Green Daily

According to a recent NY Times story, fizzy water lovers can now get the CO2 required through their faucet.

The article features companies that deliver modern versions of the old-fashioned siphon bottles that come with disposable carbon dioxide cartridges that charge a liter or two of tap water.

CO2 cartridges require energy to produce, ship and refill or recycle.

For the home consumer who offers sparkling when they throw parties or a restauranteur, the energy balance may be favorable to buying bottles. But for the occasional user, it's just an exchange of resources.

[via www.grist.org ]

When faced with different apples to try, it's nice to have a little insider information.

It's also a lot of fun to get some different varieties and just try 'em.

Personally, I learned this -- well, re-learned this -- when my local source for Honey Crisp apples didn't have any at the farmer's market yesterday. For the last month and a half, I've been pretty much addicted to these sweet, juicy, fairly thin-skinned apples. You think addiction's a strong word -- I have been averaging two a day to keep doctor and dentist away.

But then I bit into a Macoun. Ah! Delight!

And of course, this whole experience (I got a bunch of different varieties yesterday) reminded me that it can be fun to try new things.

Check out these super cute canvas grocery bags from SKN.

SKN offers a choice of five designs: carrot, blueberry, lemon, tomato or asparagus. The bags hold up to forty pounds of groceries each. As a bonus, for every order placed, SKN will plant a tree.

They are not cheap though, priced at $24.95 per bag, or all five patterns for $99.95. But if you like how they look, enjoy their design and therefore, use them forever, they could be worth the money.

(Via MomFinds)

One of the biggest, and simplest, ways we can all start going green is to start eating greener. It's nice because there are so many options, but that very fact is also what makes it so intimidating and difficult if you're new to the whole idea. But don't worry, baby steps work! Here are some super easy ways to eat greener:

• Coffee Look for the following "seals of approval": the Fair Trade seal, the Rain Forest Alliance seal, the Bird Friendly seal, and the USDA Organic seal.
• Fruits and veggies Buy organic whenever possible, try to stick to locally grown and "in season" varieties, and remember that you don't have to put each different kind in its own separate plastic bag.
• Chocolate Look for the Fair Trade seal and the USDA Organic seals (chocolate can be more likely than other foods to use forced labor and pesticides).
• Salad Dressings Look for the USDA Organic seal and avoid synthetic fats like soybean oil and partially hydrogenated anything.

Have any easy suggestions of your own to add to the list?

Anyone packing lunches day after day can tell you that there's too much to figure out: what to feed your -- self, kids, spouse -- what containers to use, and of course how to avoid using plastic bags. 25 million Americans pack lunches for their kids, some estimate; that's 25 million lunches times 180 days per year.

If you are using throwaway containers, plastic bags, even paper sacks, that's loads of waste. Turn over a new leaf and go greener when you pack lunches.

One easy solution is a lunchbox that already has the good kind of plastic containers inside -- including a water bottle-- and is more Eco-friendly than that Sponge Bob or Dora the Explorer case you've been using.

Italian inmates to help Italy fight global warming. How? By making eco-friendly ice cream from local milk and fruit, according to a Reuters article.
A local farmers' group plans to start producing ice cream inside a prison just outside of Milan, in February. In addition to using only local ingredients, the inmates will also use ingredients that are not genetically modified.

The farmers' group, Coldiretti, is leading a "zero kilometer" campaign, encouraging Italians to eat locally in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions created during the transport of food.

Triple Pundit's Shannon Arvizu takes on General Mills' idea to make the noodles in Hamburger Helper smooth instead of twisty. The aim of this de-twistification is to use a smaller cardboard box and hence, produce a more eco-friendly product.

Arvizu argues that this change is so small, it's really not going to make enough of a difference in terms of lowering the environmental impact of General Mills overall. She argues that, "Noodles made from organically grown wheat and produced with renewable energy would be a good start. Cardboard packaging made from recycled materials would also help."

What do you think? Do you think making the noodles in products like Hamburger Helper straight instead of squiggly is a step in the right direction? Or is this perhaps just a marketing gimmick?

Via the Environmental News Network

360 Vodka," vodka with a green state of mind."

Why does 360 Vodka have a green state of mind? According to the company, 360 Vodka is produced with locally grown grains, uses a highly-energy efficient manufacturing process and is bottled in 85-percent-recycled glass with recycled paper labels.

Also, the company will donate one dollar to environmental causes for each wire-bottle closure that is mailed back for reuse. Prepaid envelopes are included on each bottle.

Via NorthJersey.com

We already know that orange peels are useful!

Judy Sheldon gives us 31 reasons to keep those lemons stocked here !

• Simmer lemons with some cloves and cinnamon sticks to make your home smell yummy.
• Ant-proof your kitchen with lemons.
• Give your hair blond highlights.
• And not quite so glamorous, get rid of warts and dandruff.

Check out the full article for all of the tips.

