everyday lives into agents of positive change for the environment, human rights, and social justice. They also have a really forward-thinking blog on related topics.

The book was designed to be attractive, but with minimal environmental impact. As disclosed in a full environmental benefits statement, it was printed on 100% recycled New Leaf paper saving 3,866 fully grown trees, and the production was powered by wind power, resulting in a savings of over 360,000 pounds of greenhouse gases.

Check it out at your library, pick up a used copy at your local independent book seller, buy it online at Powell’s, and share it with your friends and neighbors.

Unwanted Catalogs

2008-01-13T16:19:00.000-05:00

What to do with unwanted catalogs? I have always had two romantic visions of what I would do with these invasions of my mailbox.

1. Art - I will make collages or some form of paper art and become a self-sustaining paper artist that works only with found objects.

2. Leisure - I will sit down with a glass of wine and flip through the pages of all the catalogs, ordering up whatever suits my fancy.

As you have probably already guessed, neither of these is going to happen any time soon. So into the recycling bin they go!

I think back in 1999 I bought a pair of hiking boots from the Campmor catalog and they ended up not fitting me very well, a bit too tight in the toe area. Due to my busy lifestyle, I never got around to returning them so now my sister-in-law wears them when she is walking her very cute dog, Roxy.

I'm okay with all of that. I am happy to live my busy life and go to work each day to help plan D2E. To be honest, considering how seldom I actually go shopping, it is a real treat for me and I like to go into the stores to feel the fabrics, flip through the books or sit on the furniture. Call me old-fashioned, but I love the experience. So if you are like me and each time you get a catalog in the mail it goes directly into the recycling bin - I have news for you. Catalog Choice is an on-line service that will cancel all of your catalogs for you. When I get a catalog in the mail I rip off the address info where my customer number is. Then I log into Catalog Choice, find the catalog that I want to cancel, put the information in and before you can say "recycling is fun but consuming less is bettah" I am done.

Hope this tip helps!

Green office in the Gray Urban Landscape

2008-01-06T14:21:00.001-05:00

How can an office take steps to produce less waste and consume less energy? First of all, the people that work in the office must want to make a difference. After all, it is us humans that create the waste, not the office walls.

We aren't perfect here at 715 Boylston Street, but we have taken some basic steps at the D2E office over the past year. And as we continue to learn more about the great services and products available, we do more. Below is a list of the changes we made in 2007.

1. Consume less
- Only print when needed.
- Use both sides of paper
- Use ceramic mugs for coffee and glasses or SIGG bottles for water (Some in the office are hard-core and will not allow themselves to get a coffee at our local cafe unless they bring their own mug.)
- We use cloth towels in our bathroom
- We keep two shopping bags hanging from the coat rack in case anyone needs to do some shopping and forgot their bag.
- Turn heat off at night and weekends.
- Only use lights that are needed.

2. Recycle
- Earthworm picks up our paper to recycle
- One office's trash is our office's conference table.
- We signed up for the Stonyfield recycling program so that our yogurt containers can be turned into plant pots
- I found my desk on the curb (elbow grease and paint to spruce it up)
- 2 office chairs are from a second hand shop
- We have a table from Artists for Humanity that is made out of old catalogs and magazines - very cool. (see top photo)

3. Public Transportation
We moved our office to the Back Bay so that it would be right on public transportation. Now everyone either takes the bus, the subway or rides a bike to work - even Lucy the Black Lab.

The next big step for the office is the Low Carbon Diet. At the encouragement of Dan Ruben, we have all purchased a copy of the work book and this week we are having our first team meeting. More to come on that subject.

Off-White Christmas : Dirty Snow

2008-01-02T23:08:00.000-05:00

Thanks to a few December snowstorms, the Boston area had its first “White Christmas” in several years. Although the snow buried the urban grime for a few days, pristine snow doesn’t last long in the city. Here’s a pile near my apartment. Eww.

But dirty snow isn’t just an aesthetic issue. It also contributes to global warming. A study by students at UC Irvine proposed that dirty snow in the Arctic might be responsible for one-third of the alarming temperature increases in the region, which is most often attributed to greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane.

