• Isaiah Mustafa aka “The Old Spice Guy” ups his sex appeal after confessing he’s on a vegan diet – Ecorazzi
• It’s not a bad idea to begin tackling your fall gardening – Planet Green
• Volvo is the latest automobile maker to jump on the green car train – Triplepundit
• Did you know that you get fewer pests, a more balanced ecosystem and healthier crops with organic farming? – Tonic
• 10 supplements from your naturopath you should exercise caution before taking – Blisstree
• Finally, the 4-11 on the SunChips compostable bags – Your Daily Thread

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They’ve picked up 37,000 pounds of garbage so far, and they’re just getting started.

When most people see a fast-food bag fluttering on the corner of the highway, they probably shake their heads and keep on driving.

The Pick Up Artists aren’t most people. These four young environmentalists are driving across America, conducting roadside cleanups and spreading the word about reducing waste.

After just three months on the road, the Pick Up America project has already collected more than 37,000 pounds of garbage. And they’re only 340 miles into their 2-year, cross-country trip.

The project began March 20 at Assateague Island, MD. They aim to arrive in their final destination, San Francisco Bay, CA, around August 2011.

The team knew what they were getting into when they launched their quest, but the amount of trash they have encountered has already surprised them. “I had no concept there was that much garbage out there,” says Kelly Klein, Pick Up America’s director of community outreach. “That was a big shocker for me.”

Most of the garbage is what you’d expect: beer bottles, soda cans, cigarette packs and fast-food wrappers. “We can tell what the most popular beers and restaurants are in each area,” says Klein. There are also plastic bags – lots and lots of plastic bags – as well as more distressing items like rusting appliances, smelly diapers and the weirdest thing they’ve encountered so far: a dead chicken lovingly taped up into an old shoebox.

A lot of the garbage has been there a long time. “It’s amazing how many years some of this has obviously been sitting on the sides of our roads and in ditches,” says Klein.

The Mission

Pick Up America isn’t just about collecting garbage. “We’re trying to promote the transition into a zero-waste society,” says Klein. “We’re hoping to raise awareness and show people a few things that they can do, and raise issues about the broader consumption stream and habits that make a difference in the long term.”

As they move from town to town, the team spreads the word about their mission and their goals, including holding zero-waste workshops and other events. “We promote reusable products as the first step we can take to stop making and producing as much plastic,” says Klein. “That plastic ends up sticking around forever. It’s doing a lot of damage to our environment.”

“There’s been great support from the communities we’ve gone through,” says Klein. “Many people have helped us already.” In addition to showing up for roadside cleanup projects, people have offered meals or opened up their homes so the team can shower or sleep. “They also help us connect with others in their community,” says Klein. “That’s been wonderful to see.”

Every day is a new adventure, Klein says. “It’s very rare that we know where we’re sleeping that night. We almost always find a place. With a very few exceptions we’ve found couches and floors to sleep on.” So far, they have only had to spend a few nights in their brightly painted RV, nick-named Rosie (above).

Not as many people have been willing to help pick up trash so far, but every volunteer makes a difference, says Klein.

5-7 Miles A Day

The pick-up process is slow work. “If it’s just the four of us, we can cover 5 to 7 miles a day,” says Klein. “That’s a bit slower than we expected.” If volunteers show up, they can move a bit faster.

The team had also hoped to do more community clean-up projects, but the roads are their top priority. “The roads are so dirty that in order for us to keep moving we haven’t been able to do as many other projects as we’d thought,” says Klein. But, she says they know they are already making a difference, so the effort is worth it.

How You Can Help

Pick Up America will roll into Covington, Va., on July 10 for its next big cleanup project, the first leg of its next wave of stops. “Look along our route on our tour page,” says Klein. “If you know somebody or an organization close by, let them know we’re coming. We need as many people as possible.”

Manpower for pick-up days is essential, but there are many other ways you can help. “Take photos, write a blog, talk about what we’re doing. It all helps,” says Klein.

