GroovyGreen.com – Start Today :: Save Tomorrow

I’ve been on the lookout for new environmental blogs.  La Vida Locavore is so good, it got this lazy blogger off his duff to give her a shot out and a link.

Go check the blog out, especially the series on her recent trip to Cuba

Groovy Green readers, any other good blog/website suggestions?

What follows is something I posted in September of 2008. The US presidential campaign was building up steam and I was sick and tired of hearing ‘Drill Baby Drill.’ It made me ill because of the stupidity of the entire argument. I wrote,

Even when production is pumping at full capacity, additional offshore drilling facilities would amount to about 200,000 barrels per day (bpd). The US currently uses 21 million bpd. This does not take into account the increase in oil consumption necessary to continue to grow our economy[during the time it would take to get the drills up and drilling]. The bottom line is that additional offshore drilling will provide 1.2% of the oil we use every day if we don’t increase consumption and we’re willing to wait 20 years.

So now Obama has opened up most of the east coast among other areas for oil exploration.

The Democrats are pretending to have been betrayed, the Republicans are saying he didn’t go far enough and the environmentalists are mad as hell.

The truth is that this was a beautiful political move. President Obama gave his Democratic base ammunition for the upcoming election and took steps towards soothing the sting of those opposed to “health care” reform on the right. Sure there are factions within the Democratic party who are oppose to more offshore drilling but fewer than five Democrats will actually vote against their Democratic candidates this November because the President opened up more offshore areas for oil exploration. Instead those candidates will be able to say, “Look, we’re trying to become more energy independent by opening up areas previously off limits and the Republicans aren’t going along with us. We’re willing to try what the Republicans have been asking us for years.” I’m not sure if those political bullets will hit their targets but hey, it’s something.

The real genius of this move lies in the fact that the Republicans have been saying for ever and ever that we could solve this energy problem if those wacky environmentally conservative Democrats would just open up more offshore areas for drilling. It’s total bullshit of course, as you’ll read below but they’ve gotten away with it because average Americans don’t know the facts. Obama has now taken that sound bite away from them. And as an added bonus if the Republicans do speak out against this they will be branded even more deeply as the Party of No.

I’m guessing the environmentalists who are upset about this don’t understand the facts. Little if any of the oil in these new areas will ever be pumped out of the seafloor. It’s too costly. We won’t be able to afford it. There is no real threat to the environment here because it’s highly unlikely that any substantial new drilling in these areas will ever take place.

This is political theater, nothing more. Grab a bag of popcorn and be amused.

Original post from September 2008…

I won’t go so far as to say I’m against lifting the ban on drilling for oil off the east coast of the United States of America. I say that because the only reason the idea is being bandied about is that the last two Republican presidents were oil tycoons and that party is desperate to reframe the rise in the price of gasoline as the fault of the Democrats. Perhaps Democrats should agree to lift the ban and when the price of gas doesn’t go down, Republicans will be left without that political punch to throw.

Having said that, I am not in favor of lifting the offshore drilling ban because drilling for oil off the east coast of the U.S. is stupid. Here’s why.

The USGS says there are 17.8 billion barrels of undiscovered recoverable resources(read Unproven Reserves) in waters currently off limits to exploration. The EIA says production couldn’t really get started until 2017 and wouldn’t be fully ramped up for another 15 years until about 2030. Remember the U.S. uses more than 7 billion barrels a year. Great, there might be two and a half more years worth of oil. Even if we could start pumping at full capacity today when my daughter is 2 ½, she’ll be 5 when all that oil is used up.

Even when production is pumping at full capacity, additional offshore drilling facilities would amount to about 200,000 barrels per day (bpd). The US currently uses 21 million bpd. This does not take into account the increase in oil consumption necessary to continue to grow our economy. The bottom line is that additional offshore drilling will provide 1.2% of the oil we use every day if we don’t increase consumption and we’re willing to wait 20 years.

Oh and if the oil companies don’t sell that oil to other countries. Remember, we currently export about 1.5 million barrels of oil from the US every day. There is no guarantee that big oil will even keep this measly 200,000 bpd in the US.

And don’t forget the hurricanes.

Notice I didn’t even mention the possible environmental catastrophes or the hit tourism might take if lounging at the beach starts to include a beautiful view of the flare from a drilling rig.

Offshore oil is politicians playing the blame game and that’s all it is. The sad part is that a majority of Americans are falling for it while their leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, continue to refuse to act appropriately.

