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Are YOU A Neoconservative?
If one had to choose a word to describe neoconservatism,...
Roses:
Gift of the Angels for Gentle Healing Roses have seduced people...
Leaks and Landscape During a Dry Winter
Did you know that most water customers start off the...
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Thom Hartmann

The nation's #1 progressive radio talk show host and the New York Times bestselling, 4-times Project Censored winning author of 21 books in print. In its eighth year, The Thom Hartmann Program  airs live daily, NOON – 3pm, ET simulcast as both radio and TV on over 120 radio stations. into more than 50 million homes via both nationwide satellite TV systems (DirecTV and Dish Network). http://www.thomhartmann.com

5 Gygres

Written by Sandra Marshall | 03 June 2010

Look around. Most of what we eat, drink, or use in any way comes packaged in petroleum plastic, a material designed to last forever. The short-term convenience of using and throwing away plastic products i.e. water bottles, cups, utensils, shopping bags, food to go boxes, electronics, toys, and gadgets, has presented a very inconvenient long-term truth. Plastic is becoming a growing plague, clogging waterways, damaging marine ecosystems, and entering the marine food web becoming a hazard for marine wildlife, and ultimately for us.
Currently only 5% of the plastics produced is recovered. Roughly 50% is buried in landfills, some is remade into durable goods, and much of it remains “unaccounted for”, lost in the environment where it ultimately washes out to sea through storm drains and watersheds
In the ocean, some of these plastics, Polycarbonate, Polystrene, and PETE, sink, while LDPE, HDPE, Polypropylene, and foamed plastics float on the oceans surface. Sunlight and wave action cause these floating plastics to fragment, breaking into increasingly smaller particles, but never completely disappearing, at least on any documented time scale.
Our oceans are dynamic systems, made up of complex networks of currents that circulate water around the world. These large systems of currents coupled with wind and the earth’s rotation, create “gyres”, massive, slow rotating whirlpools in which plastic trash can accumulate.
There are 5 major oceanic gyres worldwide, with several smaller gyres in Alaska and Antarctica. Plastic debris is accumulating in each of the 5 oceanic gyres. The North Pacific Gyre, the most heavily researched for plastic pollution, spans an area roughly twice the size of the United States - though it is a fluid system, shifting seasonally in size and shape. Because petroleum plastics are designed to last, plastic trash in the gyre will remain for decades or longer, being pushed gently in a slow, clockwise spiral towards the center. Marine researchers don’t yet know the extent to which plastic pollution exists in the world’s oceans.
As plastic particles circulate through oceans, they act as sponges for waterborne contaminants such as PCBs, DDT and other pesticides, PAHs and many hydrocarbons washed through our watersheds. These persistent organic pollutants, called “POPs”, absorb and adsorb onto plastic pollution in high concentrations. Plastic pollution is not a benign material in the ocean. Scientists are studying whether these POPs transfer to the marine organisms that mistakenly consume them.
Fish aren’t supposed to eat plastic, however, 44% of all seabird species, 22% of...Cetaceans, all sea turtle species, and a growing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in or around their bodies. When marine animals consume plastic trash, presumably mistaking it for food, this can lead to internal blockages, dehydration, starvation, and potentially death.
Science is beginning to ask the hard questions: Do chemicals such as PCBs and DDTs, that sorb onto plastic pellets, get into the tissues and blood of the animals that eat plastic? Do these chemicals work their way up the food chain, becoming increasingly concentrated and potentially entering our bodies when we eat seafood?
Additional sources: Algalita Marine Research Foundation - algalita.org  highlighted the “Pacific Garbage Patch”, an area of plastic accumulation in the North Pacific between California and Hawaii.
Studies by the Sea Education Association, (SEA), in the Atlantic have documented plastic pollution in the North Atlantic Gyre.

Green = Money, Health, Life

Written by Lauren Bell | 05 May 2010

In an economy such as ours, it is important to think and plan for the present and the future. Businesses, governments and individuals all over the U.S. are struggling to cope with everyday life. The stresses of the political environment, the daily effect of money or health problems and hearing about natural crisis everywhere is draining people thin of their core chi. People are trying to get back to basics. Now more than ever is a time for thinking Green. We are at a turning point.

One of the greatest myths of the environmental movement is that it costs too much to go green. This is true with LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It is so because LEED focuses on structural change, meaning the structure in which you have social interaction within. What LEED has done is foundational. Architects knew long ago that in order to make change in human behavior, they needed to change the structure in which human beings engaged in action, whatever the action is, living, working, learning, etc.  There is another component that involves the actual change of human behavior.  This is the integration of using truly green products in provided green spaces by learning to do green activities.

As with all change comes the need for investments. The key is in knowing what investments will give the greatest return. There are several green strategies available that are free. Others have a small capital investment and some have large up front cost. The goal is to blend strategies that have a mix of immediate benefit, a return in one year and in five years.

