« September 2007 |
Main
| November 2007 »
 Your eco-questions answered:
Questions:
- Do you know anyone in the Portland area with a blog like yours that includes a calendar? Thanks! Jamie
- I decided to start a green lifestyle blog for the residents in D.C. I decided on a variation of Green Hill Girl or Green DC Girl. And then I came across your website and realized how similar the name would sound. As a courtesy, I am writing to ask if you would be okay with me having a blog with a name so similar to yours. Juli
- I was thinking of floating this idea by you of me starting a blog called greenbostonboy or something when I move back in the fall to provide the resources you do to Bostonians.... I don't know if you have thought about franchising that s*** or not.... Jordan
Answer: Start writing your green blog already! Yes, be green Portland girl, green DC girl, green Boston boy -- and the like.
I started green LA girl a couple of years ago (before I started blogging at Emerald City), and get e-mails on about a weekly basis either asking me if I know a blog "just like green LA girl" but in their city -- and / or asking me if they can use a variation on green LA girl.
My answer is always "No" and "Do it!" respectively.
Eco blogs are popping up all over the place, but few of them focus on a specific city, and none -- as far as I know -- sport a local green calendar. Yet everyone wants local eco info!
Why do people want local enviro blogs? Because most of the eco advice and info we get is so abstract. Don't put electronics into the landfill, we're told. It'll leach chemicals! But where exactly CAN we dispose of it properly?
The answer to that is much harder to find. And a local blog is usually the easiest way to get that info. However, as far as I know, no one has as of yet created a green [insert place] [boy/girl] blog after writing about one. Why the hesitance, I have no idea.
Maybe to encourage this, I should put together a list of locally focused enviro blogs that really make going green easier for people specifically living in that place. That way, I'll have something to refer to any time I'm asked these questions again. Anyone have recommendations for this list?
Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.
 Zucchini never tasted so sweet -- because by zucchini, I mean zucchini chocolate chip cookies! (PDF)
That recipe I got from "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life," a yearlong memoir of sorts by Barbara Kingsolver that documents her family's life of trying to eat as locally as possible in southern Appalachia.
And they ate good food! Barbara brags about how she got kids to eat zucchini with these cookies: "They asked for seconds. Ha!" Of course, that's not exactly surprising when you consider that the butter, honey, brown sugar and chocolate chips outweighed the locally grown zucchini content by about 3 to 1....
 Why did Barbara decide to eat local? The same reasons lots of other people are trying to eat more locally these days. Basically, people are developing a distaste for pesticide-ridden tomatoes that were shipped here via fossil fuels from thousands of miles away and taste anything but fresh and yummy. People also don't like their tax dollars going to farm subsidies that support big farm corporations growing genetically modified corn, which is then used to produce high-fructose corn syrup that gets sold to us in soda and fast food, making us fat and sick.
So the reasons to eat local are rather doom and gloom, but the book itself is fun and tasty. After all, Barbara is not a purist like Alisa and James of 100-Mile Diet fame, who promptly lost 15 pounds when they started their super-strict diet. Barbara's family grows and gets local everything they possibly can, but makes some exceptions for things like organic fair trade coffee and of course, chocolate chips.
The work sounds rather arduous at times. I mean, this family tends a rather large farm-garden, as well as a small flock of poultry. That said, Barbara's take is that it's enjoyable work that lets her enjoy the outdoors and develop a useful hobby while connecting her with community and family. Plus, there's a certain hilarity and satisfaction in getting her turkeys to mate and produce little turkeys naturally -- apparently no easy feat!
I found "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" inspiring, even though I'm not exactly inspired to keep a chicken coop on my apartment balcony. We just live in very different places, Barbara and I. Barbara does a lot of farming and canning and jamming, which is cool if you enjoy it, but not as necessary for Angelenos who can get fresh local produce at the farmers market year-round.
That said, I tried a rather lax 100-mile diet awhile back and have pretty much stuck to it since! Tomatoes are yummier fresh from the farmers market.
As for gardening: The only things I've grown successfully in my balcony garden so far are herbs, but I have high hopes for next spring.... In the meantime, check out Jenn and Nat's urban lawn garden in Santa Monica for inspiration.
 What I really need to work on now are my cooking skills. I'm great at salads and sandwiches and, um, bowls of cereal that I can just add soy milk to, but not so much at anything else. Sure, the zucchini cookies turned out, but then it's pretty hard to make a dense combo of sugar, honey and chocolate chips taste bad.
My eggs in a nest (PDF) were passable but not spectacular (left); my veggie frittata (PDF) barely edible. The Asian veggie rolls (PDF) turned out pretty well, though -- perhaps because there wasn't too much actual cooking involved. I need a local cooking class.
