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.
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.
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? We’ll supply the seeds! Learn the essentials of year-round countertop sprouting & take home your own starter kit.
BRING A WIDE MOUTH GLASS JAR (one pint (16 oz.) to one quart (32 oz.) size range – Mason jars work great.
Monday February 22 @ 6-6:30 pm Somerville Public Library @ 79 Highland Ave
_________________________
State Representative Denise Provost TRANSITION SOMERVILLE and Somerville Climate Action Present:
FOOD, INC.
Followed by a discussion Monday February 22 at 6:30 pm
Somerville Public Library at 79 Highland Avenue
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. The latter is a rather disturbing and unnatural trend since undomesticated Felis and Canis eat as much of their prey as they can, offal and all. Indeed, one of the major impacts of free ranging cats is songbird predation.
Water pollution is another unfortunate side-effect of pets. Pooper-scooper laws are not just about aesthetics and clean shoes, but public and environmental health. Besides carrying a variety of pathogens,… [view entry]
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. Unfortunately, due to the large petro-chemical inputs often employed it is unclear whether the result is a net gain. In addition, much attention has been given to the competing interests of fuel vs. food (vs. land conservation).
There is hope that research into the production of cellulosic ethanol, or alcohol from plant fibers, could soon tip the balance decidedly in favor of biofuels. One could use agricultural waste or fast-growing special cover crops however, this material should arguably be composted… [view entry]
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!
Egregious as this waste is, the means used to produce and procure much of our food is more important. To this end, Slash Food has a brief post highlighting some better seafood choices including local award-winning business Aqua Australis.
Also released this past week, a study of food sustainability revealing that, surprise of surprises, the devil is in the details and “food miles” are an over-simplification.
One 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
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. Note: The tickets expire Wednesday 9/30.
Alas, this windfall comes a little late for you to catch Manufactured landscapes, and too early for Running the Numbers: Portraits of Mass Consumption. However, the museum has a number of other interesting exhibits—including several related to energy—as well as a special showing of the new film Food, Inc. on Wednesday at 2; advanced registration required.
The tickets were donated by The WhizKids Foundation, a Cambridge-based non-profit that works with local schools to improve STEM education.
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.
Sous Chef John Gilman shows off Welfleet Littlenecks
Cambridge Brewing Company, a small in-house brewery, pub and restaurant in Kendall Square, is one of those companies. To further integrate sustainability into their business operations, Cambridge Brewing Company is working with the… [view entry]
