NOxious fumes

Nitrogen oxides, or NOx, are highly reactive gases that are emitted from cars and other machinery, contributing to a range of environmental hazards. NOx-attributed detriments include:

• Smog
• Acid rain
• Air particulates (not so great for us lung-breathers)
• Water pollution
• Climate change
• Biological mutations via chemical reactions

[Source: US EPA]

Well in Madrid, Spain, they've figured out a way to help contain NOx emissions right where they occur the most -- on the road. The newly laid asphalt paving Spanish streets includes a mix that includes titanium dioxide called "noxer." Titanium dioxide is a photocatalyst that uses sun to capture NOx and render the oxides harmless, leaving only nitrate ions. These ions are then either washed away by rain or are stored within the pavement.

[Image: Ángel Casaña]

The city claims that up to 90% of NOx can be recaptured on a sunny day.

How noxer works:


[Source: Wikipedia]
1. Ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by the titanium dioxide, which causes the photolysis of water into superoxide ions and hydroxyl radicals.
2. Nitrogen oxides react with the superoxide ions and the hydroxyl radicals to form nitrate ions.
3. The nitrate ions are absorbed into the block and form stable compounds.

[Europa Press via autobloggreen]

urban homesteading: part 2

The second part in a series of city farmers. Read part 1.

The Dervaes Family, Pasadena, California
Jules Dervaes thought his home in Pasadena on 1/5 of an acre was a "stopping-off" point before finding more acreage in order to get back to the land, to live the way our forefathers did. But something changed in Jules when he learned that genetically modified agriculture was making its way onto our dinner plates. He decided his family needed to be self-sufficient, and that they would do it with the little bit of land that they had.

What started as a way to feed themselves through subsistence farming has turned into a way of life for the Dervaes'. Despite its city setting in Pasadena, the Dervaes' family farm is a self-contained feeding operation -- they produce enough to feed themselves as well as supplying local restaurants with fresh produce. And it's all done off the grid.

Solar panels, hand-cranked and pedal-powered appliances, a solar oven, and other energy-conserving methods sustain their cost-saving, low-impact lifestyle.

The family employs livestock, but not for eating, as they are vegetarians. They use and sell eggs from their ducks and chickens. They have pygmy goats for milking, plus rabbits and bees.

This urban homesteading project, Path to Freedom, demonstrates that we can all do more to make our lives more sustainable, and more meaningful.

Read more about how Jules Dervaes achieved self-sufficiency for his family.

Listen to a feature about the Dervaes' farm on NPR.

Watch a 10-minute video about their way of living:

for the babes

Organic cotton -- grown without toxic pesticides and fertilizers -- is ideal for babies' sensitive skin. And there are so many options available now in clothing and bedding, there's no need to settle for conventional cotton.

cute onesies

Happy Print Body Suit by Positively Organic ($19)
Great prints in a rainbow of colors, made with environmentally friendly inks and dyes



adorable accessories

Navy Stripes Cap and Booties by Sckoon ($13 each)

toys and teething

Bear Blanket Toy, Organic Veggie Set, and Bumble Bee Teething Ring by Under the Nile ($12.47, $23.95, and $7.40, respectively)



Happy Lion and Navy Stripe Bear by Sckoon ($14 and $12, respectively)
They're even stuffed with organic cotton, too!



bedding
No Compromise Crib Mattress by Naturepedic ($259)
100% polyethylene and US-grown organic cotton -- no PVC, phthalates, biocides, foam, or latex; Made in USA

Fitted Crib Sheet, Crib Blanket/Play Mat, and Swaddle Blankets by Under the Nile ($21.98, $30.36, and $25.90, respectively)
Fair trade, organic Egyptian cotton; made with low-impact dyes


Nature's Purest Sleepy Safari Pillow and 4-piece Crib Set and Receiving Blanket by Summer Infant ($22.99, $194.63, and $27.99 respectively)
Cute elephant pillow and crib set made from organically grown, naturally dyed cotton

for the baby bum

Breathable Diaper Cover or Cloth Diaper by Sckoon ($24 and $14.90, respectively)

Organic Cotton Baby Wipes by Natracare
Free from harsh detergents, petroleum, sodium laureth/laurel sulfate, parabens, etc. so you can be sure your baby's tush is not awash in toxins

urban homesteading: part 1

There are a bunch of courageous, motivated, and maybe a bit crazy (which in this case I admire!), people returning to an agrarian way of life. What's different about some of these folks is that they live in an urban setting. In the next few days, I'll tell you about these brave souls venturing into a life of city farming.

