Michael Pollan Cements His Status As My Freaking Hero

I like Michael Pollan for many reasons, the obvious being that he is THE leading voice in the local, organic food movement. His books have singlehandedly brought the food policy discussion into settings where it was never before conceivable, ranging from cocktail parties to office water coolers. If it were not for Pollan, the current food movement would look absolutely nothing it does today.

Another obvious reason why I admire Pollan is that I happen to like his particular food philosophy, which he sums up in seven simple words: "eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Who can argue with that? Even I, a known connoisseur of bacon in its myriad forms, and a person who consumes quantities of food at the occasional Dim Sum Sunday that no sane observer could call "not too much," can find little wrong with Pollans statement.

Which brings me to the less obvious reason why I like Michael Pollan -- Michael Pollan is Mellow. Mellow with a capital "M." Here is a guy who has devoted his entire life to the study of food policy, yet who sums up that life's work in "eat food, not too much, mostly plants." Seriously. Can you imagine PETA getting a crowd rowdy with a reasonable statement like that? Now way -- they have "Meat is Murder" and "Save the Sea Kittens" (I am not even joking about that last one). Or on the other end of the spectrum -- try getting farmers and middle Americans angry over Pollan's slogan. Not gonna work. Instead, we hear hyperbole about rising food prices, our planets inability to feed the people who live on it, and how the government is trying to control us. This is the real reason why Michael Pollan is my hero. He is so mellow in his approach and policies (in addition to just plain being right, which I admit helps) that no one can successfully argue with him.

Take for example Pollan's recent NPR debate with Blake Hurst, a blogger who wrote The Omnivore’s Delusion: Against the Agri-intellectuals (you can listen to the interview here). The debate begins with Pollan, in his mellow, even-keeled voice, outlining his basic position. Great. Cue Hurst.

The first thing we hear from him (in a pronounced twang) is a hokey, overpracticed statement about how it is not true when Pollan says the agricultural industry hides behind farmers. Really, Hurst continues, the only person who helped him write his essay was his wife, (she needed to "help him sound out the big words" since he is no intellectual). He talked about how he wasn't really growing a mono culture since he switches between soybeans and corn every year. He talked about how it was unfair of Pollan to ask him and other farmers to go back to the farming methods their grandparents had used in the 1930's. In other words, he used some well known, cheap debating techniques to try and score points with NPR's listeners, and he did it all in that twang and using these rehearsed colloquialisms that made me want to punch him in the face. In then process however, he left himself open to about 1000 different logical attacks from Pollan, and I couldn't wait for Pollan to seize on one and jump down his throat.

But he didn't. Pollan remained calm as an organic cucumber. He just kept making his points in that same mellow tone of voice. And I eventually realized why. As the debate went on, Hurst became more and more flustered, and less able to respond to anything Pollan said. The debate wasn't going the way Hurst had planned it at all. His whole shtick was to play the part of the small farmer being yelled at by some agri-intellectual who didn't know what he was talking about. But Pollan didn't take the bait. He refused to get ruffled, no matter how little sense Hurst made. And the more Hurst realized that Pollan wasn't going to let him play his part, the less sense he started making. By the time the debate ended, all Hurst's little colloquialisms were gone, and even the twang had softened. There could be no doubt who finished on top.

Please listen to the full interview to see the master at work. We could all stand to take a lesson in mellowness from this man, not the least of which is to eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

Alternative Energy Finds a New Ally... The US Military?

Yes, it's true. Alternative energy has found a very unlikely ally in the US military. While I never thought about it this way before, it actually makes perfect sense. A military needs an enormous amount of fuel to sustain itself, and getting that fuel to remote places where our troops need it is not only costly and inefficient, but extremely dangerous. After all, few things provide better targets than giant tankers filled with highly flammable liquid.

It turns out that the military has been aware of this problem for some time, but it took two big events to really underscore just how serious the problem was. The first was Hurricane Katrina, which caused a small increase in the price of a barrel of oil, but made a HUGE difference in the Department of Defense's operating budget. The second was a 2006 “Priority 1” request for emergency battlefield supplies from Marine Corps Major General Richard Zilmer. He requested “a self-sustainable energy solution,” including “solar panels and wind turbines,” to help prevent the men under his command from “[remaining] unnecessarily exposed” and “continue[ing] to accrue preventable ... serious and grave casualties.”

Since then, the military has started some serious alternative energy R&D, some of which might even have civilian applications (read: really awesome cars and clothes). While the total budget is still just a tiny fraction of the Pentagons overall spending (they expect to spend $1 billion this year), that kind of money is nothing to sneeze at.

I can't believe I am saying this but... rock on DOD?

For more information, check out this solid article on Grist.

The Tour de Fat, or Why I Love New Belgium

The Tour de Fat is one of the reasons why the New Belgium Brewing Company is on my top five list of great companies. Some of the other reasons may be found here.

Basically, the New Belgium Brewing Company was created after the founder was inspired (divinely perhaps?) while on a bike trek through Belgium visiting some of the best breweries in the world. Upon returning to the US, he made it his mission to recreate the best of the Belgian beers right here in America. He named his new brewery New Belgium, and named its first official beer after the mountain bike with "fat tires" he had used to ride across the country of his inspiration.

Now that the name of both the brewery and its flagship beer are known from coast to coast, conventional wisdom states that the company should have sold out its original intentions and realized its full potential as a money making enterprise. Not so. Fortunately for everyone involved, while the company is making more money than a 32 year old dude on a bike trek across Belgium ever could have imagined, it is still 100% true to its roots. And that means bikes.

For instance, some of the great perks of being a New Belgium employee (in addition to all the fat tire you can drink) include a free geeked out cruiser bike after you've worked there for one full year, and a parking lot with almost as many spots for bikes as there are for cars. But the coolest thing us non-employees get to enjoy (in addition to all the paid for yet delicious beer we can drink) is the Tour de Fat.

