Green Daily

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Oh, PETA. I just can't stay away from your sexiness. Of course, you can't stay away from me, either, can you?

This week I received a personal email invitation from the wild-eyed radicals, to attend a scalding tank demonstration. I know -- fun, right?

If you're unfamiliar with the term, it's the terrible method McDonald's uses to kill chickens, and it's about as grisly as it sounds. (Yo McDonald's, just stop and switch to controlled-atmosphere killing, okay?) But more importantly, why would anyone want to attend a demonstration featuring a vat of protesters flailing around in "bloody" water?

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You know how being "green" used to have a sort of, well ... wimpy reputation?

Hey, you know it's true. I don't make it up, I just report it!

Well, those days are over. Eco-friendly is so cool it's now badass. Ashley Braun and Katharine Wroth at Grist created a killer list of the 13 most badass greens, and there is not a wussy treehugger (not that there's anything wrong with that, we love treehuggers and Treehugger) to be seen!

The post has a poll for you to vote for your favorite Badass Green, but I seriously could not pick just one. My top picks include:

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I have to admit that as a resident of San Francisco, with our "no plastic bags" rule, high Prius-density, and museum with a grass covered roof, I always took our green primacy for granted.

We even have an uber-green Mayor McHottie Gavin Newsom who's now running for Governor ... Of course SF is the greenest city in the U.S.! I mean, who can challenge us besides Berkeley with their subsidized solar panels?

With this attitude, you can just imagine my surprise when I heard that Philadelphia plans to take the title of "Greenest City in America" for themselves! They want to make Philadelphia "the city of the future" with smart energy, environmental and social policies.

There are many ways to respond to the overwhelming concept of climate change -- often I find a nice organic wine to be quite soothing and medicinal when I start to hyperventilate while calculating the new coastlines that will result from melting polar caps.

The Canary Project has a more productive, or at least more creative response. They use "visual media, events, and artwork that builds public understanding of human-induced climate change and energize commitment to solutions." Using the power of images, they educate and motivate the public, with the goal of addressing climate change while we still have some options. One way they do this is through Green Patriot Posters, founded by Ed Morris, who also founded The Canary Project.

Green Patriot Posters makes modern, updated versions of those "We Can Do It!" style posters from World War II. They want to galvanize people to build a sustainable economy, and to adopt sustainable practices in their everyday lives, and they design cool posters to get the message out.

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Last November California voters passed the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act which makes it a criminal offense to confine hens in battery cages, pigs in gestation crates or calves in veal crates. Animal rights supporters, including the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), hope that this will get more big volume egg users, like fast food restaurants Wendy's, McDonald's and Denny's, to make the switch to cage-free eggs more quickly.

Right now, most eggs are still produced on factory farms that use tiny battery cages. The hens can't get up, stretch their wings, or nest. These cruel conditions aren't necessary, and the HSUS is working very hard to eliminate them. One way is to get the farms to change, like through the legislation in California. Another way is to change the market, creating a demand for cage-free over those laid by hens in battery cages.

Just last week, after a long campaign by the HSUS, Wendy's committed to sourcing at least 2% of their eggs from cage-free suppliers. Calling it "a modest but meaningful step in the right direction," HSUS also took the opportunity to call out McDonald's.

As weird as it would be to walk around with name tags and a big sign explaining our interests, it sure would make it easier to find like-minded folks. You're at a cookout, or maybe volunteering to do a little park restoration work, and you wonder, "Does anyone else here love endangered animals, or are they all clean water folk?"

Hey, conservation people have cliques, too!

Of course, in a way we do self-identify, wearing message tees, hats with patches from National Parks, and flashing fancy logo water bottles. Us activist-types -- we like to raise awareness about heartfelt causes.

The big environmental news over the weekend was an announcement that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar would not overturn an 11th hour Bush rule that limits Endangered Species Act protection for polar bears.

Environmentalists, activists and scientists have been lobbying to get the rule reversed since it went into effect in December. And it was a shock to most Democrats that Salazar didn't use his special authority to undo the Bush damage.

Salazar's explanation was that the Endangered Species Act is the wrong way to pursue corporate green house gas emitters, and he left open the possibility that he would enact other laws to strengthen environmental protection for polar bears and other animals whose habitat is threatened by climate change.

This actually sound sort of logical to me, and hints that the Obama administration might even have some other, bigger environmental changes in the works. But it was not good enough at all for environmental activists like Greenpeace. They're foaming at the mouth!

