Brazilians Buy Local: Amazon Condoms

The Amazon rainforest is a victim of deforestation.  Yes - that’s OFN (see urban dictionary if you don’t know that acronym).  In an attempt to provide some economic incentive to keep the forest intact, the Brazilian government is opening a condom factory.  The government is trying to get people to “buy local” and displace about 100 million condoms that the country currently imports.  They currently give away condoms for free as part of a national program to combat HIV/AIDS. 

According to Reuters, the latex comes from the Chico Mendes reserve, named after a conservationist who was killed in 1988 by ranchers.  More than 550 families will earn a total of $1.3million annually from producing condoms.  That’s a good income in that part of the world.  The Brazilian government, the single largest buyer of condoms, also says that these will be the first condoms produced from latex harvested in a tropical forest.  Maybe that will add some extra passion to your action…or give a new meaning to “jungle love.”  I have to imagine that just because they are from the Amazon, they aren’t all “amazon” sized. 

The Time - Jungle Love

Source: Grist, Reuters

Dell Headquarters Powered With Clean Energy

Dell’s 2.1million square foot headquarters is now powered entirely by “clean” energy.  60% of the energy is coming from TXU’s wind farms.  The remaining 40% comes from Waste Management’s landfill gas-to-energy plant.  These initiatives let Dell meet its 2008 carbon neutral committment. 

If you’re not familiar with landfill gas-to-energy plants, it’s pretty interesting.  A major problem with landfills is that they are filled with methane gas.  Methane is way worse than CO2 as a greenhouse gas affecting climate change.  Many landfills burn off the methane as it escapes from stand pipes.  Waste Management has several plants around the country where they are taking that methane gas and turning it into electrical power.  Geneva, IL - just down the street from me - gets 10% of its power from gas-to-energy conversion.

As an IT manager in my day job, I’m happy to see Dell making these moves.  I am hogtied to using Dell products and I am happy to know that they are trying to do their part for the environment.  In addition to these recent moves, Dell also will recycle anything that they make.   On top of that, my laptop, the Inspiron D630, was rated by PC Magazine as one of the top green notebook pcs.

“We’re very pleased that our Austin Community Landfill’s gas to energy project will play a key role in Dell’s commitment to using renewable energy. This project is part of our company’s environmental initiative to increase the production of waste based energy. Today, we create enough energy for the equivalent of 1 million homes each year and by 2020 we expect to double that output, producing enough energy for the equivalent of more than 2 million homes,” said David Steiner, chief executive officer of Waste Management, Inc.

“This is yet another example of TXU Energy’s commitment to offering renewable power choices that are good for business and the environment,” said Jim Burke, chief executive officer for TXU Energy “TXU Energy is dedicated to improving our use of renewable power and encouraging greater energy efficiency, both of which help preserve our environment.”

“For Dell to partner with Waste Management and TXU to source renewable energy on this scale is great news,” said Steve Howard, CEO of The Climate Group. “Greening the company’s Texas operations not only underpins Dell’s bold carbon neutral commitment but helps drive clean energy investment and tackles climate change.”

Source: Dell Blog, Dell Press Release

Beep Beep! Roadrunner Shower Head Review

Evolve has a shower head called the “Roadrunner.”  It’s a lower-flow shower head at 1.59gpm.  I had been using a shower head that was under $10 - that was basically an aerator - kinda like this one, but without the shut-off.  The old shower head worked well.  It had an output of 1.5gpm - I even timed it and measured out the water once.  The only issue was that since it was so stubby, the water seemed to spray all over the place.  I wasn’t necessarily looking to replace my aerator one, but I read about the Roadrunner from Evolve and it sounded interesting.  I emailed them to ask questions about it when I first read about one in February.  They graciously sent me one to try out. 

