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

Soy's Eco Creds

Last month, when Starre asked us all for our New Year’s resolutions, I didn’t have to think twice about them because I’ve been thinking so much about these goals over the last year. But I just put all my eco goals for the year out there for the world to see without elucidating and that raised this question:

Why is soy considered “not necessarily doing better for the environment”? I thought that tofu was a good nonmeat protein alternative.

Here’s my attempt at answering that question, but bear with me: there’s a big debate about soy so there’s a lot of nonsense out there and I don’t want to rumor-monger. And along those lines, I won’t get into the health issue regarding soy (I know one dietitian who says it’s good for you and another who says only in moderation and though I trust both of them, the truth seems to be a few years away yet).

So the closest thing I have for an answer is to say, as I said in that previous New Year’s post, that I try to lead a one-earth life as it is so the things that I’m working on are pretty specific to me and what I think I can handle doing. I mean, it would be silly for me to say I’ll cut back on driving when the only time I get in a car is when I visit my ‘rents in the US which doesn’t happen all that many days in the year. And so, for me, the next step my vegan lifestyle has to take is less processed food and that means removing soy from my diet and eating more veggies and beans. Of course, eating tofu is not as much of an eco-sin as eating meat. As Starre said in her recent post to the new Pres:

Meat production is the most energy- and water-intensive food you can eat. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Department reports that 18% of greenhouse gases come from meat and dairy production. Go veg at least half-time Mr. President, and you will save your heart, your colon, and the planet.

Going local while veg is the next best thing you can do for you and the planet. Soy, however, doesn’t grow here in Germany and it’s not always easy in the US, either, to get locally-grown and processed tofu (especially that made from soy that hasn’t been genetically engineered, which is a huge enviro no-no in my book, and which accounts for 85% of US grown soy). In some of the countries that export soy to the US, it has become such a viable crop due to biofuels and its use as a cattlefeed that eco havoc is being wreaked in some places, and I don’t want to get behind that anymore by buying beans from Brazil. Or from anywhere else. So if I can swap a mushroom burger for a tofu burger, I will. At least, that’s what I’m resolving to do. But for everyone else, well, that’s up to you.

New Year's 2009 GreenSolutions

Editor’s Note: This year I asked all the Eco Chick contributors to send me their New Year’s Resolutions, and they really impressed me with their plans! I bet you will be too- interesting to note the similarities (reducing plastic, teaching kids about environmentalism, cooking more) from all these writers, and the differences. I’ve noted where everyone lives so you can get an idea of where these Greensolutions are coming from.

We’d love to hear your Greensolutions! Leave them in the comment box to solidify your plans and inspire others!

Kim Jordan Allen, Connecticut, rural/small town

Teach my children about personal responsibility and the environment: using minimal amounts of water (my son just learned to wash his hands and wants to stand at the bathroom sink as long as possible with the water running, so that is a great opportunity to teach,) recycling, caring for plants and animals, and generally enjoying nature.

Spend Less Money: in general, as we know, spending less minimizes one’s carbon footprint. With times being what they are, there is great incentive to grow it, make it, recycle/reuse it, sew it, or fix it. In our house, with kids, food is usually the biggest expense. Buying organic and local can be pricey sometimes, so focusing on not wasting anything and utilizing every crumb is my goal.

Clear out all the old piles of random odds and ends that need to be disposed of: plastics, batteries, CFL’s, cell phones, and other household waste. Earth911.org is my savior for this stuff.

Eat as little processed food as possible and eat local: To avoid those sneaky ingredients that seem to be in everything, like corn syrup, soy lecithin, whey powder, etc. I am trying to cook my heart out and buy less boxed goods.

Melissa Goldberg, New Jersey suburbs

Reduce my family’s waste — In my household we recycle everything and anything that can be. This year I would like to move that one step forward and rather then recycling more, I would like to reduce the amount of waste that my family generates.

Jar and freeze more food for the winter months — This past summer our garden was abundant with veggies. With our CSA and garden we were giving food away. This summer I plan and learning more about storing my food for the winter months so we have a freezer full of great veggies rather then depending on what is available in the market.

Help get my community on the road to sustainability — For the past year, myself along with 10 other members of my community were part of a Sustainable Task Force where we created a road map of what we think our town needs to do become more sustainable and reduce their carbon footprint. In 2009, we hope to move this along by putting the suggested tactics into action.

Make my house more energy efficient — Built in 1955, our home has many places where we loose heat especially our front door. I would like to upgrade our front door reducing the draft and saving energy.

Teach children the importance of helping our environment — I would like to create a program in my son’s school to teach the children the little things they can do to help our environment. It is hard to teach the parents so let the kids do it for me!

Alicia Lubowski, New York City

To Connect With Nature: Since I am a city dweller, it is easy to feel disconnected from nature. Sometimes, for example, I long to see a full starry night sky and not what I think looks like a star, but is actually an airplane or some other unidentified flying object! I intend to be more thankful for the land, the seasons, and natural resources that enliven and sustain the urban environment and to relish thoroughly those sublime windows onto nature’s majesty.

