Heat Waves: More Frequent, More Deadly
July 10, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
Graphic: By 2050, major U.S. cities will experience more and more frequent heat waves, with additional potentially deadly days over 95 degrees.
Why Is Air Pollution Worse on Hot Summer Days?
July 10, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
Five facts and myths about ozone, which protects us from the sun … or does it damage our lungs?
Teens Lead a Fresh Green Charge
May 30, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
The recent e4 Eco Expo for Environmental Education in New York City was dominated by two perceptions: 1) the teens who organized and led the event were extremely impressive and inspiring, putting many of us adults to shame, and 2) it was disappointing that more of their “non-choir” peers didn’t show up. The event was held at the prestigious Collegiate School on the Upper West Side, a K-12 private boy’s school that’s part of the elite Ivy Preparatory School League. It’s older than most colleges, having been founded in 1628.
The e4 Conference was organized by eco-minded students from Collegiate, as well as other private schools in the city, in association with Teens Turning Green. One of the highlights was checking out the rooftop garden. Knowledgeable students demonstrated their passion for planting an oasis in the heart of the city. They showed off the plastic horse feed troughs they use as beds (they said they didn’t think anything leached into the soil), as well as their worm bins, complete with red wrigglers happily munching through garden clippings and food scraps.
The students said they love enjoying the fresh produce from their own labor, as well as selling at their local farm market (proceeds are put back into the garden). Any extra unsold food is donated to feed the hungry.
The garden was sunny and breezy, and afforded breathtaking views of the city. But what was perhaps most inspiring was the contagious passion of the student gardeners. As they babbled about Michael Pollan, the poor quality of fast food, the imbalance of farm subsidies and the nutrient content of just-picked onions, one couldn’t help but notice the seeds of the next green revolution.
The rest of the e4 Conference was equally impressive, with student leaders who gave speeches as skillfully as the professional keynoters, and who moderated expert panels like seasoned pros. Workshops included stitching together a dress from reclaimed fabric, learning about green maps and getting a beauty product makeover. My panel, with Karen Stewart Brown of Stewart + Brown green fashion, Julie Gilhart, the fashion director of Barneys New York, and Jane Iredale of Iredale Mineral Cosmetics, went swimmingly. When my buddy Remy C. asked around of the students as to why more of their peers weren’t there, they said everyone was burned out from finals and end-of-the-year work, unfortunately. They missed a great event.
At the pre-conference dinner the night before, Matt Peterson of Global Green spoke about his group’s inspiring work to rebuild New Orleans green. We’ve covered that fairly extensively, but what I hadn’t known is that, according to Peterson, the idea originated with a (now deceased) community activist, a local grandmother from an impoverished ward who wanted the rebuilding of her home to stand for something better.
Speaking about his group’s frequent work with celebs, Peterson said, “It’s amazing that these prominent people help us get the word out and raise money, and it’s fun, but what really matters is future generations.” He continued, “How dare we think we can take away their clean air and water? We need to work through the fear and get to the love: those are really the only two human emotions when you boil it down.”
Peterson, who has the good looks and connections of a rockstar advocate, also made everyone stand, raise their hand, and repeat after him…”Go Lakers!” Then he made us all say, “I love where I live.” Peterson then had to jet off to make his son’s baseball game the next morning. Rockstar.
Judi Shils, executive director of Teens Turning Green, told the crowd that she had never worked with an all-boy’s school before. “I was so impressed,” she said. “They learned how to fold napkins, set tables and put on such an important event.”
10 Waste-Free (and Free) Ways to Celebrate Mother’s Day
May 30, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
Thoughtful, out-of-the-box Mother’s Day gift ideas that your mom won’t soon forget.
See the Timeless Style of New Green Fashion
May 30, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
Stewart + Brown has been making eco-fashion since 2002, and from the very first collection I spied in late 2004 until today, the brand has been defined by an incredible sense of classy sophistication, without ever being considered old ladyesque (though I’ve always felt that most of the companies’ pieces, and especially it’s knits, could be worn by women 16-90). The company’s style has a definite California vibe (they are LA-based) but the warm knits are perfect for Northeastern winters as well. And did I mention comfy enough to wear while on a cross-country flight, but lovely enough for dinner with the parents?
As you’ll see in the video tour below, the company’s designers are constantly innovating with new, natural materials, like yak, hemp blends, organic cotton and Mongolian cashmere (and as described in the video, they work directly with collectives in Tibet and Mongolia to create their signature knits).
The company was also a sponsor of the Project Green Search Model competition, providing ensembles for the finalists to model as part of their photo shoots. Their Fall/Winter 2010 collection is filled with gorgeous pieces; I’ve picked just a few of my favorites below.
Eliza Thermal Cardi, 100% Mongolian cashmere, $428, featured w/ the Aston Scarf (in Clove Loom print), 96% hemp, 4% Spandex, $64.00
A Dark Ride (in a Lexus) with Boondock Saint Norman Reedus
May 30, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
He’s driving, you’re just along for the ride. (Photo: Joel W. Henderson for LexusDarkRide.com)
The old way of promoting a car was to run TV and magazine ads, and associate the new model with an aspirational lifestyle. But that’s the way grandpa did it. The new way is to film a 12-minute high-def interactive video with movie stars that connects to Facebook, post it on the web, then Twitter it to get some buzz. Tap into their webcams, too, so they can “talk” to the high-watt actors.
