Category: Eat

Sustainable eating

To me, life is a journey, and many lessons are learned along the way. Of late, I have found myself drawn to life's lessons regarding sustainable food choices. In the last two years, I have learned a great deal about sustainable business practices, living options, energy, and community. Admittedly, there is a great deal more for me to learn.

That being said, our family is trying to make more mindful, purposeful decisions about the foods we eat. We have taken active steps to become more educated about how and where food products are produced, how they are packaged and delivered, and what they do to our bodies. With two young (and growing!) boys, we are certainly mindful of our budget, but also how important nutrition is to their development and well-being.

While the science of food seems to be an ever-changing world with no shortage of opinions, we found the most persuasive science is the evidence from our own bodies. We have noticed improvements in our demeanor, or energy levels, our focus and simply the way we feel day-to-day. Our bodies are certainly telling us that our decisions are positive and responding as such. It has been amazing to us how dramatically the human body can respond to simple changes in diet.

Category: Products

Can't get enough of the Guff

Oh, my poor aching wallet. Guffly prides itself as providing "good stuff for good living," and they aren't foolin'!

Detroit-based Guffly features ecofriendly products and fair trade lifestyle goods like home, pet, clothing, office, and personal accessories. They are comitted to targeting fashion while respecting the environment.

As you browse their items, you wil notice each item is labeled with a button (such as "recycled," "fair trade," "biodegradable," "energy," etc...) to represent its contribution to carbon footprint reduction.

Sign up for the Daily Guff Newsletter. A note will grace your inbox, alerting you to the eco-friendly deal of the day. If you're not interested in the day's offering, shop the Top Guffs, a collection of Daily Guff offerings at a reduced rate.

In between clicks, check out their blog, which gives detailed information about the Daily Guff and the company that produces that specific item.

Look no further than Guffly for those hard-to-shop-for: Cuff links made from recycled Lego pieces and Scrabble tiles, business card cases made from circuit board pieces, totes woven with seats belts and lovely pendant necklaces made from broken plate pieces are all at your disposal.

Category: Fashion

Get framed!

Ask and ye shall receive! Just as I am researching a new pair of specs, my inbox pulls through in the clutch! An e-mail from Ideal Bite breaks down the latest in sustainable eyewear.

A few things to note:

-- New plastic comes from oil and never fully biodegrades. So NEVER just throw away old frames. There is certain to be someone out there who would love a pair of glasses, even if they are flashbacks from fashions past! Get those puppies off to the Salvation Army or Visions Detroit.

-- Reclaimed plastic and other Earth-friendly materials such as bamboo are surprisingly cheaper than the old plastic tortoiseshell standy-bys. Did you know that before the 1973 ban, tortoiseshell glasses were actually made from the shell of turtles. Where was PETA for that one?

-- What's old is new! Hit up a thrift store, score some cute, cheap horn-rimmed frames a la grandma and take 'em in to your optometrist.

Ideal Bite reccommends a few brands: Airwear, Equation, ICU Eyewear and Amy Sacks.

Happy ogling!

Category: Products

Local company plays it Green Safe

I always find the most helpful reading materials while waiting on carryout at Mudgie's Deli in Corktown. Greg Mudge's countertop has introduced me to tour de troit, Grown in Detroit and The Greening of Detroit among others. The latest of lunchtime lessons: Michigan Green Safe Products.

Based in Detroit, Michigan Green Safe Products carries Earth-friendly alternatives to the traditional petro-based atrocities. According to my friendly flier, here's a breakdown of products. I found this particularly fascinating!

PLA "Corn:" Cold cups, lids, straws, souffle cups, deli/food containers, cutlery, hot/soup cups and sushi containers

BAGASSE "Sugar cane:" Plates, bowls, to-go clamshells and compartment containers

POTATO STARCH: Cutlery, forks, spoons and knives

PAPER "Recycled": Coffee grips, paper towel, napkins, toilet paper, facial tissue, can liners, stir sticks, ecoflame, "green" sterno, "green" cleaning supplies, shopping bags and produce bags.

My favorite miscellanous item? "Biodegradable Dog Poop Bags"!

It occurs to me that many of these items cater to the food service industry. But think about Michigan Green Safe Products when you plan that fabulous Chinese New Year party or a co-worker's birthday bash. The amount of non-biodegradable waste produced by a simple soiree is just brutal!

Shop online for a full range of very reasonably-priced products or buy local. Select Green Safe Products are sold at Plum Market locations in Bloomfield and Ann Arbor.

So, I am thanking Greg for whipping up the most taste-tastic Ivey sandwich yet AND for again making an education out of my 10-minute lunch break!

Category: Community

Say what you want about Detroit, but ...

There are some really great things going on here. Today, on my lunch break, I made the short trip from my downtown office to the final Grown in Detroit farmers market* of the season at Wayne State University.

I returned with a bag of arugula for a co-worker, a bunch of kale to cook at home, lunch from the Russell Street Deli stand at the market, and a cup of hot cider. Wow! What a haul! On my way back, I passed The Hub of Detroit bike shop and the Birdtown community garden.

I know there's a lot wrong with the city. And the suburbs. And the city/suburbs. But, I can't look away when I see these little seeds of hope -- each a testament to community members who believe we can grow and change in a positive way and have taken action to make that brighter future a reality. And, besides the dappled sunlight, crisp air and colorful produce at the market, I couldn't help but notice something else: The variety of people shopping and enjoying the day together -- black, white, Muslim, men, women, young, old, you name it. Maybe that's because good, fresh, healthy, affordable food is something everyone appreciates. The farmers market seems like a great equalizer in a land of great disparity. Fine, call me hippie-dippy. But, I think getting everyone together is the way to move forward.

There are a lot of young people opening up shops, working as activists, farming, creating art, voting and paticipating in the city and the Metro area, and to all of them, I say: Please stay. Don't give up! Please keep bringing people together and help make this city and this region be the best it can be.

*In January, Russell Street Deli will open a lunch stand inside the engineering building at Wayne State University, according to a fella working at their market stand.

Category: 2009 Society of Environmental Journalists conference

An energy haiku

Ants work in the lab

Cutting leaves, tending fungus

Will they save the world?

During a trip to the Department of Energy's Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, we observed a study being conducted on leaf-cutter ants. Scientists are observing how the insects disassemble leaves and break the pieces down to feed a fungus on which they, in turn, feed. The hope is that the ants' ability to break down cellulose can be harnessed to develop alternative fuels that use biomass instead of petroleum.

What is biomass? Basically, it is leftover plant parts - think corn husks. Biomass is difficult to break down, which has hampered its development as a widespread fuel source. But, the ants may teach us a quicker way to break down this material. The advantage of fuel created from biomass, as opposed to ethanol made from corn, is that it doesn't cut into the food supply. It simply takes leftover products and makes them useful again!

Pretty cool, huh?!

To learn more about lead scientist Cameron Currie's ant research, including another study on the ants and antibiotics, check out this video:

Category: Events

Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit conference this weekend

The Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit will be hosting their fifth annual conference this weekend. "Bioneers" as they call themselves promote practical environmental solutions and innovative social strategies for restoring the Earth's ecosystems and healing our human communities. Great Lakes Bioneers Detroit helps promote collaboration and networking among southeast Michigan individuals and organizations working on sustainability and eco-justice issues.

The workshops will be held at Marygrove College with tours nearby. The tours highlight places including: WARM Training Center, urban garden tours put on by the Greening of Detroit and a Riverwalk tour given by the Detroit Riverfront Conservancy. The one I am most interested in and will be attending is the Cass Community Social Services'Mudmats from Tires - Recycling Motown Style.' They train and employ homeless people to make mudmats out of abandoned tires that they recycle. Two subjects close to my heart.

There are also three days worth of speakers on subjects such as permaculture, sustainability, health and energy.

