Recycle with KBK at Home.... blog, blog, blog

Earth Day in Snohomish April 22, 2011

2011-04-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Snohomish, WA is one of the most beautiful towns in the Northwest, surrounded by snowy mountains, pristine lakes, rivers, green fields with rich agricultural soils in a valley and a great friendly community. Earth Day and preservation of our area is very important to us. On April 22nd at 2pm many of the area organizations, businesses and individuals will share their activities, educate about recycling, pruning fruit trees, designing eco friendly gardens and much more. The event is sponsored by local Natural Clothing Company, Grilla Bites Cafe and Tim Noah Thumbnail Theater. Funds will be raised for Foundation for Sustainable Community (www.communitysustainable.org), which offers community-building events, workshops and cooperatives - green technology, permanent agriculture, and living authentic and meaningful lives. We'd love for you to join in!

Tour Nine Canyon Wind Farm in Kennewick, WA

2010-07-05T13:42:00.000-07:00

Nine Canyon Wind Farm Tour

On Friday, July 16th, a tour of the Nine Canyon Wind Project located in Kennewick, WA, is being organized. Traveling from Everett to Kennewick will require a little more than four hours of drive time. The tour runs from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM and includes a forty-five minute power point presentation and a walk to one of the turbines to see the inner workings and hear an explanation of the controls.

Energy Northwest requires a minimum of ten people to conduct the tour and we are currently looking for those who would be interested in carpooling to visit and learn about renewable energy in Washington State. There is no charge for the tour. Sixty-three turbines, some 200 feet tall, consisting of three 100 foot blades generate 96 MW of clean energy. Phase Three of the project, the latest addition to the farm, includes towers of 260’ and blades with 148 foot spans.

Please contact Gary Purves at gpstudent1@gmail.com click here for more info

April 14th Green Drinks is at Grilla Bites

2010-04-05T08:59:00.000-07:00

Come join Anne Dottai and the folks at Grilla Bites for their
2nd Anniversary where people have discovered a haven for locally grown, sustainably produced food and beverages - especially appealing for those with food sensitivities.
From 5-7pm
1020 1st St., Snohomish, WA. 98290
Directions 360-568-7333
Environmentally stimulating surroundings the benches are salvaged church pews and the beautiful fir bead board you see lining the organic salad bar are also a Second Use find. Anne has taken the “green” concept beyond what even the most environmentally friendly business has. She uses an energy- efficient water heater, biodegradable utensils, and all locally grown produce.

Bottled Beverage Company looking to open up facility in Everett

2010-03-20T10:09:00.000-07:00

At Wednesday evening’s Everett City Council meeting, Steve Winter of Tethys Enterprises unveiled before the public his company’s proposal to start up a bottled beverage company in North Everett. Winter described the proposed facility as “environmentally responsible” which would utilize fully compostable bio-degradable plastic bottles.

“This plant will position Everett as the global leader in environmentally responsible beverage manufacturing and distribution,” Winter said.

The proposed 1 million square foot facility could create up to 1,000 jobs with a projected payroll of over $61 million.

“We have a great opportunity to have a very clean industry,” commented Mayor Ray Stephanson on Wednesday.

click here to read more

Green Drinsk March 10th

2010-03-06T09:08:00.001-08:00

Library Place is the Place for the March 10th Green Drinks

Library Place - Everett's Next Chapter Begins Here

2720 Hoyt Ave Everett, WA. 425-252-5400

Located next to the Everett Public Library, Skotdal Real Estate's newest mixed-use residential/retail project represents an “urban living” model that puts people within walking distance of places to work, shop and play.

Additionally, it is transit oriented, has outlets for electric cars and plenty of bike storage - the units are highly energy efficient and many of the building materials were made from recyclable substances.

We are excited that Sean Staub of Skotdal Real Estate has agreed to be our host.

click here to view the website

Support Local Business Snohomish Holiday Market Opens Nov. 19th

2009-11-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

Visit the Snohomish Holiday Market from Nov.19- Dec. 27.

The Market will be open:
Thursdays from 11-5,
Friday from 10-7
Saturday from 10-7,
Sunday from 11-5

The Market features over 6,000 sq ft of arts, crafts and other surprises.

Vendors will change each week so you'll want to visit often.

Vendors are still being accepted.
Historic Downtown Snohomish
Snohomish Marketplace
1234 First Street, Snohomish, WA 98290

For more information visit:
http://snohomishholidaymarket.com
http://snohomishholidaymarket.blogspot.com

For more information contact:
SnohomishHolidayMarket@live.com
SnohomishHolidayMarket@gmail.com

Thanks for Supporting local Community.
Photo is from Erickson Creations which you will see at the Market.

SDTF to Host Green Drinks November in Snohomish County

2009-11-03T18:46:00.000-08:00

Hemp Fabric Goes Mainstream

2009-10-16T06:45:00.000-07:00

Naturally Advanced Technologies’ Crailar® hemp fiber, processed using innovative green technologies, is being commercialized for use in apparel and other textile products. Janet Bealer Rodie, Managing Editor
H emp has a long history of textile uses. Because of its inherent rot and abrasion resistance and high tensile strength, the bast fiber long was used in products such as sails and ropes. Its cultivation requires no pesticides, nor irrigation except in drought conditions, and it will grow in a range of geographical areas and climates. In recent years, as interest heightened in organically grown fibers and eco-friendly production processes, hemp found a niche market in organic apparel. click here to read more

Green Drinks Snohomish Count on Oct 14th at 5-7pm

2009-10-06T16:11:00.000-07:00

Join Apothecary and Thyme, Earth Cocoon, Sharing Wheels, Anabel's Framing and Gallery, Broadway Postal Services, Broadway Hobbies who are the businesses at the "old Broadway Mall".

What's more green than having several business in one building? Even better the building stands on the site that use to be the Darigold Creamery.

Remember to bring your glass or mug so you can toast our planet "while we figure out ways to NOT toast the planet!"

Not to be Missed ....... SEE YA THERE

click here to print your invitation

Everett Renewable Living Fair Oct. 3rd

2009-08-15T11:56:00.000-07:00

October 3, 2009 -- Snohomish PUD Auditorium
2320 California Avenue
9:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Sustainable Living Exhibits -- Renewable Energy -- Solar Tour -- Food & Entertainment

click here from more information

The Power of Community moving showing Aug. 22 and 23rd

2009-08-15T11:39:00.000-07:00

The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil
This 2 hour event will interweave conversation sessions into the movie showing to create a dynamic, interactive experience. We look forward to your active participation. Sponsored by Transition Everett.

There will be two showing of this;

Aug 22nd from 10am to 2pm at PUD Commissioner's Room
Aug. 23 from 2pm to 4pm at Everett Public Library, downstairs meeting room

Visit The Power of Community website for more information.

See you there!

USE Natural Cleaning for Your Home

2009-07-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

Countertops
Try these natural cleansers.

Lemon: Dip the cut side of a lemon half in baking soda; wipe with a wet sponge and dry. Don’t use on delicate stone, like marble or stainless steel (it may discolor).
Liquid Castile soap: This is safe on marble. Stir 1 tablespoon liquid Castile soap into 1 quart warm water. Dampen a cloth with the solution and wipe surface. Rinse, then dry with a clean cloth.

Garbage Disposal
Try this natural cleanser.

Lemon: Cut a lemon in half, then run both pieces through the disposal.

Plastic Food-Storage Containers

Try this natural cleanser.

Lemon: To bleach stains from tomato soup and other acidic foods on dishwasher-safe items, rub lemon juice on the spots, let dry in a sunny place, then wash as usual.

Pots and Pans
Try these natural cleansers.

Borax: Rub borax into cookware with a damp sponge; rinse well.
Table salt: Sprinkle salt on cookware to absorb excess grease. Dump out the salt before washing as usual. (Not recommended for nonstick cookware).
Ketchup: To remove tarnish from copper and brass cookware, squeeze ketchup onto a cloth and rub it on pots and pans. They should go back to their coppery color in minutes. Rinse with warm water and dry with towel.
Cooking oils: To combat cooked-on debris on cast-iron pans, make a scrubbing paste with vegetable oil and a teaspoon of course salt; then rinse with hot water.

Dishwasher
Try these natural cleansers.

Borax: If the machine has a distinct odor, sprinkle borax in the bottom, let it sit overnight, then wipe down with a damp sponge. No need to rinse; just run the next load.
Vinegar: To disinfect the interior of the machine, pour 1/2 cup vinegar into the reservoir and run an empty cycle. Or place a small bowl filled with vinegar on the bottom rack and run an empty cycle.

Coffeemakers, Can Openers, and Other Small Appliances
Try these natural cleansers.

Vinegar: Pour equal parts vinegar and water into the coffee machine’s water chamber, then switch on the brew cycle. Halfway through, turn off the coffeemaker and let the solution sit for about an hour. Turn it on again to complete the cycle, then run several cycles with clean water.
Baking soda: To clean a can opener or food processor, dip a toothbrush in a paste of 2 tablespoons baking soda and 1 teaspoon water and use it to dislodge gunk.

Glassware
Try these natural cleansers.

Vinegar: For spotless hand-washed glasses, add 1 cup vinegar to the rinse water.
Table salt: Salt won’t scratch the way a scouring pad can. To get out stubborn stains, add some salt for extra abrasion and scrub.

Silverware
Try these natural cleansers.

Baking soda: To combat tough grease stains, dip a moist stiff-bristled brush in washing soda and scrub away.
Toothpaste: Put a dab of toothpaste on a soft cloth, rub it onto the tarnish, then rinse with water and dry with a clean cloth.

Stove Burners, Stovetop, and Oven
Try these natural cleansers.

Baking soda: In a dishpan, soak burners in 1 gallon warm water and 1/2 cup washing soda for 30 minutes. Rinse and dry.
Liquid Castile soap: Add a few squirts of liquid Castile soap to 2 cups hot water. Apply to the stovetop, the burners, and the vent hood to cut through accumulated grease.
Table salt: If there’s a spill in the oven, pour salt on the spill to soak it up. When the oven is cool, wipe with a damp sponge.

Stained Teacups and Coffee Mugs
Try these natural cleansers.

Baking soda: Fill with 1 part baking soda and 2 parts water and soak overnight; rub with a sponge and rinse.
Table salt: Sprinkle salt on the outside of a lemon peel; rub the affected area till clean.

July 8th GreenDrinks Snohomish County

2009-07-01T09:56:00.000-07:00

Lowell Art Works will be our Host for the new Snohomish County GreenDrinks day of the second Wednesday of the month. Everett Shorlines Coalition would like all to celebrate this evening nearly 10 years of appeal, negotiation, endless conversations, fundraisers, tears/laughter, and a tremendous sense of accomplishment with the adoption of the Marshland Sub-Area Plan.

click here to find out more

Make Sure Your Garden Furnitue is GREEN

2009-06-17T16:25:00.000-07:00

Is you Garden Furniture Green?

This Article came from the National Wildlife Federation, Just wanted to share it.

Link to ScoreCard for Eco Friendly Outdoor Furniture

Nyatoh outdoor furniture is becoming popular as a replacement for dwindling teak

This Spring, Make Sure Your Garden Furniture is Truly Green
Furniture scorecard helps consumers find sustainable garden furniture
Published May 18, 2009

MONTPELIER, VT - As Americans begin gearing up for the warm summer months they will discover many garden furniture brands claiming to be “eco-friendly,” “green,” or “sustainably harvested.” Unfortunately, few of these products have been rigorously audited to verify such claims. To help consumers make informed choices when purchasing garden furniture, the National Wildlife Federation has released its third annual Garden Furniture Scorecard. The scorecard catalogs retailers selling Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified garden furniture—the most rigorous system for distinguishing wood products in the market.

click here to read more

Homespun Fabrics has Eco Friendly Fabric

2009-06-09T16:09:00.000-07:00

Home Fashions U talked with Homespun Fabrics today on HomeFashionsU Blog Talk Radio.

Learn about their fabric and the fan pleated drapery system.

They have fabric that cleans the air.

click to listen http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Home-Fashions-U/2009/06/09/HomeSpunFabricscom-talk-to-Us-Today

Trashion Show SDTF Gala 2008

2009-05-21T08:10:00.000-07:00

Green Drinks Snohomish County May 14th

2009-05-05T09:22:00.000-07:00

No the Drinks are not Green, you can drink anything you like. Plan to meet others who understand how important it is to live sustainably. So come and meet like mines who support one another in taking action in the way that we live.

Grilla Bites Organic Cafe one of the Market Sponsor will be hosting Green Drinks on May 14th from 5:30-7:30pm. So come on by...

Here is your invitation:http://community.icontact.com/p/greendrinks/newsletters/greendrinks/posts/greendrinks-may-12-2009

Organic Clothing in Snohomish

2009-04-30T07:16:00.000-07:00

Wow... just found out we have several businesses in Snohomish that sell organic clothing, and bedding. I am soooo excited.

www.classynature.com

Recycle Sunbrella Fabrics - Recycle Indoor Furnitue with Outdoor Slipcovers

2009-04-23T09:32:00.000-07:00

Custom Outdoor Draperies, Cushions and Outdoor Slipcovers. Recycle your favorite chair from indoors to outdoors with a Sunbrella Slipcover.

In harmony with the environment

Decades before today´s "green" movement, Glen Raven, Inc. committed to exceeding industry benchmarks for environmental stewardship. Through ongoing initiatives with our vendors, trade partners and customers, we will stay in the forefront of protecting our environment. Below are some of the ways Glen Raven continues to protect air, earth and water while producing quality, high-performance textiles.

Sunbrella^® offers recycling service for customers. read more here

Vote the EARTH - Mar 28th - Turn the Lights OFF

2009-03-20T06:47:00.000-07:00

Cheri Baby and ReUse

2009-03-19T08:41:00.000-07:00

Cheri and Jonathan

I meet Cheri via FreeCycle Snohomish when I was offering up Computer Monitors for recycle. I just loved the energy she and her family have.

You have got to check out her blog, and be inspired by her.

Thanks Jack and Jill and Family!

ReUse/RePurpose from Park Bench Patterns

2009-03-12T12:42:00.000-07:00

From a Stadium Blanket

From a Quilt

Simply wonderful

What's Your Carbon Footprint?

2009-03-05T04:43:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, March 11th

Snohomish County PUD

Everett Brown Bag Workshop

2320 California Avenue, Everett

11:30 am (networking lunch begins)

Noon to 1:30 p.m.

RSVP - Terri Hopper (425) 783-8275

Climate change and greenhouse gas management are receiving a lot of national attention. Reducing greenhouse gas emissions will affect the way we do business and how we build our communities. As our understanding of the impacts grow and more legislation is passed, more opportunities arise for each of us to help reduce greenhouse gases.

As a follow up to our feature article in the Winter 2009 Elements Newsletter, The Sustainable Development Task Force is offering a carbon footprint brown bag. Sharon Wright and Shannon Tocchini with HDR, Inc. will discuss greenhouse gas management and carbon footprint assessment. We will also present carbon footprint assessment examples and provide you with resources and tools you need to get started on your own path to reducing your carbon footprint.

Recycled Art Workshop?

2009-02-24T15:44:00.000-08:00

What is a Recycled Art Workshop?

The recycled art workshops will go over basic ideas of where to find good artable junk, materials and tool safety considerations, and then open up into a free-for-all hands-on art creation session with professional Bellingham sculptor, Thor Myhre on April 18th from 1-3 pm.

We will host a 2nd Recycled Art Workshop, Sunday, April 26th from 1-3 pm with a similar intro and Carol Oberton of the Bellingham Procession of the Species Parade will help participants create art from RE Store junk in an animal-based theme. Come work on your own costume for the parade on May 2nd!

Limit: 20 participants for each Recycled Art Workshop. Children under age 10 must have a parent or guardian register and accompany them. Adults are guaranteed to have a great time too. Contact Jason Darling to register.

These workshops are a part of the 8th Annual Recycled Art and Fashion Show with 5 galleries in 3 cities. Learn more about the Art and Fashion Show here.

Recycle Old Greeting Card Deadline

2009-02-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks Sarah for this info from the Herald Newspaper in Everett.

You can actually put them up for reuse through the St. Jude’s Ranch Recycled Card Program.

St. Jude’s Ranch for Children in Boulder City, Nev., will be accepting used greeting cards from all occasions through Feb. 28. Though this popular program was temporarily suspended, it’s back up again thanks to a recent reorganization.

Children make the cards new again by attaching a new back made with recycled paper. Cards are then sold in packets of 10 for $8. Children receive payment for their work and learn the benefits and importance of going green, according to St. Jude’s Web site, where you can place orders for the recycled cards by e-mail.

Send used cards for any occasion here:

St. Jude's Ranch for Children
Card Recycling Program
100 St. Jude's St.
Boulder City, NV 89005

Recycled Dog Sweater for Valentines

2009-02-07T12:32:00.000-08:00

Refashioning old or thrifted sweaters into dog sweaters is easy and fun. You'll be amazed at how even the ugliest sweater can take on a whole new look as canine couture!

Thanks to http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.craftstylish.com%2F%2Fitem%2F40669%2Fhow-to-make-a-recycled-dog-sweater

Green Drinks Snohomish County January 2009

2009-01-10T12:22:00.001-08:00

Welcome in the New Year at Zippy's in Everett.

Come to Green Drinks to start the year off right.

click here to learn more...........

Old Fabric into Gift Bags

2009-01-03T08:51:00.000-08:00

I know the holidays are over. But whenever you want to get rid of something made of fabric and you know it will not sell at the used clothing place. This is a great idea.

You can reuse gift bags and keep them out of the waste stream for a while, but you can go even greener and make your own gift bags from reused fabric, extending the useful life of the gift bag indefinitely.

To sew your own gift bag, follow these simple steps:

1. Cut out a piece of fabric and fold it over on itself with the right sides of the fabric together.

The folded edge is the bottom of the bag.

Continue reading more at Green Living Dummies.com click here

Happy Holidays

2008-12-21T10:33:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Green Everett Renewable Living Fair 2008

2008-11-10T08:40:00.000-08:00

It was a Fantastic Event.

Over 400 people attended. 75 were present for Mayor Ray Stephanson’s opening
remarks and Charlie Stephens’ Key note on “Peak Oil: What Communities can
do to Re-invent our Future.”

Mini-workshops included: “Show us your Green Cities!”; Green up your Home;
Phantom Energy Miser; Worm Bins; Green Transportation: How Community Transit and Trips by Bike can Reduce your Carbon Footprint.

Yes, we weathered one of the biggest storms of the season, and the season just
started. We had to move many of our outdoor vendors inside to keep them from
blowing away! We had a total of 51 vendors in attendance.

click here to view a short video photos were supplied by Eric Owl at www.owljester.com

Fair Admission:
- 122 items of non-perishable food was collected and donated to the Everett
Gospel Mission Men’s Shelter.
- 22 cell phones were donated to the Domestic Violence Service of Snohomish
County.
- 100 computers, 150 monitors, and 800 pounds of peripherals were collected by
Interconnection.
- $300 was collected from donations at the door which will offset expenses
incurred to put on the Fair.

It was one GREAT BIG Sustainable Party as people continued to file into the
building to talk with the exhibitors and learn more about sustainable living
and renewable energy.

It was a ZERO Waste Event! There was practically NO waste thanks to Sno-Isle
Food Coop and Zippy's Java Lounge who planned the food and beverages. Most of
the paper, plates, cups, paper towels, and food scraps were compostable and
sent off to Cedar Grove Compost. Recycle containers were provided by Jack
Harris at the City of Everett. Wow... When we left the building, I found it
hard to believe over 400 people had been there.

The Solar and Green Building Tour summary has not been tabulated, but will be
available through Dena Peel from the PUD in the coming weeks.

Thank you to everyone who volunteered before and during the event.
A big thank you to John McAlpine for coordinating the RSVP volunteers.
Thank you to those of you who participated in the Panel Discussions.
Thank you to our Sponsors and Supporters who were key in making this event
happen.

Each one of us working together as a community is what made this possible.

Book of the Month

2008-11-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems by Van Jones

Publisher Comments:
Provocative, personal, and inspirational, The Green Collar Economy is not a dire warning but rather a substantive and viable plan for solving the biggest issues facing the country — the failing economy and our devastated environment. From a distance, it appears that these two problems are separate, but when we look closer, the connection becomes unmistakable.

Consider reading this book and share Van Jone's vision with your Community

click here to get your book today from Powells.com

Hapy Feet Plus Gold Certification

2008-11-05T17:12:00.000-08:00

Gold Certification for Happy Feet Plus, Clearwater

Our investment in "living green" is highlighted by our Gold LEED-certified green building in Clearwater, Florida. The 6,000 square foot retail facility was designed and constructed according to standards established by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The facility was the first retail structure nationwide to achieve LEED "Gold" certification.