Manny Howard, Brooklyn, NY

I can't remember if I've already written about this guy whose honest attempt at farming in Brooklyn proves a bit more challenging than he expected. With the goal of eating as locally as humanly possible, Manny Howard vowed to only eat food he has grown in his 800 square foot backyard (a luxury many urbanites don't have). I won't go on and on about it, because his POV is much more hilarious (and heartbreaking). Here's an excerpt from the New York Mag article:

In those giddy, delusionally hopeful first days, as The Farm took shape in my mind, I had occasional moments of clarity. I realized, for example, that there are things I need that I could never grow. So I allowed myself what I considered three reasonable exemptions: salt, pepper, and coffee beans. Beyond that, I identified dairy, cooking oil, and bread as the biggest conundrums. Because it was March already, it was too late to plant wheat, which has a winter growing season. Okay, no bread. As for dairy: It is illegal to have a cow or a goat in New York City, but I figured I could at least hide a goat in the garage. Was it worth the risk? Cheese would be nice, but have you ever put goat’s milk in your coffee? Black seemed the way to go. Finally, cooking oil: I didn’t have enough garden space for all the plants I’d need to produce vegetable oil, so I’d have to make do with animal fat of some kind. A pig, maybe? Duck fat was another good possibility—I could confit everything.

Read the whole story.

Listen to an interview with Manny on NPR.

(Image source: Margot Adler, NPR)

put on a happy face

Recently I got a request from a reader to write about makeup. While I usually go au naturale, I want to spread the word about makeup that isn't harmful. So here's a rundown of some of the safest face paint around (BTW, it's all cruelty free, too).

For the face

• Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Blush by Physicians Formula
  Free of synthetic ingredients, harsh chemicals, and synthetic fragrances, and includes some organic ingredients (16%); available in 6 colors
• Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Bronzer by Physicians Formula
  See blush description above
• Naked Minerals Pressed Mineral Foundation Duo
  Natural mineral-based makeup made without synthetic stuff; contains SPF 15 in a non-chemical form
• Logona Liquid Foundation
  Paraben-, phthalate-, and petroleum free, and no synthetic fragrances, colors, or preservatives

For the eyes

• Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Eye Shadow Duo by Physicians Formula
  This little beautifying duo is tailored to your eye color, available in 4 color sets
• Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Eyeliner by Physicians Formula
  All natural just like the other Organic Wear products, and safe for contact wearers and sensitive eyes
• Honeybee Gardens Truly Natural Mascara
  No petroleum or parabens, water-resistant, clump proof, and safe for sensitive eyes
• Honeybee Gardens Passage to India Mineral Eye Shadow
  Mineral-based, none of the artificial junk, comes in a plethora of pretty colors
  

For the lips

• Primitive Makeup Company Lipstick
  Makers of this product claim that, unlike other natural lipsticks, this one goes on smooth and creamy; available in a multitude of colors
  
• Eternal Equity Lip Gloss by PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics
  Not only is this gloss free from nasty chems, $1 of each tube sold goes to help women who earn less than $1 a day
• Paint Me Content Lip Paint by PeaceKeeper Cause-Metics
  Another one from PeaceKeeper, proceeds go to women's causes
• Organic Wear 100% Natural Origin Lip Veil by Physicians Formula
  Like the name suggests, this 3-in-1 lip balm/gloss/stick has no synthetic ingredients and it's all organic with a minty, lemony zing
• Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer (Guava flavor)
  Petroleum free, all natural, sweet tastin' goodness for your lips

To take it all off

• Eyebright Eye Makeup Remover by Farmaesthetics
  It doesn't just take off makeup without chemicals, it helps reduce puffiness and inflammation around the eye with chamomile and sweet almond oil
• MakeUp-BreakUp Cool Cleansing Oil by Boscia
  Peppermint and eucalyptus refreshing, while green tea, rose hip, and golden palm oils help remove dirt and makeup
• Organic Essentials Cotton Balls
  Wipe it off with organic cotton balls

Not sure if your makeup is harmful?
Check out b-cause's list of ingredients to avoid.

potty time

What better way to chase away those Monday blues, butt with some good ol' fashion potty humor?

Treehugger list the top 5 green-ass videos
(see one below)


EnviroGadget reports on the Shit Box (no joke!)

keeping it clean in bed

Okay, I'm about to get personal. It's time for new sheets. After a few years of use, my old conventional cotton sheets are wearing thin. So of course I'm going to seek out bedding made from sustainable fabrics, or at the very least, sheets that aren't full of chemicals or contributing to pollution.

I thought this would be an easy quest. How hard is it to buy sheets? Surely there aren't that many choices to make when it comes to eco-friendly bedding. Wrong!

First, one needs to consider the fabric. And it's not just a choice between organic cotton and bamboo (or peace silk if you're fancy). I've decided to look for 100% organic cotton, since there's still a lot of controversy surrounding the processing of bamboo into fabric (read about the pros and cons of bamboo here, here or here).

Next, just like traditional sheets, there are a variety of weaves to choose from -- percale, sateen, jersey, flannel, etc. I prefer the smoother feel of sateen over the crispness of percale or the t-shirt like feel of jersey.

And then there's thread count. Most of the organic cotton sheets I found were around 230 to 250 thread count. The benefit of a lower thread count is durability, but if you like a softer sheet, generally you'd want a higher count -- 300 or above.

There's also color. And how the fabric is dyed contributes to its eco-worthiness. Some organic cotton is color grown. Many organic cotton sheets are left natural or bleached white using low-impact bleaching. The rest of the reputable brands use low-impact or natural dyes.

