Super Eco

Photo credit: Nature Capitale

Is there anything more charming to get you in the mood for the weekend than the idea of a gigantic garden on the Champs-Elyseés in Paris? The stylish and innovative French are celebrating World Biodiversity Day this weekend by swathing the Champs-Elyseés with more than 150 varieties of trees, plants and greenery. Nature Capitale, a biodiversity project conceived by Gad Weil, is being called "the biggest plant sale in the world." The avenue will be completely blocked off from vehicular traffic for the three-day event, which will bring a staggering amount of plant life to the tree-lined boulevard:

• 152,009 plants in the forest exhibition
• 54,912 varieties of Mediterranean forest seedlings
• 51,909 varieties of continental forest seedlings
• 28,028 varieties of mountain forest seedlings
• 17,160 varieties of Atlantic forest plants

The spectacle is not strictly for viewing alone; visitors can purchase greenery from among 8,000 "fragments" displaying the biodiversity of France.

Ah, Paris ... Talk about a "local green festival." We're green with envy.

Photo credit: kamshots, flickr

Ever wondered what a city that commutes by bicycle would look like?There's no better cure for hump day apathy than this vision of commuters in The Netherlands headed to work on their trusty bicycles. Rush hour in Utrecht (the country's fourth largest city) looks very different than most large cities—but if they can do it, so can we ... I think I can, I think I can, I think I can ...

First, a few links on bicycle commuting to inspire you:

• Google Maps now suggests bicycle routes
• No-sweat bicycle commuting
• Tune up your bike for a season of warm-weather riding
• Biking in Amsterdam: Policy makes perfect
• Five ways your city can be more bike-friendly
• Large riders: Super-size your bike
• 5 ways to use your bike to carry stuff

Photo credit: David Shankbone, flickr

Last week's benefit concert for The Rainforest Foundation with Sting, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Dame Shirley Bassey and Debbie Harry is over and done with—but behind the scenes, the dedication of Rainforest Foundation founders Sting and wife Trudie Styler rolls on. The power couple has devoted their energies to rainforest preservation for more than 20 years now. CBS' Katie Couric talked to Sting and Styler at a rehearsal for the gigantic benefit concert. The half-hour interview is chock full of insights and eco-discussion, from the couple's 21 years of rainforest advocacy to how Sting discovered yoga, how the couple balances the infamously large carbon footprint of their extensive air travel, what motivates them to stay in such good shape ... even what books are on their nightstands and Sting's thoughts on reality contests such as X-Factor.

Sting on denying climate change: "I think people who deny climate change, when they jump out of the 20th floor of a hotel and they say 'Hey, look, nothing's happening!' When you hit the bottom, something happens. We are in this downward spiral; we've got to stop it."

On the Copenhagen climate change summit: “Copenhagen was an unmitigated disaster…” “an entire waste of resources…getting all those people there…huge amounts of money and time were spent and it generated absolutely nothing.”

The sprawling interview, featuring both hard questions about the environment and a little bit of unabashed celebu-gawking, is a real gem; see it all embedded here.

Photo credit: a2td, SXC

Where you exercise turns out to have measurable effects on physical and mental health. Exercising in a healthy, green environment significantly lowers blood pressure, increases self-esteem and has a positive significant effect on 4 of 6 mood measures, according to new research published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research. Subjects who watched pleasant rural images while running on a treadmill experienced greater health boosts than runners who saw negative urban images.

Treadmill runners were shown one of four different types of scenes—"rural pleasant," "rural unpleasant," "urban pleasant" or "urban unpleasant"—before being screened for blood pressure and mood factors. Researchers noted the environment's clear effect on subjects' health:

Exercise alone significantly reduced blood pressure, increased self-esteem, and had a positive significant effect on 4 of 6 mood measures. Both rural and urban pleasant scenes produced a significantly greater positive effect on self-esteem than the exercise-only control. This shows the synergistic effect of green exercise in both rural and urban environments. By contrast, both rural and urban unpleasant scenes reduced the positive effects of exercise on self-esteem. The rural unpleasant scenes had the most dramatic effect, depressing the beneficial effects of exercise on three different measures of mood. It appears that threats to the countryside depicted in rural unpleasant scenes have a greater negative effect on mood than already urban unpleasant scenes.

Looking ahead, the researchers pointed out the implications of green exercise on society as a whole, noting the importance of such projects as healthy walking projects; exercise by prescription; healthy school environments; healthy travel to school projects; green views in hospitals, city farms and community gardens; urban green space; and outdoor leisure activities in the countryside.

Our prescription for a great weekend? A long walk, taken with a heaping spoonful of "rural pleasant." To your health!

Photo credit: Whole Earth Beauty

That fresh, clean smell really isn't actually very fresh or clean at all. We've talked here before about the dangers lurking behind the word "fragrance" on cleaners, candles and cosmetics (some 3,163 potentially toxic ingredients, that's what). But what about perfume? Surely a product designed to convey a crisp, clear note of fragrance must be pure? Think again: Perfumes are typically chock full of carcinogens, synthetics, formaldehyde, and urine and sex hormones (both animal and human). Truly, if you're not disgusted yet, you have stronger stomachs than we do.

Finding healthy, eco-friendly perfumes isn't easy by any means, but the options are slowly growing. "Organic perfume" is no longer synonymous with hippie-dippy patchouli, overplayed lavender or cookie-sweet vanilla. Breathe deeply, my friends, because Super Eco has sniffed out a selection of organic and eco-friendly perfumes.

• Lavanila Laboratories Ok, despite the fact that we did mention no more vanilla (since we're all sick of smelling like freshly baked sugar cookies), we have to lead off with this spectacular example of vanilla goodness: Lavanila. Their growing line of natural fragrance products includes blends with coconut, grapefruit, lavender and passion fruit. Still sound suspiciously crunchy granola? It's sold at Sephora—that many mainstream consumers can't be wrong.
• Wholearth Perfume No. 4 Yes, it's USDA-certified organic fragrance, and the notes of orange, lavender and vanilla are heavenly. We fell in love with the bottle.
• Tsi-La Organics You'll find no synthetics or preservatives in this eco-friendly perfume collection, created by two sisters-in-law with a penchant for green living.
• L'Occitane en Provence With pure lavender extracts from Provence in France, this is sweet—and certified organic.
• Acorelle Lotus Bambou A little spicy, a little different ... Organic eau de parfum with notes like spearmint, tarragon. 

Photo credit: woodleywonderworks, flickr

Have we convinced you yet that there are better things to do with the water, equipment, fuel, energy and pesticides that go into maintaining a traditional lawn? If we haven't, add this voice into the mix: Edible Estates: Attack on the Front Lawn by Fritz Haeg. This expanded second edition won't overwhelm you with how-to minutiae or examples of perfection you could never hope to achieve on your own. Instead, you get a steady stream of inspiration: region-by-region prototypes, planting calendars, yes, but also full-blown essays by sustainability supporters such as Michael Pollan and Lesley Stern.

"By attacking the front lawn," writes the author, "an essential icon of the American Dream, my hope is to ignite a chain reaction of thoughts that question other antiquated conventions of home, street, neighborhood, city, and global networks that we take for granted. If we see that our neighbor’s typical lawn instead can be a beautiful food garden, perhaps we begin to look at the city around us with new eyes. The seemingly inevitable urban structures begin to unravel as we recognize that we have a choice about how we want to live and what we want to do with the places we have inherited from previous generations. No matter what has been handed to us, each of us should be given license to be an active part in the creation of the cities that we share, and in the process, our private land can be a public model for the world in which we would like to live."

Will we be able to overcome our American preoccupation with lawns that project the right image to the neighbors? It's a major shift for many—but perhaps planting a book like Edible Estates on your neighbor's coffee table might inspire more fruitful plantings in the front yard.

Photo credit: My Paper Crane

Kids are more likely to eat food they've picked out and prepared themselves. It's established wisdom. But when the cards are down and it's time to head to the store, it's all too easy to give into the temptation to leave the kids at home with your partner and go pick up the groceries yourself. It's so much quicker and easier, right?

What you need, tired parent, is a dirty dozen cheat sheet for kids. We hope you already carry a copy of the Environmental Working Group's dirty dozen produce list in your wallet, reminding you which fruits and vegetables are the worst offenders when it comes to pesticide residues. (If you don't have one, you should; cheat sheets make healthy, sustainable shopping sooo much easier.) Now, you can arm your kids with their own treasure map for the hunt: a colorful, kid-friendly version of dirty dozen cheat sheet from My Paper Crane. Download and print off a copy (you can even laminate it, if you think it'll be seeing a lot of hard action), then hand it to your kids at the store and let them pick their own.