Normally, clean snow reflects sunlight back to space (which is why fresh snow appears so bright to our eyes on sunny days). But tiny particles of soot from forest fires, dust storms, and burning fossil fuels are settling on top of snow, and acting like billions of “tiny toaster ovens.” The dark-colored particles absorb sunlight, causing them to heat up and melt surrounding snow.

Dust storms from the American Southwest and even China are sprinkling the snowy Colorado Rockies with particles, and causing snow to melt earlier in spring. This is already impacting ski resorts, hydropower companies, white water rafting guides, and farmers whose crops rely on spring melt water.

I always think of greenhouse gases as the primary cause of global warming. I read about taxes, cap-and-trade systems, and sequestration projects for carbon dioxide every day in the newspapers. But this research reminded me that there are other culprits as well.

WOW! What an event!

2007-12-26T10:50:00.000-05:00

On December 12 (two weeks ago today) I had the honor and privilege to participate in the Citizen Schools WOW! event. Citizen Schools is a leading national education initiative that uniquely mobilizes thousands of adult volunteers to help improve student achievement by teaching skill-building apprenticeships after-school. The event that I attended was focused on design and I was honored to be a judge.

Teams of middle school students were paired up with local architecture firms (and one development firm) to work on a public space. They could choose between the Jackson Square Station in Jamaica Plain/Roxbury, or Sullivan Square Station in Charlestown/Somerville. Each team was asked to submit concepts for a new design of the station headhouse (entry to station), a monument and the public space around it.

The value that I saw in this project was huge. First of all, kids are interacting with adult professionals. This makes a career in design more attainable. Secondly, they are learning that the design of our public spaces has an affect on how we interact as humans. They learned to observe the current spaces and be critical of them. What was working with the space? What was not working? How can we improve it? I did not start to ask these questions until I was a working adult, so to expose this thinking to kids puts our society at an advantage. In our efforts to become a more sustainable society, design plays a vital role.

Before I go off on a tangent about how important design is for our communities I will close by saying that Citizen Schools is a great organization to support – through donations or volunteering. If you are interested in the future of our communities you can help by getting involved with the kids. And I will recommend that everyone read "The Death and Life of Great American Cities" by Jane Jacobs. This book is what woke me up and it made me look at my surroundings in a much different way. Here is a NY Times review of the book. Ask your local book shop if they have it - and if they do not, ask them to order it.

Great Green Gifts

2007-12-17T16:57:00.000-05:00

I always despised holiday shopping until I started research for d2e. Not only is driving to several stores, sitting in traffic, and purchasing goods flown in from all over the world detrimental to the environment, but it can also be miserable. This year I found a new one-stop shopping destination, Greenward in Porter Square. They even offer a 10% discount to Zipcar members!

For my buddies at the office, I got a kitchen scrubber from Loofah-art, to clean out our reusable mugs. I’m embarrassed to say that I thought loofah was a sea sponge, but apparently it comes from a squash-like plant. These scrubbers are 100% biodegradable, colored with natural vegetable dyes, hand sewn, and support small farmers and educational initiatives in India. And they’re adorable. I might keep the beet for myself. I also got Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Liquid Hand Soap for our bathroom.

For my roomies (ok, so it's mostly for me . . .), I got a really funky floor mat, in the design of a manhole cover and made from recycled tires, by Fred. Look how cool it looks with the new rubber boots I bought last Thursday to aid my walk home during the snow storm.

Since my mom and dad can barely pronounce “blog” and certainly don’t read any, I have no qualms telling the rest of the world about a gift I bought for them, a really nice stainless-steel kitchen compost holder by Norpro. This will be a much lovelier way to keep peelings and eggshells on their new kitchen countertop, and will encourage them to use the compost bin I set up in their back yard.

I think they’ll also get a kick out of the biodegradable Business Bags I found, a different kind of "doggie bag" they can use to clean up after their new puppies.

Lastly, for some lucky youngster who participates in Toys for Tots, I got a darling little wooden bean with wheels, from Nest based in Holyoke, MA. This toy is made of sustainably harvested hardwood with non-toxic paint, and is packaged in 100% post-consumer recycled chipboard.

