August 4, 2006

Oil and water shouldn't mix

Bottledwater.jpgI've noticed a trend here that strikes me as a good sign. I've seen two or three people drinking water out of glass bottles they've obviously refilled. This solves the perennial water bottle challenge of taste (how many discussions have you heard about the latest, greatest new sports bottle?), and is so much better for the environment (and health) than buying bottled water.

Here's a great photo created by David Coale of Acterra, who worked out how much oil is takes to ship a bottle of water from its source to California. You'll see the oil floating on the top.

Can you ever buy Evian again?

Technorati : , , ,

Posted by Karen Christensen at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)

June 29, 2006

Eco Living and what matters most

After watching An Inconvenient Truth the other night, there’s been a lot of discussion in the office about What We Can Do. The air-conditioning was turned down, and I think we’re all looking at cars differently—thinking of those ice banks in Antarctica.

In the book I’m working on, the Cool Planet Guide, we’ll be breathing life into the flat list of tips that appeared on the screen after the movie with lots of specific, measurable actions that will have real impact.

I’ve been thinking, though, about the big question Joe asked me, “What’s the most important thing I can do?” Stop driving and flying, of course. But that’s not possible for most people—our lives are organized in ways that make most of us truly dependent on cars. Driving less, though, is possible for everyone.

To start, I’ve gone back to lists I’ve made over the years. The following text comes from the beginning of my 2000 book Eco Living, which is a favourite because it was published in China, too. You’ll see that this was an English edition. I’m working now on plans for a new, China-specific book and am dying to know my practical kitchen tips were translated into Chinese!

From Eco Living, by Karen Christensen, published in London by Piatkus Books 2000:

One aspect of eco living is becoming a green consumer. But some ‘green’ products are plain silly – do you really need a £25 gadget to test whether your microwave is leaking? Some don’t take account of basic eco principles – is it worth having recycled drinking glasses shipped all the way from South Africa?

And, no, my hair never looked like that!

Posted by Karen Christensen at 5:25 AM | Comments (1)

April 1, 2006

First jobs of spring

Two important things accomplished today:

Two garden beds prepped and planted--thanks to Tom and Rachel, who have taken to lecturing me on global warming and the wastefulness of grainfed meat--with Asian salad and stir-fry greensand a mix of early radishes,* arugula, and some chicory seed we brought from Italy two years ago. I highly recommend all these things for ease, and taste. If you're new to gardening, there are few simpler things that to sprinkle seeds like these across a bed, rake in lightly, and leave to grow. We could have radishes in three weeks (or inches of snow). We timed things well: a good rain soon after we planted, which saved water and time, too.

The second important chore was getting my bike out and ready for the road. I used to be much more handy with bikes than I am now, and realize that even basic maintenance can seem overwhelming. This is a handy checklist from a bicycle shop, but if you're a novice cyclist I think it's too much. Yet if you are really going to cycle instead of drive, it's essential to keep your bike in excellent working order. You shouldn't feel hesitation because the tyres are low and the chain rubs, and for safety it's important to check brakes and lights regularly.

And it really is possible to keep a bicycle in good shape yourself; no need to be hauling it to a shop for minor adjustments. Here are my favorite bicycle books, in their newest editions: Anybody's Bike Book by Tom Cuthbertson and Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book by Richard Ballentine. There are no doubt other excellent books, but make sure you get one that's suitable for your kind of use. If you are using a bicycle for transportation and some exercise, you don't need the kind of professional tome needed by a serious cyclist. I'll work on putting together a simple bike guide to be posted on this website, too.

* These mixes from Nichols Garden Nursery. I notice that the greens should be pickable at only 21 days, and they give 24-30 days for the radishes. Learning to read seed packages is an important gardening skills, to be discussed over the next few weeks.

Posted by Karen Christensen at 11:43 AM | Comments (0)

August 25, 2005

Redux: 10 Simple, Practical Ways to Green Your Home

I thought I'd share an article from Bottomline Reports that gathered my ideas some 10 years ago about "10 Simple, Practical Ways to Green Your Home."

Everybody knows that there are changes we can make at home to help protect the earth, but many of them seem complicated or daunting. Busy people don’t have time to make non-toxic paint out of burnt baked potatoes. As a mother who runs her own publishing business, I have little patience with some of the silly suggestions I’ve heard from environmentalists, and I look for things I can do that take as little time and money as possible while having the most impact on environmental problems.

1) Regulate your heating. The best way to save money on home heating, and reduce your energy consumption, is to heat the rooms you use, when you use them. Separate thermostats for different zones, timers, and radiator values can control heating, keeping you comfortable without wasting energy.

