This plant-based fiber makes luxurious, eco-friendly clothes and sheets

Having trouble keeping up with our increasingly organic, eco-friendly world? Let me be your guide! From all-natural makeup to the best in eco-conscious jeans, I will test and review the products and treatments that are best for you and the planet.

What do you think about when you see the word “bamboo”? Until recently, whenever I came across the plant, perhaps tossed in a salad as shoots or sold in lucky sets of three in Chinatown, I’d picture giant pandas pigging out on their favorite snack.

But as I’ve learned more and more about environmentally friendly alternatives to everything from flooring, serving ware, furniture, and even clothes, I’ve come to see that bamboo plays a bigger role than merely panda sustenance.

Why bamboo? The short answer: As Americans become increasingly eco-conscious — or eco-curious for those just starting to look into the vast green options available today — one of the main issues that we look to eradicate is the uncontrolled use (um, exploitation) of the earth’s natural resources. Sure, most of these resources are renewable, that is, they naturally restock or renew themselves, but when our demand outpaces the rate at which the resource is able to be renewed, we run into serious trouble.

Enter bamboo, thought to be the fastest-growing plant on the planet. This grass — fun fact: Bamboo is classified as a grass, not a tree — has attracted the attention of eco-aware contractors and furniture designers because it is considered to be one of our most sustainable resources, while our forests risk devastating deforestation.

This grass is light-years away from the green tufts sprouting out of your front lawn. For starters, bamboo can be harvested in about four years — think how long it takes a tree to grow to full maturity — and, incredibly, does not require replanting because it continually creates new sprouts. And if that’s not enough, bamboo is so incredibly strong — certain varieties have been compared to steel — that it is used in the construction of homes and even bridges in some parts of the world. And bamboo is a natural superstar, growing to such heights—over 60 feet in some cases — without the aid of toxic pesticides and fertilizers.

Sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? Good enough to trade in your hardwood floors for bamboo’s blond boards or to look for dining tables made out of the king of all grasses. But what does bamboo, a resilient, hyper-strong plant, have to do with some of the softest, most luxurious clothing you’ll ever put on your body?

A lot.

Recent manufacturing technology has developed a method of turning bamboo pulp into fiber, which can then be transformed into silky-soft fabric. Designers both big and small are turning bamboo into sumptuous T-shirts, skirts, pants, socks, baby clothes, and even sheets and towels.

For the last year my bed has been swathed in the extra-soft goodness of bamboo sheets —like Egyptian cotton on steroids — and sleeping has yet to be the same (every night has been a cozier, cuddlier, all-around improved slumbering experience). In support of the mainstreaming of eco-conscious products I picked up my 230-count bamboo sheet set at Bed Bath & Beyond for an affordable $80 (queen-size).

To make bamboo clothing and home goods even more desirable, bamboo fabric has been found to be thermal regulating — keeps you cool in the summer and warm in the winter; moisture absorbing — bamboo fabric will absorb sweat quickly; breathable — clothing made out of bamboo is especially porous; and best of all, antibacterial — bamboo contains a naturally occurring antimicrobial agent called kun that prevents the growth of bacteria.

My top picks for the best of bamboo clothing design and home goods:

Bamboosa: This bamboo emporium is a one-stop shop for casual clothing for women, men and baby. The BamboosaBaby gift set makes an eco-original shower gift and Bamboosa’s socks would make an excellent stocking stuffer for the stinky-footed in your family. Bamboosa goes all the way with eco-friendly dyes and 100 percent recycled paper packaging as well as sweat-shop-free, U.S.-based manufacturing.

Linda Loudermilk: If eco-conscious clothing still conjures up images of bulky hemp pants in earthy, unflattering colors, it’s time to go luxury, “luxury eco.” Loudermilk is a high-end designer whose cutting-edge designs embody her “luxury eco” ethic with their colors and cut as well as their fabric origins. In addition to bamboo, the dynamic pieces are made of sasawashi, sea cell and other exotic sustainable plants.

Bamboo sheets: There are many options for outfitting your bed in bamboo. Giam sells sheet sets in a cotton-bamboo blend; VivaTerra’s sheets are made of 100 percent bamboo fiber; and Target has even gotten into the game with a 60 percent cotton, 40 percent bamboo blend.

Closing note: Bamboo fiber is undeniably soft, but it’s also undeniably imperfect. Eco-investigators are discovering that while the bamboo plant is environmentally friendly, the manufacturing process that turns bamboo into fabric may not be equally earth conscious. The minds behind the Organic Clothing Blog, a site that covers eco-fashion, believe that “the manufacturing of bamboo into fabric raises environmental and health concerns because of the strong chemical solvents used to cook the bamboo plant into a viscose solution that is then reconstructed into cellulose fiber for weaving into yarn for fabric.”