The Tour de Fat is essentially a traveling carnival dedicated to bikes. It begins with a community ride around an area, similar to Critical Mass except that it is actually licensed by the city, and then ends at a fairground complete with a corral filled with awesome art bikes for everyone to enjoy and a giant stage where bands play, contests are held, and a mock New Orleans style funeral is held for car culture.

Now, this is all free. The only thing that isn't is the beer. And when it comes to beer sales, in each major city the tour goes to, it partners with a local bike friendly non-profit (in my fine city that is the SFBC) and gives a portion of all profits to that organization.

The moral of this story? New Belgium is awesome, and everyone reading this should go to a Tour de Fat event if one is taking place near them. To all my SF brothers and sisters, that event is tomorrow, Saturday the 25th of September at Speedway Meadows in Golden Gate Park.

See ya there.

Images provided by New Belgium Brewing Co. and The Green Dude

You got that WHERE?

Chances are you've heard of Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) before. In case you haven't, it is where you buy "shares" in a farm in return for a getting a portion of what that farm grows. Sometimes this is all done upfront, which gets money to farmers when they need it most -- before the growing season starts. Sometimes it is done on a weekly or monthly basis. Sometimes you go to the farm to pick your share up, and sometimes it is delivered to your door. There are many versions of this model, but what they all have in common is that they give farmers some reasonable idea of how much of their crop they will be able to sell, and let customers know they will be getting local, fresh produce all year round (or at least for as long as they bought shares for).

Sounds pretty awesome right? Well it is (I personally get a CSA from Planet Organics every week) but there is a new version making headway in the SF Area which really piqued my interest. Let me introduce the CSF, or Community Supported Foraging.

Basically, Community Supported Foraging combines the principles of a CSA with the reality of urban foraging. So instead of getting organic corn and fresh pink lady apples in your basket, you may find your box filled with mushrooms collected in a local forest along with some nettles or sea beans. When it comes to fruit, the foraging takes place in local backyards whose owners have agreed to let the foragers in to pick their crop in return for getting to keep a portion of it. This portion then gets passed along to everyone who bought into the CSF. It doesn't get more local than that.

And no, foraging is not the same thing as freeganism.

Image provided by ScottDMoose

Fish to Receive Protection at Some Undetermined Future Date

Now that I got you to click through to the whole article, let me take a step back; not in substance (the title is technically true) but in tone. In spite of the fact that the decision I am referring to really won't do anything what-so-ever for our current bankrupt fisheries, it is still a very important step. That decision is the announcement yesterday by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke to prohibit the expansion of commercial fishing in federal Arctic waters until researchers gather sufficient information on fish and the Arctic marine environment to prevent adverse impacts of commercial harvesting activity on the ecosystem.

That may sound a bit wonky, so let me break it down. Basically, we all know that the ice caps are slowly melting. We know that there is currently a race in which all nations with land bordering the arctic are staking claims to the various natural resources believed to be locked up underneath all that ice. We also know that there is currently a boatload (read: many many boatloads, pun intended) of money being made by large fishing companies around the world, and that these same fishing practices are driving our fish populations and ocean ecosystems to near collapse. What you (dear reader) may not know is that when it comes to sustainable fishery management, the US is actually (for once!) a real thought leader, and that the announcement above is a reflection of that. Essentially, the US just announced that it will absolutely prohibit any commercial fishing in US arctic waters until AFTER the science dictates the most sustainable way to go about it.

The plan approved will prohibit commercial fishing in a huge swath of American waters in the Arctic that have never been fished and that nobody currently wants to fish (hence the snark in my title). HOWEVER, in reality this is a very smart move because the rapid melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change will someday make the area more accessible and more commercially more attractive, not just to oil interests, but to fishing interests as well.

The plan was developed by environmentalists and the Marine Conservation Alliance, the same group that turned Alaska from a sustainable fishing nightmare in the and 50's into the model of sustainability it is today. (As I said before, fishery management is one of the few environmental areas where the US is really a thought leader: Alaska is currently recognized as one of the worlds leading sustainable fisheries and even has a theory of fishery management named after it. More on this in another post).

In spite of this announcement, the reality is that no one knows where the borders may eventually be drawn in the arctic so there is a good chance that at least some, if not all, of the area the US wishes to protect may not be within our jurisdiction. However, this announcement is symbolic in addition to practical -- the US has signaled (finally!) that it is willing to engage unilaterally in a sustainability agreement - something it has avoided doing elsewhere, most notably on climate change itself. Hopefully, this announcement will send a signal to the other Arctic nations -- including Russia, Canada, Norway and Denmark-- that while there may be an economic opportunity for fishing newly uncovered areas of ocean, it must be done in a sustainable way.

Top image provided by Alan Vernon

Review of Wild Fermentation

I have been a fan of fermentation every since tasting my first beer at what was certainly an inappropriate age. What really got me going however, was the time I spent in Belgium after graduating high school. The beers I experienced there (yes, I said experienced) were like nothing I ever tasted before -- truly wholesome brews crafted over long periods of time and filled with healthful, beneficial microbes (in addition to plain old deliciousness). I knew then that I would forever be a fan of the fermented beverage. What I didn't know is just how far down the rabbit hole this newfound love of fermentation would take me.

Later on in that same trip, I experienced real German sauerkraut. Growing up, I had always been a fan of sauerkraut (Rubens are without question my favorite sandwich). What I was unaware of however was that the sauerkraut in these sandwiches was dead -- all the healthful organisms in it were killed by pasteurization before this corporate product was shipped all over the country. Not in Germany. I still remember sitting down at my first pub there and ordering a bratwurst with sauerkraut (sauerkraut which, unbeknownst to me, was actually fermented in the back of the pub). I couldn't believe my taste buds! This sauerkraut was to the sauerkraut I loved at home what a grilled ground sirloin burger is to a happy meal. Unbelievable!