Fortunately a new type of consulting is available. It has a set standard of what is Green from what is greenwashing. Certified Green Consultants have access to hundreds of businesses offering products and services to help you save money now and over time. They can provide strategies that are both brilliant and healthfully beneficial. You will feel resurged with energy knowing you are saving money, reducing your impact on the earth and using products that are better for you and your family’s health. It begins with an evaluation.

 For the same reason you go to the doctor when you feel bad, you need a professional who knows what to look for when going green. Like a doctor having gone through medical school, a green professional has been trained to understand the relationships in everything you do.  There are links between your daily activities, the products you use, where they came from and where they will return. This is called the life cycle. Traditional methods of doing business take activity and products from cradle to grave. The Green method of business is follow-through from cradle to cradle. This is sustainable, cheaper, more convenient and smarter. All you need is an Eco-doctor to show you how.

Lauren Bell is a Green Consultant and the founder of GLOBellConsulting.com. She helps businesses, schools and homeowners save money and resources by transitioning to greener lifestyles.

Social Responsibility

04 April 2010

 & Auto Repair 

Auto repair and social responsibility don't often come up in the same conversation, but like any modern business run by people of conscience, auto repair shops can be operated in a manner that reflects sustainable business practices in their environment, their community, and as employers.

This month we celebrate Earth Day for the fortieth time. For over thirty of those years I have been working as a mechanic, and then shop owner, in the auto repair business. I have seen huge changes both in the cars we work on and the disposal and treatment of the byproducts of that service. Anyone who commuted on the freeways of Los Angeles in the 60s knew instantly why the new California Air Resources Board introduced pollution controls on automobiles in 1967. Visibility of less than a mile due to smog was quite common. I still remember sitting in traffic, windows down (what air conditioning?) and eyes watering, not even thinking that something was really wrong with this picture. Here we are forty years later, there are more than three times as many cars on the road and the air is significantly cleaner than it was then.

Business practices have followed suit. I once worked for a shop that poured waste oil over the fence at the back of the lot and let coolant run out into the street. Nowadays, a shop that follows best practices recycles waste oil, waste coolant, plastic, cardboard, paper, metals of all kinds, and has byproducts of cleaning operations stored securely and hauled off site by EPA certified waste haulers. Air conditioning refrigerant is also recycled, stored, and if contaminated, disposed of properly. New for 2009 - 2010 are storm water run-off measures that require all businesses to monitor oil leaks, spills, etc. that fall in the parking lot. Best practice requires that they be attended to immediately and not allowed to sit long enough for rainwater to sweep them into our watershed. Essentially, a conscientious shop owner does his or her best to minimize the impact of their operations on the environment.

As members of a greater community, auto repair shops should try to support that community through giving charitably, supporting worthwhile causes, and supporting legislation and candidates that contribute positively to the community, state, nation, and world we live in. For example, Morin Brothers and their staff hold car clinics and contribute the entire proceeds to the Women's Shelter Program of SLO. We also underwrite programming on listener-sponsored public radio, as well as support local radio and print through our advertising dollars.

Responsible businesses of all kinds should treat their employees well. Paying employees a living wage, one that will allow them to live here in our community should be normal business practice. Providing health insurance, paid vacation, sick and compassionate leave is not only good business practice, it is also socially responsible. Who among us would want one of our employees to become impoverished or even die because it is not profitable for us to provide benefits? Providing opportunities for our employees to give back to our community is also part of the philosophy of any forward thinking business. As businesses and as individuals, we owe it to our community and to ourselves to behave in a socially responsible manner. The lives we lead are the only ones we have. It behooves us to care for our fellow travelers as well as ourselves.

Michael Morin is the owner of Morin Bros., a full service automotive shop in San Luis Obispo. For answers to car questions email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


 

The Functional Lemon

04 April 2010

Lemon is a common ingredient found in almost all kitchens throughout the world. But did you know that in many cultures, it can also be found in the medicine chest and in the cleaning closet? Let’s take a moment to explore this extremely flavorful and functional fruit.
 
It is mystified that the first lemons grew in South East Asia. It was widely known for its culinary and medicinal properties. Around the time of Christ, it reached its way to the Middle East. In 1493, it was brought to the Americas by Christopher Columbus and spread through the New World. The Lemon, known for its sour taste, is thought to be a hybrid between an orange and a lime. Although, the juice and zest are the primary parts of the plant used, oils, extracts and tinctures can be made from the peel and leaves.

We know what lemon can do in the culinary arts: the refreshing taste of lemonade on a hot summer day, lemon pie with swirls of zest on top of that fluffy meringue. You may like oil and lemon salad dressing. I like to squeeze it over baked fish. Have you been introduced to some of lemon’s medicinal qualities?  

Lemon has antibiotic, antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties. Thyme is the only other plant that comes even remotely close and can be safely ingested. In the form of tea, lemon soothes a sore throat and calms a cough. It produces beneficial acids in the stomach and can detoxify the kidneys and liver.  In the Master Cleanse, it is taken with maple syrup and cayenne as a fasting tonic. On sailing voyages, lemon was taken to prevent scurvy, a deficiency of Vitamin C.