To play it safe, before you invest in your very own pair of bamboo pants or a set of bamboo sheets, take a moment to inquire into the company’s manufacturing methods.

By Marisa Belger

Marisa Belger is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience covering health and wellness. She was a founding editor of Lime.com, a multiplatform media company specializing in health, wellness and sustainable living. Marisa also collaborated with Josh Dorfman on “The Lazy Environmentalist” (Stewart, Tabori, and Chang), a comprehensive guide to easy, stylish green living.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21531183/

Ten earth-friendly businesses promote their downtown Concord, NH home

By MEG HECKMAN

Browse a few businesses around Main Street and you’ll realize that buying green means a lot more than stocking up on tofu, hemp sandals and patchouli. You’ll find organic massage oils, all-natural cleaning supplies, recycled purses that look like they belong on a runway model’s arm, unusual herbs for tasty teas and thongs (yes, thongs) that are as adorable as they are earth-friendly.

In fact, downtown is so flush with such wares that the shops selling them have banded together to promote downtown Concord as a shopping destination for environmentally-conscious consumers. Called Green Concord, the group promotes business practices its members feel are good for the plant and for the community.

“Concord really is unique,” said Debby deMoulpied, owner of Real Green Goods and the founder of trade group. “We have a lot of (green) stores all on Main Street. That’s very unusual. It’s nice to sort of market it as a destination. We want to let people know that Concord is a Mecca for green shopping.”

DeMoulpied’s shop - purveyor of stainless steel stemware, organic clothing and candles that raise money for injured veterans - opened this summer, one of many earth-friendly businesses that moved into downtown around the same time. Instead of competing with like-minded neighbors, deMoulpied decided the business should band together.

Right now, the roster includes 10 business: Your Home, Your World, Lotions ‘n Potions, Gondwana, Sage Living, Earth Made, the Concord Cooperative Market, Bartlett Home Studio Design, Massage Therapy, Real Green Goods and the Indigo Café on Hall Street.

Members of Green Concord have agreed to support local and Fair Trade suppliers, stock sustainable products, recycle and work to improve the community. The group hopes to increase recycling downtown and to hold promotional events throughout the years. Members will volunteer to recycle waste from the upcoming SNOB Film Festival and, on the day after Thanksgiving, the stores will host Green Friday.

“It’s our answer to Black Friday. It’s very low key,” deMoulpied said. “We’re just trying to have a very relaxing atmosphere. We’ll have some soft music, some green tea, cider, maybe some organic cocoa. The idea is let’s get away from the mall.”

Green Concord’s members have eclectic collections, but here’s a sampling of what you’ll find:

• Elephant poop paper. Yes, we said “poop,” and Real Green Goods scrambles to keep the stuff in stock. People love it for writing, for giving and for starting conversations.

• The world’s best thong - at least according to regulars at Earth Made. You’ll find the wonder thongs displayed among racks and racks of PJs and underwear. They’re made of natural fibers, which owner Malissa Blasdell says makes them super-comfy.

“Women swear by these,” she said.

• Festival beads. Green Concord plans to purchase strings of handmade beads from a group of Congolese refugees living in Concord. The necklaces will debut at SNOB and deMoulpied hopes they’ll be the first of many products made by refugees.

“Eventually, it would be wonderful if they could start their own cooperative that we could purchase from,” she said.

• Yummy-smelling things for your skin. Many of the shops sell handmade soaps, lotions and oils. Blasdell has been making her own brand for a dozen years, and Lotions ‘n Potions has racks and rack of all-natural massage oils. If you fancy something really unique, the folks at Sage Living will whip up a custom blend just for you.

http://www.concordmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071030/BUSINESS/710300304

By Marco R. della Cava

KENTFIELD, Calif. — To revel in the airy home of Zem Joaquin, House & Garden magazine’s eco-editor, is to experience somewhat contradictory epiphanies.

The first is the realization that creating a haven with an ecological ethos takes a keen understanding of how average household goods can be harmful to the planet. Take a gleaming lamp; the art of chroming actually is among the most toxic metallurgical processes around.

And second, having that somewhat gloomy knowledge doesn’t mean your house has to look like something out of a patchouli-scented, hemp-wrapped commune.

In fact, Joaquin’s tirelessness has yielded a sizzlingly chic temple that any fashionista would bow before.

“My mission is to show people that they can be ecological and look fabulous,” says Joaquin, 37, who, before joining House & Garden, wrangled models in Milan and helped launch ecofabulous.com. “In college, I was the annoying person telling people to recycle. Now it’s nice to see so many people want to go green.”

