Greenovations

Coming Out of Your Bag!

2008-08-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, an apple or banana, some pretzels, and a cookie if I was a good boy. Stuff the aforementioned food items into a repurposed grocery bag and you have recreated my typical daily lunchtime food regime. Relatively healthy (cookie disincluded), tasty, and secretly an eco-assassin.

Keeping my sandwiches and pretzels separated and contained in their little dust proof microspheres is a seemingly innocuous layer of plastic that the locals call, Ziploc. 3 bags per lunch, per work day, per week = roughly 780 discarded sandwich bags, not to mention the 260 grocery bags.

So, here is an awesome idea for greenifying your grubdown:

To-Go Ware's 2 Tier Stainless Steel Food Carrier!

Now, don't get this confused with your average everyday lunch pail. This all stainless steel option won't leech toxins into your food like plastics do, and the unique two tier construction makes it easy to bring hot food along with a cold option. Add to the mix a price tag under $20 and BAM!

Oh, wait, that's somebody else's line.

Looks to delicious to pass up? http://www.to-goware.com/

Insert _____ Here.

2008-08-02T05:53:00.000-07:00

Going green takes a little dedication and a lot of vision. A vision of cleaner water supplies world wide. A vision of fresher air. A vision of a world that is healthier for everyone.

So what do you do when people are missing the obvious? Sometimes a not so subtle hint may be in order! Enter my friend, Eve Mosher, and her Insert ____ Here project.

So here's the Insert ____ Here plan. Check out the website at http://www.insert-here.org/ and print yourself some post signs. Grab your DigiCam and a black marker, and go for a no emission emitting walk or cycle about town. See an opportunity for improvement? Point it on out with your sign, and snap a pic. Upload the pic to the the "insert here" flickr group, and their team of crack artists will work up a stylized remediation. Make sure you spread the message to anyone who seems interested in your activities.

Next step? I suggest emailing the remediation around to your friends, and local government so they can begin to share your vision, and maybe help pick up the torch.

Handy with the digital arts? Eve is always looking for artists to help with the remediations, contact her at eve@insert-here.org.

Living on the Razor's Edge!

2008-08-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

As a man in an industry where the Grizzly Adams beard is commonplace, but with a wife who expects a silky smooth cheek if I expect any kissin', shaving has become a daily part of my routine.

Last night, as I stood facing myself in the mirror, I began to wonder what exactly I was shmearing all over my face and then washing down the drain into our water system.

Here's a short list straight off the back of the can:

Palmitic Acid, Triethanolamine, Oleth-20, Isopentane, Tocopheryl Acetate, Ubiquinone, PEG-90 Glyceryl Isostearate, and Hydroxypropyl Methylcellulose.

Now, I am admittedly a few credits short of my Chemistry degree, but I'm just going to assume that the organs responsible for my intake of sight, smell, and taste probably should not receive a daily Chernobyling.

So, what is my course of reaction? I am going ambling off into the sunset with Organic Grooming by Herban Cowboy.

Organic Grooming offers certified organic personal care products. "Eric," You ask, "how do I know they are really organic and not just Greenwashing?" Well, you can view their State of Pennsylvania Certification on their website http://www.organic-grooming.com/. How's that for proof!?!

And not only do they offer soaps in unscented as well as two great scented options, smooth shaving creams, and aluminum, dye, and alcohol free deodorant , they also lay claim to the first Organic Cologne. It goes by the generally timely name: Dusk.

Still need more? How about all of their products being Vegan friendly, and almost all of their packaging is recyclable/biodegradable, and printed with soy ink!

Ahhh....nothing smells quite as good as the fresh scent of positive change in the morning!

The Go By Bike Challenge

2008-07-31T09:43:00.001-07:00

Planes, Trains, Automobiles, and Cycles!

2008-07-31T08:55:00.001-07:00

Hey! First post on my shiny new blog! Hope I can kick it off right with a good one...

Transportation. Working in Downtown Chicago, and living in the suburbs has been causing me a moral dilemma. Hopping into the truck and driving down to the city has always been the simplest method of travel. However, automobiles account for roughly 70% of the world's carbon monoxide production, and the soaring fuel prices don't help either.

Fortunately, I live about a mile from the Metra line, and work about 2 miles from Ogilvie Transportation Center. How do I get to and from the station? Good question. Enter my new to me 2005 Trek 7300fx purchased on Craigslist! It is a hybrid bike, so I get the toughness of a mountain bike with the speed of a road bike. Perfect for the commuter. Comfortable too!

So here's how I think I helped make the world a little greener. By taking public transportation, I am taking one more vehicle off the street, saving traffic, fossil fuels, carbon emissions, and also some cash! My monthly train pass cost about a third of what I spend on gas in a month! I purchased my bike local, saving driving to and from the bike shop, and the shipping from a foreign manufacturer. And by purchasing an unwanted pre-owned bicycle and keeping it out of a landfill, I am ReCycling it(pun intended).