According to Linda Page, a very well known Naturopathic Doctor, an extract of lemon leaf can be used as an antibiotic to treat E.Coli, Tuberculosis and Staphylococcus Aurea. Personally I have used lemon with garlic to permanently cure athlete’s foot. Even more interesting, Robert Short, a fellow at the Royal Women's Hospital at the University of Melbourne, Australia is using lemon in a study about contraception and the prevention of AIDS. He has found that lemon kills sperm in 30 seconds. Imagine. A truly natural contraception whose user can be either male or female?

Let’s talk about cleaning. The best solution for a smelly garbage disposal is to grind up a lemon. An easy dish soap, lemon juice can be added to pure castile soap. It cuts through grease and disinfects your dishes without the use of harsh chemicals. A few drops of lavender oil will release the tension of doing household chores and lift a headache. You may already know about its stain removing power in your laundry. Mixed with vinegar, salt and flour, it can polish your metal jewelry as well as clean your tile grout. In a spray bottle with water, lemon can break through your toughest bathroom grim leaving a fresh lemony scent.

Lemon, humble and cheerful, we give thanks for all the potential that is wrapped up in your pungent peel. A word of caution about using lemon: Daily intake of lemon can eat away the enamel of the teeth. Over consumption without adequate water to flush the acid can result in bladder spasms. Lemon juice in open wounds and exposed to sunlight can result in acute reactions in some people. The oil can be toxic ingested with other household ingredients. Always exercise common sense.

Lauren Bell is a Green Consultant and the founder of GLOBellConsulting.com. She helps businesses, schools and homeowners save money and resources by transitioning to greener lifestyles.

Sources:
Nevin, Tom. African Business. Can Lemon Juice Prevent AIDS? December 1, 2002. Allbusiness.com/Africa
Page, Linda. How to be your own Herbal Pharmacist. 1997.
Karyn Seigel-Maier. Storey Publishing. The Naturally Clean Home. 2008.
Morton, J. Lemon. p. 160–168. Fruits of warm climates. Julia F. Morton, Miami, FL. 1987.

 

 

A New Grower of Old Oaks

Written by Jeanne Greenelsh | 04 April 2010

Coast Oaks is a new grower of old oaks.  The oaks just aren’t old yet; in fact these are the youngest oaks you can buy. Any younger and they would be acorns. And those acorns only grow if they are planted before they dry-out, after a spell of cold weather, and if it is a year when the oak tree bears the nuts (often only one in five).  No wonder it has been estimated that only one in a million acorns grow to be a mature oak tree.

Coast Oaks has taken care to grow the ‘oaklets’ – too small to be saplings, too large to be seedlings – in recycled, biodegradable containers that will easily set right into a small hole.  One oak tree in its lifetime will offset the average American’s carbon footprint for one year. This is a good reason to plant an oak at least once in a lifetime.

Coast Oaks is specializing in the coast live oaks of the Central Coast. These trees are threatened by the Sudden Oak Death pathogen currently quarantined in many Northern California counties. Locally referred to as Red Oak, this is a favorite choice for Bar-B-Ques.  The evergreen tree can grow 1.5 to 4 feet a year according to a quote from the Sunset Western Garden Book, 1979.

Valley Oaks are also available in the convenient recycled, biodegradable containers. They grow up to be the type of trees that produced the acorns that were a diet staple in California for thousands of years. Gone are 75% of the trees that John Muir wrote about when he first arrived in California. Globally, 25 billion trees are cut down every year and only 3.4 billion are planted.  How many trees have you planted?
Coast Oaks Growers is providing people with an affordable way to help the earth now. Visit their booth at Earth Day on April 24 or on Sundays at Triology Farmers Market.

THIS St. Patrick’s Day

02 March 2010

don’t just wear green, 
BE green

For the second year in a row, SLO Regional Rideshare is putting a twist on the traditional St. Patrick’s Day celebration with a challenge - Don’t Just Wear Green, Be Green. On March 17th, county residents are encouraged to be green and leave their car behind when they commute to work. As an incentive to walk, bike, rideshare or bus instead of driving alone, Rideshare is handing out stickers to individuals so they can wear their GREENness with pride (and avoid the pinch). The stickers proudly state, “I AM Green” and will be available at several locations indicated on the I AM GREEN webpage at www.rideshare.org.
Rideshare is currently looking for businesses and organizations who want to pass out the stickers to employees and customers who do not drive alone to work on St. Patrick’s Day. To be added to the online list, simply contact Rideshare to have stickers mailed to your office/retail business. After all, the less we drive, the more green county residents will save on gas and have to spend on the local economy.
“Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference. If someone leaves their car behind just one day a week, it can have a huge impact on their wallet, the environment and even their health,” stated Kelsie Greer, SLO Rideshare’s Program Coordinator. In anticipation of San Luis Obispo County’s green movement, Rideshare has compiled a list of helpful tips on how to get around without driving alone at www.rideshare.org.
For more information about the Don’t Just Wear Green, Be Green campaign in San Luis Obispo County, visit www.rideshare.org or call 781-4362

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