Green Options

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You swap out your light bulbs for energy-efficient ones, keep your house as chilled as a meat locker in winter, bicycle to work, eat little meat and drive a hybrid — yet nagging at you is this thought: Do my small actions make a difference? Author Michael Pollan says they do.

In last week’s Sunday New York Times Magazine (4.20.08), Pollan wrote a provocative essay, “Why Bother? Looking for a few good reasons to go green.” In it, he wrestles with those lurking questions about our everyday choices to stave off global warming. Some excerpts:

Let’s say I do bother, big time. I turn my life upside-down…, but what would be the point when I know full well that halfway around the world there lives my evil twin, some carbon-footprint doppelgänger in Shanghai or Chongqing who has just bought his first car (Chinese car ownership is where ours was back in 1918), is eager to swallow every bite of meat I forswear and who’s positively itching to replace every last pound of CO2 I’m struggling no longer to emit. So what exactly would I have to show for all my trouble?

He looks at the reasons we find for not doing anything: “There are so many stories we can tell ourselves to justify doing nothing,” he writes.

And yet, he resoundingly concludes that those little things are worth the bother.

It’s springtime and love must be in the air! We’ve had a few wedding related posts lately around the Green Options Network. Check out some green wedding tips here on Feelgood Style as well as some sources for eco-friendly wedding bands on Crafting a Green World. My own green wedding took place last summer, and I return to writing about it now because my husband and I were honored with being featured in this month’s issue of VegNews Magazine.

The publication profiles several weddings every year. I highly recommend picking up a copy (because I also love their recipes and features.) If you can’t find it at your newsstand, here’s a scan of the article where I’m featured.

I’m not just posting this to brag (but seriously, squeeeeee!). I also wanted to point you towards some green catering resources. Whether you’re planning a wedding, a fundraiser, or any other special event, we all know that large groups of people can create a lot of waste. So choosing caterers who specialize in local, organic food is one way to lower your event’s carbon footprint.

Following, organized by region, are the top international environmental news for during the week of April 20 - 27. See an archive of top international environmental news here.

Asia

Working the land the natural way: Organic farming in China

It’s been almost four years since the project was launched, and of the nine households who have tried organic farming, only four are still at it. The others decided it just wasn’t worth it. Organic farming requires much more labor, the yield can be half or less of that of conventional farming, and besides, hardly anyone in Chengdu is eating organic. Our stock broker-turned-farmer estimates their customer base to be only 0.01% of Chengdu’s population.

Anlong farmer Gao Shengjian believes there’s a link between the use of pesticides and fertilizers on farms and the growing incidences of various diseases among the rural population.

Source: Crossroads China. Vote for this article in social media: StumbleUpon.

China down to 12 days worth of coal

China only has enough coal for 12 days of consumption, three days less than a month ago, state media reported Wednesday, sounding the alarm bells over the nation’s most important source of energy.

SCA poll by Harris Interactive, conducted in the beginning of April, found that consumers were definitely willing to pay more for green products…up to almost 20% more.

Good news for green businesses. But, take a little closer look at the findings.

No matter what the weather, my family eats soup. I find soup to be an easy way to get my children to eat their veggies. This potato leek soup is a favorite of my kids, and a great way to use up leeks from the garden. It is adapted from the Horn of the Moon cookbook, and of course, organic ingredients are a must!

Vegetarian Potato Leek Soup

Boil in large pot

• 6 cups of water or vegetarian stock

Add

• 6 cups diced potatoes (leave the skins on for optimal nutrition)

Cover and cook for 25 minutes until tender. Turn off the heat, then puree 3/4 of the potatoes and stock in a blender. Add the pureed potatoes back to the pot.

If you think of any major holiday, nearly the first thing that pops into your head is food. Okay, well, maybe right after “Christmas is in a week?! I haven’t gotten anything done yet!” Then, it’s all about food. Or, at least it is for me.

So, in the tradition of your Thanksgiving table, holiday feast and Easter eggs … why not an Earth Dinner? It’s simple, just make your meal on Earth Day a table […]

I know. It doesn’t sound particularly appetizing, but trust me. This is delicious. We keep basil in the garden and pesto in the fridge during most of the summer season. By now (early Spring), we are ready, but the Basil is not.

When my friend, business partner, and the managing editor of our magazine, Relevant Times shared this recipe with me, I was skeptical too. I’ve learned to trust Green Diva Jen’s (AKA Jenifer O’Neill) recipes. She is not only a WiseWoman herbalist, she is an amazing natural foods and Macrobiotic chef.

Ingredients
2 cups raw kale
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup olive oil
1 cup Romano cheese, grated
4 cloves garlic peeled & chopped
salt & freshly group pepper to taste

Directions

A couple of years ago, I made a rare excursion to the doctor. A friend had recommended a holistically minded MD. I was skeptical, but was impressed as he seemed to have a healthy balance in his diagnostic abilities and his analysis of the best course of action, which may or may not include surgery, pharmaceuticals, acupuncture, or homeopathy. He is uncharacteristically knowledgeable about nutrition.

I was particularly impressed when my fiancé, who had seen a medical doctor about an abdominal hernia, went to Dr. Parvalescu for a second opinion. We expected the first doctor to push for surgery. He didn’t and said it wasn’t a big deal. When he went to Dr. Parvalescu, Dr. P insisted he take it seriously and go for surgery ASAP. He turned out to be right and I’ve trusted his judgment and knowledge of various aspects of medicine and health since then.

So, when he said I should start taking 2 tablespoons of coconut oil per day and insisted I get my daughters to do the same, I paid attention. He said he’s got his wife doing it and it has a multitude of health qualities, particularly for women.

I’ve been quite stunned by the things I’ve read. The Weston A. Price Foundation has a great paper, called, ‘A New Look at Coconut Oil’ on it that references a mess of studies. I highly recommend it.

Coconut oil is touted to have a positive effect on the cardiovascular system, it has antimacrobial qualities, and it may reduce the risk of some cancers, among other claims.

Virgin v. Refined

In Kelly’s post on earth friendly stuffing yesterday, she mentioned online shop Near Sea Naturals. You may have seen their name pop up before in my profile of Mod Green Pod.

So I thought it was high time to give this online eco-shop their own day in the sun in our Fabulous Fabrics series. Their collection of cotton, wool, and hemp fabrics, yarns and knitting needles, and notions is sure to warm the heart of any green crafter. Since there’s so much to see on their site, I thought I’d take a moment and highlight a couple of the new fabrics they just added.

The White Sands Safari Interlock, pictured above, is 100% cotton and whitened with peroxide instead of chlorine bleach.

Providence, Rhode Island— The Ocean State might be the size of some counties in other parts of the country, but it’s big on going green. A local food co-op in Providence has been bringing fresh, local produce to its capital city dwellers for nigh on ten years now.

Urban greens is a food cooperative on Providence’s West Side with a mission to provide simple, direct access to affordable, local, natural products and to offer a community-based alternative to corporate supermarkets. The cooperative is guided by its values of equal access, local agriculture, local economy, co-operative principles, community partnerships and social entrepreneurship.

Guayaki - Organic Yerba Mate Tea - (Guayaki.com)

I really only drink two things - water and tea. And I’m pretty fussy about the quality of each. Since I gave up the sauce (caffeine that is), I’ve been enjoying Yerba Mate as my new primary tea source. Guayaki sent me some samples to review for the magazine and I am now addicted to their Organic Yerba Mate. Not an awful addiction as addictions go. The company […]