That's it - I was hooked. I still didn't trust myself to mess around with my own ferments, but as soon as I got home I sought out micro brews and home fermented krauts and yogurts wherever I could. I even had a short love affair with a Mr Beer home brew kit while in college (the kind you buy from SkyMall magazine and where you never have to deal with truly raw ingredients). My roommate and I turned out a couple good beers to be sure, but we weren't quite craft ready. So when I graduated and moved to San Francisco, I decided it was finally time. I bought myself a copy of Wild Fermentation and got brewing:

When I first started reading this book, I was amazed at how many times I stopped and just stared off into the distance, imagining all the things I was going to ferment when I was done reading. There is almost not a page of this book that I haven't marked with a post-it or a dog ear. The author provides great insight based on both science and on his own experience, and his excitement is literally contagious. He loves fermented foods, and by the time you finish reading his book, I guarantee you will too.

Since buying this book, I have made my own saurkraut (several different variations), kimchi, and dill pickles. I am working on my first batch of Kombucha right now. The beer is on hold until I can find space in my apartment to set up a simple brew station, but I feel more comfortable going into it than I ever could have without this book.

Wild Fermentions is very informative, with great recipes and very easy to follow step by step instructions. If I had to point to any negatives in the book, it would be a little too much information about the author himself and his communal living situation (not that I mind the author's hippy dippy ways, it's just that the many exploits of his house mates with single, nature-based names are besides the point).

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in fermented foods, and even to people who aren't. There is some form of ferment in this book for just about anyone.

Proust!

Image provided by Wild Fermentation

NASCAR Going Green?

I should admit up front that I am no NASCAR or Indy 500 fan, and that I have a limited understanding of the sport and what goes on at these events. What I do know is that race car driving is not only the single most popular spectator "sport" in America, but that it is also not exactly “environmentally friendly.” Enter Leilani Munter. I was listening to NPR a few weeks ago and heard the following interview with Leilani, a professional race car driver. As it turns out, not only is she one of a mere handful of women in this male dominated sport, but she is also an ardent environmentalist committed to doing everything she can to “green up” this carbon intensive activity.

Listen to the NPR interview here

Basically, Leilani has been an environmentalist her whole life. She is a longtime animal lover and vegetarian, and she didn’t even get into race car driving until after receiving a degree in biology (specializing in ecology) from UCSD. When she did finally get behind the wheel of a race car, it didn’t take her long to come to the conclusion that her environmental views were somewhat at odds with her new profession. However, instead of abandoning race car driving altogether, she decided to use her platform as an important figure in the nation’s number one spectator sport to help move it in a new direction. As Leilani says, “It's a hugely popular sport, and… you can't leave behind a hundred million race fans.”

Since she started speaking out, Leilani has definitely run into mixed reactions. “Some people were telling me that they… wanted to see more people talking about our environmental problems on the racing circuit. But then, there were also others that were… very negative and kind of saying I was brainwashed by Al Gore.” Even with the mixed reaction, Leilani is hopeful, saying that “the important thing that I tried to look at is that I was getting them talking about it… to go into a NASCAR forum and see them arguing and talking about global warming and talking about climate change… Those kinds of things weren't necessarily taking place in NASCAR forums before.”

But Leilani's general awesomeness doesn't end there. In addition to bringing awareness of the green movement to racing fans, Leilani is also opening the way for smaller, green businesses to advertise in the racetrack. The way sponsorships usually work (based on my extensive research ie. Google) is that one major company will sponsor a car, meaning that each car becomes a giant billboard for that one company. Leilani’s vision is to buck that trend by breaking her car up into several smaller sponsorships placements that mid-size green companies can afford, and to have the main spot on the race car reserved as a "call to action" message for race fans: “One of the messages I wanted to send was about CFL light bulbs, and I would like to run a race car that has a CFL label on the side of it… And then the next race we'd run something different. It might be a race car that says, no more paper, no more plastic, and then I can talk about the plastic bags and how many of them aren't getting recycled.”

And as if all that wasn't enough, Leilani is also trying to take her green message directly to the fans. Apparently, another aspect of the race car world that I was unaware of is that each driver gets some space at the racetrack to sell their merchandise. Usually, this means action figures, jerseys, hats and bobble head dolls. Not at Leilani’s booth: “I'm going to be selling CFL light bulbs and canvas grocery bags and just giving them tips on things that they can do to go green.”

While I still don’t personally understand what people find entertaining about cars going around a circle for five hours, and while there is absolutely no escaping the fact that car racing will be one of the most carbon intensive sports for some time to come, I can’t help but be inspired by one woman’s efforts to bring her passion to her work in a way that will (hopefully) get all of us a little closer to a sustainable planet.

Read all about Leilani's newest actions at her blog: carbonfreegirl.com

Image provided by Wikipedia

Watch me discuss SustainLane's "Ten Products to Ban from your Home" on KRON

Sweet - my first every TV spot! The interviewer may not have gotten my name exactly right (it's Waks like "wax") but it was still lots of fun and I've already gotten some great feedback on it. Here goes - let me know what you think:

Review of Zaca Organic Hangover Patches

Well, I didn't have a hangover...

I received two free Zaca organic hangover patches for review a few months ago and have been anxiously waiting for a good time to try them out. These patches are exactly what they sound like - they are similar to the nicotine patches smokers use to quit except instead of nicotine they leech "hangover stopping" herbs and supplements into the bloodstream.

This past weekend presented the perfect opportunity to test the patches out - Sunday was San Francisco's Bay to Breakers. For those who haven't heard of Bay to Breakers, it is a "marathon" stretching from the San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. In reality, it is a seven mile walk filled with extravagant costumes, huge floats (many containing kegs) and enough alcohol consumption per capita to lay waste (wasted?) the entire route.

Since the race starts early in the morning, I put the patch on at around 8 AM. Almost immediately I felt a nice jolt - whatever herbs were in the patch really perked me up - I didn't even need my morning coffee. At around 9:00 I met some friends out in the street and started celebrating. As the day moved along, I continued to feel upbeat and energized (for the record, I did plan on recording my entire day for this review, but lost my camera sometime around 1 PM).

(Pouring one out for the homies)

The party started slowing down at around 1:30, but I stayed in the park with some friends until around 3:00. Still, I was disappointed; with this much time to recover before even going to bed, there was little reason for me to be hung over, patch or no patch. Determined to continue the experiment however, I left the patch on as we went out for food and then back to my apartment to watch a movie.

