Plenty Magazine Issue 10 June/July 2006 by Plenty Magazine

In our FlexFuel Vehicles, Yellow means Go.

What if every vehicle in America was yellow? What if they could run on E85 ethanol, an alternative fuel derived from corn, made up of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline? America could move towards energy independence with a homegrown, renewable fuel source that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while it boosts your engineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s performance. Can every vehicle in America run on yellow? Not yet. But GM already has 1.5 million FlexFuel Vehicles on the road that can run on gasoline or E85 ethanol. And itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just the beginning. Join the ride. Help turn your world yellow at LiveGreenGoYellow.com. Learn more about E85 ethanol, which GM vehicles can run on it, where you can get it and how you can make a difference. One car company can show you how.

Drawn from nature. From deep beneath the surface, filtered through ancient rock in the lush volcanic region of Auvergne. Volvic, natural spring water.

Created by volcanoes www.volvic-na.com

PLENTY IT’S EASY BEING GREEN

Walk in the wilds

CONTENTS J U N E / J U LY 2 0 0 6

FRONT MATTER

GRAY MATTER

8 . . . . FROM THE EDITOR 13 . . . . LETTERS 15 . . . . NEWS AND NOTES

38 . . . . OFF THE BEATEN PATH 49 . . . . THE GREEN INVASION

Plenty looks at how the environmental movement is infiltrating popular culture, plus editors’ picks for eco media offerings. 50 . . . MOVIES Sci-fi flicks tackle eco-themes. By Thelma Adams The legacy of Jaws. By Richard Bradley 54 . . . TELEVISION The historical roots of the animal show. By Jacquelyn Lane 56 . . . RADIO & MUSIC Living on Earth host Steve Curwood delves into the difficulty of being an eco-journalist. By Deborah Snoonian 58 . . . BOOKS Why more eco-novelists should take a cue from Richard Powers’s Gain. By Steve Weinberg

60 . . . . SUMMERTIME, AND THE EATING IS LOCAL

Is it possible to ditch the grocery store and eat only fare from your local farms? By Lou Bendrick 68 . . . . HEAVY METAL The environmental and health perils of mercury—and how we can protect ourselves. By Sarah Bridges

PHOTOGRAPH BY MATT SKROCH

Energy from dog poop; a new technique for tinkering with plant DNA; Sweden goes oil-free; America embraces natural foods; EPA says airborne toxins threaten human health; organic gardening. 18 . . . . EVENTS CALENDAR Summer activities for the ecophile. 20 . . . . Q&A Daniel Emmett, co-director of Energy Independence Now, would like to see hydrogen become America’s fuel source. By Philip Armour 22 . . . . TECHNOLOGY How nanotechnology could help improve solar panels, boost battery performance, and more. By Amy Cortese 24 . . . . WHEELS Thanks to new technologies that make it cleaner and more efficient, diesel may be making a comeback. By Frances Cerra Whittelsey 26 . . . . GREEN BUSINESS Does buying carbon offsets really benefit the environment? By Jenny Gage 28 . . . . BOOKS Richard Bradley weighs in on Big Coal, Jeff Goodell’s analysis of the American coal industry; The Weather Makers explores climate change. 31 . . . . GREEN GEAR Eco-friendly camping and sports equipment.

How to enjoy—and protect— America’s wilderness spaces. By Kate Siber

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Green marriage

Eating local

MATTERS OF FACT AND FANCY 73 . . . . RETREADS

Inventors and designers turn unwanted car parts into building materials and stylish furniture. By Joshua M. Bernstein 76 . . . . SHELTER Elegant, simple, and inexpensive, one architect’s eco-friendly apartment building, The Cube, is anything but square. By Deborah Snoonian 80 . . . . CULTURE Weddings don’t have to be wasteful affairs. Learn how to tie the knot in sustainable style. By Bari Nan Cohen 85 . . . . FOOD The next time you have a crowd to feed, consider green catering. By Nicole Davis 88 . . . . GREEN BLING Eco-friendly beach gear; the best mineral makeup. 90 . . . . HEALTH Five unique and natural ways to keep your cool this summer. By Valerie Reiss 92 . . . . INDULGENCES Sweat yourself to good health by visiting one of the country’s best saunas. By Jennifer Block 94 . . . . OFF THE GRID How eco-rapper and biodiesel enthusiast Charris Ben Ford is helping to shape the green movement. By Elizabeth Barker 96 . . . . THE BACK PAGE Test your eco-IQ.

ON THE COVER: June Goth (Susan Hayward) with a shocked expression in the 1946 film Deadline at Dawn. Photograph from the John Springer Collection/ Corbis.

