Look for a romantic and environmentally responsible restaurant to take your Valentine’s date.
My favorite fancy restaurant in Rochester is Lento, which focuses on seasonal and local foods. They list the local farms they work with, and even hold events to connect diners with farmers. And, even though they aren’t usually open on Sundays, they are open for Valentine’s Day (hint, hint, J). 
Where do you go for sustainable meals?
It PAINS me to write this review. I am, after all, the person who made up her very own kitty litter recipe. And that kitty litter is pretty darn good, if I do say so myself. When Drew from World’s Best Cat Litter offered to send me a bag of litter to test out, I did warn him that I’m something of an expert. I mean, for me to actually want to buy kitty litter it has to be markedly better than the stuff I make for about 3 cents worth of baking soda per batch. So I was incredibly skeptical. If I’m being completely honest, I kind of wanted it to fail. But if I’m still being completely honest, I have to admit that it’s the best kitty litter my cat has ever used.
I wrote a post inspired by whaling on my personal blog last week and with your forbearance today, I’d like to follow that train of thought and, in the process, change my scientist’s hat for a philosopher’s.
Down on my side of the world, the sinking of the Sea Shepherd ship Ady Gil has received a lot of press and reignited the debate over Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. Despite prohibitions put in place in the 1980’s by the International Whaling Commission, the Japanese have continued to hunt whales in the waters of Antarctica for ‘research purposes’ (read thinly veiled commercial whaling), much to the chagrin of environmental groups and the Australian and other governments.
Sea Shepherd is a fringe environmental group that confronts whaling vessels and seeks to stop them from killing whales using whatever means necessary. They’ve rammed whaling ships, used lasers to blind sailors, scuttled ships in harbour, and destroyed nets. The group self-identifies as environmental pirates and has been labeled as terrorists by Japanese whalers and Glenn Beck alike. Read more…
If I had a house and a lot of extra money (ah, it’s fun to dream), I’d totally put solar panels on my roof. I dream of having a place that relies exclusively on renewable energy. Wouldn’t it be great to be off the grid?
Unfortunately, even for people who do own houses and have some disposable income, solar panels are an expensive undertaking. I’m talking tens of thousands of dollars to get all that high-tech equipment installed on your roof. Sure, it’ll eventually pay for itself because you won’t be paying a power bill anymore, but the upfront cost is still prohibitive for most people.
But that’s slowly starting to change. Read more…
Petite Planet discovers that Agave Nectar may not be the wonder sweetener.
Earth First talks about turning E. coli into biofuel.
Fake Plastic Fish makes a plastic-free hot/cold pack.
The Good Human discusses environmental concerns in the wake of Haiti’s earthquake.
One Green Generation reviews an organic liqueur.
Condo Blues makes insulated window shades.
We’ve had several long freezing snaps in the mountains of Tennessee this winter. During the last one, which lasted about a week, I realized my wardrobe was seriously lacking in decent base layers that I could wear underneath my jeans and sweaters. I’ve been wearing the same pink Lands End long johns for about 15 years now. They’re warm and comfy and still fit, but they’re so thick they don’t fit very well under my skinny jeans. Because I knew we’d probably have a few more cold snaps and because I have a weeklong New York City trip later this month, I decided to invest in some new long undies this winter that would work under more than just my ski pants.
That’s when I fell in love with Patagonia’s Capilene line.
Read more…
Over here at the Greenists I tend to cover the school angle. For me, the challenge of making things greener at the middle school where I work usually involves using technology to reduce the amount of paper we waste. Over the last five years I have campaigned for all of the faculty and staff to stop ripping through case after case of that white gold of schools: copy paper. When I tell you I see people on a DAILY BASIS making hundreds of copies, realizing there was a mistake on the original and then throwing away every single copy I am really not even kidding.
It gets kind of depressing.
If you would like your school district to stop wasting paper as well, here are a few ideas to suggest to your administration:
My principal has commented that just by implementing these simple tips we’ve saved over $4,000 yearly on printer and copy paper. I was tempted to ask him when I’d be seeing that in a bonus check, but I managed to stop myself in time.
One more tip: principals do not like when you tease them about money.
You’re welcome.
Sometimes caring about the world makes me feel like a real jerk. Sure, my self-righteous fervor usually overcomes that with ease, but occasionally my convictions make me feel a bit uncomfortable. The best example of this I can think of is when I use the little folding card I keep in my wallet that tells me what seafood is okay to chow down on and what should be avoided, either due to overfishing of a particular species, personal health risks associated with high levels of mercury, or both. Read more…
As you know, tax season is upon us. I used to love doing my taxes, back when things were simpler and I got a refund check in the mail. It was like Christmas! Now, thanks to my multiple freelance writing/editing jobs that make me pay Uncle Sam in one lump sum, I now lose a lot of money at tax time, which makes it … well, like Christmas.
But that’s not the point of this post. The point is to inform you about how being green, once again, can help add a little padding to your wallet — this time in the form of tax credits. Read more…
Inhabitat says H&M and other brands are guilty of organic cotton fraud.
Follow The Reader discusses environmentally sustainable publishing.
Haute Nature talks about concrete made from hemp.
Fake Plastic Fish has 8 reasons that personal changes matter.
The Daily Green weighs the benefits and costs of fracking (not the B-star kind).
The Good Human found an iPhone app that allows you to be an Eco-Snoop. Would you use it?
In unrelated news, I have a new website for STAY! Please stop by at AllieLarkinWrites.com.
Chocolate really is an obsession of mine, and I know I’ve mentioned fair trade chocolate a few times before. But I think it’s important to buy chocolate from ethical sources, and in light of Valentine’s Day, I think it’s worth mentioning again.