Joaquin will be looking to win over more converts next week in New York, where she will lead eco-shopping tours during House & Garden’s Inaugural Design Week. This friend of Hollywood’s green set — she’s on various boards with the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio and Darryl Hannah — won’t be hard to miss with her Salma Hayek looks and mile-a-minute patter.

“There’s just so much to tell you about,” she says, scurrying about in bare feet — everyone must check their shoes at the massive double doors of her home in this leafy Marin County suburb of San Francisco. “Everything has a story.”

Joaquin is not exaggerating. From a frilly leather rug in the family room (made from the discards of a purse factory) to the kitchen table’s silver-orb placemats (made by children in Nepal from the plastic garbage left by hikers), most everything in this house has earned its way in after much eco-scrutiny.

Joaquin’s rules of thumb:

•Buy refurbished classics from interesting decades — such as the modernist ’50s — a savvy way of recycling.

•If something must be bought new, make sure it’s made with eco-sustainable materials such as natural rubber and “green” lumber.

•When in doubt, don’t throw it out. Two cases in point are her commercial-grade stove and plasma TV. “I don’t cook much or watch television a lot, but adding them to landfills wouldn’t have helped the Earth,” she says.

The end result is a home that explodes with exotic and disparate pieces, most of which have a distinctively retro touch.

Key to the 4,200-square-foot structure’s appeal is a layout that places the sunken living room, dining room, kitchen and family room in a fluid row. Providing most of the light are not electrical fixtures, but clerestory windows, large panes set into the uppermost reaches of the walls. Lending the house a T-shape are two wings off this central corridor — one leading to the master bedroom and her two children’s rooms, the other to an office and guest room.

Joaquin and her husband, Internet entrepreneur James Joaqin, bought the home a few years ago because it would not require moving the 40-year-old house’s walls around, “which really goes against being green,” she says.

So a makeover was in the cards. She joined forces with her design guru, Aaron Mutscheller, to attack the project.

The living room, with its dramatic 20-foot-plus ceilings, begged for a built-in bench near the floor-to-ceiling windows. Built of certified (ecologically harvested) mahogany with a linen cushion filled with natural tapped rubber, it remains Joaquin’s favorite spot.

“And look at these,” she says, holding one of many yellow- and black-tinged pillows. “They’re made of hemp, but they’re not my mother’s hemp” — a reference to Joaquin’s upbringing on a commune in nearby Palo Alto.

Those frugal early days explain her passion for eBay and other auction sites, source of most the home’s furniture, including the living room’s wooden coffee table and two purple high-backed chairs that flank a wooden backgammon table. (Her passion for vintage ware extends to jewelry, because “mining is pretty gross.”)

The nearby dining room’s focal point is a chandelier composed of hundreds of Lucite flowers, behind which hide a few “admittedly ugly” curly compact light bulbs that save on electricity. It hovers above a vintage dining set from the 1960s, and casts its light on a favored painting that juxtaposes images of nature with society, in this case a bird and snaking telephone wires.

The main living area’s lone wall separates the dining room from the kitchen and adjoining family room. Dominated by a cement countertop that runs the width of the room, the kitchen’s eco-friendly touches include a foot pedal by the sink providing quick bursts of water, as well as steel bar stools covered in vegetable-tanned brown leather.

The honey-colored wood floors are original, whereas in the nearby rooms of her children — Dylan, 6, and Zoe, 4 — the surface is covered in cork made to look like planks of wood. “It’s manufactured from the waste product of the wine industry,” Joaquin says with a smile.

All the bedrooms feature radiant heat, much of it generated from solar panels. All the mattresses, including the large one in the couple’s as-yet unfinished bedroom, are made from natural materials.

Whenever any walls required painting (most changed to white from an array of loud colors), Joaquin specified a Low-VOC (volatile organic compound) variety. Once expensive and tough to find, such paints are now produced by familiar brands such as Sherwin-Williams and Benjamin Moore.

Finally at rest from the whirlwind tour of her house, Joaquin takes a swig from her water bottle. No plastic for her: She refills an elegantly decorated aluminum canister that stays with her all day.

“There’s just so much people can do to make their lives more in harmony with the environment, but not in a boring way,” she says.

Suddenly a gnat buzzes her face.

Thwack!

“Oops,” Joaquin says, flashing the smile of a guilty 5-year-old. “That wasn’t very eco-friendly.”

by Broderick Perkins
If you’ve been wondering what you can do around the house to help cool global warming, a major utility company offers its customers a first-of-its kind payment plan as an alternative or adjunct to existing do-it-yourself options anyone can choose.

California’s Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) is offering its 5.8 million customers, a voluntary ClimateSmart program that costs about $4 a month for a typical household, about 3 percent more than the current average bill.

For the money, the utility will tell customers how much carbon dioxide they generate at home every month based on their electricity and natural gas use — about 5.3 tons each year for the average household.