Toyota has done exactly that to promote its new and rather angular Lexus CT 200h hybrid car. The Lexus, which comes out in early 2011, is a “premium compact” hybrid, and not based on a conventional version. With a 1.8-liter Atkinson Cycle four-cylinder engine, it should offer excellent fuel economy, though that’s not been released yet.
Lexus Dark Ride, which debuted Friday afternoon, stars Norman Reedus of Boondock Saints fame and is a spy thriller/Fast and Furious kind of thing, with lots of off-the-wall driving and folks getting shoved around. Reedus is the unshaven Tony Driver, a handy man behind the wheel. You get to be the passenger, interacting with a very gruff Reedus, who in a carryover from the Saints still sounds vaguely Irish (he’s not). The mission: deliver the …
Do You Know How to Get Better Gas Mileage?
6 Gas Mileage Myths
May 30, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
Planting the Leaf: Nissan Breaks Ground on a Lithium-Ion Battery Plant for Its Electric Car
May 30, 2010 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
Asia currently has 98% of lithium-ion battery-making plants. By 2010, the U.S. could have 20% of the market, starting in Nashville, with the new lithium-ion battery factory for the Nissan Leaf.
The Advantages Of Living Off The Grid
April 25, 2009 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
The shortage of power, the rapid consumption of non-renewable energy, the ever-increasing demand for power supply, the daily warnings about our environment are enough signs to tell us that it’s time to go green for earth. So, what can we do? For starters, how about living off the grid? If I have startled you with that proposition, let me tell you that living off the grid not only helps the environment and helps save power; it also cuts down our electricity bill substantially. Now, that’s a tangible benefit apart from all the good you will do to the world. Trust me, you will feel good doing this and you will be doing your part to help save the earth one person at a time.
Let us first study the advantages of living off the grid.
• Reduced dependability on exhausting resources: Who wants to depend on public utilities all the time? Living off the grid helps you rely only on your resources and not the ones supplied by governments or corporations. How often have you cursed when faced with a power outage in the midst of some important work or a party? Wouldn’t you like to take charge of such factors affecting you life? With alternate power solutions, you can.
• Freedom of usage of naturally available resources: How would you feel when you don’t have to pay for the power you use? Wouldn’t it be delightful to use as much power as you want without worrying about the electricity meter? You can make use of the abundant power available in the nature to light up your home and make your food. The solar power solutions and the wind power solutions are the answers to your power quest (well, literally!).
• Reduced power costs, helping save your money: How would you feel if the electricity bills stop coming in your letter box? The alternate power solutions give you a return on investment very soon, thus making the power supply to your home eventually free!
• Making way for a healthier environment: Don’t you bless the people who planted trees years ago not expecting them to miraculously grow? They planted those trees for the future generations. Make the future of your future generations secure by giving them a greener, healthier world. Cut down on the usage of non-renewable sources of energy. Try to use water minimally. There is not much drinking water left for the next generations.
If you are thinking it is not very feasible to live off the grid, look for alternate power solutions and you will be surprised to learn that they are not only cost-effective but also extremely feasible.
Want To Go Green To Save The Environment But Not Sure How To Start?
April 19, 2009 by John McRae · Leave a Comment
Do you feel like you are being constantly bombarded with negative information about the environment? Does it seem everywhere you turn you are expected to go green to save the planet? Many people feel the same way and have know idea where to begin or think that to save the environment they need to buy a new hybrid car or spend thousands of dollars on solar panels for their house.
The good news is that you don’t need to thousands of dollars to help save the environment. With just a few minor changes in your life you can be on your way to going green and helping reduce global warming.
Here are a few ideas to get started,
Mirrors, placed strategically in a room can be used to make use of natural lighting more efficiently, and reduce energy use as well. When placed near indoor plants, mirrors act like a second window creating better growing conditions while giving the illusion of increased space and greenery to the ambiance of a room.
When loading the clothes dryer, fluff the wet and tangled laundry before tossing into the machine. This allows for immediate and more efficient use of dryer energy. Very hot settings (which can actually shrink clothing) can thus be avoided.
Typically, the heated air from a clothes dryer is pumped outside and wasted. Consider purchasing a dryer vent converter – available at most hardware stores. These are little boxes that divert the heated air from the dryer into the house during the cold and dry winter months – making better use of your energy dollar while saving a little on heating costs. Be warned that this air is moist, and this may not be appropriate in all situations. Homes with dry static air or wood heat would benefit from the moisture, but buildings that already have a moisture problem (evident by mould and mildew or sweating and frosted windows) will only have their issues compounded by doing this.
These are just a few ideas to demonstrate how easy it is to go green while saving some money. Imagine how many other small things you can do around the home or office. Once the ideas have begun to flow, they will cause a ripple effect cascading into other aspects of your life. Then, hopefully, we can begin to save our planet one person at a time.