Built using sustainable and recycled materials, the building features:

Formed, insulated concrete walls, providing R-54 insulation (R-19 is normal)
Glass block and double-paned windows for insulated, natural light
Roof gutters collect rain water for a 5,000 gallon cistern (irrigation/toilet flushing)
Energy Star rated metal roof with Tectum decking, providing R-30 insulation
Freon-free air conditioning; ceiling fans for better air circulation
Drought-resistant native plants
Solar panels
Energy-efficient full-spectrum lighting
Crushed shell and pervious concrete parking lot
No-VOC paints and stains
Porcelain flooring with no-VOC grout

Try Happy Feet Happy Feet Plus on-line is the easy way to buy your Birkenstock shoes, sandals or clogs online.

Green Drinks Social in Snohomish County...

2008-11-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

GREENDRINKS

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

Tues, November 11th from 5:30-7:30pm

"Village Store" and "Ronin Northwest" in Arlington

Never heard of GreenDrinks?

It began in Europe and now sustainability people in over 342 cities all over the globe meet monthly for libations. It is a lively mixture of people from non-profits, academia, government and business and is a great way of catching up
with folks you know and for making new contacts.

Greendrinks is simple, unstructured and rather organic. People have found jobs, developed new ideas, done deals and had epiphanies at Greendrinks. Check out

all the ways to have Greendrinks at www.greendrinks.org.

Mirkwood and Shire Café (www.shirecafe.com), cold brew by Skookum Brewery (www.skookumbrewing.com), and locally roasted Espresso coffee courtesy of Urban City Coffee (www.urbancitycoffee.com), this is a Green event you do not want to miss.

Dress for an evening outing in the country around a cozy bonfire under the stars, great food anddrinks, an d a warm time with friends old and new. Come check out local artisan gifts and products, pick up a few holiday gifts, some Golden Glen glass-bottled milk, or a soon-to-be-favorite Children’s Book from green publisher Barefoot Books (www.mybarefootbooks.com/tashabranch), while networking Green with others from throughout the community.

YOUR PRESENCE IS REQUESTED at the much anticipated unveiling of the Graafstra Center—an historic community landmark about to be transformed into a green, cuttingedge agricultural and artistry institute in the most idyllic of settings.

click here for more info

Bamboo Floor Mat...Wow I love this

2008-11-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

This eco-friendly bamboo office mat melds beauty, style and function to create an alternative to the bland, utilitarian vinyl office mat.

I have one in my office and love it!

Check or one of my favorite places online

GreenandMore.com - Free Shipping on select eco friendly products

Cycloc Wall Mount

2008-11-01T11:25:00.000-07:00

		Cycloc Wall-Mounted Bicycle Storage Unit by Andrew Lang by IC Design Group
		The Andrew Lang Cycloc Wall-Mounted Bicycle Storage Unit creates a sturdy bicycle storage unit, freeing up floor space in the garage or loft. A winner of several design awards, the Cycloc Wall-Mounted Bicycle Storage Unit features opposing lips that lock the bicycle in place. The unit is offered by Ameico. Better living by design at Lumens.com. Find great accessories and gifts from Alessi, Angela Adams, Blomus, and more!

Cell phone recycling made easy

2008-10-11T10:29:00.000-07:00

Posted at 9:23 am by Sarah Jackson

Do you have an old mobile phone wasting away somewhere?

Now is the time to donate it.

You’ll help people dealing with domestic violence.

The Everett Community College Student Activities Programs Board is collecting cell phones — and a variety of toiletries — for Domestic Violence Services of Snohomish County throughout October, which is Domestic Violence Awareness Month.

Even if your phone doesn’t have charger or a SIM card, it’s still a worthy donation because families in crisis can use the phones to call 911 when they are in danger.

MAIL phones and chargers if you have them to:
Everett Community College
Attn: Student Activities
2000 Tower St.
Everett, WA 98201

DROP OFF cell phones at:
EvCC's Student Activities Office
Parks Student Union, Room 209,
2000 Tower St., Everett.

CALL Jennifer Rhodes, 425-388-9509, with questions.

Read more from the Herald...

2008-09-24T02:51:00.000-07:00

Click Here to REGISTER TODAY

Space is limited, get your tickets today

$25/Individual

$50/Business Person (with extra networking benefits)

(Continental Breakfast and Buffet Lunch included)

Contact

Cate O’dahl – 206-999-0124 or caoesp@aol.com

Choose from twelve How-to sessions on: click here

COME TO THE FAIR ON SATURDAY

The Fair features a keynote address by Charlie Stephens on Peak Oil

What Communities Can Do to Reinvent the Future, and much more…

Short presentations by local community leaders
Green and local vendor displays
Show Us Your Green Cities Panel
Zero waste event

SOLAR & GREEN BUILDING TOUR

Come the Fair to get your map for the National Solar & Green Home Tour

featuring 15 sites to learn from owners about the benefits of going green.

FAIR ADMISSION

One of the following:

· Canned food donation

· Old cell phone donation

· Old computer and accessories donation (monitors for a fee)

· Or a suggested $5 donation

Details

Link to conference information via our website, www.sustainablesnohomishcounty.org

Ask Umbra: Recycled Paper vs Certified Paper

2008-09-04T05:55:00.000-07:00

America's Top Sheaf
On recycled vs. certified paper

Q. Dear Umbra,
Our office is trying to develop an environmental paper procurement policy, and we were wondering which component is most critical -- certification by the Forest Stewardship Council, or recycled content? If you could help us understand which is best to support, we would greatly appreciate it.
Dan S.Denver, Colo.

A. Dearest Dan,
We need to pause and celebrate: 15 years ago, was it even possible for this question to be written? Could an office worker casually toss off "environmental paper procurement policy" and know that it would be generally understood? And were there two eco-positive, decent paper choices to baffle us?

I was still in diapers, of course, but ...
Read the rest of Umbra's answer.

UW Ditches those Plastic plates.... Yeepie

2008-08-22T07:17:00.000-07:00

Associated PressSEATTLE --
The University of Washington says it has saved money by switching food service cups, plates and eating utensils from plastic to items made from paper, corn or sugar.The Seattle campus serves 28,000 meals a day and can now send trash to compost instead of a landfill.

The university says spending on disposable tableware is down 9 percent.That's the example Seattle fast food restaurants will have to follow. A new city law that starts taking effect in January requires restaurants to stop using foam and plastic containers. They'll have to switch to materials that compost.

The foam food-container ban is part of the legislation that also will require groceries and drug stores to charge customers 20 cents for paper or plastic bags.

Information from: The Seattle Times, http://www.seattletimes.com

Shower Curtains and PVC....

2008-08-19T05:33:00.000-07:00

What do you know about your polyvinyl chloride (pvc) shower curtain? Most shower curtains are made of this product and it is one of the nastiest of all consumer plastics. Producing it is energy-intensive, and the manufacturing releases carcinogenic dioxins and other harmful chemicals into the atmosphere. According to Christie Matheson in "Green Chic," About seven pounds of PVC are discarded annually in the United States and most recycling facilities won't accept it, because recycling it is highly labor-intensive and potentially hazardous.

check it out at http://www.homefashionsu.com/

http://blog.homefashionsu.com/2008/08/03/toxic-shower-curtains.aspx

Organic Clothing

2008-08-05T08:24:00.000-07:00

We just posted an article, "How to: Get Great Deals on Organic Clothing - 25 Tips and Resources"

http://www.organiccoupons.org/blog/2008/07/how-to-get-great-deals-on-organic-clothing-25-tips-and-resources/

Green Energy Open House

2008-07-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

MEETING GROWTH
WITH GREEN ENERGY
OPEN HOUSE
Thursday, July 24 and
Tuesday, July 29 6:30pm

PUD Electric Building
2320 California Street in Everett

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOW THE PUD
IS PLANNING TO MEET GROWTH THROUGH
CONSERVATION & GREEN ENERGY RESOURCES

Grocery Bag Fee headed to Council

2008-07-23T14:20:00.001-07:00

I have been waiting for this.......

20-cent charges for paper or plastic set to come up for vote next week

By KATHY MULADY
P-I REPORTER

Lenny Rose has been talking to customers at the two Red Apple stores he owns in Seattle's Central Area as groceries are piled into their bags.

Do they know that the city wants to get rid of plastic and paper bags? That in a few months they will likely be charged 20 cents for each bag? That it might add an extra $2 or $4 to their grocery bill?

"We are talking about putting a tax on people, and most of them don't know it's coming," Rose said. "It is going to be a huge education process, and it is going to cause a lot of grief."

But such concerns didn't discourage Seattle city officials, who moved a step closer Tuesday toward becoming one of the few major American cities to discourage paper and plastic bags in favor of reusable bags, and to ban polystyrene food and drink containers.

The full City Council is expected to vote on the proposals Monday that were passed Tuesday by a committee. If adopted, the new legislation will launch a 90-day campaign to educate residents and shoppers before the 20-cent per bag fee goes into effect on Jan. 1.

The ban on plastic foam food take-out containers and cups also will take effect that day, if approved. However, a ban on plastic meat trays will be delayed for a year, allowing stores time to figure out alternatives.

"It was a lot of work getting here,' said Council President Richard Conlin, chairman of the Environment Committee.

The 20-cent fee would be charged at grocery, drug and convenience stores.

Water Bottle Battle

2008-07-12T06:25:00.000-07:00

When we drink water, what's the real message in the bottle? By Tom Watson Special to The Seattle Times

BERNADETTE TUAZON / AP
Sure, water is good for us, but sometimes the delivery methods aren't so good for the planet.
Related
More EcoConsumer columns
Water resources
Consumer Reports — water articles: www.greenerchoices.org/pcategories.cfm?pcat=food
Seattle Public Utilities drinking-
water report: www.seattle.gov/util/waterqualityreport
Mayo Clinic — water needs: www.mayoclinic.com/health/water/NU00283

Activists, governments and the bottled-water industry have engaged in a giant water fight for the past two years, extensively reported by the media. By now, many consumers know that the mass marketing of water in single-use bottles has environmental consequences, and that some reusable water bottles may pose health risks.

But at this time of year, when our bodies especially need water, many of us still find ourselves confused about the safest, greenest ways to drink it. Today we'll satisfy the thirst for answers as we address common consumer questions about water bottles.

Sensational Sensuede

2008-06-28T02:09:00.000-07:00

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sensuede® and Flannelsuede® high performance fabrics were developed to be the best and most luxurious faux suedes for home furnishings. They are manufactured with the latest technology using microfibers that are derived from recycled plastic bottles. Sensuede is the ecological choice in engineered suedes. Flannelsuede has all the features of Sensuede, but with the heathery look of a wool flannel fabric.

Sensuede has many applications, including furniture for dining rooms, kitchens, family rooms, offices, yachts and sailboats, RVs, and many types of accessories. It upholsters beautifully and is one of our favorite choices for dining room chairs.

What makes Sensuede so special?

A soft, elegant touch.
You can immediately feel the difference -- a soft, smooth, drapable texture. Sensuede's luxurious hand is due to the use of recycled microfibers that are finer than a human hair. However, these fibers are extra-strong, resulting in a very resilient fabric. Sensuede is breathable and wrinkle resistant, so it's comfortable to sit on.

Easy to clean and washable.
Sensuede is water, stain and soil resistant. Most spills simply bead up on the surface and can be blotted off, or spot cleaned with a damp cloth or soap and water -- even ground-in chocolate cake comes right out! Sensuede can also be machine washed or dry-cleaned. Sensuede is resistant to mildew and is not attractive to moths.

Engineered to last.
Sensuede and Flannelsuede surpass the heavy-duty upholstery abrasion test -- that's more than 75,000 double rubs! So it's perfect for everyday use. Unlike less expensive imitations, the strength of Sensuede is inherent in the product, so it does not require a backing. Some faux suedes may lose resiliency over time, but Sensuede will remain beautiful through years of use. Sensuede will not shrink, pill or crock and resists fading in normal residential settings.

Versatile.
80 colors, Sensuede and Flannelsuede can be used for home theatre seating, bedding, pillows, bar stools, formal dining room chairs, family room upholstery and much more.

Umbra for "Grist" about Wedding Gifts

2008-06-17T18:12:00.000-07:00

Till Stuff Do Us PartOn wedding registries again

Q. Hi Umbra,
I'm getting married in August, and I've registered on Heifer International, but am looking for other ways to offer gift-givers a way to buy socially conscious and green gifts. Since "green," fair-trade, and organic are all the rage, could you recommend any good online places to find eco-friendly products other than the obvious (Whole Foods, REI, etc.)? I want to be sure I support the right places instead of the wannabes.
CharlaSeattle, Wash.

A. Dearest Charla,
Congratulations. I hope all the wedding advice and tips in the Grist archives have been helpful to your event planning. I know they help me every year as I revisit the green wedding. No, no, I don't get married every year. Each spring we hear from concerned betrothed persons, and I go back through the Grist archives, read what my colleagues and readers have suggested, and remix the ideas, along with some new ones, into one sparkly brew of love ...

Read the rest of Umbra's answer.

Tires, Tires, Tires

2008-06-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

(photo Herald staff DARREN BREEN )

Tires litter beach, open old wounds in Tulalip
Non-Indian residents say the eyesores are a reminder of a double standard.
By Krista J. Kapralos, Herald Writer

TULALIP -- For the second time in two years, hundreds of old tires are washing up on Hermosa Beach, a narrow strip of sand on the western edge of the Tulalip Indian Reservation.The last time this happened was in 2006, after a severe storm sent waves crashing into a bulkhead made from old tires.

Tulalip Tribes natural resources crews picked up that mess, but the broken bulkhead was left with the remaining tires still inside.Bulkheads are structures that protect homes from erosion caused by tides.Time and tides are scattering tires again. They arrive on the beach tangled up in seaweed, half-buried in the sand, sometimes used as perches for bald eagles with nests nearby.

read more

Restaurants are Recycling Food Waste

2008-06-02T05:13:00.000-07:00

Compost project is easy to digest
Restaurants find recycling food waste pays off

By LISA STIFFLERP-I REPORTER
That unfinished bite of BLT from West 5 or paper coffee cup from Uptown Espresso could be headed to your backyard.

That's because about 30 restaurants in West Seattle are composting their food waste -- the chicken bones, leftover salad, greasy napkins and paper egg cartons -- rather than sending it to the landfill.

During a six-week pilot project this spring, 38 tons of food from participating restaurants, bars and cafes was composted instead of chucked in the trash.

"We showed people what a good green business can do," said Dave Montoure, co-owner of the bar and restaurant West 5, who helped lead the program.

Officials with the city of Seattle are urging businesses, schools and residents to compost food waste in an effort to boost recycling numbers and dramatically cut the amount of waste going to landfills

read more here

Cedar Grove Composting is signing up about 70 new businesses a month for its services.

CleanScapes and Allied Waste also recycle food waste.

Recycle Nursery POTS

2008-05-23T08:44:00.000-07:00

Stuck with piles of nursery pots?
Here’s how to recycle.Posted at 2:18 pm by Sarah Jackson

Plastic nursery pots, which can pile up quickly this time of year, aren’t the easiest things to recycle. Though some local nurseries accept them, most don’t take all sizes and shapes.

Fortunately, thanks to collaboration among numerous Snohomish County agencies and organizations, gardeners can easily recycle all sizes of plastic nursery pots, plus plastic nursery trays, at two upcoming recycling events.

Drop-off times are
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. May 31 at the Skagit Farmers Supply-Country Store, 8815 272nd St., Stanwood
10 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 1 at the Evergreen State Fairgrounds, 14405 179th Ave. SE, Monroe.

Be sure pots are empty, clean and dry.Both events are part of a broader agriculture plastics recycling campaign that allows farmers and nursery owners to recycle pots and trays, plus baling twine, hay bale covers and silage covers, which can be made into new plastic items, including drain pipe, truck bed liners and plastic lumber.

Call Lois Ruskell at 425-335-5634, ext. 108, if you have questions.

Coffee Cups Clutter the EARTH

2008-05-19T06:17:00.000-07:00

Coffee cups clutter the earthPosted at 12:01 am by Sarah Jackson

What are we going to do about it?Starbucks — which purchased 2.5 billion cups for stores in North America last year — isn’t doing all that much about it, according to this story.

Tully’s, meanwhile, has introduced a compostable cup, but that only works if the cups don’t end up in the landfill, where stuff just doesn’t break down like it does in nature.

I can recommend only one solution. Use your own cup or mug when ordering gourmet coffee. Baristas and clerks are totally used to it everywhere I go.

It’s no big deal.It's worked for me, and, despite being the Eco Geek, I'm not the greenest girl on the block. Thanks to my groovy, thermos-style mug collection, my coffee stays hot much longer (no microwaving required).

I don’t feel guilty about indulging in coffee because I’m not creating nearly the same waste load. And it saves me a few cents. At Starbucks, the discount for bringing your own mug is 10 cents.

That’s cool, but I wonder how much each cup costs the company after shipping? I also wonder if they gave a whole quarter off all those lattes if more people would pitch in?

I bet they would.Would you? What keeps you from using a reusable mug? Write me here to share your thoughts or — better yet — comment below and start a broader conversation everyone can enjoy.

Coffe Cup Waste Calculator click here

Recycling of Compact Fluorescent

2008-05-19T05:18:00.000-07:00

Recycling options lag the compact fluorescent push
By MARC LEVY The Associated Press

CAROLYN KASTER / AP
A high-efficiency compact fluorescent bulb
InformationTake it Back Network: For information about the network, participating retailers and fees, go to www.metrokc.gov/dnrp/swd//takeitback/fluorescent/
or http://www.takeitbacknetwork.org/

MECHANICSBURG, Pa. — It's a message being drummed into the heads of homeowners everywhere: Swap out those incandescent lights with longer-lasting compact fluorescent bulbs and cut your electric use.
Governments, utilities, environmentalists and, of course, retailers everywhere are spreading the word.

Few, however, are volunteering to collect the mercury-laced bulbs for recycling — despite what public officials and others say is a potential health hazard if the hundreds of millions of them being sold are tossed in the trash and end up in landfills and incinerators.

The average CFL will save a user roughly $35 over the bulb's life, compared with the power costs of an incandescent bulb.

But for now, much of the nation has no real recycling network for CFLs, despite the ubiquitous PR campaigns, rebates and giveaways encouraging people to adopt the swirly darlings of the energy-conscious movement.

Recyclers and others guess that only a small fraction of CFLs sold in the United States are recycled, while the rest are put out with household trash or otherwise discarded.
"In most parts of the country, it requires getting in your car and burning up your gas and going out of your way, a long ways, and people are unlikely to do this," said Paul Abernathy, the executive director of the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers in Calistoga, Calif.
Sales of the bulbs have skyrocketed this decade — doubling last year to about 380 million after registering 17,000 in 2000, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Recycling efforts, though, are spotty at best.

Some communities are arranging special CFL drop-off events while some city or county hazardous-waste collection facilities accept them.

Swedish retailer Ikea collects the bulbs at its 34 U.S. stores, and manufacturer Osram Sylvania offers a mail-in program.

In King, Pierce and Snohomish counties, consumers may return fluorescent bulbs to 67 retail outlets under a government-sponsored initiative dubbed the "Take It Back Network," which was formed in October 2005.

Participating retailers charge a small disposal fee that generally costs less than $1 a bulb or tube, depending on size. County officials report the retail program is less costly and safer than throwing away mercury-laced bulbs in the regular trash or in landfills, which is prohibited.
Some area waste-collection companies accept them from their residential customers.
Compact fluorescent bulbs each contain roughly 5 milligrams of mercury, which health professionals say is tiny in relation to the amount in a glass thermometer. Using that estimate, almost 2 tons of mercury were in the 380 million sold last year.

By comparison, about 50 tons of mercury are spewed into the air each year by the nation's coal-fired power plants.

The longer fluorescent tubes, in use since World War II, contain slightly more mercury per lamp, but recyclers typically collect them in bulk from the biggest users, businesses and factories, which are required by federal law to dispose of them properly.

Even if recycling efforts have been meager, environmentalists and government officials say it is important to balance the positives of CFLs against any negatives.
For instance, CFLs can curtail the need for energy and thereby cut pollution from power plants. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a coal-fired power plant will emit about four times more mercury to keep an incandescent bulb glowing, compared with a CFL of the same light output.

"People should care about mercury and if they do, they should be working to save energy wherever they can, and CFLs are a great answer to that," said John Rogers, a senior energy analyst for the Cambridge, Mass.-based group.

The bulbs do not release mercury if they are used properly and recycled, and the EPA and state governments have written guidelines for how to clean up the mercury from a broken bulb.
Kim Dietrich, a professor of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati, said the bigger concern is the hazard that would result if the mercury from millions of bulbs escapes into the air and waterways before working up the food chain.

Manufacturers have looked at substitutes for mercury in the bulbs but have been unable to synthesize the chemical reaction. Still, they say they are working to reduce the amount of mercury in each bulb.