2) Insulate, to keep your home warm in the winter and cool in the summer. Windows, floors, attics and doors can be made more energy-efficient. Insulation pays for itself faster than any other conservation measure.

3) Take advantage of solar energy. Leave curtains open throuout daylight hours but close them promptly when it gets dark. Plant trees that lose their leaves on the east and south sides of your home. Remember that dark colors absorb heat whilelight coloars reflectit. Throw a dark blanket over a white couch to increase absorption from the sun.

4) Choose non-electrical equipment and appliances. Sturdy handheld equipment lasts longer and is often easier to use and wash, and requires only human energy to work. Examples are a mouli to grate cheese, a handheld can opener, a carpet sweeper for quick cleaning.

5) Clean out your cleaning cupboard. Most homes are overrun with cleaning products that have been used only once or twice. Give away what you don’t need, or take it to a toxic waste deposit (many towns have annual pickups). Most cleaning can be done with a few basic, non-toxic products - excellent commercial ones are available at wholefood stores, and there’s always good old baking soda, white vinegar, and borax. Tea tree oil cleaners are terrific as disinfectants.

6) Eat the unusual. Encourage biodiversity by choosing the newly available heirloom varieties of potatoes, tomatoes and apples. Shop at farmers’ markets, and buy brown eggs if white are common (the colors of eggs is determined by species, not rearing method), small plantains instead of large bananas, blue corn instead of yellow.

7) Buy old things. Antique furniture and household items, tag sale furniture to be refinished, and high-quality clothing from consignment shops are all ‘recycled’ items and thus reduce waste and do not place extra demand on natural sources.

8) Establish a donations center in your home. Don’t throw away things you no longer need or want. Schools, nonprofit organizations, and charities can make use of everything from excess building materials and computers to clothing and yoghurt cups.

9) Get organized and drive less. By making one trip instead of many, you can save time, and reduce your contribution to traffic congestion and pollution. The majority of trips we make are short ones which can often be done on foot or by bicycle.

10) Pay for labor. In ecological terms itmakes sense to do certain jobs in a labor-intensive way - hand-weeding, for example, rather than using herbicides - so employ someone to do tasks which would otherwise require noisy, expensive and polluting equipment.
*********
This material comes from Karen Christensen’s Home Ecology (Fulcrum 1990), a guide to green living published in London as The Green Home (2nd edition 1995). Home Ecology has been endorsed by Anita Roddick of the Body Shop, who passes on its tips in her employees’ newsletter, and Alan Durning of the Worldwatch Institute says that Home Ecology is the pick of the environmental lifestyle titles.

"Turning the favorite green slogan 'act locally, think globally' into a practical reality is our number one challenge. This book explains how change on a simple, personal level can literally make a world of difference. A must for every home." - Sara Parkin, leading European green spokesperson

Posted by Karen Christensen at 1:50 PM | Comments (0)

June 11, 2005

Eco Living sports tips

I've been in California all week, driving and in meetings, and falling into bed at night. I have a travel yoga mat and CDs, too, but I just wasn't getting to it. This morning I looked on the web and to my astonishment there was an Iyengar studio only blocks from my motel; even better, one of the directors is someone whose book on back care I bought a couple years ago. She wasn't teaching today but I had a wonderful class with Ruth Owen (this was at the California Yoga Center in Mountain View, BTW), and was reminded afresh of how yoga practice connects me with my body. And that takes us to environmentalism. Just as we live in our physical bodies and need to pay them attention, take care of them, and recognize that we are physical creatures (I forget this when I'm working intensely), we need to see our place in the physical world. The way we care for our bodies says a great deal about how we care for nature.

I wrote about sports--and yoga--in my 2000 Eco Living and thought I'd share a little of that text here:

Sporting Tips

**Get a book or go to a sports centre or gym to get started. A perfectly adequate strength programme can be done at home, but you may want guidance and support to get started (if you have health concerns, do check with your doctor).
**There are running clubs all over the country, many with support for novice, older and female runners.
**Don't wear headphones. They are a safety hazard (you won't hear cars or other dangers) and also disconnect you from the outside world - eco living is about tuning in to your world.
**Drink plenty of water - plain tap water, filtered if necessary, rather than bottled water or sports drinks - before, during and after sports, to avoid cramp, muscle strain and fatigue.
**Wear the right shoes for impact activities and try to run on grass, dirt paths or a track.
**Warm up and cool down with five minutes' walking or even jogging in place.
**Wear the right clothing, shoes and reflective gear if you're out in the rain or after dark.

