Yuppy Elites Fret Over Disposable Diapers

"Those who skim the surface of the earth’s crust in their needlessly huge fossil-fuel vehicles, tossing their foam coffee cups out the window, may never give such matters a second thought, focused as they are on getting to the mini-mart and saying to the clerk, “A six-pack of your finest spring water, my good fellow. And would you mind triple bagging it?” But for those who are concerned about green, life is fraught"

The article in the NY Times discusses the difficulties of blending convenience and sustainability. Danny Seo, author of Upcycling said (to the times of course :), "“A Patagonia jacket you might have worn out ... makes the chicest, most gorgeous Gore-Tex shower curtain. It will never mold or mildew. If you bought a Gore-Tex shower curtain, it would retail at $600.”

Now that is a really good idea, except when you are poor and have to work two full months to save enough to buy the jacket for your son who will then pass it down to their siblings... etc. etc.

Most of the worlds population probably can't afford a Patagonia jacket in the first place. It is a nice thought for middle classers but for those in poverty, sustainability is not always an option. I don't think this is true sustainability (for our selves, our planet, etc.). Most companies like Patagonia (although Patagonia is much more sustainable than other mass market sports wear companies utilizing recycled fabrics and such) utilize minimum wage labor (if in the US) or below poverty level child labor (uh-hum ... NIKE! As an aside, the goddess of victory probably crys just a little every time some one buys a new pair of Nike shoes... anyway...) outside the US. This is NOT sustainable. Most factories are not environmentally friendly, gobble up more resources than can be acquired locally, and provide nauseatingly horrid working conditions. How can this ever be sustainable? Just because buildings have lights that turn themselves off doesn't mean it's green!

You can have the greenest building in the world but if it is filled with people wearing products made of petrol and by children how sustainable can it ever be?

That isn't even addressing the consideration of what the people in the building do. Are they weapons manufacturers? Is it a uranium recycling facility? Is it a mill or other extractive business?

As the young couple in the article find out there are pitfalls to 'going green'. Theirs is disposible diapers.

This quote sums it up, “I don’t think the environmental movement should be about living in a cabin without electricity or running water — it isn’t a back-to-earth movement, it’s about redesigning everything, about being more sustainable.” Here is the question, what if that isn't enough?

March to Keep Fear Alive and Restore Sanity at the Same Time!

Being an fan of Stephen Colbert and Jon Stewart I am happy to say that at least two of Demeter Design's staff members will be attending this much needed rally. I can't wait to report from Washington DC day of!

Neighborhood Forest Management Plans

Portland Parks and Recreation recently accepted a grant from the East Multnomah Soil & Water Conservation District for the purpose of creating Neighborhood Forest Management Plans within the city. This allows citizens to inventory and evaluate existing neighborhood street trees. It also provides for the establishment and implementation of tree goals for each area. Goals often include increasing canopy cover, planting site appropriate trees, and ensuring that urban growth/development does not adversely affect existing tree counts.

Garminfone

We have recently added a Garminfone to our arsenal of GPS devices, and given the lack of info on it on the web, thought I'd give a recount of our experience. The display is great, the interface convenient, and the GPS itself is great (really good resolution and pickup). The phone service is limited by the T-mobile network however, which is not the best.

The hardest thing has been the interface with our PC. Getting data off, and more specifically on, is not always easy, and our normal GPS program (ExpertGPS) was not compatible. You can use ExpertGPS to read the spatially tagged photos however, which is nice.

It also does all of the normal smartphone, android things, with the limit of Android 1.6 (for now at least). All in all it is a good product for us, but may be less so for anyone not needing the standalone GPS capacity.

Wildwood

Autumn has been anxiously beating at the door of summer, certainly trying to get in earlier than usual - earlier than I'd normally allow. Generally, I've felt that September was solidly considered part of the summer - but this year, I'm not so sure.

Therefore, it seemed fitting that my recent dinner at Wildwood felt the very definition of fall. The russet potato gnocchi with bacon, lobster mushrooms, and Sauvie Island sweet corn was exceptionally earthy. The mesquite roasted Carlton Farms pork chop with summer squash, cherry tomatoes, sweet corn and cilantro butter was a terrific follow up, a little more rustic than the gnocchi. I finished the meal by going out on a limb from my normal chocoholic leanings, and had the sourdough donuts with candied applies and caramel corn ice cream. That may have been taking it a bit too far, as I don't even like candied apples or caramel corn - but it just seemed like the perfect end to a fall day. Except on my plate.