Scheduled to begin the program this spring, PG&E will use the program’s proceeds to fund forest restoration and conservation projects in California. The projects are designed to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air in amounts equal to that put there by the participating households, effectively making them “zero carbon” or “carbon neutral” homes.

CO2, a by-product of burning fossil fuels (much electricity is generated this way) is a greenhouse gas largely generated by humans. Greenhouse gasses contribute to global warming, an observed increase in the average temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere and oceans.

Most scientists believe humans’ CO2 habits are responsible for much of the recent global warming, but humans also can help reverse the trend. It’s a global trend that has led to disastrous climatic changes including greater incidences of more severe hurricanes, firestorms, heat waves and events that are bringing down the glaciers and melting the ice caps.

Some of it is already irreversible and left unaddressed global warming will broaden deserts and shrink coastlines.

“In the long run, sea level rises are going to be the most severe impact of global warming on human society,” said Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, presenting a report by German scientists at a major United Nations Climate Change Convention in Nairobi this winter.

Rahmstorf said the result will be tens of millions of “sea level refugees” moving inland because of sea levels rising nearly three feet between 1990 and 2100.

The predictions have left many reeling, feeling small and hopeless, believing only concerted efforts can make a difference.

But PG&E’s goal is to remove two million tons of carbon monoxide from the air — house-by-house. That’s the equivalent of taking 350,000 cars off the road for one year.

Critics of the PG&E program, including The Utility Reform Network (TURN), argue PG&E’s plan to spend $16 million in marketing and advertising a program to generate $20 million to $29 million to help offset CO2 production, may not be the best approach, financially.

But the program is voluntary and except for an additional 3 cents a month tacked onto all utility customers bills’, customers have to voluntarily opt in to pay the larger fee.

Turning a home into a zero carbon house is something anyone can do and there are a growing number of operations to help make it so.

The non-profit Carbon Fund, for example, offers a carbon calculator to determine how much carbon you generate and steps you can take to reduce carbon emissions, ton by ton.

Many of the steps provided through links to other Earth-aware websites are energy savers and that means they save money.

You can also buy so called “carbon offsets” or “carbon credits” which are donations to the Carbon Fund and other groups that use the donations to develop carbon-reducing projects like solar and wind-powered generators.

The Weather Channel’s new “Climate Code” requires only that you tune in (times are East Coast times) to learn and be encouraged by what others from Nebraska farmers to Wal-Mart are doing about global warming.

The key is, while there remains some debate over how much action is needed to stop and or reverse global warming, there is no debate over the fact that individuals and households can have an impact.

Other resources include the Pew Center on Global Climate Change offering a global view and comprehensive global approach; Consumers Union’s “Greener Choices” which a year ago on Earth Day, began offering a free guide with “green” ratings and reliable and practical advice on how to be environmentally-friendly as a goods and services buying consumer; and the Alliance To Save Energy, a self-empowering website where you could easily get overwhelmed with all the steps you can take to help you save energy and put the brakes on global warming.

Meanwhile, here are just a few steps you can take at home to help the planet chill.

By Lila das Gupta

A few months ago we had unexpected guests for lunch, so I sent my 12-year-old son out for some lettuce. “Mum, I got the one that says it was grown in England, not the one that was grown in Spain. I thought that’s what you’d want.”

He knew I might be thinking about the lettuce’s air miles. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that the Spanish one might be more environmentally friendly because it was probably grown in an unheated greenhouse, unlike its British counterpart.

But then again, who’s to know? If you shop with a strong eye on the environment, then going to supermarkets has become soul-destroying. “No, we can’t have beans flown from Kenya.” “Sorry, darling, that sweetcorn has way too much packaging.” “C’mon, you know those strawberries aren’t in season.”

Frankly, I don’t have the time or the energy for such twists and turns: like a lot of consumers, I’m suffering from “eco-fatigue”.

While one half of the population is busy making itself obese, the other half seems to be obsessing about the ethical ramifications of what it eats.

On Wednesday, the Soil Association, which certifies organic produce in the UK, announced that it would certify air-freighted organic produce only if the suppliers could guarantee a “Fairtrade” element to their production. It was widely seen as a disappointing cop-out by environmental groups, who’d hoped for a blanket ban on airfreighted goods.

I see their point, but under the circumstances, I think the Soil Association did the best it could. While the organisation has a commitment to “curb climate change”, its founding and primary goal was to encourage farmers to adopt organic practices.

I see two issues at play. The first is the certification of organic food, in which the Soil Association has an important role. The second is to do with why people want to eat organic food in the first place.

It is not just because many consumers perceive it to be a healthier option, it’s also because they believe organic production is better for the environment. Flying food half way round the world is clearly far less “eco-friendly” than eating conventionally grown food that’s locally produced.