There are a slew of Green Gift Guides this December for the greeniac in your life (I hope Santa reads my blog!). Fortunately, it’s not all hemp and composting equipment, although there are definitely some beautiful products in those categories. For a stuff-free holiday season, check out these suggestions from Grist. If you’re looking for something wrappable, I like Treehugger, Inhabitat, The Daily Green and Co-Op America's suggestions. For the artsy, check out Etsy, which plays host to artists offering handmade items for sale, many from recycled and vintage materials.

If you’re looking for brick-and-mortar stores in the Boston area for your green gift needs, a few others besides Greenward are Fiddlehead on Newbury Street, Dunia-Ecostore in Maynard, and Hatched in Jamaica Plain. As for clothing, The Hempest has some lovely offerings made from fast-growing hemp, and Envi is THE source for your eco-chic fashionista, but don't overlook consignment shops like Second Time Around and Poor Little Rich Girl.

There are abundant green gift options for everyone in your life, from the eco-chic to the eco-naive, making it easy to make this season a little greener.

Recycling: The Gateway Drug

2007-12-17T13:46:00.000-05:00

These days, everyone and their soccer mom (even mine!) is talking about climate change, and ways of reducing their environmental impact. What surprises me is that a lot of individuals, and some businesses I’ve researched for d2e, are extolling their recycling efforts, when recycling is one of least effectual ways of reducing environmental impact.

A friend of mine put it this way: “Recycling is the gateway drug.” It seems to be the first thing a lot of people focus on, but it introduces you to other hardcore habit-forming actions.

I first learned about recycling in a unit in elementary school, and went on a field trip to a landfill and recycling center where our trash ended up. My mom threw away one of my dolls, probably because I was bad or because of a recall, and I remember hoping I might find it and take it home (my fascination with trash rummaging continues to this day).

My interest in recycling resurfaced in middle school. Students often threw old quizzes and homework into the trash, when a blue recycling bin sat next to it, neglected, sometimes containing trash from the same careless students. It didn’t help that rumors went around the school that the janitors dumped everything into the same bin. Apparently that’s a common rumor in schools and offices, probably started when a janitor was forced to dump contaminated recycling into the trash.

In high school, I experiemented with new forms of action. I spent some of my 20-minute Thursday lunch breaks writing letters to the government and corporations to save whales, rainforests, and to deplore oil spills with other young impressionables like me, who loved monkeys, pandas, and dolphins. I wonder what happened to those letters . . . do you think they were recycled?

Sure, recycling is part of the solution. Giving plastic, glass, paper, and even aseptic containers a new life reduces the amount of space we need for landfills, the number of diesel garbage truck trips to landfills and incinerators, and the amount of new materials (whether mined or clearcut or cooked up in chem labs) and petroleum required to make new bottles and cans and catalogs we threw into the landfills or incinerated.

However, the amount of energy it takes to truck recyclables to recycling facilities, to melt plastic, glass, and rubber into new products, and to ship those products all over the world (China and India are huge purchasers of recycled paper) can result in a net zero savings in energy use and carbon emissions. When it comes to making changes in your life that will really benefit the environment, recycling is just the tip of the melting iceberg. Here's a heated discussion about this on Treehugger.

If recycling is the gateway drug, then I’m too far gone for rehab. Check out the recycling in my apartment . . .

Now a Zipster

2007-12-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

I recently took my first trip in a Zipcar. Right after signing up for the Boston-based car-sharing service at Altwheels, I won $100 of free driving on the Zipcar prize wheel, and decided to use it to visit a friend in Connecticut.

I reserved a Nissan Versa online, like a library book, and after my reservation time started, the car unlocked for my Zipcard, like a fob. The person who used the car before me left the tank on empty, so I had to figure out how to use their gas card to refuel at 6am. It was so cold! But it was pretty easy. I swiped the debit-like gas card, and since Zipcar pays for gas, there was no need to search for the cheapest price, I just went to the gas station near my apartment.

After not driving for 6 months, it was definitely weird stepping into a car I had never driven and traveling such a long distance, in steady rain. I had to mentally restrain myself from signaling with my arm when I wanted to turn, like I do on my bike!

I returned home, parked, and removed all my belongings, right before my reservation ended at midnight on a Friday. But as soon as I had locked the car, I heard hissing coming from the back right tire. I called Zipcar and spoke with a friendly woman who recorded the issue and said, “you’re all set!” I couldn’t imagine having to deal with changing a tire at midnight after a long day trip. Thank you, Zipcar!

I’m really excited to be a Zipster, and I’m looking forward to my next trip. Next, I'll reserve a mini-Coop or a Prius for a little more fun.

Taking the bus to work

2007-12-09T15:42:00.000-05:00

I used to drive my car to work each day. This past August I started taking the bus. Since I like to bring my dog Lucy to work, this was a big change for me. The MBTA does allow dogs on the bus, as long as it is not during busy hours with crowded buses. This means I have to leave home at 6:30am so that we can catch the 7am bus at Harvard Square. Buses after 7am start to get crowded, and I don't want to risk not getting on the bus, especially in the cold weather.

So far, most of our public transportation experiences have been great. Some of the bus drivers really love having Lucy on the bus. She is a great dog - and she brings a little something special to everyone's day. We have made a few friends on the bus - people that are on the same schedule and love dogs. The dog lovers always join us in the back of the bus.

The ride home is more difficult as the buses stay crowded for longer periods of time. So when Lucy comes to work with me, Ted picks us up after work and we carpool home together. So, unfortunately taking your pet on public transportation is not a sure thing. You need to have a back-up plan. But fortunately, it is possible and 95% of the time there are no problems.

Below are some warm and fuzzy stats that make my painfully early departure more bearable. It is worth the effort - and I have to admit - I love the extra reading time I get each day.
• Buses emit one fifth the carbon monoxide per mile that is emitted by a single occupant vehicle per mile. For more information
• A household with two cars that swaps one vehicle for public transportation for daily commutes would save about $6,200 a year even after paying transit fares. For more information

. . . from the results of an American Public Transportation Association study that were released September 26, 2007

The research shows that when compared to other household actions that limit carbon dioxide (CO2,), taking public transportation can be more than ten times greater in reducing this harmful greenhouse gas. It takes one solo commuter of a household to switch their daily driving to using public transportation and he or she can reduce their household carbon footprint by 10 percent. If one household’s driver gives up that second car and switches to public transit, a household can reduce its carbon emissions up to 30 percent. For more information.

More than 3 million people commute each day in Massachusetts, and more than 73 percent of them drive to work alone (Census 2000 Supplementary Survey)

The average Boston rush hour commuter spends 54 hours stuck in gridlock each year. (Texas Transportation Institute Urban mobility Study 2004)

The average Bostonian household spends over $6,000 annually on transportation - 16% of its income - and spends more on transportation than it does on food. (Surface Transportation Policy Project, 2001)

For more information

Protect Our Winters

2007-12-09T15:23:00.000-05:00

I recently learned about Protect Our Winters. This is a great organization for many reasons - but what I like most about it is that it speaks to the young skiers and riders. We can often get caught up in the "not my issue" mentality. So I like seeing organizations that target specific markets - this way the message is more likely to reach everyone.

Check out their website to see their projects and what they are all about. I love a white Christmas, and I hope my great great grandchildren will too.

Recycling on the Mountain

2007-12-06T13:38:00.000-05:00

This weekend I managed to get my first days of snowboarding in and was able to experience Killington with new owners. Besides having a blast and burning my quads until I could no longer walk, I was happy to see that the new owners have instituted a recycling program. (I love the sign!)

I'm sure ski resorts have a huge impact on the environment. Between snow making, the chair lifts, the waste at the lodge and all of the big SUV's that carry us snow hungry people to the mountain – each ski resort must have a huge footprint. Since I am an avid snowboarder, this ads to my impact. (Great - one more thing to consider.)