I was still feeling good at around 10PM that night and got into bed expecting no problems what-so-ever the following morning. "All in all," I thought to myself, "the hangover patches might actually be worth it." Then it happened. Out of nowhere: PANIC ATTACK.

I am not at all prone to panic attacks, so it took a few minutes before I even realized what was happening. All I know is that one second I was thoroughly enjoying my comfy bed, and the next I thought my heart was going to pop out of my chest and I couldn’t keep my thoughts straight. After trying some deep breathing and meditation to calm myself down (no success) I got up and washed the patch off. From that point on it took about an hour of pacing up and down my apartment and trying desperately to concentrate to bring myself back down. I ended up getting to bed at around midnight for about six hours of extremely fitful sleep.

Can I say for sure that these patches caused this random panic attack? No I cannot. However, the fact remains that I have never really had a panic attack before, and while this was my first time at Bay to Breakers, it was NOT my first time enjoying the San Francisco street party scene. Coincidence? It's possible. But let's just say I am in no hurry to put my second free patch to the test.

Images provided by Zacalife.com and The Green Dude himself

The Story of Stuff Gets NYT Shout Out

The Story of Stuff is an extremely well made, concise video from Annie Leonard and the good people over at Free Range Studios (also of Meatrix Fame), exposing the pitfalls of our uber-consumer society. This video has been around for some time, but I felt it deserved it's own blog post today since the NYT felt it deserved a full article in their lovely publication. The article is about how schools are using The Story of Stuff to encourage conversations in classrooms around the nation about rampant consumerism and its relation to environmental and social ills. Amazingly, most texbooks still make no mention of this fact, and at least one modern civics textbook mentioned in the article has only 3 paragraphs on global warming. In other words, this video is sorely needed, and I am glad it is getting the viewership it deserves. If you haven't seen it yet, please check it out for yourself:



I have said it before and I'll say it again: I have no inherent problem with "stuff." I don't necessarily share some environmentalists view that all stuff is bad. I happen to own several things (ie. "stuff") including but not limited to my bike, my computer, my comfortable bed and my snowboard, that I very much enjoy. In fact, while I am slightly more embarrassed about this, I even have a large TV that I have no immediate plans of giving up and that makes me very happy (especially when the Lakers are winning in HD).

That being said, buying stuff for the sake of having stuff, letting old stuff go by the wayside and throwing it in the trash so you can have new stuff, or just in general buying more stuff than you can possibly ever use is NOT GOOD. It is not good for society, it is not good for the planet, and it is not good for our wallets. "Stuff," like everything else, needs to be consumed in moderation.

Why We Need to Start Eating Lionfish

Apparently, thousands of lionfish have taken over large swaths of Florida's pristine coasts, decimating entire populations of native fish and corals. According to The Times Online:

"When Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992, no one gave much thought to the six exotic lionfish that spilt into Biscayne Bay as the storm smashed their Miami waterfront aquarium.

Sixteen years later, thousands of the fish are wreaking havoc off America 's east coast, leading a potentially catastrophic marine invasion.

The highly poisonous hunter-killer, which is normally found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans , is the first non-native fish to establish itself in the Atlantic, where it is eating its way through other species faster than they can breed.

“They are eating almost anything that fits in their mouths,” said Lad Akins, director of special projects for the Reef Environmental Education Foundation (Reef). There could be, he added, “a severe impact across our entire marine ecosystem.”

With its needle-sharp spines and red and white stripes, the lionfish's hunting prowess is enhanced by the fact that other fish find them so baffling. “They kind of resemble a big clump of seaweed. Native fish don't see them as predators, or even as other fish,” said Mark Hixon, a coral reef ecology expert at Oregon State University. “That allows them to approach other fish and just slurp them up.”

The Hurricane Andrew Six are believed to be among several of the lionfish army's founding fathers. Private aquarium owners may have also dumped lionfish in the sea over the years, compounding their spread along the eastern seaboard and into the Caribbean. Studies by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show that numbers in some areas have risen from 22 per hectare (12,000 sq yards) in 2004 to 200 per hectare in 2008.

“Lionfish are eating their way through the reefs like a plague of locusts,” said Dr Hixon. “This may well become the most devastating marine invasion in history.”

Scientists are looking at why the lionfish is reproducing more rapidly in the Atlantic than in its native waters, hoping to identify a predator to keep numbers in check.

Reef is working on another solution: educating fishermen in how to catch them, and restaurants in how to prepare and serve them. “Lionfish are very edible,” said Mr Akins. “In fact, they are quite delicious.”"

Apart from the fact that several of the above passages are slightly more hilarious than any real journalist article has the right to be, this is definitely a problem. I happen to love lionfish - I think they look great in tanks, and I wouldn't mind at all running into a couple the next time I hit up the Florida Keys on a dive. I also happen to love eating fish. According to this article, I can have my fish and eat it too. I like the sound of that.

Wonder if they are as deliciously toxic as fugu.

Images provided by jayhem and

Government Incentives Can Be A Good Thing

This post is a little more political than I usually like to get (at least on this blog) but I just finished reading a great article on energy efficiency and why some direct government involvement is necessary to make that happen, and I thought the article deserved a shout out. You can read the full article and it's in-depth awesomeness here (Energy Efficiency), but the main points are that:

• Resource intelligence (aka energy efficiency) is profitable. Study after study (after study) shows that homes and businesses have available a range of investments, technologies, and practices that cut energy use and pay handsome returns. (For example, this three-year study of efficiency in buildings.)

• Resource intelligence isn’t happening on its own. Despite the aforementioned studies, people aren’t taking advantage of the opportunities at anything close to the available scale. The low-hanging fruit stubbornly remains unplucked. (Maybe because the people looking at that fruit aren't doing enough synergizing and social media research)
  

• Resource intelligence is central to the climate/energy challenge. The International Energy Agency describes a scenario for achieving 450 ppm (the widely shared though likely inadequate target for atmospheric concentrations of CO2). Of the emission reductions they project, energy efficiency is responsible for 54%.

