Eco-Chick · The modern girl's guide to living green & fabulous.

Karma’s Gonna Get You

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by Starre Vartan · 03/23/06

Since Bush has decided that America is addicted to oil (hmmm…wonder where he got that idea?) his administration is considering a requirement that some of the biggest SUVs meet fuel economy standards for the first time.

According to NPR, “Vehicles weighing between 8,500 and 10,000 pounds have been exempt from the standards. If regulators change the rules, automakers would likely have until 2011 to meet the new targets.”

Cheerleaders (Heart) Hummers!! 

Currently, Hummers,Yukons and others are so big that they are not required to follow the pretty lame fuel economy standards that currently exist because they are too big. I guess the original idea was that people would only use vehicles like this for hauling and for businesses. Apparently the geniuses looked out the window and realized that every suburban housewife now has one too. (And there’s even a song on iTunes about the diminutive devil-drivers.)

Interestingly, it is American car companies that will be hardest hit by making the modifications, since they make the greatest percentage of giant SUV’s. The forward-thinking (ha ha) GM is downsizing like crazy in order to stay afloat already. Karma’s a bitch, GM! I, for one, won’t be sorry to see you and your behemoth cars die.

Bush, business, car, cars, Eco-Chick, hummers, News, oil, plates, style, Target, urban

Head of the Interior heads for the Exterior: Gale Norton Resigns

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 03/15/06

Last week U.S. Interior Secretary Gale A. Norton resigned amidst rumblings of scandal regarding purported connections between her department and disgraced former lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Many environmentalists applauded her departure due to her appalling record for supporting corporate interests and being unable to bridge the ever-expanding gap between big business and environmental advocacy.

While financial incentives encouraged private investment in land preservation and generated praise from The Nature Conservancy, Norton’s record is largely one of exploitation and promoting Right-Wing interests. Famous for opening Yellowstone to snowmobiles, her enthusiasm to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling, and stripping protections for the Endangered Species Act, Norton’s conservative pandering will not be missed.

Of course, Bush will probably look for another James Watt clone, but perhaps his current realization of our ‘addiction to oil’ will encourage him to look for an individual whose interests align more with environmental ideals and sustainability than the almighty dollar. Doubtful.

arctic, Bush, business, Eco-Chick, epa, exploitation, News, oil, preservation, rum, sustainability, Wildlife

State of the Union Address States Something Incredible

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by Jennifer Veilleux · 02/27/06

Although our President has tried to hold back the tide of change toward cleaner healthier energy, some things he said in his last State of the Union Address suggests that he may be changing his tune, at least for now.  The oil money man said that “America is addicted to oil”, and implied that this is a bad thing.

Bush acknowledged that energy sources from solar, wind, and hydrogen not only exist, but that further support into research and development for “alternative energies” will be funded by the federal government!  In his speech he declared that we have to push forward in two vital areas: how we power our homes and offices and how we power our vehicles.  Following his speech, Bush even went so far as to visit a plant that produces solar panels in Michigan and make public statements about the importance of the technology. 

Regarding vehicles, ethanol was mentioned specifically in the State of the Union Address.   Ethanol is a fuel that can be produced from various plants and plant matter.  It can be manufactured in our own backyard or rather our own rural communities, and in fact, it already is.  There is a fuel available, called E85; a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, and it is used to power cars and trucks. 

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Brazil, Bush, business, car, carbon, cars, coal, dress, driving, Eco-Chick, emissions, Energy, Europe, fur, gas, Germany, health, Home, News, nuclear, oil, Plants, plates, produce, reduce, sugar, Technology

Sticking it to the man…Hillary style

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by Kimberly Jordan Allen · 02/19/06

A couple of weeks ago the Bar Association of San Francisco held a fundraiser and hosted NY Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton for a one-on-one interview before an audience. Jane Pauley conducted the interview and Hillary held nothing back in her critique of our current administration and the frightening movement away from scientific findings regarding climatic change. As Pauley asked Clinton about global warming and the current doubt some officials have regarding the human factor in climate shifts, Clinton showed her vivacious humor and biting wit claiming that “…only in Washington” could the scientific findings related to global warming be called “opinion” and the administration find “the five or ten people in the world who agree with him (Bush)” to come to the government’s aid. I may not always agree with some of Hillary’s decisions (ie: voting for war in Iraq), but her eloquence and humor is refreshing. The criticism that Senator Clinton has been receiving for her “anger management” problems only serves to illuminate the Right’s persistent reliance on the cult of personality to deflect attention away from the important issues. While some feel Hillary may not inspire passion among her listeners, her articulate and careful language reflect her grasp of some of the key issues we are dealing with today.

Bush, car, Eco-Chick, Global Warming, humor, interview, News, NYTimes, opinion, Politics, style

Attention Caffeine Junkies!

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by Starre Vartan · 12/28/05

If you drink coffee (about 50% of Americans drink it every day, and 80% quaff it sometimes) you should know where it comes from. (and hey, now it’s good for you, so go ahead!)

The exhaustively researched cover story for the Nov/Dec Issue of E/The Environmental Magazine, “Grounds For Change” covers the coffee industry, from small fair trade outfits to Starbucks.

There’s three labels to be concerned with if you care about people, birds and the health of the earth: organic, fair trade and song-bird friendly. To make your life easier, if your coffee is organic, chances are it’s fair-trade and good bird habitat, so you don’t need to go nuts looking for triple-certified brew. Besides the labelling, organic coffee just tastes better. For the last few weeks I’ve been sipping on Equal Exchange’s decaf and it is the best decaf I’ve ever had! (I know, I know, decaf, I ‘m a weenie).

This is why: “Coffee grows best in tropical highlands,” explains Chris Wille, the Costa Rica-based chief of the Rainforest Alliance’s Sustainable Agriculture Program. The bushy plants are maintained at a height of six to eight feet. After the seeds are dried and hulled, they become green coffee beans. A mature coffee plant generally yields about a pound of roasted beans per year. According to Connecticut-based roaster Coffee-Tea-Etc., “Every step in the process from climate and growing conditions, genetics of the tree, to the final brewing methods affect these natural chemicals. Each of these factors affects the distinct taste of the final brew.”

‘This is what shade-grown coffee looks like. Integrated with the forest, it makes a better tasting coffee.’

‘This is what coffee that\'s grown in the sun looks like. Monoculture alert!’

There are also some excellent sidebars to the article, including one on where to find this good-for-us-all brew.

agriculture, birds, Bush, car, coffee, Fair Trade, habitat, health, junk, magazine, Organic, Plants, rainforest, Starbucks, sustainable, Tea