So, where do we go from here? In the end, surely it is the job of the government and supermarkets, not the Soil Association, to work out what an acceptable level of food packaging is.

The same applies to the “eco-footprint” of what we eat, and ensuring that farmers (in all countries) get a fair deal. That’s not something that I, as a consumer, can easily influence when standing in front of the shelves.

Supermarkets should start by trusting that consumers are grown-up enough to eat seasonally; I won’t stop going to Tesco if they stop selling asparagus in December.

They could also trust us to handle vegetables that are not totally uniform and gigantic. Heaven knows, we’ll happily put up with a bit of mud if that means the return to a little more flavour.

We spend more time in Britain discussing food (when not talking about property) than any other nation on earth, but by fetishising what we eat, we seem to have become the most confused nation as well. What is food for? We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that while it is primarily there to nourish, its secondary, but no less vital, role is to act as social glue that brings families and friends together.

Breaking bread with another should be an act of intimacy, not of mental acrobatics.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/10/26/do2604.xml

Take the way unions exploit environmental concerns through Project Labor Agreements. Under PLAs, businesses promise to hire only union members — or else. Why would businesses sign such agreements? Because unions threaten to use environmental regulations to shut them down unless they sign the PLA.

The law requires companies to get environmental permits to begin major construction projects. The process takes time, and community groups may object to awarding the permits.

Unions can misuse these laws to kill a project outright — or at least delay it for several years. They can file environmental objections, conduct their own environmental impact assessment that shows that letting it go forward would harm the Earth, and use their influence to block companies from getting the necessary permits. Many businesses face an offer they can’t refuse: Sign a PLA and hire more expensive union members to construct their buildings, or the union will use environmental laws to shutter the project.

Sound like blackmail? That’s because it is. Only this time unions use government bureaucrats instead of armed thugs to intimidate businesses. It happens repeatedly:

— Gaylord Entertainment planned to build a $1 billion hotel and convention center on San Diego’s waterfront. The San Diego Building and Construction Trades Council, however, insisted that Gaylord sign a PLA adding $100 million to the total cost or the union would tie up the project for years with environmental lawsuits. Gaylord pulled out, costing San Diego thousands of new jobs.

— The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 100 objected to a solar power plant being built in Fresno, Calif. Solar power plants are usually considered environmentally friendly, but this plant was being built with non-union labor. The IBEW discovered many environmental problems with the project and attempted to block it. Fortunately, the Fresno City Council saw through the attempted extortion and voted to reject the union’s complaints.

— Indeck Energy Services applied to build several co-generation power plants in upstate New York. The Building and Construction Trades Council also had environmental objections to this project and requested a meeting with Indeck’s president. At the meeting, however, instead of discussing the environment, the union bosses threatened to “stop every Indeck project in New York unless it went union.” Indeck capitulated, signed a PLA, and the union reversed its earlier objections, strongly urging the government to grant the environmental permits.

So why the shift toward, well, green blackmail? Because competition is putting the labor movement out of business. Unions are a cartel. They try to drive up wages by restricting the supply of workers. Businesses must pay what the union demands, and pass those higher costs on to consumers, or cancel the project. It’s an arrangement that suits organized labor quite well. However, it also means higher prices and fewer jobs overall.

But this only works when non-union competition is scarce. Consumers object to being overcharged and pick better value for their money. The auto, steel, trucking, and construction industries were heavily unionized before free trade and deregulation broke the monopoly. Today non-union companies dominate these sectors because they out-competed their unionized counterparts and provided Americans with better goods at lower prices.

The Labor movement wants its monopoly back. As long as some companies are free to hire non-union workers, that won’t happen.

How can the government stop on this abuse of environmental laws? There’s a simple solution. The government doesn’t enforce contracts signed under the threat of force. Indeck signed a PLA, but after encountering problems with their union contractor, they fired him and built the power plants with non-union labor. The Trades Council sued for breach of contract, and the case came before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB sensibly ruled that since Indeck was pressured into signing the PLA, the contract was invalid and the Trades Council had no standing to sue.

Unions should have to compete like everyone else, not use the government to force companies to hire them. Environmental blackmail is a return to the worst practices of the Labor movement. Congress should write the NLRB’s ruling into law to ensure that a future board doesn’t overturn it. Environmental laws should protect the earth, not a union monopoly.

James Sherk

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,305499,00.html

Today, campaigners dismayed at the amount of packaging around their groceries will unpack their shopping before they get home and return it to the supermarket. The idea is that a lot of people making their small point will add up to a large visual demonstration of the amount of unnecessary cardboard and plastic attached to the food we buy. That in turn should give another nudge to manufacturers and retailers to reduce packaging.