Reusable Plastic BAGS

2008-05-12T06:37:00.000-07:00

Break the plastic bag habit by bringing a reusable bag on your next shopping trip! Good choices at the grocery store involve healthy foods, correct?

True, but the bags you use to cart your groceries home are also important for your wellbeing and that of the planet. Carrying a sturdy bag that folds up to pocket size, such as those available from ChicoBag, will help you break the plastic bag habit.

ChicoBag even has a community outreach and fundraising program — their not-so-scary "Bag Monster" is available for schools, events or workplaces to educate about the advantages of reusable bags.

To rid the world of the Bag Monsters and to get involved in the reusable bag movement contact takeaction@chicobag.com.

Across the globe, plastic bags such as those dispensed in stores are consumed at a rate of one million a minute, yet these single-use carriers will hang around long afterwards, polluting soil and waterways.

Further, the 12 million barrels of oil used in this country every year to produce these bags contribute to climate change.And don’t forget to take reusable bags to your local farmers markets this summer.

Make a difference when you can!Visit the Conscious Consumer Marketplace for more information about plastic bags and reusable alternatives.

Green Can Be Good For YOU

2008-04-30T07:56:00.000-07:00

Lori Butner of Van Dam’s Abbey Carpet in Marysville

shows samples of environmentally-friendly carpeting and flooring.

It’s a great time to fashion a home friendly to the
By M.L. DehmFor the Herald

Have you measured your ecological footprint lately? More Americans now recognize that living green is not just something to do for the sake of future generations. The impact of environmentally friendly living can be felt immediately in your own home and in your own well-being.

Living green is now easier than ever. The demand for energy-efficient, sustainable, nontoxic yet attractive products is now being met, and there are new product choices available all the time. This doesn’t mean that you need to get rid of all of your old tables, chairs and sofas and replace them with recyclable cardboard furniture. That would be defeating the purpose.

But by making careful choices as you improve, remodel or redesign your home, you can reduce your energy costs, live healthier and minimize your impact on the environment.A great way to start helping the environment as well as your pocketbook is to replace old appliances with more-efficient models. Energy-efficient appliances sometimes may cost more, but the savings on your utility bill can more than make up the difference. Laurel James of Maytag Stores notes that there are energy-efficient models in refrigerators and washers.

“And, the dishwashers are incredible nowadays,” she said.Whether you’re in the market for high-end luxury appliances to adorn a gourmet kitchen or simply something standard to meet a growing family’s needs, use the provided energy guide labels to help you decide which models are the best performers.

The materials you choose in redecorating your home can play an important role in both your indoor air quality and the world’s ecology. Flooring, for example, can make an impact on the environment due to the types of resources used to create it. There may also be dangerous chemical emissions from the manufacturing process.

Inside your home, the flooring can become a major source of indoor air pollution. Carpets, carpet backing and adhesives may all contain VOCs, an acronym for volatile organic compounds. These are dangerous chemicals that potentially can damage your health and that of your family. Carpet is also notorious for harboring allergens. PVC or vinyl has been known to increase the risk of birth defects, neurological damage and cancer. Many flooring products are not easily recycled and end up in landfills once their usefulness is done.

Fortunately, manufacturers are trying to address these issues.“There are all kinds of green products out there today that are more environmentally friendly,” said Lori Butner, vice president of Van Dam Abbey Carpet in Marysville. “There are recycled carpets that are now available. There are natural products like hardwood flooring and cork that are environmentally friendly as well.”A bonus to using natural flooring over synthetic is that most major manufacturers offer products made from renewable resources.

These products can include such things as wood from certified managed forest land. Bamboo is a fast-growing renewable resource that creates an attractive floor covering. A locally invented product called Deco-Pour has been revolutionizing the concrete floor industry. It’s a renewable and durable product that successfully mimics terrazzo flooring and is only half the cost.

The choice of paint is another area in which homeowners can make a significant impact on the internal health of the house. Paint can be a source of VOCs. It can contain fungicides and other toxic agents that affect indoor air quality.“Some paints are more environmentally friendly now because they’ve taken out all of the bad chemicals and VOCs,” said Jackie Oglesby of E & E Lumber and Home Center in Marysville. “It smells better because of that, too.”Nontoxic paints are manufactured using safe, natural products such as clay or a milk-base protein called casein. Paint experts such as Oglesby can let you know which products are best for your home or project.

Most people recycle their cans, glass, paper and cardboard. But one of the most exciting recycling opportunities involves redecorating your home. Have you ever had a piece of furniture or some building tiles that you no longer needed but were far too good to throw away? Or maybe you just need a new sink or countertop for your remodel and are short on cash? There's no need to buy brand new. Our state is fortunate to have a program called 2good2toss. It’s designed to keep good surplus and reusable materials out of landfills.

“Technically known as an online materials exchange, 2good2toss is a convenient way for homeowners to exchange used or surplus building material and household items,” said Shannon McClelland of the Washington State Department of Ecology.

“I think people truly want to do the right thing when it comes to making something that they no longer want available for re-use. 2good2toss is just one more avenue that is available to make that exchange between people as convenient as possible,” McClelland said.Items at 2good2toss.com are offered at low or no cost to consumers by other consumers. They must be exchanged in a not-for-profit manner. Although the program is offered statewide, listings are broken down by region. Typical items you can expect to see are flooring, fixtures, windows and furniture. One recent free offering, quickly snapped up, was a newer cherrywood sleigh bed that only needed a minor repair to one leg. It’s not unusual to find shower doors, sinks, patio pavers or packets of flooring tiles available.

You don’t have to do a whole remodel to create a significant energy savings and to help the environment. Something as small as changing a light bulb can make a difference. According to the Department of Energy, if every American household simply replaced its five most frequently used light fixtures and bulbs with Energy Star approved products, it would result in a savings of nearly $8 billion a year. It would also prevent greenhouse gases equivalent to the emissions from nearly 10 million cars. And don’t forget, it puts money back in your wallet.

How To ... Be eco-chic

2008-04-29T06:14:00.000-07:00

Like many eco-conscious consumers, you've probably switched to energy-saving light bulbs, bought recycled paper towels, opted for organic foods. But you might be wondering what else you can do. Here are some $25 and under ideas from green style guru Danny Seo, author of the Simply Green book series.

TIERED TRAY (PICTURED): Find new purpose for mismatched dinnerware sets in the form of a tiered serving tray for hors d'oeuvres or desserts, or use as a catch-all for jewelry, keys and other small knickknacks.

Gather three plates and two cups. Alternating between plates of descending size, using teacups as spacers between the tiers, glue the dishes together with a strong epoxy. To avoid using excess glue, apply only to the rim and bottom of the cup, rather than the plate. Allow the glue to dry overnight, then hand wash before using.

MIXED GLASS CENTERPIECE: Grouped together on a tray and filled with leaves and flowers, weathered bottles and jars make an easy table dressing.

Collect bottles of various shapes and sizes over time (mustard jars, perfume bottles and jelly jars all work well) or salvage some for just pennies at thrift stores. Fill some of the containers with leaves and flowers and place them on a serving tray or platter, packing the jars tightly together.
SWEATER SEATS: Cozy up a set of chairs by reupholstering them with pieces from outgrown or thrift-store sweaters.

Cut a sweater apart, working up the side seams and across the shoulders. Trim off the neck hole and sleeves, leaving two squares of fabric slightly larger than the seat of the chair. Unscrew the seat cushions from the chairs. Cover the cushions with the sweater fabric, and secure the cloth edges to the underside using a staple gun or small tacks. Trim any excess and reattach the cushion to the chair.

RUSTIC CANDLES: Melt down the dregs of burned-out candles to make new ones in old flowerpots.

Scrub the inside of the pot. Use a coin to cover the drainage hole in the bottom. Insert a ready-made stiff cotton wick (sold at craft stores) or make your own wick out of cotton twine. To hold the wick upright, tie one end loosely to a pencil laid across the top of the pot. The length of the wick should hang straight down into the pot's center. Melt chunks of old candles in a pot set over a low flame or in a double boiler. Pour the liquid wax into the flowerpots. Let set overnight and then trim the wick.

-- From the April issue of body+soul

Green Dictionary

2008-04-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

By The Daily Green
Updated: 4/9/2008 1:02:26 PM

The green revolution has a language all its own. Here are some of the more common terms you'll hear. And don't forget to check back often for the latest entries in the "ecopedia."

Greenwashing: Environmental whitewashing. Put another way, greenwashing occurs…More.

Freecycling: A grassroots, volunteer-driven Internet movement committed to…More.

Green Mortgage: Is simply a type of mortgage that provides you a money-saving …More.

Passive Solar: You can apply “passive cooling” or “passive heating” principles to your…More.

CAFE Standards: Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency. It’s a legal requirement for…More.

Heritage Foods: Come from endangered or rare breeds of purebred livestock and crops…More.

Smart Growth: Also known as the new urbanism or transit-oriented development…More.

More from TheDailyGreen.com:
http://www.thedailygreen.com/ is the new consumer's guide to the green revolution. From saving money to saving the planet, you'll find ideas, recipes, news and more every single day. Reprinted with permission of Hearst Communications, Inc.30 Days of Green Deals - Coupons, Discounts and More Save 20% on Gas Every Day - 10 Simple Steps 30 Days to a Greener Diet What do Recycling Symbols on Plastic Mean 5 Green Money $avers

Eco Friendly Hotels?

2008-04-25T21:15:00.000-07:00

'Green Travel: The World's Best Eco-Lodges & Earth-friendly Hotels'
(Fodor's Travel Publications, 318 pages, $21.95)
Capsule review: A green guide to world travel
Overall grade: A-

Travel is becoming a green conundrum, with the atmospheric impacts of jets as well as the impact of visitors on unspoiled places. Fodor's steps up with this thorough new guide filled with color photographs.

Particularly helpful are separate sections, on green-colored paper, that cover current enviro quandaries: whether to use carbon offsets; whether to support beggars; even whether to travel great distances or just stay local.

Each lodging includes an "eco file" that rates its environmental and social impacts. Essays by writers discuss personal ecotravels. Only drawback is scarce North American listings.

we got this from the PI http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/books/359964_greenbooks22.html

Paper or Plastic?

2008-04-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

You may pay 20 cents either way
Some plastic, foam containers would be banned under proposal by mayor, council president

By ANGELA GALLOWAY
P-I REPORTER

Seattle could trump even the greenest of American cities with fines on foam and taxes on bags -- both paper and plastic, city politicians say.

Seattle would impose a 20-cent-per-bag "green fee" and outlaw foam food containers next year under a proposal announced Wednesday. Aiming to persuade Seattleites to ditch disposable bags, the city hopes to send a free reusable bag to every Seattle household, Mayor Greg Nickels said.

"No other city has done what we're suggesting here," Nickels said. "These actions will take tons of plastic and foam out of our waste stream. ... The best way to handle a ton of waste is not to create it in the first place."

Eventually, Seattle restaurants also would be forbidden from using plastic food containers that can't be recycled or composted, according to rules being developed by Nickels and City Council President Richard Conlin.

Some major questions about the policies remain -- from political differences over how to spend the taxes to outstanding technical dilemmas.

If adopted by the council, the fee would apply to disposable bags distributed at grocery, convenience and drug stores. The polystyrene foam ban would force restaurants and stores to find alternative egg cartons, meat trays, plates, "clamshells" and cups.

The foam and bag rules would go into effect Jan. 1. The plastic food container restrictions would be implemented July 2010.

"It's a big symbolic step, but it's also a very concerted step in the right direction," Conlin said.

The grocery bag fees would generate about $10 million a year, according to Seattle Public Utilities. The money would be used to administer and enforce the rules, to buy and promote reusable bags, and to expand recycling, environmental education and waste prevention programs.

But Conlin has another idea: He would like some of that money to go to garbage rate reductions. The difference will be resolved politically, after Seattle utility and legal officials draft the legislation and present it to the council. That is expected to happen next month.

Seattle consumers use 360 million disposable bags each year, according to Seattle Public Utilities. About 73 percent of them come from grocery, drug and convenience stores, Nickels said. Most are plastic, and most wind up in landfills.

But paper bags are even worse for the environment, once you factor in the tolls of logging and shipping the bags, officials said. That is why the fee would apply to both, they said.

San Francisco prohibited supermarkets from using plastic bags in December. City leaders there gave out several thousand free reusable bags made of scrap cloth, officials said.

Seattle, too, has been handing out free reusable bags in recent months. The more than 5,000 bags the city bought are made of polypropylene, not recycled materials or the especially environmentally friendly cotton canvas, officials said. But they are recyclable and cost considerably less than some alternatives.

"Our decision was (based on) getting as many into the hands of people as we could," said Alex Fryer, spokesman for the city's Office of Sustainability and Environment.

Seattle officials considered banning disposable bags outright, Conlin said. "The problem with a ban is that all it does is leave people without a choice," he said.

Many agree an across-the-board fee is a better approach. Ireland imposed a fee on plastic bags in 2002. Since then, plastic bag use has dropped 90 percent, Seattle officials said.

"If you're trying to reduce bags, that's the way to go," said Mark Westlund, spokesman for the San Francisco environmental department. San Francisco officials considered a surcharge, but California law prohibits such fees, he said.

A lobbyist for Washington retailers said he would withhold judgment on the plan until he had a chance to run it by members of his group.

"If the consumer says, 'I'm not excited about paying 20 cents per bag when I go shopping,' that is probably going to be an issue for us," said Mark Johnson, vice president of government affairs for the Washington Retail Association. "If they're saying, 'No big deal,' it might not be an issue."

Some grocers already promote the use of reusable bags. For example, Thriftway gives a nickel back to customers who bring their own bags.

"I don't know if consumers know how much plastic and paper bags cost," said Josh Angle, store director of the Magnolia Thriftway. Paper bags cost at least 13 cents each, plastic bags cost about 9 cents.

At the PCC store near Green Lake Wednesday, the idea of answering the question of "paper or plastic?" with "cloth" seemed entirely Seattle to Wendy Asbury. Asbury switched to cloth bags when she moved here eight months ago, she said.

"I'm from the Southwest, where everything is about gluttony and waste," she said. "That's what I loved about moving here; everything is so 'green.' "

But there were opponents, too, and the proposal set off a debate between friends in the PCC parking lot.

Jenn Young said encouraging people to use cloth seemed less onerous than penalizing them with the fee.

"I disagree," responded Naomi Fujinaka. "I've been bringing my cloth bag for 25 years."

Young said: "It might be hard on families. If you have a family of six with four kids, and you go shopping once a week and you have 10 grocery bags, that can get to be a lot of money."

"Then you'll know to bring your bag next time," Fujinaka said. "We really have to change our behavior."

For every 20-cent bag fee collected by Seattle, most stores would be allowed to keep 5 cents to cover administrative costs and taxes. (The fee itself would be subject to the state sales tax.) Small stores -- those collecting less than $1 million in gross revenues each year -- would be allowed to keep the entire 20 cents.

Grocers would be required to explicitly list the fee on receipts.

More than 20 cities have banned polystyrene foam packaging at restaurants and other business, including Portland, Ore. After more than 20 years of foam-free fast food services, Portlanders are accustomed to the eco-friendlier alternatives, said Cynthia Fuhrman of the Portland Office of Sustainable Development.

"I think it's just a given -- people have just accepted it," Fuhrman said.

CITY'S PLAN AT A GLANCE

BAGS

PROPOSED: A 20-cent green fee on disposable shopping bags, both paper and plastic.

WHERE: Grocery, drug and convenience stores.

WHEN: To begin Jan. 1.

EXEMPT: Bags used inside stores to contain bulk items, bags for prepared food, newspaper and dry-cleaner bags.

WHY: Seattleites use 360 million disposable paper and plastic shopping bags every year. Almost 240 million end up in the garbage. That's close to 4 percent of all residential garbage, by volume. This will save 4,000 tons of greenhouse gases per year, the same as taking 665 cars off the road.

FOAM

PROPOSED: A ban on the use of expanded polystyrene (sometimes called Styrofoam) containers and cups.

WHERE: All food service businesses, including some of the foam packaging used in grocery stores, such as meat trays and egg cartons.

WHEN: To begin Jan. 1.

PLASTICS

PROPOSED: Switch from one-time-use, disposable plastic and plastic-coated paper food and beverage containers and utensils to fully compostable and recyclable substitutes.

WHERE: All food service businesses.

WHEN: By July 1, 2010.

P-I reporters Andrea James, Kery Murakami and Lisa Stiffler contributed to this report. P-I reporter Angela Galloway can be reached at 206-448-8333 or angelagalloway@seattlepi.com. Follow politics on the P-I's blog at blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics.

Recycled Clothing

2008-03-20T08:11:00.000-07:00

William Good
www.shopwilliamgood.com/Home...
Description: William Good, re-made in USA, Refashioned clothing from Goodwill for resale on eBay. Each item is created from post-retail Goodwill donations that have been destined for recycling or salvage.

Green Festival Seattle

2008-03-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

Seattle to host Green Festival ....Seattle next month becomes the fourth city to host Green Festival, billed as the largest green consumer event on the planet.

It takes place April 12 and 13 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.

The festival will showcase sustainable living concepts and feature more than 150 speakers, 300 local and national businesses, community groups and a green film festival.

Plus there'll be a fair-trade cafe, an organic beer and wine garden and a green kids zone. More than 30,000 people are expected to attend. People who bike there will get $5 off registration. To learn more, see greenfestivals.org.

Fashion World Turning GREEN?

2008-02-18T19:50:00.001-08:00

Fashion world is slowly turning green -- by design
By TANIA FUENTEZ
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK-- Fashion trends come and go, but Shalom Harlow is optimistic the industry's latest interest in all things "green" isn't a passing phase.

The Canadian-born model was among those showcasing environmentally friendly couture at Earth Pledge's opener for New York Fashion Week recently.

"The establishment has to catch up," Harlow said after checking out the 2008 fall/winter collection for John Patrick ORGANIC. "It's really about time fashion started looking at its cause and effect on the planet. There's no need to compromise anymore. ... You can be fashionable and responsible."

With heightened concern about toxicity from PBDEs (flame retardants) and other chemicals in clothing and products, organic and renewable materials like bamboo are gaining ground as alternatives to conventional fibers produced with pesticides, herbicides and defoliants.

In the U.S., sales for organic fiber linens and clothing climbed to $203 million by 2006, up nearly 27 percent from the year before, according to the Organic Trade Association. Five years ago food was the focus; increasingly, fashion and style are.

"Concern for the environment is growing and it's only natural that the concern would cross over into what we wear," said Jeanie Pyun, editor of the environmental Web site sprig.com. "Fashion and home design are the most popular on the site because it's what's happening now."

A growing list of designers are paying attention: At the FutureFashion show, there was a hemp-based pantsuit from Calvin Klein, a dress made of recycled cashmere from Michael Kors and a hemp-silk gown from Donatella Versace.

John Patrick launched ORGANIC in 2004 when eco-fashion wasn't on everyone's to-do list. His designs include smart-looking embroidered coats of organic Vermont wool, recycled silk scarves, vegetable-tanned leather jackets, and eyelet dresses from recycled cotton.

"Ethical design and production -- that is becoming of paramount importance," said Patrick, who lived on a commune as a teen in Coxsackie, N.Y. "I'm not doing 'trend.' I am so far away from the 'it' thing."

Though organic cotton is becoming more common in everything from bed linens to diapers, costs and production methods haven't made it an easy sell. Designers also are turning to synthetic fibers from plant-based biopolymers.

Modal is spun from the reconstituted cellulose of beech trees and Ingeo, a derivative of fermented corn sugar. Tencel, the brand name for lyocell, also comes from vegetable cellulose. Soft and durable, it tends to be stronger than rayon and cotton, and can resemble denim or silk.

Raina Blyer, who uses hemp and soy-cotton blends for the Ryann line she began in 2005, says she asks manufacturers for their organic certification.

"I'm starting to veer toward bamboo and hand-loomed silk for my next season," Blyer said at AuH2O, a recycled clothing store. She noted bamboo's anti-bacterial and water-wicking qualities. "Most of my customers want clothes that are easy to wear and don't require a lot of maintenance."

Besides soy, sasawashi and Pina (derived from pineapples), designers are working with mud silk, dyed in yam juice and grass, abaca fiber (known for its flexibility and strength), and peace silk, which allows silkworms to emerge from cocoon for a full life cycle before threads are processed.

Companies like Patagonia, Nike and Timberland have been at the forefront of a green fashion movement for years using recycled plastic or organic materials, and the growing list includes Edun, Loomstate, Banana Republic, Gap, Old Navy, Wal-Mart, Target, Nordstrom, Levi Strauss & Co., H&M and Barneys New York.

Portland-based Nau (pronounced "now") built its entire business model on the concept of sustainability "from the ground up," says Ian Yolles, a founder. The company tracks what it makes from start to finish -- ensuring that an item can be recycled. Nau primarily uses organic cotton, wool and PLA (polylactic acid) instead of petroleum-based products like nylon and polyester for its clothing line.

