Super Eco

Photo credit: GP Schools

Ethanol promises to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil, which is why it received $3 billion in government subsidies in 2007 out of $4.7 billion earmarked for renewable energy. In addition to these subsidies (tax credits, to be more precise), U.S. auto manufacturers are given incentives to create flex-fuel cars that can run on up to 85% ethanol (E85). Most cars can tolerate 10% ethanol, so it’s been mixed with gasoline in some states already. If you live in the Midwest, chances are your car has been sipping it for a while and emitting less carbon dioxide as a result. No big deal really. After all, ethanol was used in Henry Ford's first automobile, the Quadricycle. 

Ethanol and autos have been going steady for more than a century, so it's about time the relationship got serious. And it has, here in the U.S. As a nation, we’re first in terms of ethanol production and in line to meet the Energy Policy Act of 2005 ’s requirement that 7.5 billion gallons of renewable fuel be used in 2012. So what's the source of trouble in this marriage?

Hint: It comes on a cob.

Photo credit: ConneCTKids

If we want kids to appreciate nature, first they need to experience it. That's part of the logic behind the No Child Left Inside Act. When kids are outside, their physical and  psychological health also improves. They exercise more, resulting in better fitness; their attention spans expand; and their play gets more creative. So get these kids outside already!

Here's the rub: It's always easier to tell kids what to do than make them do it (or to do it with them). While TV, computers, and other electronic devices have had a hand in causing the Nature-Deficit Disorder, supervision is also a big factor.  As our fears have grown—sunburn, Lyme Disease, frostbite, poison ivy/oak/sumac, West Nile, and especially "stranger danger"—so has the need for supervision. If we want our kids to go outside, we have to go outside with them.

Part of the appeal of the No Child Left Inside Act is that teachers are the ones who have to put their coats on, not parents. With overcrowded classrooms, fresh air and outdoor space probably benefit all parties. But, of course, parents have to do their part, too.

It almost always feels good to get out. I used to never walk unless I had a concrete destination. As a parent, that's changed. You won't confuse me with Wendell Berry or Thoreau anytime soon, but my concentration and patience are generally boosted by outdoor time. And concentration and patience make parenting a whole lot easier. Which, in turn, makes indoor time better, too.

My son is 21-months-old and soft animals no longer interest him. Pots do. So do balls. Pots make a lot of noise, though, and my son's got a good arm and an even stronger leg, so balls inside the house are a broken lamp waiting to happen. So what's he supposed to play with? It's below freezing now in Minnesota, limiting outdoor options. With six months of cold weather ahead of us, we need alternatives.

On Eco Child Play, Jennifer Lance has some excellent suggestions, like Haba toys, which are terrific. We've got Big Voyage (a cat, mouse, and bear in a soft wagon with wooden wheels that can be pulled by a string), Dragon's Egg (soft egg that a plush dinosaur can be zippered into), and Ramba Zamba (wooden rattle using nontoxic lacquers).

Lynch recommends Kapla blocks, too, which look awesome.  Destruction has more appeal right now than construction for my son, but Kafka blocks can be used to create robots, boats, train trestles, etc.—which would certainly be fun to destroy.

Sun and Moon Jars are an electricity-free alternative to nightlights. Not a toy exactly, but another good eco option.

Count on Europeans (French for Kapla, Germans for Haba) for safe, innovative, eco toys. According to Lynch, sock puppets emerged from the Great Depression. With a recession upon us, the biggest perhaps since the Great Depression, maybe U.S. ingenuity will rise to the challenge. Sock Obamas, maybe?

Photo Credit:  Timothy Sykes

It's  gather-round-the-fire season in Minnesota. All six months of it. So, what exactly should we put in the fireplace? Artificial logs, compressed paper logs, real wood?

The 100% Recycled Plastic Logmaker from Eco Kitchens Online is essentially just a tube with a plunger, but it's easy to use and doesn't require soaking and drying like some similar products.

I assumed artificial logs would be an eco-nightmare. Duraflame must have done some focus groups that shared a similar perception because they created a green log. Their new biowax product binds sawdust with recycled biomass, resulting not only in lower carbon monoxide emissions, but also less particulate matter (the source of all kinds of respiratory problems). Pound for pound, they even generate more heat than wood.  

Duraflame's bio logs may not be toxic, but they smell toxic apparently—after and even before they're lit! Oh, and dogs may be tempted to eat them. 

Duraflame still has the Colorlog, which isn't made of 100% renewable resources. So if the bio smell really gets to you, you have a hungry dog, or you really need your fire to be red, purple, and blue, there are less-green options available on the market.

Personally, I'm tempted by a log that burns spent coffee grounds.

(Photo Credit: Superterrific FlickR)

Earworms like it warm. The milder the winter, the more likely they are to survive. They may not have big pinchers, crawl up into human ears and lay their eggs, like earwigs do, but they do pose a threat to humans. They destroy about 2% of U.S. the corn crop annually and that percentage threatens to rise with global warming.

Actually, earwigs are more of a folk lore threat than an actual one, so we only have one "ear" bug to worry about. Unfortunately, we've got more than one corn bug. In addition to earworms, the European corn borer and several others devour a significant portion of the U.S. corn crop each year.

In warm weather, earworms tuck napkins under their chins and get down to business. Worms, by their nature, aren't terribly systematic or orderly, so earworms don't subscribe to the typewriter-style of corn consumption. In fact, they usually only eat the tips of the ear. They're wasteful, as "pests" often are.

