E-NEWS

Save the Planet

Toxic Toys to Cross Off Your List December 8, 2008 Reporting by Roddy Scheer Toxins, including lead and mercury, can still be found in many children’s toys. © Getty Images Christmas shoppers beware! According to researchers from the Michigan-based nonprofit Ecology Center, one in three of more than 1,500 popular toys now on store shelves contain unacceptably high levels of potentially toxic chemicals. The group looked for chemicals associated with reproductive problems, developmental and learning disabilities, hormone problems and cancer—and it found plenty, including lead, mercury, cadmium and arsenic.   In coordination with more than a dozen other groups, the Ecology Center carried out the testing as part of its annual consumer guide to toxic chemicals in toys. The results—the good, the bad and the ugly—are posted online (searchable by product name, brand or toy type) at the HealthyToys.org website. Visitors to the website can also create a personalized holiday wish list that can be e-mailed to family and friends. “Our hope is that by empowering consumers with this information, manufacturers and lawmakers will feel the pressure to start phasing out the most harmful substances immediately, and to change the nation’s laws to protect children from highly toxic chemicals,” the Ecology Center’s Jeff Gearhart, who led the research, told reporters. “There is simply no place for toxic chemicals in children’s toys.” Sources: healthyToys.org; Environment News Service

For Bird’s Sake December 8, 2008 Reporting by Roddy Scheer Tar sands development in Alberta could kill as many as 166 million birds, including the osprey. © www.borealbirds.org A coalition of environmental groups is calling for a moratorium on petroleum development of the tar sands in the Canadian province of Alberta. The region, which borders Canada’s verdant boreal forest, contains the largest source of crude oil outside of the Middle East, but accessing it has proven not only expensive but destructive to wildlife habitat.   The groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the Boreal Songbirds Initiative and the Pembina Institute, collaborated on a study that found that further development in the region could kill as many as 166 million birds over the next 50 years as a result of development-related habitat and wetlands loss and the toxic poisoning of food sources, among other environmental ills. “People need to take a hard look at whether this can be mitigated or if tar sands development is just incompatible with conservation of bird habitat,” NRDC’s Susan Casey-Lefkowitz told reporters. “The loss of as many as 166 million birds is a wholly unacceptable price to pay for America’s addiction to oil.” Sources: NRDC; Envrionment News Service

Commentary: Witness to Recovery The New England Aquarium has been counting its successes—from a witnessed whale birth to stricter shipping rules By Brita Belli Right whales are identified by the callosities—or rough patches of white skin—on their heads. © New England Aquarium It takes a long time to get to know a whale. Moira Brown, a senior scientist with the New England Aquarium’s right whale research team, has been spending more than two months a year studying right whales in the Bay of Fundy off the coast of Maine for the past 24 years. The boat the researchers take out each day from early August to September in the Bay is the same one they’ve used for the past 29 years. During those months, the Aquarium research team sets up shop at a field station in Lubec, Maine—members rise at 4:30 a.m. to follow the right whales, who travel there each year to mate and to eat.   “There’s a lot of current [in the Bay],” says Brown. “The tidal gyre serves to concentrate the plankton...and the right whales are grazers who would rather go to one big grocery store. It’s more efficient.” And whale mothers are often there with young calves in tow, where the sheltered Bay offers them protection. Where Whales are Born With the start of December, the researchers have taken to the sky, to track the whale population as it migrates to Florida, where whales give birth in high-traffic shipping areas. Researchers sit in a small, two-seater plane and keep constant watch over the waters, tracking movements via a GPS and then circling in for pictures and closer observation. They are on the lookout for ship strikes in particular—major shipping channels converge with whale birthing areas off the Southeast U.S. coast—bringing everything from naval ships to nuclear submarines to casino boats in conflict with the endangered animals. There are less than 400 North Atlantic right whales alive today, and a new calf is a celebratory event. Just one calf was born in 2001, according to Brown, and 31 in 2002. Since 2002, she says, they’ve averaged over 20 calves a year. They don’t know why whale births are increasing, but she says the numbers are encouraging. “We now feel like we’re monitoring the recovery, and not the demise,” Brown says. Most recently, New England Aquarium researchers were witness to an extraordinary event—a live whale birth, the first right whale birth ever witnessed, spotted as they were flying 1,000 feet overhead. Monica Zani, one of