You can also buy Pick Up America T-shirts and reusable water bottles, or make donations to the cause (Pick up America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) through their website. “Right now, we’re trying to raise enough money to afford health insurance for our team,” says Klein.

And of course, you can take a few steps to reduce your own waste. “Number one, stop using plastic bags,” says Klein. “Get a reusable bag and take it to the grocery store.” Reuse your water bottles, and avoid fast food, since it comes with so many wrappers that end up in the trash. “Fast food is cheap, but it’s not worth the price,” says Klein. Also, be more aware of what you’re throwing away, in case it can be reused.

You can also organize your own cleanup event in your area, and the Pick Up Artists can give you some tips to get you started, says Klein.

An Amazing Experience

“One thing that’s been really inspiring is that we’ve put our faith in the country and these communities to help get us across the country and keep us moving. It’s been such an amazing experience to see these people stepping up to support us,” says Klein. “That’s been refreshing and heartening. We’re getting more and more hopeful and positive as this goes along.”

Editor’s note: Article by John R. Platt. Originally published by our friends at Tonic.com. Tonic is a digital media company and news source dedicated to promoting the good that happens each day around the world. Tonic tells the stories of people and organizations who are working to make a difference, by inspiring good in themselves and others. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Tonic on Twitter, too!

Images courtesy of Pick Up America

The post Pick Up Artists: Driving Across America, Picking Up Garbage appeared first on EcoSalon.

One man’s quest for vegetarianism and a cleaner planet

Millions of gallons of oil are spreading across the Gulf of Mexico, killing wildlife and threatening coastal communities. This environmental disaster makes it clear that there are costs associated with our dependency on fossil fuel. These costs are usually well-hidden and often seem out of our hands. We assume these are challenges for businesses and governments to take on, but too large and unseemly for one person to make a real impact.

I am reminded of The New York Times’ 2008 article, “Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler,” in which the author Mark Bittman compares oil to meat.

He writes, “Like oil, meat is subsidized by the federal government. Like oil, meat is subject to accelerating demand as nations become wealthier, and this, in turn, sends prices higher. Finally – like oil – meat is something people are encouraged to consume less of, as the toll exacted by industrial production increases, and becomes increasingly visible.”

Bittman’s piece compares the amount of fossil fuels needed to produce a meat meal versus fossil fuels needed for a plant-based meal and illustrates that the meat meal requires 16 times more!

Although the negative consequences of excessive oil and meat consumption are usually tucked away, a growing bed of evidence is making these issues harder and harder to ignore. In 2006, the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization released a report called “Livestock’s Long Shadow.” The report states that animal agriculture is a major contributor to climate change and “emerges as one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.”

It didn’t take long for industry to challenge that report in attempts to debunk the conclusion that animal agriculture contributes more to climate change than transportation. In April of this year, James McWilliams wrote a piece for The Atlantic challenging the rash of media reports that jumped on this industry-led PR campaign. McWilliams rightly concluded, “No matter what the exact figure, the environmental case against industrial meat production remains powerfully convincing.”

Now, the United Nations’ Environment Programme has published a new report called “Assessing the Environmental Impacts of Production and Consumption: Priority Products and Materials.” It identifies the largest contributors to environmental impacts and pressures, citing “food” and “agricultural materials, especially animal products” as priority areas of concern. Referring to this report, The Guardian newspaper published an article under the heading “UN Urges Global Move to Meat and Dairy-Free Diet,” that states, “A global shift towards a vegan diet is vital to save the world from hunger, fuel poverty and the worst impacts of climate change.”

There are many things in this world that are out of our control and where we may feel helpless to make a difference. But, that’s not the case with food. We can each exercise a large degree of control over what we eat, and by making food choices that are consistent with our own values and interests, we can make the world a better place. Choosing to eat plants instead of animals lightens our environmental footprint, including our dependency on oil, and it improves and saves lives, both human and non-human. Of that, we can be certain.

