One Plastic Bag at a Time

I was going to blog about something very meaningful and green tonight.

But I got terribly distracted by the Agassi match tonight (which is still on-going at this point - is it me or had Baghdatis been taking acting lessons from the Portugese soccer team? Those were the most conveniently-timed leg cramps I've ever seen. All that grimacing and rolling around in pain, clutching his legs and then he's fine ... where have I seen that before? Oh, right, the last World Cup!)

At first I was annoyed that they were wearing the same shirts, Agassi and Badhdati ... it seems to me with millions of dollars invested someone would have called someone else on the Adidas team and asked "What are you wearing?"

Last year I went to bed when Agassi battled James Blake last year and missed one of the best matches of the U.S. Open (because, really at the end of the day, how exciting can it be to watch a Swiss tennis pro?)

So it's 2-2 in the fifth set and forgive me if I'm not thinking about the planet tonight, and only hoping that Agassi goes on to win the whole bit and end his career in a blaze of glory.

I guess I could have published a greatest hits post or two while I've been gone this week, but since I've only been blogging since June, it seemed a bit redundant.

You'll notice that the plastic bag count has jumped drastically ... I've been really good, and while I was on Fire Island my friend and I carried our wee wooden wagon into the supermarket so that we didn't have to use a single plastic bag to get our groceries home.

By now, the phrase "I don't need a bag for that" rolls off my tongue without thinking. The days of self-consciousness about being perceived as a tree-hugging hippie freak are long over, so I think I'm ready to make the next step.

The canvas bag.

While re-organizing my closet I came across a canvas bag that I bought in Aruba and probably haven't used since, and I think it's the perfect size for my small shopping trips.

So get ready to watch that plastic bag count by leaps and bounds!

Reduce, reuse, recycle - the three R's of environmentalism.

I have drastically reduced the number of plastic bags I use to the point where the plastic bag holder under my sink is half full. It used to overflow with bags. I also have a friend who keeps a keen eye on me whenever she sees me returning from the supermarket on the corner to keep me honest.

I've already covered reuse - kitty litter, wastebasket liners, purse. Just kidding on that last one - for a purse I only use fancy bags from stores I've shopped at once, and only if they have rope handles.

And now ....

Recycle.

Oh, the joy when I spotted the recycling logo on the plastic bag I got at the supermarket yesterday, where I purchased two 2 liter bottles of soda, a carton of milk and some juice. A double bag was in fact absolutely necessary, and the twinge of guilt was alleviated by that wee logo.

Alas, when I checked with the New York City Recycling FAQ page I discovered sadly that although the bag says it can be recycled, New York City says no.

What's up with that?

Perhaps your city is more enlightened - check your local city's website for details.

It would seem that Texas is not alone in it's push to be green. Here in New York, where new luxe apartment buildings seems to pop up like weeds, there seemed to be no end to the amenities being offered in order to attract buyers. Some apartments are more like hotel rooms, with all the services you would associate with a five star hotel.

So where do you go from there? When a doorman, a gym, granite countertops and high end appliances are de rigeur, what's left to upgrade? How do you play the real estate one upmanship game when everyone's got a Grohe faucet and an extra deep Franke sink?

By casually dropping the green rating of your building, of course.

The LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council. Depending on how many green features you incorporate into the construction and operation of your building (i.e., efficient use of water and energy, use and resource of building materials).

The ratings are Certified, Silver, Gold and Platinum.

We can all see where this is going - the rating on your building will be the equivalent of whipping out elite credit cards when the bill for dinner arrives. Because it's not so much about having the Centurion American Express card (the black one) but having everyone know that you have it.

I don't really care why they do it, if they do it because it's the environmentally responsible thing to do or for the prestige, as long as it's getting done.

It's Getting Easier to be Green

Everything goes in cycles - what's bad for you today is good for you tomorrow.

Remember when "egg" was a dirty word? Or when chocolate was just candy - now we know that dark chocolate can help your heart.

And wine? Practically a prescription drug these days.

So it was only a matter of time before coffee had it's moment in the sun (which is also good for you in small quantities - love that Vitamin D!).

Coffee is the new health drink.

Thank god I've got stock in Starbucks! Socially conscious and good for you!

#10 - Build green.

Not that I'm planning on building - like most people in the Greater NY area, I am most likely going to be a renter for a long, long time.

But it's good to see that other people not only may have this option but it may become more the exception than the rule. Not only is building green the right thing to do, but it is also becoming the economical thing to do.

With BP's recent pipeline problems and oil prices reaching record highs on a daily basis, zero energy homes are becoming more and more desirable.

A piece on the Wall Street Journal Report yesterday featured a homeowner in Palo Alto whose electric bill in the summer is anywhere between $0 and $20.

Can you imagine that?

New homeowners in Austin, Texas won't have to stretch their imaginations far at all, as their city reviews new building codes that would require ALL new construction to be Zero Energy Capable by 2015. Zero energy homes are being built in Dallas as well.

Texas is leading the way in clean energy? Maybe there's some hope after all.

#28 - Carbon offsetting. Air traffic is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions, according to the VFPO.

Thanks to the Bush government piles of high end cosmetics and skin care products are piling up at boarding gates nation-wide (which they swear are being disposed off properly - and the TSA wives with the porcelain skin reeking of La Prairie? Just a coincidence), sealed jars of baby food are being confiscated and it may finally be faster to drive to Boston from New York instead of fly.