I contacted Killington, since that is my main mountain, to see what kind of environmental initiatives they have going. I would feel better about the time I spend on the mountain if I knew that part of my season pass purchase was going towards innovative ways to reduce carbon emissions.

So, this is what I learned about Killington.
For the upcoming ski season, Killington Resort is implementing the following environmental initiatives:

- Co-mingle recycling program throughout all facilities, including six day lodges.
- A $50,000 “Free Aire” refrigeration energy saving project on 10 of our 18 walk-in coolers and freezers that will save 86,389 KWh and 31 tons of C02 savings per year
- Purchase 30 addition Low Energy Snowguns ($40,000), bringing our total of Low E guns to 339 out of 1,435 total guns. The increased use of Low E guns has reduces our diesel consumption by more than 30 percent and electricity by 25 percent over the past three years.
- They are also looking for a reliable supplier for biodiesel in the Central Vermont area.

The above is just the tip of the iceberg. What impressed me the most about Killington's initiative is that they are focusing on reducing their impact rather than just buying carbon credits to make up for it. That tells me that they are running their business the way I am trying to live my life.

Now - I am still figuring out what I want to do personally about the additional impact I make by choosing to go snowboarding. Keep posted - and feel free to pass on suggestions. But I'm not ready to give up this sport - so for now I am looking into carbon credits to offset my lift rides and driving to the slopes (besides all of the other lifestyle changes I am already making to decrease my impact).

If you are interested in reading more details about Killington - see below.

Details, details, details...

Snowmaking
Killington Resort’s snowmaking system, the most extensive in the world, consumes more power than all other resort operations combined. Over the past three years, more than $5.5 million have been poured into snowmaking improvements to increase the efficiency of the overall system and eliminated energy waste of both compressed air and water.

In partnership with Efficiency Vermont, we have completed a seven-year program to replace older diesel-powered snowmaking compressors with new state of the art “Tier III” low emissions machines. This upgrade has reduced our total emissions by 50%, or 100 tons of green house gas, which is the single most significant reduction in the ski industry!

The addition of HKD Ranger tower-mount Low Energy snow guns have complemented our power generation plant upgrades, further reducing Killington’s energy consumption. Low Energy guns produce the same amount of snow as conventional guns while utilizing up to 75 percent less energy. Over the past four years, Killington has boosted its Low Energy arsenal to 339 of the resort 1,435 total snow guns. Low energy snow guns are configured in the nozzle to use the same amount of water as conventional guns with less compressed air. The one drawback is their versatility as the optimal temperature range for their use is a wet bulb temperature (a combination of air temperature and humidity) below 26 degrees with light wind. However, the added advantage for the Low Energy snow guns is that by using less compressed air, Killington can run more guns at one time! In addition, the increased efficiency of tower-mount technology allows more rapid resurface capability with not only reduced air consumption and less energy, but manpower, which means fewer gas-powered snowmobiles on the mountain.

“Free Aire” Refrigeration Energy Project
A “Free Aire” refrigeration energy saving project took place this past summer and fall on 10 of our 18 walk-in coolers and freezers that will save a combined 86,389 kilowatt hours and 31 tons of C02 per year. Free Aire is a Vermont company out of Waitsfield. The project was captured by a production crew from Discovery Network’s Science Channel and will air on “Trippin’ the Green” in January.

Water Conservation Measures
The source of snowmaking water has been supplemented by the use of the Woodward Reservoir. This conservation measure has allowed the historical flows in local streams to be maintained, and in some cases increased, to insure protection for aquatic species. At the same time the snowmaking water supply can now support future growth without impacts to natural resources. In addition, the cold water pulled from the depths of Woodward Reservoir reduces the need to power cooling plants at the resort prior to pumping water through the snowmaking system.

Additional water conservation measures have been achieved through an innovative design to use recycled waste water systems throughout restroom facilities at our six base lodges, which saves up to 30,000 gallons of fresh water a day during peak usage and will be expanded in the future.