The point needs to be made. This action comes at the end of a week in which the United Nations Environment Programme published the latest global environment outlook. It gives an unequivocal warning that the Earth’s natural resources are being depleted at a dangerously fast rate and a growing human population will further increase pressure on water, land and biodiversity. The 380 scientists say that if progress on reducing greenhouse gases is to be achieved, fundamental changes are required not only in social and economic structures, but also in lifestyles.

However small-scale packaging seems, therefore, it is part of the global problem. An audit of packaging by the Local Government Association in England found that up to 40% of wrapping on supermarket goods could not be recycled. The worst offender, Marks & Spencer, recognises that green is good: the company’s store at the new Silverburn shopping complex in Glasgow is eco-friendly, using renewable energy from the company’s wind turbine in Aberdeenshire and collecting rainwater to flush the toilets. Yet reducing packaging and the proportion which can be recycled is still only a target.

Yesterday, the Food and Drink Federation, which represents UK food and drink manufacturers, set more targets: to cut the amount of waste sent to landfill from the current three million tonnes a year to zero by 2015, reduce CO2 emissions by 20% by 2010, use 20% less water by 2020 and reduce food miles.

Every business now has a grand green plan, partly because manufacturers and retailers are conscious that consumers now want eco-friendly goods. That is very welcome, but to make a difference, everyone involved in the commercial chain, from the producer of raw materials to the consumer, must act more urgently. This week Steve Rayner, of Oxford University, and Gwyn Prins, of the London School of Economics, said the Kyoto regime has failed to bring about reductions of greenhouse gases and that a different type of mechanism should be considered before the next UN climate change conference for the next round of negotiations in December.

The fate of the planet is in our hands. The layer of cardboard round four tins of tomatoes or the plastic round a head of broccoli may seem trivial compared with international treaties, but despite increased recycling, our waste continues to grow. Targets are admirable, but it is time for action.

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/editorial/display.var.1790746.0.0.php

As the weather cools down, it’s getting greener at one local church.

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Midland is amid a two-year process to earn the “Green Sanctuary” designation from the national Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth. If approved, the church will add its name to Ministry for Earth rolls that show only three Texas Universalist churches have received the designation in the last five years, according to the ministry Web site.

However, getting the designation means changing the church from top to bottom, said Green Sanctuary Committee chairwoman Niki Widmayer.

“It entails everything from church building practices to what we do in our services, curriculum … and social service projects,” she said.

And in order to change those things, volunteers from the 74-member congregation had to look unflinchingly at their habits.

“We did a church audit (examining) everything from whether our water heater was turned down low to the type of cleaning products that we use; whether we have been recycling things,” and many other areas, she said.

The Rev. Jennifer Innis, church pastor, said the committee also examined another, very important aspect of the church — namely, the spiritual.

“Part of what is required is to address the spiritual needs,” she said. “Niki did a service:’How green is your chocolate?’ and (encouraged) letter-writing to CEOs of the major candy companies,” that might be exploiting both children and the environment while producing their goods.

“We’ve heard a lot about child slavery in terms of where the chocolate comes from,” Innis said. “That shouldn’t sit right with anybody.”

One of the fundamental principals of Unitarians is “respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part,” according to the church Web page.

“The very essential spiritual reason is that (church members) understand that everything is connected,” she said. “One of our values are to respect the interconnected web of which we humans are a part.”

Widmayer also said, ideals aside, all of the effort aimed at becoming green has a pragmatic basis, too.

“Reducing energy use reduces energy cost,” she said. And experimenting with alternative energy sources that don’t have a hazardous or negative impact on the environment means less human toll.

“The exhaust in the air is not getting any better until we do something about it,” she said.

It isn’t easy being green — at least at first — but members believe it’s worth the effort.

The church has already implemented numerous changes, including using both sides of paper while printing, replacing bathroom soap with eco- and bio-friendly versions, turning down the temperature on the water heater and unplugging appliances when not in use.

It also is making strides toward a two-year plan that includes creating a meditation/memorial garden with native plants and resurfacing the playground with earth-friendly materials.

However, members are waiting to hear whether they have earned the official Green Sanctuary designation, Widmayer said.

While the church submitted its official action plan to the Ministry for Earth at the end of August, they expect to hear “any day now” whether the ministry has approved its status.

The ministry has already received the go-ahead on the plan, however, she said.

In the meantime, the pursuit of earth-friendliness is both familiar and ongoing at the church.

In fact, said Emily Ulmschneider, a congregation member, it’s a way of life for many members.

“Even though we are actively pursuing green sanctuary status, the ideas behind (it) have been evident in our church for a long time,” she said.

While she said the church is still in the “initiation” stages of the master plan, its grounds have been landscaped with water-sparing native plants for 25 years.