PHOTO LEFT BY SUZY CLEMENT; UPPER RIGHT BY JASON HOUSTON; LOWER RIGHT BY ROBERT VON STERNBERG

Cube living

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FROM THE EDITOR IN CHIEF

Rebirth of the counterculture: from hippie bus to biodiesel road trip IN THE 1960S AND 1970S, faced with a mainstream culture that seemed dedicated to relentless consumerism, some enlightened folks began to question where all of the material success was heading. As the masses scrambled for houses in the suburbs, white bread, tail fins, and plastic, the emergent counterculture explored simple living, multi-grains, communal transit, and handmade goods. This counterculture laid the groundwork and provided the manpower for the women’s and civil rights movements. It also helped end a war in Southeast Asia. Then, after these monumental victories, it all but disappeared from the radar. The 1980s and 1990s were the time of Generation X. Without a galvanizing issue to bring mass numbers of people together, Generation X will forever be defined by its lack of definition. Now, finally, there is an issue with the power to unite us: the environment. Out of this cause, the green generation has been born. And it will define the counterculture for years to come. Unlike the 1960s counterculture, which viewed capitalism as the enemy of freedom, today’s counterculture is defined by its pragmatism. Though we continue to be wary of corporate power, we realize that capitalism is a potentially valuable tool. Rather than universally demonizing capitalism as a concept, we put it to good use by questioning how material goods are made and how resources are really used. We’re learning the power of “conscious consumerism,” evidenced by the explosive growth of the green economy. Sales of organic goods are increasing by 20 percent a year. The market for products that fit within this new green ethos—known as the “lifestyles of health and sustainability” (LOHAS) market—has been estimated at over $200 billion. In the 2001 book The Cultural Creatives, Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson argue that the eco-leaning movement is 50 million strong in the United States, with another 80 million in Europe. The environmental movement is taking over popular culture as well. It’s been a long time since a Hollywood celebrity has been seen driving anything but a Prius. And both Vanity Fair and Elle recently put out green issues dedicated to raising awareness of the state of the environment. Graydon Carter says in his editor’s letter that this will not be a one-shot deal—that his magazine is going to increase its coverage of environmental issues. Indeed, just because there aren’t protests in the street doesn’t mean that there isn’t a revolution afoot. Forwardthinking individuals have integrated green living into their daily lives and their pocketbooks, creating solutions to problems that can’t be solved by a march or a sit-in. Marching isn’t as necessary these days anyway, particularly since eco-activist Laurie David has organized a virtual march (stopglobalwarming.org) that is over 300,000 strong. Rather than protest, people are going to great lengths to form biodiesel cooperatives (there are only about 600 biodiesel and 500 ethanol filling stations in the United States), all so they don’t have to run their cars on dirty oil. They are also willing to pay what is often significantly more for a hybrid car or organic goods. While these actions may not be as monumental or visible as a march on Washington, they do add up to a revolution in living. In one of the most popular books to come out of the original counterculture movement, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, author Robert Pirsig argues that if people had a better understanding of the rapidly changing technology of the time—anything from computers to motorcycles—they would also have a better connection to the natural world and live better lives. Pirsig’s argument is still relevant today, but with a twist: We continue to struggle to stay in touch with our environment, but modern technology is far too complex for most of us to master. (even a trained mechanic needs a computer to tune up your car these days). Nevertheless, we look to technology like solar power, wind energy, and highly efficient hybrid cars to provide many of the answers to our problems, bring us closer to nature, and improve our lives. Whether technology will solve all of our problems in the years ahead is unclear. What’s patently obvious is that the new green counterculture has only begun to make its mark. Inside this issue of Plenty, we look at how green culture has already invaded the American consciousness. From books to movies to radio and TV, if you haven’t already caught a glimpse, here’s what you have been missing.

Mark Spellun Editor in Chief & Publisher 8 | PLENTY

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

GLOBAL WARMING WE CAN. The science is documented. The threat is real. But now there is a weapon you can use to help undo global warming: undoit.org. Sign the online petition supporting vital legislation, discover a few modest lifestyle changes, and more. To learn all about global warming, and how you can help undo it, go to undoit.org

PLENTY Publisher & Editor in Chief Mark Spellun Creative Director Catherine Cole Senior Editors Christy Harrison, Christine Richmond, Deborah Snoonian Political Editor Richard Bradley Staff Writer Kate Siber Assistant Editor Jacquelyn Lane Copy Editors Sandra Ban, Diana Lind Contributing Editors Joshua M. Bernstein, Justin Tyler Clark, Bari Nan Cohen, Lisa Selin Davis Assistant Art Director Richard Gambale Editorial Intern Anngela Leone, Erika Villani

PLENTY Advertising, 250 West 49th Street, Suite 403, New York, NY 10019 Deborah Gardiner, National Sales Director (Tel: 1-212-757-3794) Midwest and Detroit: Joe McHugh, BreakthroughMedia 21675 Coolidge Highway, Oak Park, MI 48237 (Tel: 1-586-360-3980)

Published by Environ Press, Inc. Chairman Arnold Spellun

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Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and other materials must be accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. PLENTY will not be responsible for unsolicited submissions. Send letters to the editor to letters@plentymag.com or to PLENTY, 250 West 49th Street, Suite 403, New York, NY 10019. Copyright ÂŠ2005 by Environ Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without written permission is prohibited. Views expressed herein are those of the author exclusively. PLENTY has applied for membership to the Audit Bureau of Circulation. PLENTY (ISSN 1553-2321) is published bimonthly, six times a year, for $12 per year by Environ Press, Inc., 250 West 49th Street, Suite 403, New York, NY 10019. Periodical postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Plenty, P.O. Box 437, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-0437 or call 1-800-316-9006. PLENTY is printed on 30% post-consumer recycled paper and manufactured with elemental chlorine-free pulp. The remaining paper is FSC certified. Please recycle.

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CONTRIBUTORS SARAH BRIDGES first became interested in the health effects of environmental toxins when her infant son was braindamaged by a tainted vaccine. Bridges’ background in research (she holds a Ph.D. in experimental psychology) allowed her to sift through mounds of data and come up with things readers can do to protect themselves against mercury, a known neurotoxin (“Heavy Metal,” page 68). “Learning that our fish is toxic was difficult enough. But the government’s response has been downright disheartening,” she says. “This is clearly a health issue we need to own for ourselves.” Bridges has previously written for the Washington Post, SEED, and Organic Style, and she’s also the author of a series of children’s books.

STEVE WEINBERG, who is in his seventh year as a director of the National Book Critics Circle, has been wanting to spread the word about Richard Powers’s novels for 15 years (“Fictional Environments,” page 58). Weinberg devours so much nonfiction while researching his own books that reading serious literary fiction is a treasure. A University of Missouri Journalism School graduate, Weinberg started his career in 1970 as a newspaper reporter. He was executive director of Investigative Reporters and Editors, an international nonprofit, from 1983 until 1990, and he continues there as a senior editor at the group’s magazine, The IRE Journal. Weinberg lives in Columbia, Missouri. MARY “LOU” BENDRICK (“Summertime…and the Eating is Local,” page 60) wants you to know, upfront, that she very much admires vegetarians and has tried several times to be meat-free. “I became listless and my hair was like hay,” she says. “My body just rebelled.” As an apology, she eats thoughtfully and locally: “Absolutely no baby harp seal...Well, maybe humanely slaughtered, native baby harp seal.” She also wants you to know that the baby harp seal joke was an attempt to add some levity into a rather touchy subject. Bendrick’s writing, which often falls into the oxymoronic category of environmental humor, appears in various publications such as Grist and Whole Life Times. She is a former columnist with the High Country News. She lives in Massachusetts with her husband, author Hal Clifford, their little girl, and big dog.