Lori Wynan, OTA's fiber forum liaison, advises consumers to check labels and look for the names of certification agencies or logos that indicate a company adheres to sustainable business practices and fair labor standards. Third-party verification from organizations like Organic Exchange and Forest Stewardship Council also are useful.

The Web site evo.com rates "green" products by looking at what the items are made from, how they're produced, type of energy used in the process and distance traveled to reach consumers.

Patrick just hopes the next generation of designers will embrace the message: "If we inspire them, we're going to have great stuff."

Allison Teich got fed up with disposable fashion, and created a line of recycled handbags and luggage because "I didn't want to make anymore garbage in the world." Two years ago, manufacturers were asking, 'Why did I want organic cotton twill? ... There's no market for it.' Now they're making organic twill."

Everything isn't coming up roses, though.

"One of the biggest challenges has been financing," says Melissa Sack, who teamed with Emily Santamore in college, and later launched Moral Fervor. "The market is still not catching on to organic and sustainable fashion like we had projected ... it is still very niche."

ONLINE

Organic Trade Association: ota.com

Nau: nau.com

Ryann: lookatryann.com

Moral Fervor: moralfervor.com

Teich Design: teichdesign.com

Defense of Food

2008-02-14T08:32:00.000-08:00

On Valentines day Tune in to KUOW if you LOVE Michael Pollan

Posted at 12:04 pm by Sarah Jackson

Steve Scher, host of KUOW’s "Weekday” program, will interview Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and most recently, “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto,” at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 14, on KUOW at 94.9 FM as a special little Valentine’s Day present to us green, local-food lovin' Eco Geeks.

Here’s the link for both the live broadcast and audio archive, which came to me by way of the Cascade Harvest Coalition / Community Food Security Task Force’s brilliant listserv.

Pollan says the key to health is simple: "Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.”

Thursday he and Scher will likely address some of the following questions: What snacks are in your desk drawer? Cereal bars, low-fat crackers, 100-calorie cookie packs? Are these products real food — or just food-like substances? Are nutritionists and scientific health studies helping us reverse these trends?

EHC is now EcoHaus

2008-01-27T05:22:00.000-08:00

Our own Eco Geeks reports that the Environmental Home Center in Seattle — truly the most comprehensive outlet in the region for environmentally friendly building materials — has changed its name to ecohaus.

It’s now one of three green Northwest home improvement stores with the same name, including locations in Portland and Bend, Ore., offering sustainably created counterops, cork flooring, salvaged products, water-saving toilets and caulk and finsihes that won’t off-gas VOCs (volatile organic compounds).

If you’ve never been down to the center and you have home improvement on your mind, Feb. 2, the store’s official grand re-opening day, would be a great day to visit.
Ecohaus’ will feature a barbecue from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. sponsored by PCC Natural Markets as well as a 4 p.m. speech by Gifford Pinchot, president and co-founder of the Bainbridge Graduate Institute, who will talk about the nuances of green building in the past, present and future.

Pinchot — a descendent of the turn-of-the-century conservationist who became the first chief of the U.S. Forest Service — is an author, speaker and business innovation consultant. His Bainbridge Graduate Institute offers an MBA that integrates sustainability and social responsibility with innovation and profit.

Learn more at about ecohaus here or call 800-281-9785.

Posted at 2:42 pm by Sarah Jackson

Dispose of Old Medicines Safely

2008-01-23T21:00:00.001-08:00

Dispose of old medicines safely

Posted at 4:52 pm by Sarah Jackson

Pharmaceutical chemicals, when unintentionally released into the air and water, are not good for environment.

Wildlife biologists have found birth control pill hormones, the pain relievers acetaminophen and hydrocodone and the diabetes-control drug metformin in Washington state waters.

That’s why it’s fantastic news that pharmacies with the Group Health Cooperative, according to a front-page Seattle Times story today, will be accepting unused prescription and over-the-counter drugs at drop boxes for environmentally safe drug disposal, including two clinic locations in Snohomish County, one in Everett and another in Lynnwood.

See the complete list of sites with address here.

“By the end of last month, shortly after the program was expanded to 25 Group Health pharmacies in King, Pierce, Snohomish, Kitsap, Thurston and Spokane counties, patients had returned 2 tons of drugs,” the story said. “It will become even easier to return medications next month when Bartell Drugs puts the first secure drop box in one of its stores and then rolls out the service in more stores.”

Despite the tight security of the take-back bins and the program, narcotics aren’t allowed in the bins, which means you’ll still have to dispose of narcotics — “controlled substances” such as codeine and oxycodone — by stirring them with some kitty litter and putting them in the garbage. (Don't ever flush drugs down the toilet.)

Enjoy the program, funded by government and private sources through the end of 2008 only, while it lasts.

It could go away after that.

If the forward-thinking Northwest Product Stewardship Council and certain legislators get their way, however, it might be up to the drug companies and retailers to pay for safe drug disposal.

Someday.

We’ll see.

Want to Lose 41 Pounds?

2008-01-18T06:58:00.000-08:00

Posted at 12:26 pm by Sarah Jackson

I’ve always wondered how many pounds of junk mail I receive every year. In fact, there was a time I was saving all kinds of credit card offers and unsolicited junk with the intention of one day weighing it. But the clutter got the best of me and I bitterly shredded it all.Today, however, this dreaded phenomenon has a number, thanks to 41pounds.org, a new junk mail management service based in Ferndale, Mich.

“The average adult receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year,” the service claims. “Our service stops 80-95 percent of unwanted catalogs and junk mail for you. We’ll contact dozens of companies on your behalf to STOP YOUR JUNK MAIL and PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT.”Their service costs $41 and is guaranteed to last five years. Also, 41pounds.org donates one-third of each new subscriber’s fee to an environmental or community organization of their choice. Cool.

Of course, there are some cheaper (even free) services to explore, all mentioned here before:Catalog Choice: This new free service lets you opt out of more than 1,000 retailers at your discretion.

The Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service: This well-known wonder, which costs $1, will take you off national mailing lists for three years, after which you’ll have to register again.

National Do Not Mail List: This free service by DirectMail.com takes you off national mailing lists.

Val-Pak opt out: If you’re not using your Val-Pak, a large blue envelope of fliers from local retailers, visit this site to stop getting it. No matter what you do, it seems like a good idea to crack down on junk mail. According to 41pounds.org, “the pulp and paper industry is the single largest consumer of water used in industrial activities in developed countries, and it’s the third-largest industrial greenhouse gas emitter (after the chemical and steel industries).”Readers, have you had good luck with any of these services?

Write me here and let me know.<<>

Curb Plastic Bags

2008-01-17T04:49:00.000-08:00

Legislator seeks curb on plastic grocery bags
Shoreline's Chase cites waste, harm to environment
By RACHEL LA CORTETHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

OLYMPIA -- Paper or plastic? That question could become passe under a measure being pushed by one lawmaker who says plastic grocery bags harm the environment and waste resources.

Rep. Maralyn Chase, D-Shoreline, has sponsored a bill that would require grocery stores to provide bags made from recyclable paper, compostable plastic, reusable textile materials such as canvas, or reusable plastic that is at least 0.09 inches thick.
Grocery stores could be eligible for a tax credit under the measure but would face a $500 fine for not complying.

"It's an idea whose time has come," said Chase, who is pushing for several environmental measures this year, including one that would ban the sale of petroleum-based water bottles.
The bill has a public

Environmental groups say plastic bags waste valuable oil, release toxins when burned and contribute to global warming because of the energy required to produce them. They also say bags littering the oceans kill sea turtles and other marine animals that mistake them for food.
The Sierra Club's Sierra magazine estimates almost 100 billion plastic bags are thrown out each year and that only 5.2 percent of those are recovered for recycling.

Chase wants to follow the lead of such cities as San Francisco, which became the first in the nation last year to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in large grocery stores.

In France, supermarket chains have begun shying away from giving away plastic bags, and German stores must pay a recycling fee if they wish to offer them. Ireland's surcharge on bags imposed in 2003 has been credited with sharply reducing demand. China has also banned flimsy plastic shopping bags and forces stores to charge for others.

Some stores in the state already have embraced the idea.

PCC Natural Market, which has eight stores in King County and is opening one in Snohomish County this year, has eliminated all plastic bags from its stores.

"It has been overwhelmingly positive," said Diana Crane, spokeswoman for the certified organic natural food cooperative. "Our shoppers have embraced this."

But larger grocery stores likely will fight the measure.

"One of the concerns I have about the bill is that it only mandates groceries," said Joe Gilliam, president of Northwest Grocery Association, which represents stores including Safeway, Fred Meyer and QFC.

NY City Council Recycle Plastic Bags

2008-01-13T22:01:00.000-08:00

City Council Passes Bill for Recycling of Plastic Bags
'The New York City Council overwhelmingly passed a bill requiring large stores and retail chains to collect and recycle the plastic bags they give to shoppers.'

By ANNE BARNARD
Published: January 10, 2008

The stash under the sink grows inexorably: bags from Duane Reade and D’Agostino, bags from Home Depot and the health food store. Wadded up, stuffed one inside the other, they explode out of the cabinet as you wonder how you’ll ever get around to using all of them.

If you’re one of the many New Yorkers who worry about throwing away plastic bags but seem only to acquire more and more, then help is on the way.

The City Council on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a bill requiring large stores and retail chains to collect and recycle plastic bags they give to shoppers. New York is by far the largest American city to enact so broad a measure to limit the environmental impact of the bags. Altogether, each year the country is estimated to use 86 billion bags, which end up blowing down city streets, or tangled in the stomachs of whales and sea turtles, or buried in landfills where, environmental organizations say, they persist for as long as 1,000 years.

Plastic bags are a source of environmental anxiety for New Yorkers, who use one billion a year, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn said in an interview after the vote. City dwellers consider recycling “more and more” important, she explained, but until now have not had a ready means of recycling the bags.

But under the new bill, which had a surprising amount of support from retailers and plastic-bag manufacturers, stores that give the bags to customers must provide recycling bins for the bags in a prominent place in the store. The legislation applies to stores of 5,000 square feet or larger, as well as all branches of chains with more than five locations in the city.

Shoppers will be invited to deposit plastic shopping bags as well as other stretchy plastic materials, such as dry-cleaning bags. Stiff plastic bags with cardboard bottoms are out, since they are considered reusable.

Consumers can drop off bags from any store, not just the one where the bin is located. “It would be terrible if you had to have your Duane Reade pile and your D’Agostino pile,” Ms. Quinn explained. “That would be a nightmare.”

The Department of Sanitation, which picks up plastic bottles, cans and newspapers, will not collect the bags. Stores will have to contract to have them removed, most likely by companies that will recycle them into new plastic bags or buy them to make into other products, such as weatherproof decking.

Stores will also have to ensure that the

The legislation passed 44 to 2, and will take effect six months after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signs it. The mayor has not expressed any objections.

When Ms. Quinn and Councilman Peter F. Vallone Jr., a Queens Democrat, introduced the bill in October, it seemed likely to become a political football.

Ms. Quinn, a Manhattan Democrat who is considering a mayoral run in 2009, immediately faced criticism from John A. Catsimatidis, the Gristedes supermarket magnate, who is eyeing a mayoral run on the Republican ticket; he called the proposal a case of too much regulatory meddling.

Mr. Catsimatidis’s criticism soon died down, and the Food Industry Alliance, which represents 750 supermarkets in the city, backed the bill after pushing through some changes.

“We already have a lot of members who have taken up this cause,” said Patricia Brodhagen, vice president of public affairs for the Alliance. ShopRite, Stop & Shop, Food Emporium and others already collect bags voluntarily. Whole Foods, which is not a member, promotes reusable bags and offers small discounts for returned bags.

The “no” votes in the Council came from two of the three Republicans, Councilmen Vincent M. Ignizio of Staten Island and Dennis P. Gallagher of Queens.

Other cities, including San Francisco, have banned plastic bags altogether. But Ms. Quinn said that could increase the use of paper bags, which give off methane as they decompose, another environmental hazard.

She said her office had received anxious calls from New Yorkers asking if they could continue to use the bags as garbage bags or to pick up after their dogs. Absolutely, she said: Recycling will not work by itself, and other tactics like using canvas bags are just as important.

An unlikely supporter was Progressive Bag Affiliates, a trade group that represents most American makers of plastic bags.

“New York has really become a pioneer,” said Dave Vermillion, a spokesman for the group, which includes companies that make recycled bags.

China Banning Plastic BAGS

2008-01-13T11:46:00.000-08:00

By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN, Associated Press Writer Thu Jan 10, 1:26 AM ET

BEIJING - Declaring war on the "white pollution" choking its cities, farms and waterways, China is banning free plastic shopping bags and calling for a return to the cloth bags of old — steps largely welcomed by merchants and shoppers on Wednesday.

The measure eliminates the flimsiest bags and forces stores to charge for others, making China the latest nation to target plastic bags in a bid to cut waste and conserve resources.

Beijing residents appeared to take the ban in stride, reflecting rising environmental consciousness and concern over skyrocketing oil prices.

"If we can reduce waste and save resources, then it's good both for us and the whole world," said college student Xu Lixian, who was buying tangerines out of cardboard boxes at a sidewalk stall.

The ban takes effect June 1, barely two months before Beijing hosts the Summer Olympic Games, ahead of which it has been demolishing run-down neighborhoods and working to clear smog. The games have added impetus to a number of policies and projects, likely boosting odds for the bag ban's implementation.

Under the new rules, businesses will be prohibited from manufacturing, selling or using bags less than 0.025 millimeters (0.00098 inches) thick, according to the order issued by the State Council, China's Cabinet. The council's orders constitute the highest level of administrative regulation and follow-through is carefully monitored.

More durable plastic bags still will be permitted for sale by markets and shops.

The regulation, dated Dec. 31 and posted on a government Web site Tuesday, called for "a return to cloth bags and shopping baskets to reduce the use of plastic bags."

It also urged waste collectors to step up recycling efforts to reduce the amount of bags burned or buried. Finance authorities were told to consider tax measures to discourage plastic bag production and sale.

Internationally, legislation to discourage plastic bag use has been passed in parts of South Africa, Ireland and Taiwan, where authorities either tax shoppers who use them or impose fees on companies that distribute them. Bangladesh already bans them, as do at least 30 remote Alaskan villages.

Last year, San Francisco became the first U.S. city to ban petroleum-based plastic bags in large grocery stores. In France, supermarket chains have begun shying away from giving away plastic bags and German stores must pay a recycling fee if they wish to offer them. Ireland's surcharge on bags imposed in 2003 has been credited with sharply reducing demand.

The elderly proprietor of a combined clothing shop and grocery shop, who gave only his surname, Wang, said the Chinese measure could reduce sales initially but would be beneficial in the long run.

"It's a bother, but these bags really do create a lot of pollution, so it should be a good thing," said Wang. He said the measure would make little difference to his costs since he spends just 10 yuan ($1.35) a month on bags.

Xu, the college student, said the move showed China was serious about joining global efforts to stem environmental deterioration.

"I think this really shows that China is being a responsible country," said the 21-year-old.

Employees at larger supermarkets and convenience stores said they were unclear on the measure and did not know what their employers' response would be.

The regulation comes as Beijing steps up efforts to fight pollution that has accompanied China's breakneck economic growth. Factories and plants that churn out low-cost products for the world's consumers have severely fouled the country's air and water.

The order continues a years-old campaign against plastic waste, or "white pollution," that initially targeted the plastic foam lunch boxes whose decaying shells were once ubiquitous in China.

Shopkeepers started handing out cheap, flimsy plastic bags to customers about 15 years ago, roughly the same time that China shifted from being a net oil exporter to being a net importer. In recent years, large Western or Japanese-style supermarkets have begun to supplant traditional markets, eliminating the need for shoppers to bring their own bags.

"Our country consumes a huge amount of plastic shopping bags each year," the State Council said in a statement.

"While plastic shopping bags provide convenience to consumers, this has caused a serious waste of energy and resources and environmental pollution because of excessive usage, inadequate recycling and other reasons," the statement said.

Plastic shopping bags are given out with even the smallest items, although the statement gave no estimates as to the specific number of bags consumed in China or the potential savings in terms of the petroleum used to produce them.

Jennifer Turner, director of the China Environment Forum at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington, said China's solid waste is at "a crisis level."

"Their landfills are reaching capacity and will be full in 13 years," she said, adding that a ban like this could be a significant way to educate the public about China's environmental issues.

In the United States, which has less than one-quarter of China's 1.3 billion people, the Sierra Club's Sierra magazine estimates almost 100 billion plastic bags are thrown out each year. The Sierra Club estimated that if every one of New York City's 8 million people used one less grocery bag per year, it would reduce waste by about 218,000 pounds.

In New York on Wednesday, the City Council approved a bill requiring large stores to provide bins for recycling plastic bags. The stores must also use bags that read: "Please return this bag to a participating store for recycling." Mayor Michael Bloomberg supports the measure and is expected to sign it.

China's move won praise from environmental organizations including Greenpeace, which issued a statement welcoming the ban.

"The State Council's announcement to ban free plastic bags is a perfect case to combine the two of the major forces in environment protection: public participation and government policy guidance," Greenpeace said.

Christopher Flavin, president of Worldwatch Institute, an independent research organization in Washington, said "China is ahead of the U.S. with this policy."

"They have had problems enforcing programs in the past, but this is easy to enforce because it has to be implemented on the retail level," Flavin said. "It won't be 100 percent on the first day, but in general, if you come back a year from now you will find this will be enforced and in place."

___

Associated Press Writer Carley Petesch in New York contributed to this report.

(This version CORRECTS SUBS 25th graf, `In the United ...' to correct amount of US waste to 218,000 pounds sted 5 million)

Recycle Trees?

2008-01-02T06:20:00.000-08:00

Found this editorial in the Seattle Times today..

Help me with this?

Trees are grown, to be cut down, to be brough into the house, to have gifts put under, to then be taking outside and chipped?

Help me please to understand this?

A Noble cause ?

Nationwide, 35 million real Christmas trees are headed this week to their final resting places.
New Year's has always been marked by a vista of trees biodegrading in backyards, withering by the side of roads or resting atop garbage piles in local landfills. A fourth and better option is recycling the trees. It saves valuable landfill space. Recycled trees can be mulched into a natural fertilizer or used for coastal marine projects.

A recycled tree helps stave off global warming by reducing methane, a greenhouse gas created by landfills.

It is an interesting tradition, this growing trees on large farms for the sole purpose of cutting them down to grace glittering holiday windows. Some would argue that this is no different from raising roses for bouquets. But it isn't what we choose to value so much as how we dispose of it once the value is gone.

Thick with gifts, the holidays behind us, a final gift of the season could be the most practical and environmentally sound one.

Washington and Oregon are among the five top state producers of trees. More than 90 percent of the Christmas trees purchased by Californians hail from the two states.

Local chapters of the Boy Scouts of America and other community organizations pick up and recycle trees for minimal or no fees. A listings of places to recycle Christmas trees can be found at Earth911.org.

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

Give Your HOME Pizazz

2007-12-29T09:18:00.000-08:00

Eight ways to give your home pizazz

By TRACY SCHNEIDER
SPECIAL TO THE P-I

You've made it through the busy holiday season, but just as you start to unwind, New Year's resolutions are looming. Why not resolve to spiff up your home? With a nod to the environment, here are eight resolutions that you actually may enjoy carrying out!

Warm throws
Buy a new throw, like one of these chunky knit versions in multicolored wool, because you're keeping the heat way down this winter.$150 (special order), from Capers

Glamorous draperies

Hang thick draperies across your windows to keep out the cold. These glamorous velvet window panels have a silk edging.Assorted colors and sizes, $39 to $59, from West Elm

Eco-friendly cleaning products
Treat yourself to an array of sweet-smelling, eco-friendly household cleaners. Mrs. Meyers comes in three unusual scents: lemon verbena, lavender and geranium.Dish soap, 16 ounces, $5.29, from Fred Meyer

Chic hangers
Order some fabulous hangers as an incentive to organize your closet and clear out and donate the clothes you no longer wear. I love the pink velvet!Set of 25 for $77 (free shipping), from The Great American Hanger Co.