It's the W version of conservation - without the middle class hordes clogging up commercial flights, the airlines will cut back on flights and voila! Less greenhouse gas emissions.

And it's for your personal safety as well - brought to you by the Dept of Homeland Security (mission statement - "We put the 're' in 'reactive' - and 'retard'!")

About a month ago, I started my own herb garden. Check out my results!

Just kidding - while that plant is in fact growing in Brooklyn, it's at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Click here to read more about it.

Sadly, the heat wave killed my entire crop of herbs (except for chives, which seem to be the plant equivalent of cockroaches) save one wee basil seedling, bravely clinging to life.

So there's no fresh pesto in my future!

If you didn't already know it, nothing you do on the web is private. And if you ever thought to yourself, "Who cares?" read this:

A Face Is Exposed for AOL Searcher No. 4417749

It makes me think what would someone think if they looked at my search history? Taking a look back, I think I'd definitely make the enemy of the government list - it looks like I'm a tree-hugging, plastic bag-hating, organic-food eating mother who is looking for legal advice, to refinish my floors and needs some technical help with my Office 2000 installation.

What does your history say about you? And think how much someone could learn about you, especially if cross-referenced with your purchases in the last year, including food (yes, when you use that 'club card' at the supermarket, all the info from your purchase is captured and stored).

Unsettling, isn't it?

So the next time you hear about the government asking Google for data, think about how the your privacy is eroding as fast as the California coastline and will one day be as obsolete as common courtesy.

It's not a world I look forward to living in - which is why I like to use CASH.

Not much time to write today - one of the advantages of not working in an over air-conditioned office is that I skipped the inevitable summer cold ... until my poor son got it from the week of the heat wave when I really had no choice, and thanks to his prolific snotting all over me, I too now have it. First a hangover, now this.

Tt's a misery, as am I.

Bad air-conditioning! Bad!

Back to the business of saving the earth ... #7 - Hang up your dryer. It mostly has to do with air-drying laundry when possible and cleaning out the filter.

But with the whopping hangover I had today (after my second night out in 18 months as an adult, I discovered that unfortunately I do not have the tolerance of an adult), I had to find a small small way to help save the planet that would not hurt my head, upset my stomach or require much in the way of energy.

The only thing worse than a hangover that catches you by surprise is having a hangover with a small boy in the house who is anxious to show me his new pit bull impression by biting me REALLY HARD and not letting go. When I least expect it.

With only one place to hide, the bathroom, I spent a good 15 minutes cleaning all the lint out of my hairdryer.

That's got to count for something, right? Of course, because not only will my hairdryer now run more efficiently, but I can contribute to public art with it as well ... really.

Check it out - Lint Sculptures!

Still can't find the Vanity Fair Pull Out (amazing how things manage to disappear in an apartment), and after this horrid week I think everyone can use a little laugh.




Click here for a larger image




Click here for a larger image

Shopping.

Thanks to the internet, I can sit here in my air-conditioned cave on Day 3 of Hottapalooza and do a little window shopping, all in the name of saving the environment.

Uncommon goods: All sorts of things from onesies to coffee mugs to decorative vases and even something for your pets

Eco artware: Coasters made from traffic signs? Bowls made from telephone wire? Lots of odd things find a new life here.

Ecoist: Remember when you made those chains from Juicy Fruit gum wrappers (when you weren't using them to find out the letter of your secret crush's first name, that is). How about a purse made from candy wrappers? Check it out here.

Prana:OOOMMmmmmmm. Comparably priced organic cotton yoga clothes. It's good karma, baby! Yeah!

These are actually just a few ... feel free to send me your favorite links.

Save the planet and shop away.

Like freedom from guilt.

As I sit here in Day 2 of my heat hibernation, (current temperature in Central Park - 98 degreees) I am not drinking shade grown iced coffee, the air-conditioning is on, and I drove to the gym this morning. My husband brought home two items from the supermarket in a plastic bag (and one of those things was in turn, in a plastic bag).

Oh, the horrors.

What is an eco-friendly girl supposed to do?

Buy my way out of it, of course. I'll buy a Tradable Renewable Certificate, otherwise known as a green tag.

A what?

Read more about it by clicking here. Basically, I'm offsetting the power I'm using by buying green power.

Although I don't know how much good those certificates will do me when ConEd cuts the power off today - it's already happened in the neighborhood adjacent to mine, so I'm bracing myself for the worst.

Keep your fingers crossed!

Back to the Vanity Fair Pull-Out today - which I've lost somewhere in my apt but will hopefully turn up shortly.

I don't remember what number it was but one of the ways to help save the planet was to use alternative transportation - walk, bike, etc.

I did just that today - I ran out to the gym, did errands, walked slowly back to my apartment, and have parked my ass on the couch for the rest of the day. I am firmly ensconced in the dark air-conditioned cave of my living room with no plans to venture back out into the heat.

I know a lot of you out there share my pain as this heat extends all the way across the nation. I also know that a heat wave is not directly linked to global warming.

But it makes you think, doesn't it?

While you're trying to stay cool and hydrated, keep in mind that 1.5 million tons of plastic are used every year to bottle water. Re-use those bottles or think about getting a re-usable bottle. If you live in New York City, chances are the water from the tap is better than the water in the bottle anyway. And has flouride!

From Idealbite.com:

Pitcher or faucet filters cost about $200 over 5 years. Bottled water services or bottles cost nearly $2000 in that same timeframe!

Save the earth and save money at the same time? Brilliant!