JASON HOUSTON (“Summertime…and the Eating is Local,” page 60), an independent photographer, has been looking at cultural and environmental issues through his camera for almost 15 years. Recent projects include suburban American consumer culture, poverty in South Africa, artists at work, and a series of kids’ books featuring the stories of rescued and rehabilitated animals. Houston’s publication credits include the New York Times Magazine, TIME, Orion, New York Magazine, and the Boston Globe Sunday Magazine. For the last six years he has been obsessively photographing the many small farms around his home in western Massachusetts. Several exhibitions of his farm images are scheduled for 2006, including one at Spike Gallery, New York City, from June 14–July 29. 12 | P L E N T Y

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

I like your practical, mainstream approach and your articles that offer honest analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the environmental movement. PLENTY IS A GREAT MAGAZINE. I discovered the August/September issue at a conference, and then was drawn by the cover of the recent issue while in a bookstore. I like your practical, mainstream approach and your articles that offer honest analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the environmental movement. “Saving Grace” [February/March] was brilliant—a refreshing departure from the speculative articles on environmentalism in the evangelical community often found in “traditional” environmental journals. NATE SPRINGER WHITTIER, CALIFORNIA

REGARDING “Green Hospitality” in the April/May issue of Plenty, since when did taking a helicopter into the back-country of

LETTERS

anywhere become ecologically correct? They consume lots of fuel, pollute and are inherently invasive due to the noise they create. JIM BUDELMAN VIA E-MAIL

ALTHOUGH I applaud Plenty’s efforts to promote an eco-friendly lifestyle, I’m a bit perplexed at the excess of articles featuring promotion of animal products as being ideal sources of food. You may want to have the person who wrote the article “The Compassionate Carnivore” [February/March] do a bit more research into what compassion truly is before making a person who contributes to the outright slaughter of animals out to be a saint. Stating that Sandy Lerner is in favor of animal rights (page 70) is absurd—to be true

to the definition of animal rights, nobody in favor of such a thing would knowingly raise an animal purely to become food as it is completely contradictory to the cause. I respect Lerner’s desire to prevent extinction of species by giving them an environment in which to thrive, but these animals should not have to pay with their lives just so someone can eat a burger and feel better because their cattle were free-range instead of factory farmed. Anyone with her sort of financial abilities could easily raise animals on their own purely for conservation without having to justify killing them for more food. RYAN WILSON CO-OWNER, VEGANESSENTIALS.COM MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN

I JUST LOVE PLENTY MAGAZINE! Keep up the great work, and thank you for providing a wonderful resource to raise awareness in our world. The only thing that I don’t agree with is your statement in the April/May issue that raw foods are fading away (“Fresh, Fading, Fertilizer,” p. 16). The raw foods lifestyle is all about green living, about not leaving a path of destruction behind everything we eat. It supports organics, freshness, eating locally and seasonally, and using fewer resources. Rather than being a trend, it returns us back to the way we used to eat before chemical preservatives, flavors, colors, and GMOs. Even our raw food bars are the first on the market to use compostable plastic bags. I believe raw foods are a way to enable health for ourselves and our planet. ANI PHYO CO-FOUNDER, SMARTMONKEY FOODS PORTLAND, OREGON

CORRECTION: In our February/March investing column, “A Clean Start” (p. 30), we said that California-based company Capstone produces fuel cells, when in fact they specialize in microturbines. For more information, check out their web site (capstoneturnbines.com).

Send your letters, comments, kudos, and critiques to letters@plentymag.com www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 13

PHOTO BY LARRY STRONG, COURTESY NORCAL WASTE SYSTEMS, INC.

NEWS

NOTES

Pooches Poop for Power of San Francisco residents are taking part in the city’s aggressive recycling program. Norcal Waste Systems, the local trash hauler, has been testing a new technique for converting dog poop into energy. If all goes as planned, Norcal will install collection bins, stocked with biodegradable bags for collecting and depositing the poop, in parks and public areas later this year—a proposal that has residents cheering. “There is unbelievable interest in dog poop right now,” says Robert Reed, Norcal’s spokesman. Norcal has been testing an anaerobic digester that is fed a mixture of dog poop and

VEN THE FURRY FRIENDS

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

food scraps. Microorganisms in the digester break down the waste and produce methane, which would be collected and sent to a turbine to produce energy. The process creates enough heat to kill off pathogens in the dog poop, Reed says, and food scraps—already collected from more than 2,000 area restaurants through another city recycling program—are added to balance the chemical content of the mixture, so that the process runs efficiently. The project was inspired by the city’s tough stance on trash. San Francisco aims for zero landfilled garbage by the year 2020, and recycling the poop from the city’s 120,000 dogs will aid this goal, says Reed. Pet feces

account for 3.8 percent of landfilled wastes in San Francisco, according to a city study; overall, dogs and cats in the United States produce about 10 million tons of waste per year, says Will Brinton, an environmental scientist and Norcal’s consultant on the project. Reed estimates that the dog poop recycling program could power 1,000 area homes each year. “I get 20 to 30 calls a day from universities, cities that want to start their own collection programs, residents who want to volunteer,” he says. It seems that these days, recycling is for the dogs— and that’s a good thing. —Deborah Snoonian P L E N T Y | 15

NOTES

Tillin’ me softly FRANKENFOODS, meet your match. A new technology called TILLING (short for “Targeting Induced Local Lesions In Genomes”), may eventually overtake conventional genetic modification (GM) of food. Unlike GM, which takes a desired gene from one organism and inserts it into another, TILLING relies on a plant’s own DNA for modifications. During the process, scientists chemically induce genetic mutations and then use TILLING to isolate the mutations and determine what those genes actually do. They then use what they’ve learned to breed plants with added nutritional value or decreased risk of triggering food allergies. Since 2002, scientists at the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Crop Production and Pest Control research unit, on the campus of Purdue University, have been using TILLING to develop more nutritious soybeans. As a result of this work, trans-fatfree, nonhydrogenated soybean oil may be available by next year; in time, they also hope to make soybeans that are allergen free. This could be a major breakthrough because soy, now a pervasive component of many pre-

packaged foods, is also one of the top eight allergenic foods. Though GM crops can have lots of potential benefits, they have proven incredibly controversial. Detractors have expressed concerns about everything from the safety of eating foods containing “unnatural” genes, to the potential for GM crops to crossbreed with wild plants, to the morality of allowing a plant’s DNA sequence to be co-opted as “intellectual property” and therefore controlled by the company that created it. Though environmental groups have not as of yet targeted TILLING as a potentially dangerous or immoral practice, the question of whether it has the same or similar implications as GM crops has yet to be addressed. The process is still so new that many organizations, including scientific ones, are still getting up to speed on it (the Union of Concerned Scientists declined to comment, saying it wants to learn more about the process before making any remarks). Only time and more research will answer these questions. In the meantime, we plan to keep eating organic. —Jacquelyn Lane

CARBON OFFSETS

CARBON DATING

CARBON COPIES

PLATZAS

CUPPING

SHIATSU

TOP CHEF

IRON CHEF

NAKED CHEF

APOLLO DIAMONDS

CUBIC ZIRCONIA

RHINESTONES

BUILDING INLAND

BUILDING DIKES

BUILDING LEVEES

16 | P L E N T Y

Oil-holics Anonymous IF “AMERICA IS ADDICTED TO OIL,” as President Bush declared in his 2006 State of the Union address, then Sweden is already in rehab. This country of 9 million residents has outlined a plan to become the world’s first oil-free economy by the year 2020, trading gasoline for ethanol, investing in geothermal district heating, and offering tax breaks and other perks to citizens who make eco-friendly choices. (In some cities, there will be free parking for hybrids.) So what can the United States, with almost twice the per capita oil consumption, do to follow suit? The National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) has outlined a plan to take America oil free—and, much like the Swedish plan, it involves a mixture of switching to ethanol and other alternative fuels, along with offering incentives for eco-friendliness. It also requires us to invest in the research and development of biofuels. According to the NRDC, it would cost $200 million per year over the next 10 years to make biofuels competitive with gasoline—currently, we’re falling far short of that goal. Despite his State of the Union assertions, Bush slashed the Department of Energy’s renewable energy and energy efficiency budgets by almost $50 million, allotting a piddling $72,164 to the biomass/biofuels program in 2006. But it’s not all bad news. The Senate is already mulling over the Vehicle and Fuel Choices for American Security Act, which would decrease U.S. oil consumption by 105 million gallons a day by offering various incentives to both consumers and the automotive industry. That’s enough to make an enormous global impact. According to Daniel Becker, director of the Sierra Club’s global warming program, we produce 20 pounds of carbon dioxide for every gallon of gas we burn—so if the act is passed, that means we’d be saving 2 billion pounds of pollution per day. And hearing alternative energy addressed in a State of the Union speech itself is encouraging—after all, the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. —Erika Villani June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPH UPPER LEFT: RENE CERNEY

NEWS

NEWS Something in the air? In February, the EPA released the results of its second nationwide survey of airborne toxins. Among the tons of data collected, one result stood out: Benzene was found to be the single national cancer risk driver—meaning that exposure to elevated levels of benzene is correlated with an increased cancer risk for more than 8 percent of the population of the United States. Not surprisingly, tailpipes emit nearly half of the benzene in the air. More results can be found at epa.gov/ttn/atw/natamain. —D.S.

NOTES

FOOD FOR THOUGHT “Americans have always been obsessed with the idea that eating the right foods will lead to a long and healthy life,” says Milton Moskowitz, author of The Executive’s Almanac: A Diverse Portfolio of Eclectic Business Trivia (Quick Books, 2006), a handy fact book packed with tidbits about changing consumer habits. Years ago, three square meals a day chased down with a glass of milk was the rule; today, Americans want to know not just what they’re eating, but where the food comes from and what’s happened to it before it reaches their plates. At the same time, eating more meals outside the home and more bioengineered foods may give us less control over our diets. Below, a brief look at our evolving appetites. —D.S.

1994

2004

1,755

3,137

4,050

11,998

2.8

Total sales of bottled water

$3.4 billion

$6.7 billion

Number of cooking schools

338

930

BENZENE EMISSIONS 2% oil & natural gas production 1% gasoline distribution

6% residential wood heating

Number of farmer’s markets Number of certified organic farms Number of FDA-approved bioengineered foods Percentage of adults who are vegetarian

9% other 14% open burning— prescribed and wild fires

49% mobile onroad sources

19% mobile nonroad sources

Total sales of restaurant food

$281.5 billion $440.1 billion

Source: EPA, 1999 National-Scale Air Toxics Assessment, results released in February 2006

