It Ain’t Easy Bein’ Green

 

 Being “green” is a misnomer, thank heavens.  I have no wish to be green, not even a little bit green.

What I strive for is to not be such a burden.  Don’t get me wrong…I don’t have a complex.  But like so many Americans, it’s clear that the way most of us live is out of balance with the actual amount of biomass we represent.  Let’s look at it like this:  a fruit fly (now, why do fruit flies spring to mind!) has a small biomass, and represents a small part of it’s ecosystem.  Now, it displaces the environment just a little bit – it breathes and makes carbon dioxide, it produces waste, but it also consumes things.  It’s output is balanced by it’s input.  But we humans, especially ones who live like the typical American, displace far more than we take away.

But look at the cost of replacing your washer and dryer, your old furnace, insulating with denim, and you quickly realize you have to be pretty well off to reduce your footprint, or so it seems.   Plus, with all the “green” things being marketed to consumers, it’s hard to know what is cost effective, what is safe and what the unintended consequences may be.  So, it’s easy for paralysis and flat out denial to set in.  For instance, my sister washes her towels after each use – she says, well, the environment is screwed, but really, is that nearly as bad as the factories and power generation stations?  I wasn’t surprised or offended.

Yesterday at my daughter’s elementary school a nice young man was handing out posters and CFL’s to the kids to raise awareness for Earth Hour.   Another parent commented to me about how hazardous they are, and how there’s little knowledge of how to dispose of them and how toxic they are if they break.  I’m not sure I share the same sense of outrage, but it does make you think about unintended consequences.  These things are pushed on consumers as a “green” alternative…but to what?  Yes, you save electricity, but you also risk mercury exposure.  It’s not the end of the world if one breaks, but it’s chilling to think you may breathe it in or absorb some through your skin – or worse, you kids will with their developing brains and all.

Then this parent went on about how “low flush” toilets really take 5 flushes, unless you spend mucho dinero on the good ones.  He might have been complaining, but he raised two important points – one – being green is nice, but less meaningful, or downright foolish, if it introduces health risks and two – to be effectively green, it seems like you have to have a lot of disposable income, at least in the US.

If I may, composting can be so cheap its free.  Starting a little garden is inexpensive, and has many rewards besides the food.  Get outside and plant some carrots!

Geo-Engineering – No longer just the “province of kooks”?

kooky!

One of the driving factors in my shift toward a sustainable lifestyle is  the feeling that I have to do my part, however insignificant, to reduce greehouse gas emissions.  I know that my small part doesn’t make a dent, but the hope is that my actions are joined by many like me, and that this stream of small actions feeds into a larger stream of political will and collective actions.  That’s why I am so happy to have Obama in the Whitehouse (okay, that is only one reason).  The final cog in this scenario in my head is the innovation of our scientific community.  In my estimation, if we can put a man on the moon, surely we can come up with some way or ways to reverse or even just mitigate the effects of all the CO2 in the atomosphere.

It seems like one of the first steps we’ve taken collectively is to start quantifying the cost of doing nothing, and then coming up with the cost of correcting the problem.  According to some, the cost of reducing or eliminating carbon from the atmosphere world wide will be staggering.  And during this world-wide economic downturn, there is reluctance and even inability to invest the money and radically alter (Obama’s plans notwithstanding) our infrastructure to move away from carbon-based fuels entirely.  Of course, the cost of doing nothing is possibly annhilation.

Enter the geo-engineers.  This field, which Time Magazine has referred to as the “province of kooks” is a once-disdained area of engineering that is now being looked at again since Paul Crutzen suggested in an op-ed that maybe the earth could be cooled by releasing sulfurous debris into the atmosphere.

According to Science Daily, “Geo-engineering is the large-scale engineering of the environment to combat the effects of climate change — in particular to counteract the effects of increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. A number of schemes have been suggested including nutrient fertilisation of the oceans, cloud seeding, sunshades in space, stratospheric aerosol injections, and ocean pipes”

Encouragingly, a recent review of geo-engineering projects by the University of East Anglia concludes that one of the most promising projects is using biochar (read: fancy compost).  Biochar is produced when bio waste is subjected to pyrolysis (super hot composting) and is then added back into the soil.  I know it’s not quite the same thing, but the principle is very similar.  Woo hoo for compost!

In a later post, I plan to lay out in more detail exactly what biochar is and what it’s potential benefits are.

