I hope your New Year’s and Earth Day resolutions are well on their way to being successful! One new thing I’m trying this year, in addition to my food paradigm shift toward healthier eating, is finding new and creative ways to lesson my footprint and track it. While I am pretty happy most of the time knowing I’m doing better than average, I still like to run a check and balance on myself. Is it masochism? Probably not, just more incentive to show folks that it’s possible. Maybe a little masochism. Just for good measure.

Anyhoo, I am intrigued by carbon footprint calculators, but have joked about how there needed to be a Weight Watchers for carbon consumption, so that you had more tracking in real time.

One place I found is the website brighterplanet.com. Named the Smallbusiness of the Year by Treehugger.com, Brighter Planet gives you a place to track your behaviors that cut your carbon emissions (drip dry your dishes! eat local food! ride share!) while at the same time tracking how often you do them (once, thrice/week, all week) in order to get precise calculations. While I’m new at it, I hope after a while I can start noticing habits I can improve based on their trove of tips an ideas, some that I hope to try and share here.

I initially went to the site to vote for a friend of mine’s solar panel project (full disclosure) which is competing for funding this month. After I registered (you have to in order to vote) I started looking around and thought it was a site worthy of mention. Check out their full list of projects to vote for here, and you get three votes to spread around any way you choose! I was impressed they have (non-voting) projects in the works building methane digesters and wind turbines– two solutions that can be part of an overall smart energy strategy.

I’ve already started seeing what I can add to my carbon footprint log to reduce what I’ve contributed in 2010 (twentydime)!

BB

As we quickly approach Food Independence Day, I ask what you’ve considered about your own food consumption habits?

*I spent last weekend in lovely Manchester, TN at the Bonnaroo Festival. Bonnaroo does more than most festivals in trying to lessen its footprint, which got me thinking about what a little citizen action could do at ANY event!

1-Separate bins for trash, recycling, and compost throughout the grounds.
2- A person called a “trash talker” posted at trash stations to help tell you whether you needed to recycle, compost, or trash. (I do wish they’d been dressed like scarecrows so the pointing would’ve been more theatrical…)
3- Water refilling stations throughout the venue that encourage the use of reusable bottles.

How easy would it be to incorporate these small steps into any community festival or even outdoor concert facility? How can we make this happen? Public events are monsters for trash generation, and I would argue the implementation of the “trash talkers” made a significant difference in making sure disposables got placed in the right container… just some thoughts.

**Do you eat soy? (tofu, edamame, soy milk… chances are you eat soy whether you know it or not!)

Our pals at the Cornucopia Institute have provided this guide to help navigate which companies are giving you the goods, and which ones are giving you the runaround. (Personally, I love their use of the word “charlatans.” Grrrr!)

Soy Report and Scorecard

[while you're there I also recommend checking out the "Who Owns Organic?" chart... it will make you choke on your wheatgrass to see how the food system is structured!]

***Want something to look forward to on Mondays?

Sir Paul McCartney (my third fave Beatle) has announced his MEAT FREE MONDAY campaign– just one day a week can help reduce world carbon emissions, your own carbon footprint, and with the recipes provided on his website, your waistline, too!

MEAT FREE? PASS THE TWO VEG!

**** And if you’re just looking for some healthier substitutes in your regular diet, MomCentral compiled this list of easy substitutes that improve your nutrient intake… frequently with yummier substitutions. (Admittedly, I’m biased– most days I’m convinced I could live on sweet potatoes and avocados.)

Mom says eat right!

Be delicious!
BB

The Eat the View campaign is mobilizing to get governors’ mansions across the U.S. to plant gardens instead of using the entire lawn for grass/landscape. Why not dedicate these spaces to food production for your family and neighbors? Even planting veggies and herbs in place of flowers can increase the environmental value of your property while reducing your carbon footprint. The Eat the View Campaign’s parent organization, Kitchen Gardeners International, has declared this July 4th “Food Independence Day,” encouraging folks to consume meals made from local and sustainably grown food. And they don’t forget to tell you how delicious it is.

Vermont was the first state to follow the lead of the White House and USDA, and this morning, Pennsylvania becomes the second state to plant its garden.

More research is emerging that organic agriculture stands to make a significant impact in efficient carbon sequestration– effectively aiding in management and mitigation of greenhouse gas production.

Here are stories:
Pennsylvania

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/prnewswire/2009/05/21/prnewswire200905211404PR_NEWS_USPR_____DC21214.html

Vermont :
http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090515/NEWS03/90515013/At+Vt.+Statehouse++even+the+thumbs+go+green+

If you haven’t yet declared your food independence, please do here:

http://foodindependenceday.org/

For the latest in research regarding organic agriculture and carbon sequestration visit:

http://www.rodaleinstitute.org/global_warming

Happy eating, friends!

BizzyBoots

Based on a study of the environmental impacts of cremations and burials done by the cemetery, cremation produces less carbon emissions in the long run because of ongoing upkeep of the burial site; however, in the “short run,” cremations generate about 353 pounds of carbon dioxide, compared to 86 pounds for a burial.

The cemetery’s research showed that planting about one tree for each service would offset Centennial Park’s carbon footprint, so chief executive Bryan Elliott set a goal, “to be carbon neutral within the next six months.”