Lightweight totes
Find a lightweight, packable tote, because you're saying "no" to both paper and plastic at the grocery store. These organic cotton string bags scrunch up to fit easily inside a purse, but are amazingly strong and will carry a big load $10 each, from Goods for the Planet

Stylish slippers

Keep dirt and toxins from entering your home by taking off your shoes and wearing slippers - sure to be the latest in home accessories next year. These unisex slippers, from Swedish designer Pia Wallen, are a stylish choice.Red or gray wool felt, $59, from Modern Seed

Exotic houseplants
Choose a houseplant like this perfect orchid to add natural beauty to any room in your home. These low-maintenance gems will last for weeks.Assorted sizes and varieties, $7.99-$12.99, from Trader Joe's

Cloth napkins
Cut your paper napkin habit and set the table with these cloth napkins made of chemical-free, linen-like hemp.$13 a pair, from Goods for the Planet

Permanent Burn Ban Planned

2007-12-26T09:10:00.000-08:00

Permanent burn ban planned in rural areas

By Warren Cornwall

Seattle Times environment reporter

Burn-ban comments sought

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency has set a public hearing for 9:15 a.m. Feb. 28 at the Microsoft Auditorium in Seattle's Central Library, 1000 Fourth Ave. The agency also will accept comments at a series of five workshops that begin in January. People can e-mail comments to outdoorburningcomments

@pscleanair.org or by mail to Lynn Sykes, Puget Sound Clean Air Agency; 1904 Third Ave., Suite 105; Seattle, WA 98101.

For more information, go to www.pscleanair.org/actions/outdoorfires/rule_change.aspx.

Those small, flaming leaf piles that are a fixture of autumn rural life might be extinguished permanently in King, Snohomish and Pierce counties — in the name of clean air.

The Puget Sound Clean Air Agency, which is in charge of air-quality laws in the three counties, announced Monday that it is planning to impose a permanent ban on burning related to land clearing and at private residences throughout those counties, to take effect over the next three years.

The move, if approved by the agency's board of directors, would expand an existing ban in urban centers to everywhere in the three counties. It would result in the first such countywide burn bans in the state.

The ban would not include recreational burning, such as outdoor fire pits. Nor would it apply to agricultural or logging operations, or emergency debris-clearing after storms, as long as a permit is obtained.

The proposal was prompted by a growing sense that plenty of alternatives now exist to putting a match to the leaf and slash piles, said Alice Collingwood, a spokeswoman for the agency. People can compost leaves, haul yard waste to a transfer station, or, in many cases, leave it on their curb to be picked up, she said.

Developers already have begun having their wood debris chipped instead.

State law calls for burn bans wherever there are reasonable alternatives, Collingwood said. But she acknowledged the residential burn ban won't be an easy sell.

"I'm already hearing from people that 'I've got 20 acres; you're a city person, you don't understand,' " she said. "It may well be there are some folks for whom it doesn't work. But in most cases, there are alternatives for people."

But Dan Wood of the Washington Farm Bureau predicted such a ban would end up with people illegally dumping their debris, or cooking up creative excuses like calling their burn piles recreational barbecues.

"Government makes an awful lot of rules that are unenforceable," Wood said. "Either they make liars or creative people out of well-intended citizens."

Wood is a former Grays Harbor County commissioner who lives in a rural part of that county. He said he recycles scrupulously but also burns fallen limbs or leaves and paper products that can't be recycled, such as soiled pizza boxes.

He said he figures it's better to save space in the landfill and be left with a small pile of ashes.

Collingswood counters that Wood is actually breaking state law because it's already illegal to burn garbage such as waste paper.

Warren Cornwall: 206-464-2311 or wcornwall@seattletimes.com

Give Experiences Instead of Stuff

2007-12-20T07:44:00.000-08:00

Give Experiences Instead of Stuff and Save 15 to 50 Percent!

This year’s King County Waste Free Holidays program features more than 150 discounted gift offers for “experience gifts.” Each offer has a separate page on this Web site that provides all the details about the offer.

Waste Free Holidays runs Nov. 15 – Dec. 31. When you mention “Waste Free Holidays”, participating businesses and organizations offer discounts of 15 to 50 percent on music, plays, sporting events, museums, restaurant meals, massages, fitness and much more. King County Solid Waste Division and Seattle Public Utilities sponsor the King County program, now in its 12th year. The City of Tacoma, Kitsap County and Thurston County also offer Waste Free Holidays programs with their local businesses.

Reducing waste is especially important during the holiday season. Americans throw away 25 percent more trash between Thanksgiving and New Year‘s Day than during any other time of the year. The Waste Free Holidays program rewards the public for reducing waste, and supports local businesses.If your business or organization is interested in offering a discounted experience gift in the 2007 program, please contact us. -->

Bush Signs Law More Energy Efficiency

2007-12-20T07:32:00.000-08:00

Bush signs law requiring greater energy efficiency, more ethanol, better auto fuel economy
Light bulbs, appliances, buildings also addressed

By H. JOSEF HEBERTTHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON -- Gas guzzlers could become relics of the past and farmers may rival oil companies in producing motor fuels under a new energy law. Consumers also will save electricity -- and money -- from more efficient refrigerators, furnaces and dishwashers.

There will be improved efficiency labeling on TVs and computers. And the office building of the future may need less energy and rely more on wind, solar or biomass, becoming zero emitters of greenhouse gases.

That's the future outlined by some energy experts as a result of new legislation President Bush signed Wednesday.

Automakers now will be required to achieve an industrywide average fuel efficiency for cars, sport utility vehicles and small trucks of 35 miles per gallon by 2020, a 40 percent jump and the first increase in the federal requirement in 32 years.

The bill also stands to change the fuel motorists will use to power those cars, requiring a sixfold increase in the use of ethanol instead of gasoline. And it revs up the push for efficiency on everything from light bulbs and home furnaces to new commercial buildings.
Bush said these measures are "a major step toward reducing our dependence on oil" and addressing global warming.

"Taken together, all these measures will help us improve our environment," Bush said at an Energy Department signing ceremony, adding that they "could reduce projected carbon dioxide emissions by billions of metric tons." Carbon dioxide from burning fossil fuels is the leading greenhouse gas.

"We think it's the most significant energy-saving law ever," said Lowell Ungar, policy director at the Alliance to Save Energy, a private advocacy group.

The availability of more fuel-efficient vehicles is expected to save 1.1 million barrels of oil a day and save consumers $700 to $1,000 a year in fuel costs, according to an analysis by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an advocacy group, that was widely cited during congressional debate on the bill.

But second to that, the simple light bulb will likely bring the biggest energy saving to consumers.
The law calls for the phase-out, beginning in 2012, of the inefficient incandescent bulb that has been in use since the days of Thomas Edison. By 2014 these bulbs "will be virtually obsolete," says Sen. Jeff Bingaman, D-N.M., who authored the lighting provision.

While the law will not dictate specific technology, the 100-watt bulb will have to be replaced, for example, by one that provides the same amount of light for 72 watts, with additional improvements required by 2020.

"It's a big deal," Bingaman said in an interview. "These (new) standards will improve lighting efficiency by 70 percent by 2020." That's an electricity saving equal to shutting down 24 coal-burning power plants, and saving consumers $6 billion for electricity, Bingaman estimates.
The law also requires new energy-efficiency standards for refrigerators, dishwashers and clothes washers, and requires improved energy-use labeling on light bulbs, televisions, computer monitors and other electronic products.

Homeowners may also find more efficient natural gas furnaces on the market. The bill makes clear that the Energy Department can issue more stringent efficiency requirements for furnaces in colder regions of the country than they do nationwide. It requires the department to move faster to issue appliance standards.

Ungar said a new program to foster more energy-efficient commercial buildings "is potentially huge" since such buildings account for much of the energy used today. But he cautioned that while the law authorizes programs to spur construction of so-called green buildings, Congress must still come up with money to fund the program.

Weed It and Reap

2007-12-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

November 4, 2007
Op-Ed Contributor
By MICHAEL POLLAN
Berkeley, Calif.

FOR Americans who have been looking to Congress to reform the food system, these past few weeks have been, well, the best of times and the worst of times. A new politics has sprouted up around the farm bill, traditionally a parochial piece of legislation thrashed out in private between the various agricultural interests (wheat growers versus corn growers; meatpackers versus ranchers) without a whole lot of input or attention from mere eaters.

Not this year. The eaters have spoken, much to the consternation of farm-state legislators who have fought hard — and at least so far with success — to preserve the status quo.
Americans have begun to ask why the farm bill is subsidizing high-fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated oils at a time when rates of diabetes and obesity among children are soaring, or why the farm bill is underwriting factory farming (with subsidized grain) when feedlot wastes are polluting the countryside and, all too often, the meat supply. For the first time, the public health community has raised its voice in support of overturning farm policies that subsidize precisely the wrong kind of calories (added fat and added sugar), helping to make Twinkies cheaper than carrots and Coca-Cola competitive with water. Also for the first time, the international development community has weighed in on the debate, arguing that subsidized American exports are hobbling cotton farmers in Nigeria and corn farmers in Mexico.

On Capitol Hill, hearings on the farm bill have been packed, and newspapers like The San Francisco Chronicle are covering the legislation as closely as The Des Moines Register, bringing an unprecedented level of attention to what has long been one of the most obscure and least sexy pieces of legislation in Congress. Sensing the winds of reform at his back, Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa, chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, told a reporter in July: “This is not just a farm bill. It’s a food bill, and Americans who eat want a stake in it.”

Right now, that stake is looking more like a toothpick. Americans who eat have little to celebrate in the bill that Mr. Harkin is expected to bring to the floor this week. Like the House bill passed in July, the Senate product is very much a farm bill in the traditional let-them-eat-high-fructose-corn-syrup mold.

For starters, the Old Guard on both agriculture committees has managed to preserve the entire hoary contraption of direct payments, countercyclical payments and loan deficiency payments that subsidize the five big commodity crops — corn, wheat, rice, soybeans and cotton — to the tune of $42 billion over five years.

The Old Guard has also managed to add a $5 billion “permanent disaster” program (excuse me, but isn’t a permanent disaster a contradiction in terms?) to help farmers in the High Plains struggling to grow crops in a drought-prone region that, as the chronic need for disaster aid suggests, might not be the best place to grow crops.

When you consider that farm income is at record levels (thanks to the ethanol boom, itself fueled by another set of federal subsidies); that the World Trade Organization has ruled that several of these subsidies are illegal; that the federal government is broke and the president is threatening a veto, bringing forth a $288 billion farm bill that guarantees billions in payments to commodity farmers seems impressively defiant.

How could this have happened? For starters, farm bill critics did a far better job demonizing subsidies, and depicting commodity farmers as welfare queens, than they did proposing alternative — and politically appealing — forms of farm support. And then the farm lobby did what it has always done: bought off its critics with “programs.” For that reason “Americans who eat” can expect some nutritious crumbs from the farm bill, just enough to ensure that reform-minded legislators will hold their noses and support it.

It’s an old story: the “hunger lobby” gets its food stamps so long as the farm lobby can have its subsidies. Similar, if less lavish, terms are now being offered to the public health and environmental “interests” to get them on board. That’s why there’s more money in this farm bill for nutrition programs and, for the first time, about $2 billion to support “specialty crops” — farm-bill-speak for the kind of food people actually eat. (Since California grows most of the nation’s specialty crops, this was the price for the state delegation’s support. Cheap indeed!)
There’s also money for the environment: an additional $4 billion in the Senate bill to protect wetlands and grasslands and reward farmers for environmental stewardship, and billions in the House bill for environmental cleanup. There’s an important provision in both bills that will make it easier for schools to buy food from local farmers. And there’s money to promote farmers’ markets and otherwise support the local food movement.

But as important as these programs are, they are just programs — mere fleas on the elephant in the room. The name of that elephant is the commodity title, the all-important subsidy section of the bill. It dictates the rules of the entire food system. As long as the commodity title remains untouched, the way we eat will remain unchanged.

The explanation for this is straightforward. We would not need all these nutrition programs if the commodity title didn’t do such a good job making junk food and fast food so ubiquitous and cheap. Food stamps are crucial, surely, but they will be spent on processed rather than real food as long as the commodity title makes calories of fat and sugar the best deal in the supermarket. We would not need all these conservation programs if the commodity title, by paying farmers by the bushel, didn’t encourage them to maximize production with agrochemicals and plant their farms with just one crop fence row to fence row.

And the government would not need to pay feedlots to clean up the water or upgrade their manure pits if subsidized grain didn’t make rearing animals on feedlots more economical than keeping them on farms. Why does the farm bill pay feedlots to install waste treatment systems rather than simply pay ranchers to keep their animals on grass, where the soil would be only too happy to treat their waste at no cost?

However many worthwhile programs get tacked onto the farm bill to buy off its critics, they won’t bring meaningful reform to the American food system until the subsidies are addressed — until the underlying rules of the food game are rewritten. This is a conversation that the Old Guard on the agriculture committees simply does not want to have, at least not with us.
But its defiance on the subsidy question may actually be a sign of weakness, for one detects a note of defensiveness creeping into the rhetoric. “I know people on the outside can sit and complain about this,” Representative Collin Peterson of Minnesota, chairman of the House Agriculture Committee, told The San Francisco Chronicle last summer. “But frankly most of those people have no clue what they’re talking about. Most people in the city have no concept of what’s going on here.”

It seems more likely that, this time around, people in the city and all across the country know exactly what’s going on — they just don’t like it.

Mr. Peterson’s farm bill passed the House by the smallest margin in years, and might have been picked apart on the floor if Representative Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, hadn’t leapt to its defense.

(She claimed to be helping freshmen Democrats from rural districts.)
But Senate rules are different, and Mr. Harkin’s bill will be challenged on the floor and very possibly improved. One sensible amendment that Senator Byron Dorgan, Democrat of North Dakota, and Senator Chuck Grassley, Republican of Iowa, are expected to introduce would put a $250,000 cap on the payments any one farmer can receive in a year. This would free roughly $1 billion for other purposes (like food stamps and conservation) and slow the consolidation of farms in the Midwest.

A more radical alternative proposed by Senator Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, and Senator Frank Lautenberg, Democrat of New Jersey, would scrap the current subsidy system and replace it with a form of free government revenue insurance for all American farmers and ranchers, including the ones who grow actual food. Commodity farmers would receive a payment only when their income dropped more than 15 percent as the result of bad weather or price collapse. The $20 billion saved under this plan, called the Fresh Act, would go to conservation and nutrition programs, as well as to deficit reduction.

What finally emerges from Congress depends on exactly who is paying closest attention next week on the Senate floor and then later in the conference committee. We know the American Farm Bureau will be on the case, defending the commodity title on behalf of those who benefit from it most: the biggest commodity farmers, the corporations who sell them chemicals and equipment and, most of all, the buyers of cheap agricultural commodities — companies like Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, Coca-Cola and McDonald’s.

In the past that alliance could have passed a farm bill like this one without breaking a sweat. But the politics of food have changed, and probably for good. If the eaters and all the other “people on the outside” make themselves heard, we just might end up with something that looks less like a farm bill and more like the food bill a poorly fed America so badly needs.

Michael Pollan, a contributing writer at The Times Magazine and a professor of journalism at the University of California at Berkeley, is the author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and the forthcoming “In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto.”

Stop the Junk Mail

2007-12-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Stop Junk Mail — a Personal Nuisance & Environmental Hazard

Save trees. More than 100 million trees are destroyed each year to produce junk mail. 42% of timber harvested nationwide becomes pulpwood for paper.

Reduce global warming. The energy used to produce and dispose of junk mail exceeds 2.8 million cars.

Save water. About 28 billion gallons of water are wasted to produce and recycle junk each year.
Save time. You waste about 70 hours a year dealing with junk mail.

Read more click here

The Story of Stuff

2007-12-04T22:10:00.000-08:00

Check out the Story of Stuff

http://www.storyofstuff.com

Decisions........... Think About It!

2007-12-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Click on this link and watch

http://current.com/items/87600761_ecospot_runner_up_decisions

Gift Wrapped in Green

2007-12-02T09:19:00.000-08:00

From simple to high-tech, eco-friendly gifts make sense and save money

By Christina Harper
Special to The Herald

Whether it's reusable grocery bags or hybrid cars, going green to help the environment may be the way of the future. For some it might just be a trend.

This holiday season there is a greater selection of environmental-minded.

Sure you can buy HEPA filter vacuum cleaners or energy-saving light bulbs, but how about something you feel good about buying that will brighten up the recipient's holiday, something other than a low-flow toilet.

The RSVP International Stainless Steel Compost Pail

is perfect for the kitchen counter in large homes or small apartments. This nifty little can measures 11 inches by 7.25 inches and it holds about a gallon of the bits and pieces that can be used to feed the backyard compost bin and eventually your garden. This compost pail is small, so the smells are kept to a minimum. It doesn't get full enough to reek. A charcoal filter helps too. Available at Target.com for $25.

Nightstar CS Flashlight

Never think again about checking flashlight batteries. You'll still be ready for the power outage during the next windstorm with the Nightstar CS Flashlight, a perfect stocking stuffer. Not only are there no batteries in this flashlight but there is no bulb either. Electricity is created when the light is shaken and high-power magnet strikes a coil. The Nightstar CS Flashlight retails for $20 and is available at REI and other camping stores.

Brita On Tap Faucet Mount

No need to buy bottled water again. The Brita On Tap Faucet Mount System reduces sediment, chlorine and odor from tap water. It has a sensor light to let you know when to replace the filter. The system attaches to the faucet without tools and the filter has an added layer to trap sediment. The Brita On Tap Faucet Mount System is available at many stores including ACE Hardware Stores and Lowe's. The price ranges from $25 to $40.

Grow Lights

There's also something to be said for bringing the outdoors in, especially for those who don't have a garden to grow anything in. The Hydrofarm Jumpstart Fluorescent Grow Light System is energy-efficient and comes with Agrobrite grow tubes. This product works well for growing indoor plants and seedlings. The Hydrofarm retails for around $60 and can be purchased online or at Eco Enterprises in Shoreline. Call 800-426-6937 for more information.

Organic Linens

Organic sheets, bed covers and towels add a splash of color, quality and warmth to your home. OK organic kitchen accessories are made with organic cotton that has not been exposed to pesticides and chemicals. Dyes used to color these products are natural and organic. Sets include kitchen towels and oven mitts. Linen 'n Things offer these gifts that range from $4 to more than $100.

Wind Generators

Wind generators are not that hard to find online and make a great gift for those trying to cut their power bills. Both Costco.com and Target offer 400-watt wind generators. The turbines are weatherproof, lightweight, and maintenance free. Wind generators produce energy that can feed small sheds or shops, and make little noise. These outdoor items helps create power for indoors and sell for approximately $600.

Green Company Products

There are many products from green companies, such as Method or Odoban at Home Depot, that safely and effectively get rid of stains and odors from furniture and living areas. But you could also give the gift of a service that will clean a home using nontoxic, environment-friendly cleaning products and vacuums with HEPA filters.

House Cleaning

Local companies such as The Maids Home Services at 888-301-0498 and 888-336-2138 offer gift certificates for cleaning services throughout Snohomish County. Buy the gift certificates over the phone and use as another great stocking stuffer.

Junk Mail

You can save trees and water and stop junk mail from cluttering up a home. Greendimes.com charges $15 to $46, depending on which plan you choose, to cut out 90 percent of junk mail going to an address. This is a great gift for those people who have everything, and for those who grimace every time they go to the mail box.Greendimes takes your friend's or family members' names off major direct marketing lists, monitors registration of direct mailing lists monthly, and plants 10 trees with a nonprofit partner. Checkout Greendimes.com to learn more and to look at the counters that tell how many thousands of gallons of water has been saved, and trees planted in the United States since Greendimes began its mission in September 2006. Then cheer yourself with the thought that you've helped keep more than 2.5 million pounds of junk mail out of landfills.

Low Flow Toilet

And if you really can't help yourself, you can purchase a low-flow toilet, which typically uses 20 percent less water than a regular one. Two product leaders are TOTO USA, a Japanese company with U.S. headquarters in Morrow, Ga. and Kohler Co. of Wisconsin. Typically, their modes use about 1.3 gallons of water per flush. Plumber Terry Love of Bellevue likes TOTO USA. "These things are like a hammer -- they work every time," Love said. One of their popular models is the Aquia, which costs about $400. Info: www.totousa.com or kohler.com. Love's personal reviews: www.terrylove.com/crtoilet.htm.#.

Christina Harper is a Snohomish County freelance writer. She can be reached at harper@heraldnet.com.

Recycle Wrap with Dana Lyons

2007-11-30T11:36:00.001-08:00

http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?playlistId=188957627&s=143441&i=188958212

Take the Ecological Footprint Quiz

2007-11-28T08:03:00.000-08:00

Take the ecological footprint quiz, if you dare

Posted at 4:44 pm by Sarah Jackson of the Everett Herald

If you haven’t taken the Earth Day Network’s ecological footprint quiz, you probably should.It was definitely a wake-up call for me.It turns out your precious little Eco Geek isn’t as earth friendly as she had hoped.

After answering 15 questions about my transportation, housing and eating habits, I found out my exact ecological footprint – 22 acres, which is only about 2 acres better than the average person living in the United States, which comes in at 24 acres.“Worldwide, there exists 4.5 biologically productive acres per person,” the quiz told me. “If everyone lived like you, we would need 5.1 planets.”Yikes.That’s depressing.

