This morning, a Maryland dog escaped from his yard and ended up running a marathon. Don’t ask; I don’t know its motivation, but upon further investigation, no reports have announced whether or not he won. I hope not, because it’d make those runners look like they need to get off the couch more often to stop letting their dogs put them to shame.
Do As I Say…
June 24, 2011 By
Vivienne Cox, former BP executive, came out with a statement a few days ago, declaring that “climate change is real — and that we’re not taking it seriously enough”. While I’m glad that someone else realizes what I’ve been preaching for the past year now, it’s not enough to just state the obvious without any kind of suggested solutions (though small in the short-term, proposed “baby step” solutions can have large effects on long-term reversal of climate change; why else do you think I’ve been suggesting small but powerful ways to shrink your carbon footprint?). So, until you realize that people need an answer to “so what?”, I’ll be waiting, Vivienne, for your insightful ideas. Tip: if you’re drawing blanks, peruse my site. It’d get your creative juices flowing.
About Time for US to Get Onboard
June 23, 2011 By
The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association recently warned gardeners that climate change has been (and will keep) affecting what all can grow in their backyards. No kidding — do they think this is news? What have I spent all of this time preaching over? I’m glad they’ve finally joined the rest of the world in realizing that we need to do something if you want to keep growing your annuals or your herbs (and those poor sundried tomatoes).
Gettin’ It On With Brazilians
June 23, 2011 By
The Brazilian government just released a report that verifies a previously unconfirmed existence of a tribe in southwest Amazon. More motivation to save the rainforests, I say — and then, when you get there, you can come party with them and me! (You can assume they love their trees if they live around/in them.) If that’s not yet another reason for you to try to save some trees, I don’t know what else I can do to motivate you.
Off the Market
June 22, 2011 By
Recently, many New York City farmers markets have closed down to make way for pet salons — and I, for one, am doubly annoyed. Why, you may ask, is one dimension of annoyance not enough? Because if you take away some of the only real food left in the city (PS: a recent study shows that 8% of children are prone to food allergies. That’s okay; most of what they eat in places like fast food and things like fruit snacks isn’t actual food.), and you instead replace it with pet stores in a city that orphaned 35,588 cats and dogs last year? Are you serious? Even fruit/veggie-aversive New Yorkers will gladly buy something from a produce stand on the corner than shell out 400+ times that amount for a puppy that’d replace a possible home for a pound pup.
Keep this up, NYC, and green- and health-conscious people (cough) will be leaving the city for Jersey every time we get hungry (or want a less yuppy, more compassionate choice for gaining a pet). Something tells me that that wouldn’t help your businesses, and there’s no way in hell that I’m paying $2+ for a banana at Starbucks. Ever.
Secondhand? I’ll Raise Mine
June 20, 2011 By
Now that summer has rolled around, and now that I need a new pair or two of Daisy Dukes, I’ve been on the prowl amidst all types of stores. However, people have recently tried to sway me that thrift store shopping is “anything but desired”, and that I’ll be seen as cheap for wanting to shop in a thrift store. Um, are you kidding? Not only do thrift stores offer much less expensive alternatives to pairs that are often identical in quality — and five times the price, but since the clothes aren’t tossed in some landfill because someone’s too lazy to drive to donate them, many will end up in landfills. Thus, shopping in a secondhand store helps to cut down energy costs required to make new clothes (many of which, FYI, end up in thrift stores if not sold). And for those of you that actually scour stores looking for people, not clothes, thrift stores are where you can snag the smart, green-friendly, and shameless type (aka me). Turns out that that Raspberry Beret girl whom Prince obsessed over really knew what she was talking about.
Another “Bright” Idea?
June 20, 2011 By
For those of you who still eat fast food often, despite my rants, you may have noticed that KFC is now donating $1 from every half-gallon soda purchase to the Juvenile Diabetes fund. What’s wrong with this picture? While this may be a nice gesture (and I use that term loosely), I don’t understand how promoting the sales of a soft drink that holds more than your stomach will save kids with diabetes. In fact, last time I checked, guzzling that much soda (and teaching your kids that it’s okay to do so in the name of “charity”) won’t break the cycle, either.
Prez of the Food Pyramid?
June 16, 2011 By
President Obama has been photographed while doing a variety of things. No surprise, of course, that this much attention has been paid to even mundane everyday activities when you’re the leader of a modern superpower. However, a few journalists have complained that he should scale back on the whole eating-meat-while-getting-your-photograph-taken thing in order to help convey to the American public that he does, in fact, believe that consuming less meat and more fruits and vegetables is key to a healthy lifestyle.
Now, I have to agree with them — though not on the point that they bring up. Obviously, he didn’t think he’d get photographed at tiny Ray’s Hellburger in Arlington, Virginia while he was physically eating. Maybe he figured that a shot would get taken of him entering or leaving, so for all we know, he could’ve eaten a veggie burger (which, by the way, doesn’t exist. I would know; I’ve been there, and while mushroom burgers don’t sound great, they’re actually pretty damn amazing there. But anyway, I digress.). Either way, he then went back again some time later with Russian president Vladimir Putin, and recently he was spotted eating sausages in the UK while visiting the royal couple.
Okay, so this blows my whole veggie-burger theory out the window.