But I'm a proud member of the local eating movement. Join me!
Thanks to Lisa for sharing the book with me.
Photos by Siel
 >> Ten Emerald City readers will get a $50 discount to Opportunity Green, a green business-focused conference on Nov. 17 that will give you a crash course on combining environmentalism with profitable business. The discount is available to the first 10 to register using this code: emeraldcity.
>> An environmental report from the Wall Street Journal covers home energy audits, hybrid cars -- and the gap between eco-talk and eco-action among consumers.
 >> Flexcar merges with Zipcar! The two car-sharing companies join forces. Unfortunately, Zipcar isn't in L.A. yet, so the merger doesn't mean much of a change for Flexcar members here (including me).
>> Vote for your favorite ecospot. Which of these semifinalists in Current TV's ":60 Seconds to Save the Earth" contest is the most inspiring and relevant to addressing global warming?
 I know Halloween isn't until tomorrow, but most of the parties happened last weekend, so the holiday already feels over.
Last night, I took some of my own green Halloween tips! My friend Desdemona threw a pumpkin-carving party, so I put on an organic T-shirt, scooped up my farmers market pumpkin, and took the Big Blue Bus No. 2 down to her place in Venice.
 There we drank wine and carved merrily! To the right is me with my wine-inspired creation.
The bus has been kind to me this Halloween in general. On Saturday, the 704 dropped me off at a party in West Hollywood, from where Hannah and I carpooled to a party in Hollywood.
I met Ugly Betty! I also ran into a "Clockwork Orange" dude at each party.
Halloween is fun car-free, though I do wonder if it would've been kind of awkward if I'd dressed up....
 I actually planned to try out Euro Taxi this weekend, but someone always gave me a ride home. Thanks, friends!
How did you get to your Halloween festivities? If you're working tomorrow, celebrate at your desk by sending a Grist eco-Halloween e-card.
 Your eco-questions answered:
Question: I posted today my anxiety about moving to L.A. because of air quality, and one of my readers suggested I contact you. I am a moron when it comes to science, and if we agree to move to L.A., I want to find the areas with the clearest air and water. Any suggestions? Emily
Answer: Luckily for you, the LA Weekly put together a super scary -- if handy and informative -- map that color codes cancer risk in L.A. and vicinity (PDF). As expected, the threat is greatest for people living near the Ports of L.A. and Long Beach, where "1 in 200 residents are expected to get cancer because of the dirty air." Wow.
So my first suggestion: Don't move near the ports.
Beyond that: In general, the wealthier a community, the less polluted it is. Sadly, those with the least power to fight back often get shafted again by rich companies and the public policies they influence.
Thus, "stationary toxic and polluting sites are also concentrated in areas where large numbers of poor and communities of color live," as environmental groups point out (PDF). Even the California Energy Commission's Public Interest Energy Research (PIER) Program notes that pollution places a "disparate burden on minority and/or low-income communities."
So beyond just running away from these areas, we need to push for tighter air quality regulations from our elected officials and our environmental agencies. On a brighter note, plans to clean up our ports are gaining momentum.
Want to get more involved in the environmental justice movement? Communities for a Better Environment is a nonprofit that works on grassroots organizing, community-based research and legal assistance in low-income communities of color in California’s most densely populated neighborhoods.
Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.
Photo by Ben Amstutz via Flickr
 Bad news is funnier read all in a row --
>> The Polluted Olympic games. Athletes in Beijing can get "a super-sized dose of ozone and fine particulates, which can make respiration more difficult and reduce the amount of oxygen that gets to the muscles."
>> Yet China's reliance on coal keeps growing "China mined a record 2.4 billion tons of coal in 2006, up 8.1% from a year earlier." And this year, China became a net coal importer for the first time.
>> BP settles three enviro-related lawsuits for $303.5 million, $50 million, and $20 million, out of the $1.6 billion the company's set aside to settle lawsuits. How green does BP's Helios House sound now?
>> Orangutans and other cute monkeys threatened! "Almost one in three species of primates is facing extinction, a survey by scientists shows. Bushmeat hunting, illegal trade in animals and habitat loss are the biggest threats and have left 29% of primate species in danger of being wiped out." (via grist)
Photo by Kevin Dooley via Flickr
 Your eco-questions answered:
Question: So, I would like to put the lead-free presents under a lead-free Christmas tree. I can get a real tree. Any idea where to get lead-free lights? -- Miun
Answer: Is it really holiday prep time already? Last week I saw these holiday CFL bulbs on sale at Walgreens and thought of you, Miun --
Lead isn't so much a concern in light bulbs so much as energy efficiency and mercury content (in CFLs). Which is to say -- LED (light emitting diodes) lights address both those concerns, so my short answer is: Choose LEDs for your holiday lighting needs!