Of course the quiz doesn’t take into account composting, chemical-free gardening, recycling, organics, good vibes or idle middle-class guilt or the fact that my entire city lot is only 3,000 square feet.Still, I’ve heard more than a few times the most important thing you can do to seriously help the planet is to drive less, and I drive more now than I ever have, hitting about 50 miles per weekday in a small but not super-efficient car. I’m sure that didn’t help my score.

Meanwhile, though I’m a big fan of buying local, especially local cheese and produce, this question really got me: “How much of the food that you eat is processed, packaged and not locally grown (from more than 200 miles away)? Choices included “most,” “three quarters,” “half, “one quarter,” and “very little.”

Well, I didn’t really want to say “most,” but I don’t think I could say that even ¼ of the things I eat are local, maybe one-fifth during a good week. I had to be an honest Eco Geek at least.

All this tells me I have some serious improving to do, especially when it comes time to replace my car. I really do want to go biodiesel or hybrid.

I think another step I need to take is a locally produced fruit and vegetable basket from SPUD or some other local service, which I’ve really been meaning to do. This could be just the nudge I need.

Take the quiz. Let me know how you do.

My co-worker, Herald writer Debra Smith, who drives less than 5 miles to work every day and who gets an organic produce basket every week, scored only 16 acres, so there’s hope for us yet.

Some Business "green" Boasts Are Suspect

2007-11-27T16:21:00.000-08:00

Buyers should beware of misleading, irrelevant claims
By DARRELL SMITHTHE SACRAMENTO (CALIF.) BEE

Products from air fresheners to toothpastes lure consumers with promises of eco-friendly ingredients, but can they back up their boasts?

A new survey suggests that many companies' green claims are as authentic as a $20 Gucci handbag at a flea market.

Virtually all -- 99 percent -- of more than 1,000 products plucked from supermarkets and box stores falsely claimed green credentials, according to "The Six Sins of Greenwashing," a survey by TerraChoice Environmental Marketing Inc., a Pennsylvania-based environmental marketing firm. Neither the products nor their manufacturers were identified, but products ranged from deodorant to oven cleaner.

"Consumers are inundated with products that make green claims. Some are accurate, while others are just plain fibbing to sell products," said Scott McDougall, president of TerraChoice. He said the goal is to educate consumers so "they can buy green with confidence."

Consumers should look for:

The sin of the hidden trade-off: Nearly 1,000 of 1,018 products suggest that a product is better merely because it contains a so-called green ingredient -- recycled paper, for instance -- but fail to mention that the product contains a hazardous material.

The sin of no proof: A quarter of the products claimed to be "organic" but with no verifiable certification.

The sin of vagueness: Eleven percent of products claimed to be 100 percent natural, but that alone does not mean a product is "eco-friendly," as many naturally occurring substances are hazardous.

The sin of irrelevance: In labeling on 78 products, manufacturers patted themselves on the back for leaving out hazardous ingredients that were banned by law.

The sin of the lesser of two evils: Researchers singled out makers of organic cigarettes and environmentally friendly pesticides because their products pose a hazard but are marketed as a healthful alternative. Seventeen products fell into that category.

The sin of fibbing: About 10 manufacturers falsely claimed that they met a recognized environmental standard but did not.

The survey's findings inspired the marketing firm to coin a new word, "greenwashing." TerraChoice's staff defines it as the act of misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of a product or service.

"We want consumers to leave with a healthy skepticism regarding environmental claims," said Scot Case, TerraChoice's vice president and one of the survey authors. "People are using their resources to buy greener products. We hope they will be much harder to fool."

Drawing attention to potentially misleading green claims is a good idea, said Ronald Bailey, a policy analyst at Reason Foundation, a libertarian think tank in Washington, D.C. Yet he questioned how concerned consumers should be.

"I'm not going to disagree with a lot of what they say. Consumers are interested in this information, and it's important for business to give them that kind of information," Bailey said.
"But there are so many dimensions of green. Who decides what's OK and how worried should we be about them?"

TerraChoice hopes to put pressure on manufacturers to develop standards to back up their environmental credentials and adhere to "eco-labeling" programs such as Canada's EcoLogo.
The program, launched in 1988 and similar to the federal EnergyStar energy-conservation program, helps.

If It Aint Broke Don't Fix It?

2007-11-24T10:08:00.001-08:00

Global Warming?

http://www.wiziq.com/educational-tutorials/presentation/1799-PresentationGlobalWarming

Green Christmas?

2007-11-24T08:18:00.000-08:00

Dreaming of a green Christmas?

Shrink your environmental footprint
By LISA STIFFLERP-I REPORTER

With all of the attention being paid to global warming and environmental issues this past year, are consumers dreaming of a green Christmas, decking the halls with Trex composite lumber and searching for a free-range partridge for their pesticide-free pear tree?

Not exactly.

"So far we're just buying what we need for the best price," said Janet Robinson of Valley Center, Kan., taking a breather on one of the benches outside Westlake Center on Friday afternoon. Robinson and her daughter, Lindsay Goode of Seattle, were toting numerous Macy's shopping bags.

For Pat Evans of Chattaroy, in Spokane County, fulfilling the wish lists of her grown children was challenging enough without focusing on Earth-friendly presents.

"As far as going green, it's not going that way right now," said Evans.
Environmentalists and solid-waste officials are urging shoppers to consider the ecological effects of their purchases. They're trying to cut down on the amount of trash going to landfills, whether it's packaging and wrapping paper or unwanted gifts. They're concerned about the resources used to make the products and transport them to the stores and then on to homes. The resources include greenhouse gas-producing fossil fuels and petroleum-based plastics.

"Our first tip really is to go for a stuff-free holiday," said Sarah van Schagen, assistant editor for Grist, an online environmental magazine.

That might mean giving gift certificates for "experiences" instead of presents or IOUs for chores. Other low-impact ideas include shopping for locally produced goods and buying items made from environmentally safe materials.

Now in its 12th year, King County's "waste free holidays" program offers certificates to more than 130 restaurants, spas, theaters, sports teams and museums. Participants must offer discounts of 15 percent or more.

"We really like to say it's not this kind of Grinch thing where we're saying don't buy anything for the holidays," said Tom Watson, a project manager for King County's Solid Waste Division. "But this is an alterative to reduce your environmental footprint during the holidays."

Other participating governments include Seattle and Tacoma, plus Kitsap and Thurston counties.

Shopping for greener versions of regular gifts can be tricky. As eco-friendliness becomes an ever stronger marketing tool, some companies are resorting to "green-washing" to give their goods a faux environmental finish.

A Canadian company called TerraChoice Environmental Marketing recently surveyed more than 1,000 consumer items, including beauty products, cleaners, paper products and electronics.

Nearly all hyped one green attribute -- for example that they included recycled materials or were energy-efficient -- while ignoring the fact that they might contain toxic chemicals or were produced in environmentally harmful ways.

About half made vague or unsupported claims such as being "certified organic" without saying who certified it, or praised a product as "all natural" -- a somewhat meaningless claim because undesirables such as lead, mercury and arsenic fall into that category. Others made empty boasts, such as being chlorofluorocarbon-free though CFCs were banned decades ago.
Some shoppers turn to brands they trust as legitimately green.

That's one reason Ellie Owen and Patricia Elliott of Groveland, Calif., stopped at Patagonia on Friday afternoon. Patagonia invests in conservation and environmental grants and tries to use raw materials that are the least harmful to the environment. The women also like to buy American-made items when they can to reduce the amount of fuel spent importing foreign goods.

"Global warming is the ultimate concern," Elliott said.

SEASONALLY SOUND

Strategies for a more ecologically sound holiday season:
End the paper vs. plastic debate with the gift of a tote bag.
Buy a subscription for fruit and veggie deliveries from a local community-supported agricultural group (And no, Bacon of the Month gift certificates don't really count as green): pugetsoundfresh.org.
Give a bit of yourself with vouchers for baby-sitting, gardening and other chores.
Give a subscription to "41 Pounds," which will contact marketers to stop junk mail for five years: 41pounds.org.

P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. Read her blog on the environment at datelineearth.com.

REUSE: Thrift Shopping

2007-11-21T06:32:00.000-08:00

Cheap chic: Thrift shopping lets teens find their personal style at bargain prices
By KRISTIN DIZONP-I REPORTER

"Go, Brittani, go!" Katherine Landerholm egged on her friend Brittani Potter as they hit the long rack of tank tops at Value Village on Crown Hill.

Potter, 16, has a weakness for tank tops. She owns about 50 of them, and 35 or so were purchased at thrift stores.

By the end of the shopping session, Potter had added another to her collection.
The two Ballard High School seniors shop thrift stores regularly and estimate that at least 30 percent of their wardrobes come from stores like Value Village and Goodwill.

They're part of a growing cadre of teens and college students who choose resale and recycled goods over department stores and the mall, or augment their retail shopping with thrift wares.
In recent years, thrift stores have increasingly advertised themselves as money-savers for back-to-school shopping, the second-largest consumer spending period of the year. Their busiest time of year is Halloween, another huge magnet for teen shoppers.

Although there aren't any figures on how many young people shop resale or how much they spend, there are more than 25,000 resale, consignment and thrift shops in the country. The industry has been growing at a rate of 5 percent a year for several years, according to the National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops.

As one example, the association cites the more than 2,000 not-for-profit stores of Goodwill Industries, which had $1.8 billion in retail sales in 2006, a 67 percent increase from 2001. America's Research Group, a consumer research firm, estimates that 16 to 18 percent of Americans will shop at a thrift store during a given year.

For teens like Landerholm and Potter, the economics of thrift make sense.
"I'm proud of it. I'm a teenager. I work for minimum wage," Landerholm said, wearing one of her purchases. "This is a $100 sweat shirt and I'm not going to pay that if I can pay $9.99."
In fact, Landerholm was shopping thrift so regularly that a few months ago she got a job at Value Village. At 17, she's the store's youngest employee. The $7.93 an hour she makes for manning the cash register, cleaning up and doing customer service duties is stretched by the half-off employee discount on purchases.

Rather than hiding the thrift-store origin of many of their clothes, a lot of teens are out and proud about finding labels for less. "We brag so much," Landerholm said. "It's a lot of fun to tell people how much it was."

Potter adds: "You can get a full outfit for, like, $15, accessories and everything."
Both girls are after popular labels, including Abercrombie & Fitch, Lucky Jeans, BCBG, Juicy Couture, Citizens of Humanity jeans, 7 For All Mankind jeans and Express. Their style is pretty conventional -- jeans, tank tops or clingy T-shirts layered with zip-up jackets.

Landerholm's biggest coup was finding a pair of Citizens of Humanity jeans, which retail for about $140, for $10.

Tamara Asakawa, manager of Buffalo Exchange, a for-profit resale clothing store in the University District, estimates that at least a quarter of the store's customers are teenage girls.
"It's such a great thing for families. They can buy so much for the kids and spend a quarter of the money that they'd spend at the mall," said Asakawa.

In the nine years she's worked at Buffalo Exchange, she has seen the number of shoppers grow. First, grunge made thrift storing hip, then people got into vintage clothes, and now, there's a DIY ethic in which personal style defines you, she said.

Beyond the savings of resale, plenty of teens are motivated by the environmental aspect of recycling clothes, or cutting down on consumerism.

Jade O'Neil, 17, regularly shops thrift and resale for what she calls her retro style with a touch of hip-hop.

"But the recycling aspect is important to me too," said O'Neil, wearing leopard-print flats and a black zip-up jacket over a neon pink T-shirt.

"Yeah, and not buying sweatshop clothes," added her friend, Elena Degel, 16.
The things that catch their eyes at the Capitol Hill Value Village aren't predictable. There's a neon pink, purple and black nylon athletic jacket in the men's section that's deemed interesting, and a pair of suede pumps with a multicolored geometric design that look more ladies-who-lunch than hip teen. A purple check button-down blazer that says '80s preppie schoolmarm briefly catches O'Neil's eye, before she moves on.

O'Neil and Degel peruse high-fashion mags, but they eschew the celebrity style ones. "We don't like to be too trendy," Degel said.

"If you're not comfortable with wearing something that's used, I think you're not comfortable with yourself," said O'Neil, who went through a cowboy-shirt phase and a punk phase. "I think you can totally be fresh and have your own style and shop thrift."

While shopping, O'Neil always keeps her 75 pairs of sneakers, mostly Nikes, in mind.
"If we dress up, we still have sneakers on," she said. "I think a lot of people my age are so consumed in, well, 'My jacket was so much more expensive than your jacket.' I'm not big on spending as much money as fast as I can to get nice clothes."

She likes that thrift stores wield unusual or one-of-a-kind items that aren't found in the standard retail world.

That's true for teens like Ben Whipple, shopping at Red Light on Capitol Hill for a get-up for a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" viewing. He heads to such resale stores when he's looking for something outrageous.

"Whenever I can shop at thrift stores, I do," said Whipple, 16, of Medina. "Because they have lots and lots of stuff -- everything from feather boas and fishnets to costumes and angel wings, sunglasses and shoes. I normally buy stuff that I wouldn't find anywhere else. I try to find something crazy when I'm at a thrift store."

Whipple walked away with a red feather boa, a red shirt with gold thread striping, a black bow tie and a black vest -- for $56 and change. But, his friend, Marlee Elston, who drove Whipple to the store, said she's lucky that her family is well off.

"I just kind of shop wherever I want to, so I usually go for high-quality stuff," she said.
So, yes, there certainly are people who avoid thrift, but it has largely shed the stigma of years past, partly due to increased environmental consciousness, and partly because of the treasure-hunt aspect that many enjoy.

"I think people realize that thrift stores have a lot to offer," said Betsy McFeely, a spokeswoman for Goodwill, which has 15 stores in Western Washington. "They have quality items. They have designer labels for really reasonable prices."

Last year, more than 2.5 million shoppers bought 14 million items, at an average price of $2.58, at those 15 Goodwill stores.

P-I reporter Kristin Dizon can be reached at 206-448-8118 or kristindizon@seattlepi.com.

Electronic Trash Piling Up Overseas

2007-11-19T07:12:00.000-08:00

By TERENCE CHEATHE ASSOCIATED PRESS

SAN FRANCISCO -- Most Americans think they're helping the Earth when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. But chances are they're contributing to a global trade in electronic trash that endangers workers and pollutes the environment overseas.
While there are no precise figures, activists estimate that 50 to 80 percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons of electronics collected for recycling in the U.S. each year ends up overseas. Workers in countries such as China, India and Nigeria then may use hammers, gas burners and their bare hands to extract metals, glass and other recyclables, exposing themselves and the environment to a cocktail of toxic chemicals.

"It is being recycled, but it's being recycled in the most horrific way you can imagine," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, a Seattle-based environmental group. "We're preserving our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world."

The gear most likely to be shipped abroad is collected through free recycling drives, often held each April around Earth Day, recycling industry officials say. The sponsors -- chiefly companies, schools, cities and counties -- often hire the cheapest firms and do not ask enough questions about what becomes of the discarded equipment, the officials say.

Many so-called recyclers simply sell the working units, then give or sell the remaining scrap to export brokers.

"There are a lot of people getting away with exporting e-waste," said John Bekiaris, chief executive of San Francisco-based HMR USA Inc., which collects and disposes of unwanted equipment from the Bay Area. "Anyone who's disposing of their computer equipment really needs to do a thorough inspection of the vendors they use."

At a recycling event scheduled over the weekend at Safeco Field, the three sponsoring companies -- Dell Inc., Microsoft Corp. and Jackson, Miss.-based Intechra LLC -- promised that the computers collected would be completely disassembled, with nothing going into a landfill.
Intechra "takes everything completely apart and resells it," said company spokesman Brannan Atkinson.

Intechra's Web site sets out how thoroughly electronics can be dismembered -- a process that Atkinson said generates the company roughly $100 million in annualized revenue and is partially protected by eight patents.

Plastics, used in computer cases and floppy disks, are shredded, then sorted by type and sold for reuse, the site says. Electronics are shredded to yield their metals -- aluminum and steel are sent to be melted and reused, while copper is melted into anodes, a key material in batteries.
Circuit boards are shredded and their precious metals recovered. Wires and cables are chopped into bits, then the insulation is separated from the metal and both are sold for reuse.

Working cathode-ray tube monitors are refurbished and sold as new monitors or as TVs. Non-functional units are crushed and the glass is reused. Batteries are recycled for their metal content, and devices containing mercury are processed to extract that substance.

Many brokers claim they are simply exporting used equipment for reuse in poor countries.
That's what happened in September, when customs officials in Hong Kong were tipped off by environmentalists and intercepted two freight containers. They cracked the containers open and found hundreds of old computer monitors and televisions discarded by Americans thousands of miles away.

China bans the import of electronic waste, so the containers were sent back to the U.S.
The company that shipped out the containers was Fortune Sky USA, a Cordova, Tenn.-based subsidiary of a Chinese firm. General manager Vincent Yu said his company thought it was buying and shipping used computers, not old monitors and televisions, and is trying to get its money back.

Fortune Sky exports used computers and components to China, Malaysia, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

"There's a huge market over there for secondhand computers that we don't use anymore," Yu said. "I don't think it's going to cause any pollution. If the equipment can still be used, then that's good for everybody."

Yu refused to say where he bought the material, but the Basel Action Network tracked it from a San Antonio company that collects computers, printers and other electronics from schools and businesses.

Activists complain that most exporters don't test units to make sure they work before sending them overseas.

"Reuse is the new excuse. It's the new passport to export," said Puckett of the Basel Action Network. "Other countries are facing this glut of exported used equipment under the pretext that it's all going to be reused."

At the other end at customs, the goods don't always get checked, either.

"It is impossible to stop and check every single container imported into Hong Kong," said Kenneth Chan of Hong Kong's Environmental Protection Department. "Smugglers may also deliberately declare their ... waste as goods."

In the first nine months of this year, Hong Kong authorities returned 85 containers of electronic junk, including 20 from the U.S.

Exporting most electronic waste isn't illegal in the United States. The U.S. does bar the export of monitors and televisions with cathode-ray tubes without permission from the importing country, but federal authorities don't have the resources to check most containers.

The EPA recognizes the problem but doesn't believe that stopping exports is the solution, said Matt Hale, who heads the agency's office of solid waste. As most electronics are manufactured abroad, it makes sense to recycle them abroad, Hale said.

"What we need to do is work internationally to upgrade the standards (for recycling) wherever it takes place," he said.

The EPA is working with environmental groups, recyclers and electronics manufacturers to develop a system to certify companies that recycle electronics responsibly. But, so far, the various players have not agreed on standards and enforcement.

Many activists believe the answer lies in requiring electronics makers to take back and recycle their own products. Such laws would encourage manufacturers to

Eight states, including five this year, have passed such laws, and companies such as Apple, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Sony now take back their products at no charge.

HP says it has recycled 1 billion pounds of electronics and designs its products so they contain fewer toxic materials and are easier to recycle.

China is often the final destination for old computers, television sets and cell phones, most of which end up in dumps where open fires, acid baths and broilers are used to recover gold, silver and other valuable metals without concern for workers or the environment. C2.

Are you Ready for the Turkey Day Challenge?

2007-11-14T04:48:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving-dinner glory is fewer than 100 miles away.

This year, try serving only food (condiments and spices excluded) produced within a 100-mi radius of your house - it'll tap your competitive spirit, and help save the planet while you prep for your feast.

The Benefits:Lower emissions.

An Iowa State University study found that people who switched to buying 10% of their produce from local sources produced 5-17 times less CO2 overall than if they'd bought nonlocal.

Community connections. Sociologists estimate that people who skip the supermarket in favor of farmers markets have about 10 times the number of conversations while shopping...that's 10 more chances to get lucky.

Supporting family farms. Most conventional foods travel an average of 1,500 mi before ending up on your plate. Buying in your own backyard saves a lotta energy.Triumphing in the face of adversity.

Amid supermarket aisles full of canned stuffing made in China, a 100-mi

Thanksgiving can take some creativity, but that makes it all the more satisfying...and tasty.

Personally Speaking
Show us whatcha got: Post your local Thanksgiving menus in the blog - the first 25 Biters to do so will win a copy of Paul Hawken's latest book, Blessed Unrest. http://www.idealbite.com/blog

100 Mile Diet - read other peoples' stories, and learn how to get started.

Local Harvest - find local farms and farmers markets.