• There’s need for public-private partnerships to restructure markets or create new ones. Market economics leads to a somewhat passive view of public life, wherein our collective welfare is entrusted to markets, to millions of allegedly rational individuals. But here we have a problem—the deterioration of the atmosphere—that presents us with great urgency, and a solution—resource intelligence—that requires our active intervention.

Basically, we have a situation where a 100% rational person would be investing in energy efficiency, but they aren't for any number of reasons, some good and some completely ridiculous. In order to get these people to make the decisions which are good for their health, their wallets and the environment as a whole, we need to educate them and/or give them some more incentives. Sounds good to you? Me too.

Publishing Industry to Cut Carbon Emissions 20 Percent by 2020, 80 Percent by 2050

I used to work in the publishing industry, and while it was a super awesome place to work (as my homeboy Thomas Jefferson once said "I cannot live without books"), I was always bummed by the amount of waste we created every day. For example, we would have a pdf file of a first draft of a manuscript, and instead of e-mailing that pdf file around, my boss would have me print out a separate copy for each person who needed it (single sides, anywhere in between 100 and 300 pages).

Even worse, we didn't even have accessible recycling bins. There was literally one recycling bin on each floor, and people were too busy to go to it. They would just dump piles and piles of paper in the trash every day. And this was only for the first draft - same thing would happen with successive drafts, with the promo copies, and with the preview copies we sent for around for PR. And all of this before the printing of the actual book!

There are some "good" reasons for why we had to print all these copies out instead of sending pdf files. My generation is the first generation to really get used to spending more than 30 minutes reading on a screen, and even we are still slightly uncomfortable with it. My guess is that it won't be until the next generation that people are completely committed to online or electronic books. All of the higher ups, even in the publishing industry, just can't handle reading an entire manuscript on their screen.

A perfect example of this is the Amazon Kindle. Here is this amazing device, the same size as a book, where you can buy "books" for cheaper than in their paper versions and where you can carry 50 or so "books" around at the same time and in the same amount of space as a single book would usually take. People should be buying these by the truckload! And while Kindle sales are taking off, they are doing so very slowly and mostly with the younger generation. But I digress.

The fact of the matter is that people who grew up reading physical books still like reading physical books. They are uncomfortable reading them on a computer screen. The end result of this is that the publishing industry routinely cuts down 30 MILLION trees to make into the books that we buy each year.

There is some good news though: The Book Industry Environmental Council said today that it has set goals of cutting the U.S. book industry's greenhouse gas emissions 20 percent by 2020 -- and slashing them 80 percent by 2050.

While my problem with the publishing industry has more to do with the physical waste of paper than with overall CO2 emissions, cutting down on CO2 will also mean cutting down on paper waste. According to ClimateBiz.com, "the production, acquisition and use of paper are responsible for 65 percent of the U.S. book industry's carbon footprint. Increasing the use of recycled paper, ramping up the efficient use of all paper products, reducing returns and diverting books from landfills are among the steps that companies can take to reach the emissions goals."

It may not be perfect, but until we help out by doing all our reading electronically (something I admit I do not do, I LOVE my dog-eared paper books) it is a huge step in the right direction.

Can Algae Outperform Other Biofuels?

Here’s an article on the ever growing “algae revolution” where people stop chanting “drill baby, drill” and start chanting “grow baby, grow.” There are definitely upsides to algae, but do they outweigh the problems?

One group of people who say yes are the shrimp farmers in Gial Bend, AZ. Here, the newest algae project is not controlled by an army of scientists or funded with millions of dollars worth of government research grants. Rather, it's a desert shrimp farm changing with the times to produce biodiesel from algae, using some of the same algae that feed the shrimp.

With biodiesel prices at $4.81 a gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, these shrimp farmers hope to produce it for less than $3 a gallon. With these small farms being capable of producing 5,000 gallons of biofuel per acre in two years, there is definitely something to be said.

Algae is transformed into biofuels by pressing the oil out of the algae and then adding lye, sodium and ethanol as a catalyst to make the fuel more pure. The lye, sodium and ethanol can be reused.

Biofuels made from algae have an advantage over biofuels made from soybeans, palm oil or corn because algae is not a source of food, growing algae does not use agriculturally fertile land and algae can be grown in treated wastewater.

FROM ALGAE TO FUEL

* Algae is turned into biofuel in a process called transesterification.

* Biofuels made from algae contain around 90 percent of the energy in regular diesel but produce less CO2.

* Some forms of algae consist of more than 50 percent oil.

* Many vehicles would not have to convert to run on biodiesel.

FUEL POTENTIAL

Biodiesel potential, according to a report from the University of New Hampshire :

* 7.5 billion gallons of biodiesel can be produced in an area of 780 square miles.

* Biofuels take advantage of solar energy because plants use photosynthesis to convert solar energy into fuel.

* Certain strains of algae are among the most photosynthetically efficient plants.

* 15,000 square miles of algae production could replace all the petroleum-based transportation fuels needed in the United States.

Now if I could only start selling the algae growing on my f*&#ing fishtank...

Image provided by jurvetson

San Franciscans - How to Get a Free Bike Rack

When the bike improvement injunction is lifted in mid-2009, San Francisco is planning on installing nearly 1,000 new bike racks throughout the city. Make sure you get one where it will help you.


The SFBC (San Francisco Bike Coalition) has a handy little form you can fill out to request your bike rack. Just go to the Fix It! page and submit the quick form to let the city know. All they need is the address or business name and street. The city still needs additional requests to meet their goal, so keep them coming!

Image provided by LancerE

GM-Segway "PUMA" Hybrid - ROWR?

Wow, the blogosphere is really blowing up over this announcement. Apparently, GM and Segway are partnering to design a new "car" called the PUMA (Personal Urban Mobility and Accessibility), a small, two wheeled vehicle designed to ease congestion and pollution problems in cities. So far, it seems to be getting mixed reviews.

According to GM, the PUMA runs on lithium ion batteries, can reach 35 miles per hour, and can travel up to 35 miles between charges. It also boasts some other sweet futuristic features, like the ability to know where other PUMA's are on the road, leaving the door open to the possibility of an eventual autopilot feature.

