Reduce · Eco-Chick

Browsing all posts tagged with reduce

Save the Produce!

by Ann Benoit · 06/28/06

EGGmantrans100

It’s summer and with all the produce you’ll be scoring at your local farmer’s market (hopefully you’ll be buying organic) it’s no doubt that your fridge will be fuller than usual. But on an average, Americans throw out at least 25% of the produce that they buy, due to spoilage. Although this statistic may be great for your composter, it’s bad for your wallet and really wasteful!

Fortunately there are many products out there that can help you reduce the amount of ethylene, the odorless colorless gas that’s released by produce that makes ripening happen faster. My personal favorites are the Evert-Fresh Green Bags and the BioFresh Resealable Zipper Produce Bags— I’ve been using them both for about a year, and they’re also a really great alternative to using plastic baggies from the market. If you bring your own produce bags, you won’t have to repack them when you get home and you’ll end up with less plastic waste.

I recently read an article in Vegetarian Times that reviewed and tested these bags and other ethylene-reducing products. Their winners, (they tested using lettuce) which I’m interested to check out are the E.G.G (ethylene gas guardian), the FridgeSmart container and the ExtraLife Disc.

Amazon, bags, Eco-Chick, epa, farm, farmer's market, gas, Home, local, oil, Organic, plastic, produce, reduce, summer, vegetarian, waste

Is the 3rd the Charm?

1 Comment

by Danelle Brown · 04/18/06

Tribeca seems to be becoming the little Mecca of eco-friendly living. First there was the remarkable Solaire, then the Tribeca Green, now the new comer in town, The Verdesian, is making its way as the new environmentally advance residential tower of lower Manhattan. Located at the NW corner of Battery City Park at 211 North End Avenue, The Verdesian stands 26-stories tall. This new eco dwelling is jammed packed with amazing features.

24 hours a day the indoor air quality is monitored and as a result 85% of the unknown particles floating around the NYC air are removed, and only the freshest of air enters each unit. With a beefed up HVAC, electrical demands are reduced to 50% of the normal lower peak demand. This definitely cuts back on the utility bills. Not to say that will make it that much more affordable to live at the Verdesian. A typical studio of about 500 Sq.Ft. goes for $2350 a month and a 3 bedroom will cost you $6500. But hey if , if I had the extra green $ I would splurge.

With floor to ceiling windows, an amazing view of Tribeca, and custom solar shades for when we feel a little vampirish on a Saturday morning, why not dive into those pockets of yours a little bit deeper?

If those amenities don’t grab your eco-attention, how about the fact that the pesticide-free green roof garden atop the residence is irrigated using harvested rain water and uses grey water from the toilets? The HVAC units are re-used which cuts the demand from the city’s water supply, and all of the appliances are energy star.

So if your apartment-hunting I would check out The Verdesian before these units are gone.

corn, Eco-Chick, electric, Energy, garden, Manhattan, NYC, oil, reduce, spa, style, water

Ask Chicky: Clear Skies or Dirty Air?

1 Comment

by Starre Vartan · 03/06/06

Dear Chicky,

My boyfriend and I (we’re both in our early 30′s) have a bet: I say air quality is better than when we were kids, he says it’s worse. Who’s right?

–Itching to Be Right
Dear Itching,

Though it’s always fun to watch one half of a couple do the “I’m right and you’re wrong” dance, I’m sorry to report that nobody’s winning the bet on this one. You’re both right, depending on what kind of standard you’re using to judge air quality, and where you live.
Overall, air quality has improved in most parts of the United States, due to several decades of pollution rules and enforcement under the Clean Air Act. In the Southeastern parts of the country where population growth has exploded, there are higher levels of pollution than before (since housing wasn’t exactly planned around people riding their air-friendly bikes to work), but they’re still within the normal range on most days. Some cities, like Los Angeles, have made dramatic improvements in air quality, something that Angelenos notice when they step outside their doors and enjoy visible views. That’s the good news.

Ask Chicky, bikes, car, carbon, cars, children, cities, Easter, Eco-Chick, emissions, Energy, epa, fur, health, kids, Los Angeles, News, Plants, Pollution, reduce, Technology

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.

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

I (Heart) Tom's

2 Comments

by Starre Vartan · 02/15/06

I’ve been a fan of Tom’s of Maine since I was a whippersnapping treehugger in tie-dye with a flower in my hair. They make the best natural toothpastes (who else would have thought of gingermint?), and some damn good deoderants and other personal care stuff. They’ve been doing it for years, too- they’re not just another LOHAS-loving capitalist company.

Now, Tom’s is going 100% wind-power. That means that their 100,000 square foot manufacturing plant will be run with energy from wind turbines in Nebraska. Their press release elucidates:

The change will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1.5 million pounds per year, the equivalent of planting 214 acres of trees or removing 138 cars from the road.

Mmmmm……Tom’s gingermint.