Read more about it by clicking here.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

The contest asks you to “place a simple, colorful flier on high mileage cars that you encounter, showing the vehicle owner that she or he has done something worthy by choosing a leading-edge (in fuel efficiency) vehicle.”  Once you have placed the flyer. snap a picture with a digital camera (or cell phone), then upload the pics (free registration required) to Planet Thoughts.

The vehicles on which flyers are placed must be models that achieve at least 40 Miles-per-Gallon, as listed on the High-Efficiency Cars page on Planet Thoughts.  The person who uploads the most pictures of valid car models will win the grand prize of at least $500.

The contest’s “simple rules” can be found here.  The competition has already started, and runs until June 2, 2008 at 11:59pm Eastern (US) Time (GMT -5).  All pictures must be submitted by that time.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

This will be the first time a commercial aircraft has run biofuel in-flight. Some airlines and Boeing have joined up in a major initiative to discover sources of sustainable aircraft fuel for the future. 

Branson stated, “This breakthrough will help Virgin Atlantic to fly its planes using clean fuel sooner than expected. The demonstration flight next month will give us crucial knowledge that we can use to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. Virgin Group pledged to invest all its profits from its transportation companies towards developing clean energy and with this breakthrough we are well down the path to achieving our goals.”

Virgin Atlantic’s vision for the aviation industry’s possibilities is demonstrated by using clean-fuel technology to reduce carbon emissions, and the company’s drive to reduce its environmental impact wherever possible is evident in this announcement, in addition to the other moves it has made, including becoming the first airline in the world to allow passengers to purchase carbon offsets while in the air – during flight. Virgin also placed the largest order for Boeing 787 Dreamliners in Europe in 2007, ordering 15 of the aircraft, and options to purchase another 28 aircraft. The Dreamliner is 60% quieter and uses 30% less fuel than the aircraft that will be replaceed in the airline’s fleet.

This information was announced on Ground Support Worldwide.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

According to Ground Support Worldwide, airlines are pushing their fares in the vertical, upwards direction due to “oil’s latest surge.”

The article mentions that crude futures have crossed the “once unthinkable” $100/barrel mark (unthinkable by those who didn’t understand the term “non-renewable”), causing most airlines to raise fares by $10-$20 per ticket.

United Airlines, Delta Airlines, Air Canada, Air Tran, and Midwest Airlines were specifically mentioned in the article, which also stated that “carriers tried to raise fares 23 times last year.”

United Airlines’ spokeperson Robin Urbanski “acknowledged [that] fares in and out of some cities are higher than they used to be, but ‘are still relatively lower than a few years ago given that fuel is our highest expense.’”

</DejaNews>

<!– Begin Caleb’s Comments –>

As an environmentaslist, I’m always torn about the airlines… aviation is one of my favorite topics, and I’m a pilot as well.  My education is in aviation management and entrepreneurship, so I also understand costs and profit motive – in aviation and in other businesses.  I also know that some environmentalists will just say, “Good.  Higher ticket prices mean fewer people will fly, and flying is a large carbon-footprint-producer.” I don’t necessarily think it’s that simple (nor should it be).

Business-people in general claim to be (and try to act as if they are) future-focused.  More than anything else, that means that they are focused on the future of their company’s profits for the sake of their shareholders.  What I don’t understand is that these same business people generally aren’t thinking about where their company’s future supplies will come from when the current supplies are gone.

Business people “get” supply and demand – it’s basic economics.  If the demand exceeds the supply prices go up.  Guess what is happening with oil prices, folks?  Demand continues to exceed supply… and the market responds.  As prices increase, demand SHOULD decrease – but oil is an inelastic commodity.  In other words, if you have to get to work to survive, you’ll put gas in the tank of your car when the tank is empty no matter the price.  You don’t have a choice.

The airlines survive on jet fuel.  It is their largest expense and it is their life-blood.  Without it, they don’t have a business.  So where will it come from when the jet fuel is gone?  Or when its cost is too high for your customers/passengers to bear any more increase in ticket prices?

Why aren’t the leaders of the airline and transportation industries hot-under-the-collar for alternative fuel?  Or alternative propulsion technologies?  Why aren’t the airlines using some of their estimated 3.5-4.5 billion dollar profits to speed up the research of alternative and renewable fuels?

Frustrated in Fantasyland,
A. Caleb Hartley

Read his post here: http://upcomingtechs.com/2007/12/can-baking-soda-curb-global-warming/

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Today is a rare day where we have a not-so common combination of all three!  On the Logistics Today website the other day there was an article called “Air Group Pushes Environmental Programs.”  Giovanni Bisignani, director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), said, “The $132 billion fuel bill that airlines pay is the biggest green incentive of any industry to reduce its carbon footprint.”

Since fuel is any airlines biggest expense, it only makes sense for the IATA to try to help airlines reduce the amount of fuel they burn (or, to put a green spin on this solely profit-motivated opportunity, to increase their efficiency), IATA appointed former World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Chief Operating Officer (COO) Paul Steele to direct new environmental initiatives of the association.  IATA, under Steele, has built an environmental strategy based on the following four elements: new technology, improved infrastructure, efficient operations, and economic incentives.

The article states that IATA helped reduce emissions of carbon dioxide by 15 million tons in 2006, though it does not say how it did so or how the reduction was calculated; however, I will stand by environmentastic!’s policy that any focus on the environment is good – even if just to increase awareness of what is possible!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley