Clean Coal, Dirty Water

One Minute Action

Water has been on my mind quite a bit this week. West Virginia has been in the news daily, due to a chemical spill that has contaminated the drinking water of 35,000 residents. The chemical, used to  clean coal, leaked into a river that was also used by a water processing plant. There was an engaging discussion about this event on the Diane Rehm show (you can listen to it here).

If you are concerned about this issue, you can contact your representatives through an action letter on the Sierra Club's website, located here.  It allows you to personalize the letter, if you wish. I edited my letter to include questions about the location of coal processing plants.  I find it astounding that policies and procedures were not in place to prevent a water processing from being established downstream of a coal processing plant. Better planning could have prevented this accident.

Further Action

Take stock of how you use water within your own home. Do you have faucets that leak? Do you allow the faucet to run while you brush your teeth? Could you take shorter showers? Could you install rain barrels?

Consider supporting a charity that brings clean water to rural communities worldwide. I like Charity:Water because they allow you to create personalized fundraising campaigns. Children can ask for donations in lieu of birthday gifts and watch their donations grow.

To direct your attentions locally, do a quick Google search to find out which watershed you live in. Often, watershed preservation charities exist that can provide free (or reduced cost) help. Our local group provides inexpensive rain barrels. And, they will come to your home or work and perform a water audit. They will provide recommendations to reduce water runoff and improve water conservation (rain gardens and green roofs, for example).  If you live in the Baltimore area, visit http://www.bluewaterbaltimore.org/explore-the-watersheds/.

The benefit of wolves

One-Minute Action

I have been watching a National Geographic documentary that is really interesting.
The last episode explored the vital part that wolves play in many National Parks.
I know that wolves cause problems for many ranchers who live near the wolves' territory. My heart goes out to them; I don't know what I would do if my own livelihood were threatened that way.
But, at the same time, I feel that the health of the region is a benefit to more than the ranchers effected. I'd love to see a happy medium reached--one that would allow the wolves and the ranchers to coexist.

Today's one-minute action is sponsored by The Defenders of Wildlife. It is a letter urging decision makers to reinstate federal protection to the grey wolves living in Greater Yellowstone and the Rockies. It also asks decision makers to update the grey wolf recovery plan. The current plan is 15 years old and is not meeting the population's needs. The letter is pre-written, but gives you the chance to personalize it if you wish. Click here to send the letter.

Further Action
I really encourage you to rent the documentary that I reference above. It is called "Strange Days on Planet Earth". It is a 2 disc set hosted by Edward Norton. The episode with the wolves is on disc 2. It was originally aired on PBS, but was not being shown in our area. I ended up renting it from Netflix.

Luck O' The Irish

This evening I was lucky enough to go out and celebrate my Irish heritage. (i.e. My husband watched the kids while I went down to an Irish pub and got my drink on). That said, my brain is a bit fuzzy to provide you with a one minute link.
But, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to provide you with some very important information---breweries that provide earth-friendly concoctions. So, Danny Boy, when you raise your glass, check first to see if it is from one of these tree-friendly breweries.
Peace,
Jen

Recommendations for "green" beer (courtesy of the Sierra Club).

Migratory Birds

One-Minute Action

No less than 60 robins have made a temporary home of the holly tree beside my house. Their cheery chatter drifts in all day long while I chase my twins. They flit back and forth between the holly and a great big pine in the back yard. While I watch them move about, I’m reminded that somewhere in the world migratory birds have begun their journey north and will soon be back in the Maryland woods nearby.

Today’s one-minute action is sponsored by The Audubon Society. It is a letter to your representatives urging them to co-sponsor The Clean Water Restoration Act (HR 2421). This bill helps protect and restore wetlands—which are crucial nesting grounds for many migratory birds. The letter is pre-written, but gives you the chance to personalize it if you wish. Click here to send the letter.


Further Action
I start most days with a cup of tea--or, since the arrival of my boys, a strong cup of coffee. I’ve made an effort to make certain that my coffee and tea are organic, shade grown, and fair trade. I have also begun to buy both in bulk—one pound or more at a time. And, I have purchased metal coffee filters and tea infusers, which can be reused again and again.

Why go to all this effort? And, what exactly does it mean? Thought you’d never ask!

organic

Coffee has the unfortunate honor of being the second most pesticide-treated product that humans consume (the first is tobacco). Organically grown coffee is not treated with pesticides—making it safer both for the farmer and the consumer. In addition, organic farms are less inclined to soil erosion.

shade grown

Each year thousands of acres of rainforest are clear-cut and burned to make way for coffee plantations. Shade grown tea or coffee is typically grown on smaller farms, where the farmer has allowed diverse shade trees and habitat to remain. Since over over 150 species of migratory songbirds winter in these rainforests, it is important to support farmers who are working to protect this vital habitat. Additionally, shade grown coffee grows more slowly—allowing the mature beans to have an increased sugar level and a more enhanced flavor.

fair trade

Often coffee farmers are underpaid, forcing them to live in poverty. In order to be certified as fair trade, an importer must pay the farmer a minimum $1.26 per pound. Fair trade coffee allows farmers to afford the ability to use more sustainable and organic methods.

bulk

Purchasing loose tea or coffee in bulk reduces the amount of packaging. Less waste = happy planet.

reusable filters

Traditional tea bags and coffee filters are typically bleached. The dioxins and other chemicals left from the bleaching process can leach into your drink. Also, the bleaching agents pollute our waterways. Finally, the filters are often made of virgin materials and are rarely composed or recycled by the consumer. Reusable filters eliminate these issues!

