Green and Global

Buy right, save the Canadian boreal forest

Tissues, toilet paper and paper towels.  These make up some of the most mundane aspects of our lives, ones we seldom give a thought to, yet they're items that many of us would be hard pressed to do without.  Unfortunately, many of these products are made using trees harvested in Canada's Boreal Forests, breeding grounds for nearly half of North America's bird species. 

By making the right purchase decisionss, you can do your part to stop the destruction of Canada's boreal forests.

If you must buy these products, choose paper products with recycled content, especially post-consumer fibers, which are recovered from paper that was previously used by consumers. It's also best to buy paper products that are labeled totally chlorine-free (TCF), or processed chlorine-free (PCF).

The best tissue brands to buy are 100% recycled and include Fluff Out, Hankies, Marcal and Seventh Generation.

The best brands of toilet paper include 365 (Whole Foods), Ambiance, April Soft, Best Value, Earth First, Fiesta, Marcal, Planet, Pert, Seventh Generation and Softpac.

100% recycled paper towel brands include 365 (Whole Foods), Atlantic, Best Value, Earth First, Fiesta, Pert, Marcal, Planet and Seventh Generation.

For a more comprehensive list, visit the website of the Natural Resource Defense Council.

Posted by Dawn

Solar house tours

Don't forget that tomorrow, October 6, solar house tours will be taking place nationwide. The event, sponsored by the American Solar Energy Society, lets the public visit energy-efficient solar, wind, and renewable energy powered homes and businesses. Check the link to see where the tours are in your state.

Posted by Dawn

Home Depot and Ed Begley, Jr

I stumbled into something on the Home Depot website when looking for new kitchen appliances. Ed Begley, Jr. is hosting a series on home "eco" tips. Working for a production and electronic media services company, I was impressed with the quality of the video and delivery of the message - great spokesperson (a brand in his own right) and useable tips.

Posted by Jeff

For buyers, the importance of energy efficiency depends on the product, poll reveals

Last month, 1,000 adults were surveyed on their attitudes about energy efficiency, and how energy-efficient products are marketed to them, by Media Post's Marketing Daily.

While more than one-third of respondents said energy efficiency was very important in their buying decisions (36.9%), a resounding majority (70.3%) said marketers' claims of energy efficency are only "somewhat believable." Despite a degree of skepticism, an even greater majority believes the current marketing emphasis on energy efficency is a long-term trend (84.2%) rather than a fad (15.8%). Sounds like a significant number of consumers have embraced energy efficiency as an important consideration, but marketers have to do a better job in ensuring their products do, in fact, save energy and in communicating this accurately to consumers.

Interestingly, when asked in what categories of purchases energy efficiency played the most important part, respondents named gas/fuel, automotive and appliances as areas where they payed the most attention to energy efficiency ("very important:" 56.7%, 51.9% and 56.7%, respectively). Other categories where respondents viewed energy efficiency as being a "very important" consideration included home improvement materials (39%), consumer electronics (36.5%, hotel/travel accomodations (10.5%) and food (16.8%).

Presumably, energy efficiency is most important when it comes to the price of gas, something nearly everyone notices, and least important when it comes to vacation time indulgences.

Posted by Dawn

Just letting it all hang out

So tell me.  What's your take on clotheslines?  A quaint but obsolete technology your grandma favored over her electric clothes dryer?  Or something you can't live without?

The "back-to-line-drying" movement is alive and well.  The folks at Project Laundry List consider themselves advocates (with a great sense of humor) in helping to educate consumers on the energy conservation benefits of line-drying clothes. They also seek to fight the covenants of many planned communities and condo associations that ban clotheslines and consider them "unsightly."

I've been line-drying my clothes for years. Nothing compares to the fresh, clean smell of line-dried clothes.

Posted by Dawn

Jeff comments: Gee, with the questionable air quality of the northeast and who knows what blowing around, do your clothes really stay clean outside?

Dawn responds: Actually, Jeff, the Environmental Protection Agency has said that indoor air quality is anywheres from 2 to 10 times more hazardous than outdoors, thanks to today's super-insulated houses, mold, radon, second-hand smoke and the outgassing of various chemicals from rugs, furniture and other manufactured products. But that's a story for another post.

Besides reducing energy use, clothesline drying also saves you money, helps your clothes last longer and eliminates the chance of a clothes dryer fire.

Jeff: Well, that may be so, but have you ever run your finger accross the top of your car or patio furniture? Also, in the Northeast it is Tick Central and these little buggers get carried by the wind as well as the four-legged creatures. Again, I long for the past and my family's clothesline, but the reality is with two working people, three kids and multiple sports, laundry is perpetual. Once again, practicality versus the environment - practicality wins. The one good thing is that our laundry is done at "off-peak" hours for energy consumption.

Dawn: If you line-dry, it might require some planning ahead, like becoming more conscious of weather conditions conducive to doing a load of wash, or planning ahead if you need clean clothes for a specific function. 

But you brought up some valid points concerning convenience.  Does "going green" necessarily mean sacrificing all the conveniences and comforts of the modern world and returning to the era in which our grandparents lived?  Or can we combine the wisdom gained from a generation ago with contemporary products and know-how to come up with better ways to run our household and protect the environment?

If you build it, they will come

Here is an interesting idea the Brits came up with — meeting housing targets by building "eco-towns" on old industrial sites.

Where I live, we're losing old farms and monster homes are built in their place. Perhaps we should reclaim some of these old buildings and build some affordable dwellings that are also friendly to the environment. Your thoughts?

Posted by Jeff