A Deeper Green

Today I’ve been finding lots of articles on clean energy, mostly in the New York Times. Thought I would share with you guys!This New York Times article is a pretty interesting look at what the future of the energy industry in the US may look like. Lots and lots of wind turbines.

Now as the article mentions (although doesn’t detail very well) there are many issues with wind, including bird and bats being killed, habitat destruction, and some people are very uppity about the turbines disrupting their view. I’ve always thought they were kinda pretty, but each to their own I suppose. Some of the problems with wind turbines are legitimate though, and clearly will still need a lot of work in the future. Part of why I am a huge supporter of federal subsidies for clean energy right now!

This little NYT blurb talks about photovoltaic cells and how they are still overwhelmingly “green” despite their production costs, always good to know! There has always been some speculation on exactly how “clean” photovoltaic cells were considering the resources that it takes to make, ship and dispose of them. This looks to be a fairly comprehensive study that will be published showing the pros outweigh the cons, at least in this arena.

Happy reading guys, and let me know if you find any more interesting articles on clean energy. I think this is going to be a BIG year for it.

The John G. Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, IL and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, CA put out a sustainable seafood guide every year to help consumers make the best choices about the seafood they are eating, both at home and in  restaurants. They are called Right Bite cards. Great, wallet sized guides to help you make good choices for the environment and for your health.

I wanted to go ahead and highlight some of the fish that are listed on these cards for you today. If you are interested in getting a copy of the whole card you can visit either of the aquariums or print a copy off of the websites.

The card that I will be working off of is the one issued from the Shedd Aquarium. My understanding is that it is tailored to the midwest consumer. Some information on the Monterey Bay version may be different. So take that as you will.

The card is divided into three sections: Green- for best choices, Yellow - for good alternatives, and Red - for fish to avoid.

Some of the card highlights:

On the Green list: US farmed Catfish, US Spiny Lobster, farmed Rainbow Trout, Alaska Wild Salmon, US farmed Tilapia, White Seabass, and Oregon wild Pink Shrimp.

On the Yellow list: wild Clams/Oysters, Pacific trawled Cod, Lake Herring, Rainbow Smelt, Sea Scallops from the northeast US or Canada, wild Salmon from CA, OR, or WA, and US farmed or wild Shrimp.

On the Red list: Chilean Seabass/toothfish, King Crab, Spiny Lobster from the Carrbbean, Mahi Mahi/ Dolphinfish, Farmed Atlantic Salmon, Red Snapper, Orange Roughy, and Atlantic Cod.

There are several reasons that you might be seeing some of your favorite fish on the Red list. Likely they are unsustainably farmed using various wasteful methods (depending on the fishery location) or the fish populations may not be considered to be strong enough to support the fishing industry at this time.

This card is a great resource for those of us who want to make the best food decisions but often have a hard time keeping all the information straight. Get yourself a Right Bite card and refer to it often!

I have had a decent amount of time to catch up on some reading lately, so I will be reviewing some more books in the next few weeks.

Feel free to provide any recommendations that you would be interested in getting my take on, or that you have heard of but want more information on. I love comments!

This book was published in 2006 and is still very relevant.

As some of you know I am support to the frontlines in the Great Lakes so this book was keenly interesting to me.The book was well researched and written in a way that was very accessible. I think that even those without a very strong great lakes background could understand what Annin presents.

The issue is also presented very clearly as a nationwide, and ultimately global problem. He anylyzes the fears of water as a commodity and handily addresses the problems that could arise from that possibility.

Annin draws on examples from around the great lakes region as well as other water management issues, including the tragedy that is occuring with the Aral Sea (something I have been paying attention to for the last few years). For those of you who don’t have the info, the Aral Sea was a large inland sea located in the heart of the former USSR (basically between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan). Diversion projects that were conducted on the tributaries leading to the lake in the 60s led to a massive loss of water in the sea. Which is now vastly smaller than it was with a much higher salinity. This has decimated the fishing industry in the area, and has noticeably changed the climate of the region. Annin uses it as a cautionary tale for diversion projects that he describes later in the book.

For anyone interested in water policy (which really everyone should be at this point) this book raises some interesting points and provides a lot of information.

A 100% recommended book, especially for those of you who live in the great lakes region. So many of us barely think of where the water we drink comes from, and that is a luxury we will likely not be able to afford in the coming years.

Ok kids. As you all know tomorrow is February 14th and St. Valentine’s Day. A day that much of the western world uses as an excuse to celebrate the people they love in their life. Yay love!

To play my humble part in your V-day celebration I would like to present some greener love alternatives.

1.) Buy a potted plant instead of flowers. Mums are a great choice. They are pretty, and when it gets warmer they can be planted outside and will stay lovely for months to come. This way you are saying I love you with something still growing and alive, instead of cut (read, dead) flowers.

2.) If you want to stick to tradition and get flowers, that’s cool. I would opt for organic or veriflora. Regular roses are often grown using harmful fungicieds and pesticides that are often applied by workers without proper protective equipment. Try Organic Bouquet for your organic or veriflora flower needs.

3.) Buy a green card, or make your own from recycled paper and cardboard at your house. There are lots of options on many card shelves these days. I know my local walgreens has a large recycled card section with cute green sayings on the back.

4.) For a more steamy take on V-day try Good Clean Love. This is a family owned, green certified company. You can order on-line, or look for their products in your local Whole Foods or other natural food store. Also, when buying candles for a romantic evening consider buying from Aveda. They are powered entirely by wind power (my favorite kind of power!) and have lots of size and scent options for you.

And with that, enjoy your Valentine’s Day and make sure to tell all your important people how much they mean to you tomorrow and every day.

Here are two of my favorite on-line sources for tasty vegetarian recipes:

~ www.vegkitchen.com

~ www.vegsource.com/recipe/

 Also if you feel like buying a great vegetarian cookbook I would HIGHLY suggest The Vegetarian Bible. Some of the recipes can be a little complicated, but there is a lot of information on building good vegetarian nutrition and well rounded meals. Plus if you like to play in the kitchen the recipes can be a fun challenge.

Also, to answer Dan’s question. Chicken, in general, is less resource intensive than beef. Although it is typically not as good for your karma. Many chickens raised exclusively for food lead lives I would never wish on any sentient life form. 74% of the worlds poultry is produced in factory farms as opposed to only 43% of beef. Your best bet, if you are looking to preserve your piece of mind when considering the health of animals, humans workers and the environment, would be to look for Free Range or Yarded poultry.

 For more info on Factory Farming visit the Humane Farming Association at www.hfa.org