I've done this with my own kids since they were big enough to read the list, and they love sleuthing out the tastiest healthy choices. With this new kid-friendly version, you can introduce your own family to the thrill of the produce hunt even before they can read. That's one more job off your list and in the (grocery) bag!

Photo credit: neadeau, SXC

Copious amounts of sand and surf is a traditional prescription for recharging depleted emotional batteries, but we've found nothing better for relighting that creative spark than sinking your hands into a fresh, exciting project. "That's all fine and dandy," you mutter with stress-tinged annoyance, "but I don't exactly have time to indulge in arts and crafts." Except ... with a summer session, you do! Even if you're not the artsy, craftsy type, never fear—we've got ideas that will pique the creative interests of just about any battle-hardened worker bee.

• John C. Campbell Folk School The leader in immersive arts and crafts education, this traditional rural center in North Carolina has been teaching arts such as book-making and weaving since 1925.
• Penland School of Crafts Another North Carolina gem with courses ranging from bedwork to woodworking.
• Vermont Woodworking School Wait, did someone mention woodworking? This school can handle your aspirations, whether you're a beginner or an experienced woodworker.
• Zingerman's Bakehouse If you've always had a hankering to bake bread (or pastries, if your tastes run a little sweeter), try a two- to four-day workshop in front of the ovens in nice, cool Michigan.
• Pilchuck Glass School From stained glass to sculpture in Washington state.
• Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts Looking for something more central? This contemporary arts and crafts center is located in Tennessee.
• Haystack Mountain If dodging the summer heat is on your agenda, try this center tucked away up north in Maine.

Photo credit: Steingraber.com

There was once a village along a river. The people who lived there were very kind. These residents, according to parable, began noticing increasing numbers of drowning people caught in the river's swift current. And so they went to work devising ever more elaborate technologies to resuscitate them. So preoccupied were these heroic villagers with rescue and treatment that they never thought to look upstreams to see who was pushing the victims in.

Living Upstream is a walk up that river.

Author, environmentalist and cancer survivor Sandra Steingraber, Ph.D., was raised in a family that seemed prone to cancer. She was diagnosed with bladder cancer at age 20. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when Steingraber was in high school. Her aunt died of the same form of cancer that Sandra had, and many of ther close family members also struggled with the disease. But there is no question that cancer does not run in Steingraber's genes—she was adopted. Clearly, this family was struggling with toxic influences surrounding them in their daily lives.

Living Downstream, first published in 1997, both tells the tale of Steingraber's ongoing battle against cancer and her life's work linking the effects of our toxic environment on cancer and our health. A documentary film adaptation of the book coincides with last month's release of an updated edition of the book, tracking recent scientific revelations in the connection between a healthy environment and human health. Find a public screening of Living Downstream, the movie, or purchase a DVD at LivingDownstream.com, and follow Steingraber's ongoing search for answers and journey of cleaning our environment of carcinogenic influences in Walking Upstream.

Photo credit: englishsnow, flickr

How would you live if you could rethink virtually everything? That's the top question on the minds of the socially conscious explorers attending Rethinking Everything, an international conference taking place this September in Dallas, Texas. What began 14 years ago as a local conference for unschooling families has evolved into a meetup of like-minded people sharing fresh and empowered ways of parenting, self-design and sustainability.

Founded and produced by Barb Lundgren, an entrepreneurial unschooling parent with decades of experience questioning everything, this conference literally bubbles over with activity for children and adults alike. "Expect nurturing support for the creation of respectful, exuberant, freedom- and responsibility-filled lifestyles for everyone in your family," she writes. "The five conference days are overflowing with multiple options at all times, from early morning to late night.  Expect to be loved and challenged. Expect shifts in the way you believe the world works. Expect to take full responsibility for yourself and your children/teens. Expect to prepare for the conference with meaty conversations with your family on the meanings of freedom, respect and responsibility for both oneself and others."

The nonprofit Rethinking Everything conference, sponsored by Michael Mendizza and his Touch the Future Foundation, will be held in five days over Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-7, 2010, at the American Airlines Training and Conference Center in Dallas, Texas. Register by Friday, April 30 for lower early registration rates.