“I have not yet donated an ink cartridge,” she said, referring to another of the church’s recycling projects, “but we are active in turning off the lights and things like that.”

And if other congregations want to be green, they should ditch the envy.

Ulmschneider said members of the church are eager to share what they are learning.

“I think it’s a wonderful idea and I don’t see why more churches of different faiths don’t adopt more of this same sort of idea — making sure that your views of the world are also reflected by your actions,” Ulmschneider said.

“I am hoping (our church) will serve as a model for other churches in the area, because these problems are global in nature.”

She said although the global pollution problems may seem overwhelming, “I think we can all impact it in our own way, if we are willing to make it a priority in our lives.”

She said that becoming a green sanctuary has also inspired church members to carry out green sanctuary principals at home.

Ulmschneider for instance, has installed a water harvesting system at home that uses roof water to power a feature for small birds.

At her job — she is a fourth-grade science teacher at Carver Center — she intends to help her students install a rain water harvester, too.

“We have a native garden here,” at the school, she added.

– — –

On the Net:

The Unitarian Universalist Church of Midland

www.Uumidland.org.

About the Green Sanctuary designation, bestowed by the Unitarian Universalist Ministry for Earth:

www.uuministryforearth.org/grs_steps.htm

Jennifer Edwards

http://www.mywesttexas.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18962712&BRD=2288&PAG=461&dept_id=475613&rfi=6

Green really is the new black: Goods from food to fashion are becoming environmentally trendy. The downside? Many products and services appear Earth-friendly but aren’t much different from their conventional counterparts. While there are many shades of green — and it’s impossible to avoid consuming the planet’s resources — it helps to know how to separate fact from fiction.

Here, a few tips to avoid greenwashing.

Don’t take the company’s word for it.“The key thing to beware of is the word ‘green,’ ” says Lloyd Alter of TreeHugger ( http://www.treehugger.com), a Web site devoted to covering all things planet-friendly. “Amazon recently ran a series of ads for cordless and electric garden tools under the heading ‘Think Green,’ even though people have been gardening for hundreds of years without electric leaf blowers. It may be marginally better to use an electric mower instead of a gas one, but the only green mower is one that you push.”

Likewise, the word “natural” on a package doesn’t necessarily mean a product is good for the Earth: Chemicals and pesticides come from nature. Aveeno Active Naturals body lotions, for example, contain oatmeal and come in earth-toned bottles printed with plant leaves, but the products are also made with petrolatum, a byproduct of petroleum, which is a finite resource whose processing pollutes air and water.

The same goes for the phrase “environmentally friendly”; even “organic” can be misleading. Read ingredient lists, ask questions and look for certification symbols. The Energy Star logo means that a product meets Environmental Protection Agency standards for improved energy efficiency; seek out foods bearing the USDA-certified organic seal and wood products certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.

Consider the impact of the packaging , which can make an otherwise innocuous product anything but. For instance, applesauce that’s USDA-certified organic but sealed in plastic cups with foil lids and bundled in cardboard yields a lot more garbage — and requires a lot more energy to produce — than a locally grown, non-organic apple from the farmers market.

Green technology isn’t always the best option. A Lexus hybrid SUV, for instance, has worse fuel economy than a non-hybrid Honda Civic. And a 10,000-square-foot mansion built with “green” materials uses more resources to build, heat and power than a smaller house or apartment.

When in doubt, remember: Sometimes the best way to be green is to not buy anything at all. If you have a house full of perfectly good furniture, for example, think twice before buying a new piece. Even if it uses sustainably harvested wood and cork, it still requires trees to build and fuel to transport. Paring down what you consume is the simplest way to help the planet — and your bank account.

– Eviana Hartman

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/25/AR2007102501181.html

Eco-friendlier furniture, refreshing bold-colored fabrics and designs inspired by the art deco movement of the 1930s ruled at the International Home Furnishings Market held last week in High Point, N.C.

A throng of manufacturers - moved by environmentally sensitive consumers - rolled out sofas and casegoods featuring renewable materials and earth-friendly fibers, creating pieces to suit people’s varying styles, tastes and budgets.

“Furniture manufacturers take environmental responsibility very seriously,” said Jackie Hirschhaut, vice president of the American Home Furnishings Alliance, in a news release about the growing trend. “We’re really proud of the amazing selection of ‘green’ furniture debuting this market. From classic to contemporary and everything in between, there’s an impressive wave of eco-friendly furnishings that will be hitting stores this spring.”

A sprinkling of local designers and buyers who attended last week’s market said “green” was the buzz word in showrooms throughout the furniture mecca.