If 10,000 households spend their Thanksgiving meal dollars on local food, we'll invest about $381,000 into our own communities.

http://100milediet.org/getting-started-guide

http://www.localharvest.org

Soap Nuts

2007-11-13T20:34:00.000-08:00

We find these little nuts interesting (and also wonder who discovered them) but apparently you can use them in your washing machine in lieu of detergent. SoapNuts are the shells of a seed from trees grown throughout India and Nepal. These shells give a soapy substance when they come in contact with water (the seeds are discarded) and it’s said that 1kg of the nuts can wash 100 loads. Simply pop 6-8 shells in the cloth bag and throw them in your washing machine – these will last about 3-4 washes. Your wash will come out clean, but without a smell, so if you like the scent of clean clothes just add a few drops of essential oil to the wash beforehand. SoapNuts can also be used for other things as well, like washing windows, cars or pets. When the shells have been used to their full extent just throw them in the compost pile. Thanks for the tip, Michael D.! Via ::Groovy Green

Recycling Partners for a Cleaner Planet

2007-11-12T06:57:00.000-08:00

HP Recycling Partners for a cleaner planet

With support from customers like you, HP will have recycled 1 billion pounds by 2007.

Find out how easy it is to use HP's earth-friendly programs for recycling.

See their Recycling Video

Alchemy Goods turning Usless into Usefull

2007-11-07T08:20:00.000-08:00

alchemy: [al-kuh-mee] — noun1. any magical power or process of changing a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value.

At Alchemy Goods we see potential in what others throw out. We look at old inner tubes and see a durable, waterproof fabric. By helping us save used inner tubes, you can reduce your own impact on our planet.

Ask your local bike shop if they recycle with us or contact our Recycling Coordinator to see where your nearest recycler is located.

Sharing Wheels in Everett already recycles with Alchemy. Click here to find out more about Sharing Wheels or go to Green Everett's Wikispace click on the link to the Community Bike Shop.

Do you work for or own a bike shop?

Is there something that rubs you the wrong way about throwing out used inner tubes?

We can help.

Here’s how it works:

Contact — Call or email our Recycling CoordinatorInclude your shop’s address, phone number and a contact name.We will send you a packet with everything you’ll need to get started.

Collect — Save only tubes that are:
26” mountain tubes
700c hybrid tubes (wider than 35c)
Un-cut (blowouts & patches are o.k.)
Without flat protection (no thick tubes or slime)
Ship — When you save at least 25 lbs (45 tubes), slap a prepaid shipping label on the box and hand it to a FedEx Ground driver.

Is Silk Orgnaic, Sustainable, Ethical or Healthy?

2007-11-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

The quick answer is that silk can be but the consumer must be aware and ask the right questions when shopping. Silk, like other protein fibers coming from living beings such as sheep and alpacas, can easily be created according to organic guidelines as they begin to be approved. And many silk fibers are probably already being produced in an organic environment, especially those produced in smaller villages and rural environments. To boost productions and improve efficiencies, large corporate farms will typically use heavy chemicals.

In the same way, the raising of domesticated silkworms and the life of wild silkworms is, by nature, sustainable. Silk fabric when produced by weavers on handlooms has a near zero energy footprint and satisfies most of the guidelines for sustainable fabric production. Silk produced in large powerloomed textiles factories must be evaluated on a company-by-company basis to determine their sustainability.

Ethical silk. Evaluating the ethics of silk is always a more complex and more personal question. Animal rights organizations are concerned about the destruction of several thousand domesticated silkworms to produce one pound of silk. Labor rights and Fair Trade organizations are concerned about the exploitive low wages often paid to silk textile workers.

Healthy Silk. While being a comparatively healthy and organic natural fiber, silk, like other fibers containing protein chains such as wools and even latex, is an allergen for some people. Silk allergies can cause asthma or allergic rhinitis with symptoms of runny nose and itchy eyes that are similar to hay fever. Medical researchers have found a wide variety of causes for a small number of people experiencing silk allergies: some are allergic to wild silk, some to domesticated silk, and some to micro-fine dust that can be given off by spun silk. Often, the allergies are traced to the diet of the silk worm – such as mulberry or oak leaves – which influence the protein chains found in the silk strands produced by the silk worm.

Some silk allergies come from excessive sericin in silk that has not been adequately degummed. Sericin is a complex protein produced by the silkworm that is sticky and coats the outside of the silk strand over the fibroin protein core. During the processing of the silk cocoon strands into silk threads, the silk workers use boiling hot soapy water that is slightly alkaline to degum the silk strands by dissolving much of the outer sericin layer. The waste silk, also called silk noil, from damaged cocoons and broken strands is often used as filling in silk duvets and lower quality spun silk fabrics. Sometimes the waste silk / silk noil is not sufficiently degummed resulting in excess sericin in the products that can result in silk allergic reactions for some people.

This process of degumming is also called scouring and is the first step in preparing silk for dyeing. Scouring and removing the sericin coating allows dyes to more easily penetrate the silk fibers. After scouring, silk is often bleached – sometimes with sulfur fumes to remove blemishes and leave the silk a uniform creamy color in preparation for dyeing.

Dyed Silk. As with any fabric, the dyeing of silk can also create health problems for people with chemical sensitivities and MCS. Because silk fibers are highly absorptive, Bombyx mori silk takes dyes exceptionally well and is one reason for the brilliance and luster of dyed silk fabrics. Domesticated silk fabrics are typically dyed with a mild acid dye or environmentally low impact fiber reactive dyes. Textile acid dye processes typically require high levels of chemicals, many of which have been classified by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as being of moderate to high concern as carcinogens. Textile acid dyeing also typically discharges large amounts of contaminated waste waters that require treatment. Low impact fiber reactive dyes have a much smaller environmental footprint but still create some health problems for the chemically sensitive.

Wild silks and spun silks are harder to clean and bleach before dyeing and dyes do not take as well requiring heavier dyeing and more chemical processing before dyeing. If you wish to avoid dyes, your options are raw silk, natural undyed silk or golden hued Muga silk.

Weighted Silk. “Weighting” is a textile manufacturing practice peculiar to and particular to silk manufacturing and involves the application of metallic salts to add body, luster and physical weight to silk fabric. The reason for adding metals to silk fabric is to increase the weight of the fabric and, because silk fabric sells by the pound, the extra weight increases the selling price of the fabric. Generally, only the finer and more expensive reeled silks are weighted rather than the less costly spun silks. Some of the different salts of metals used to weight silk include chromium, barium, lead, tin, iron and sodium magnesium.

Weighting can increase the weight of a pound of raw silk by three, four, fivefold or more. Silk can be weighted because it is highly absorptive and the metal salts are easily absorbed into the silk fibers. Silk was originally weighted to make up for the loss of weight caused by degumming which removes the sericin reducing the weight of silk by about 20 percent. Silk is one of the strongest natural fibers but the metals used to weight silk cause it to lose much of its strength and durability if the weighting is not done properly. When shopping for silk, ask if the silk is weighted silk or pure-dyed silk. Pure-dyed silk is just colored with dye and not weighted. The metallic salts used to weight silk can cause health risks and problems for some people.

Finishing Silk. The purpose of the fabric finishing process is to give the fabric its final desired feel, appearance and care properties. A variety of environmental and health hazards can be introduced during the finishing phase of silk fabrics and garments. Water-soluble substances such as starch, glue, gelatin and even sugar are sometimes used to finish silk and provide extra body to the fabric.

Silk creases and wrinkles easily, especially when damp or wet. Some silk clothing manufacturers apply softeners, elastomers, and synthetic resins such as EPSIA – a silicone-containing epoxy crosslinking agent – to increase the dry and wet anti-wrinkling and crease-resistance performance of silk garments. With the family of silicone epoxy crosslinking agents (EPSIA, EPSIB and EPTA) this crease resistance occurs because chemical cross links occur between the silk fibroin strand and the epoxy groups. Research by Zaisheng Cai and Yiping Qiu in the Textile Research Journal (January 2003) reported “in conventional epoxide finishing of silk, organic solvents have to be used, which may be hazardous to the health of the exposed workers as well as the environment.”

Chemical treatments are also added to silk to improve anti-static, water and oil repellency, flame retardant, dimensional stability and other wash-and-wear properties that our easy-care culture seems to expect. Textile chemicals have become an integral and important component of conventional textile and clothing manufacturing. Textile chemicals, also know as textile auxiliaries, have two primary purposes: to increase the efficiency and lower the costs of conventional textile manufacturing; and to create special finishing effects and properties for the clothing.

The first category of textile auxiliaries and chemicals to improve manufacturing efficiencies are used in the spinning, weaving, scouring, bleaching and dyeing processes. Textile manufacturers claim that these textile chemicals can all be washed and removed from the final garments and are used to save time, reduce labor costs and reduce material costs. Environmental impact is seldom considered, especially in garment factories in developing countries, and many of the chemicals are discharged as untreated waste waters into rivers and ground water supplies.

The second category of textile chemicals are used mostly in the fabric and garment finishing processes and are intended to be permanent. These textile auxiliaries are supposed to give clothing special properties such as a smooth silky feel, easy care, mildew resiliency, flame retardant, and easy wear. Many of these chemicals are also toxic and suspected carcinogens.

So what’s the silk consumer to do? Caveat Emptor – Latin for “Let the buyer beware" - should be your guiding principal for evaluating all fabrics and clothing. Knowledge and information are your only resources when every emotional fiber screams out “I must have that Silk Chiffon Tie Neck Blouse ($198) from Brooks Brothers!” The warp and weft of silk fashion is emotion and compromise.

If your primary concern is healthy and organic silk then consider raw silk, noil silk, Muga silks or Eri silks that are undyed or dyed with low-impact, fiber-reactive dyes. The silk fabric should not be weighted or have any easy care or protective finishes. Silks produced in small villages by local weavers are usually the most pure.

If you are concerned about the ethics of silk raising then choose wild silk, spun silk or Eri silks which do not destroy the silk worm to harvest the silk cocoons. Also ask if the silk garments were produced according to Fair Trade principles which protect the workers involved in all phases of producing the clothing.

If you are concerned about sustainable and eco-friendly silk, then seek silks dyed using low-impact and fiber reactive dyes or vegetable dyes without any finishes. Handloomed silks are the most energy-neutral. Silk is also biodegradable and will decompose gracefully in landfills. Although, given its durability, silk is ideal for recycled ecofashion. NGO's and organizations such as the Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments are developing programs to assist poor rural communities in conservation efforts and economic development by developing their wild silk industries.

21 Things You Didn't Know You Can Recycle

2007-10-31T06:33:00.000-07:00

Garbage. Americans produce more and more of it every year, when we need to be producing less.

Even the most waste-conscious among us can feel overwhelmed by the amount of household waste that goes beyond what municipal recyclers and compost bins can handle.

That’s why our editors have spent the summer investigating the state of waste management in our country, and putting together information for you, our Co-op America members, explaining how we can get serious about the three R’s – reducing, reusing, and recycling. Supporting members of Co-op America can expect to receive this issue of the Co-op America Quarterly this fall. If you’re not already a supporting member, join us now to get this special issue mailed to you.

1. Appliances: Goodwill accepts working appliances, www.goodwill.org, or you can contact the Steel Recycling Institute to recycle them. 800/YES-1-CAN, www.recycle-steel.org.

2. Batteries: Rechargeables and single-use: Battery Solutions, 734/467-9110, www.batteryrecycling.com.

3. Cardboard boxes: Contact local nonprofits and women’s shelters to see if they can use them. Or, offer up used cardboard boxes at your local Freecycle.org listserv or on Craigslist.org for others who may need them for moving or storage. If your workplace collects at least 100 boxes or more each month, UsedCardboardBoxes.com accepts them for resale.

4. CDs/DVDs/Game Disks: Send scratched music or computer CDs, DVDs, and PlayStation or Nintendo video game disks to AuralTech for refinishing, and they’ll work like new: 888/454-3223, www.auraltech.com.

5. Clothes: Wearable clothes can go to your local Goodwill outlet or shelter. Donate wearable women’s business clothing to Dress for Success, which gives them to low-income women as they search for jobs, 212/532-1922, www.dressforsuccess.org. Offer unwearable clothes and towels to local animal boarding and shelter facilities, which often use them as pet bedding. Consider holding a clothes swap at your office, school, faith congregation or community center. Swap clothes with friends and colleagues, and save money on a new fall wardrobe and back-to-school clothes.

6. Compact fluorescent bulbs: Take them to your local IKEA store for recycling: www.ikea.com.

7. Compostable bio-plastics: You probably won’t be able to compost these in your home compost bin or pile. Find a municipal composter to take them to at www.findacomposter.com.
8. Computers and electronics: Find the most responsible recyclers, local and national, at www.ban.org/pledge/Locations.html.

9. Exercise videos: Swap them with others at www.videofitness.com.

10. Eyeglasses: Your local Lion’s Club or eye care chain may collect these. Lenses are reground and given to people in need.

11. Foam packing: Your local pack-and-ship store will likely accept foam peanuts for reuse. Or, call the Plastic Loose Fill Producers Council to

12. Ink/toner cartridges: Recycleplace.com pays $1/each.

13. Miscellaneous: Get your unwanted items into the hands of people who can use them. Offer them up on your local Freecycle.org or Craigslist.org listserv, or try giving them away at Throwplace.com or giving or selling them at iReuse.com. iReuse.com will also help you find a recycler, if possible, when your items have reached the end of their useful lifecycle.

14. Oil: Find Used Motor Oil Hotlines for each state: 202/682-8000, www.recycleoil.org.

15. Phones: Donate cell phones: Collective Good will refurbish your phone and sell it to someone in a developing country: 770/856-9021, www.collectivegood.com. Call to Protect reprograms cell phones to dial 911 and gives them to domestic violence victims: www.donateaphone.com. Recycle single-line phones: Reclamere, 814/386-2927, www.reclamere.com.

16. Sports equipment: Resell or trade it at your local Play It Again Sports outlet, 800/476-9249, www.playitagainsports.com.

17. “Technotrash”: Project KOPEG offers an e-waste recycling program that can help you raise funds for your organization. Use Project KOPEG to recycle iPods, MP3 players, cell phones and chargers, digital cameras, PDAs, palm pilots, and more. Also, easily recycle all of your CDs, jewel cases, DVDs, audio and video tapes, pagers, rechargeable and single-use batteries, PDAs, and ink/toner cartridges with GreenDisk’s Technotrash program. For $30, GreenDisk will send you a cardboard box in which you can ship them up to 70 pounds of any of the above. Your fee covers the box as well as shipping and recycling fees. 800/305-GREENDISK, www.greendisk.com.

18. Tennis shoes: Nike’s Reuse-a-Shoe program turns old shoes into playground and athletic flooring. www.nikereuseashoe.com. One World Running will send still-wearable shoes to athletes in need in Africa, Latin America, and Haiti. www.oneworldrunning.com.

19. Toothbrushes and razors: Buy a recycled plastic toothbrush or razor from Recycline, and the company will take it back to be recycled again into plastic lumber. Recycline products are made from used Stonyfield Farms’ yogurt cups. 888/354-7296, www.recycline.com.

20. Tyvek envelopes: Quantities less than 25: Send to Shirley Cimburke, Tyvek Recycling Specialist, 5401 Jefferson Davis Hwy., Spot 197, Room 231, Richmond, VA 23234. Quantities larger than 25, call 866/33-TYVEK.

21. Stuff you just can’t recycle: When practical, send such items back to the manufacturer and tell them they need to manufacture products that close the waste loop responsibly.

from Coop America

Picturing American Waste

2007-10-30T11:57:00.000-07:00

Posted October 19, 2007
Chris Jordan: Picturing American Waste
by Solvie Karlstrom

Filed under: Recycling, Waste reduction, Waste management, Recycling, reuse, reduction, electronic waste

Every thirty seconds in the U.S., 106,000 aluminum soda cans are tossed out. That's more soft drink than we can imagine, much less swallow, and yet, every time we drink a Coke we add one more can to that number. For the photographer Chris Jordan, making these numbers tangible has become an artistic challenge, even an obsession. "I'm trying to get at the scale of our consumer society," Jordan says. "When you hear numbers like the 130 million cell phones that we throw out every year, it's difficult to comprehend." It may be no coincidence that Jordan is a former corporate lawyer, for he approaches waste with a legal eye for detail, creating photographs that serve as forensic evidence. Each field of plastic bottles, column of paper bags or sky full of jet contrails takes its place in an argument about the role we all play in harming the environment.

Jordan's process is meticulous, to say the least. Working with a batch of bottles, cell phones or plastic bags, he takes hundreds of photos of the items in different arrangements, then stitches them together on a computer before making his print. In one striking example, an image of 2.3 million folded prison uniforms to represent each person in a U.S. jail, he was staggered to realize he needed to print an image ten feet tall by twenty-three feet wide. To make these sizes more manageable, though, Jordan generally works with smaller amounts, creating an image of 60,000 plastic bags, the number used in the U.S. every five seconds, which still stands an impressive 5 feet tall and six feet wide.

Making all this waste visible isn't only a technical challenge—once our trash is collected, it's shifted so well out of sight that even to photograph it forced Jordan on at least one occasion to sneak into a recycling yard in the thick of a foggy Seattle morning. Unfortunately, he found himself locked in and had to escape through a gap in the bottom of a fence, slipping his camera through piecemeal. He emerged covered in mud and shaken, but with a set of photographs that inspired other recycling centers to open their doors to him.

It takes such efforts to make the connection between the numbers and our own consumption. "Everybody has this sense that there is some other bad entity out there that's doing all the consuming," Jordan says, "because, none of our consumption looks that bad. I just bought a new iPod, and it didn't destroy the world." It was only recently that Jordan himself made that connection. During his ten-year legal stint in Seattle, Jordan says he felt that he was doing work that was fundamentally contrary to his principles. "I was living a pretty disengaged life. I didn't care about consumerism; I didn't vote. I was a free rider. I thought, everyone else will take care of the environment."

Yet Jordan says that turning his photography into a full-time pursuit has accompanied a shift in perspective, allowing him to see the worth of individual actions. "All of a sudden, the plastic bottle that I'm holding in my hand has to be recycled," he says. "I'll pack it wherever I have to to get it recycled, because this bottle matters. And that's the thing I'm trying to get to with this work." For more images, see www.chrisjordan.com.

Responsible Electronics Recycling by Jemilah Magnusson
Tapped Out: The True Cost of Bottled Water by Solvie Karlstrom
Picking the Right Milk Container by P.W. McRandle

Break the Bottle Water Habit

2007-10-30T11:44:00.000-07:00

This Month: Break the Bottled Water Habit
Switch to reusable water bottles / Buy a filter for your tap water if necessary

About the Carbon Conscious Consumer Campaign
Carbon Conscious Consumer (C3) is a national climate campaign sponsored by the Center for a New American Dream that challenges individuals to establish climate-friendly daily habits and inspire their friends to do the same. Participants who most creatively and effectively spread the word will win prizes.

New American Dream helps individuals and institutions consume responsibly for a better world. Climate change is a serious problem, but you can live well and have fun being part of the solution. Start lowering your carbon emissions today with six easy steps over the next six months with New American Dream – because big changes start with small steps.

Pledge to make a change and become a Carbon Conscious Consumer. There’s no better time to stand up to the challenge and live consciously for a safer planet!

2007-10-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Consumer Smarts: Use a car wash, the fish will thank you
By PHUONG CAT LESEATTLE P-I

Q: Is it better for the environment if you wash your car at a commercial car wash or at home?

A: If you wash your car at home, on a concrete driveway or pavement, all the soap, dirt, detergent, oil and grime washes off the car and runs straight into the storm drain and directly into local streams, lakes and ultimately Puget Sound.

Environmental experts say it's better to wash your car at a professional car wash because those businesses are required by the federal Clean Water Act to drain their wastewater into the sewer system, where it is treated before ending up back in area waters.

Most soaps contain phosphates and other chemicals that harm fish, other aquatic life and water quality. The oil and grease contain hazardous materials such as benzene, lead, zinc and other metals.

Even if you use biodegradable soap at home, the oil, grease and metals from your car's brake pads are still a problem, said Sue Joerger, executive director of Puget Soundkeeper Alliance.
"None of those pollutants are taken out of the waste stream," Jorger said. "If it's going to a salmon-bearing stream, those fine particles can smother salmons redds."

Professional car washes discharge water into the wastewater-treatment system, where it is treated and recycled before being discharged into area waters.

"Many (car washes) recycle a lot of their water so they're not using as much water as personal car washing," said Logan Harris, a spokesman with the King County Department of Natural Resources and Parks.

Professional car washes use less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the water used by a municipality daily, according to the International Car Wash Association.

If you must wash your car at home, don't use any soap and wash your car on the lawn, on a gravel driveway or some other permeable surface that can act as a filter, advises Tom Watson, a program manager with King County's Recycling and Environmental Services.

Use a bucket of water and empty the bucket into the sink or toilet so the water goes into your sewage system and gets treated, says the International Car Wash Association.

The Environmental Protection Agency also recommends using an adjustable hose nozzle to minimize water volume. Make sure the car is parked away from direct sunlight. This slows evaporation and keeps water spots from forming.

Does this mean charitable organizations can't raise money from car washes?

Not necessarily. The Puget Sound Car Wash Association has a program that helps charities raise money through car washes while protecting the environment. Non-profit groups can sell tickets redeemable at 30 commercial car washes throughout the region rather than holding their own events.