One unique feature of this shower head is the Showerstart™ technology.  I was never one to run the water and do other things while it was heating up, but I guess some people do.  So here’s how it works.  You turn on the shower.  When the water reaches 95°F the water shuts off to a trickle.  Now I turn on the shower, and I get out my toothbrush and stick it under the cold water.  I fill up a glass with some water coming out and I brush my teeth while the shower is heating up.  As soon as it gets to that magical number, the water shuts off waiting for your nakedness.  When I’m ready to get in the shower, I pull the rip cord - a little cord that hangs from the shower that starts the water back up again.  You want to make sure the water is the right temperature so you don’t burn yourself. 

Yeah - Showerstart™ technology sounds like a gimic.  It’s actually kinda nice.  This shower head is pretty cool.  The water pressure is great for me.  The water flows nice and evenly now - it’s not spraying wildly.  I’ve waited a bit to write this review because I wanted my wife and I to get ample use out of it to make a sound decision.  This shower head is staying put in our house. 

I had a bunch of questions for the company when I first emailed them.  One nice feature would be the ability to pull the cord again to turn the water off.  You could turn the water  while lathering up, shaving, or whatever.  There is a work around for this.  Just turn the water off and right back on.  The water will already be above the 95°F and be at a trickle.  I shave in the shower, so this is great.  I can turn the water off, shave, and resume easily by pulling the cord.  I also asked for a clarification on “low flow” vs “lower flow.”  Technically, anything below 2.5gpm is “low flow.”  Evolve uses the term “lower flow” because they are significantly below the 2.5gpm.

Evolve is based out of Scottsdale, Arizona.  It’s always nice to see companies in an arid region like the southwest developing products that promote conservation.  So much water is wasted in this country.  Technology has come a long way since that famous Seinfeld episode called “The Shower Head.”  Don’t be afraid - the water pressure will be fine.  You can adjust.  You don’t need your old 3.5gpm shower head.  The water usage at our house has dropped significantly.  Not only from the shower head, but from things like our rain barrels and just general conservation.  Every site I check has a different number, but the average American uses about 110 gallons of water every day.  My household is at about 35gal/day/person.  That may change as our children get older, but I hope that they will be smart enough to conserve.  I’d think that if we switched to a front load washing machine, we could reduce our water usage even further.  Starting with a shower head and new aerators in your faucets is a very easy DIY project that can make a difference.  The Roadrunner is only $40 at most places online.  You should recoup that money in the first year of use.  A 1.5gpm shower head will give you a 40% savings over the standard.  Give it a try! 

Still on the fence?  The folks at Evolve also sent me a white paper that goes over many considerations people should consider when choosing a lower flow shower head.  I’ve attached it here for everyone to check out - Choosing Lower Flow Shower Head

Who Owns Your Favorite Organic Company? Take 2

Back in November, I wrote about who owns who in the organic industry.  Mi amigo and tipster, Señor Doyle, pointed me to GOOD Magazine’s version of the infograph from Dr Phil Howard.  I think the layout is a bit dumbed down and easier to read than Phil’s version on his site at MSU (which was updated in January 2008).

• Organic Industry Structure
• GOOD Magazine Buying Organic Chart

MLB + NRDC = Green

Major League Baseball has teamed up with the Natural Resources Defense Council to create a Team Greening Program.  There is a new website setup where you can get information for each team on the steps they are taking to improve their environmental practices.  Sure, a lot of the information is just replicated from team-to-team, but its a great step towards progress.

The NRDC Team Greening Advisor for Major League Baseball will work with each individual club on a host of topics, including:
• Adopting an official environmental policy
• Incorporating environmental language into contracts, purchasing policies and requests for proposals that specify preferences for environmentally sound products and services
• Encouraging the use of renewable energy
• Providing information about how to credibly offset the carbon emissions related to team and fan transportation
• Using post-consumer recycled content paper for all paper products
• Implementing paper reduction strategies in offices
• Offsetting the environmental impact of up to half of team and employee travel
• Establishing club eco-committees

The information in the guide setup by MLB and the NRDC is very thorough.   I do have to tell you that this is a guide and not a mandate.  Who knows what kind of pressure they are under to follow through with the recommendation. My first thoughts of baseball and the environment is the amount of water use and pesticides/fertilizers used on the fields.  This is covered.   They provide the teams with sample language for contracts with their vendors.  They suggest that they use a vendor who is certified under the Green Shield Certified Program.  They go on to provide all kinds of pertinent information including external links to the EPA and various informational sites.