Support of the Regional Transit Provider
Killington Resort is the largest private contributor to “The Bus” - The Marble Valley Regional Transportation District. The Killington Region Transit Expansion Plan was a proactive response to the Village Master Plan proposed in 1998 to reduce traffic impacts to the region. Current ridership for the region exceeds 800,000 one way trips, with resort related trips exceeding 375,000, of which 75,000 are commuter and employee related - which continues to increase each year.

The combined efforts of the state, the resort and regional business supports the nearly a $1 million operating budget. The objective is to reduce the dependence on the automobile, drastically reducing emissions in the region, and to creating a pedestrian friendly village that is contiguous to the surrounding community.

Green Mountain College Partnership
Green Mountain College provides resort industry career training, educational outreach and consultants to develop operating strategies to manage overall energy consumption.
Killington Resort contributes to these programs by providing hands-on classroom experience, instructors and internships for students.

Additional recycling within maintenance operations include:
♣ All anti-freeze (350 gallons per year)
♣ Waste Oil for energy recovery (5,000 gallons per year)
♣ Laundered Rag recycle for shop use
♣ Battery and tire recycling
♣ Nearly exclusive use of latex paint to reduce hazardous wastes
♣ Use of sorbets and wringer to recover waste oil
♣ Use of recycled parts washer to eliminate spent solvents
♣ White paper and cardboard recycling
♣ Gas water recycling
♣ Use of air vacuum to recover waste oil
♣ Mercury bulb waste stream reduction

Printed Collateral
Killington Resort supports the highest social and environmental standards in the market for paper printed collateral. The 2007-08 Killington and Pico Mountain Trail maps will be printed on FSC-certified (Forest Stewardship Council) paper.

Alternative Energy Sources and Conservation Measures
We continue to research alternative energy sources for participation in the future development of: wind energy, cow power (methane gas production) through Central Vermont Public Service, wood chip power generation and natural and cryogenic gas plants.

We continue to work with energy conservation consultants to find new ways to economize and reduce energy consumption, including kitchen equipment, motor controllers and rebuilds, cooler economizers, lighting upgrades and green building design.

Additional goals built into the Killington Resort conservation program:
- Expand the resort’s recycling and solid waste reduction program
- Pursue energy conservation measures through Demand Side Management
- Keep abreast of energy reduction and efficiency opportunities

Taking old Bessie to work

2007-11-28T09:21:00.001-05:00

I have an old three speed that has been my bike of choice for tooling around town. I love late night urban adventures and riding it to dinner or a bar. Recently I decided to ride it to work - from Arlington Heights to the Back Bay. I figured it would take me about 45 minutes and I could ride the bike path for most of the way.

Issues to deal with when riding your bike to work:
1. weather - smart layers are key to success in New England
2. sweat - since I am going to work, I don't want to arrive all sweaty
3. baggage - I had a laptop, my coffee mug, and my book bag
4. cars - riding a bike in traffic is dangerous
5. no dog - I was not able to put Lucy on the handlebars

Benefits of riding your bike to work:
1. exercise - I felt energized and alive when I arrived to work
2. no carbon emissions
3. happiness - the ride definitely had a positive affect on my mood

So, what did I learn from my experience?
It takes me 1.5 hours to ride old Bessie to work. Slow and steady was my pace to minimize sweat. If I were to start riding a bike to work on a regular basis, which is very appealing, I should invest in a nice urban commuter bike. Old Bessie is fun for tooling around town, but she was not the most efficient ride. So I am going to start test riding all these great commuter bikes that I am reading about. Single speeds seem really cool - but I am not sure if I am that cool. But for sure I will test ride one.

SAFETY FIRST - You have to realize that you are vulnerable when riding in traffic. Not all drivers are aware of bicyclists or motorcyclists. So you have to be extra aware and ready to react. This is why I love the bike path. The more time I spend away from the cars, the better.

Lights are important and you have to make sure they are secure on you and your bike. Clip on lights can easily fall off, so I recommend having a front and back light that are fixed to your bike, then you can have extra lights on your bag and your helmut.

The best set-up would be to have a gym membership near my office so I can bike to the gym and shower. But it would be expensive to join a gym merely for the shower, so I am going to think about this. Normally I get my exercise outside, I am not a gym person. I heard Mayor Menino is planning to install some public showers in Boston. I'll see what I can learn about that.

