A Bottle of No Thanks, Please
Bottled water is so easy. It’s water, in a bottle, genius! I remember when it was chic and served in the finest restaurants. Then one morning I woke up and my mother told me we were getting a water bottle for the house. No longer was the tap good enough. …
Apple, Schmapple
I’ve heard rumblings about the paucity of places where you can recycled electronics and computer components, but thus far, I haven’t had to deal with any myself, so honestly, I’ve been a bit ignorant about the totally retarded state of they system. The other day I finally bought a new…
Just a thought
Recently I found myself engaged in several discussions about taking care of our environment as a matter of personal integrity, choice, and responsibility. One such conversation happened with a stranger in a training course I was attending. The man works for the EPA. He looked to be in his early…
Can You Go No Impact?
Image by Nicole Bengiveno for the NYTimes Fascinating article in the NYTimes about a family in Manhattan who is practicing a “No Impact” (on the Earth) lifestyle. Of course, his family were uberconsumers to begin with, and now they’re going cold turkey: Colin Beavan, 43, a writer of historical nonfiction,…
The Good in Goodwill
One of the advantages of living in a city where the distribution of wealth is so disproportionate and patently unfair is that lots of rich people throw away lots of nice things. If you are a scavenger or a dumpster diver by principle, then Los Angeles is a good place…
I've Got a Huge Fucking Ecological Footprint! Fuck You!
A little satire, because sometimes it’s the best way to make a point. (Think Swift’s “A Modest Proposal” and then read….. Text by guest-blogger Johnathan Wilbur In the last few years, I’ve heard (and overheard) a lot offhanded despairing with regards to the whole “Global Warming” phenomenon. A beautiful seventy…
The Food Service Industry Should Meet These Two
I am sure we are all guilty of stashing plastic utensils in our homes and offices. We then toss them away into the trash can or recycling bin without a second thought. Do we readily keep in mind that it can take Styrofoam up to 100 years to biodegrade and…
Thank You for Not Smoking
While, admittedly, there was a brief time I smoked cigarettes regularly (hey, I was living in Spain, give me a break), I’ve always found it EXTREMELY maddening that not only do smokers foul the air, but they toss their butts all over the damn place. I live next to the…
Go Nancy, Go Nancy! Go Ms. Speaker of the House!
In my former life as a political blogger on Jakeneck, which alas, no longer exists, I would rant and rave about politicians’ dirty little anti-environmental votes. I got a little burnt out (and despondent) after the 2004 election and withdrew from the political discussion arena, but plenty of other hardier…
"One's Trash is Another's Treasure"
This flower was made from reams of old tissue paper at the Materials Exchange. This is so much more fun than letting it rot in a dump. You could make giant-size flowers for a party, create a fun kids’ project (create a land of tissue paper!) or use it to…