So here's what I found (all 100% organic cotton, all prices for queen size set):

• Coyuchi Percale Sheets ($168)
  230 thread count (also available in 250 sateen), undyed, available in white or natural
• Native Organic Sateen Sheets ($160)
  240 thread count; undyed; available in cafe, white, or natural
  
• Under the Canopy Sateen Sheets ($150)
  250 thread count, low-impact dyes, available in a variety of colors
• The Company Store Sateen Sheets ($109)
  250-thread count, low-impact dyes, available in a variety of colors
  
• West Elm Sateen Sheets (on sale $69.99 for queen set)
  250 thread count, low-impact dyes, available in a variety of colors

For me, not being able to see the product in person, the choice came down to price. I went with the West Elm sheets (color: fawn) for $69.99. Not bad for a set of organic cotton sheets.

[Source: The Green Guide]

taking a li'l break

Just wanted to let you know I'll be resting my typing fingers for a few days.
Have a great weekend!

dining out responsibly

It's sometimes difficult to discern which restaurants are serving up sustainable dishes and following eco-minded practices. I know of a few great restaurants around the city that are doing there part by keeping cuisine local and organic, like Franny's in Brooklyn, Candle Cafe and Candle 79 on the Upper East Side, and Counter in the East Village.

But how do you know if a restaurant in your area is helping you eat with a clear conscience? Enter the Green Restaurant Association (GRA). Their mission is, simply put, "to create an ecologically sustainable restaurant industry."

Seems like a reasonable goal. So why was it that when I did a search in NYC for restaurants, it only returned 16 results? According to nycvisit.com there are 18,696 eating establishments in this city. Surely, it can't be that less than 0.1% of dining options here are sustainable. Well, of course that's not the case. The GRA is continually expanding their database, and in order to be listed, a restaurant needs to apply. (Side note: I also noticed a bit of a glitch in the system -- when searching by city, there was a choice of NY, NYC, or New York. They all turned up different listings located in the city.)

Don't see your favorite restaurant on the list? You can encourage them to join by leaving a GRA-supplied suggestion card (just print it out and leave it with your bill).

How can a restaurant become a Certified Green Restaurant (TM)? Here are the guidelines:

1. Use a comprehensive recycling system for all products that are accepted by local recycling companies.
2. Free of polystyrene foam ("Styrofoam") products.
3. Commit to completing four Environmental Steps per year of membership.
4. Complete at least one Environmental Step after joining the GRA.

Other sources for sustainable dining:

• VegDining.com -- Find vegetarian restaurants in your area
• The Great Green List -- Among other things, has a small but growing list of green restaurants
• DineGreen Store -- Supply source for those in the restaurant biz
• Eco to Go -- A list of take-out joints in NYC letting diners opt out of disposable utensils and such by simply saying "Eco to Go" with their order
• Slow Food USA -- The movement started in Italy, but it's spread here to the delight of stateside foodies
  

evo: a great source for everything eco

Lately, my short-term memory has been a little fried. This is especially true when I'm surfing the interweb -- I often can't remember how I got to a particular site or page. On most occasions, I'm looking for sustainable ideas, news, products, etc., so you'd think it would be easy to retrace my steps. Not so -- believe it or not there are a multitude of resources out there for the environmentally conscious.

One great resource I stumbled upon is evo. It's a comprehensive and customizable source for all things eco-friendly. They've got this fun tool for customizing the site: you answer survey questions about your daily habits (I'm a sucker for surveys), then as you answer questions a virtual tree grows more and more leaves. That is, of course, if your habits are green leaning. Once you're finished with your tree, evo gives you suggestions on how you can live even more sustainably, based on the questions you answered in the survey.

If you're not into surveys or customizing the site, you can just browse for products and tips through the various categories. From clothing to travel, they've rated over 2 million products.

Try evo out here.

evening eco news

• With climate change, US forests to be a thing of the past? [National Geographic]
  
• 10 little fuel-efficient cars not in the States, yet [Popular Mechanics]
• Congress & Greenpeace joining forces to reduce e-waste [CNET]
• SanFran nearing carbon neutrality (well, kinda) [San Francisco Chronicle]
• Gorillas out of the mist in the Congo [Scientific American]

maps and the environment: two of my favorite things

I'm a total cartographile, so when I found out about Green Map, my map-lovin' heart skipped a beat. Green Map is exactly what it sounds like, a global source for geographically charted information on all things green.

You can explore maps around the world or become a mapmaker by starting a project in your area (that is, if it hasn't already been created). For example, in my neighborhood, one group, Recycle-a-bicycle, charted a map that takes bikers to potentially endangered community gardens in order to educate the public about them.

They're also in the beta phase of a new open map that anyone who signs up as a mapmaker can contribute to.

You can help support this educational effort by donating via GlobalGiving.

More about Green Map at Grist and Treehugger.

save the bees with jewelry

With nearly 80% of crops worldwide requiring pollination, there's a great need for bees and other pollinating creatures. So Alkemie, eco-friendly jewelry designers, are donating 100% of the profits from this necklace to the Pollinator Partnership, a non-profit group researching Colony Collapse Disorder.

All of Alkemie's jewelry is made in California from reclaimed metals.

Get one of these bee-uties for you or someone you love at eConscious Market.