In the ongoing pest vs. pesticide war, global warming may give pests like the earworm the edge.

(Photo Credit: Marlin E. Rice)

The holidays bring candlelight, family time, and stress that no amount of eggnog can diffuse. Come to think of it, eggnog may be a source of the problem. Naturally, there are ways to make the holidays eco-friendly (limiting/eliminating tinsel; riding reindeer to work; not stringing lights around every tree, bush, mailbox, railing, and hitching post), but there also natural ways to reduce your stress and better your environment.

Get the energy moving in your house, the feng shui (fung shway) way. Clean things up! Keep the entryways clear of boots, train sets, and nativity scenes. Paint helps, too. Not sniffing it. Well, that might help momentarily, but what I'm talking about is color. White walls might be okay for tires, but not for your house. Choose colors that help maintain positive energy, rather than make you feel like you're about to pose for a mug shot.

Oh, and don't hang saw blades over entryways or mistletoe so low that people have to duck. Good energy movement requires headroom and removal of threats (such as decapitation and/or kissing).

Feng shui, perhaps the cheapest source of renewable energy there is.

(Art Credit: Jobdig)

Of course I wish that meat didn't taste so good. Or that I didn't get the shakes from bacon-deficiency. I know that eating meat is bad for the environment, and that I am bad bad bad for my contribution, but my goal is moderation for now. Buying locally and organic helps, too, by decreasing energy costs. But if I lived in Holland, Michigan, I could claim even an even better energy/rump-steak ratio.

Earl Bosch, who owns Earl's Meats in Holland, MI, may be the first butcher to power his shop with wind. Provided he gets city approval, he's going to spend $140,000 on wind turbines. Together with the solar panels he's already installed, he will be able to power all his freezers and refrigerators, which suck a lot of energy (especially during the hot summer months).

Maybe we're heading toward an era where wind turbines will replace windsocks atop buildings, as a means of drawing customers.

(Photo Credit: SuprBay)

The key to efficient energy use in the home? Simple. It's micro-trigeneration, using oil from the seeds of Croton Megalocarpus plant and a cutting-edge energy storage system. Back up. Micro-trigeneration? Is that a set of Star Trek miniatures or a razor that somehow grows new blades? Croton Megalocarpus? Is that a crouton the size of my wrist?

No, the way to reduce home energy use has nothing to do with tiny Captain Picards, croutons, or razors. It has to do with capturing energy waste and releasing that energy at opportune moments. The researchers at Newcastle University, who are leading this program, sound like they know what they're doing. Case in point: Croton Megalocarpus seeds. Turns out those plants not only absorb a lot of carbon, but they grow in East Africa on land that's not suitable to grow much else. Double score.

It'll be a while, I suppose, before this technology moves from the lab to a house near you, but I'm glad there are smart people working with new super-plants (or ones that are new to me) on ways to recycle energy waste.

(Photo Credit: Timbuktu Chronicles)

With their golden parachutes and gluttonous bonuses, it has been easy to be envious of CEOs (or highly disturbed), but inspired? Not so much. Lately, though, CEO stock has gone up. When T. Boone Pickens and Rupert Murdock commit to green initiatives (after profiting from oil and efforts to discredit global warming, respectfully), that's pretty inspiring.

And GM's CEO, Rick Wagoner, is driving to Washington in a hybrid Malibu, rather than taking the corporate jet. Granted, he's going to ask Congress for $25 billion, so a symbolic gesture of humility is only appropriate. Ford CEO Alan Mulally, who is also making the trek via hybrid, has gone a step further. He pledges to take a $1 salary if his company needs to use a government bridge loan. O-F150-kay!

There are rumblings that the gestures from Wagoner and Mulally are too little, too late, but I appreciate what these CEOs are doing. It's hard to eat humble pie; the higher you are up the food chain, the harder it probably is. And it's not a particularly fun 500-mile drive from Detroit to Washington. 

It's also worth pointing out that Ford is in the process of selling its planes, and GM is trying to extricate itself from its fleet of leased aircraft. Practical, yes. Necessary, sure. But inspiring, too.

(Photo Credit: flickr)

Photo credit: Wikipedia

Holy solar panels! In an effort to reduce energy usage 20% by 2020 (the EU's guidelines), the Vatican is going solar.

Nervi Hall (also called Paul VI Auditorium) is one of the newest Vatican buildings (1971) and the destination for the photovoltaic panels, generously donated by SolarWorld. The panels apparently won't create an eyesore, due to the building's wavy roof design. It's unclear how Pope Benedict XVI will continue the renewable-energy renovation with all the centuries-old structures, but he is clearly committed to green efforts, calling the need to address climate change a "moral obligation". 

Pope Benedict's predecessor was also a green supporter. In fact, back in 2002, Frank Asbeck (CEO of SolarWorld) asked Pope John Paul II to pray to keep their solar panels from being stolen. Whether or not that prayer was ever uttered, SolarWorld is thriving. They recently offered to buy GM's Opel division, with the intention of turning it into Europe's first green automotive company. SolarWorld had a hand in creating a solar sports car, so they're not without automotive experience, but they would rely on Opel employees to help them develop electric and hybrid drives.

What's next, a hybrid popemobile?

(Photo Credit: eBaum's World)