PLENTY TIP OF THE MONTH

GROW YOUR GARDEN ORGANICALLY Who needs toxic pesticides or commercial fertilizers? You don’t have to look much further than your kitchen or backyard for natural materials to make your vegetable patch thrive all summer. Keep these tips handy to help you grow your garden the Plenty way. Happy harvesting! SPREAD IT ON Mulch conserves water, keeps roots cool, and nourishes the soil as it decomposes. Organic mulches, which are widely available at most garden centers, include compost, shredded leaves or bark, wood chips, dried grass clippings, straw, and other biodegradable materials. Deprive weeds of sunlight and air by layering 2 to 3 inches of mulch around your plants immediately after weeding, and keep mulch an inch or two away from plant stems, so that the moisture it holds doesn’t rot your plant’s roots. PLANT DENSELY Growing plants and veggies close together helps prevent weeds by depriving them of sunlight and space. If weeds do appear, pull them out immediately, before they get embedded. GETTING THE WEEDS AND BUGS OUT Many common household products can be used to eradicate pesky pests and weeds. Spray weeds with full-strength vinegar on a sunny day. The acid will kill the weeds; the sun’s heat helps it act faster. Keep pests at bay with a spicy concoction: blend five cloves of garlic and six large hot peppers, (for example, chili peppers), with one cup of water in www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

a blender. Strain the liquid into a spray bottle, adding another cup of water to it. Spray on problem areas. A soapy solution can deter aphids and other insects without harming plants. In a spray bottle, mix two tablespoons of dishwashing liquid with four liters of water. Spray the mixture directly on insects. Follow the soapy spray with a rinsing of plain water. GOOD NEIGHBORS Companion planting is a keystone of organic gardening, as each plant fulfills its unique role while also supporting and complementing others. Some plants contribute nutrients, while others repel pests or attract beneficial insects. Legumes, such as peas and beans, take nitrogen from the air and store it in soil. They’re a great companion to heavy nitrogen feeders like tomatoes or squash. Herbs and flowers can also be valuable garden companions. Coupling basil with peppers and tomatoes, for instance, enhances the flavors of each while warding off flies and mosquitoes. Lavender gives off a sharp scent that confuses pests, keeping nearby veggies safe from harm. And marigolds attract hoverflies, which prey on pesky aphids and other insects. Scatter them throughout your garden. When choosing garden companions, keep in mind their size, shape, and root system. A leafy vegetable, for instance, can shield a more delicate one from the beating sun. —Anngela Leone P L E N T Y | 17

JUNE 2006

PLENTY

event calendar

3 First day of the Printers Row Book Fair in Chicago, IL (printersrowbookfair.org). Through June 4, save a tree by picking up a used book at the largest free outdoor literary event in the Midwest.

First day of the Windpower 2006 Conference & Expo (awea.org), Pittsburgh, PA. Through June 7, wind energy professionals showcase the latest wind power technology at conference sessions and interactive tradeshows.

Every year the UNEP hosts World Environment Day (unep.org) to promote worldwide awareness of eco issues and to stimulate political action. This year’s theme is “Deserts and Desertification.”

Created in 1992, World Ocean Day is an opportunity for eco organizations to offer programs about ocean preservation. Sign the online petition to help get WOD officially recognized by the U.N. (theoceanproject.org).

First day of the National Greenbuild & Eco Show (ecoshow.com.au), Sydney, Australia. Through June 11, visitors can sample new green building products and attend the Eco Short Film Festival.

Final day of the Business Alliance for Local Living Economies (BALLE) Conference, Burlington, VT. BALLE promotes preserving community character and eco sustainability. (livingeconomies.org)

Final day of the Windfall Ecology Festival (windfallcentre.ca), Newmarket, Ontario. For two days, visitors will sample eco-friendly products and learn about sustainable living.

First day of the Great River Energy Bicycle Festival (minnbikefestival.com), which kicks off in St. Paul, MN. Watch stunt riders perform acrobatic feats and enjoy races, food, and music.

JULY 2006

Bond with your dad this Father’s Day by treating him to a weekend of ecofriendly camping. (See page 39).

Independence Day marks the opening of The Wild Center (wildcenter.org), Tupper Lake, NY. This natural history museum celebrates wild places, especially in the Adirondacks.

Protest the slaughter of 40,000 Spanish bulls every year by participating in the PETA-sponsored Running of the Nudes (runningofthenudes.com), Pamplona, Spain.

First day of SOLAR 2006 (solar2006.org), Denver, CO. The American Solar Energy Society’s annual conference will showcase renewable energy as the key to climate recovery and energy independence.

The second installment of CitySol, New York, NY. Sponsored by Solar1 (solar1.org), this event will feature renewably powered music, a green lifestyle marketplace, and interactive exhibits.

First day of the SolWest Renewable Energy Fair 2006 (solwest.org), John Day, OR. Admission includes 50 free workshops on both renewable energy and sustainable living.

Day two of Pedro’s Mountain Bike Festival (pedrosfest.com), Lanesboro, MA. One of the largest mountain bike demo and expo events in the country.

30 Sign up for the “Cause to Run” program, part of the San Francisco Marathon. The International Rivers Network, which works to stop destructive river development projects, is a featured charity (runsfm.com).

18 | P L E N T Y

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

JUNE 5 © HENRY M. WYSOCKI / UNITED STATES / UNEP; JUNE 8 PHOTO © D.DEMELLO - NY AQUARIUM / WCS; JULY 5 PHOTO © ANDER GILLENEA;

First day of the Cherry Creek Arts Festival (cherryarts.org), Denver, CO. This three-day festival has been named Colorado’s “Recycler of the Year.”

Q & A

PUMPING UP: California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger promotes his Hydrogen Highway program (above); alt-fuels advocate Daniel Emmett (below left).

Giving Hydrogen the Hard Sell DANIEL EMMETT, co-director of the nonprofit advocacy group Energy Independence Now (EIN), would like nothing more than to upend the world’s fuel market. In part due to EIN’s efforts, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger pledged to help commercialize hydrogen and fuel cell technologies; to date, 19 hydrogen fuel stations have been built in the state. In time, Emmet hopes all politicians will embrace hydrogen and give automakers incentives to develop the technology. With California’s Governator in his corner, he might just get his way. 20 | P L E N T Y

You and the Governator both had acting careers. You’ve appeared in shows like The X-Files and in a Jay-Z video. How did you make the transition into environmental advocacy? This was my original career, actually. Environmental advocacy was my “waiting tables” job to pay the bills while trying to get the acting up and running. I studied environmental policy in school and worked for Conservation International in Washington, D.C., Panama, and Costa Rica doing microenterprise development and small-scale conservation. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPH ABOVE AP PHOTO/ANN JOHANSSON