To Smile at The Morning Glory: I am kind of a vampire and so a big item on my agenda is to become more of a morning person. For those who know me, this statement might make them laugh in disbelief or take bets on my feeble willpower. I’d like to wake up at dawn to watch the sunrise and shift to the new solar surprises and rhythms of that time and space.

To Do Without Have To: I’d like to cultivate more contentment, playfulness, and appreciation for doing things that sometimes feel like a push, a “have to”, a rule, and a burden. I want to work on expressing sincere gratitude, freedom, and enthusiasm rather than acting from feeling like I “have to”, be it a deadline, a moral judgment, or a routine schedule. I am thankful for increasingly greening my life, which gives me a chance to exercise living with conscious intention, community, and joy.

To Sweep Away the Plastic: I’d like to continue to eliminate conventional plastics and try harder to get rid of the sneaky ones that show up encasing natural toothbrushes and other well-intentioned sustainable purchases.

To Forge New Paths: While the economy going down the drain makes this a very difficult time, I hope 2009 will generate new beginnings full of inspiration, hopefulness, and unimagined promise.

Ann Benoit, Berkeley, California

1. Avoid buying any new books until i check my local library to see if they have a copy. If they don’t have a copy, I can check to see if they will order it. Donate any books + magazines that I own but don’t use to libraries or other local organizations.

2. Use my bike and walking to run more errands on the weekends

3. Make a more conscious effort to conserve energy in my apartment

4. Consume less! If this economy has taught me anything, its that I don’t need to buy as much. Using what I already have in new ways is a lot less wasteful and a lot more fun!

Danelle Brown, New York City

Prepare more meals and reduce on takeout- Not only is this resolution healthier for me, its economical, and reduces the waste that is generated by takeout containers.

Refill my printer’s ink cartridges verses purchasing new ones- I used to just drop off my empty ink cartridges to Staples, have them recycle them and purchase new ones. About a month ago, I walked by a local store that refills all HP & Epson Ink cartridges and it’s about time I walk in.

Educate, inspire and strengthen women’s confidence and awareness of our bodies’ natural abilities, strength and amazement. More and more, women are becoming disconnected to their bodies. With the addition of common medicine, pills, surgeries, products, media and many others causes, the sacred functions and natural beauty that lives within every woman is slowly slipping away.

Stephanie Rogers, North Carolina

Expand my organic garden and use water from a rainbarrel as much as possible. I grew veggies for the first time last year and this year, I plan to grow even more, but I’m going to do everything I can to use water wisely. I’m going to make my own soaker hoses as well.

Buy more food in bulk to reduce packaging, save money and lessen my dependence on packaged foods. Staples like flour, sugar, dried beans, rice, nuts and pasta are available in big bins at my local health food store and I plan to use these as well as the food I grow myself as the basis of my diet.

Get more involved in my community. I hope to join green efforts in my area, get to know more people, and eat and shop local even more than I already do. I love Western North Carolina so much and as a transplant I feel like I need to earn my place here and give back a little.

Courtney Tenz, Cologne, Germany

My hubby and I have already done a lot to keep our carbon footprint as close to one earth as we can (from going completely carless for the last three years to sharing our four walls with neighbors to help keep energy usage low) but this year we’re trying to move beyond thoughts of pollution control and more into the realms of lowering our already low consumption. So here’s what I’m attempting to do in 2009 to keep from adding to our overflowing landfills:

1. Plant a veggie and flower garden. Schrebergartens are all the rage in Germany and this year, we plan to get our hands on one. Small plots of land, these gardens were introduced post-war to keep people from starving and the tradition of growing your own food remains strong (seriously strong, as the only way to get one is to find someone who’s no longer able to care for it). Since we live in the most populated part of the country, land space for home gardens is rare and the balcony doesn’t quite cut it if you want to grow more than tomatoes and herbs so we’ve got the word out that we’re on the hunt for a
garden to call our own … and when we get our hands on one of these, we promise to share all the space with our friends. Nothing says loving like a pumpkin patch of your own!

2. Make my own things … from duvet covers to curtains to pillow covers. I may have nearly failed home ec but the rule I’ve set is that in redecorating my house this year, I’ve got to do the textiles all on
my own. That way I know no sweatshop was used, no crazy chemicals were sprayed on my bedsheets, and best of all, I won’t be throwing away any packaging.

3. Which brings me to: Banishing plastic permanently from my life. I’ve got glass jars instead of plastic tossaways, porcelain instead of plastic platters, and I always use canvas bags. Still, my plastic
garbage pile keeps getting higher (here we have to sort it out to be burned – my worst nightmare but not unusual) because of all the packaging. So this year, I’m searching for the brands that believe in
sustainable packaging and not buying those individual-wrapped cookies and chocolates that I don’t need anyway. And I’m getting my hands on a reusable water bottle.

4. I’ll also be skipping some of my previous indulgences this year by eating less soy, sugar, and chocolate. I may be vegan but a vegan who substitutes meat with soy schnitzels and soy nuggets and soy milk and soy yadda-yadda is not necessarily doing better for the environment. So I’m going back to basics in my cooking and ditching the replacements. Who needs a soy burger when you can have an mushroom one? And sugar and chocolate, well, I could go on and on about why they’re bad for the earth but I’ll be more vain here and just say my body could seriously do without so much of it.