From Eco Living (2000)

Yoga

Yoga is an ancient Indian system of physical and mental practice. It came to the West in the 1960s and has become increasingly popular since then. Originally it was seen as a rather introspective activity focused on stretching and meditation. In the 1990s, the picture changed as well-known actors and performers, including Madonna and Richard Gere, took up more vigorous new forms of yoga and announced that it was the best exercise they'd ever done. What has remained consistent is that most practitioners feel that they benefit spiritually or psychologically, as well as physically, from their practice.

Yoga is about as low tech as exercise gets. You simply need comfortable, loose clothing and a mat or towel. It can be learned from a book, but you'll get most benefit from going to a class. If you want gentle toning, try Hatha or Iyengar yoga (both systems can be practised to an advanced level, too). If you're interested in a more aerobic workout, look for Power or Astanga yoga.

Tai Chi

Tai Chi is characterised by simple and graceful circular movements that are performed in a continuous flow and at a slow, even pace, and also by a strict composition in which lightness is integrated with firmness and tranquillity with solemnity. Along with other Chinese and Asian martial arts, it focuses on self-development and discipline, not competition. It is extremely hard work, though, much like some types of yoga, and highly fit people find themselves aching after their first session. You'll need to learn it from a teacher, but it can be practised anywhere with a little space and privacy.

Pilates

Pilates is a physical training system developed in the 1920s by Joseph Pilates (1881-1967) and long used by dancers and actors because of the way it builds strength and shapes the body without adding bulk. Like yoga, which it is based on, Pilates develops a long, lean look and works a lot with the spine and stomach muscles.

Traditional Pilates is done in private lessons on special Pilates machines. It is very expensive. The system has become much more popular in the last couple of years, because proponents have developed exercises that can be done without expensive equipment, at home or in small classes.

ENDS

Posted by Karen Christensen at 12:30 AM | Comments (0)

May 13, 2005

Starting small

Some solutions are so easy and cheap that the question is why they aren’t adopted instantly. Two examples:

1. Refillable toothbrushes. The brand I use is Fuchs Ekotec and they’re readily available at natural foods stores and from many online natural products shops. You buy the toothbrush and an extra package of replacement heads, and just throw away the brush part. I love the convenience and just wish I could buy the replacement brushes 20 at a time.

2. Refillable razors. I have a nice wooden-handled shaver with a brass bracket (this one came from the Body Shop in the UK), and buy a pack of razor heads at my local drugstore (in the US) for it. Again, cheap, convenient, and good for the planet.

3. Concentrated laundry detergent. Why pay for water to be shipped all over the world? Concentrated liquid detergent is easier to get home and more conveninent (just be careful to use the correct measure instead of dumping in the same quantity).

Note: choosing the water-less or reduced-water version of anything is a great thing for the environment, because shipping water around the world has huge energy costs. Our drinking bottled water on the scale we do adds to global warming!

Posted by Karen Christensen at 10:26 AM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2005

Your house or mine?

We did our first full-fledged home exchange last weekend, and it worked beautifully. Our exchange family have a house in Boston and were interested in a long weekend in the Berkshires. They contacted me through a website we’ve been members of for years. We found we had mutual friends so that did make the process of establishing bona fides easy. This is a terrific way to travel, as more and more people have found, and although it takes you well out of your armchair, it’s an environment-conscious choice, much better than hotels or holiday rentals in terms of resource use. It doesn’t encourage the excessive construction that is so much part of the tourism industry. And it connects us with place—neighbors, best local restaurants and playgrounds—in a way that fits the spirit of eco living.

The service we use is HomeExchange.com, based in Santa Barbara, CA, but there are many good ones. They have plenty of helpful hints on getting your home ready (for us, what a great incentive it was to get pictures hung, a wall painted, and chairs fixed!) and making arrangements with your exchangers.

Posted by Karen Christensen at 8:47 AM | Comments (0)

January 14, 2005

Greening your library (or office)

I'm at the American Library Association conference in Boston (visit my company's website to see what we're launching--our slogan is 'Thinking Globally'!), talking to librarians about what they can do to green their libraries and become environmental learning centers in their communities. Public libraries are vital social centers, and should be part of all community endeavors to make the world a better place! I remember how much libraries were involved in the first Green Book Fortnight, a major book promotion in the UK where I got my start in this world.

Here are the tips I'll be handing out to librarians. Many of them apply to offices (and homes) as well.

Posted by Karen Christensen at 4:48 AM | Comments (0)