the researchers and witnesses, says in an online interview how she thought for some time, with the evident thrashing and blood, that the mother whale was hurt. “Then,” she says, “We saw the calf on her back.” Researcher Monica Zani on an aerial whale-tracking mission, witness to the first observed right whale birth. © New England Aquarium Slowing the Ships Researchers use the particular callosities—or rough patches of white skin on each whale’s head—as a means of identifying them throughout their lives. This most recent birth was by a mother whale they had named “Catspaw,” and this was the fourth calf they knew belonged to her. As they follow the whales, collecting poop samples and taking photographs, researchers are also documenting the scarring on the whales, most due to entanglement from fishing gear. “75% of the whales have scars,” says Brown. “Another 20% are scarred a second time.” And because they are such large animals—up to 55 feet long and 80 tons—and swim slowly near the water’s surface, they are uniquely prone to ship strikes, too. Since 2001, 12 right whales have been killed off the Atlantic coast when struck by ships. While Canada has made whale protection a priority in lowering speeds in shipping lanes, the U.S. has been slow to act. This Tuesday, that will change. On December 9, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is mandating that ships slow down to 10 knots within 20 miles of East Coast ports during the season when whales are migrating to and from their Southeast calving grounds—that means regulating ship speeds from Maine to Florida. It’s something that Brown has said has “been in the works for a long time.” Amy Knowlton, another member of the Aquarium’s right whale research team said in a release, “To think that right whales will be able to migrate along the coast and avoid the now slow moving, oncoming ships that they come across routinely gives me tremendous hope that we are one step closer to giving this species a chance of avoiding extinction.” Brita Belli is the editor of E. CONTACT: New England Aquarium; Right Whale Aerial Survey Blog.

Dive into a Carpool By Samantha Grasso © Getty Images Drivers face gridlock traffic every day, yet single-occupancy vehicles continue to dominate the roadways. Why not share the ride?   DivideTheRide is an online service where families can organize carpool calendars with people they know. Once users enter their schedule of activities and choose the members of their carpool, the website creates a carpool calendar and e-mails it to everyone in the group. Another option is eRideShare, which connects commuters traveling in the same direction. Members place an ad specifying if they are interested in carpooling for a daytime commute or extended travel, and then search for potential matches. Some websites include more in-depth personal profiles, allowing carpoolers to, for example, ride with people who share their taste in music. How about a women-only carpool? Carpool CREW attempts to minimize the inconveniences of carpooling, and increase usage, by matching people based on many criteria. The recent addition of the Carpool application to the social networking site Facebook has brought a carpooling tool to the fingertips of even younger drivers. All of these resources are free, and as carpooling gains popularity in direct proportion to the price of gasoline, it’s becoming easier to find people willing to share the burden of getting from point A to point B. CONTACTS Carpools e Rideshare Divide The Ride Carpool Crew

Resources for Green Giving BEAUTY BY DESIGN With Origins, you can select pre-packaged beauty sets or design your own gift pack and have it wrapped free of charge. Origins uses 100% recycled boxes and festive carbon- and acid-free, 15% recycled paper. Gift products include: Extremely Green ($90), certified-organic skin, hair and body care products; and Peace of Mind ($10), a mixture of essential oils (peppermint, basil and eucalyptus) that when dabbed onto the neck, temples and earlobes helps to reduce feelings of tension and stress. —Jennifer Santisi   CONTACT: Origins.   ORGANIC INDULGENCES Aveda has partnered with communities in Northwestern Nepal to release nine limited-edition gift sets packaged in Lokta paper. The paper is handcrafted by men and women in the Himalayas and every purchase helps to sustain Nepali families and forests. Sets include: Himalayan Glow ($32), Aveda’s signature soy-wax aromatherapy candle infused with certified-organic essential oils of cinnamon, clove and vanilla, resting in a 95% post-consumer recycled glass container; Ritual of Relief ($40), a handcrafted gift box that includes invigorating hand and foot creams made of plant-derived ingredients; and Ultimate Sanctuary ($129), a gift set that includes a Shampure soy-wax candle, Soothing Aqua Therapy, Beautifying Composition, Intensive Hydrating Masque, Nourish-Mint Renewing Lip Treatment and a 100% organic cotton kimono-style robe. —J.S. CONTACT: Aveda, (800)644-4831.   MAD ABOUT MAGNETS Kate Grenier Designs LLC sells handmade, cleverly designed magnets made from recycled bottle caps as singles or in themed sets of up to six, from $3 to $18. Pick up the “planet earth” set to remind everyone on your holiday list to “hug a tree” already. —Amanda Peterka CONTACT: Kate Grenier Designs LLC, (503)841-5949.   TOP TOY PICKS For those who prefer catalog and online shopping, there have never been more earth-friendly options, especially for your littlest gift recipients. Oompa Toys features quality kid stuff from the whimsical to the educational. We especially like the Under the Nile basket of fruit fashioned from cuddle-worthy organic Egyptian cotton ($25.99), and the Eco-Friendly Cookware and Dining Set by Green Toys, which is made in the U.S. of recycled plastic in spunky colors like lavender, pistachio green and banana yellow ($39.99). Earthentree wooden toys are handcrafted in India from sustainable wood and colored with natural vegetable dyes. The rich earth tones are a welcome departure from primary-colored plastic fare. The selection of pull toys, rattles and stackers includes the adorable Cubby Color Stacker ($22). (EDITOR’S NOTE: In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Earthentree issued a voluntary recall on some of its toys earlier this year. According to Earthentree founder Deepti Shankar, the company has completely resolved the issues and has corrected almost 70% of the effected toys, “which is unheard of in the toy industry.” Please visit their website for more information: www.earthentree.com/recall.asp CONTACTS: Earthentree; Hazelnut Kids, I Love My Planet Toys; Oompa Toys.   SCENTED STOCKING STUFFERS Slip these Pacifica Solid Perfumes into a stocking for instant points. Along with the holiday aromas of fresh pine, baked cookies and gingerbread, the company offers a batch of nature-inspired fragrances. Five new perfumes, in varieties like Avalon Juniper, Tibetan Mountain Temple and Mexican Cocoa come in small recyclable tins and brightly colored post-consumer packaging. The perfume itself resembles a small candle and is made from a base of vegan soy and coconut wax. Enticing combinations of clove, sweet orange and black pepper make for a spicy winter escape. —A.P. CONTACT: Pacifica Perfumes, (503) 221-2466.   GET YOUR RESIN ON Reusable water bottles and recycled bags aren’t the only ways to get plastic out of landfills—now you can un-plastic your jewelry, too. everybodygreen.com offers charm bracelets made with corn starch-based resin, natural herbal tea dye and recycled brass. Already spotted on the wrists of celebrities like Zach Braff, the pastel No Plastic bracelet for $10 and accompanying Crystal Long Trio Necklace for $18 are perfect quick gift ideas, and the website donates proceeds to environmental groups. —A.P. CONTACT: everybodygreen.com, (212)792-8360.   THE WINE LIST Organic wines are now available in every variety and style for comparable cost to their chemically produced counterparts. Boisset Family Estates breaks all the barriers with its Yellow Jersey wine. It’s a warm, light Pinot Noir from France in a recyclable plastic bottle. The 100% recycled PET bottle (polyethylene terephthalate, the same material in fleece) has half the carbon footprint of regular bottles and blocks both oxygen and UV light for better-tasting wine. From Bodegas Iranzo comes a selection of organic Spanish wines that are affordable and distinctive. The Vertvs Tempranillo has a robust, old-world flavor while the Tarantas Tempranillo-Cabernet is flavorful and sweeter, a perfect complement to a holiday meal. —Brita Belli CONTACTS: Bodegas Iranzo; Boisset Family Estates.   MORE PERFECT PAPER The founders of paper company annie l catherine, Annie Darling and Catherine Breer, design stationary, note card sets, calendars and wrapping paper with the beauty of nature in mind. They work with the Forest Stewardship Council to ensure the paper they use has been harvested in a sustainable manner, and use a facility run on wind power. Their offerings include a Catherine Breer poster calendar (desk, $16, poster, $17), full of boldly colored paintings of locations from the Bahamas to Muscoot Farm in Katonah, New York, holiday tags ($2.95), including snowmen, snowflakes, Christmas trees and poinsettias, and a holiday card set ($15), from retro prints, to hip snowmen, to traditional winter scenes. —J.S. CONTACT: annie | catherine, (207)591-4871.   BOOKS   SOURCING THE STUFF British journalist Fred Pearce retraces his ecological steps in Confessions of an Eco-Sinner: Tracking Down the Sources of My Stuff (Beacon Press, $24.95). Pearce embarks on a fascinating journey to find out where the contents of his pantry, the clothes in his wardrobe and the electronics he uses come from, and to meet the people involved in the various stages of production. Some of the far-flung places he visits are a gold mine in South Africa, a prawn farm in Bangladesh, a cotton field in Australia and a computer “recycling center” (an acrid, miles-long, open-air ditch where 10-year-old children dunk circuit boards in vats of acid to remove their copper) in India. His commitment to his quest is admirable and eye-opening: Who knew it takes 5.5 tons of water, more than 30 tons of air pumped into a mine-cooling system and 10 hours of treacherous labor to extract enough gold to create a simple wedding band? Pearce’s findings raise complex questions—can sweatshop labor be considered liberating? Is there such a thing as “fair trade” coffee?—for which there are no simple answers. But his discoveries can help all of us make more informed decisions about our own purchases. —Jessica Rae Patton   ENERGY REDEFINED There are a lot of energy books on the market, but few of them are as level-headed, to the point and engagingly detailed as Green: Your Place in the New Energy Revolution by Jane and Michael Hoffman (Palgrave Macmillan, $15.95). Jane Hoffman is a policy expert and the chairman of the Presidential Forum on Renewable Energy, and Michael Hoffman is managing director of Riverstone Holding, LLC, where he manages the world’s largest renewable energy fund. Together, they lay out a basic formula that will take the world from wasteful consumption to a renewable energy future, a formula that includes conservation, investment and security. While that may sound like material worthy of a lecture hall, the book is a surprisingly breezy read. They talk about the vibrant jazz clubs and civil rights protests of Washington D.C.’s U Street, now a model for using wind power through an ingenious group purchase among the merchants. They patiently explain the difference between watts, kilowatts and megawatts, before discussing the computer game SimCity as a model for the consequences of using coal instead of clean energy. In fact, the idea of imagining yourself mayor of a town, looking at your available resources, and deciding the best energy plan, is a theme that plays throughout the book. It’s a way of seeing our own power and influence in the big energy picture, and how short- term decisions have toxic long-term consequences. —Brita Belli   NINE BILLION AND COUNTING? Someone had to write Hot, Flat, and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution—and How It Can Renew America (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, $27.95), and I’m glad it was Thomas L. Friedman, the New York Times’ resident globalization sage. The book is about the perfect storm the world faces, with global warming, peak oil and a runaway global population that (despite the red herring known as the “birth dearth”) will spiral to more than nine billion before it levels off around 2050. So, he writes, we’re increasingly straining the earth’s resources at the same time we’re also preparing to add 2.5 billion more world citizens. Friedman’s prescription is for sustainability and a green energy revolution, and to drive home his points he circumnavigates the globe, talking to CEOs and presidents. His consistently colorful examples are gathered from Darfur to Abu Dhabi. (Someone should measure this man’s carbon footprint, but it’s for a good cause.) If this engaging book has a flaw, it’s in never quite spelling out how we ramp up alternative technologies to take over from oil. Yes, we need an international consensus and global investment, but in which technologies? Solar? Wind? Hydrogen? Geo-thermal? Or is it all of the above? —Jim Motavalli   FIXING THE PROBLEMS In The Green Collar Economy: How One Solution Can Fix Our Two Biggest Problems (HarperOne, $25.95), author Van Jones defines green-collar jobs as “family supporting, career-track job[s] that directly contribute to preserving or enhancing environmental quality.” Jones, the founder and president of the Oakland, California-based advocacy group Green For All, emphasizes that a green economy is an achievable goal by using the resources we already have in our homes and businesses. But it requires transforming those places. He warns, “The worthwhile green economy cannot be built with solar sweatshops.” The longtime environmental-jobs advocate outlines the two crises that plague us today: radical socioeconomic inequality and the rapid destruction of our environment. He believes that we can address both issues simultaneously and successfully by tapping into the “green part” of our economy. The current green wave of investment, he says, has the power to change the world. The Green Collar Economy outlines in detail what we need to do to achieve eco-equity, equal opportunities for all and equal protection for all, while including the environment in the equation. —Jennifer Santisi   ECO SMARTY-PANTS True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet (National Geographic, $15.95) is the latest in the True Green book series by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin. This offering is aimed at the youngest environmentalists, and uses to good effect something akin to what marketing and advertising pros call “the nag factor”—targeting children, who then hound their parents into particular purchases. Many of the book’s suggestions are toward kids leading their family in an eco-overhaul, from holding a shortest-shower contest to creating a compost pile. “Drive your parents crazy by reminding them to turn off the TV for a change!” it cheerfully suggests. The book is arranged by spheres of a child’s life in which they can implement the four Rs (“rethink” is added to the traditional three): in their bedroom, while hanging out with friends, at school, when shopping, playing outdoors or on vacation. Additional resources include a quiz, list of websites and a glossary. —J.R.P.