The sections of the guide include: air, water, waste, paper, energy, transportation, vendors, renovations, and travel.  To be honest with you, it seems to be a very valuable resource to any business trying to improve their environmental footprint.  Take a gander and enjoy!

My final take-away is that I am happy to have baseball taking this initiative.  I can only hope that they promote the hell out of it.  If you put a bunch of men in a room who don’t know each other, what do they talk about?  Sports.  Sports is very influential…the major sports almost have as much power as Oprah.  So we’ve talked about the NFL and MLB.   Look for more from the NBA, NHL, and NASCAR in the near future.

Source: MLB, NRDC

FirstLook: How Much Wind At My House?

Ever wondered if your house was a good candidate for wind or solar energy?  Well, a company called 3TIER wants to help you.  They have a cool Google Maps mashup.  First things, first.  You have to register to use their site.  Once you’re registered and all logged in, then you can go directly to the maps with their FirstLook product. 

If you want a full report, it’s going to cost you.  The standard wind report is $1,000 and the professional is $2,500.  The solar report is $1,000.  They say this is a lot cheaper than calling in the meteorological experts to do an on-site survey.  I have no idea, but $1k seems pretty pricey to me. 

I think their free tool is pretty cool, though.  For wind, they give you three options for how high the “hub” of your turbine is, 20, 50, and 100meters.  At the 100 meter height, my property would generate 6.2m/s, 5.7m/s for 50m and 4.7m/s for a 20m height.  I don’t even know if that’s good or not.  I just like playing with the maps.

FirstLook is the first and only online tool that allows you to choose sites based on science, not luck. What used to take days in the field now takes minutes at your desk.

FirstLook from 3TIER Group

Corporate Waste

I used to work for a company that shared a floor with another company. When I worked there, they threw so much away that had a great useful life left. I’m guessing that they aren’t an anomaly in the corporate world. The sad thing is (yet not surprising) that they were not only a sponsor of the Good and Green Conference here in Chicago in December, but they had a panelist speaking, too. Before I knew that they were a sponsor, I had ripped the conference apart for contributing to the greenwashing phenomenon. I still stand by my argument that this was a total boondoggle on greenwashing America.

We live in such a disposable society and its really quite disgusting. When are people going to start changing the way they think? It’s total disregard for the planet, future generations, and for the people who could use these items that can’t afford them. Why are people so self-centered and arrogant that they can’t call up Goodwill or a service to come take this away and find a new home for it?

I have a mole and that mole sent me pictures of their recent cleanup. Some of the “trash” will be recycled by the building automatically, but much of it won’t. I think my mole is a freegan without even trying! Here is a very partial list of what this company threw in the trash to go to landfill:

• unopened peanut butter
• fire safety kits
• toilet paper
• dishes
• silverware
• cutting board
• craft items
• holiday decorations
• “granny” grocery cart
• coffee carafes
• t-shirts
• footballs
• pumkin carving items
• napkins
• blue recycling bags
• table cloths (flannel backed)
• picture frames
• designer eye glass frames (three pair)
• books
• folders
• plastic totes
• Eco tote bag

Print Greener With GreenPrint

I saw this sometime ago, but you had to pay for it even for home users.  Well not anymore and EVERYONE should install this!  It’s called GreenPrint and it is fantastic.  You know how you print a webpage and it prints one page that has one or two lines or just a header with a URL?  GreenPrint takes care of that.  Ever want to just print the text of a document?  GreenPrint allows you to remove the images (and conversely, the text) so you can do just that.  How about a PDF but you don’t have Adobe Acrobat - well GreenPrint lets you create PDFs.  I can assure you that I have no affiliation with GreenPrint, but as an IT Manger (my day job), I see tons of paper wasted each and every day.  Did I mention that they have a counter to see how much money you are saving by not printing these extra pages?