Saturday and Sunday are also filled with workshops from presenters speaking on local economies, food, transition, beekeeping, communities, small farms and a whole lot more!

Category: 2009 Society of Environmental Journalists conference

A challenge for urban (and suburban) dwellers

"There are two spiritual dangers in not owning a farm. One is the danger of supposing that breakfast comes from the grocery, and the other that heat comes from the furnace." -- Aldo Leopold in "A Sand County Almanac"

During a session Sunday we were lucky enough to talk with conservationist Aldo Leopold's biographer, two of his children (respected scientists in their own right), a former chief of the U.S. Forest Service, and famed author and farmer Wendell Berry. During the discussion, a questioner asked how Leopold's philosophy of land ownership fit into the modern world, where the majority of people are city dwellers. How can people form a connection to the land when they have no or little interaction with it?

The answers included by participating in community supported agriculture, shopping at farmers markets and volunteering in natural areas. We have the opportunity to do all of those things here in southeastern Michigan whether by buying a plot in a CSA farm, shopping at Eastern market or donating our time at a Metropark or urban farm.

The day before the Leopold session, I had the opportunity to explore the farmers market in Madison, Wis., which we were told is the largest of its kind in the United States. The market encircled the state Capitol and was packed with people interacting with farmers, who did their best to show people, through photos and words, the land from which their food came. What a powerful statement, I thought, to have this market outside the Capitol. And, then I remembered that Michigan now has its own Capitol market.

So, we city Michiganians have ways to connect with the land, and the state is offering us encouragement. The question being, how can we appreciate something we don't know and if we don't know something, why would we act to conserve it?

But, following the Leopold session, questions about the author's land ethic continued to be the topic of informal discussion. Some wondered aloud whether the question had been correctly interpreted or if the real issue wasn't whether it is time for us to abandon the idea of land ownership as the core of our national character.

What do you think? How can urban and suburban dwellers best connect with the land? Is Leopold's land ethic outdated?

Category: 2009 Society of Environmental Journalists conference

Al Gore and more

Former Vice President Al Gore was cautiously optimistic in a speech Friday about the United Nations climate change summit that will be held this December in Copenhagen. He warned that our dependence on carbon-based fuels can be linked to not only climate change, but also economic turmoil and security threats worldwide. However, he pointed to promising areas of innovation that could help us wean ourselves off our dependence on carbon-based fuel, including greater efficiency, recapture of waste heat, battery advancements and solar, wind, and geothermal power. He noted that China - while often seen as a major polluter - has been making an effort to embrace these non-carbon fuel options and will be watching the U.S. closely in Copenhagen.

The ex-veep's appearance wasn't without controversy. One questioner came to the microphone to ask Gore about alleged inaccuracies in his film "An Inconvenient Truth," but was cut off after pressing his point. He cited a British court ruling and statistics that he said show polar bears, which the movie painted as threatened, are actually increasing in number. Gore denied the inaccuracies and asked, "Are you saying the polar bears are not in danger?" The questioner replied, "Are you denying the polar bear numbers are up?" "Are you saying the polar bears are not in danger?" Gore rattled back. They went on like this until the moderator broke in and moved the conversation along.

The moderator, by the way, was New York Times environment reporter Andrew Revkin, who contributes to the fabulous blog "Dot Earth."

To hear Al Gore's speech, compliments of Wispolitics.com, CLICK HERE.

Category: 2009 Society of Environmental Journalists conference

Something dirty's brewing in Canada

Did you know Canada replaced Saudi Arabia as the No. 1 oil supplier to the U.S. 7 years ago? Neither did I until I met Andrew Nikiforuk on Thursday in Madison, Wis., at the Society of Environmental Journalists conference. Last night, he won the prestigious Rachel Carson Environment Book Award for his work on "Tar Sands: Dirty Oil and the Future of a Continent." Today, I just happened to meet him in the stairway when I asked for directions to the registration table! He is very nice! Watch this video to learn more: