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Bike Rentals Made Easy

Great idea when preparing to travel-  check out this new Web Site, RentaBikeNow.com, to get help finding bikes for rent in 168+ US and Canadian cities. There are 200 bike stores, and more joining up, that put you directly in touch with the rental inventory at their independent bicycle stores. You select the city where they're headed, and get a list of available bikes from cruisers to mountain bikes. Some bike stores offer tandem and recumbent bikes, too.

 

It's not easy to find a bicycle to rent when you're on a trip. Not all bike shoppes rent bikes, and store hours, bike styles, and rental rates differ widely. That's where RentaBikeNow.com comes to the rescue! Just pay RaB a $5-$8 fee, make a deposit;  then pay the balance when you pick up & use the bike.

 

Now there's no reason to quit your biking habit and eco living when you travel.  Check it out, and let us know what you think!

MICHAEL POLLAN'S "The Botany of Desire" to Air on PBS

THE BOTANY OF DESIRE brings Michael Pollan's best selling book to PBS, showing how human desires are an essential, intricate part of natural history.

The program will explore the natural history of four plants; the apple, the tulip, marijuana, and the potato; and the corresponding human desires– sweetness, beauty, intoxication and controlling nature, that link their destinies to our own.

This two-hour documentary (from Kikim Media), which will air on PBS on October 28,  begins in Pollan’s garden, and roams the world, from the potato fields of Idaho and Peru to the apple orchards of New England, from a medical marijuana hot house to the tulip markets of Amsterdam.

One of the biggest errors of human civilization is to believe that we are outside of nature and that we can continue to re-shape the wild for our own purposes; people as subjects, and plants as objects. In part thru this program, taking a plants’ eye view of the world will help viewers understand the need to restore human activity to its proper place in the matrix of nature.

For a clip of The BOTANY OF DESIRE, click here. 

UPDATE 10/30/09 - View the entire program online @ Video.PBS.org

B&N Introduces Its "Ecosystem" Line of Planners, Journals

Today, book retailer, Barnes & Noble introduced its "Ecosystem" line of planners and journals, exclusively sold at Barnes Noble stores and online at Barnes & Noble.com.  Created by Sterling Publishing, (a B&N subsidiary), the planners and journals will sell between $9.95 and $19.95, and are made with 100% post-consumer recycled paper and manufactured in the USA. 

Available in small, medium and large, in both hard cover and flexi formats.  The ecosystem artist presents blank pages for individuals who use their imagination to produce works that are beautiful and kind to the Earth. The ecosystem author offers lined pages for writing with the well-being and sustainability of the Earth in mind.  The ecosystem architect delivers a grid journal for an environmentally aware person who creates strength and order with lines; and the ecosystem advisor provides calendars and organization for an ecologically friendly provider of professional or personal advice .

Customers can purchase several components that fit into the planner or journal's back pocket.  The variety of inserts, which are available from the ecosystem website Ecosystlemlife.com (a B&N owned site) includes additional blank, grid and lined paper inserts as well as personal information, "to do," and calendar inserts.  Buy these extras, and you can customize your book even further for specific needs.

B&N has said their Ecosystem was created on the premise that being "green" doesn't have to be boring and 100% made in the USA. But we already know that !!! The process of making an ecosystem planner or journal takes the product on a path through several US manufacturing facilities (Lewiston, Maine to Duncan, South Carolina and Park Falls, Wisconsin). For information on the exact journey of a particular ecosystem product, how many people were employed in each step, and the environmental benefit based on the exact specs of the book, customers can simply enter the product book number on the ecosystem website at Ecosystemlife.com.

We look forward to testing them!

