Green Guru: Environmental Costs of Dried Fruit, Battery-Powered Mowers, and Red #40 on Hummers
Since I write this column for Audubon Magazine, I thought I would share my (laboriously researched) advice with Eco Chick readers. In considering the hidden costs that come with shipping fruit—trucking it around the globe in refrigerated containers—I’m wondering whether it’s more energy efficient to eat dried fruit? —Justin Van…
Rally for a Strong, Clean 2007 Energy Bill!
By Guest-Blogger Lorna Li This fall auto industry workers, environmental organizations and student groups rally hard for Congress to pass a 2007 Energy Bill that includes higher fuel efficiency and renewable energy standards. Will you rally with them? What’s on the plate is a fuel efficiency standard that the Senate…
Gotta Keep on Top of the Bills!
Yeesh! There’s a flurry of activity surrounding environmental issues in Congress and it’s all I can do to keep up! Here’s what’s going on: TOMORROW, on Halloween, the House is set to vote on HR 2262, which updates the incredibly outdated (and super destructive) Mining Act of 1872. That’s right,…
Tahoe and Yukon Hybrids: Sensible or Stupid?
I was embarrassed. There’s no other way to describe how a green, treehugging, environmental blogger such as myself felt clambering into a Chevy Tahoe outside a restaurant on the West Side of Manhattan recently. This ‘full-size’ (read that as gigantically huge) SUV was a hybrid, true, but its slightly lower…
An American Corporation in China
Deadly pet food, poisonous toothpaste, carcinogenic shrimp, and toxic Thomas the Tank Engine toys aren’t the only dangerous exports coming out of China. According to the Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, a trusted source amongst academics and UN environmental envoys, The People’s Republic of China is now the largest producer of…
Don't Believe the Hype
First, full disclosure: Unlike Starre, I didn’t watch LiveEarth. Not on TV or in person or on the Internet. It was held, admittedly, for a good cause. But I’m not a huge fan of pop and celebrity, so something about the whole spectacle turned me off. And that’s tough to…
Is It Really Worth It to Recycle?
There’s a really great article over at Body and Soul Magazine’s site about recycling and why it really does matter. It’s ideal fodder for when you find yourself arguing with someone who claims that recycling is pointless, and impetus to talk to your wayward neighbor about using their recycling bin…
Wind to Light in London
I’m always on the lookout for interesting eco-friendly art, or creative projects that make a comment about environmental topics. Artistic endeavors are the primary way the future will look back on our time and judge where our priorities are. Whether writing, painting, sculpting, singing, or creating mixed-media pieces, art tells…
Striking a Chord in the Industry?
Christian F. Martin IV, maker of Martin guitars, along with guitar makers Taylor, Fender, and Gibson have joined alliances with Greenpeace to bring attention to forest management and sustainability. As Martin stated to the NYT, “I have a 2-year-old daughter, Claire Frances Martin, and she can be the seventh generation…
The World is My Playground: The Summit of the G8
G8 Protesters Over the last year, people in Rostock, Germany have been preparing for the coming week as though there’s a hurricane brewing off the coast of the Baltic – boarding up windows and building fences and booking tickets to get out of town. And though hurricanes are a relatively…