To begin with, this is really cool! A group of engineers and scientists united to create a sustainable farm on a barge in New York City. The Science Barge grows food, demonstrating how urbanites can transform their concrete cities and still remain urbanites.

This urban farm is powered by solar, wind, and biofuels, and irrigated by rainwater and purified river water. The food is grown without carbon emissions, net water consumption, or waste stream. The vegetables grown on the Science Barge require seven times less land and four times less water than field crops. According to its literature: "We use a system called recirculating greenhouse hydroponics to grow tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and peppers. Hydroponics doesn't use soil, and we irrigate with rainwater and river water. We power the greenhouse with solar, wind, and biofuels - energy that is carbon neutral, so we're not contributing to global warming."

Given that half the world's population lives in cities, solutions like these are -- its organizers argue compellingly -- necessary. And besides all of that, my friend --and a dedicated gardener himself -- Michael reports that the tomatoes are like nothing he's ever seen before. Created to inspire city dwellers to see that sustainability isn't just for country folks, the next question: rooftop garden anyone?

The group offers private and group tours. Currently docked in Hudson Park near 44th Street until the end of October, the plan is to visit a number of parks before finding a permanent home in a couple of years.

Did you ever think of eating your food with food? And no, I'm not talking about eating peanut butter with a stick of celery, but about using biodegradable and environmentally friendly disposable cutlery made from potatoes. It's called Spudware, and apparently it's just as tough and heat resistant as any plastic silverware you're used to. Made from 80% potato starch and 20% soy oil they're made to biodegrade in just 180 days -- they even come with a "Certificate of Compostability" (that cracks me up!).

Plus they're washable and reusable, which makes the $20 price tag for 150 pcs (50 each fork, spoon, and knife) pretty reasonable.


Via Wists

'Tis the season to get spooky, right? Are you spooked by Halloween this year as you've become a more eco-conscious soul? Handing out individually wrapped treats from mega-corporations got you down? Having a little trouble deciding whether to just hand out the Hershey's bars with their non-organic chocolate, and all else?

Non-organic chocolate is full of pesticides and such, a less eco-friendly and healthy choice. Given the times -- and depending where you live -- the homemade option or simple piece of fruit might not be well-received, so these suggestions are individually wrapped in deference to safety and social mores. And be prepared for sticker shock: organic chocolate and such costs more than the supermarket brands. If you live in a very heavily trick-or-treat trafficked neighborhood like mine, this leap is going to cost you.

No guarantees that if you leap to organic chocolate or other more healthy "treats" the kids will favor your house. For that matter, plenty of parents may look a bit spooked by you, too! But there are more options than ever so you can try to put a new spin on Halloween treats, and I'll leave the tricks solely up to you.

Endangered species chocolate offers dark or milk chocolate squares specially packaged for Halloween with a break on a three bag purchase of $18.50, plus shipping of course. Lollipops are a non-chocolate option --and this site also offers hard candies that are individually wrapped. Fruit leathers are another healthy option to offer goblins and such. If you're not organized enough to order beforehand online, stores like Whole Foods now offer more Halloween options at their stores.

The term "organic" gets tossed around a lot these days. There is no doubt that not using poisons on food is the healthier choice. The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) has taken notice and declared organic farming a good thing.

Citing the decreased reliance on non-renewable resources, the FAO believes that a global shift to organic farming will help to put an end to world hunger and stop global warming. According to their studies, conventional farming is responsible for emissions of 30% of the CO2 and 90% of nitrous oxide worldwide. The FAO also seems to believe that organic farming will help the smaller farmer get more money for their crops which is especially important in developing countries. Of course, I'm not sure that me, here in the US, buying produce shipped in from Zimbabwe is the most ecological route to go but the UN might be on to something otherwise.

Years ago I was told that by not eating meat a vegetarian saved one acre of rain forest per year. I don't know if that's true or not but raising livestock does take its toll on the land. In addition, there are plenty of questionable practices in commercial farming that cause terrible diseases (Mad Cow anyone?). Is a vegetarian diet the best for humans? Is it best for the environment?

Cornell University has released its results from a new study saying that a diet consisting of a small amount of meat and eggs uses less land than a 100% vegetarian diet. Using New York as an example, the authors claim that while vegetables are growing one area, cows can graze and fertilize areas unsuitable for planting. As long as people consume only 63 grams of meat and/or eggs (less than half the current average per person), a proper balance can be maintained.

Vail, Inc., the parent corporation over four premier ski resorts in Colorado (Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, & Breckenridge) and another near Lake Tahoe (Heavenly), is switching its on-mountain restaurants to hormone-free meat and poultry and organic dairy products this coming ski season! Additionally, Vail Resorts has created the Good Food Partnership to help them achieve their impressive goal of serving more natural meats and organic dairy products than any other restaurant company in North America.

Now winter adventurers can eat healthy, enjoy the crisp mountain air and know that their families are making smart choices even on vacation!