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Aeroponic Fish Farming

While I would always say, first, eat LESS fish, here is a technology being explored for its clean, efficient, and water-footprint friendly credentials. What would make the system even better is, instead of PVC piping, use low-grade recycled plastics from recyling plants. I’m not sure how viable a solution this is–but it’s worth thinking about. Take a look!

http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2010/0224/Recirculating-aquaculture-systems-The-future-of-fish-farming

Here’s a traditional fish farm:

Vertical Gardening

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/us/31portland.html

What a way to save energy, money, and look awesome! Architects in Portland and elsewhere are looking to integrate gardens into the very fabric of the building itself. Some questions remain, like who will maintain the garden? It provides shade in the summer and sunlight in the winter, which is a nice homeostatic effect.

Amazing Trees

http://www.shareordie.in/74-unusual-giant-tress-collected/

Just to inspire some love and fascination of nature, here are some amazing photographs of some even more amazing trees.

Building a Better Future

GOOD Magazine and Alex Steffen teamed up to create a series of “infographics” addressing critical questions about what we need to focus on when building a sustainable society. As we continue to create policy on the large scale and make personal changes on the small scale, what do we need to think about?

According to GOOD and Alex, there are 8 main things:

Green Space–Open, undeveloped land per person?

Health–Doctors per 1000 persons? Life expectancy? Under 5 mortality rate?

Water–Water use per person, per day?

Transportation–Bike commuting to work? Percentage of journeys to work by car? Tons of emissions from ground transportation per person per year? Vehicle miles traveled per person per day?

Food–Food produced within a 100 mile radius?

Electricity–Emissions from electricity per person per year?

Heat–Residential energy consumption per person?

Waste–Recycling? Amount of solid waste per person?

Check out the infographic here: http://www.good.is/post/Building-a-Better-Future-Critical-Questions-Overview

And definitely take some time to peruse GOOD Magazine’s archive of Transparency Infographics. They are fascinating and well-designed. http://www.good.is/departments/transparency/page:1/sort:comments/range:all

These questions do not address every issue worth addressing, but it does provide a framework for considering environmental issues as we move forward.

Community Supported Agriculture

Consider joining a CSA this Spring! CSA–Community Supported Agriculture–is an integral part of reshaping America’s food system. Your family pays the farm a flat fee, often between 250-500 dollars. In return, you get a weekly or fortnightly shipment of fresh food (depending on the farm, you may get vegetables, fruit, dairy, or meat)! Many CSA’s encourage members or “subscribers” to volunteer a couple hours to better the farm, whether it be through weeding on a Saturday morning or grant-writing. They have volunteer days, where all subscribers and others are invited to come help out at the farm. CSA’s are a wonderful way to get in touch with your farmer and the food that you eat. Plus, it just tastes better.

The video below illustrates the growth in CSA’s in America over time. We want it to grow even more widespread!

The Seven Sins of Greenwashing

Beware the rampant Greenwashing! According to TerraChoice and EcoLogo’s Greenwashing Report, 98% of the products they reviewed committed at least one of the seven sins. It’s important that, as consumers, we don’t fall the for the false labels and blatant lies. Marketers use our desire to be more “green” to their advantage and many products are just not worth the marketing hype that they get. Here are the sins, taken from the Sins of Greenwashing website:

Sin of the Hidden Trade-off

A claim suggesting that a product is ‘green’ based on a narrow set of attributes without attention to other important environmental issues. Paper, for example, is not necessarily environmentally-preferable just because it comes from a sustainably-harvested forest. Other important environmental issues in the paper-making process, such as greenhouse gas emissions, or chlorine use in bleaching may be equally important.

Sin of No Proof

An environmental claim that cannot be substantiated by easily accessible supporting information or by a reliable third-party certification. Common examples are facial tissues or toilet tissue products that claim various percentages of post-consumer recycled content without providing evidence.

Sin of Vagueness

A claim that is so poorly defined or broad that its real meaning is likely to be misunderstood by the consumer. ‘All-natural’ is an example. Arsenic, uranium, mercury, and formaldehyde are all naturally occurring, and poisonous. ‘All natural’ isn’t necessarily ‘green’.

Sin of Worshiping False Labels

A product that, through either words or images, gives the impression of third-party endorsement where no such endorsement exists; fake labels, in other words.

Sin of Irrelevance

An environmental claim that may be truthful but is unimportant or unhelpful for consumers seeking environmentally preferable products. ‘CFC-free’ is a common example, since it is a frequent claim despite the fact that CFCs are banned by law.

Sin of Lesser of Two Evils

A claim that may be true within the product category, but that risks distracting the consumer from the greater environmental impacts of the category as a whole. Organic cigarettes could be an example of this Sin, as might the fuel-efficient sport-utility vehicle.

Sin of Fibbing

Environmental claims that are simply false. The most common examples were products falsely claiming to be Energy Star certified or registered.

Click here http://sinsofgreenwashing.org/games-tools/name-that-sin-game/ to test your knowledge and explore the rest of the website.

Opposing Viewpoints: Cap and Trade

Pro Cap and Trade: http://vimeo.com/8847746

Anti-Cap and Trade:

Eco-friendly art

http://www.schimmelart.com/art.htm

Shipping Container…Houses?

Who knew that shipping containers could translate so easily into hip homes! Architects and companies around the world are realizing the benefits of modular housing. They are eco-friendly, made from recyclable materials, sometimes portable, compact, and cheap. Some of the designs are really sleek, and the interiors can be surprisingly modern and luxurious. The homes can be installed in cities and off the grid as dorms, apartments, office space, homes, cabins, and even coffee shops.  Take a look at the many wonderful designs in this slideshow from The Daily Green: http://www.thedailygreen.com/green-homes/latest/shipping-container-homes-460309