Book · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with book

Pollan Speaks Out

Grist has a great interview with Michael Pollan, author of the new book Omnivore’s Dilemma (I’m reading it now! So far, it’s pretty amazing…) in their newsletter this week. My favorite quote was Pollan’s assertion that the connections between what we eat and the environment are strong (duh), and tie people’s everyday habits to the natural world, since it’s easy to be distracted by all the bleeping, plastic things.

Pollan also brings a great number to the fore: 20% of our fossil fuel use goes into food production/distribution, so what we eat not only has an impact on our health, pollution from pesticides, etc., but on global warming as well.

Food is also a great topic to broach to ‘break people in’ to the the environmental movement. Everyone needs to eat, and most people enjoy it! Pollan talks about organic food, the importance of local agriculture, and the impact of “convenience” foods on our health, sanity and the natural world at large.

agriculture, Amazon, book, Food, Global Warming, health, interview, local, Michael Pollan, News, Organic, organic food, plastic, Pollution

From the Left and the Right: Meeting in the Green

3 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 05/23/06

I may not agree with Greg on every issue, but I love the fact that his explanation for “Why I’m Green” is just a photo essay of him in beautiful surroundings like the above shot.

The Republican party was not always the go-to group when it came to environmental armageddon (not that the Democrats have given any great show on the issue either). Every day I hear of more and more Republicans and Conservatives decrying our current policies, from the Crunchy Con book to the Green GOP site (their tagline is: “Republicans Love the Environment Too: Reconciling Republican Policies with Environmental Conservation), which is run by Greg (above), a New York City-based Repub.

Greg put the GreenGOP blog together to bring us news and information that proves there’s still a green side to the Right, and I’ve gotta show some love to my fellow Earth Lovers, no matter which side of the aisle they find themselves on. After all, it was Republican President Teddy Roosevelt , who once said:

“A nation that destroys its soils destroys itself. Forests are the lungs of our land, purifying the air and giving fresh strength to our people.”

Roosevelt backed up these words by protecting 150 national forests. In all, Roosevelt protected some 230 million acres of national land. (From Environmental Defense’s site.)

On the other side of the fence is the Truth and Progress blog, which is put together by Lori Ehrlich and her team of bloggers. They cover topics from why liberals shouldn’t patronize Starbucks to little-known information about rabbits to personal stories of making life greener.

Lori is an environmental activist (though she doesn’t like that designation) who got her start when her daughter was playing in soot, and tracked it all over her kitchen floor. It turned out the black stuff came from right in her own backyard from a local power plant, and ever since that day 10 years ago, Lori has worked for a cleaner environment for her and her children.

She helped launch two environmental organizations, and was pivotal in brokering the corporate cleanup of a decades- old, power-plant waste site. She led a grassroots delegation to Capitol Hill last year to protest President Bush’s energy plan, provided environmental policy advice to the fledgling administration of Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and has been named an “outstanding activist” of the year by a statewide environmental group. (from this article on Lori.)

I’m proud to add both these thoughtful and well-written blogs to our blogroll here at Eco Chick.

Amazon, book, Bush, children, conservation, design, Energy, giving, local, New York City, News, oil, oils, party, spa, Starbucks, Tea, waste

In Their Own Words

No Comments

by Starre Vartan · 05/08/06

I stumbled upon the site for the Inuit people of Canada, Alaska, and the Arctic while doing some global warming research, and they have put together great book that describes the significant changes they are seeing in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions.

Most of us have heard that the ice is melting at an unprecedented rate, but this book goes beyond the science and gives the native people a voice in describing not only what they see, but how it’s different from the past, how it’s affecting the animals and plants in their ecosystem, and how it’s ultimately affecting their traditional way of life.

You can download the book Unikkaaqatigiit: Putting the Human Face on Climate Change Perspectives from Inuit in Canada for free here as a PDF.

The book is an:

“extensive partnership project between ITK, Inuvialuit Regional Corporation, Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated, Makivik Corporation, Labrador Inuit Association, the Nasivvik Centre for Inuit Health, the Changing Environments program at Laval University, the Ajunnginiq Centre at the National Aboriginal Health Organization, and communities across the Arctic.”

There are maps, food webs and charts for all you infographics junkies out there, but my favorite part is all the quotes from the meetings that were convened to study the issue. Hear what’s happening in the Arctic from the people who know the land, and who are deeply afraid by what they see.

Animals, arctic, book, climate change, Food, Global Warming, health, junk, Plants

Give a "Hoot"!

1 Comment

by Starre Vartan · 04/26/06

Following on the be-sneakered heels of eco-lite kids’ movies of the past few years, (like Ice Age:The Meltdown and Finding Nemo) is Hoot, which is coming out in May. Hoot is the story of a boy who moves from Montana to Florida and works with his friends to save some endangered owls (though the story is about more than just the owls, according to those who’ve seen advance showings).

I love watching kids’ movies (though I prefer the cartoons), so I have high hopes for this one. It’s based on a book, by Carl Hiaassen (who wrote Striptease!). It stars Logan Lerman, who seems to be a teen fave.

book, car, kids, movies, style, Tea

Rural Tourism in Catalonia– Not Quite There Yet

1 Comment

by Jennifer Cross · 03/23/06

Being such a slave to metropolises, I rarely consider entertaining the idea of any type of rural tourism. In fact, I know little about anything rural. According to Planeta.com, an online global journal of practical ecotourism, rural tourism can be defined as a type of travel that “allows travelers to visit areas outside of urban areas.” With that definition in mind, I began exploring what kind of rural tourism exists in Catalonia, the region of Spain where I reside.

I was surprised when I started my research to find that there aren’t a terrible amount of resources available for those hankering to spend some time breathing in the pre-Pyrenees air in a house made of stone while livestock graze outside the window.

John Erceg is the Director General of Engrande, an online booking site of hotels, hostels and apartments including Ruralsi, a site that specializes in rentals of rural houses in Catalonia that start at as low as 10 EUR/ night. John explained that rural tourism has a much stronger presence in France than in Spain.

According to John, following WWII the French government poured resources into marketing rural tourism to help the impoverished French countryside. Spain, unfortunately, never followed suit.

There is no reason, however, why Catalonia, which is attached to Southern France, can’t also have a stronghold on the rural tourism sector. This site focuses exclusively on eco and rural tourism in Spain, although it leaves a lot to be desired. Another site called Top Rural does not offer as many options as Ruralsi. It is a shame, since surely there are travelers out there that would opt for a night listening to cow bells rather than the merrymaking of boisterous tourists on the calles below.

book, Eco-Chick, resources, spa, travel, urban