Starre Vartan, Connecticut urban suburbs

Dance More: I love to dance, it doesn’t cost much, and it makes me piles happier than a bunch of new stuff (yes, even more than new shoes!) I’ve always tried to get into meditating every day- my new rule is that I either have to dance OR meditate every day- I think I can do this!

Work Less: I’ve become something I never thought possible in my slacker youth- a total workaholic. I LOVE what I do, but I’ve gotta cut back- it’s aging me!

Swim More: If asked to list my top 10 favorite things to do in life, swimming would come in at 3 or 4 (with dancing taking the other spot)- I will swim in almost anything and am planning on topping last year’s list of new swimming explorations. Also, I’m going to get a super-comfy, flattering, eco bathingsuit that I LOVE! Yes, I will share my search with all you lovely readers.

Do Less of the Stuff I Don’t Like and More of The Stuff I LOVE: Which encompasses all of the above….and more!

Celebrate New Year's, 2009 at Greenhouse

For those looking to add a dash of green to their winter holiday partying, the Greenhouse in New York City is throwing a New Year’s Eve bash!  The L.E.E.D. registered nightclub and event space is manufactured from recycled and recycleable materials and was conceived as the first eco-friendly party spot by its owner Jon Bakhshi.  High efficiency heating, LED lighting, green living wall panels as well as bamboo and FSC-certified wood flooring and wall paneling have been incorporated into the club’s design.  The dramatic decor of the bi-level 6,000 square foot club also includes bars made of recycled glass, which display panoramic landscapes, and a streaming chandelier composed of 5,0000 crystals.  

The club staff wear togs by the organic clothing brand Edun (founded by Ali Hewson and Bono) and attention has been paid to equip the space with eco-friendly brand products (including bathrooms stocked with Kiehl’s Aloe Vera Biodegradable Liquid Soap).  The Greenhouse even participates in a carbon offsetting program to counterbalance the energy used during its construction and operation.

Other events around town, like the Emerald Nuts Midnight Run [yup, that is what it is called] or Jivamukti’s 20th Annual New Year’s Celebration, also offer healthy options to go out and play while still staying grounded and contemplative.  New Year’s Eve is a special time to set intentions for the future and close the past all the while reflecting on where we are in the present moment.  It’s not often that we are so conscious of the day, hour, minutes, and even seconds as we collectively count down around the globe from 10 to 1.

New Year’s ’09 at Greenhouse

General Admission $125
Seated VIP $185
Ultra VIP $215
Platinum VIP $250
After 12:30 General Admission $40

For More on the New Year’s Options at Greenhouse, go to the next page.
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Cologne's New Smog Control

I live in a city with its own special breed of traffic jams – traffic that gets so snarled, it has its own label: stau. Cologne, a city of 1 million people, its geography divided in two by the Rhine River, can sometimes have traffic so backed up that it’s faster to bike across the bridge than to hop into a car.

What’s amazing about this traffic is just how unnecessary it is. With subways and railways that stretch into every crevice of the nearby suburbs and neighboring cities (Duesseldorf and Bonn are less than 30 minutes by train, though I wouldn’t dare call them suburbs of this city for fear of flogging), you can often get door to door faster by train than by car. As home to Europe’s largest train station, too, you can get nearly anywhere on the continent at any time (my New Year’s trip to Paris was cut from 5-1/2 hours by car to 4 hours by the 200 km/hour Thalys train).

Still, people – especially those on the outskirts of the city, are attached to their cars. So starting on January 1, the city of Cologne implemented a new commuting policy to help combat emissions. Though it doesn’t limit the number of cars allowed into the city (a dream of mine since the first time I tried to ride my bike through the city center) and it’s not the same as the toll system London and now Milan have introduced, it does keep the heavy polluters out of the city.

Now, in order to drive into Cologne, you have to have a sticker saying your car is not a polluting vehicle. This is more than just an emissions test… it ranks the levels of emissions that technically road-worthy vehicles produce (I say technically because I’d never consider a 4-wheeler a proper vehicle, but they are allowed out of the woods here, don’t ask me why). Which means autos that pass looser emissions tests in the ‘burbs may not be allowed into the city. Not ever. And those that are on the borderline may not be allowed in on smoggy days. Though in an ideal world, those cars wouldn’t be spitting their smoke out in the suburbs either, I’m happy that my hometown’s doing a bit more to clear the air.

FYI – For all those arguing against a similar policy in the States, in the first week of the pass’s usage, the staus didn’t increase and everyone still got to work on time. Fighting smog this way isn’t as problematic as you might think.

If Trees Could Talk Caption Contest

What’s the funniest caption you can think of for this cartoon? Leave your suggestions in the comments section below.

I will pick the winner, who will receive a really cool Starter Kit for Change, which contains all sorts of goodies that will motivate and educate, including fair-trade hot chocolate, a really cool tote, a tree seedling, a compact fluorescent lightbulb, and more. The kit would make a great present for anyone who has added being more environmentally aware to their New Year’s resolutions!