"Waterpod" Project Proves Truth is Greener Than Fiction

An eco-houseboat, Waterpod is a floating sculptural living structure designed as a new eco-habitat for the global warming epoch and for local, national, and international awareness of water.  Launched this month, it will now navigate the East and Hudson Rivers, stopping at each of the five boroughs of NYC.  Waterpod™ demonstrates future pathways for nomadic/mobile structures and water-based communities, docked and roaming. Built from recycled materials and eco-friendly products, Waterpod™ is structured as a space for community and artist activity, eco-initiatives and living space. It was orchestrated by artists, designers, builders, civic activists, environmentalists, and marine engineers, and built from recycled materials found in the New York area, the Waterpod is a floating, ecological (and economical!) expression of art. 

The Waterpod will now dock in all five boroughs of NYC, while providing space for community and artistic activities, as well as eco-initiatives that include food grown with rainwater.  Not only is the Waterpod a home for art and collaboration, but it is also actually housing four artists with food, water, power, and waste treatment in a contained and sustainable environment.

And, read You Can Save the Earth, from Hatherleigh Press, it's a great way to learn how to help.

Visit Waterpod.org and see Waterpod in your neighborhood for free:

June 22 – July 6: Sheepshead Bay Marina (Parks)
July 7 – 20: Governor’s Island (GIPEC)
July 21 – August 3: 125th Street, Riverside (Parks)
August 4 – 17: Brooklyn Bridge Park (BBPDC)
August 18 – August 31: Staten Island (Atlantic Salt)
September 1 – September 14: Queens World’s Fair Marina (Parks)
September 15 – September 28: Concrete Park Pier Bronx (Parks) 

Celebrate WORLD ENVIRONMENT DAY !

  

Today, June 5th, is World Environment Day! Celebrate the wonderful environment that we live in and work to inspire others to do what they can to ensure and protect its beauty.   World Environment Day (WED) was established by the UN General Assembly back in 1972 to commenorate the opening of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. It's celebrated every year on June 5th and is one of the main ways the United Nation generates worldwide awareness of the environment and serves to enhances political attention and action.

Each year the UN has a theme and host country for the day. The 2009 theme is ‘Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change’. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.  Click here for more info on the day and what you can do.

Around the world, there are hundreds of events and social media actions are being held, so pick how you can be involved, and jump in!  One event is the worldwide release of the highly anticipated film, HOME (watch it online here), by renowned photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand and produced by Luc Besson.  The beautifully made movie will be shown in more than 100 locations worldwide, in 23 languages and also available on DVD and BluRay today (order your copy below)!  Omaha, is North America’s host city for the United Nations World Environment Day, and will join cities around the world in the release of HOME, a stunning tour of our planet shot in high definition entirely from the air. Omaha and other cities, Paris (at the base of the Eiffel Tower), New York City ( Central Park) and London ( Trafalgar Square) will have free screenings today.

Discover EcoSMART Natural Insecticides for Safe Treatment of Garden & Home Pests

 

In my neck of the woods it’s still a bit cool and rainy, but the insects are rallying – I can feel it. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m the first one to applaud the beneficial buggies in my gardens, it’s just that I have a hard time with  -- well, mainly with wasps (mosquitoes, too…and aphids…).  So you can imagine my joy when the folks at EcoSMART sent me a box of their safe organic insecticides. The products are made with mint and other plant oils.  These oils have a similar molecular make-up to that of octopamine – an insect’s version of adrenaline.  When EcoSMART products are sprayed on the insect, the oils block the octopamine receptor sites, killing the insect. Mammals, birds, and fish remain completely safe during and after the spraying.

 

EcoSMart’s Wasp and Hornet spray reaches up to 18 feet – a nice distance from which to anger a wasp, don’t you think?  The aroma of the essential oils in these products is really quite pleasing.  Think about how those synthetic chemicals smell – I say you can smell the danger when you use conventional insecticides. And, I’m not willing to risk the use of synthetics with ingredients such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), atrazine, and dicamba -- ingredients shown to harm mouse embryos at times equivalent to the first week after conception in humans, according to Erica Glasener of The Green Guide -- not in my kitchen garden, herb garden, nor in my home. Thanks to EcoSMART, there’s a safe way to treat pests. Try their products for garden and home, you wont be disappointed.    You can learn more about the dangers of synthetic chemical use at  HealthyHouseInstitue.com.