The attacks are coming from several places. Many people believe (I think correctly) that this is a PR stunt to clear GM of the stigma associated with the fact that it killed the electric car, and to boost its general standing as it attempts to restructure with help from the Obama Administration. I think these both go without saying, but it doesn't really bother me as long as we get a sweet, viable electric car out of it.

Others are miffed that a bicycle, a pair of shoes, public transportation or even a rickshaw are cheaper, more environmentally friendly alternatives. To these people I reply that comparing a bike or a pair of running shoes to the PUMA is comparing apples and oranges. We can't compare two products based on what they can do (get a person from place to place), but rather based on who will buy them (ie. potential market share).

I had an argument along these lines with a good friend back when the Segway first came out. To me, it seemed like the Segway was just the lazy person's bike (or worse, feet). Years before Wall-E, I was already envisioning a world full of fat lazy people who never had to walk anywhere.

The point my friend argued, which I now (mostly) agree with, is that the intended market share for the Segway was short distance commuters, ie. the people currently driving their cars short distances, not biking or walking them. The Segway was not meant to decrease market share for bikes or take over sidewalks -- it was intended to serve as a viable replacement for cars in urban areas. And it would have too, if not for the fact that (guess who!) the major car companies successfully lobbied to have Segways declared not street legal.

I see this new Segway/car the same way. The main difference is that this new version will now be labeled street legal because one of the Big Three has a vested interest in it. I have no intention of turning in my bike for one of these things, but I know a lot of short distance commuters who might be easily convinced to substitute it for their cars.

Although PUMA, guys -- really? I understand that you have a cool acronym there, but can't you at least come up with some sweet animal name that hasn't been used yet?

Ford Puma:Not so sweet.

Actual Puma:
Sweet.

Images provided by coltmaverick, exfordy and bslmmrs

Las Vegas Goes XERISCAPE

We all know that Las Vegas is the least sustainable place on the planet west of Dubai. As a born and bred LA native however, I still have a special place in my heart for Vegas as the only spot north of the border to do certain “unmentionable things” that would probably get you arrested just about anywhere else.

For this reason, and because I still love making my way to this Mecca of debauchery once or twice a year to blow a couple hundred bucks on blackjack and AMAZING food, I always cheer when I hear about some new green project Vegas is working on. Whether through the massive solar initiative they are pushing or the stricter building codes now being enforced for environmental reasons, there are undoubtedly some bright green spots in the tale of Sin City.

The latest one however caught even me by surprise.

Of all the wasteful things Las Vegas is known for, one of the most wasteful is its expanse of lush golf courses. Few landscaping techniques require as much maintenance, and produce as much waste, as golf courses. Acres and acres of fairways and greens require hundreds of thousands of gallons of water a year, in addition to pounds of fertilizer and pesticides.

Enter Xeriscape (yeah, the name is pretty corny), a new way of designing golf courses meant to include as much local landscape in the layout as possible. In Vegas, this means losing some lush and beautiful (but unnecessary) decoration and fairway to rock and sand. It also means getting as much of your water as possible from greywater resources. A quick statistics on how much of a difference this makes:

Palm Valley

185 acres of turf – 34 acres replaced by xeriscape in 2002

Estimated water savings since then: 50 MILLION Gallons per year.

It may not be perfect (if they saved 50 million gallons a year by converting 34 acres, I wonder what the other 151 acres guzzles), but as there are few more perfect ways to spend a sunny day than out on the links with some good friends and good beer, it is definitely a step in the right direction.

Image provided by danperry.com

Japan Beats the US in Awesomeness Again

I like to tell people who don't live in my fair state that the best thing about California is the ability to wake up in the morning and go surfing, then head out to the mountains and go snowboarding, then cruise down to a lake and go wakeboarding, and still be home in time for dinner.

This awesome day is theoretically possible from just about anywhere in the state, but it carries a rather large carbon footprint, and you would still spend less time enjoying all these fun activities than you would driving from one to the next. Probably why this sentiment is more descriptive than it is literal.

Enter some Japanese train wizards, who are planning on making a feat of this sort not just greener, but actually practical.

According to this article in the Los Angeles Times, Japan plans to build a train by 2025 that will get a passenger from Nagoya to Tokyo (a trip of about 220 miles) in less than 40 minutes. That's right - they expect this train to travel at more than 300 miles an hour.

What up US inventors! Why are we letting the Japanese leave us in the dust with this crazy amazing train! If we brought this tecnhology to California, I could wake up for an early morning surf session at Ocean Beach, change, and hop on abullet train to Northstar in time for first tracks! Hell, at those speeds, I could leave the slopes at noon to hit LA for some early afternoon waves, and STILL make it back to SF in time for dinner.

Wait a minute - That some train from LA to Vegas would only take an hour? Might need to take a rain check on that dinner back home...

How GM Destroyed the Electric Car - Video

We all know that the electric car (EV1) was created by GM and then discontinued a few years later. There has been much discussion as to why this is, and some "conspiracy theorists" think that GM orchestrated a malevolent ad campaign against their own car to make it look bad so people wouldn't buy it. I thought it would be a good idea to look into this a little further and see if we could tease out the truth. Here is a commercial GM made for the EV1 but which never aired:



Pretty good right? Here is the commercial GM actually aired:

Now, as someone in the advertising industry, I can break down for you in very technical ways which one of these is a good commercial and which one isn't. That being said, I don't think anyone reading this really needs my help there.

One looks futuristic and very similar to other car commercials we have seen. The other has dark music, lightning storms and living appliances scrambling around a creepy house.

One of these is hands down a better commercial then the other -- in fact -- the other is a downright bad commercial. Yet that is the one GM chose to run during the superbowl when those ads where costing literally millions of dollars for a thirty second spot. Conspiracy or stupidity? You be the judge.

Great Sustainable Food Resource

I think that my love of food is the number two reason why I am so interested in green (right after my love of the ocean, which is coincidentally related to my love of food). Anyway, since moving to San Francisco I have been just totally inundated with the most unbelievable fresh, organic, hormone free fair trade (yada yada yada) fruits, vegetables and meats. The stuff is really everywhere. I even get it delivered to my home once a week thanks to my local CSA.

Recently I had some friends in town who were complaining that they just can't get food like this near them. While that is somewhat true, I told them that there are almost no places in this great country where you can't get fresh fruits and veggies at a farmers market or participate in a CSA if you really take the time to make it happen. The variety may not be as good as it is here, but there is no need to subsist on a Safeway diet.

So I introduced my friends to this great site where you can find local farmers markets, CSA's recipes - you name it. Everything you need for healthy, organic food.

Enjoy.

China Wants Importers to Cover Emission Costs

Chinese officials, speaking about the current negotiations on a worldwide climate change treaty, said Monday that anyone importing Chinese goods should be held responsible for the carbon dioxide emitted by the factories that make them:

"About 15 percent to 25 percent of China's emissions come from the products which we make for the world, which should not be taken by us," said Gao Li, director of China's Department of Climate Change.

Oh-oh. Looks like our cheap Chinese labor – and the amazing gadgets and toys it produces – are about to get a whole lot more expensive.

Gao added that "this share of emission should be taken by the consumers, not the producers" and called the demand a "very important item to make (for a) fair agreement."

This is a very interesting proposal which reflects an equally inconvenient truth – a large portion of China’s carbon emissions come from manufacturing, and a large portion of that manufacturing is for products which are not consumed in China. However, this deal has a few ways of working, none of which work nearly as well as a straight carbon tax. My flow charts:

Carbon tax > More expensive for companies to operate > Higher costs passed on to the consumer > Chinese government get more money. Grade = A

Or

China makes no changes at all > Importers have to pay a carbon tax > Higher costs passed on to the consumer > Someone gets this money, but it is not necessarily the Chinese government. Grade = B

Or

China makes no changes at all > Importers make no changes at all > Importing countries are required to offset the emissions > Importing countries do nothing as they are already struggling to meet their own carbon reduction goals > The world gets hotter until we all die. Grade C-

Once again, it is very important to understand that China is getting a really bad deal no matter what happens. While we (we being the West, and America in particular) were industrializing, we spewed tons of carbon into the air, basically causing the situation we are in now. Now that China is industrializing, we are trying to stick them with the same responsibilities we have in cleaning up this mess, even though they caused a significantly smaller part of it. Even though we are spewing roughly the same amount of carbon today, the lifetime carbon footprint of our respective countries is still skewed way in favor of American output. Additionally, on a per capita basis, America still spews 3x as much CO2 into the atmosphere as China does.

While I think China is essentially trying to get off the hook by proposing what I am almost certain is the #3 scenario above, we all need to recognize that Western countries have a much bigger responsibility here than the Chinese. Getting them involved in the process is very important, but it is no excuse to stop taking action on our own right away.

Image provided by Rennett Stowe

Six of the Coolest Green Work Policies

LOVE the latest article from the people over at SustainLane - looking at the best workplace bonus policies from a green perspective. Some quick highlights:

The New Belgium Brewing Company gives all employees a free bike after one year on the job, in addition to offering an on-site climbing wall, yoga classes, and a 50-acre cyclo-cross track.

Clif Bar & Co. lets employees work incredibly flexible hours (80 hours per 9 business days rather than the standard 9-10 hours per day) so employees can take longer blocks of time off for outdoor trips.

One of the coolest packages I have ever seen, REI offers everything from health care for part time employees, flexible schedules and 50 percent public transit subsidies for commuters to lunchtime bike rides and Ultimate Frisbee. To help people pursue their passions, the clothing giant even allows up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave in a year.

I wouldn't put these on par with working at the Google campus (funnest afternoon I ever spent "working"), but I wouldn't complain about any of them either.

Puma pimps out with a glow in the dark bicycle

I think this would look pretty slick at the next Critical Mass (Burning Man too, although at more than $1,600, I don't think I'll be taking it out to the salt flats anytime in the near future). Comes in two colors: milk to green (pictured below) and a dull orange to bright day-glo orange. Oh, and did I mention it folds?




Images provided by highsnobiety

Live in San Francisco? Get a Free Bike Rack Installed Wherever you Want One

As most of you know, a lawsuit filed by a disgruntled San Franciscan (did I spell that right?) halted all bike improvements to the city of San Francisco until a full environmental report was drawn up to prove that bike improvements are actually good for the environment. I love the fact that I live in a city where one crotchety dude can have such an impact, but I am pretty bummed that the impact happened to be negative to biking. Got to give him credit for the environmental argument though -- very creative.

Anyway, the city has completed its review and is now waiting for the injunction to be lifted. When the bike improvement injunction is lifted in mid-2009, San Francisco is planning on installing nearly 1,000 new bike racks throughout the city. Make sure you get one where it will help you.

The SFBC has a handy little form you can fill out to request your bike rack. Just go to the Fix It! page and submit the quick form to let the city know. All they need is the address or business name and street. When the injunction is lifted in mid-2009, the City has a goal to install nearly 1,000 racks on sidewalks. The City still needs an additional 200 requests to meet their goal, so keep them coming!

Image provided by Adam Pieniazek

How to Save The Newspapers From Failing

Absolutely hilarious:

(click here to view)

Matt Bors Village Voice, Cleveland Free … Feb 25, 2009 EditorialCartoonists.com

A Saudi Islamic scholar says ethanol-powered vehicles go against the Koran

The Huffington Post reported today that a Saudi Islamic scholar has warned his students not to drive ethanol powered cars because their reliance on alcohol to run contradicts the Muslim rule to avoid alcohol.

The scholar stopped short of issuing a fatwa, saying instead that this was his recommendation and that further dialog on the issue was required.

Read the full article here.

Green Stimulus Expected by Friday

Well, we finally got an economic stimulus bill agreed, and it looks like it is going to be pretty good in terms of green -- much better than I expected actually. The $789 billion economic-recovery bill is expected to pass the Senate and House by the end of the week. President Obama hopes to sign it into law by Presidents' Day.