As soon as they heard the news, Greenpeace did a "direct communication" action outside of Salazar's office: Two activists ("solemnly") walked into the pond in front of the Department of the Interior building and dropped off a symbolic drowned polar bear.

Yeah, they sacrificed a big, white stuffed animal in a corporate water feature. How very PETA of them.

Actually, let me take that back. If PETA had been running that protest, the activists would have been topless, pregnant women, wearing polar bear masks. With duct tape over the mouths. In cages.

Maybe next time!

Even though HRH Prince Charles has been an environmental crusader for many years, lately he's been catching a lot of flack for all of the CO2 he emits while crusading against climate change.

(People! He's a prince! Royalty! He's never going to fly economy class from London to Rome. Never! If for no other reason than it's a huge security hazard for the other passengers!)

The Prince's preference for private jets aside, he is a very smart man who has spent years studying -- and crusading for -- ways to conserve the wild places in the world. In advance of the big climate summit in Copenhagen, he is kicking off a new campaign to save rainforests, with help from celebrities like Daniel Craig, the Dalai Lama, Joss Stone, Harrison Ford, and of course, Kermit the Frog.

I say "of course" because Kermit is always sticking his cold green area-that-would-be-a-nose, if he had one, into environmental causes. And also because the star of the campaign is another frog, a surprisingly lifelike animated frog that appears alongside the stars and "ribbits' at humorous moments.

The campaign is part of "The Prince's Rainforest Project" which has two goals:

• to raise awareness of the damaging effects for everyone of deforestation
• to identify appropriate incentives that will encourage rainforest nations to stop burning down vast areas of valuable trees.

My favorite part of this video is when Prince Charles points out that one way to save the rainforests to make the trees as valuable when they are alive and "breathing" as when they are chopped down for timber and to clear farm land. See? The Prince is a smart guy! And surprisingly practical for someone who mostly lives in castles with tons of servants, and who refers to himself in the plural.

Most importantly, he's a guy who is using his position to help save the world. It's almost enough to make me forgive him for the whole Princess Diana thing. In fact, if he can stop climate change, I'm willing to call it even.

You will be so inspired by the example of the teens in this video! They are the semi-finalists and winners of Project Polar Bear, a contest run by Polar Bears International, a non-profit dedicated to "conservation through research and education" and sponsored by Frontiers North's Tundra Buggy Adventure, a company that runs tours to see polar bears in northern Canada.

As finalists, the four teams visited the San Diego Zoo and were lauded at the award ceremony in the video. The contest challenged teens to find ways to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced by their communities. Working in teams of two or three, with an adult advisor, the teens came up with ideas like:

• Giving talks at schools, local businesses, senior citizen centers, and anywhere else that people would listen, teaching people about the relationship between carbon emissions, global warming and polar bears. Public speaking finalists Brendan McKelvy and Tony Pittavino represented the Pittsburgh Zoo.

• Creating a "Don't Be Idle" campaign, asking parents at all of the area schools to shut off their cars when waiting to pick up their kids. Since one minute of idling equals a pound of CO2, finalists Emily Carlson, Jacob Shimkus and Sierra Sweigert from the Oregon Zoo, saw huge results every day in the parking lot after school.

• Putting coins back in circulation -- really! By getting 800 pounds of coins out of the coffee can under sinks in Winnipeg, Manitoba, sisters Rebekah, Rachael and Miranda Vickery helped reduce the number of coins that needed to be minted, eliminating the corresponding environmental impact. This, and ten other good ideas, earned the sisters second place.

The winning idea was a website, created by passionate animal lovers Brandie Farkas and Emily Goldstein, from Louisville, KY. Part of the Louisville Zoo website, their Project Polar Bear site offered educational information, a journal, a polar bear quiz, and most importantly a place where you can pledge to make simple lifestyle changes to reduce your CO2 output. Actions include unplugging unused electronics (go do this now!), using cold water for laundry, and driving 55 mph, which saves a surprising amount of fuel.

As one of the Vickery sisters said in the video, "I'm only one person, but I'm still one person." She and all of the teens who participated in Project Polar Bear prove that even one or two people can accomplish great things with a great idea and a positive attitude!

We have national parks all across the land, but until now our oceans have been left to fend for themselves, even though they cover the majority of the globe. In fact, they cover 71% of Earth, which is uncoincidentally also the title of this video by Ari Marcopoulos, "Greenlight Journalist."

