Fruits are healthy to eat, experts agree, but new research by a consumer group shows some fruit juices - a staple in children's diets - contain toxic arsenic or lead.

There are no federal limits now on either contaminant in fruit juices.  But according to Consumer Reports, about 10 percent of the juices it sampled from five different brands had total arsenic levels exceeding federal drinking-water standards.

One in four samples checked also had lead levels higher than the Food and Drug Administration's limit for bottled water of 5 parts per billion.

While the FDA has dismissed previous reports of arsenic in apple juice by saying the contaminant was a harmless organic form of the chemical, Consumer Reports says most of the arsenic it found was inorganic arsenic, a known carcinogen.

Consumers Union, the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports, is calling on the FDA to set arsenic and lead limits for apple and grape juices, which are frequently consumed by children.

It's not clear how the contaminants got into the fruit juices, but environmental activists point out that one source may be coal-burning power plants which emit arsenic and other toxic pollutants into the air.  They contend this is another reason for the Obama administration to move forward with new power-plant pollution regulations drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency. 

Some power companies and their supporters in Congress oppose the rules, contending the costs of compliance will be too high, forcing the shutdown of some power plants and jeopardizing electrical reliability.  Others point to the health benefits and say the fears of brownouts are overstated, noting that some power companies such as Baltimore-based Constellation Energy support the rule because they have already upgraded their plants' pollution controls to reduce toxic emissions.

For a list of brands tested and results, go here.

(Above: Student sipping apple juice at Mt. Washington Elementary School. 2005 Baltimore Sun photo by Kenrick Brinson)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The new Ford Focus Electric will be in town today (Tuesday) to see and test drive at Johns Hopkins University.  It's not due on the market until early next year, but it'll be one of five Ford vehicles on display at an event examining the issues around electrification of travel and other fuel-efficient transportation.

There'll be a presentation and discussion from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by demonstrations and vehicle test drives until 1:30 p.m.   The event, part of a nationwide Ford tour touting its products, is cosponsored by the Baltimore Electric Vehicle Initiative and the Hopkins Office of Sustainability.

Hopkins has hosted a trot-out of the Chevy Volt in advance of its going on sale as well. The school also recently installed five EV charging stations on campus.

The event will be at Hopkins' Visitor Center in Mason Hall, 3100 Wyman Park Drive. Visitor parking is available nearby.  For a map, go here.  Those interested in a test drive or attending are asked to RSVP to Michael Phillips at michael@alliancegroupltd.com or 434.760.4485.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:35 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

The second annual Clean Energy Summit blows into B'more today, rescheduled and relocated here after the earthquake in August damaged the Bethesda hotel where it was supposed to be held.  That 'quake may have been an omen.

There'll be a lot of talk at the Hilton Inner Harbor on Friday about solar and wind power, electric vehicles, biofuels, public policy and more.  There's lots happening on those fronts, but plenty of uncertainty and uproar, too. 

Construction is under way on Maryland's first utility-scale solar array in Emmitsburg, for instance, and the state was recently recognized as one of the top 10 states in promoting energy efficiency.  But in Washington, cost-cutting pressures cast a shadow over funding for clean energy, and there's even talk among at least some Republican lawmakers of cutting off tax incentives for virutally all forms of energy, including solar and wind, nuclear and even at least some breaks for oil and gas. 

Despite the federal policy turmoil, more and more businesses and homeowners are looking for clean energy, installing more efficient lighting and solar arrays, among other things.  To help stoke that interest, the summit winds up Saturday with a free consumer show.

From 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the public has a chance to drive a Chevy Volt and learn more about solar hot water and photovoltaics, geothermal heating and cooling, the new generation of cleaner woodstoves and - perhaps most important of all - how to go about financing the upfront costs that can ultimately lead to lower utility bills.

For more info, go here.

(Wind turbines on Backbone Mountain near Oakland MD.  2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:37 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

An autumn potpourri of things happening this weekend:

Trees: It's autumn, ideal time to plant a sapling. Baltimore County is having a big tree sale from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday.  The costs range from $20 - $30. The event will be held at the Baltimore County Center for Maryland Agriculture, 1114 Shawan Road.  For details, go here. 

Stream cleanup: The Friends of Gwynns Falls/Leakin Park plan to clean up the stream that flows through the park's Winans Meadow, from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. There's plenty of debris to clear from the tropical storm flooding last month. Gloves will be provided. Meet at the parking lot of Winans Meadow at 4500 Franklintown Road, 21229. For additional information, call 410-566-2230.

Park reopening:  When you're done planting trees or clearing stream debris, why not head over to Robert E. Lee Park and check out the $6.1 million facelift it got while closed the past two years?  There's a new bridge, a new half-mile boardwalk across wetlands and a new dog park (though you'd better keep your pooch on leash, and clean up after him or her!)  It officially reopened today (Friday, Oct. 14), but there'll be activities Saturday as well.  On Lakeside Drive, near Falls Road.  For directions, go here.

(Walking dogs on at rehabilitated Robert E. Lee Park. Photo by Noah Scialom)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

In the unsurprising news category, the bottled water industry finds it "disappointing" that the O'Malley administration is trying to get state workers to drink tap water instead of its products.

The International Bottled Water Association released a statement late Wednesday reacting to news from late last week that the state's Green Purchasing Committee voted to stop buying bottled water for state buildings and facilities where tap water is available.   Bottled water would still be provided in places where tap water isn't available, and agencies could decide for themselves whether to have it stocked in vending machines on site.

The move came at the behest of environmental groups, who argued that the state could save money and show support to struggling public water systems by cutting back on bottled water purchases.  Maryland spent $200,000 on Deer Park water in fiscal 2010, according to one official.

In its statement, the association contends that eliminating workers' access to bottled water will increase consumption of unhealthful soft drinks or other calorie-containing beverages.  And it argues that the cutback is a slap at an industry that employs 2,260 people in the state and spends $92 million on wages and benefits.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Looking for some colorful and environmentally friendly plants for your garden or lawn? Now there's a handy online guide to native plants in the Chesapeake Bay region.

With the Native Plant Center, you can search for native plants by name, type, sun exposure, soil texture and moisture - even look for native plants that match the characteristics of popular non-native plants.  The site also features a "geo-locator" so you can identify what plants are suited to your particular location.

Replacing portions of your lawn with native plants suited to local conditions helps local water quality and the bay by reducing the need for fertilizers and pesticides, which can wash into nearby storm drains and streams when it rains. They also cut down on the need for watering.

The online uses the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's native plant database, which is associated with its print publication, Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed.  Other partners in the online portal are the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay and Image Matters, a software consulting firm based in Leesburg, VA.  

(Photo: Asclepias tuberosa, or butterflyweed.  U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 3:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Homeowners, if you've ever thought about ditching your messy, polluting gasoline-powered lawnmower, here's your chance: Swap it for a cleaner, deeply discounted new battery-powered job.

On Saturday (6/11), consumers can turn in their old gas-powered mowers for a marked-down rechargeable Black & Decker mower.  Buyers get 31 percent off the $379 sticker price for an 18-inch, 36-volt model and 33 percent off the $429 ticket for one with a 19-inch blade and a removable battery.

The swap will take place from noon to 4 p.m. at Cardinal Shehan School, 5407 Loch Raven Boulevard. But don't procrastinate - only 200 mowers will be on hand to sell.

Why go to the trouble? Because more than 17 million gallons of gas get spilled each year nationwide refueling lawn and garden equipment. Some of that winds up in the nearest water way, and some gets into the air, adding to our region's choking summer smog.  Even the gas that gets in the tank pollutes: a single 3.5-horsepower gas mower emits as much smog-forming exhaust as a new car driven 340 miles.

And if you let the mulching mower mulch and leave off bagging the grass clippings, you can have a healthy lawn without needing to fertilize as much - another help for stressed local streams and the Chesapeake Bay. That's why the city of Baltimore and the local watershed group Blue Water Baltimore have teamed up to co-sponsor B&D's mower swap. For more, go here.

(Old mowers being turned in for new electric ones. 2010 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Students at the University of Maryland have jumped on a nationwide bandwagon to ban bottled water sales on campus, it seems.

The Washington Post reports that student government groups on the College Park campus have yielded to the pressure and now serve tapwater in pitchers at their meetings and events.    Other schools around the country also are cutting out on the bottled beverage. According to the Post, Goucher College in Baltimore apparently has gone halfway, removing bottles from dining halls and other campus eateries while still offering them at the bookstore and in vending machines.

The rap against bottled water is waste - that Americans are burning up resources and generating mountains of plastic debris for a drink they could easily get from a faucet or fountain somewhere. Of course, the bottles can be recycled, but many aren't, and there's still the energy consumed producing and transporting them.

But some are suggesting it's not an open-and-shut case.  Bottled water helps fight obesity, some say, by offering youthful consumers a more healthful choice than sugar-laden soft drinks in vending machines and at snack bars. That's certainly how the International Bottled Water Association sees it, with a spokesman calling its members' beverage "a healthy, legal product."

There's also the convenience factor - could it be there aren't as many water fountains as there used to be?  And some activists worry that making a fuss about bottled water could alienate the public and lose goodwill for action on other environmental issues arguably of greater importance.

What's your take? Time to dump the throwaway drinks, or is this a diversion from bigger problems? Do you drink bottled water, or carry your own?

(Bottled water on sale in Florida supermarket.  Photo by Tina Russell, Orlando Sentinel)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (14)
        

Some of B'more Green's readers recently have posted comments critical of electric vehicles, pointing out that they draw their energy from the electric grid, which in these parts gets half its power from burning coal.

Yes, coal-burning power plants are a major source of greenhouse gases. But does that automatically make an EV worse for the climate than an internal combustion engine?

Nope, according to The Energy Blog. After walking through the details, the blog concludes that burning gasoline produces 21 to 58 percent more carbon dioxide than getting the same amount of energy from the electric grid for a car of similar shape and size.

The Energy Blog is written by an alternative energy advocate.  But read the blogger's post  here to judge for yourself if it makes the case or not. 

As a native West Virginian, I'm well aware there are other environmental issues around coal, including the impacts on streams and forests of mountaintop mining.  And though the recession has dampened the demand on our electric grid, there still are issues we need to resolve about ensuring its adequacy for future demand.

But when comparing solely which type of vehicle produces more climate-warming emissions, it appears EVs come out ahead of gas-powered cars and trucks.

(Photo courtesy SemaConnect)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Solar panels work best when pointed at the sun, but that orb shifts its location in the sky as the world turns. With the state's help, a Columbia-based firm has come up with a sun "tracking" device that it contends will boost the power solar panels can produce by as much as 30 percent.

Advanced Technology & Research Corp. is making what it calls a Solar Pole Tracker.  It uses a GPS-based controller to follow the sun across the sky, so that solar panels can maximize the energy they absorb.  The company hopes to market the devices for mounting on utility or light poles "in parking lots at shopping malls, business parks, train stations and park-and-rides."

The technology company -- perhaps not coincidentally located on Eli Whitney Drive in Howard County -- received a $1.1 million grant last year from the Maryland Energy Administration to produce 1,200 of its trackers. by March 2012. The state's "clean energy" economic development initiative is underwritten with federal economic stimulus funds.

ATR says it's now seeking government agencies or private businesses to try out its devices.  The gadgets cost $700 to $1760 each, it seems, but the company contends they should pay for themselves in five years' time, with income from renewable energy credits and selling power back to the electric grid.  They also could garner a little extra revenue as mini-billboards, the company points out, with advertising mounted on them, as the above image depicts.

Time will tell if they catch on. Meanwhile, the company says it's working on other solar-tracking devices, a DIY version for homeowners, and one that would be used to mount solar panels on giant industrial wind turbines.  (CORRECTION 2/17 - the solar panel tracker would go on smaller wind turbines, as seen in photo above of one placed on Tilghman Island on the Eastern Shore.) The firm says it's already made one sale, for a solar-powered electric vehicle charging station to be installed in Bethesda this spring.

(Image courtesy ATR)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:44 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Ever thought you'd like to have solar panels on your house but been put off by sticker shock?  Well, that may be about to change.  A California company that specializes in leasing pricey solar energy systems to homeowners and businesses is expanding to Maryland.

SolarCity, which claims to be the largest solar service provider in the country, announced Monday it has acquired the solar installation unit of Clean Currents, the Rockville-based independent energy company that has been marketing wind and solar power across the mid-Atlantic region.  It has a Baltimore-area office in Catonsville.

SolarCity sells and installs photovoltaic systems on homes and businesses, just as about 100 other contractors do in Maryland. But the San Mateo-based company also peddles a zero-down 20-year lease, where the homeowner pays nothing up front, and instead pays rent for the use of the system.  SolarCity says the savings customers realize from the electricity generated by its panels more than offsets the lease payments.  Homeowners typically realize a 10 percent savings per kilowatt-hour consumed, company officials say.

"Given a choice, homeowners will buy clean power as long as it doesn't cost them an arm and a leg," says SolarCity's CEO, Lyndon Rive.

The company plans to start offering its zero-down, 20-year leases sometime in February.  It now operates in more than 1,500 communities in five states - Arizona, California, Colorado, Oregon and Texas.  Maryland and the District of Columbia would be its first East Coast venture.  The firm has about 1,000 employees and expects to add 30 in Maryland in the first year, according to Rive.

SolarCity also is investing in Clean Currents, which says it has more than 6,000 residential and 500 commercial customers in Maryland, DC, Pennsylvania and Delaware.

If the lease idea catches on, it could significantly boost the spread of solar energy among homes.  The high upfront cost of purchasing and installing photovoltaic panels - $30,000 or more for a typical home system - is a major hurdle to broader adoption of the technology.  

Homeowners can get grants from the state to help with the cost - $500 per kilowatt, up to $10,000 - and Maryland Energy Administration officials say the agency has given out more than 1,200 such grants in the past year and a half.  Homeowners leasing solar panels can still take advantage of the state grants, at least indirectly, according to MEA's Kevin Lucas.  The company installing them has to apply and would get the grant, but can factor that into the rental payment.

(Solar panels covering roof of Fells Point house, 2003 Baltimore Sun photo by Doug Kapustin)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The frigid weather this winter will bring higher utility bills to many Maryland households, but residents can now apply for low-cost loans to beef up their homes' insulation and heating systems.

The Maryland Clean Energy Center this week launched the Maryland Home Energy Loan Program, under which qualified applicants can borrow up to $20,000 to plug air leaks, seal ducts and replace aging furnaces, among other things.

To qualify, a resident first must get a home energy audit. The loans need not be secured by the applicant's home. The interest rate is 6.99 percent - which the center says is half what commercial banks charge on most unsecured loans.

The loan program, offered in partnership with the Maryland Energy Administration, is underwritten with federal stimulus funds. It's aimed at helping the state achieve its twin goals of reducing energy use 15 percent by 2015 and of cutting carbon-dioxide emissions 25 percent by 2020.

To apply or learn more, go here.  Or call 301-738-6280 or email loans@mdcleanenergy.org

(Energy auditor checking for drafts in Lauraville home.  Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:35 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

The end is near for getting federal rebates from $25 to $500 if you buy an energy-efficient appliance.

The federal "Cash for Appliances" program wraps up here Nov. 12, Maryland officials have announced.

Nearly 90 percent of the $5.4 million in stimulus funds allocated to the state has been doled out, The Baltimore Sun's Liz Kay reports. Marylanders have put in for rebates on more than 14,000 clothes washers, 3,500 refrigerators and nearly 3,000 central air conditioners and air-source heat pumps, according to the Maryland Energy Administration.

There's still a week to get in on the rebates. Select Energy Star room air condioners yield $25 each, refrigerators $50, clothes washers $100, hot-water heaters $300 and heat pumps or central air, $500. For details and to apply, go to the MEA's website.   Customers of Allegheny Power, BGE, Delmarva, Pepco or SMECO also can get rebate forms from their utility's website.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Here's another reason to think twice about all the candy handed out and consumed around Halloween.  Not just that it's unhealthy to eat too many sweets, but some chocolate is bad for its producers as well.  Turns out a lot of the cocoa that goes into our chocolate comes from farms where children are forced to work. 

Although many chocolate companies pledged nearly a decade ago to end abusive farming practices in West Africa, source of 70 percent of the world's cocoa, a recent report by Tulane University’s Payson Center for International Development says problems continue.  The practices are spotlighted in a new documentary, "The Dark Side of Chocolate."

So while most of the little bananas and goblins going door-to-door this weekend will gladly take whatever treats are offered, there'll be some out there handing back treats of their own.  They'll be giving the homes they visit "fair trade" chocolate, meant to raise public awareness of the forced child labor and environmental degradation that is reportedly widespread in cocoa farming.

Under pressure from activists, chocolate manufacturer Green & Black’s, which is owned by Cadbury, and ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s pledged this year to achieve Fair Trade certification for all their products worldwide.  Cadbury and Nestle have obtained Fair Trade status for some of their products abroad. 

Now, activists are pressing the Hershey Co. to become the first U.S.-based company to get certification that its chocolate products are made under Fair Trade practices. 

The Pennsylvania-based chocolate maker recently issued its first corporate social responsiblity report and said it was working with others in the industry through the World Cocoa Foundation to improve conditions for cocoa farming families.  The company also has an organic chocolate brand, Dagoba.  But activists fault it for not committing to the independent Fair Trade certification process to ensure its cocoa and other ingredients come without environmental or social downsides.

For more on the Reverse Trick or Treating campaign organized by Global Exchange, go here.

(Reverse trick-or-treating 2008, photos courtesy Global Exchange)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

A moment of silence, please, for the compostable SunChips snack bags.

Snack maker Frito-Lay revealed this week it is yanking most of its 100 percent biodegradable SunChips bags amid a deluge of consumer complaints that the packaging is too noisy.

The company had ballyhooed the bags, made from plant material, as a game-changer when they were trotted out 18 months ago. But the green appeal apparently was no match for the racket the pouches made when consumers ripped them open and reached in for a chip. No sneaking a snack here. Sales have dropped 11 percent amid an outpouring of grousing about the noise.

Frito-Lay, a division of Pepsico, says it'll keep selling plain SunChips in the compostable bags, but will revert to the oiriginal packaging for the other five chip flavors.

Maybe it's just me and my failing hearing, but I wasn't that put off by the crackling of the new bags. It was obnoxious, sure, but not enough to skip the occasional SunChips snack.

The company's still touting its compostable bags on its website, by the way.  But perception is reality, especially in the marketing world, so it seems Frito-Lay's going back to the drawing board to search for a quieter green packaging.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Sarah Kelber)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

It's been illegal since the beginning of this month for Baltimore supermarkets, corner grocers and convenience stores to simply give out disposable plastic bags for carrying away merchandise. But don't bother calling 911 on any violators you see out there.

The ordinance, which took effect Sept. 1, isn't being enforced because City Hall botched the startup.   City officials were supposed to create a bag "reduction" program that would've allowed merchants to keep handing out the flimsy sacks, as long as customers asked for them.  Stores also had to offer to recycle plastic bags and encourage customers to buy or bring in their own reusable sacks.

Councilman Jim Kraft, who'd long sought a bag ban as a way to fight the litter in Baltimore's streets, streams and harbor, said city officials were late setting up the bag reduction program, so there was no way for businesses to register to avoid the ban. An online link for businesses to register was posted on the website of the city's Office of Sustainability on Aug. 27, just four days before the ban was to take effect.

"It was really a sort of snafu, where there were some misunderstandings," Kraft said, and city officials "didn't understand what they had to do....I was getting calls from these guys (retailers) saying I want to register and I can't."

As a result, he noted, "Technically, everyone is in violation. As of Sept. 1, if they're not in the program, they can't use (plastic) bags."

Merchants are still allowed to sign up for the bag reduction program and keep using plastic bags, but under the ordinance they have to pay a $500 fee now to do so. Up until Sept. 1, it was free to register, an arrangement Kraft and others had hope would provide businesses an incentive to get on board quickly.

Now, to give food dealers more time to register without paying the fee, Kraft is rushing a "corrective bill" through City Council that delays the effective date of the program to Dec. 1 and extends the free signup to Nov. 30.  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has agreed to sign the fixup legislation, Kraft said.

"I think it's going to be fine," he concluded.

(Tip of the proverbial hat to Investigative Voice for first reporting this!)

(Washington Giant supermarket before nickel fee imposed there on nonrecyclable bags. 2009 AP Photo)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Shade-grown coffee may cost more than brew from beans grown on a clear-cut, sun-drenched plantation.  But apparently it's not just the forest you're saving by paying a little extra for your caffeine fix.

A review by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center of more than 50 studies from Central and South America to Indonesia finds more and more different species of birds on farms raising coffee in the shade than on cleared plantations. 

There's also more bird habitat (aka trees and shrubs), better pest control (birds eat bugs and caterpillars) and better pollination (bees), not to mention improved erosion control and carbon sequestration with all the trees and roots there.

Farms growing coffee the old-school way, in the shade of trees, isn't as good for birds as an untouched forest, Smithsonian folks acknowledge.  But they say it's a lot better than clearing the forest out altogether to maximize coffee production in full sun.  

You may be wondering: Why should a Baltimorean care about having more birds in Central and South America?  Well, some of our favorite "local" songbirds birds spend their winters south of the border, including the Baltimore oriole.  And the fall migration season is in full swing now.  Think about that the next time you ask for a cup of Joe.

Smithsonian has devised its own "Bird Friendly" standards for coffee, which go a bit beyond just "fair trade" and organic.  The Baltimore Coffee & Tea Co. in Lutherville and Caffe Pronto Coffee Roastery in Annapolis are among only about 40 roasters nationwide that carry beans grown to the center's "Bird Friendly" standards, according to its website. 

For more about migratory birds and "bird friendly" coffee, go here. 

(Male Baltimore oriole at Robert E. Lee Park, 1997 Baltimore Sun photo by Kim Hairston)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Three companies and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation have teamed up to offer mid-Atlantic natural gas consumers a way to offset the climate impacts of their energy use while reducing truck traffic and also helping the bay.

The effort, dubbed CleanSteps Carbon Offsets, offers offsets to new and renewing natural gas customers of Washington Gas Energy Services.  The venture, involving Washington Gas Energy Services, Arkansas-based freight shipping firm J.B. Hunt, and Sterling Planet, a Georgia-based clean energy company.

Under the deal announced this morning (Sept. 13) at the bay foundation's Annapolis headquarters, all WGES residential and small business gas customers automatically get 5 percent offsets when they sign up or renew. But they'll also have the option of purchasing up to 100 percent offsets - something that WGES President Harry Warrent estimates would cost $12 per month for the average residential household.

The carbon offsets are to come from "clean air projects that result in greenhouse gas reductions, as well as other local and regional benefits," according to a news release.  Initially, though, the offsets will come via J.B. Hunt. Senior vice president Gary Whicker said the company would switch shipments from tractor-trailers to rail, which he said would reduce the amount of energy consumed and greenhouse gases released for ever ton shipped that way.

As WGES customers get enrolled in the new offset program, the Washington-based energy company and Sterling Planet will contribute to a new Carbon Reduction Fund, which would be managed and used by the bay foundation to plant trees along water ways and help farmers reduce runoff of fertilizer into the bay.  Those contributions are expected to grow to $200,000 a year.

Bay Foundation President William C. Baker called the partnership "exciting and innovative" and said it presents a way to help clean up the air and water regionally while also doing something about global climate change.  Baker predicted that projects underwritten by the fund should reduce the amount of water-fouling nitrogen getting into the bay by 40-60,000 pounds a year.  He had no comparable estimates on carbon reductions, saying "we're going to learn as we go along," but suggested they'd likely be on the order of thousands of tons a year.

For more, go here.  Or to see a streaming video of the annoucement, go here.

(2005 AP photo traffic congestion on Interstate 95 near Aberdeen)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

An Annapolis-based home builder broke ground today (9/8) in Frederick on what it touts as Maryland's first community of "net zero," carbon-neutral homes.

NEXUS Energy Homes Inc. is building 59 market-rate homes in the historic downtown to meet LEED platinum standards set by the U.S. Green Building Council. The homes, featuring rooftop solar panels and buried geothermal loop along with high-efficiency systems and appliances, are designed to generate as much electricity as they use - ergo, the "net zero" label.

The Frederick homes also are planned to be more affordable than you might imagine. Prices have been held down with federal and state incentives. The project, known as the Residences at North Pointe, is sponsored by the Housing Authority of the City of Frederick under its HOPE VI program. The development is actually a mixed redevelopment of one of Frederick's former housing projects. The market-rate homes are to go in among subsidized apartments already built.  That's the developer's artist's conception of the finished community above.

For more, go here.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 11:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Good news (for a change). It seems phosphate-free dishwasher detergents are getting better at removing food stuck on plates, dishes and glasses.

Just in time, too, since the old standby dish soaps containing phosphorus have been banned in Maryland and 15 other states, as of July 1.  Phosphorus is out because it stimulates algae growth in water, a major problem in the Chesapeake Bay.

Problem is, though, phosphorus also is a proven dish grime fighter.  When Consumer Reports checked last year, before the bans took effect, phosphate-free detergents tended to do worse than brands containing phosphorus.

In the September issue, the consumer mag still didn't find any phosphate-free brands that did an excellent job overall of cleaning dishes.  But after testing them against food smeared and then microwaved on dishes, the staff did rate seven "very good," which is an improvement over its last evaluation.

Finish had the two highest-rated products this time, with two from Cascade right behind.  But when looking for the best phos-free dish soaps, CR cautions not to shop solely by brand name, as products vary in performance.

You'll have to get the mag to see the full analysis, but here are a few tips:  Bleaches don't seem to matter, though enzymes and the product's physical form do.  The best cleaners were tablets or pacs, while gels trailed in the ratings. 

(Images courtesy Consumer Reports)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

You know school's just around the corner when crayon manufacturers start sending you press releases. Green beanies off to Katie Gerczynski, a 2nd-grader from Glen Burnie, who was chosen by Crayola to be part of its "Green Team," seen above.

Katie and nine others were tapped from among all the kids who entered Crayola's "How I Dream in Green" coloring contest last spring. Entrants were asked to draw their vision for making their homes, schools or communities greener.  Her offering was called "How I Can Make the Earth Smile."

The crayon maker honored Katie and the other kids this week by summoning them to its Easton, PA headquarters, where they were on hand for a dedication of the company's new 15-acre solar array. Crayola says the 26,000 panels should provide enough power to make 1 billion of the 3 billion crayons it produces annually. What about when the sun's not shining? Color me blue then.

(Photo courtesy Crayola)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Tired of your gas-hog lawn mower? If you move fast, you can trade it in next weekend at Camden Yards for a battery-powered electric grass cutter.

In a "special arrangement" with the Maryland Department of the Environment and Clean Air Partners, Marylanders can buy a deeply discounted Neuton lawn mower.  You could save up to $324 on a 19-inch bagger-mulcher job that lists for $499.

If you bite, you'll do your small bit to reduce summer smog, as the old mowers get scrapped and recycled.  Gas mowers account for 5 percent of all air pollution in the United States, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates.  And an hour of mowing with one produces as much smog-forming pollution as driving 350 miles. 

This green mower may not appeal to all lawn lickers, though.  The Neuton CE 6.4 got a so-so review from Consumer Reports.  Ease of use and handling were pluses, but bagging and mulching "only fair."  CR also found the battery on its tested model only lasted 45 minutes - not suitable for a big yard.  There are other cordless electric mowers CR rated more highly, made by the usual major mower manufacturers.  But then again, you probably won't be able to find one new at the prices offered under this deal.

To get in on the "great mower exchange," participants need to register online, then bring their old gas mower (and the $$) to Camden Yards Lot C on Saturday, Aug. 14 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.  The company's only selling 1,000 of its mowers, so it's first come first served. 

(Neuton photo) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

SunChips says it doesn't want to contibute to the trash problem, though it make all those bags for its snacks.

So, they say they've made the bags compostable.

The bags are made from plants. And the company says a 10.5 oz. bag is designed to fully break down in 14 weeks when it's put in a "hot, active compost bin or pile." Though, it could take a little longer.

Would this influence you to buy from this company? Think the Frito Lay should put all their chips in compostable bags? Would you buy this snack over chips because the bag is compostable?

The company said they did tests to ensure the bags actually composted. I wonder if they would pass the Baltimore test: Would they degrade after being tossed into the Inner Harbor?  

Baltimore Sun photo/Sarah Kelber

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 1:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Products
        

My colleague Kelly Brewington has a thoughtful piece in the Baltimore Sun today on the dilemma people face, especially parents, in sorting through the confusing information and advice about the health hazards posed by the many chemicals used to make a panoply of consumer products.

The President's Cancer Panel recently issued a 240-page report warning that "the true burden of environmentally induced cancers has been grossly underestimated" and urging steps be taken to reduce people's broad exposure to carcinogens. 

The panel's assertion has been disputed by the American Cancer Society, which argues that lifestyle factors like smoking and diet are the main causes of cancer, and environmental exposures are involved in only a small share of cases.

It's hard to know what to do when even health experts can't agree.  But as Kelly's story points out, some suggest people can and should look for all ways to reduce cancer, stopping or shying away from smoking, eating right and avoiding products with toxic or potentially toxic ingredients.  It can be overwhelming, though, when you consider all the things that are or might be hazardous. 

I felt that way recently after skimming through National Geographic's Green Guide Families, an encyclopedic 400-page rundown on virtually everything about which concerns have been raised, from cell phones to vaccines.  Not one thing did they advise you not to worry about, it seemed, no matter how thin or discounted the evidence of potential harm.  I finished wishing the authors or someone could provide the average person a little triage, at least a ranking of what to avoid or worry about most to least.

On some things, though, many on both sides of the environment/lifestyle cancer debate seem to agree.  More study is needed of toxic substances, and government oversight needs to be tightened to assure the safety of what's in the products we all consume, young and old.  Meanwhile, they suggest at least a little prudent avoidance.

What products do you avoid and why?  Please share if you have any tips for parents ore the rest of us about how to navigate the confusing and conflicting advice about what causes cancer and how to prevent it.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Amy Davis)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:30 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Half-empty food packages are wasteful and harming consumers and the environment, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

The non-profit advocacy group is calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and state attorneys general to crack down on what's known as "Slack Fill.” That's the extra space that is inside your Hamburger Helper or Ginger Snaps where there is no food.

Sometimes food settles, so there is a little extra space. But the group says manufacturers are adding a lot of extra space so consumers think they are getting more product -- something they wouldn't do if consumers could see inside the packages. 

The groups says it's a form of deception that is also a big environmental waste. Not only is there all that extra packaging, but it takes two shipping containers to move food that should only require one. And this could be illegal. There are federal regulations meant to restrict the amount of slack fill to the amount that helps protect the product inside or where there is settling.

“It would be disheartening, even shocking, if it weren’t so commonplace,” said Michael F. Jacobson, the group's executive director, in a statement.  “But as consumers we’ve almost come to expect that our food packages will be half full of food and half full of air.  Slack fill is just one trick that food marketers employ to make us thing we’re getting more for our money than we are.”

So, have you noticed extra space in your products lately?

Photo courtesy of Center for Science in the Public Interest

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 9:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Products
        

Paper Mate has sent me a set of pens and pencils the company claims are biodegradable.

The company says many of the components are made from a corn-based material that biodegrades in soil or compost in about a year. A diagram on the package (which is recyclable) indicates that about half the components still have to be trashed, including the grip and the ink refill, but that's a 50 percent drop from your regular pen.

A set of two pens is $3.59 on Amazon. But it also looks like OfficeDepot, Staples and other office supply shops carry them.

There are two comments on the Amazon site, and both seem to have a concern about the their ability to biodegrate. It seems they won't degrate in a landfill but will in a composter -- so they must need other elements such as air and sun.

Anyone tried these pens? If not, I'll pass them around the office for use and then collect them to bury it in my yard and report back. (In a year.)

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Products
        

Just in time for Earth Day this April 22, Ma Petite Shoe in Hampden plans to begin carrying some hipster eco-friendly shoes that will help you tread a little lighter on the planet.

The sneakers are from the Bio-D Collection from Santa Barbara, Calif.-based Simple shoes and made from biodegradable and organic materials.

The folks at the store describe the shoes this way: They feature biodegradable soles and incorporate rubber, plastic and EVA (foaming materials) that are manufactured using EcoPure, an organic compound that will eventually eat away at the bonds holding these materials together. 

This allows the mid-soles and outsoles of the styles, when exposed to the moisture and heat typical of landfills, to biodegrade in 20 years as opposed to the industry average of 1,000 years.  

“When we first heard about the concept of biodegradable shoes, we were intrigued," said Susannah Siger, store owner, in a statement. "When we learned more about the technology, that it wasn’t just hype, we immediately wished that all shoes had biodegradable features.”

Women get blue with hot pink detailing. Men get orange with brown and white detailing. The linings also are organic cotton are uppers are suede. Sneakers on the Simple Web site run from  $55-$80.

Are you cool enough for these shoes?

Photo courtesy of the store

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 8:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Products
        

The Maryland General Assembly is considering a bill to ban BPA -- the chemical linked to developmental and reproductive disorders -- from baby bottles and sippy cups.

Maryland is one of 20 states considering a ban this year. Two have already passed legislation. The feds are studying BPA, but recently officials acknowleged "concern" about it.

Sen. Brian Frosh, D-Montgomery, the main sponsor in the Senate, says it has a good chance this year.

Anyone out there concerned about BPA and want to talk for a story I'm working on about it? Email me at meredith.cohn@baltsun.com or call 410-332-6480 tonight or tomorrow.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Products
        

Baltimore City Council is scheduled to take another run Tuesday at reducing the proliferation of plastic bag litter around the city.

The council will have a hearing and work session on bills aimed at banning plastic carryout bags altogether or imposing a 25-cent fee on each.  The hearing begins at 10 a.m. before the Judiciary and Legislative Investigations Committee, 4th floor of City H all.

One bill, introduced by Council members James B. Kraft, Mary Pat Clarke and Bill Henry, would bar grocery stores and "formula retail establishments" (aka convenience stores and fast-food chains) from giving customers their merchandise in plastic bags.

Merchants would only be able to put merchandise in recyclable paper bags or reusable bags. Violators would be fined $250 for a first offense up to $1,000 for three or more offenses in a six-month period.

The other bill, inroduced by Council members Henry, William H. Cole IV, Kraft and Clarke, would require merchants to levy a 25-cent fee on every plastic bag dispensed at carryout. Exceptions would be granted for bagging up fresh fish and meat, candy, cooked foods, dairy products, fruits and nuts and ice.

This isn't the council's first attempt to cut down on plastic bag litter, but supporters note the city is facing a state and federal mandate to do something about the trash littering the harbor, and plastic grocery and takenout bags are a big part of the mess.

How big, no one knows for sure. A separate resolution getting a hearing would commission the city's Department of Public Works to study how much of the city's litter is made up of plastic bags.

In comments submitted prior to the hearing, the city's Commission on Sustainability says disposable plastic and paper bags add to Baltimore's litter and water quality woes. But it says that both banning and slapping a fee on disposable bags would be inconsistent. It supports a fee only if it applies to both disposable plastic and paper bags. A separate bill being reviewed Tuesday would impose the same 25-cent fee on paper bags used for carryout merchandise.

Some other big cities have similarly attacked plastic bag litter, notably San Francisco (ban) and the District of Columbia (fee). DC's was similarly aimed at cleaning up debris fouling the Anacostia River. Legislation has been introduced in Annapolis to regulate and levy a fee on plastic carryout bags statewide. See it here.

What do you think? Should the city or state ban or charge a fee for using disposable plastic or paper bags? Would it hurt businesses that much, or would consumers get used to either bringing their own bags or paying a small fee? Would it help cut down on the litter and floating debris in the harbor?

(2009 AP photo of Giant grocery bagger in Washington D.C.) 

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (23)
Categories: Products, Recycling, Shopping, Urban Issues
        

If you're truly green, it isn't something you trot out just for Earth Day. So with the card-makers' and florists' favorite holiday bearing down on us, here are a few tips we've seen recently for showing your love for Mother Nature as well as your sweetheart on Valentine's Day.

Make a fancy dinner at home. Instead of dining out, cook your own Valentine's feast, suggests Jessica Harlan at RecycleBank. Or break with tradition, she says, and give your true love a potted plant instead of a dozen red roses, with all the environmental baggage they may carry.

Rather than rush to the store for a big heart-shaped box of sweets for your sweet, Harlan advises, why not make your own truffles? She links to a few recipes here. If you're cooking-challenged (guys), she strongly suggests you shop for organic, fair-trade chocolates. Here's a rundown of brands, courtesy of Mother Earth News.

In the DIY tradition, Harlan also urges the truly green make their own jewelry and cards, rather than buy them. And if you simply must say it with diamonds, she instructs you to insist on conflict-free stones. For those more inclined to fashion gifts, she also advises where to find eco-friendly lingerie, made of bamboo (!), organic cotton, hemp and silk.

Finally, the truly committed earth lover could always skip the conventional gift- and card-giving altogether and make a green statement in his or her true love's honor. One heart-fluttering option - adopt a fin or humpback whale.

For as little as $40 per whale ($50 for a mother and calf pair), your adoption would support the College of the Atlantic's research on cetaceans. Your intended wouldn't be empty-handed, either. He or she would get a photograph of "an individually identfied whale", a personalized adoption certificate and a handy waterproof field guide to whales.

Sadly, the opportunity for this unusually green expression of love has already past - orders had to be placed by Feb. 10. But if you think it's neat anyway, here's the link.

Of course, many of these green alternatives for Valentine's Day take a little extra time and effort.  If you don't have any of those to spare, you can always take comfort as you crowd the card and candy counters in thinking about how you're stimulating our lagging economy.   And remember, it's the thought that counts.

For more to do (and buy) on Valentine's Day, check out this site at baltimoresun.com

(Valentine: AP Photo/The Rawlins Daily Times, Kathy Johnson; Whale: 2006 AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Lawmakers in Annapolis are being asked to ban products containing two chemicals that have raised concerns about their toxicity.

At 2 p.m. today (Tuesday), the House Health and Government Operations Committee is scheduled to air HB33, which would ban the sale, manufacture or distribution of children's toys or child-care articles such as baby bottles made with bisphenol-A, or BPA. The bill, sponsored by Del. Jim Hubbard, a Prince George's County Democrat, would prohibit it by Jan. 10, 2011.

The plastic has been widely used as a lining in canned foods and some plastic water and baby bottles. For years, the Food and Drug Administration maintained it was safe, but amid growing scientific evidence of potential harm, the agency last month reversed course and declared concern about the effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children.   The agency now is pushing to end the use of BPA in baby bottles and infant feeding cups and is pressing for safer alternatives to line canned formula and other foods.

Connecticut and Minnesota already have banned BPA in certain children's products, according to legislative analysts, and 18 states last year weighed legislation to curtail the plastic. Several manufacturers already have begun phasing out use of BPA, including Wal-Mart, Toys “R” Us, and Babies “R” Us. For more on the bill, go here.

On Feb. 10, the House Environmental Matters Committee will hear another Hubbard bill, HB35, which would ban the sale of products containing brominated flame retardants.   Decabromodiphenyl ether, or decaBDE, is used in a wide variety of plastic products, including television cabinets and other electronics, in wire insulation and in draperies and upholstered furniture.

Hubbard pressed for a ban before, but his bill failed to pass.  Last year, though the Environmental Protection Agency, citing concerns that exposure to decaBDE may cause cancer and impair brain function, announced an agreement with chemical manufacturers to phase out its use by 2013.   Hubbard reintroduced the bill this year, seeking to ban it in Maryland by January 2011. 

Maryland PIRG is backing both measures.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 8:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

While everyone's no doubt heard that 2010 is the year electric cars are to debut in the United States, it hasn't happened yet. So for now, at least, the greenest cars on the market are still Honda's natural-gas powered Civic GX and hybrids like the Toyota Prius and Honda Civic.

That's according to the latest annual ranking of the "greenest" and "meanest" vehicles by the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy.

The all-electric Chevrolet Volt, shown above on display at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, and Nissan Leaf aren't scheduled to appear on the market until the latter half of the year.

Other cars making the group's greenest top 12 for the first time include: Honda Insight, the Ford Fusion/Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Hyundai Accent Blue.

While "clean diesel" cars are hot in Europe, they aren't making much of a dent in the US market, the group reports, probably because of the steep sticker price.

ACEEE's "meanest" listing of least fuel-efficient vehicles hasn't changed much either, including heavy-duty trucks and SUVs and luxury European vehicles like the Lamborghini Murcielago.

To see all the listings and read the report, go here.

(Photo: Bloomberg)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

What exactly is in that bottle of cleaner? Know you can find out more easily.

The Soap and Detergent Association, the Consumer Specialty Products Association and the Canadian Consumer Specialty Products Association have launched an ingredient communication initiative.

They are volunteering information to consumers in four major categories: air care, automotive care, cleaning, and polishes and floor maintenance products.

The main page is here.

There are links to about a dozen company Web site, and some you have to drill down to find the lists, but they're there. Of course, they don't tell you which is especially bad stuff, but hey, it's a step.

What do you think? This at all useful? Are you a label reader when it comes to cleaners?

On this same topic, Martha Stewart has a new line of eco-friendly cleaning products called Martha Stewart Clean.

Anyone tried the stuff? It work? It seem green? Does this mean green has really gone mainstream, now that she's jumped on the bandwagon?

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Products
        

I was thinking about the poor plants, soil, water and pet paws that suffer during snow storms because people dump tons of salt, kitty litter, fertilizer and other unfriendly products on the ground to keep from slipping and sliding.

So, I went looking for some alternatives. And if you have other ideas, please share.

I found a blog on the Mother Nature Network that identified a bunch of greener commercial ice melt-type stuff: Safe Paw Ice Melter, Keep It Green, Earth Friendly Products Ice Melt and Ice Clear De-Icer.

Some use forms of salt and fertilizer but in smaller amounts mixed in with other stuff. The blog also said some advised using beet juice or molasses, but they seem to need to be mixed with salt.

Fellow B'More Green blogger Tim Wheeler says wood chips and sand in moderation are better than the kitty litter and salt.

On the snow shovel side, those blowers belch all kind of yucky stuff. Here's an alternative that supposedly works like it's got some power: The Sno Wovel. It looks like it's part bicycle and part shovel.

Or, we can all just stay inside and drink hot cocoa!

Picture of Sno Wovel and ice melt products courtesy of the companies

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (11)
Categories: Products
        

In the holiday spirit of sharing, here's a guest post from Frank Roylance, the Baltimore Sun's weather and science maven:

'Tis the season for grappling with those big white blocks of featherweight polystyrene that kept your new computer or flat-screen TV safe from harm on Santa’s sleigh. Huge volumes of the ubiquitous packing material will get stuffed into trash bags and garbage cans en route to their eternal rest in landfills where, by one government estimate, they take up one-third of the total volume of buried waste. All that plastic foam comes from petroleum, and it never really goes away.

But a pair of young entrepreneurs from Vermont say they’ve invented a “green” alternative (pictured at right)made from agricultural waste and mushrooms. After their product has done its job, they say, you could put it in your garden and watch it break down and enrich the soil.

Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre are the founders of EcovativeDesign, a New York company that manufactures a hard foam-like packaging material they call EcoCradle, which they say could eventually replace polystyrene - the generic name for foam packing material commonly (but mistakenly) called Styrofoam - which is actually a proprietary Dow Chemical Co. insulating product.

Continue reading "Hold the foam - greener packing on the way?" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Going Green, Products
        

The AP is reporting that wood and wood pellet stoves are growing in popularity as secondary heating sources. The story's pretty timely given that Frank Roylance over at Maryland Weather is reporting predictions that Maryland is in for the coldest, snowiest winter since 2002-2003.

The story says that depending on the household, these stoves, which go for $3,000-$4,500, can help cut energy costs. And the federal government is offering a 30 percent tax rebate in 2009 and 2010 for purchases of wood or pellet stoves that meet a 75 percent efficiency requirement.

Is anyone considering getting one? For those who already own one, have you found that it helped with energy costs?

(Photo of Lennox T300P pellet-burning stove courtesy of Hearth, Patio & Barbecue Association)

Posted by Kim Walker at 10:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Going Green, Products
        

It's the EMC3 Commuter, a ragtop two-seater that's a cross between a motorcycle and a car and claims to get a whopping 60-plus miles to the gallon.  If Michael Plumhoff has his way, Marylanders will be able to test-drive and buy these babies in a couple months.

Plumhoff, of Finksburg, is the Maryland, Delaware and DC rep for the ECO Motor Co., a Seattle family-run outfit that developed the little commuter vehicle and unveiled it there last year.  Now the company is aiming to expand to the East Coast, and Plumhoff is scouring the region looking to find dealers willing to sell them.

The teardrop-shaped EMC3 Commuter is big enough to seat two 6-footers, yet small enough to fit in tight parking spaces, according to the company's Web pitch.  With a 10-gallon fuel tank, it has a 600-mile range, and its cycle-like features mean it can be driven solo in carpool lanes that allow motorcycles, the company says.    Besides its gas-sipping 3-cylinder engine, the vehicle also sports a modest sticker price - $13,995 for a manual transmission, $14,995 for automatic.

Continue reading "Look! Out in the road! It's a motorcycle - no, it's a car! And it gets 60 mpg!" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

You may be wondering: What's this guy doing, cooking out on a grassy parking space downtown?  No, he's not tail-gating before a Ravens game.  It's a somewhat unusual come-on for a novel approach to car-sharing that's getting a tryout in Baltimore.

Relay Rides is the brainchild of Shelby Clark, pictured above.  With a small but dedicated team, the long-haired Harvard graduate business student is signing up people in Charm City who want ready access to wheels from time to time.  Nothing unusual about that, you say?  Like Zipcar, right?  Well, he's also rounding up car owners willing to rent out their vehicles when they're not using them.  He wants to help the two groups find each other.

Clark, a Denver native, says he got the idea for "peer-to-peer" car-sharing after finding once that he had to slog two miles through wintry streets in Beantown to pick up the nearest Zipcar available on short notice. "I was biking through the snow and hating life,'' he recalls, "And, passing cars sitting on the side of the road, I was thinking how inefficent this is.  'These cars haven't been driven in weeks,' he says he thought to himself. 'Why can't I take one of these?'"

Not that he dislikes Zipcar.  Clark says he's used the car-sharing service a lot since his car died in San Francisco a couple years ago.  But he says he's learned the hard way you can't count on getting a convenient vehicle if you don't plan at least a couple days ahead.

"This idea makes a lot more sense - it's for the people and by the people,'' says the 27-year-old MBA student.  The appeal for car owners?  "Everybody could use a couple thousand dollars right now."  And for someone wanting to start a business on limited capital, he says, it helps not to have to buy the vehicles you plan to rent out. "Since we don't have to pay for these cars, we can grow the system much much quicker," he notes.

Continue reading "Novel car-sharing biz sprouting here" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 12:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
Categories: Air Pollution, Going Green, News, Products, Urban Issues
        

There's a newly green dry cleaner in town: the Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners.  The shop uses GreenEarth Cleaning, a solicone-based solution, which is like sand, instead of perchloroethylene. Perc is used by most dry cleaners and is considered a health and environmental hazard by the Environmental Protection Agency.

A few options for greener cleaning have cropped up in recent years, and experts don't agree that they are all perfect alternatives.

Here's what the Union of Concerned Scientists says about the silicone method: "Silicone cleaning is a proprietary technology that employs a silicone-based solvent to clean clothes. The solvent itself is currently considered safe for the environment because it degrades to sand, water, and carbon dioxide, but it has caused cancer in lab animals in EPA studies. In addition, it is manufactured using chlorine, which can generate harmful dioxin emissions."

The group points to other methods, including wet cleaning, which uses water and special computer-controlled washers and dryers and mild detergent. The EPA considers this among the safest pro cleaning methods. There is also carbon dioxide cleaning that uses liquid CO2 captured as a by-product of industrial processes. It the same stuff used to carbonate soda.

You fashionistas could consider not dry cleaning at all. Some stuff can go in the gentle cycle or be hand washed. You could try that special stuff meant to be used in the dryer in a bag. Or you could try not buying stuff labelled "dry clean only."

For its part, Glyndon Lord Baltimore Cleaners says it continues to research the best methods. In the meantime, operators also recycle hangers and containers, use earth-friendly soaps to clean most wet-cleaned clothes, drive high-mileage diesel vans and supply reusable bags to customers.

Anyone use Glyndon? Other dry cleaners. Or have you found alternative methods that are eco-conscious and actually clean?

Photo courtesy of außerirdische sind gesund via flickr

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:29 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Air Pollution, Fashion, Going Green, Products, Tips
        

Pretty every time I go to the farmers' market with my canvass bags I forget to bring some smaller plastic bags from the grocery for tomatoes and other items and end up taking new plastic bags from the vendors.

And sometimes I worry about the bags I do bring. Maybe they aren't so clean because they have food remnants or whatever. And those flimsy plastic bags used for fruit and veggies at the grocery don't really seem washable for reuse.

So I gave a try to 3B Bags this weekend. They are reusable nylon bags with drawstrings. They are machine or sink washable and quick dry. And they're see through so you can use them at the grocery and the checkout people can make out what's inside.

The set of three (two small, one large) held all my veggies and cost $7.50. I washed them with a little dishsoap when I got home. Seemed like a good answer. I'm sure there are other types of bags out there for this purpose, but it felt good not to take any more disposable bags home with me.

I've also seen a bunch of cool reusable bags and stuff at the market. I saw this one to the left on Amazon for $39.99. Seems like I could strap that down to my bike rack and not squash my food.

Betty Basket Liners has some pretty funky liners that double as bags for those who already have a basket.

Anyone know of other products that are particularly useful, like a more crate-like basket that my husband wouldn't mind strapping to his bike?

Baltimore Sun photo of 3B Bags/Meredith Cohn and Amazon photo of a basket

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Products
        

The Big Green Book of Recycled Crafts, published by Leisure Arts, contains a collection of green crafting tutorials using materials that would usually end up in the garbage. Projects range from unusual and quirky (license plate headboard) to traditional (wine cork message board). You are sure to find a use for your plastic, paper, cans, old clothing, and almost anything else that would otherwise be headed for a landfill. Available at Amazon for $14.95.

Image courtesy of Amazon.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: DIY, Products
        

You may or may not be familiar with local crafter Jennifer Strunge’s Cotton Monsters. Each of her soft, sculptural creatures is a work of art in and of itself, made from recycled clothing and linens.

Born and raised in Baltimore, Jennifer attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. Her Cotton Monster line evolved from a series she did of handmade quilts with eyes and soft creatures from recycled blankets and bedding.

Nowadays, Jennifer is a one-woman operation who makes monsters daily – without a pattern! When she’s not sewing, she works as an associate artist for the Black Cherry Puppet Theater.

To read more about Jennifer and her undeniably adorable monsters, visit her web site.

Images courtesy of Jennifer Strunge.

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: DIY, Products, Shopping
        

Take a look at this coffee maker. I saw it on dvice.com. Coffee takes 12 to 24 hours to brew.

But, in exchange for waiting, maker claim you get better tasting coffee. 

The contraption uses cold water, which tests show, reduces acid by 69.6 percent. Acid is what sometimes makes coffee taste bitter. Also, retained are essential oils that are lost when coffee beans are heated, further enhancing the flavor.

The hourglass does not use electricity -- it's all infusion. Coffee + water = coffee extract. Take the extract, which lasts two weeks in the frig, and mix with hot or cold water.

Is this all may be too much for our instant gratification society? You sticking with the regular pot, or sticking with the coffee shop?

Photo courtesy of dvice

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Products
        

We're well in to summer, so forgive the lateness. But the Environmental Working Group has put together a guide to help consumers pick better sunscreens. The group's investigation of 1,651 sunscreens found that three of five brand name products either don't protect skin from sun damage or contain hazardous chemicals.

The group looks at sunscreens for beach, daily moisterizers and lip balm. Some of the best known brands don't get the highest ratings here.

Soleo, Badger and Truekid got the bets marks.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Products
        

Have you been to Fallingwater, the The famous Frank Lloyd Wright house in Mill Run, Pa.? Like playing with LEGOs? Want to use LEGOs to recreate Fallingwater in your house?

LEGO is now selling Fallingwater sets, as part of its architecture series that also includes Frank Lloyd Wright's Guggenheim Museum, New York's Empire State Building and Chicago's Sears Tower. 

The Fallingwater set is 811 pieces. It's 6x7x10 inches. 

You can buy the set at the Fallingwater museum store or at fallingwatermuseumstore.org.

Doesn't look like designers planned for any actual water to run under the toy house. But hey, LEGOs are plastic, so maybe you could figure something out.

Photo courtesy of the Western Pennsylvania Conservency

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Products
        

Earth Friendly Products is running a promotion on Facebook and plans to give away products to 10 winners. You can get the details here, but it involves becoming a fan and telling them why you like their stuff.

The giveaway includes: ECOS laundry detergent, Wave Auto Diswashing Gel, Oxo-Brite Non-chlorine bleach, Eco Breeze fabric refreshener, and Dishmate Hand Diswahing Detergent.

I haven't used any of these specific products, so I can't say how they work. But if you like them, you can throw your name in the hat. 

Sometimes free stuff is nice, even if it means scrubbing your dishes.

The dealine is Aug. 1.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 5:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Thinking about installing solar panels on your house or business? Maryland Solar Solutions and bluehouse are offering a free seminar called "How to fire the electric company and produce my own clean energy needs -- and get the government to pay for up to half of it!"

They will talk about how the panels work, how much they cost and much in federal and state tax breaks you can get. Maryland Solar Solutions, in Reisterstown, sells panels and does energy audits. Bluehouse, in Towson, sells environmentally friendly housewares.

The classes will be held at bluehouse. They're located in the Shops at Kenilworth in Towson, 872 Kenilworth Dr. Colette Hayward, the owner of Maryland Solar Solutions will give the talks beginning this Saturday, July 11 from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. and Tuesday, July 14 from 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

Additional seminars will be held 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Aug. 8; 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Aug. 11; 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 19; 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Sept. 21; 3 p.m.-4 p.m. Oct. 10; 6:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Oct. 12.

For going, you'll get info, light refreshments and a 10 percent discount on stuff at bluehouse.

RSVP at 443-218-2620 or mssicontact@marylandsolarsolutions.com with the date of the seminar you'd like to attend. You can also go to marylandsolarsolitions.com or bluehouselife.com for more info.

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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Phosphate-free dishwasher detergents may help restore the Chesapeake Bay, but there could be a price to pay -- dirtier dishes.

Maryland is one of 14 states that are banning sales of dishwasher detergents containing phosphates next July, and Congress is considering extending the ban nationwide.  State lawmakers are yanking phosphate dishwasher detergents from store shelves to protect the environment -- the phosphorus in standard detergents spurs growths of algae, which can suck the oxygen out of water that fish need to survive.  And the bay is choking on an overdose of nutrients, including phosphorus.

But some consumers have complained that the new phosphate-free detergents don't get their dishes as clean as the old standbys.  In Spokane, Washington, where phosphate products were banned last year, some housewives becames so upset with their dirty dishes that they began driving across the state line to Idaho to buy the outlawed dirt-fighting blends.

Now comes Consumer Reports to say the greener dishwasher detergents generally don't work as well as the phosphate soaps.  "In our tough tests, five of seven phosphate-free dishwasher detergents left lots of baked-on food," the magazine reports in its August issue.  The rankings are available only to subscribers, but you can read the magazine's general comments on dishwasher detergents, with mentions of some individual products, here.

Continue reading "Green, but not so clean" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (12)
        

“I’m here to help you save money (and the planet) for all steps of the shopping process,” proclaims local crafter Glow Girl. Her collection of functional and eco-friendly carry-alls includes tote bags, coupon organizers and sandwich snack baggies - all made from eco-friendly, vintage and/or upcycled fabrics. I’ve never been one to organize my coupons (or my snacks) but if I had a beautifully crafted baggie with an easy-to-use Velcro closure, I would most certainly try. Glow Girls’ carry-alls are affordable, adorable, water resistant and machine washable. Brilliant!

(Image courtesy of Glow Girl)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 5:22 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
        

Want to know where to find the most reliably sustainable seafood for sale? Shop at Wegmans, says Greenpeace.  But Giant isn't far behind.

The environmental group says that New York-based Wegmans, with a store in Hunt Valley, dislodged Whole Foods for top honors in its ranking of national supermarket chains by the sustainability of their seafood operations. Whole Foods, which had been No. 1 in the last ranking in December, fell to third, while Ahold, the international food empire which owns the local Giant chain and Stop & Shop, retained 2nd place.

Greenpeace scores the supermarket chains on what, if any, policies they have on selling sustainable seafood, on how easy it is for consumers to tell where their seafood came from, and on how much of the seafood sold is on the environmental group's "red list" of 22 species that are either overfished or unsustainably farmed through aquaculture.

Whole Foods, with two stores in Baltimore and one in Annapolis, slipped from its top spot in the ranking despite its otherwise "green" image mainly because the food chain sells 18 of the 22 "red list" species, says Casson Trenor, Greenpeace's senior markets campaigner.

And if Whole Foods doesn't get religion soon, Trenor warns, it may be overtaken by none other than Target, which is in fourth place. (While you might wonder how the two could possibly compare, Greenpeace rates canned and frozen as well as fresh seafood for sustainability.)

Continue reading "Supermarkets rank on sustainable seafood" »

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 9:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
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Perhaps you’ve entertained the idea of worm composting but don’t have access to a suitable outdoor space. If that’s the case, consider doing it indoors with Nomad Needles’ Worm-Inn, which is essentially a mesh bag designed to facilitate continuous flow vermicomposting.

The way it works is pretty simple: deposit your food scraps with a mixture of cardboard bedding. The worms (which are placed in the bottom of the bag) move upward, digest the microbial waste and leave their castings behind, which can then be used for fertilizer. The Worm-Inn has a mesh cover that is attached with Velcro, so there’s little to no odor. It’s the perfect invention for wannabe indoor vermicomposters.

To read more about and/or purchase your own Worm-Inn, visit Nomad Needles.

(Image courtesy of Nomad Needles)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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 Yes, plastic. A big, old soda jug.

Fog Mountain is now selling wine in one-liter plastic bottles (PET #1) that the company says is "packaging that reduces wine’s carbon footprint while providing added convenience and value for the wine lover."

But is plastic better than glass? They both can be recycled. I was turned onto this wine by treehugger.com, which points out in its lighter weight and does likely use less energy in shipping.

Boisset, organic wine maker and the producer of this California Merlot, says the bottle has 33 percent more wine, or two extra glasses, than a standard 750ml bottle; it has a carbon footprint that is 60 percent smaller; and uses less energy to produce, ship and recycle.

The company claims that seven recycled Fog Mountain wine bottles can produce one extra-large t-shirt.

And, if you were wondering, it also has "aromas of rasberry jam."

There is a Baltimore distributor, and I called to see where it can be found locally. No word back.

UPDATE: THE WINE SOURCE IN HAMPDEN REPORTS THAT THE WINE APPEARS SLATED FOR A STAGGERED RELEASE, AND IF THE COMPANY PLANS TO MAKE IT AVAILABLE AROUND HERE, IT'S DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE HERE YET.  MANAGERS WON'T TESTIFY TO THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE WINE INSIDE THOSE PLASTIC BOTTLES, BUT THEY CAN POINT YOU TO GREEN OFFERINGS CURRENTLY ON THEIR SHELVES.

Would you buy wine in a plastic bottle? Or are you still adjusting to boxed wine?

Photo courtesy of Boissett

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
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I recently purchased a new laptop and have since been looking for the ideal carrying case. I’ve gone to all the usual places but have yet to find something extraordinary - until today. While browsing the “Shop Local” section of Etsy, I happened upon Baltimore crafter La Budde, who specializes in making very hip and eco-friendly laptop cases out of upcycled coffee bags. Each one is detailed with colorful fabric piping and comes lined two protective layers of poly batting. Also, they’re affordable at $35 a pop, and for a few extra bucks, she’ll throw in a shoulder strap and/or battery case. Perfect!

(Images courtesy of La Budde)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 3:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Products, Shopping
        

Why is this green? The fast food chain is moving toward sustainably farmed food and architecture. Chipotle is not 100 percent, manager say. But considering the environmental, labor and health records of other chains, maybe it deserves a look.

The chain strives to buy pork, chicken and beef that is humanely raised and fed vegetarian diets with no hormones or antibiotics added. Sour cream and cheeses are from hormone free milk and a quarter of the black and pinto beans are organically grown.

Chipotle is trying to buy a third of at least one produce item at each restaurant from small and mid-sized farms.

The Chipotle opens at the Mall in Columbia June 30. There are 13 other locations in the area. 

But does it taste good?

 

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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Baltimoreans aren't as green as San Franciscans or Washingtonians when it comes to buying cars, but we seem to be at least as environmentally (or cost-) conscious as Los Angelenos.

That's the upshot of a new report by a marketing arm of the Nielsen public-opinion outfit.

San Francisco leads the nation in buying green, Nielsen reports, with households there 60 percent more likely than Americans as a whole to purchase hybrids or high-mileage cars, such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Fit or Mini Cooper. Second and third places go to the Washington and New York City areas, which are 44 percent and 31 percent more likely to buy fuel-sippers.

Baltimore comes in tied for 9th with Los Angeles, 22 percent more inclined toward greener new vehicles than the national average. All but one of the top 10 green-car cities are on the coasts, Chicago being the exception.

The biggest gas guzzlers tend to be found in the South and Midwest, according to Nielsen, with households in Greenwood-Greenville, Miss. only about half as likely as the national average to buy one of the most fuel-efficient vehicles.

Detroit, interestingly enough, didn't make either the bottom or top 10.

To see the entire list, go here.

With gas prices going up again - and pols in Washington debating climate change - are you more or less likely to buy a hybrid or high-mileage car the next time you go windshield shopping?

(2008 Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd Fox)

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 2:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

I spent some time with a friend’s baby earlier this week. I’m not around babies very often and quickly realized that I had little on hand to keep her occupied. I finally settled on Tupperware containers and a shoe box, which pleased her to no end. Still, it would have been nice to have some genuine baby toys around. Of course, maybe it doesn’t matter to them as much as it does to us adults. Nonetheless, I did a little research and found some adorable “green” baby toys that are far superior to plastic containers (at least in my opinion). These darling animals are made from recycled wool sweaters and stuffed with shredded recycled polyester. Each critter is one-of-a-kind and go for between $21-$26 at eco-artware.com.

And, if you’re feeling ambitious or have some old sweaters you’d like to get rid of, check out this great tutorial by Kayte Terry on how to make your own bunny softie.

(Images courtesy of Craftzine and Eco-Artware)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: DIY, Products, Shopping
        

Notice anyone tooling around town with a brightly colored handbag that looks like mosquito netting? It probably was mosquito netting – repurposed and for sale at local shops and markets by Ellen Reich.

She started a local company called Three Stone Steps that seeks to offer products that are fairly made and constructed with recycled materials. She said the company is an outcropping of her love of travel and her sense of social justice developed after earning a masters degree in Labor Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

The products come from artists around the world and are mostly made in small shops or people’s houses. She says she goes to make sure there’s no sweatshop behind the purse.

In addition to the mosquito netting and garbage bag purses from Cambodia, there are recycled metal bracelets made from old oil drums in Haiti. See all the products on Three Stone Steps site.

Go a local company or product with a green bent? Tell us about it.

Photo courtesy of Three Stone Steps

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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Local crafters John and Alexandra of Rational Act Clothing share a down-to-earth vision: to make cool and clever T-shirts from sustainable materials. They print every shirt by hand using water-based inks and organic cotton. Both crafters are relatively new to the local handmade scene – you may have seen them recently at the Crofton Craft Fair or the Highlandtown Wine Festival. Their shirts, which feature local cityscapes and offbeat graphics, are also available at their Etsy shop. To read more about Rational Act Clothing, visit their blog.

(Images courtesy of Rational Act Clothing)

Posted by Christy Zuccarini at 4:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Fashion, Products
        

This vodka claims to be green, and not just on St. Patty's Day.  

An environmentally-minded Weston, MO, company called McCormick Distilling says it's 360 Vodka is "made with eco-awareness at every stage of its development."

The company says it also recycles, works to reduce its use of resources, buys green power and makes purchases from other green companies.  

Does this make you want to drink the vodka?

Photo courtesy of McCormick Distilling

Posted by Meredith Cohn at 12:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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For Marylanders looking for greener electricity, there are a couple options right now, and they're cheaper - at least for the next few months - than the standard residential rate charged by Baltimore Gas Electric.  

The electricity suppliers listed by the Maryland Public Service Commission that sell power generated in part or entirely by wind turbines:  Clean Currents and Washington Gas Energy Services.  (Pepco Energy Services's Web site also offers green and wind power for residential customers, but if you click on those links it says they are not being sold now.)

Apologies for all the numbers that follow, but when you're talking about money, you need to use those pesky things.

In its "Chesapeake Green" or "C-Green" plans, Clean Currents offers to sell residential customers electricity that is either 50 percent or 100 percent wind-generated, with rates locked in for either one or two years.  The rates quoted range from 11.1 cents per kilowatt-hour to 11.7 cents per kwh, depending on how much wind you want.

Washington Gas, meanwhile, offers "CleanSteps" plans with wind generating 50 or 100 percent of the electricity supplied.  Prices range from 11.4 cents/kwh to 12.6 cents/kwh. 

The standard residential rate charged by BGE, by comparison, is 11.825 cents per kwh, effective June 1.  In October, though, BGE's rate is scheduled to drop to 10.662 cents per kwh, below the rates now offered by either Clean Currents or WGES.  Check for yourself here.

So if you act now, you can feel green (or at least wind-blown) when you turn on the lights and save a little green, too.   For those wondering where the power is actually generated, the answer is - out of state.  There are no commercial wind turbines in Maryland yet, though some are in the pipeline.  That's another post, for later.

Posted by Tim Wheeler at 4:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
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