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

Researchers at The Ohio State University College of Public Health have gathered some of the nation’s top experts in public health and the environment for a Web-based conversation on the current state of our planet’s health, as a part of National Public Health Week, April 7-13.

“Converging Environmental Crises” is a Web-based conference featuring more than a dozen health and environmental experts who will provide live and recorded presentations on topics such as global warming, overpopulation and energy depletion.

The conference, facilitated by the Ohio Supercomputer Center, will occur online at http://sg60.oar.net <http://sg60.oar.net/> from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 10. It will be based in Columbus and link to sites around the U.S. and Canada.

For more information, please see the PDF posted at http://cph.osu.edu/webcast.

Presenters include:

• Roscoe Bartlett, Republican congressman from Maryland and
  co-chair of Peak Oil Caucus
• Dan Bednarz, PhD, Energy & Healthcare Consultants, Pittsburgh,
  Pa.
• Jason Bradford, PhD, population biologist and founder of Willits
  Economic Localization, Willits, Calif.
• Kristin Bradford, MD, Little Lake Health Center, Willits, Calif.
• William Catton, Jr., PhD, emeritus professor of sociology,
  Washington State University, Pullman, Wash.
• Mac Crawford, PhD, assistant professor, OSU College of Public
  Health’s Division of Environmental Health Sciences, Columbus
• Dick Jackson, PhD, director of the Graham Environmental
  Sustainability Institute at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
• Joel Kreisberg, DC, MA, Teleosis Institute, Berkeley, Calif.
• Walt Lierman, PhD, economic consultant, Portland, Ore.
• Jessica Pierce, PhD, bioethicist, Longmont, Colo.
• Ken Smail, PhD, professor emeritus of Anthropology, Kenyon
  College, Gambier, Ohio
• Don Spady, MD, associate professor of pediatrics, Department of
  Pediatrics and Public Health Sciences, University of Alberta
• Terry Tamminen, former director of the California Environmental
  Protection Agency, author and strategist on energy and the environment
• Gail Tverberg, actuary, Tverberg Actuarial Services, Atlanta,
  Ga., and analyst for TheOilDrum.com

The OSU College Public Health is an integral part of the most comprehensive health sciences campus in the nation. The college was created in February 2007 when the University Board of Trustees elevated us from a school to a college. First established in 1995 as part of the College of Medicine, we are the first and only accredited school of
public health in the state of Ohio. Specializations within the college include biostatistics, epidemiology, health behavior and health promotion, environmental health sciences, health services management and policy, veterinary public health and clinical investigations. The college is currently ranked 21st in public health graduate schools by US News & World Report. Its Master of Health Administration program is ranked 12th. The College of Public Health makes a difference in the health of the public, advances knowledge through multidisciplinary research and education, and reaches out with knowledge, service and leadership to Ohio and the world.

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Turns out, natural cork wine stoppers are the best choice for the environment! According to About.com, harvesting real, natural cork sustains the Earth’s population of cork oak trees, which are mainly located in Portugal and Spain.

SFGate mentioned in an article in August that the Rainforest Alliance would begin the world’s first certification of cork forests and products, and the Environment News Service was already discussing the issue back in May of 2006!

So the next time you are pondering which brand of Barbaresco to buy, choose the one with a natural cork!

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

Yet another reason we should recycle everything we can, and find new ways to recycle what, right now, we can’t.  Maybe donate your old computers to schools or libraries or your less-fortunate neighbor, or a homeless shelter, or whatever!  Just keep it out of the landfill – and China!

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley

Consume less, save more; bring your own bag; drive less; plant more trees – snowman will be happier! 

Words we can all live by…

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

As I mentioned before, I’ve been in Hong Kong since December 30th, and my internet access was limited, so I’ve been unable to post regularly.  Both directions of travel were dreadful – more than 24-hours of airports and flying each direction… horrible (and I’m an aviation enthusiast!).

We also got conned while at the Beijing airport – we were unable to get our full through tickets out of Hong Kong, just the Air China tickets from Hong Kong to Beijing.  This meant that we had to go through immigration in Beijing, then through the baggage claim and customs to the public area.  Here, we were trying to find where to go to get our Continental tickets back to the US and a Chinese woman wearing a hotel name badge offered to help us, so we followed her through the back halls of the airport (first mistake) to near the customs check for international departures.  She then asked for money (I told her we only had Hong Kong dollars, which she refused), then my mother gave her a U.S. $20.  She asked for $20 per person she “helped” (there were three of us).  My mother gave her another $20 before I said “forget it” and pulled our group away from the women (another woman – a pickpocket had shown up as we reached the final destination where the original woman asked for money). 

This was a good lesson that, fortunately, only cost us $40 US – the pickpocket got into my wife’s bag, but didn’t get anything.  For anyone reading this – next time, get full paper tickets all the way through to you destination so you don’t have to go to the public area of any foreign airport.  Also, only speak to people in full uniform – I didn’t notice that the woman who offered to help was NOT wearing a uniform – just a hotel name tag.  Most airline employees are honest – no matter the country – and customs agents and police officers are always going to be more trustworthy than just some person offering to help.  Lessons learned.  Thank you universe (it could have been worse).  On that note, I’ll probably never go back to Beijing airport.  Certainly not if I can help it.

 
This is how I will remember my Chinese con-artist – except my memory will be of a Chinese woman and her shill.

On the bright side, I did make it to the Hong Kong Manufacturers’ Expo, and was able to get some great pictures and such from the Organic Living Pavilion.  I also got to see first-hand how Hong Kong is attempting to make itself greener on a day-to-day basis.

Stay tuned for more information about Hong Kong’s environmental efforts and information!

Glad to be back in the US (for now)…

Namaste,
A. Caleb Hartley