If you want a quick test of whether or not a politican understands energy issues ask her if she’d like to see the cost of gasoline go down. If she says yes, she doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about.

[ed note: the following post is written by Alison Bayne.  Check out her blog at alisonbayne.blogspot.com]

The Book of Rubbish Ideas is anything but rubbish. It is FULL of excellent tips to help eco-newbies and hard-core Greens see rubbish as a resource, cut down on waste, and save time, money and resources as a result.

Don’t be put off by the quirky cover; author, Tracey Smith, a contented downshifter, aims to take the freaky out of eco, and her book is accessible, practical and positive. There’s no holier-than-thou attitude to reusable nappies, washable sanpro and chicken-keeping; we are encouraged to ditch the guilt for what we are not doing and start feeling good about what we are doing.

Tracey takes you on a tour through the average family home, from bedroom and bathroom through to the kitchen and out into the garden, including the Usually Male Domain of shed and garage, which so often get missed out where decluttering’s concerned.

Tracey’s project boxes at the end of each chapter include creating an art/craft box for your very own Make Do And Mend moments, a luscious His & Hers body scrub for a sticky night in, and (back down to earth) how to clean all sorts of household items – from grubby grout to wooden chopping boards – without using chemicals. Her practical advice is backed up with case studies from every day folk who are making their personal contribution to waste reduction through their own downshifting initiatives, and there are contributions from several celebrity greens, such as Wayne Hemmingway and Kim Wilde.

But this is more than a book of eco tips. It also helps readers get politically active and involved in environmental issues, by providing templates for letters to supermarkets, local schools and political representatives. There’s even an invite to send to your friends when hosting a Clothes Swap Party. So not only can you make changes within your own home, you can take steps to affect the wider world. The resources section is thorough and will have you hooked to the internet for days – there are websites, organisations and eco-products galore and a bibliography that is bound to fill up your amazon wishlist. One person’s rubbish may be another person’s treasure, but The Book of Rubbish Ideas is a gem for everyone.

[ed note: also check out the Book of Rubbish Ideas blog]

[ed note:] This post was sent to us by Tammy Roberts, from West Yorkshire, UK:

I’M GIVING UP MY CAR

I didn’t learn to drive until I was 30.  Up until that point, I hadn’t seen the point of having a car or even having the ability to drive, as public transport was convenient enough.  However, 2 months before my 30^th birthday, I moved to Plymouth for a new job and for the first time, I discovered how difficult it was to do my outreach work without a driving license – my job covered the whole of Devon and Cornwall.  Within 6 months, I passed my driving test and around 4 months later, I bought my first car – my beloved Fiat Tipo.  Yes, it was cheap and a bit of a banger and had all the quirks and faults that are found on most Italian cars (it’s a standing joke on Top Gear), but I loved it nonetheless!  And, my goodness, did I love the freedom that being a car owner gave me!  I was off to the beach at weekends and I drove back home to Yorkshire once a month to visit family and friends.  No more sharing my personal space on a 7 hour train journey, and trying to carry my own weight in luggage.  It was fantastic!  I even moved back to Yorkshire with my car full of my belongings, with a friend following behind, his car equally laden with my stuff.  I could not believe that I hadn’t learned to drive sooner and found that I needed my car for work more and more as I moved from job to job  When I had my son, 4 years ago, having a car was a bonus.  I remember a childhood of long bus journeys to shopping destinations with my mum, gran and my sister and it was so nice to be able to jump in the car with William in his baby seat and set off on day trips or to visit friends.

Now my son is almost 4 and I no longer need my car for my job.  I also only travel 1 mile to work now, instead of 24 each way that was my daily commute in a previous job.  Yes, the car is convenient for popping to the gym or supermarket, but it’s no longer a necessity and, with the cost of tax, insurance and increasing petrol prices, it’s no longer a commodity that I can afford.  And so I made the decision to get rid of the car.  My son’s school is 10 minutes walk from our house, we have a supermarket within a 20 minute walk, and the walk to work takes about 40 minutes, although there are plenty of buses from our village too.  Luckily, this has coincided with my parents’ need for a new car and, as my car is 8 years younger than theirs, so the decision was to ultimately benefit them too.

It’s scary though – I have to admit.  As lifestyle changes go, this is a biggy! How will I just pop to the rubbish tip to do my recycling, or drive to Aberdeen or Plymouth to visit friends for a break?  It’s daunting to think that my freedom will be limited and I will, once again, be reliant on buses and trains for all my transport needs.   However, I will lose weight and get fit from doing more walking, have more of my disposable income at my disposal and help the environment – what could be simpler?  I can’t ride a bike, as I never had a bike when I was young.  Perhaps, I’ll learn now, side by side with my son…….

[ed note: any other GG readers out there who've gone car-less?  I'm sure that Tammy isn't going it alone.  Great job Tammy!  I hope you keep us informed of your progress.]

From CNNMoney.com:

Lutz was asked if that means he would favor higher gasoline taxes, as in Europe where taxes drive fuel to more than $5 a gallon. He said he couldn’t speak for GM, but he said he saw a lot of value in a steady tax rise to much higher levels.

“You either continue with inexpensive motor fuels and have to find other ways to incent the customer to buy hybrids and electric vehicles, such as the government credits,” he said. “Or the other alternative is a gradual increase in the federal fuel tax of 25 cents a year, which in my estimation would have the benefit of giving automobile companies a planning base, and giving families that own vehicles a planning base.”

Lutz continued, noting that if families knew that the price of gasoline were going to steadily increase over the next few years, they would change their buying habits and lean towards more fuel efficient vehicles.

However shocking this admission may be to those that have followed “Maximum” Bob Lutz and his typically anti-global warming, pro-muscle car point of view (and magazine articles reporting that he regularly takes a helicopter to work).  He is realistic about the prospects of such a gas tax:

“Fuel taxation is the third rail of politics,” he said.

I was given the opportunity to speak with Bob Lutz after the reveal of the Chevy Volt.  He genuinely seemed to care as much about the Volt as he did any of the GM models that were produced that year – which is to say, a lot.  Whether the man believes in global warming (he doesn’t), or thinks that future vehicles will be run on alternative fuels (again no) – one can tell that the winds of change are blowing if I start agreeing with his sound bites.

My graduate school advisor, Charles Hall, is a very intelligent man, though he frequently defers to his doctoral advisor’s talent and knowledge.  Howard Odum explained the first and second laws of thermodynamics concisely and in a manner easy to understand:

The quantity of energy within a system is maintained (first law).  However, the quality of that energy degrades over time (second law).

Entropy is defined as

a function of thermodynamic variables, as temperature, pressure, or composition, that is a measure of the energy that is not available for work during a thermodynamic process. A closed system evolves toward a state of maximum entropy.

or, over time, a system evolves from a state of order (low entropy) towards disorder (high entropy).

Why the rudimentary physics review?  Well, I came across a series of photos of the Biosphere 2 project by Noah Sheldon (BLDGblog, via boing boing), which in my mind, embodies the concept of entropy.

Biosphere 2 was designed to test man’s ability to construct, maintain and live in a completely isolated biosphere to research and develop space colonization technology.  From b2science.org:

Two missions, between 1991 and 1994, sealed Biospherians inside the glass enclosure to measure survivability. Behind this highly public exercise was useful research that helped further ecological understanding.

A more detailed history of the site and its missions can be found here.

March 27, 1992—Six months into its two-year closure, the Biosphere 2 crew surpassed its first major milestone and set several world records—living inside closed ecological life support system longer than any predecessor…

April 24-27, 1992—Space Biospheres Ventures hosted the Third International Workshop on Closed Ecological Systems. Presentations and workshops were given by more than 30 different participants representing universities, research institutions, and government agencies from Russia, Europe, Japan and the United States. The symposium explored the dynamics and modeling of carbon dynamics in natural and engineered ecosystems underlining the potential importance of carbon research in Biosphere 2 in our understanding of issues involved in global warming.

I was a teenager in high school when Biosphere 2 was constructed and the experiments were carried out.  I remember hearing about it in science class and on the news.  At my age in the 1990s, the dream of colonizing the moon or Mars seemed entirely possible.  Unfortunately, the project suffered numerous setbacks, including declining oxygen levels, the “extinction” of many species – while others grew rampant, high nutrient levels in the water, and an unsafe build up dinitrogen oxide in the atmosphere.  Approximately 18 months into the experiment, oxygen had to be pumped into the closed system in order for the experimenters to remain for the full 2 year stay.  Politics and personal differences led to the project’s closure.

Today what remains is a picture of entropy (and a dose of humility).  From order to disorder.  A noble experiment to determine the limits of human sustainability, now a stark reminder of the human dependence on the other species on Earth, and the vast amount of energy required to maintain a “world” habitable for humans.

Image source: Univ. of Arizona

Mountain Rose Herbs, a small Organic herb, spice and tea company in Oregon, recently launched a new carpooling and bicycling program that might be the best I’ve read about in my time writing green stories.

From their site:

Mountain Rose Herbs offers one of the nations finest carpool and cycling programs which pays substantial cash incentives to all employees who either carpool or bicycle to work.
Currently we pay staff members who carpool to work 12 cents per mile for each passenger, and for those who bicycle to work, we currently pay 20 cents per mile.
In addition to this we offer a $500.00 bonus at the end of each year to the individual who has logged the most passenger miles. As we are all aware, excess automobile usage is an environmental burden with consequences of great magnitude. Driving cars requires unsustainable and non-renewable resources; while simultaneously contributing to the growing problem of Co2 emissions and global climate change and we feel this carpool and bicycling program works in a small part to alleviate these problems.

Hey bikers!  Can you imagine getting paid 20 cents a mile to ride your bike to work?  If you log 5000 miles (not out of the norm for a lot of commuters) you’d clear $1K on top of all the other benefits of bicycle commuting.

Now there is a company that puts it’s money where it’s mouth is.

Check out their site for a whole list of amazing sustainable actions they’ve taken.  It’s really quite astounding what they’ve been doing.

If you aren’t already, you need to check out the Urban Sustainable Living Magazine published by the Garden Girl.  It’s delivered to your inbox (free!) every month, or two, and it’s chocked full of good useful information each and every time.

Their website is even interactive featuring videos with Mel Bartholomew discussing Sq Foot Gardening, among other topics.

This month they are discussing honey, sheet mulching and composting, among other topics.  (You can see this month’s cover to the left)

Check it out when you get a chance.

(If you have a chance, you can search for the Garden Girl in our video library as well)

I was given the opportunity to try out the latest offerings from Graze Organic – their line of sandwich and lunch bags, as well as their napkins.  After using them for a week, I can recommend trying out a set for yourself.  Of course switching from reusable containers to reusable bags took a little adjusting for me.  However, I quickly got over the fact that instead of emptying my lunch bag into the dishwasher, they went into the clothes washer.  After 3 washes the bags appear to be durable and should hold up well over the long run.

We put the napkins out for a dinner party last Sunday, and the guests (and my wife) liked them a lot.  We especially like the black dog napkins.  (Who is that Diggs?  They should tell the story on the webpage.)  The ant ones?  not as big of a hit, at least in our household…

The price is admittedly a little steep, $24 for a set of 3 bags or for a set of 4 napkins.  However, they would make a great gift, and will give you years of guilt-free lunch time snacking. The artwork is great, and silk-screened by hand.  From the site:

We use only 100% certified organic cotton. All the artwork is done with water based inks, each silkscreened by hand. And everything is made locally to keep the carbon footprint light. Sure, we could have made our bags much cheaper with conventional chemical laced cotton and heavy metal dyes. But then that would defeat the purpose, don’t you think?

Stop by the Graze Organic site today to view their entire collection.  Thanks to Heather and Leslie for the opportunity to try out their fine product!

My wife was recently given the opportunity to try out the new Keds Green Label sneakers.  These Keds feature organic cotton, partially recycled materials, and nickel-free eyelets.  Here’s the full scoop from their website:

Friendly organic cotton uppers for a healthier environment

Recycled rubber to help reduce waste; We use 20% recycled rubber in our outsoles

Eye-catching colors made from non-toxic inks & dyes that help decrease the harmful impact to our atmosphere

Nickel free eyelets, ISO-9001 certified factory and recycled insoles

Shoe laces made from 100% recycled PET (water bottles)

The shoes arrived about two weeks ago, and they came right out of the (post-consumer recycled corrugated cardboard) box and onto her feet.  Since then, they’ve been on walks, working on the lawn, and veggie garden.  They look well worn already.  That is a seal of approval!  She says that the shoes are light and very comfortable.

Keds has been making shoes for over 93 years now.  It is excellent to see them offer a environmentally friendly alternative.

The lace up shoes come in white, black, green, and white.  The Meadow Moc shoes come in light blue or white.  All are available for $55.00 (as of July 23, 2009).  Until July 27th, enter the code “SAVETEN” at checkout for $10 off and free shipping!

They are available online, or look for them in a shoe store near you.

Shop for Green Label Keds here.