Ari's film stars several well known big wave surfers, including Grant "Twiggy" Baker, Brian Conley, Greg Long, Rusty Long, Frank Solomon and Anthony Tashnick. Presented by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), these surfers share their first hand experience with the ocean, and lend their voices to a call for the creation of marine protected areas (MPAs), which would function the way national parks do on land.

It seems like a no-brainer. Oceans are filling up with trash, to the point that even Oprah is doing shows about the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Once common species of fish are becoming extinct, and you have to double and triple check the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch list on your iPhone before you order sushi or even fish and chips. In Northern California and Oregon, salmon season was cancelled this year.

Obviously, something needs to change.

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Hey, have you heard the joke about "what shade of green" are you? Turns out it's no joke -- there really are definitions of green philosophies and practices!

Writer Alex Steffan identified the "Bright Green" movement in 2003, describing the growing group that looks to technology and design to create a sustainable society. And he also defined two other shades of green: Light Greens and Dark Greens.

I can't believe this is the first I've heard of this! Plus, wow, so much detail! I'm going to wildly oversimplify here, but if you want to get into more depth, check out Worldchanging, a sort of global, online media organization/magazine. Steffan is executive editor, and it's full of fascinating articles about sustainable green thinking.

• On one end of the spectrum, you have "Light Greens" who are into protecting the environment and see it as a lifestyle choice, rather than any kind of political activism. So if your environmental efforts are centered around buying organic food and air drying your clothes, you're probably light green, and this is probably most of us.

Note: Please do not confuse "light greens" with "lite greens" i.e. lying greenwashers.

• Then there are "Dark Greens" who are all about radical political change to solve our environmental problems. They believe that industrialized capitalism caused these problems, and until we get post-materialism, post-technology and maybe even reduce the human population, we'll never be able to stop harming the planet. Seriously -- dark!

• This brings us to the third group, those "Bright Greens." They also want radical change -- eco-consumerism is not enough -- but they think the best way to do it is by overhauling and improving the existing political and economic systems, rather than doing away with them entirely like the Dark Greens. Bright Greens are into making better designs, creating innovative technologies and actively looking for ways to change the way we do things.
  
  Connected to the Bright Green movement is the Viridian Design movement, which was created -- and closed -- by postcyberpunk sci-fi author Bruce Sterling. The movement ran from 1999 to 2008, and focused on tying together innovative design and technology. In his final post about the movement, Sterling uses the word "glocal" to describe his lifestyle -- global and local.
  

Fascinating, right? Do you see yourself in here? Or are you a fourth shade of green? Just remember, however vibrant your shade of green, the important thing is that you are green.

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Happy Earth Day! In 1970, 20 million Americans celebrated the first Earth Day, thanks to an inspired idea from U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson and a strong response from the fledgling grassroots environmental movement.

Today the green movement is practically mainstream, with hybrid cars, LEED buildings going up across the nation, and a Sigg bottle in every backpack. But there is still plenty of work to be done to keep our planet healthy, and today is the day to think about the big and small ways you can go a little greener.

Like most people, I have great intentions, but sometimes life gets so hectic that I fall back on old (bad) habits. In honor of Earth Day, here's my reminder list of regular life stuff I can do to make a difference every day. Feel free to add your ideas in the comments!

• Remember to carry a reusable grocery bag -- there are so many cute, convenient ones out there! I love the Envirosax graphic series because they fold up tiny! Now they offer an organic series, too, made of organic bamboo, linen or hemp.

• B.Y.O. Cup -- whether you're drinking coffee, tea or water, skip the disposable cup and fill up a mug or water bottle. Did you know that Starbucks coffee cups are not recycleable or compostable? That means over 2 billion cups get sent to landfill, just from that one chain!

• Try a green diet for a day -- or a week! Eliminating meat from a meal once in a while cuts down on your carbon footprint, and can be surprisingly tasty, too. Think local and organic, and remember that the farmers' market is your friend!
  
  Seafood lovers, remember to check the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch List before you bake, broil or fry. As delicious as Chilean Seabass may be, it's endangered so we all must abstain.

• Ask what your power company can do for you. Does your local power company offer alternative energy options? How about rebates? Take a minute to check; you might be surprised to find that you can save money, and help the planet. And remember, a lot of those Energy Star appliances also help with taxes, too!

• Break Up With Your Car for a Day. Americans have a love affair with their vehicles. But even if you have the most energy efficient hybrid or biodiesel car available, a little space is good for every relationship. Walk, bus or bike it once in a while.

• Unplug -- If you're not using it, it doesn't need to be plugged in. Maybe even go a step further, and take a break from the TV, video game, or computer. You could play cards, go for a walk, or take a nap.