Look, you know me by now; I don’t care whether or not you like Obama, so I won’t support or rail against him as a person. What I will say, though, is that despite his many stories (and photos) of playing basketball before and after becoming president, thus proving that he remains active, a few photos of him at burger joints (and one of him actually eating meat) don’t suddenly mean that Obama goes against his proclaimed belief of cutting back on meat in favor of fruits and veggies. In other words, he’s not saying “do as I say, not as I do”, but some journalists will of course interpret this as such. He may be eating meat only when out of the house on certain occasions, but reporters won’t bother to look into that. So, journalists, while I understand your complaints and where they come from, stop repeating yourself and actually make an effort to stop this if you think this is an issue. Sitting around pointing fingers only makes you look lazy — and like you yourself need some moderate physical activity (here’s a thought — walk to the White House yourself, if you feel so inclined).
By the same token, Mr. President, you should know better to at least have ordered a side salad, even if just for show. Of course, every single photographer may have decided to take zero shots of you eating said salad first and decided to only take pictures of you eating the sausages, but that’d be giving the paparazzi way too much credit. So hop on those peas and carrots, Forrest fan that you are, and don’t give them ammo with which to slam you. You may be rethinking the food pyramid with a plate-shaped diagram instead, but that doesn’t mean that you can fill it up sans any veggies.
Dad’s Day Ideas, AGG Style
June 15, 2011 By
Father’s Day marks one of the more famous calendar holidays earmarked to “shoot the breeze” with your dad (however your family interprets that is your call) amidst an otherwise possibly hectic year. With new gadgets and products coming out every year that seem to top those from years previous, though, it almost makes giving your dad a new polo shirt or the Sopranos boxed set look trivial and almost pathetic — warranting a “yeah, just kidding, Dad — that’s like the Christmas Eve gift of Father’s Day” and leaving you to scramble to find a new one. Well, even if your dad grins and thanks you for the gift (or the thought, anyway), here are a list of green Father’s Day gift ideas to get your wheels spinning instead of your head. You’re welcome.
- gaiam.com offers a great twist on the classic hammock — it contains recycled materials yet still feels as soft, if not softer, than its non-recycled cousin. It’s perfect for your backyard, or at least until it breaks if you decide to climb on it with him.
- amazon.com boasts multiple clothing items from manufacturers like Nau, Earthtec, and Horny Toad (hey, I don’t judge) that used recycled fibers and organic materials like cotton, causing less waste and fewer carbon emissions to produce. And for the low prices at which they’re offered, you might as well have found them from a recycle bin.
- Does he have a watch sitting on his dresser (or in the back of a drawer within it) dead because the battery’s just itching to be replaced? Well, problem be gone. Solar-powered watches from companies like Casio and Seiko now offer an energy-efficient alternative that cuts down on waste (and the cost to replace a battery like you would for a normal watch). Other solar-powered goods, like solar iHome docking stations to charge iPods, are also available online and run for about as much as the real mccoy.
- If your dad’s anything like mine and charges his phone all night, throwing energy-emission worries out the window as his phone absorbs the extra energy it doesn’t need, then I’ve found the solution to both of our problems. Belkin has a new device called the Conserve Socket that automatically shuts off power devices (like cell phones, etc) that would use energy for standby power, and all you have to do is set a timer at which the socket will pull the plug (almost literally) on that device’s energy consumption. Some larger devices, though a little more expensive than Belkin’s $10 version, will go one step farther by shutting off power for larger items, like entertainment centers and office desktop towers and monitors, and disabling them from sucking up energy when shut off or not in use. You may have to shell out around $50 for one like ThinkEco’s Modlet, but once you tell him that he could save around $200 per year in energy costs, he won’t have a heart attack and demand a gift receipt.
- Now, for those of you who don’t mind shelling out like nobody’s business (or for those of you who want to combine a Father’s Day and birthday present — or make up for, say, totaling his car or bringing home a horrible girlfriend who caused drama for the whole family at your annual picnic), consider this. Many LCD televisions boast around 40% better energy efficiency, but the godfather of all things wonderful in green entertainment has arrived. The Toshiba SL417U costs around $15 — a year – to run, which makes it perfect for him if he (or you) get bored of playing sports after a few minutes outside and want to watch the pros do it on ESPN. Sure, the 42″ one may cost around $1100, but last time I checked, that’s about the same price (if not cheaper, in some cases) for a comparable model that could cost God-only-knows how much to operate in a year’s time.
Still hungry for more? Talk to me, and I’ll get your gears rotating on some other ideas. Until then, I’ll be busy remembering how to hold a football before Sunday.
Um, I Hope You Were Kidding…
June 14, 2011 By
The GOP debate in New Hampshire occurred last night amongst many Republican candidate-hopefuls for the 2012 election. But not one peep was made about the environment — and I’m furious that Bachmann would go so far as to declare that the Environmental Protection Agency should be abolished immediately, with no replacement even mentioned. Um, hello? You people hated on Obama for hours (not even each other, but just him. I’m pretty sure a debate is supposed to mainly rail on each other, but I can see that none of you passed Debate 101 in college), but what about your plans for the planet? I don’t care what side you may be — republican, democrat, libertarian, etc, but if you don’t talk about how you hope and plan to take even the tiniest step toward saving the environment and stopping climate change, then you’re barking up the wrong tree. Stop boring us by spending hours going around in circles with your debates, and get to issues that matter.
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