Where to find them:
Shade Grown Coffees

www.treefrogcoffees.com
www.povertybay.com
www.peacecoffee.com

Metal Coffee Filter

www.gevalia.com

Organic (Bulk) Teas and Reusable Infusers

www.africanredtea.com
www.mountainroseherbs.com

Happy Brewing! Jen

Polar Bears

One-Minute Action
My husband's new favorite show is "Planet Earth" on the Discovery Channel. One of the episodes follows an adult male polar bear. As Sigourney Weaver's voice gets more and more grave, you watch as the bear falls through thinning polar ice. Without solid ground to hunt from, he is forced to swim for more than 24 hours straight to find suitable hunting ground. Once there, he is too tired to fight properly and he is badly injured by a male walrus. He lies down, exhausted, and prepares to starve to death. I hate this episode. It's heart wrenching. Of course, there were only 11 episodes filmed, so it tends to be on with some frequency. I get to watch the poor creature struggle again and again...

Today’s one-minute action is in honor of that bear. It is a letter to Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne encouraging him to support actions that will list the polar bear as a threatened species. It also encourages him to support efforts to decrease our dependence on "dirty energy sources". The letter is pre-written, but gives you the chance to personalize it if you wish.All you need to do is fill out your information and hit “send”. Click here to send the letter.

Note: as of 7/13/08 this letter has expired. But, a letter to your congress person can be sent on behalf of the polar bear by clicking here.

Further Action
My sophomore year in college, my roommates and I were rather lazy about cleaning up. It got to the point where we had to wash dishes in the tub because we could no longer find the kitchen sink. One of the girls decided that we should only use disposables—plates, utensils, and towels. No more need to clean up!
Needless to say, the treehuggers among the five of us were less than enthusiastic about this plan and it caused a bit of strife in the room.
That memory always comes to me when I make the following suggestion: You should make an effort to eliminate or cut back on your use of paper towels.
Those of you who like paper towels take this issue very seriously, I know.
But, there are several very strong reasons behind this idea:

• Paper towels cannot be recycled.


• Most paper towels are made from virgin wood.


• Paper towels use twice as much energy as the electric hand dryers you find in public restrooms.


• The generation of paper towels emits a number of pollutants and chemicals—including chlorine—into both the air and water.


• Americans use 27 million trees worth of paper towels each year. Source: Beyond Recycling, page 89
  

Alternatives?? In my home, we only buy paper towels in December, when my in-laws come to visit. LOL. Otherwise, we use hand towels and cloth napkins. For big spills we use old bath towels.

When out and about, I use hand dryers over paper towels, when they are available. I also try to keep a small towel or cloth napkin in my bag or near the desk at work.

I know it’s a tough change for some to make. But, concentrate first on reducing the amount of usage. Take one towel rather than two in a restroom. Keep a hand towel on or near the paper towel rack as a reminder. Make a game of it—challenge yourself to see how few paper towels you can use to clean up a spill.

Every bit helps! Peace, Jen

Off to a green start...

One-Minute Action
Today’s one-minute action is a letter to your state representatives encouraging them to support a pollution-reduction bill. The letter is pre-written, but gives you the chance to personalize it if you wish. Click here to send the letter.

All you need to do is fill out your information and hit “send”. (Helpful tip, if you don’t wish to fill your in box with mail from organizations after you share your email address, go to www.gmail.com and set up an email address just for this purpose!)


Further Action
My family considers me a fairly committed tree-hugger. But, even I walk out of the room without always remembering to turn off the light. I’ve improved over the past year, but I’ve decided to recruit some help in 2008.
I’ve made note of the lights that I leave on most often, and I am going to install motion-sensors. They aren’t nearly as expensive as I first feared.
I found two fairly decent choices at amazon.com. With them, you can you can upgrade the lights you leave on the most for under $25 each.

The first option is the First Alert Motion Sensing Light Socket (model # PIR720RN). It’s the more expensive choice of the two, but was better reviewed. It screws directly into your lamp and then the bulb fits into it.

The second choice is the Sensor Plug by Ziotek. It’s only $14, and the main complaint seems to be that it works poorly in cold temperatures. A plus to this version is that it fits into the outlet, so it can be used for more than just your lamp. I tend to listen to the radio when I wash dishes, but I always forget to turn it off. There's a limit to the wattage it can handle, so I'm interested to see if my little clock radio is too powerful for it...

Let me know if you’ve had luck with other brands or models!

Happy New Year!