• Let it air dry -- Nice weather has arrived in most parts of the country. Try hanging your load of laundry on a line instead of using the clothes dryer. While you're at it, how about letting your hair dry naturally, too? Come on, one day of wild frizzies won't kill you!
  

• Seriously, do you still have "regular" lightbulbs? Swap 'em out for compact fluorescent bulbs! They're even dimmable now.

• Recycled toilet paper has come a long way, I promise you -- it's quilted now! Check out Seventh Generation, Trader Joe's, or Marcal's new Small Steps line.
  

• Volunteer to plant a tree, landscape a park, or clean up a beach -- however you'd like to help, there is a non-profit in need of your skills. A quick search at VolunteerMatch.org will find you the volunteering opportunity of your dreams!

I'm sure I missed a bunch, which will come to me while I eat raw sunflower seeds and watch An Inconvenient Truth yet again. That Al Gore -- smart and sexy!

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President Theodore Roosevelt was colorful. Historian, cowboy, war hero, hunter, one of the dudes on Mount Rushmore -- he sounds more like a cartoon character than a real person. In a way this is fitting, because when it comes to his contributions to the conservation movement, he was a superhero!

It's taken a while for this legacy to emerge. As an outdoorsman and businessman, T.R. (he hated being called Teddy) believed in using land wisely rather than keeping it pristine and untouched by human hands. But he did think about legacies, and the next generation, and how decisions he made would play out in the future.

There is a great article about T.R. in this month's Vanity Fair, which is actually an excerpt from a new book about him, The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America, by Douglas Brinkley.

The story includes some great anecdotes about T.R. One of the most interesting was the trip T.R. took early in his presidency, in April, 1903, with conservationists John Burroughs and John Muir. They toured the West including Yellowstone, Yosemite, the Grand Canyon. Sleeping under the stars, personally experiencing the wonders of these landmarks, and exchanging views with these great naturalists inspired T.R. to use his office to help preserve the wilderness of our country.

T.R. saved those spots, and so many more. He set aside more land for national parks and nature preserves than all of his predecessors combined:

• 150 National Forests - 42 million acres!
• 51 Federal Bird Reservations -including Pelican Island and Key West, Floria, East Timbalier Island, Louisiana, and Salt River in Arizona
• 4 National Game Preserves - including Wichita Forest, Oklahoma, and Fire Island, Alaska
• 5 National Parks - including Crater Lake, Oregon and Mesa Verde in Colorado
• 18 National Monuments - starting with Devil's Tower, Wyoming, Muir Woods, California, and Mount Olympus, Washington
• 24 Reclaimation Projects
• several conservation conferences

T.R. also created the National Bird Preserve, which became the Wildlife Refuge system, co-founded the American Bison Society, and established the United States Forest Service. He also benefited from the Antiquities Act, which gave the President the power to create national monuments without going through Congress. The original idea was to use it to preserve prehistoric sites in the Southwest, but T.R. used it to preserve areas of geologic interest and value, too.

Today the struggle to preserve our green spaces continues, both in the U.S. and around the world. We're lucky be able to build on the solid foundation created by Theodore Roosevelt, one of our Original Conservationists.

(Photo by maalivahti on flickr)

Okay, ecophiles, I know you're gearing up for Earth Day this Wednesday, and rightfully so -- it's an awesome holiday. However, in all of the Earth Day hubbub (bike to work! eat locally! turn off extra lights!), something really important often gets overlooked -- Arbor Day, which falls on Friday of this week.

While Earth Day is relatively new (the first official Earth Day took place in 1970), Arbor Day has been around forever, and therefore, might seem a little less exciting. But if you ask me, the huge amount of history behind the holiday is a big part of its appeal.

The first Arbor Day took place in 1872, in Nebraska City, and it's estimated that more than a million trees were planted on that day. And hey, if they could plant a million trees more than 135 years ago, don't you think we can do a heck of a lot better now?

The Arbor Day Foundation has links to all kinds of Arbor Day events -- just click on your state to see if any tree-planting organizations are sponsoring some nice, dirty fun in your neck of the woods. However, even if your community doesn't have anything planned, you can still celebrate. Plant a tree on your own (find out what kind to plant here), give a tree to someone you love, or organize your own volunteer tree planting event!

Arbor Day and Earth Day really go hand in hand, so use this week to show your appreciation for whatever kinds of trees you have in your neighborhood, even if you can't get around to it until the weekend. Hey, as long as you take action at some point, it really is the thought that counts!