The Upper James River

While in Virginia, I had the chance to canoe a nine mile portion of the Upper James River. Though it was pretty placid (one class II, and a handful of class I), it was nice to be on a different type of river than I'm used to in the Pacific Northwest. At one time, George Washington envisioned creating a navigable east-west connection by utilizing the James River; in fact, he personally surveyed sites for locks and canals from the Chesapeake Bay to about 12 miles west of where the photograph above was taken (Eagle Rock, VA). There are still remains of locks that can be seen along the river today, though I wasn't lucky enough to see any of them on my float.

Summer in the South

I'm currently spending some time in the Southern Appalachians, experiencing (and - oddly enough - loving) all of the humidity, lightning bugs, and black snakes that the region has to offer. Came across quite the algae bloom on one of my walks. Kind of unsettling, the way the water looks like land....

Most Obvious Statement Award Goes To ...

"The sun's constant interaction with Earth makes it important for solar physicists to keep track of solar activity."

No more needs to be said.

haste makes...

Did you know the commercial sector generates 75% of Portland's waste stream? Portland City Council recently adopted a resolution with one of the goals being to maximize the recovery of all commercial waste with a target of 75% by 2015. Along with Metro, the Bureau of Planning and Sustainability will assist Portland's businesses (more than 20,000!) to increase participation in the city's commercial recycling and waste prevention programs.

On the other hand, we may be seeing Hawaiian waste make its way down the Columbia to a landfill in Klickitat county....who knows what invasives might be along for the ride.

More oil just somewhere else

"As with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, last week's spill that sent more than 800,000 gallons of oil into the Kalamazoo River has public advocates and policy-makers questioning whether the agency that oversees the industry is too easy on the pipeline owners it regulates."

Fire in the John Day River Area - 4000 acres

The Associated Press

Related

PORTLAND, Ore. —

The wildfire burning in the John Day River canyon in Eastern Oregon continues to grow, but firefighters are getting closer to containment.

The Northwest Interagency Coordination Center reports Friday that the Buckhorn complex is at 4,000 acres as it burns through juniper, sagebrush and grass in the remote area about 13 miles north of Clarno.

It is 60 percent contained, with full containment expected by Sunday.

A total of 210 people, four helicopters, and five engines are fighting the fire. Fire camp is at Wheeler High School in Fossil.

...

"NOAA administrator Jane Lubchenco said a strong eddy is preventing oil from reaching the loop current."

Good News :)

The Farm Cafe

As I've been impatiently waiting for my own tomatoes to do their thing so I can start to somehow incorporate them into every single meal, I was so happy to have my first tomato of the season on the back patio of The Farm Cafe. Obviously a local farmer, armed with a lot more tomato knowledge than myself, has already had luck - and I was the happy beneficiary.

The Farm Cafe has a rotating selection of seasonal raviolis, and I've never once been disappointed. The most recent version was a set of their handmade ravioli stuffed with goat cheese, pecorino, Parmigiano Reggiano,and ricotta, served with blistered cherry tomatoes. And much like how anticipation makes things even better, those tomatoes were absolutely awesome. Likely because it had been so long since I'd had any fresh local tomatoes, but I'm so happy they're about to burst onto my dinner plate from here until our vines dry up and we've exhausted our repertoire of tomato canning recipes.

But apparently there's more to life (and dinner) than tomatoes. Keeping with my red theme, I had the beet carpaccio and enjoyed the combination of beets, goat cheese, and mint. Goat cheese was kind of the other big hit of the evening, as the sauteed goat cheese on greens with caper dressing was excellent. Other recommendations would include the hazelnut encrusted cheese ball and the mascarpone cheesecake with pecans and Dulce de Leche.

A long time coming...

I can't believe it's taken us so long to finally follow the lead of San Francisco and enact a plastic bag ban in Portland. Though there will be the legislative drag until 2012, at least it's finally in the works. I'm having a hard time understanding the suggestion of opponents, which essentially is that if people don't want plastic bags to end up in landfills or become litter, then simply recycle them! Statistics show that less than 5% of existing plastic bags are, in fact, recycled. In what way is that more sustainable than not even producing the bags in the first place?

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com/articles/2010/07/bag_ban_backed_by_business.html?surround=lfn

When I think about the larger picture of something like this, it's hard not to get down about it. For example - will less plastic bags from Multnomah County really have that great of an influence on something like the Great Pacific Garbage Patch? I don't know, but have to choose to think so.

Best Quote Ever.

“We’ve known for a long time gravity doesn’t exist,” Dr. Verlinde said, “It’s time to yell it.”

Check out the article in the NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/13/science/13gravity.html?pagewanted=1&ref=science

His logic is flawless ;~)