Editor’s note: Article by Gene Baur. Originally published by our friends at Tonic.com. Tonic is a digital media company and news source dedicated to promoting the good that happens each day around the world. Tonic tells the stories of people and organizations who are working to make a difference, by inspiring good in themselves and others. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Tonic on Twitter, too!

Image: flikr

The post The Power on Your Plate appeared first on EcoSalon.

If current trends are any indication, the change will be shocking as some 4,600 electric vehicle charging stations are built in the US by next fall.

In just a very few short years, we’ve gone from collectively bemoaning the demise of the electric car to now being presented almost daily with road sign after road sign that clearly indicates its imminence.

Tonic has been following the fast-moving developments in electric vehicle (EV) technology over the past year, and by all indications given by the automotive world tea leaves, car makers are finally primed to take the notion of moving away from internal combustion very seriously. General Motors, who a decade ago made the biggest and loudest moves in the electric car realm first with the launch of the EV1, and second with the vehicle’s quick and puzzling discontinuation, is poised to reenter the market this fall with the Chevy Volt. Nissan’s Leaf is expected to enter the market mere weeks after the Volt. And Toyota, not in the least content to cede the EV lead to its competitors, recently purchased upstart Tesla, signaling its earnest intent to be a powerful force in the market sector.

And in the latest indicator of change’s steady march, the Los Angeles Times reports that in several US locations, we’re poised to see the neighborhood gas station take on an entirely new look and function. According to the Times, some 4,600 EV recharging stations are slated to be built across the country. Approximately 1,000 of them will be up and running by the end of this year and the rest will be in place by September of next year. This represents a sincere implementation of new generation vehicle support infrastructure, and reflects a collective expectation that while the electric vehicle is untold years away from dominance on the roads we’re poised to see a real shift in how we drive.

The new recharging infrastructure initiative is being led by California-based Coulomb Technologies, whose home state is perhaps not surprisingly slated to be home to about one third of the new stations. In addition to building the charging stations in the Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Francisco bay area regions, Coulomb’s plans include new infrastructure for the Austin, Detroit, New York, Orlando, Seattle and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas.

According to the Times, the move arises through the ChargePoint America program which is supported by partnerships with Ford, GM and Smart and funded in part by a federal grant from the Department of Energy. Once the stations are in place and operational, scientists from Purdue University and Idaho National Labs will collect and analyze data on usage patterns.

Editor’s note: Article by David Bois. Originally published by our friends at Tonic.com. Tonic is a digital media company and news source dedicated to promoting the good that happens each day around the world. Tonic tells the stories of people and organizations who are working to make a difference, by inspiring good in themselves and others. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Tonic on Twitter, too!

Image: felixkramer

The post Coming Soon to a Fueling Station Near You: A Plug appeared first on EcoSalon.

A new book offers advice on how to make your love life more eco-friendly.

Article by Darragh Worland and image by pinksherbet. First published March 2010 at Tonic.com.

What color comes to mind when you think about your lover? If it’s not green, then you’ve got a long way to go before you can call your relationship “eco-friendly.”

Well, praise the wood nymphs, because help is on the way in the form of eco-conscious author Stefanie Iris Weiss who has claimed the only spot on the love and relationship shelf of the bookstore that has yet to be staked out.

Her new book Eco-Sex is a guide to greening your love life. “I have always wanted to write a sex book. I am a very committed greenie, and I have been a vegetarian for 20 years. I saw a gap in the market and I couldn’t believe no one had written about this topic,” Weiss told MindFood.com.

The book includes information on where to buy eco-friendly bamboo underwear and dating sites where you can meet other eco-minded people. Weiss suggests the ideal first eco-date would be to go biking, and recommends natural latex mattresses (though not necessarily for that first date.) She recommends natural or organic cosmetics, biodegradable latex condoms, and jewels that even a self-respecting socially and eco-conscious woman would be proud to wear (no blood diamonds here!)

