Archive for the ‘Food & Cooking’ Category

Administration’s overlooked successes

Bamboo Bokeh by Steve Webel A few weeks ago Paul Rogers of the Mercury News wrote that despite the general perception that the current administration having accomplished relatively little Obama has in fact made major strides in national environmental policy. Some examples not included in the article are: the significant tightening of the previously weak regulations surrounding non-conventionally raised livestock, and the FTC’s stepping up efforts to address greenwashing amidst increasing complaints
and problems such as the bogus “bamboo” textiles.

Ocean overview

006020plastic_ocean_trash by cesarharada.com Not only is the infamous Pacific Garbage Patch (or gyre as it is properly known) is possibly much larger than previously estimated, an Atlantic counterpart has been discovered.

In more local news, your orders of fried clams this summer might get a little expensive. Researchers have warned that New England may experience major red tide events this year.

Lastly, a potentially positive piece: California is considering “un-grand-fathering” power plants permits to dump waste heat into coastal waters.

Remember the rainforest?

Logging in PNG by Greenpeace Esperanza The poster child of human environmental destruction in the 90’s is still imperiled, even if the focus has shifted to global warming. Of course the two are intimately related, and besides the forests’ huge impacts on local watersheds—effectively creating their own rain—the forests’ trees and soils obviously have a major impact on the carbon cycle. Still, the onslaught upon the lungs of the world is not only unrelenting but expanding.

Green (and free!) events hosted by Somerville Climate Action

Looking for a green activity to keep the February doldrums at bay? Check out these free events hosted by Somerville Climate Action on February 22nd!

Got water, ambient light, 2 minutes per day & a spare glass jar?…

Environmental pawprints

Comic strip about the environmental footprint of pets

Lest our dog-owning readers think that the above comic unfairly singles out their pooches, note that the original research it is commenting upon is not limited to canines. It turns out that a variety of pets have numerous, oft-overlooked consequences for the environment, be it illegal bird and fish trafficking, or the insistence that Fluffy should eat better than her owner.…

Tobacco powered trucks?

On their face, biofuels seem like a pretty good idea: carbon dioxide and sunlight in, carbon dioxide and energy out. Certainly some hobbyists manage to recover waste grease for use in diesel engines, but commercially the field has been dominated by the fermentation of sugars from food crops into ethanol.…

Sustainable (sea)food

Food waste

New Scientist has an interesting article on the “Five eco-crimes we commit everyday.” Most are not very surprising, but the details are interesting, such as the fact that the western world wastes one third of its food!…

Green Holiday Guides

CompassOne of the coolest things about Thanksgiving? Unlike Halloween, it’s not about stuff. While Halloween wouldn’t be the same without candy, costumes, and décor, Thanksgiving celebrates giving thanks for what you already have. What a relief for your pocketbook and the planet. —treehugger

Free tickets for the Museum of Science

Museum of Science CEA has received a number of tickets for free general admission to the Museum of Science, and is making them available to interested parties. They will be available for pick-up from CEA’s offices beginning at noon on Friday 9/25, which should be staffed until 7PM on that date.…

Local Restaurants Go Green

To find the real "green", sometimes you have to dig deep-- even through compost!

Digging Deep To Find Green Restaurants

With all the hype these days about “local”, “green” and “sustainable,” its often difficult for consumers to weed out the green-washing and dig deeper to find the real good guys. Often, simply changing out light bulbs (while an excellent effort) isn’t enough. Some companies are taking it the extra mile and finding creative ways to improve their sustainability on a holistic level—effecting not only their own business environment but also the practices of the vendors they work with.…