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Tuesday Science Times Rehash

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by Starre Vartan · 02/15/06

Tuesday is has two redeeming qualities; it’s not Monday, and the NYTimes Science section comes out. A couple heartwarming stories from the last edition. Genetically modified produce is a flop, for both consumers and crop yields. And apparently, all that opposition to GM foods has really taken the mickey out of the biotech scientists. See, we do make a difference. Though now they’re making GM corn to feed to farm animals. Ew.

   Bald Eagles are getting closer to being removed from the Endangered Species list.  

Investors are finally taking windpower seriously, which is the good news. The bad news is that it’s because General Electric has gotten serious about it. Read why GE is not so great here. (Times article is actually from the business section.)

Thanks to the NYTimes for images. (For stories more than seven weeks old, you will need a NYTimes Select membership to view)

Animals, business, corn, Eco-Chick, electric, farm, Food, News, NYTimes, Politics, produce

Green Yoga

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by Starre Vartan · 01/29/06

Friends of mine have asked what yoga has to do with the environment, and I’ve always been stumped. I always felt there was a definite connection between my yoga practice and my environmental consciousness since both are about being more aware of our impact on the world, but that was about as far as I got.

Now Green Yoga is filling that void; it’s an organization dedicated to making yoga businesses more environmentally aware, from reducing energy use to building materials to earth-centered practices.

“Our goal is to widen the circle of Yoga practitioners who are seeking and finding ways to honor and care for the Earth as an essential part of Yoga.”

business, car, Eco-Chick, Energy, yoga

Crazy Capitalist and Enviro in the Same Sentence?

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by Starre Vartan · 11/22/05

Today’s NYTimes has an interesting article in a section I usually ignore. The front of the Business section has “Saving the Environment, One Quarterly Earnings Report at a Time.”

Wal-Mart uses a wind turbine to help provide electricity at a store in Aurora, Colo., as an experiment.

From the story by Dave Weaver:

A few years ago, scientists at Cargill Inc. learned how to make rigid, transparent plastics from corn sugars. There was just one problem: they cost a lot more than the oil-based plastics they would replace.

Plastic pellets derived from corn at NatureWorks. Some producers have adopted corn-based packaging, as the cost of oil-based products rose.

But that was before the price of oil shot up and companies came under pressure from consumers and investors to find economically sound ways to adopt “green” packaging and other environmentally friendly products and processes. This year, Wal-Mart, Wild Oats Market and many other retailers, as well as food suppliers like Del Monte and Newman’s Own Organics, all embraced corn-based packaging for fresh produce.

Sales at NatureWorks, the Cargill subsidiary that makes the plastic, grew 200 percent in the first half of this year over the period last year. “The early adopters were more influenced by environmental concerns than costs,” said Kathleen M. Bader, chairwoman of NatureWorks. “But now we’re competitive with petrochemicals, too.”

Cargill is one of several companies profiting from the concerns – of shareholders, communities and consumers – about global warming, leaking landfills and other potential environmental hazards. Huge companies like General Electric and Chevron now have separate businesses to market what they are calling environment-friendly products.

And new companies and university projects appear each day. Cornell University’s College of Engineering, for one, expects to have a commercial process for using bacteria to recoup energy from wastewater treatment within three years.

“There are a lot of creative types looking for the next big thing,” said Bob Sheppard, deputy director for corporate programs at Clean Air-Cool Planet, a nonprofit environmental education organization. “Well, these days, environment is it.”

That’s what I like to hear.

business, car, Chevron, corn, electric, electricity, Energy, epa, Food, Global Warming, Hair, NYTimes, oil, Organic, plastic, plastics, produce, sales, spa, sugar, waste, water

Tuesday Science Times Rehash

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by Starre Vartan · 11/22/05

Tuesday is has two redeeming qualities; it’s not Monday, and the NYTimes Science section comes out. A couple heartwarming stories from the last edition. Genetically modified produce is a flop, for both consumers and crop yields. And apparently, all that opposition to GM foods has really taken the mickey out of the biotech scientists. See, we do make a difference. Though now they’re making GM corn to feed to farm animals. Ew.  

Bald Eagles are getting closer to being removed from the Endangered Species list.

  Investors are finally taking windpower seriously, which is the good news. The bad news is that it’s because General Electric has gotten serious about it. Read why GE is not so great here. (Times article is actually from the business section.)

Thanks to the NYTimes for images. (For stories more than seven weeks old, you will need a NYTimes Select membership to view)

Animals, business, corn, Eco-Chick, electric, farm, Food, News, NYTimes, Politics, produce

Anna Sova Yummy

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by Starre Vartan · 11/21/05

I attended the Anna Sova launch last party last weekend in Manhattan. The self-titled line of ‘luxury organics’, which includes aromatherapy sprays, soy candles, sheets, duvets and bedruffles (I call it bedwear), towels and paint is truly gorgeous, and I was thrilled to see that someone finally realizes that just because you’re eco-conscious does not mean you want to live in earth tones. There were deep oriental reds, and bright mustard, green apple and fuschia silk linens, as well as variously colored and textured linens.

Anna Sova herself (the Amazonian blonde on the left) was dressed up for the evening. She said she much prefers to be in jeans and cowboy boots (yup, she’s Texan!) and told me all about how she got to the point where she was able to launch her own luxury organics line- and why.

“The paint was my passion,” said Anna, “My paint smells like food because it IS food!” The paint, which comes in a range of colors, can also be mixed to your specifications and is made of milk casein and food grade emulsifiers and preservatives. Truly, it smelled like cake batter, and you can even scent it with aromatherapy oils (though they’ll only last about 6 months). “If you had a store you could paint your dressing rooms with it, and it would smell great as people change,” suggested Anna.

Ms. Sova has been in business since she was 16, and has designed over 4000 products, so she’s the kind of person who’s perfect to bridge the gap between mainstream and eco. I’ll buy it.

Amazon, business, candles, design, dress, Food, jeans, mainstream, Manhattan, Milk, oil, oils, Organic, party, silk, soy, towels