But is all this enviro-sex-talk a little too much too soon? I mean, it feels like just it was just yesterday when we re-discovered our love of nature and the environment. Are we ready for such a long-term commitment? Hell yes, says Weiss!

“I think green sex is having its moment right now. I think it is the next big thing in green,” she told MindFood.com. “People are realizing that their everyday, most intimate habits, are deeply connected to this horrible crisis we are in.”

And as for those flowers, ladies? Make sure they’re locally-grown before you put them in water. And if your date snorts at the question, throw him back in the ocean and reel in another one. After all, good girls recycle.

Editor’s note: Article by Darragh Worland and image by pinksherbet. Originally published by our friends at Tonic.com. Tonic is a digital media company and news source dedicated to promoting the good that happens each day around the world. Tonic tells the stories of people and organizations who are working to make a difference, by inspiring good in themselves and others. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Tonic on Twitter, too!

The post How to Green Up Your Love Life appeared first on EcoSalon.

Article by Annie Scott, first published March 2010 at Tonic.com.

I’m America, and I’m a pollutionoholic.

The Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has some good news for us all: the US can cut its carbon pollution by 15 percent right now if we all take simple steps. Know how much pollution that is? One. Billion. Tons. Yes we can!

We all know that we should do certain things to keep pollution levels low, but never before have we been told exactly what to do and exactly how much it will help. Hopefully, this is enough to get you and me and everyone we know motivated!

Here’s what you have to do:

1. Use a programmable thermostat and set it to cool down when you’re asleep or out.

2. Reduce your “vampire” electrical usage; unplug stuff that’s charged, unplug the extra refrigerator, turn off the lights (just like your dad said). This will also save you money on your electric bill. Sweet!

3. Consume less red meat and dairy. What’s “less”? Well, think about how many times per day you have a serving of red meat or dairy. Try to halve it. If you’re worried about your calcium, think about other foods like salmon, spinach, okra, almonds … there’s a list here. Here’s where you can get some iron. Delicious – and likely to help you shed some pounds.

4. Waste less food. This is a no-brainer. Nobody’s going to watch you and make sure you eat every pea on your plate, but don’t let your leftovers go bad, don’t buy more perishables than you can consume before they perish. If you want to go all the way, become a freegan dumpster diver, but 25 percent less wasted food will do the trick.

5. Recycle whenever possible. Permission to not recycle when it’s impossible: granted.

6. Replace your incandescent bulbs with CFLs.

7. Reduce motor vehicle idling and maintain your vehicle properly so it doesn’t go spewing noxious gases everywhere. Again, saves money!

8. Carpool twice or telecommute once per week. Propose telecommuting to your boss with environmental intentions and you may finally get your wish!

9. If you fly more than three times per year, fly one less time.

10. Fix your leaks to cut heat loss.

11. Use hot water efficiently – did you know that you can save energy just by insulating your water heater? You can also keep it at a lower temp and use efficient faucets and showerheads. Also, do your laundry in cold water. It keeps the colors brighter anyway.

12. Next time you replace an appliance, get an EnergyStar certified one. This can save electricity and even get you a tax break in some cases.

That’s it. Twelve steps to 15 percent less pollution. Are you in? I am. You can sign up to be part of the movement here, and check out the NRDC’s full analysis and report here.

Editor’s note: Article by Annie Scott. Originally published by our friends at Tonic.com. Tonic is a digital media company and news source dedicated to promoting the good that happens each day around the world. Tonic tells the stories of people and organizations who are working to make a difference, by inspiring good in themselves and others. Be sure to visit them and say hi, and follow Tonic on Twitter, too!

Photo by *~Dawn~* via Flickr.

The post Reduce Your Carbon Impact by 15% in 12 Easy Steps appeared first on EcoSalon.