Obama Takes Action on Environmental Standards

A relief! Obama signed two executive orders today, one directing the federal DOT to increase fuel efficiency standards on 2011 cars sold in the US and a second (and dear to my heart as a Californian) directing the EPA to review the decision not to grant the waiver to California to pursue more aggressive emissions standards.

Have weird spots on your squash? Wilting potatoes?

Cornell’s vegetable disease/plant pathology website, cleverly named Vegetable MD Online, can be a good resource before you cart your plant to your nearest nursery.  I know it will save me some hassle this spring.  Last summer, my squash was ravaged and I never figured out the problem.

Rainy season over, maybe?

I’ve notice for the past several years that the rainy season here in California is getting shorter.  Maybe this is just a temporary drought, or maybe we’re seeing the new paradigm.  It used to be that the rains started in November and continued off and on until March.  I remember sitting in a coffee shop watching the LA marathon (beginning of March) during a hellacious downpour.  Now, it seems we have a rainy season that starts in December and ends in January with a few hiccups during February.  WTF!

Reading up on the current drought, I learned that spring 2008 was the driest in recorded history, and that the future holds more of this in store.  So, once again, I come back to the idea of being “green” as a lifestyle choice, and being “green” from necessity.

If you choose a green lifestyle, it’s somehow like you have decided to switch to wearing grey instead of black.  Minor lifestyle choice, and kind of annoying.  But making choices to use less and recycle more because there is necessity, well, it ceases to be something cool you do until it’s not cool anymore.  You can guess which category I’m in. 

Here is a list of 10 things a busy person can do to cut down on water waste:

1.  Don’t let the water run when you do dishes.  I get everything wet and rinsed off, get my sponge really soapy and wet, then I put everything in one sink as I wash.  Then, when I’m totally done, I rinse all at once.

2.  Only wash full loads of laundry.  Depending on your habits, you can save up to 1000 gallons a month.

3.  Instead of using your garbage disposal, compost your kitchen waste.

4.  Water your garden or lawn in the morning.   You can also water in the evening, but I don’t recommend doing that unless the weather is really warm and you don’t have any dampness at night.

5.  Wash fruits and vegetables in a bowl or pan rather than under the running water.

6.  Spread organic mulch around the base of your trees and plants in your yard – this will cut down on water loss.

7.  If your shower fills a 1 gallon bucket in less than 20 seconds, replace it with a water-saving style.

8.   If you have a fish tank, don’t throw out their dirty water-use it in the garden!

9.  Get a rain barrel to collect  water from your roof to use on your garden.

10.  Replace your sprinkler system with drip irrigation – it’s easier than you think.

click here for a list of 90 other ways.

Flies, Flies, Flies!

I walked out to put more compost in the Johanna, and was greeted by a small army of little flies, buzzing around. I opened the top and everything looked too wet. I added some more browns and a little more compost, all thankfully pretty dry. No water for a while! I will check again in a few days to see if I should add some peat moss just to soak up that extra moisture.

Fortunately, there was no nasty smell.

Collecting Rainwater in Colorado, Utah or Washington? Not So Fast.

I met Eugene Volokh a few times through a friend. He’s a legal genius, and his friends at UCLA Law School nicknamed him Eugenius. I don’t agree with his politics, but I do respect his intellect. The dude is smart!

Anyway, I was looking for another rainwater collection formula and found his blog, in which he discusses some legal barriers to collecting rainwater in Colorado, Utah & Washington. It’s unbelievable, but if you live in those states and are considering collecting rainwater, you may need to get a permit first.  Follow the link to learn more.

New Year’s Compost Poll-Will you…

Green Johanna’s Stir Stick…not so sure

I read up on the stir stick.  Apparently, it is recommended to just stir the top 4-6″.  I am really not sure this makes a lot of sense right now.  The compost is only about 6-8″ deep, so, that is kind of meaningless.  Also, I find myself struggling to get any purchase with the materials and mostly swish around the biggest items and generally not accomplishing much. 

This morning, I got out the pitchfork because I noticed that the compost was already beginning to get compacted.  The pitchfork undid all that in a few minutes, and is a great tool or getting new items mixed and for breaking up clumps and preventing compaction.  It’s more than just a halloween accessory!

I’m not sure if I like the stir stick, and that only stirring the top most layers gets the job done, but then again, when it is more full, that may make more sense.  For now, I think I’ll occasionally aerate and turn with my pitchfork.