The final bill contains upwards of $62 billion in direct spending on green initiatives and $20 billion in green tax incentives. Here is a quick breakdown courtesy of Grist:

Energy transmission and alternative energy research:

* $11 billion for smart grid
* $7.5 billion for renewable energy and transmission-line construction
* $400 million for the Department of Energy's Advanced Research Project Agency for Energy for the development of alternative energy sources and efficiency

Efficiency:

* $4.5 billion for energy-efficiency improvements to federal buildings
* $6.3 billion for local government energy-efficiency grants
* $2.25 billion for energy-efficiency retrofits for low-income housing
* $2.25 billion for the HOME Investment Partners Program to retrofit community low-income housing
* $5 billion for the Weatherization Assistance Program for efficiency in low-income households
* $510 million for energy-efficiency retrofits for Native American housing programs
* $420 million for energy-efficiency improvements at the Department of Defense
* $300 million for Department of Defense research on energy efficiency at military installations
* $300 million for the appliance rebate program for Energy Star products

Mass transit and advanced automobiles:

* $8.4 billion for transit capital assistance programs
* $8 billion for Amtrak and intercity passenger rail
* $300 million for the purchase of more alternative-fuel and hybrid vehicles for the federal fleet
* $300 million in grants and loans for technologies that reduce diesel emissions

Green jobs training:

* $500 million for green jobs programs through the Workforce Investment Act

The thing about this bill that really surprises me is that all funding for coal and nuclear was dropped. I cannot believe that we were able to make the compromise to drop coal. I am just flabbergasted – I definitely expected the compromise to go the other way. In fact, it looks like when all is said and done, this bill is GREENER having gone through the conference between both houses then it was when it started. Kudos all around.

Review of Gunner Jeans from Volcom

I've been rocking Volcom jeans since before I can remember, and even though they are pretty big and mainstream now I still appreciate their clothes.

I bought a pair of these jeans a few months ago and they are awesome. They are made from reclaimed denim mixed with denim made from white oak during the "reclaiming process" (I have no idea what that entails).

Anyway, they are reclaimed, which is cool, and they are made the way denim was originally made, so that it changes color depending on where it is "stressed." Basically, that means that your jeans will start to have marks from where you use them most - so if you always keep your cell phone in your left pocket, an outline of your cell phone will begin to show up there. Pretty cool concept. Mine have a nice square patch in my back right pocket where I keep my wallet, and the bottom of the right pant leg is faded from where I roll them up to bike around town. Pretty sweet theory -- my jeans, in time, have become a reflection of me. I like that.

Image provided by Volcom

Eco-Font for Your Computer

Got to love this - a dutch company called SPRANQ has come out with a new font that uses 20% less ink because it is potted like one of those awesome old-timey newspaper images. According to their website:

"After Dutch holey cheese, there now is a Dutch font with holes as well."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Which Side Are You On?

Great news: the AFL-CIO announced this morning that it is forming a new Center for Green Jobs at its Washington, D.C., headquarters.

According to President John Sweeney, "the mission of the center is not only to engage public policy but to also move beyond that to help our labor unions implement real green jobs initiatives—initiatives that retain and create good union jobs, provide pathways to those jobs and assist with the design and implementation of training programs to prepare incumbent workers as well as job seekers for these family-sustaining careers."

I hope this new effort will accomplish the two goals it aims for -- to end once and for all the idea that job creation and environmentalism are inherently opposed, and too further the belief that a job cannot be truly green unless it is as sustainable for employee as it is for the planet.

Image provided by AFL-CIO

Obama Administration Cancels Drilling Leases in Utah

Ken Salazaar, in his first of what I hope will be many good environmental moves, has decided to cancel all of the oil drilling leases sold during the last weeks of the Bush administration. Koodos Ken -- this is what I like to see. Hopefully now we can move one step further and get this hero out of trouble.

Review of Cline Organic Cool Climate Syrah

I had this wine at one of my favorite restaurants a few weeks ago and I have to say I was very impressed with it. I am not (repeat - NOT) one of those unfortunate individuals who thinks that organic wine is inherently inferior. These poor saps are holding over their prejudices from a time when the only people making organic wine were people who knew a lot more about growing an organic grape than they did about making a good wine. This is no longer true, and I hope more winos like myself will try wines such as this Syrah and wake up to the incredible new world of good, organic wine.

I should probably make a clarification here - this is not the first good organic wine I have tasted. I find that, nowadays, it is pretty easy to find a good organic wine. This is however the first GREAT organic wine I have tasted. This wine would be fabulous organic or not, and the fact that it is organic just makes it that much cooler.

Some quick tasting notes - Very powerful, full on the pallate, but soft enough to go with spicy fish (I had a thai shrimp curry). Definite note of bacon fat (I love typing that) and smooth after-taste.

Go get this wine yo! Cline Cool Climate Syrah

Image provided by Cline Cellars

BoyScouts Log Their Land

Wow -- this is just so sad to see. What we have here is probably the pre-eminent conservation group selling of the lands given to them for educational purposes to make a quick buck. A great example of when an organization can't be trusted to do what is best for the environment:

Scout Council Defends Logging

Image provided by World Resources Institute Staff

The Green Dude

As this is my first post, I thought it might be appropriate to make it an "About Me" post. You can see this same thing on my blogger profile, but what the heck you know? Anyway, this is my story and I'm stickin' to it.

I’m an environmentalist and proud to say it. I also love some things (read: many things) that aren’t good for the environment. This does not make me a bad person. It doesn’t even make me a bad environmentalist. Living a more sustainable life doesn’t mean not lusting after fast cars and juicy burgers; it means supporting the coolest new green technologies in our rides and making sure that when we do eat a burger, it’s grass fed and not pumped full of hormones. It means I can love snowboarding, waterskiing, and mountain biking, while understanding and accepting that there are certain places I shouldn’t bring my board, my boat or my bike. Most importantly, it means that I can continue to love doing the things I love doing, while consciously trying to do them sustainably.