 

HAPPY CHICKEN STROLLING THROUGH AN ORGANIC GARDEN (LA FERME DE SOURROU)

Carbon Calc iPhone App GHG Emissions Calculator

We all know the seriousness of green house gasses, but do we really know how much we individually contribute?  Carbon Calc is a Green House Gas (GHG) emissions calculator. If you have been curious about what your contribution is to global warming, try it.  Carbon Calc is a easy-to-use calculator that lets you enter your driving, flying and home energy use data. Once you see how many tons of carbon dioxide your lifestyle produces, you can compare your net emissions to the USA and world averages and then have the power to make better, more informed decisions. If you'd like, you can then consider buying Carbon Credits.

Will this program solve global warming? Not alone,  but the goal is for people to realize how what their carbon footprints. You can then take steps to reduce your "foorprint" and/or by funding carbon reduction projects via carbon offset credits, you CAN have a net positive impact on the planet.

This application is available at no charge from the iTunes Apps Store, just search Carbon Calc, so easy (Carbon Harmony®).

BONNAROO MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES NEW ECO INITIATIVES

The Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival has announced their new environmental initiatives for its 2009 event (June 11 thru 14 on a beautiful farm in Manchester, Tennessee).  This year's programs will further Bonnaroo's longstanding sustainability tradition, which won the festival outstanding marks from UK organization A Greener Festival, a rare distinction among music events worldwide. With new onsite utility sources, free water initiatives and an emphasis on buying local, Bonnaroo continues to provide a first-rate entertainment experience while fostering a community that cares for our planet. So far, 40% of patrons have participated in Bonnaroo's "green ticket" program, adding a donation to their ticket orders to support the festival's large-scale environmental efforts.

For 2009, Bonnaroo will concentrate on a "buy local" message by purchasing as many supplies and utilities as possible from the Tennessee area. To keep the message reverberating throughout its ranks, Bonnaroo will provide a list of regional food purveyors strongly recommended to all festival vendors and to educate patrons about local sourcing in their daily lives.

The Artisan Cheese Revival

 

Over the past several years, the U.S. has seen tremendous growth in the number and variety of artisan and farmstead cheesemakers. Besides being absolutely delicious, these cheeses are distinctively marked by the unique characteristics of the region where they are made (the French use the term terroir for describing what occurs below the surface of the soil to affect the taste of wines, but this term applies to cheeses and other foods as well). The techniques used in production will also contribute to the unique flavor ways of a cheese. Artisan cheeses are now widely available, and can be found in gourmet food stores and farmers’ markets all over the country. We here at Gathering Home encourage you to explore the world of artisan cheeses.  Learn where to find them online, which are the best books to read on the subject, and even how to make some cheeses at home.

Artisan cheese is defined as cheese that is produced primarily by hand in small batches, using traditional aging and production methods.  Farmstead cheese goes one step further by producing artisan cheese on a farm where only organic dairy products (from that particular farm’s herd of animals) are used.  On these farmsteads, the animals eat only organically grown pasture grasses

Green Houses of the Future - Design Ideas

I was told of a Wall Street Journal post on The Green House of the Future, and while many of the plans are a ways off, far beyond solar panels and other currently available technology,  it’s still very informative.  The WSJ asked several architects to design the most energy-efficient houses they could come up with.  All are very creative and in the imagination state but, very green!  Architect William McDonough of the Charlottesville, Va. came up with a leaf-like exterior design that absorbs sun, like solar panels, but is embedded in the actual exterior.

Another company, Cook + Fox came up with a home with a “biomorphic” skin that reacts to weather conditions. Sort of a solar chameleon, the home would turn dark in the sun to insulate the house from heat and cloudy or stormy outside, the home turns clear to absorb the maximum amount of energy. And, the home features a facade that captures rain and condensation (to meet the home’s water needs).  There are others, how about an edible house?  If you’re interested in some imaginative (maybe soon to be possible) green home designs, with images, check out the full WSJ post