Resources · Eco-Chick

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Lady Liberty- Now Powered by Wind!!

The Green Lady herself is now even Greener!

The Statue of Liberty, America’s ubiquitous symbol for freedom is now symbolically free from fossil fuels. The Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and several other federal facilities in northern New Jersey owned by U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) will run on 100% renewable power.

Pepco Energy Services, a supplier of renewable electricity in the mid-Atlantic region, will provide the green power credits in a three-year contract. The energy will be generated from wind turbines.
Pepco Energy Services will supply an estimated 27 million kWh of electricity generated from 100% renewable resources to the Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum on Ellis Island; both landmarks are operated by the National Park Service.

Half my family immigrated through Ellis Island and I’ve always had a soft spot for her Libertyness. This makes me proud to be an American, which is a rare thing these days.

Maybe if we use wind power, we won’t end up like this:

Eco-Chick, electric, electricity, Energy, News, resources, wind power

Rural Tourism in Catalonia– Not Quite There Yet

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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

To Buy or Not to Buy?

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by Ann Benoit · 03/21/06

Two years ago I had the pleasure of attending the American Institute of Graphic Artists’ (AIGA) 2004 Gain Conference in New York. Although the bulk of the conference included motivational speech about a designer’s social and environmental responsiblity, one speaker—Christopher Hacker, the then creative & marketing director of Aveda jumped in and spoke about (among other things) how to make environmentally conscious decisions as a consumer (and as a designer).

In addition to his well delivered talk, Hacker gave everyone in the audience a small, well designed pop-up desk piece (printed on recycled paper) entitled, “The Thirteen Key Questions to Ask Before We Design Specify or Buy ANYTHING.” Although a self proclaimed minimalist, (and keeping in mind this conference was over 2 years ago) I kept that piece and still use it today when I am faced with the question, “Should I buy this”?

The Thirteen Key Questions to Ask Before We Design, Specify, or Buy Anything

01 Do we need it?

02 Can we do without it?

03 Can we borrow, rent or get it used?

04 Is the project/product designed to minimize waste?

05 Can it be smaller, lighter or made from fewer materials?

06 Is it designated to be durable or multi-functional?

07 Does it use renewable resources?

08 Is reuse practical and encouraged?

09 Are the product and/or packaging refillable, recyclable or repairable?

10 Is it made with post-consumer recycled (PCR) or reclaimed materials and how much?

11 Is it available in a less toxic form? Can it be made with less toxic materials?

12 Is it available from a socially and environmentally responsible company?

13 Is it made locally?

AIGA, design, designer, Eco-Chick, epa, liver, local, paper, recycle, recycled, resources, reuse, waste

What's Your Footprint?

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by Starre Vartan · 03/19/06

I just learned that if everyone on the planet lived as I do, it would take 4.2 Earths to provide for them. Meaning: I take up three times as much resources as I should. And that’s with keeping my house at 60 degrees all winter, driving minimally in an efficient car, and being a vegetarian.

This is how it works; on Earth there are 4.5 productive acres available per living human being. The average American uses 24 acres per person. That mean that every American uses up six times what the average Turkish person uses, for example. And obviously, plenty of folks get WAY less than their share.

How many Earths would we need to support your lifestyle? Find out by taking the quiz at My Footprint. You can also find out what your carbon footprint is at this site. And here’s another one, just for kicks. You can adjust them if you live outside the U.S. You can see how people in other countries rate here. Fill me in on your results, and if you have a low number, how come?

car, carbon, carbon footprint, driving, Eco-Chick, resources, spa, style, vegetarian

"Fairplay" in the Sack

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by Summer Rayne Oakes · 03/15/06

(.)(.) Must be 18 years or older (or the equivalent to AA’s Dov Charney) to read this blog entry.

(Caption: Meet Dov)

According to the Kinsey Institute’s FAQ, 54% of men think about sex every day or several times a day, whereas only 20% of us women, on the other hand, daydream of sex more than once a day (Doskoch, 1995). Hmmm, I guess I’m one of those over-sexed outliers or perhaps that is what really good sex and a long distance relationship does to you: makes you think about it like a man…a very, very dirty man….But I must digress to get to my point.

FOREPLAY. Rule #1: Don’t leave the bed without it. Rule #2: It’s okay to be dirty as long as the items are “clean” – and girls, we got some great clean, green, and fair trade products waiting for you compliments of UK boudoir sex shop COCO DE MER (named after the pine nut that looks like a female’s bottom). For the 75% of us that delight in sexual fantasies as a pleasurable and exciting escape, these products were meant for us.

Funny that I came across this shop, started by daugher Sam of Anita Roddick (of the acclaimed Body Shop) while on a plane to the UK to shoot for a fair trade fashion label as I was reading the straight-laced Financial Times… (Ahhh, Don’t you love when business, fashion, foreplay, and fair trade get in bed together). What a coincidence!

So what type of items do we have in store? My favs include the vintage lace veil; the fair trade spanking paddle; and the fair trade made-in-Brazil cuffs. (I won’t tell you which one is my fav), but you can bet your panties it’s not the veil (way too passive for me).