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Green Beer
Organic beer is the way to go. Organic beer is on the rise with dozens of brands and brews to choose from. Beer with an organic label has been certified by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as following strict, legally binding farming regulations. The barley and hops are organically grown. There are no toxic pesticides, artificial fertilizers, or chemical preservatives; only fresh, non-toxic ingredients. Drinking and purchasing organic beer is a good way to support more sustainable agriculture and combat global warming. Some beers contain traces of animal products. Gelatin, which is made from animal tissue, or isinglass, which is a collagen made from fish bladders, are used to clarify beers without putting them through a filtration process. This is done because the filtration process could potentially lessen the flavor of the beer. If you’re vegan or vegetarian, try a brew like the Green Man Beer from New Zealand, which is completely animal free. Show your support for green beer companies. Pay attention for beer companies that are doing everything they can to achieve environmental responsibility. Pale Ale, Sierra Nevada powers its brewery with solar power. Anderson Brewery in Chico is solar powered and may be the first 100% sustainable brewery. Cascade Green is an ...- Bookmark :
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Eco-Friendly Online Shopping Site, Part I
The one stop shop for a greener future, Green N Brown (greennbrown.com), is an online shopping website that aims to become the world's most trusted brand of environmentally safe and responsible products for a healthy lifestyle. Green N Brown provides information and a shopping experience for eco-friendly shoppers by offering an extensive selection of Green (eco-friendly) and Brown (organic) products. Green N Brown decided to tackle the challenge that consumers face in making sure that the organic or green products that they purchase, are in fact good for the environment. Green N Brown invested in the development of a simulation model that measures each product for its impact on the environment. Green N Brown does this by informing online shoppers about the effect that their purchase will have on the environment. For example, when a consumer purchases the Eco Shoppers Bag, they will help save one million sea birds. These birds die from ingesting or being strangled by plastic each and every year. Another example is that more than one thousand trees can be saved if one percent of the United States population purchases the Akbar-Wall-Hanging instead of the conventional one. The information that Green N Brown directly associates ...- Bookmark :
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Carbon Footprint Labels
People everywhere want to do what they can to reduce their carbon footprint, but it’s no easy task. Companies are making an increased effort to label their wide variety of products with a number that would indicate the amount of carbon that went into producing the product. For example, a box of powdered laundry detergent could show a carbon footprint of 750 grams, while a bottle of concentrated liquid could show a footprint of 650 grams. This labeling system is currently more popular in the European Union. It’s important to note that last year California Representative Ira Ruskin introduced a bill to the House that would have created a labeling standard in the state. Unfortunately, the bill did not make it out of committee. A Dartmouth geography professor has been studying the issue of labeling the carbon number on products and presented some of her findings at the American Association of Geographers' conference in the early part of this year. A British supermarket chain began labeling produce with food miles, which indicated to consumers what food was locally grown and which was imported and therefore worse for the environment. The information was misleading as it turned out to be better for the ...- Bookmark :
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An Eco-Friendly Approach to Skiing and Snowboarding
How to shop for skis and snowboards. Support independent gear companies like Colorado's Venture Snowboards, which converted its entire set up to run on wind power. Be on the look out for new green equipment like snowboards made of bamboo, and skis made of Paulownia. Neither of the two relies on the traditional timber that's used in most skis and snowboards. Also consider buying used gear, or boards and skis made with timber approved by the Forest Stewardship Council. If you don’t ski or snowboard often, rent at the mountain instead of purchasing ahead of time. Think green when traveling to the mountains. Take public transportation where possible. Emilio's ski and snowboard shop in New York City runs a shuttle service straight to the slopes from the city. Look into whether any of the ski shops in your area provide this service. On the east coast, some train lines will drop you off well into free resort shuttle bus territory. Carpooling is a great idea if you can get a group of friends together. If you can’t, inquire with resorts in your area to see if they have any kind of carpool service. California’s Kirkwood resort provides its own carpool service, the K-Pool. Cross-country ...- Bookmark :
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The Benefits of Keeping Chickens in Your Backyard
There is a trend toward chicken-keeping these days, and even urban and suburban dwellers are finding ways to incorporate these funny, feathered critters into their daily lives. Chickens do provide all sort of benefits besides just the obvious. Let's take a look at some of the advantages of backyard chicken-keeping. 1. Fresh Eggs If you are buying free-range, organic, and/or cage-free eggs at the store, you know how expensive they can be. One good laying chicken will provide you with an egg a day, or 30 eggs a month, for less than a dollar a month in feed (depending on your local feed prices of course). That's a big saving! 2. Weed Control Chickens need and enjoy eating greens. Some of their favorites include the aptly-named chickweed and dandelion greens, which most people are glad to get rid of. 3. Insect Control Chickens love to eat bugs. Guinea hens are particularly adept at eradicating ticks. Snails, slugs, and other pests will disappear as your chickens range around your yard helping themselves. 4. Fertilizer While it may not be the most pleasant topic, chickens are little fertilizer factories. You will want to start a compost pile into which you can dump the used nesting box and coop bedding when ...- Bookmark :
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