And in closing, I loved my commute. I do normally like to bring my dog to work, so if I do purchase a shiny new bike I will probably only use it 2 or 3 days a week so that Lucy can come on the other days. But riding a bike to work exceeded my expectations and put a big smile on my face. If your commute can become such a positive experience in your life it can only be a good thing. I would even venture to say that it could lower your stress level and increase your happiness.

Get out and ride!

Dashboard Confessional: Breaking the Oil Addiction

2007-11-27T12:02:00.000-05:00

Where I grew up, deep in the ever-expanding sprawl of Boston, a car meant freedom and individuality. The car was a predecessor of the avatar, customizable with bumper stickers, accessories, bass-boosted speakers, and the peculiar mix of junk in the backseat – all of which represented the individual cruising the web of suburban streets and parking lots.

But each time I drove to college, soccer games, malls, mountains, apartments, and jobs over the years, too often in a great deal of traffic, I was burning foreign oil and adding carbon dioxide and asthma-causing particulate matter to the Boston area air. No one wants that!

So I’m working on my oil addiction. My biggest step, and the hardest, has been giving up my car, and the perceived freedom and success it once represented to me.

The transition is going really well, so far! I decided to only take a job on public transportation, so now I take the subway or the bus to work. I’m getting a lot more exercise and fresh air walking and biking to the grocery store and carrying home my purchases. Despite my mom’s concerns, I feel pretty safe biking in traffic, since Cambridge has decent bike lanes, and I quickly got used to watching for taxis swerving in front of me and for drivers opening their doors. I carry everything I need in a backpack, including the stuff I once stored in my trunk, like shoes, extra layers of clothing, and rain gear. When I want to visit my parents in Suburbia, they pick me up at the commuter rail.

I definitely miss being able to head to the mountains or the beach on a whim. But these trips are still possible, they just take a little more planning (and a friend with a car, which is more fun anyway!).

I can’t say I will never get another car. I could be swayed if Tesla Motors comes up with an affordable Roadster charged by solar power and built of 100% recycled materials (Motor Trend Car of the Year, 2012?). But every early morning that I wake up to the blaring street sweeping megaphone announcement and no longer have to rush downstairs in my pajamas to move my car before being ticketed or towed, I’m really grateful I don’t have a car.

A great story of business in synch with nature

2007-11-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

Julie and I were invited to the Hermann Miller (HM) showroom to see their residential furniture options. I have always known HM to be ahead of the game with innovation and design, but I did not realize the extent of their commitment to the environment. As I meet with more businesses and learn of their histories, it is clear that the companies leading the way today were either founded by visionaries - or have been influenced by visionary leaders. These individual business leaders have a clear understanding that a company can not merely concern itself with the economic bottom line - one must seriously consider the people involved and the environment. This thought inspired me, as it is an example of how an individual can make a difference. Herman Miller's environmental awareness can be traced back to the company's founder, D.J. De Pree, a devoutly religious person who felt a personal concern for the world and everything in it. In the early 1950s he penned a statement of corporate values that declared Herman Miller "will be a good corporate neighbor by being a good steward of the environment." This brings me to the story. While we were visiting HM Barb told us a story that helps sum up the HM brand.

The HM manufacturing facility in Michigan had a wasp problem. This was back in the 1950's when the common remedy to eliminate wasps was with poison. However, since HM recognized that this solution could endanger the people working in the building more than a few pesty wasp bites, they did some more research. They found that honey bees normally populate the same area and they could be used to push out the wasps. Honey bees do not pose a threat to people, and they can help nurture the wildflowers in the area. So HM hired a beekeeper to set up a honey bee farm.

The beekeeper then informed the furniture manufacturer that they had a new product: honey. So to this day HM produces and bottles honey. They give out beautifully designed bottles of honey to customers, vendors, and lucky visitors like myself.

After that warm and fuzzy story, and a great lunch, I had to rest a bit on the Eames lounge. Promoting responsible businesses can be quite satisfying.