King County also offers car-wash kits that redirect dirty water away from storm drains. The kit uses a hose to connect to a toilet, a sink or drain that sends the water to a treatment plant.

To build, buy or borrow a kit, visit goto.seattlepi.com/r1046. For information on the Puget Sound Car Wash Association's program, visit charitycarwash.org.

CONTACT US
If you have a consumer question we'll try to get it answered. Call Phuong Cat Le at 206-448-8390 or e-mail consumersmarts@seattlepi.com.

Consumer Smarts runs every Tuesday. Call Phuong Cat Le at 206-448-8390 or e-mail consumersmarts@seattlepi.com.

State's recycling plan could be poisonous

2007-09-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Rule doesn't ensure where electronic trash goes, critics say

By LISA STIFFLER
P-I REPORTER

A proposed state plan for recycling old electronics could lead to junk TVs and computers being sent overseas where their dismantling will poison the environment and sicken people, a watchdog group says.

Proposed state Department of Ecology rules under a new law would require electronics manufacturers to get state approval of their collection and disposal plans. That would include information on where the material is going for recycling and disposal and how it is being handled. It would require that information be available to the public at the electronic waste drop-off sites.

But the law is fuzzy on how much detail is required and how or whether it will be verified, critics said.

Seattle-based Basel Action Network said it sent a letter Wednesday to Gov. Chris Gregoire urging stronger action to make sure the trash is handled safely. The group in recent years has documented hazardous recycling practices in China and Nigeria using acids and burning plastics, creating polluted ecosystems.

"We could be protecting Washington citizens at the expense of a lot of others in poor communities," said Sarah Westervelt, electronic waste project coordinator for BAN.

Environmentalists initially hailed Washington leaders for approving the recycling program -- one of only a handful of states to do so in the absence of national leadership.

It holds manufacturers responsible for setting up a system of collecting, transporting and disposing of obsolete TVs and computers by 2009. It will be free for residents, schools, charities, small governments and small businesses.

The need is tremendous. By 2010, there will be twice as many TVs and computers in Washington as residents, state officials predict.

In many places, including Seattle and King and Snohomish counties, it's illegal to dump some kinds of electronic waste in the trash because it contains toxic metals such as mercury, lead, cadmium and chromium and potentially hazardous flame retardants.

Before the law was approved in March 2006, Gregoire vetoed a section of it prohibiting the export of the waste to certain countries, saying the state did not have the authority to restrict exports.

Given that limitation, officials with Ecology said they're doing what they can to craft sound regulations.

"We can influence good management of these products as they are being recycled," said Jay Shepard, an Ecology policy adviser, "but our regulatory reach is limited because we are a state."

Real accountability is possible, Westervelt said, by holding the manufacturers responsible for where the waste winds up.

Some manufacturers said they're concerned about environmental good stewardship when it comes to electronic waste.

"None of our companies want to be contributing to some of the issues seen in China and Asia and some of the African countries as well," said Rick Goss, vice president of environmental affairs for Virginia-based Electronic Industries Alliance, a trade group.

A few local businesses already accept electronic waste for disposal -- if you pay them about $25 for a normal-sized TV, $10 for a monitor. Seattle's Total Reclaim has been recycling dangerous waste for 16 years.

"As a corporation, what we've done all along is protect our customers' long-term liability," co-owner Craig Lorch said. They do that by researching to whom they're sending dismantled electronics -- and deciding not to send waste to countries and vendors where it could be treated irresponsibly. Only European recyclers, for example, are sent circuit boards with lead.

Worries about making sure others are as responsible are understandable, Lorch said.

"The concern is reasonably justified," he said. "I don't want to overstate it, though."

The public comment period on Ecology's plan is finished. A final version is expected later this month or early October.

RECYCLING ELECTRONICS

Many counties and cities prohibit tossing computers and TVs in the trash because they contain dangerous metals and other chemicals. Free disposal of electronics will start in 2009 at specific locations. Until then, many businesses and charities will accept the products for free or for a price, depending on the item.

Statewide: 1800recycle.wa.gov, or call 1-800-732-9253

King County: goto.seattlepi.com/r975

Snohomish County: goto.seattlepi.com/r976

Learn more about Ecology's electronic waste program: goto.seattlepi.com/r980

P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. Read her blog on the environment at datelineearth.com.

Farm Bill Battle

2007-08-30T06:22:00.000-07:00

Hi Free Range Fans,

The battle for a fair 2007 Farm Bill is on! If you're ready to watch an apple and a snack cake in a fight to the death, check out www.foodbattle.org.

Every five years, the $70 billion Farm Bill gets rewritten. In the past, junk food makers have controlled the subsidies of the bill, wiping out small farmers, destroying the environment and making America fat. Foodbattle.org is the first step in a massive campaign to put the farm bill back in the hands of the people who pay for it -- us! Click here to join the battle:

www.foodbattle.org- The Free Range Team (With our partners, Bioneers, Organic Valley, National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture and Community Alliance for Family Farmers.)

Built in 1996, the house of tomorrow is still ahead of its time

2007-08-26T09:29:00.000-07:00

Built in 1996, the house of tomorrow is still ahead of its time

PCC Rid of Plastic Shopping Bags

2007-08-23T08:06:00.000-07:00

By KATHY MULADY
P-I REPORTER

PCC Natural Markets announced Wednesday that starting Oct. 1, it won't offer plastic grocery bags to customers in its eight stores. Paper bags will still be available, and customers will be encouraged to bring their own sacks or totes.

"While this decision to eliminate plastic shopping bags will entail some additional cost, it's simply the right thing to do," PCC Chief Executive Tracy Wolpert said.

"We have studied the environmental impact of paper versus plastic and believe that paper is the more sustainable choice, while bag reuse is the best choice of all."

Spokeswoman Trudy Bialic said the company goes through about 3.3 million plastic grocery sacks in a year. Switching to all paper is expected to cost the company about $100,000 more.

Last month, the Seattle City Council approved a "zero waste" strategy for the city to increase recycling and reduce trash. In the future, the council is expected to consider bans on such items as plastic grocery bags and plastic foam.

"We don't want to wait for the City Council to tell us what to do. We can do it ourselves," Bialic said. "We had to stick our necks out and say this is the right thing to do, and we are going to do it."

Bialic said she doesn't know if the store will go a step further and reduce other plastics, such as produce bags.

"Understanding the impacts associated with the production and emissions from plastic really got our attention," she said. Company research showed that nationwide, just 1 percent of plastic grocery sacks are recycled, she said.

Bialic said the company will encourage other retailers to reduce their use of plastic bags.

PCC is a Seattle-based organic retail cooperative with stores in Seward Park, View Ridge, Greenlake, West Seattle, Fremont, Kirkland, Redmond and Issaquah. It has about 40,000 active members and annual sales of $110 million.
P-I reporter Kathy Mulady can be reached at 206-448-8029 or kathymulady@seattlepi.com.

Bottled Water.....Really Better?

2007-08-20T06:41:00.000-07:00

By David Chircop, Herald Writer

Everett sells millions of gallons of water every year to companies that pour it into bottles and jugs, slap on brand names, and then sell it to consumers.

So it didn't surprise Mark Christensen to learn that PepsiCo's Aquafina - the nation's most popular bottled water brand - gets its water from the tap.

For two decades, the owner of A & W Bottling Co., located along the bustling industrial belt west of Paine Field, has filtered and sold tens of millions of gallons of water and soft drinks using city tap water.

Three other companies in Snohomish County also bottle water from municipal sources, according to the Washington Department of Agriculture, which regulates the bottled-water industry in the state.

A & W Bottling and other companies do additional filtering and treatment before selling the water.

"It finally caught up with them," said Christensen about Aquafina. Labels on his Cascade Ice brand say it is made of purified water from "A Municipal Source," in accordance with Food and Drug Administration labeling rules. Aquafina had been using "P.W.S.," which stands for "public water source."

That change has ignited a debate on whether bottled water is actually worth the extra price to consumers and the environment.

It has also highlighted an open secret. Much of the bottled water sold in stores, 25 percent to 40 percent, according to government and industry sources, is tap water - sometimes further treated, sometimes not.

"The propaganda of the industry leads people to believe they shouldn't drink tap water, but I don't do that," said Jon Gergen, owner of Crystal Mountain Pure Drinking Water in Arlington.

His company sells three- and five-gallon jugs of water to about 250 residential and commercial customers in Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom and San Juan counties. He buys the water from Marysville, which gets its water from Edward Springs, the Stillaguamish River and Spada Lake. Gergen's company removes chlorine from the water and disinfects it before shipping it out.

Many of his customers order his water because their homes are on wells that pump out foul-tasting water with heavy minerals or they are at construction sites without access to running water.

Not all are so tolerant of the tap. Dan Harbeck, owner of Get Distilled Water Services Inc. of Mukilteo, says tap water is often unhealthy. His company's marketing material says water-borne-diseases pollute tap water, and minerals in tap water are harmful.

The company uses Everett tap water but filters out various compounds and disinfects the water using either ultraviolet light or ozone.

Steve Hatch, who owns Allwater Corporation in Lynnwood, a fourth business that bottles tap water in the county, declined an interview request.

Government health experts question claims that tap water is unhealthy.

While tap water does contain impurities, it's strictly monitored for safety, said Leslie Gates, a manager with the state Department of Health's office of drinking water. She added that both tap water and bottled water contain impurities.

City water providers are required to monitor water quality around the clock to make sure that it is safe to drink. If it becomes unsafe, they must shut down the water system.

"We have some of the best water in the world and people pay taxes, water fees and bills to make it that way," she said. "We want people to understand they can trust their tap water. It's as clean as bottled water, it's frequently tested for safety and it's a heck of a lot cheaper."

And most public water providers have to publish annual consumer confidence reports. Those reports include where water comes from, how it's treated and the results of water quality tests. They also list concentrations of potentially harmful substances, such as lead and arsenic.

Water bottlers are subject to regular government health inspections but aren't required to publish specific sources of their water, although the FDA has talked about the possibility of similar disclosure requirements.

"It's really not clear to consumers where their (bottled) water is coming from and what the quality of the water is," said Deborah Lapidus, a national organizer with Corporate Accountability International, which is taking credit for forcing Aquafina to label that its water is coming from public water sources.

The Aquafina revelation also coincides with a backlash against the bottled-water industry. Environmentalists say that transporting, refrigerating and manufacturing the plastic bottles is damaging the environment and that the discarded bottles are clogging landfills.

San Francisco and Los Angeles have banned spending city money to buy bottled water and some high-end restaurants in New York and elsewhere are dumping bottled water and opening the tap.

While the debate over bottled water continues to boil, there is one thing most agree with in Snohomish County: Everett's water, which comes from rain and snowmelt from the Cascade Mountains, is considered pristine.

The city's water is considered the "gold standard" by some bottlers, said Tom Thetford, Everett's utilities manager. He oversees the city's water system, which serves about 80 percent of the county, including people in Lake Stevens, Snohomish, Monroe, Lynnwood and Marysville.

Christensen, the owner of A & W, whose family has been bottling beverages in Everett since 1962, agreed.

In 2006, his company purchased more than 7.6 million gallons of the water, according to public records.

"We're fortunate," he said, standing by a conveyer that moved an endless row of plastic bottles into a contraption that placed labels on them. "We've got good water to begin with."

Green Demonlishion

2007-08-20T06:36:00.001-07:00

If house has to go, at least it can go 'green' -- piece by piece
Deconstruction crews salvage siding, floors, even nails

By LISA STIFFLER
P-I REPORTER

There is a deafening buzz over "green" houses, with their recycled-paper countertops, rainwater cisterns and super-efficient appliances.

So far, there is less interest in the "green" demolition of buildings in ways that could keep millions of tons of siding, wood floors, windows, doors, chimneys and shingles out of landfills.

That will change. Seattle is embracing a "zero waste" strategy to cut dramatically the amount of trash going to landfills -- including that from demolished buildings.
Deconstruction
Zoom Dan DeLong / P-I
Jonathon Eaton of RE Store removes oak flooring last week from a house in the Bryant neighborhood. The wood will be bundled and resold to add beauty to a different house -- and keep it out of a landfill.

"It's insane," said Noel Stout of RE Store in Seattle, a non-profit dealer selling used building supplies. "It's so precious, and we're throwing it in the trash."

In Seattle alone, more than 720 homes have been torn down since January 2006.

In 2005, more than 200,000 tons of construction and demolition waste in the city went to landfills -- about one-third of Seattle's total trash by weight. Less than half of the city's building refuse was recycled or reused.

"This is something we can handle," said Tim Croll, solid waste director for Seattle Public Utilities. "It's hard work, but it's not impossible."

Stout and his team are part of the solution.

At a modest house being rebuilt near University Village, Stout and his three-man "deconstruction" crew are taking the building apart board by board.

First, he salvages items for resale. The crew members take doors off. Line up light fixtures and the porcelain kitchen sink on the deck to be hauled away. Save the greenhouse window. Pry up the oak floorboards and blow the nails out of them with a noisy pneumatic gun. Pull out copper pipes.

Later, they strip pillowy insulation from the attic and bag it for reuse. The lath and plaster walls come down for recycling. Then, they take the roof off, knock down the chimney and disassemble the wall framing. All the nails, screws and miscellaneous metal are recycled.

In a recent study financed by the Environmental Protection Agency, four house deconstruction projects by RE Store achieved recycle or reuse rates of 70 to 97 percent.

"It's part of the new cutting edge of green building," said Jon Alexander, owner of Sunshine Construction in Seattle. "It's very exciting and gratifying. It's really where the construction industry needs to be going, to become more and more sustainable."

Crowbars versus trackhoes

There's an art to unbuilding a house.

"You can easily have it come down and crush you," Stout said.

That's one of the reasons that deconstruction isn't more widespread -- there aren't a lot of people skilled in doing it. RE Store has crews in Seattle and in Bellingham, and a handful of other businesses do the labor-intensive work as well.

Bidding for the job pits human against machine. To knock down a house with a machine called a trackhoe (basically, a backhoe on tracks) takes two days; doing it by hand can require two or three weeks.

The city's permit process is one of the main hurdles to increased use of deconstruction. People get demolition and building permits simultaneously, encouraging them to knock structures down quickly so they can rush to construction.

The city is considering creating a delay between issuing the two permits, which could make deconstruction more appealing, said Lucia Athens, green building program manager with Seattle's Department of Planning and Development.

The city has pledged to modify demolition permits by the end of 2008 to support more salvage and recycling. Other possible changes include adding incentives and penalties to promote waste reduction.

King County, too, is looking at pro-deconstruction changes, such as banning wood and metal disposal with regular trash, requiring contractors to recycle a set percentage of waste and raising fees for dumping trash.

Another challenge to cutting waste is a shortage of recycling businesses accepting used carpets, drywall and the ubiquitous, petroleum-based, asphalt shingles.

"Shingles are something that really upset me," Stout said. "I want to be recycling them. I mean, it's oil. That's a war on the roof."

His best option is to haul the shingles to a recycler in Snohomish, but the time and labor to fill and unload his truck makes it tough to justify economically.

Seattle is considering grants, tax breaks and other assistance to encourage new sorting and recycling businesses.

Salvage helps pay for costs

Deconstruction's costs -- and revenue -- can compete with demolition.

Stout totals up labor and disposal costs and subtracts from that how much can be earned by reselling and recycling whatever is salvaged.

For the house near U Village, the cheapest bid for a trackhoe demolition was $9,600, owner Sanjay Soli said. Stout's bid was $10,500, but he estimated that it held $5,000 worth of salvageable material, resulting in a tax-deductible donation worth about $1,500 for Soli.

The environmentally friendly option becomes the cheaper choice.

Deconstruction also preserves landscaping. No massive machinery parks on the property, trampling the plants as the house comes down.

Reusing items rather than making new ones saves trees and energy.

Alexander, of Sunshine Construction, has worked with RE Store on deconstruction projects. At one, he salvaged wood and other items for a project at the same location.

He'd love to see lumberyards selling used wood and a construction, sort of an Amazon.com dealing in used lumber.

"We'd have to do a very minimal amount of logging, considering all of the wood in the system," Alexander said.

Used flooring and beams, light fixtures and doorknobs have a certain charm, often with craftsmanship superior to products being cranked out today.

"There's something sacred about keeping those materials part of the community, having them removed, reprocessed and put back on the shelf," said Marty Brennan of RE Store.

"No one really wants to see a house crushed by a big machine," he said. "Your grandma lived there or someone's grandma lived there.

"No one wants to see it crushed and put into a metal box and put on a train to Oregon."

DEMOLITION DETAILS

There are a lot of resources for finding deconstruction companies and tips for salvage and recycling materials.

Northwest Building Salvage Network: nbsnonline.net

Seattle Department of Planning and Development: goto.seattlepi.com/r925

Seattle Public Utilities: goto.seattlepi.com/r926

King County: goto.seattlepi.com/r932

P-I reporter Lisa Stiffler can be reached at 206-448-8042 or lisastiffler@seattlepi.com. Read her blog on the environment at datelineearth.com.

Green Demonlishion

2007-08-20T06:36:00.000-07:00

Recycle with KBK at Home.... blog, blog, blog

Earth Day in Snohomish April 22, 2011

Tour Nine Canyon Wind Farm in Kennewick, WA

April 14th Green Drinks is at Grilla Bites

Bottled Beverage Company looking to open up facility in Everett

Green Drinsk March 10th

Library Place is the Place for the March 10th Green Drinks

Support Local Business Snohomish Holiday Market Opens Nov. 19th

SDTF to Host Green Drinks November in Snohomish County

Hemp Fabric Goes Mainstream

Green Drinks Snohomish Count on Oct 14th at 5-7pm

Everett Renewable Living Fair Oct. 3rd

The Power of Community moving showing Aug. 22 and 23rd

USE Natural Cleaning for Your Home

July 8th GreenDrinks Snohomish County

Make Sure Your Garden Furnitue is GREEN

Is you Garden Furniture Green?

Homespun Fabrics has Eco Friendly Fabric

Trashion Show SDTF Gala 2008

Green Drinks Snohomish County May 14th

Organic Clothing in Snohomish

Recycle Sunbrella Fabrics - Recycle Indoor Furnitue with Outdoor Slipcovers

Custom Outdoor Draperies, Cushions and Outdoor Slipcovers. Recycle your favorite chair from indoors to outdoors with a Sunbrella Slipcover.

In harmony with the environment

Sunbrella® offers recycling service for customers. read more here

Vote the EARTH - Mar 28th - Turn the Lights OFF

Cheri Baby and ReUse

ReUse/RePurpose from Park Bench Patterns

What's Your Carbon Footprint?

Recycled Art Workshop?

Recycle Old Greeting Card Deadline

Recycled Dog Sweater for Valentines

Green Drinks Snohomish County January 2009

Old Fabric into Gift Bags

1. Cut out a piece of fabric and fold it over on itself with the right sides of the fabric together.

Happy Holidays

Green Everett Renewable Living Fair 2008

Book of the Month

Hapy Feet Plus Gold Certification

Gold Certification for Happy Feet Plus, Clearwater

Green Drinks Social in Snohomish County...

GREENDRINKS

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

"Village Store" and "Ronin Northwest" in Arlington

"Village Store" and "Ronin Northwest" in Arlington

It began in Europe and now sustainability people in over 342 cities all over the globe meet monthly for libations. It is a lively mixture of people from non-profits, academia, government and business and is a great way of catching upwith folks you know and for making new contacts.

Bamboo Floor Mat...Wow I love this

Cycloc Wall Mount

Cell phone recycling made easy

Ask Umbra: Recycled Paper vs Certified Paper

UW Ditches those Plastic plates.... Yeepie

Shower Curtains and PVC....

Organic Clothing

Green Energy Open House

Grocery Bag Fee headed to Council

I have been waiting for this.......

20-cent charges for paper or plastic set to come up for vote next week

Water Bottle Battle

Sensational Sensuede

Umbra for "Grist" about Wedding Gifts

Tires, Tires, Tires

Restaurants are Recycling Food Waste

Recycle Nursery POTS

Coffee Cups Clutter the EARTH

Recycling of Compact Fluorescent

Reusable Plastic BAGS

Green Can Be Good For YOU

How To ... Be eco-chic

Green Dictionary

Eco Friendly Hotels?

Paper or Plastic?

Recycled Clothing

Green Festival Seattle

Fashion World Turning GREEN?

Defense of Food

EHC is now EcoHaus

Dispose of Old Medicines Safely

Want to Lose 41 Pounds?

Curb Plastic Bags

NY City Council Recycle Plastic Bags

Sunbrella^® offers recycling service for customers. read more here

It began in Europe and now sustainability people in over 342 cities all over the globe meet monthly for libations. It is a lively mixture of people from non-profits, academia, government and business and is a great way of catching up
with folks you know and for making new contacts.