Washing dishes in the dishwasher is generally accepted as the greenest way to get your dishes clean—but you may not be getting the same results if you're falling prey to these common eco-traps.

1. Your dishwasher was made in the 1990s. Older appliances gobble both water and energy. While newer, high-efficiency dishwashers use about 4 to 8 gallons of water, older models can guzzle up to 15. New dishwashers save energy, too, using 13-41% less than pre-1990 models.
2. Your dishwasher is too small. Small dishwashers get the job done with the least amount of energy and water, but if you have to run more than one cycle per day, you're probably increasing your environmental footprint, not reducing it.
3. Your dishwasher isn't Energy Star-rated. Energy Star-rated appliances must be between 10-30% more efficient than the minimum standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
4. You run the dishwasher without a full load. Wasted space, wasted water, wasted energy.
5. Your dishwasher is overloaded. If you've loaded your dishes in so tightly that water can't circulate freely, you'll end up with dirty dishes and a need to re-wash.
6. You run the dishwasher right after dinner. Wait until off-peak hours; depending on your power company, you could even get a cheaper energy rate.
7. You're using a detergent with phosphates. Phosphate runoff can cause algae blooms in waterways that lead to environmental dead zones. Try an  eco-friendly detergent.
8. Your dishwasher doesn't have a heat booster. Dishwashers that heat water even hotter allow you to turn down your water heater's thermostat and save energy overall.
9. You use the pre-rinse cycle. Why spend the water and energy when a quick swipe of a spatula gets the job done?
10. You don't pre-scrape. Pre-rinsing in the sink wastes water, but leaving food particles on plates can clog lines and produce goopy dishes.
11. You use a heated drying cycle. Let dishes air dry. If you're worried about spots, add some vinegar to the rinse cup.

(Photo credit:jenny downing, flickr)

Founded in 1967, the Environmental Defense Fund has linked science, economics and law to create innovative, equitable and cost-effective solutions to society's most urgent environmental problems. One of its more prominent programs is the Innovation Exchange, which helps businesses, governments and other organizations share information and best practices to reduce everyone's negative impact on the environment.  

As part of this program, the EDF provides an annual Innovation Review which searches out compelling and practical new ways of doing things that increase efficiency, provide new business opportunities and of course benefit the environment.

The 2009 Review features startups, Fortune 100 companies, and groups and individuals working together. Beginning today, we'll feature one of the 2009 Innovation Review winners each Friday.

So let's kick off the series with a group of individuals working in agriculture: Iowa soy farmers.

Soy farmers traditionally fertilize their crops with nitrogen, however, often that nitrogen ends up degrading the water table and working its way down to Chesapeake Bay, which has had for many years significant nitrogen problems, killing fish and other sea-life as well as encouraging algae blooms which block out light to plant-life which creates dead zones in the Bay.

The Iowa Soybean Association has created a monitoring and information-sharing network that allows farmers to determine exactly what is the right amount of nitrogen necessary and when is the best time to apply it.

Continue reading Innovation Review Friday: Iowa soy farmers ›

(Photo credit:Dan Zen, flickr)

Would you flaunt the law for cleaner dishes? Residents of Spokane, Washington are. Fed up with being the state's test ground for a ban on dishwasher detergents containing phosphates (the ban goes statewide next year), Spokaners are hopping the border into Idaho to stock up and smuggle back big boxes of Cascade and Electrosol.

The ban on phosphates is part of a growing awareness across the country of the harmful effect of dumping gallons of the stuff into our water supply. An excess of phosphates causes algae bloom and quick growth of plants and weeds that choke waterways; when these plants die again they decay, sharply reducing oxygen levels in the water, and killing off fish and aquatic life as a result while creating huge dead zones where nothing can live.

25 states (list available here pdf) have enacted or are planning to enact a phosphates ban on cleaning agents—including dishwasher detergents. The ban is typically for the sale or manufacture of such products, but if you live in those states, the only cleaning products on the shelves will be the greener ones. Problem is, the impression lingers in people's minds that eco products don't work very well. True, some are better than others. I've had great success with Trader Joe's, Seventh Generation, and Ecover.

Tips for getting the most out of your phosphate-free or low-phosphate dishwasher detergent (or make your own!):

• Scrape dishes before placing them in the dishwasher. Pay close attention to grease.
• Load dishwasher carefully; you want it full to maximize water use but each item needs adequate space. Don't overload cutlery basket.
• Pay attention to the location of water jets and rotating arms; don't block them.
• Newer dishwashers (since early 90's) have a water temperature boost function to ensure adequate cleaning.

(Hey Spokaners—way to go with the caring about the environment thing! How about giving green cleaners—and the earth's waters—a chance?)

(Photo credit:kevindooley, flickr)

Governments around the world like to use the specter of economic doom and gloom as an excuse not to make tough environmental decisions. (Un)fortunately, we've reached a point where the negative economic impact of the environmental status quo is starting to reach such obvious levels that even governments will be hard pressed to ignore.

Take a Kansas State University policy analysis in November's issue of Environmental Science and Technology. 90% of rivers experiencing human-induced high levels of nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations, and it's costing the U.S. $2.2 billion a year. These compounds are commonly found in fertilizers which farmers regularly apply to fields. Without proper plant barriers filtering these chemicals out of the runoff water the nitrogen and phosphorous flow directly into streams and rivers.

The costs are spread out over several industries and not just in agriculture and drinking water supplies. Water-front property value and the recreational industry are negatively affected as well. Call me cynical, but these last two might have enough impact on the average citizen to make them start crying out for more eco-friendly policies.

For me and many others, the real worry is the water table impact with a loss of biodiversity and the need to increase drinking water treatments. The analysis says that the blame for approximately 25% of at-risk aquatic animals falls on this increase in nitrogen and phosphorus, which is also responsible for more algae growth.

Another major source of phosphorous is our various types of detergents. If each of us buy only phosphate-free products we'll be doing our part to protect fragile river systems and waterways.

Continue reading Fertilizing our rivers to death ›

(Photo credit:Kejimkujik, flickr)

Pelicans are an everyday sight where I live in coastal California. My kids pass time in traffic counting the pouched birds, which often wing over us on the freeway. Now they’re turning up starved, dazed—many of them dead—along the same bridges and freeway overpasses we usually see them perched on. Eco-toxicologists and marine scientists are scrambling to pinpoint the cause of the sudden rash of diseased and dying brown pelicans. Some suspect runoff from highly toxic fire retardants used to combat the state’s frequent wildfires, others the recent spate of La Niña triggered cold weather. 

No one knows exactly why hundreds of pelican carcasses are mysteriously washing up on shores from Baja California all the way up to Oregon. Of those, more than 20 were discovered dead or near-death in Ventura County, since Christmas (where I spent the holiday playing at the beach with my family). Not only are researchers baffled by the cause of the pelicans’ unusual plight, they’re also surprised at where the seabirds are ending up. They’ve been spotted miles from the ocean at the most peculiar places, including Costco and Kmart parking lots. (Yeah, the poor birds must be confused.)

The malnourished pelicans might also be suffering from severe brain damage and seizures caused by another neurological toxin, domoic acid, a pollutant produced by harmful algae blooms potentially feeding off an influx of fertilizer nutrients leaching into Southern California shore waters, where an unprecedented number of sea lions are also turning up dead.

Yet more frightening reasons—among dozens—not to let my kids swim in at our local beaches or eat locally-caught shellfish (oysters, mussels, scallops and clams). Remind again me why I live here? Oh, that's right. Must be the earthquakes. Only about 100 ripple through California each day.

(Photo credit:exrorro, Flickr)