“There is such a thrust on green,” said interior designer Kimberly Grigg with Knotting Hill Interiors in Myrtle Beach. “The good of it is there is an awareness of [green furniture]. The bad of it is that it’s all extremely confusing. . . We’re going to have to know what green means.”

According to the AHFA, green products feature upholstered introductions featuring recycled, organic and chemically free covers, frames and foam. It means using non-toxic finishes and products made of woods from sustainable forests.

Nancy Doss with Designit of Myrtle Beach was impressed with Vaughn-Bassett’s collection of wood furnishings and their efforts to become more environmentally friendly.

“For every tree they cut down, they plant another tree,” Doss said. “They are committed to planting 150,000 seedlings a year. Isn’t that awesome? I think people don’t feel so bad about buying all wood furniture if they know they’re replanting. Hopefully, it will get people buying from the U.S.”

Design consultant Elizabeth Scott with J&K Furniture said that while the push for green furniture helps make people more environmentally conscious, consumers need to also realize many of the products still feature man-made details.

“When you see orange dye on a pillow, it’s not green,” Scott said. “If you want a lot of color, it’s not going to be a green product. … We’ve seen a lot of green mixed with man-made things. It’s good to a certain extent.”

Manufacturers are striving for ways to create greener furnishings, such as using natural-fiber upholstery fabrics and filling cushions with fibers spun with recycled plastics.

The newest line of green furniture wasn’t the only trend that impressed designers. Art deco-inspired pieces, featuring luxurious upholstered fabrics, fluffy pillows and glamorous styling, had designers and buyers hearkening back to early Hollywood.

“I was wowed,” Doss said about the latest wave. “A lot of people hung on to things. I have a client telling me she’s going to pull things out of her closet that she’s hung on to from this era.”

Doss said she particularly liked the art deco influence in children’s furnishings, such as the round cribs and crown pieces that allow fabric to cascade down over the crib.

The designers also observed a shift from the safe neutrals, the browns and grays, to bolder hues this market, which they believe speaks to people’s changing attitudes.

“It’s a little bit refreshing to see we’re coming out of the neutrals and we’re seeing pops of color,” Grigg said. “Trends follow the economy. When the economy was playing it safe, we saw lots of grays and browns. This resurgence of bolder colors, contemporary and trendier, we take that as a good sign. I saw it as people are feeling a little more hopeful.”

While brown is a comfort color, the deep, rich chocolate brown shade appears to have lasting power as it seemed to be everywhere at market.

“It is probably a classic,” Grigg said. “But I think maybe, for the first time, we’re getting away from the pale aqua combined with the chocolate brown. We’re seeing more intense colors, a resurgence of prettier jeweled tones, true colors.”

Other popular colors at market were various shades of purple, a more intense blue shade, much like cobalt, and black and white with pops of color. Doss also was impressed with the expanse of colors available in leather goods, such as crushed tango, salsa and robin’s egg blue.

Colors follow fashion, the designers pointed out.

“It’s kind of like a woman’s closet,” Scott said. “Whatever she’s buying, it will show up in the market. We’re very much connected to fashion in that sense.”

Here’s a peek at what some manufacturers debuted at the fall market in the green line, according to a news release:

Harden Furniture’s Cabinetmaker’s Cherry collection features hand-hewn, solid cherry casegoods and complimentary upholstered pieces made with recycled, organic and chemical-free covers, frames and foam.

Groovystuff’s Drifter collection is crafted from reclaimed teak wood, becoming the first in the industry to be certified by SmartWood Rediscovered, a program that verifies the sourcing and handling of recovered wood.

Vaughn-Basset, known for its line of wooden, adult bedroom furnishings, has committed to a reforestation program, contributing 150,000 maple, oak, pine, poplar, ash and applewood seedlings to replace every tree it used each year.

Bernhardt debuted its first green line, a collection of casegoods that feature natural elements, such as sea urchin shells, textured recycled glass, coco twigs and woven fiber.

Rowe’s two new cushions and 21 new fabrics made of 100 percent natural-fiber fabrics earns the upholstery manufacturer points for becoming more environmentally sensitive. The Eco-300CC is a foam cushion devoid of most of the traditional, petroleum-based materials and filled instead with renewable, plant-based materials. It also features the Eco-Down cushion made of recycled fibers with a feather and down blend.

C.R. Laine’s contribution includes its “down2earth” collection of world-friendly upholstery fabrics made from renewable fibers, soy-based foams and cushions made from post-consumer fibers. It’s Patomac sofa can be fashioned with cotton upholstery fabric, springs made from recycled material and cushions manufactured using emission-free, halogen-free fire retardant technologies.

To find a retailer who carries the furniture you like, visit the American Home Furnishings Alliance at www.findyour furniture.com.

By Elaine Gaston

http://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/127/story/216964.html