GreenPrint World Edition is now free for home users.  The one caveat is that the user interface has a skyscraper banner ad down the right side of your computer screen.  If you upgrade to Home Premium Edition, you can eliminate those banner ads.  It’s $35 and they plant a tree for you, too.  For the enterprise, its $70 a pop.  That gives you PDF abilities, too - which isn’t too bad.  It appears that this is Windows-only right now. If you want to see a quick demo - go to their site and check it out (it could use a little spice, though).

On their site they have a few eco-facts:

• 1 ton of paper = 400 reams = 200,000 sheets
• 1 tree makes 16.67 reams of copy paper or 8,333 sheets
• 1 ream (500 sheets) uses 6% of a tree (and those add up quickly)
• Average employee prints 6 wasted pages per day, that’s 1,410 wasted pages per year!
• The average U.S. office worker prints 10,000 pages per year (a little over 1 tree per employee)
• Making one single sheet of copy paper can use over 13oz. of water– more than a typical soda can.
• Production of 1 ton of copy paper uses 11,134 kWh (same amount of energy used by an avg household in 10 months)

Source: GreenPrint

Chicago Following New York In Plastic Bag Recycling

If you’re a loyal reader of SCREAM or various other green blogs, you may know that New York City recently passed a restriction that requires certain stores to take back their plastic bags.  Chicago is looking to jump on that wagon, too.  An ordinance was introduced yesterday that would require stores to take back and recycle the plastic bags they dispense.

The measure is almost exactly the same as New York.  Stores greater than 5,000 sq ft or with five or more locations would be required to have recycling bins for the bags.  They will be required to take back not only their bags, but newspaper sleeves, dry cleaning bags, bags from other stores, and even shrink wrap.  I was surprised about the shrink wrap ’cause I thought that was a #3 plastic which is PVC.    Anyway…  On top of all this, the merchants will need to offer for sale reusable bags to their customers.

I’m glad that this is happening here, locally.  I still wish they’d go the route of San Francisco and do a full-on ban of petrol-based plastic bags, though.

From the Trib:
Some 100 billion bags a year are consumed in the United States, representing 12 million barrels of oil used to manufacture them, said Brian Granahan, an attorney for Environment Illinois. And only about 2 percent of the plastic bags are recycled in the U.S., he added.

Source: Chicago Tribune

Greening The Super Bowl

For the second year, the 2008 Super Bowl is running on renewable energy - well…renewable energy credits, rather. Did you know that the NFL has a Director of Environment? Did you know that the NFL has had an environmental program for the last 14 years? I sure didn’t.

The NFL is working with the Salt River Project (SRP) to deliver renewable energy credits from wind and solar sources. In addition to this, the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality, SRP, the US Forest Service and the White Mountain Apache tribe will replant 42-acres of trees which were recently wiped out in a large forest fire.

I’m not sure I’d exactly call an event like the Super Bowl where a reported 400+ private jets landed carbon-neutral. Sure - that has no affiliation with the NFL itself, but it is still contributing to the problem. At least the NFL is trying their best to make the world a better place where they can. They work with local waste management to control the recycling of the solid waste from the game and events surrounding it. The NFL also partnered with Expedia and TerraPass to offset the travel of the two teams and their staff.

Jim Holway, associate director of the Global Institute for Sustainability at Arizona State University, said what Super Bowl officials are trying to do is meaningful.

“It’s encouraging to see it’s getting this kind of attention,” he said. “Awareness is what it’s all about at this point … a year or two ago the mainstream wouldn’t have even thought about carbon impact.”

If you’d like to hear more, check out this interview on NPR’s All Things Considered with Jack Grohl, Evironmental Director for the NFL.

Source: AZSuperBowl.com, CNN.com

PS - Congrats to the Super Bowl champions, the New York Giants.