 To start, LEDs contain no mercury. They also use 1/50th of the electricity of conventional bulbs and last 20 to 30 years, according to the Christian Science Monitor. LEDs produce twice as much light as a regular 60-watt bulb and are much harder to break, according to LiveScience.
Yes, LEDs cost a bit more upfront, but because of the bulbs' energy savings and longevity, they're more cost-effective than traditional bulbs. Over five years, energy costs on traditional bulbs will run you $142, compared with $31 for LEDs. Make the investment, and your LED lights will become gifts that keep giving for many holidays to come.
Many are jumping on the LED band wagon. Last year, California's state holiday tree at the Capitol was lighted with 6,500 LED bulbs. This year, the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is converting to all LEDs for its Light Festival.
So now it's easier than ever to find LEDs, sold at Ikea, ACE Hardware and other familiar stores, and also widely available on the Internet.
 While you're at it, sign up for green power with the DWP and make sure your now hopefully much smaller holiday energy needs are all met by renewable energy sources.
Lastly -- Don't know what to do with those old "regular" light bulbs? Turn them into holiday tree ornaments!
Got a question? Ask me: greenlagirl@gmail.com.
Top photo by Siel, photo of LED lights by Derek K. Miller via Flickr, and photo of light bulb ornament courtesy of 3R Living
 >> U.S. colleges are getting more sustainable! According to the College Sustainability Report Card by the Sustainable Endowments Institute, the University of California gets a B-plus and USC a C-plus (PDFs).
>> The Sierra Club is even more impressed with the UC. The University of California system makes it on the list of 10 "Cool Schools."
>> Berkeley considers financing plan for home solar panels. The City Council is set to vote Nov. 6 "on a plan for the city to finance the cost of solar panels for property owners who agree to pay it back with a 20-year assessment on their property. Over two decades, the taxes would be the same or less than what property owners would save on their electric bills, officials say."
Image courtesy of the Sierra Club
 How I get around town, or a roundup of posts from this week's eco-topic: De-car-ing. Be car-free and happy.
* A nice walk: Think walking is slow? What do you do when you run out of (soy) milk? I can walk two blocks to Co-opportunity or five blocks to Whole Foods.
* Bike me: Travel via bike and you'll be able to predict your arrival time within five to 10 minutes. There's the social factor too. With Critical Mass, Midnight Ridazz, C.I.C.L.E., and L.A. County Bicycle Coalition events (among others), biking friends are there for your meeting.
* Bus love: A bus novice? Just get to know one good line around you. A day pass ($5 for Metro, $3 for the Big Blue Bus) can cover all your errand-running needs!
* Green Taxis: For late nights out, I have Euro Taxi of Santa Monica's number in my cellphone to get me home. The company has four biodiesel and four compressed natural gas cabs out of 24 cabs in the fleet.
* Flexcar and the joys of semi-car ownership: I don't have my own car anymore. But I have access to a car whenever I need it. I've got Flexcar, which is like a regular car rental -- except you can rent by the half hour, instantly. And If I know I need a car for a full day, I just walk over to Enterprise and rent a car for $30 a day or less.
* Rail: Rail is so quiet and calm and clean! Plus, Metro rail costs just $1.25 a ride -- the same as a bus ride. Unfortunately, I don't have any rail lines near me -- yet.
Photo by Siel
 This week's eco-topic: De-car-ing.
Rail is so quiet and calm and clean! I went down to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach yesterday via the Blue Line and ended up getting a lot of reading done because I didn't have to deal with all the starts and stops and lurches and bumps I do on buses. Plus, Metro rail costs just $1.25 a ride -- the same as a bus ride.
Unfortunately, aside from yesterday, I never get to take rail. It's nowhere near me! I see L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa take the subway, I watch laughing kids swing on subway poles, and I read all manner of subway stories -- but I almost never get to actually ride it.
Which is why I've been going to all these Metro meetings for the Expo, Red, and Purple lines. If all of them happen, my neighborhood will suddenly become a rail-heavy area -- although by "suddenly" I mean the next decade or so....
One snafu with the Blue Line: Something was happening between the Imperial and Compton stations -- construction maybe. We all had to get off at Imperial, get on special shuttles that took us to Compton, then climb back onto the Blue Line. That lengthened my trip quite a bit; it took about an hour and a half to get from downtown L.A. to Long Beach, compared with the usual hour.
The shuttle situation was very well organized, though, with people smoothly directing passengers on and off the orange buses, all labeled "600 Special" -- which I think will make a great title for a NaNoWriMo novel --
Photo by Siel
|
|
Your eco-questions answered: 
Emerald City calendar