Fuel-cell advocate Daniel Emmett on why wary greenies should embrace the new technology By Philip Armour

What is Governor Schwarzenegger’s involvement with the Hydrogen Highway? If Governor Schwarzenegger hadn’t made this a personal issue, it would have been dead in the water. If you have cars and no stations, or stations and no cars, you’ve got nothing; so [Schwarzenegger] bridged the gap. The California state legislature granted him $65 million in 2005, and it looks like he’ll get the same amount for 2006 and 2007. Nineteen stations are already open. Does EIN have a political agenda or platform? No. What we do is nonpartisan. Saving ourselves and our country from environmental ruin is apolitical. But ironically, the hydrogen movement has taken some flak from within the enviro community for being associated with President Bush. He mentioned a hydrogen initiative in his 2003 State of the Union address and wants to make hydrogen from nuclear and coal energy. As a result, some

glossary FUEL CELL: A BATTERY-LIKE ENERGY SOURCE THAT CONVERTS CHEMICAL ENERGY DIRECTLY INTO ELECTRICITY BY COMBINING OXYGEN FROM THE AIR WITH HYDROGEN GAS. A FUEL CELL DOES NOT RUN DOWN OR REQUIRE RECHARGING; IT WILL PRODUCE ELECTRICITY AS LONG AS HYDROGEN IS SUPPLIED TO IT. HFCV: HYDROGEN FUEL CELL VEHICLE—A VEHICLE THAT USES A FUEL CELL TO POWER AN ELECTRIC MOTOR. GREEN HYDROGEN: HYDROGEN MADE FROM ELECTRICITY GENERATED FROM RENEWABLE RESOURCES LIKE WIND, SOLAR, BIOMASS, ETC. BLACK HYDROGEN: HYDROGEN MADE FROM ELECTRICITY GENERATED FROM NONRENEWABLE RESOURCES LIKE NUCLEAR, COAL, OR OIL-BURNING POWER PLANTS.

useful links ENERGY INDEPENDENCE NOW: ENERGYINDEPENDENCENOW.ORG CALIFORNIA HYDROGEN HIGHWAY NETWORK: HYDROGENHIGHWAY.CA.GOV U.S. DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY’S EFFICIENCY AND RENEWABLE ENERGY DIVISION: EERE.ENERGY.GOV

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

people have backed off, wanting nothing to do with “black hydrogen” or Bush. Let’s talk about this so-called black hydrogen. Right now the vast majority of hydrogen is extracted from natural gas, a process that produces carbon dioxide. The best solution seems to be producing hydrogen from water at the fueling stations where hydrogen will be sold. But this process still uses electricity, and much of this electricity is generated by polluting power plants. How do you propose making green hydrogen? We propose that California get 20 percent of its energy to produce hydrogen from renewable resources by 2010—wind, solar, biomass, geothermal, etc. We also call for no increase in particulate pollutants, like diesel fuel emissions from transporting hydrogen. Hopefully these measures will be put into effect, but that’s unclear at the moment. But let’s not throw the baby out with the bathwater. Just because making 100 percent green hydrogen is not possible does not make it a poor energy solution. Making hydrogen from natural gas is still better than making and using gasoline in terms of global warming and smog-forming emissions. No single fuel for our vehicles will save us. Hydrogen is just one answer. Battery and biofuels are also viable. It’s about near-term solutions and incremental improvements. What are the biggest problems with fuel cells as a technology? There are definitely safety concerns with storing explosive, pressurized hydrogen. But with smart design solutions, these safety issues are manageable. Arguing against hydrogen as a fuel source is a waste of breath, because the technology is sound. We just need to figure out how to make it affordable. Manufacturers are working to reduce costs by reducing the amount of expensive precious metals in the fuel cell membrane, and economies of scale will [also] bring costs down. In terms of public perception, the range of hydrogen vehicles is a problem. At this point, fuel cells can get about 150 miles per filling. The next generation in development will get closer to 250 miles per filling, but manufacturers need to up that to 300 or 350 miles to meet consumer expectations. ■ P L E N T Y | 21

T E C H N O LO GY

WEIRD SCIENCE How nanotechnology could solve a host of eco-problems

MENTION THE TERM NANOTECH and it’s likely to conjure up images of formless gray goo and miniature life-forms run amok. This young, emerging field is so potentially radical that it readily plays into sci-fi fantasies: Take Michael Crichton’s thriller Prey, about a killer nanotech swarm that escapes from a Silicon Valley start-up’s lab. Certainly nanotechnology—the science of designing and manipulating materials at a scale of one to 100 nanometers (a nanometer is one billionth of a meter; a human hair, by comparison, is 80,000 nanometers thick)— has had its share of detractors. No doubt, that’s fueled in part because at the nanoscale, familiar materials often acquire strange new properties and behavior: Gold looks ruby-red; graphite found in pencils becomes as strong as steel. Though critics contend that we don’t yet understand how nano-based materials affect human health or the environment, they also concede that done right, nanotech could alleviate some of the world’s most pressing environmental problems. Research is showing nanotech’s potential for helping reduce waste, 22 | P L E N T Y

conserve energy and natural resources, replace harmful chemicals with benign ones, and pave the way for affordable renewable energy. Nanotech, for instance, could help tackle the global challenge of providing clean water to billions of people who don’t have access to it. Companies such as eMembrane in Providence, Rhode Island, and Agua Via in Silicon Valley are making inexpensive nanoscale water filters that can trap microscopic impurities. Agua Via is commercializing a nanomembrane for water purification that’s only one molecule thick; it mimics the human kidney’s complex filtration and separation process. Battery performance and energy storage are also getting a boost from nanotech. Today’s batteries lose much of their power-producing capability and corrode over time, but nanotechniques are helping companies create smaller, lighter, more efficient batteries, says Jennifer Fonstad, managing director at venture capital firm Draper Fisher Jurvetson in Menlo Park, California. Fonstad’s company has invested in Solicore, a Lakeland, Florida, start-

up that makes thin, flexible, environmentally safe lithium polymer batteries to power tiny devices like smart cards and RFID tags. Perhaps most significant, nano-based materials and methods are leading to breakthroughs that may correct tough problems with renewable energy—especially solar power. Startups such as Konarka Technologies, HelioVolt, and Nanosolar are using nanotech to create “thin film” solar cells that are lighter, more flexible, and lower in overall cost than conventional silicon-based solar panels. Thin film is efficient at converting sunlight into energy—up to 20 percent efficiency rates, versus about 15 percent for silicon—but it has been expensive to manufacture, a challenge that nanotech is addressing. In a process akin to that of a high-tech printing press, tiny, light-sensitive nanoparticles are dispersed in “ink” that can be printed onto various materials such as metal roofing in a fast and economical way. “That wasn’t possible previously,” says Martin Roscheisen, CEO of the Palo Alto, California–based Nanosolar. The company has installed its thinJune/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

GRAPHIC © IVAN ERMANOSKI AND THEOORE E. MADEY, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY

BY AMY CORTESE

Keeping nano safe Though government agencies such as the EPA are studying the eco-effects of nanotech, currently no guidelines or regulations pertain specifically to this emerging field. In the meantime, the Washington, D.C.–based Environmental Defense (ED) and the chemical giant DuPont are working together to create a framework for “the responsible development, production, use, and disposal of nanoscale materials.” The goal, officials say, is to learn from past mistakes with “miracle” products that were rushed onto the market with little study, like asbestos and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). “There have been a lot of examples where we’ve had a really promising technology that was widely released before we understood the consequences—with disastrous results,” explains Scott Walsh, a project manager for ED. “We’re excited about nanotechnology, but its potential impact is so broad that we have to get out in front and make sure we do it right.” The work has so far been kept under wraps, but ED and DuPont plan to begin publicizing their efforts in May (after press time).

film systems at three test sites and will make them more widely available early next year. The Lowell, Massachusetts–based Konarka is focusing on integrating solar power–generating nanoparticles into plastic and fabric. It is currently developing solar tents and uniforms for the Department of Defense, and the company sees its technology being used to create other types of powergenerating furniture, clothing, and accessories. Other companies are employing nanotech to capture the full spectrum of the sun’s rays, including invisible infrared rays. In the longer term, nanotech could hold the key to the much-hyped hydrogen economy. The main challenges to achieving that vision—where cars run on efficient, hydrogen-powered fuel cells—are storing hydrogen (a volatile gas) and extracting it cleanly (because some extraction methods require burning fossil fuels). Scientists at Rutgers University have found a way to extract hydrogen from ammonia by using surfaces covered with nano-size pyramids of the element iridium, which break down the ammonia into www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

hydrogen and nitrogen without the pollution created by non-sustainable production methods (see related story, “Giving Hydrogen the Hard Sell,” page 20). “Ammonia is such a hydrogen-rich molecule, it is a good way to store hydrogen if it can be extracted easily,” says Theodore Madey, a professor of physics and chemistry at Rutgers, whose group conducted the research. So far so good—so why all the fuss? While most scientists dismiss the sci-fi notion that self-replicating nanobots would proliferate unchecked (the so-called “gray goo” scenario), some real health and environmental questions exist. Recent studies have indicated that nanoparticles can be harmful when inhaled or absorbed through dermal contact. In one study, researchers at Southern Methodist University put nano-size “buckyballs” into a fish tank with largemouth bass; within 48 hours, the fishes’ brain cells showed signs of damage. That’s especially worrisome with nanotech making its way into consumer products, including cosmetics and food. Experts also worry about nanotech

being abused by criminals and terrorists, or even by governments, which could use it to monitor their citizens. Various parties have called for more study, regulations, or even an outright moratorium on nanotech development (see “Keeping nano safe”). Still, the research continues, and the ecobenefits of nano may not end with these technologies. On a more fundamental level, nanotech could transform the way we make everything from electronics to medicine. By working directly with molecules and atoms, scientists are able to create stronger, lighter, higherperformance materials that require less energy to make and generate less waste. Rodney Brooks, director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, describes nanotech’s promise this way: “Instead of growing a tree, cutting it down, and building a table out of it, we will ultimately be able to grow the table.” It may be a while before we are growing our furniture in labs. But if we can put aside the scenarios of gray goo, we may begin to see the potential for green good. ■ P L E N T Y | 23

WHEELS

Revisiting Diesel Why the oft-maligned fuel of the ’70s is greener than ever before

BY FRANCES CERRA WHITTELSEY

24 | P L E N T Y

ON A RECENT DRIVE FROM NEW YORK TO FLORIDA, zipping along Interstate 95 at 80 miles per hour with the rest of the traffic, my car burned fuel at the efficient rate of 40 miles per gallon. My car is not a hybrid. It’s a diesel, a 2002 Volkswagen TDI Jetta that in a gasoline version consumes at least 25 percent more fuel. The fact that diesels get such good mileage is something of a secret in the U.S. Diesel cars are a rarity here—they make up less than 1 percent of cars on the road—in part because consumers are wary of them. The average person’s mental image of a diesel vehicle is a noisy bus or truck spewing smoky, smelly exhaust fumes. Moreover, in the late 1990s, diesels got caught up in California’s fight against smog. Diesel engines emit higher amounts of nitrous oxide, a major component of ground smog and of tiny particles that play a role in causing lung cancer and asthma in urban areas such as smoggy Southern California. Even though diesel trucks and buses are almost solely to blame for the problem, California requires new diesel cars to meet the same air-quality standards as gas cars, and that brought sales of new diesels there to a halt. Other states, including my home state of New York, have followed California’s lead, thus effectively shutting off about 25 percent of the U.S. car market to new diesels. These air-quality issues have also stopped environmental organizations from recommending diesels. While the Sierra Club, for example, gives the highest priority to improving mileage per gallon as a way to cut our dependence on oil and emissions of greenhouse gases, it advocates hybrids, not diesels, as the best way to achieve that goal. But as I discovered in the process of buying my Jetta, new technology has already quieted diesel cars and cleaned up the visible smoke, and updated diesel cars that meet the California standards will probably be introduced within a year. What’s more, three diesel cars made the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy’s list of the 10 most fuel-efficient models this year. Diesel vehicles, in fact, get between 20 percent and 40 percent better mileage than comparable gasoline cars, and therefore contribute less carbon dioxide—the principal greenhouse gas—to the atmosphere. Moreover, cleaner commercial diesel fuel is becoming available; the oil industry has made a commitment to remove nearly all of the sulfur from diesel fuel sold in the U.S. by this fall. And diesel engines, which use pressure rather than spark plugs to ignite the fuel, have always been able to run on cleaner-burning vegetable oil and even animal fat (which means you can make your own diesel out of waste grease from restaurants). More than ever before, diesels are a thrifty and green alternative for drivers who want to fight global warming, reduce oil consumption, and still have fun driving. Those were my motivations when I set out to buy a new car in late 2004, but at the time I wasn’t even considering a diesel. I intended to buy a hybrid. I was dismayed, however, to learn that the wait for a Toyota Prius was about a year. At a Honda dealer, I looked inside the trunk of the Civic and saw that much of it was occupied by the hybrid’s battery. No room for my golf clubs and cart? No sale. I always carry my June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

clubs with me—you never know when you can squeeze in nine holes. I was stymied until I remembered hearing that a nephew of mine was a big fan of diesels. The models I test-drove had great pickup— a pleasant surprise. Their inherently more powerful design makes it possible for tiny engines like the 1.9-liter motor in my Jetta to deliver the acceleration of a much bigger gas engine. Diesels also appealed to my thrifty nature. While they cost more—typically between $300 and $2,000 more than comparable gasoline-powered cars—diesel engines usually last for hundreds of thousands of miles and retain much more of their value as they age. I also thought I’d be getting a bargain at the pump because, historically, diesel fuel has always been cheaper than regular gasoline; as recently as the summer of 2003, it cost about five to seven cents per gallon less. But that changed with the hurricanes of 2004 that disrupted production and with growing worldwide demand for diesel fuel, particularly in China and Europe. Now diesel costs more than premium, from a few cents to as much as 30 cents or more a gallon. Nevertheless, a gallon of diesel goes a lot further than a gallon of gas, and it seemed to me that if Americans were driving more diesels, we would be importing a lot less petroleum. That’s been Europe’s strategy. There, about 40 percent of the vehicles on the road are diesels, including dozens of makes and models that aren’t even sold in North America, like the BMW 5 Series Saloon, which gets 50 miles to the gallon. In our part of the world, the only new diesel choices (besides pickups) are several Volkswagen models, the Mercedes Benz E320 CDI, and the Jeep Liberty diesel; and in Canada, the Mercedes Smart Car for Two. A Mercedes C-class sedan and an Audi diesel SUV are expected to be introduced this fall. But even more models may arrive soon as manufacturers overcome the challenge of California’s clean-air rules. The low-sulfur petroleum diesel coming this fall will make it possible for manufacturers to fit diesels with particle filters and catalytic converters to remove the unhealthy pollutants. Fuel with sulfur clogs the filters and converters so quickly that they become worthless. In fact, DaimlerChrysler announced in January that its newest diesel technology, to be used in the 2007 Mercedes E320, will comply with California’s regulations, as well as new federal emission standards for the whole country that will begin to be phased in next year. So today’s diesels are not a perfect choice. Still, the used Jetta diesel that I ended up buying met my needs for fuel efficiency and roominess. (Used diesels can be sold in all states thanks to free-market rules established years ago.) I’m not willing to make my own fuel from waste grease, but a pump supplying biodiesel (commercial-grade vegetablebased fuel) is supposed to open soon not far from me. Elsewhere, particularly in the Midwest, biodiesel is much easier to find, generally blended in with some percentage of petroleum diesel. I love the idea of a future in which we can turn away from petroleum, growing fields of soybeans or sunflowers or tanks of green algae that can be processed for oil to fuel our vehicles. Almost 100 years ago, Dr. Rudolf Diesel, who invented the engine that bears his name, recognized that the ability to run diesels on vegetable oil could mean energy freedom. He foresaw that no one anywhere in the world would have to be dependent on foreign petroleum. My car is my way of trying to make his vision come true. ■

2006’s Most Fuel-Efficient Cars When buying any car, keep in mind that real-life mileage can be considerably less than sticker estimates. The Toyota Prius, for example, got a combined 43 miles per gallon driving around a hilly, suburban community and on the highway. My Jetta diesel averages about 31 miles per gallon under the same conditions. Diesels are most efficient for highway driving, whereas hybrids are better for city conditions with stop-and-start traffic. Hybrid batteries reduce cargo space, something to keep in mind if you have children or take lots of road trips. Hybrids also cost about $3,500 more, on average, than their gasoline counterparts, but tax credits can help close the gap. You’ll pay between $300 and $2,000 more for a diesel vehicle. Model 1. Honda Insight Hybrid, 2-seater, manual 2. Toyota Prius Hybrid 3. Honda Civic Hybrid, automatic 4. Volkswagen New Beetle, manual, diesel VW Golf, manual, diesel 5. VW Jetta, manual, diesel 6. Ford Escape Hybrid SUV front wheel drive, automatic 7. VW Jetta, Diesel, automatic VW New Beetle, automatic, diesel 8. VW Golf, automatic, diesel 9. Ford Escape Hybrid SUV, 4WD Mazda Tribute Hybrid SUV, 4WD Mercury Mariner Hybrid SUV, 4WD 10. Lexus RX400h Hybrid SUV, 2WD Toyota Highlander Hybrid SUV, 2WD

city/hwy 60/66 60/51 49/51 37/44 37/44 36/41 36/31

Sticker Price $19,330 $21,725 $21, 850 $18,390 $19,580 $21,605 $26,980

35/42 35/42 33/44 33/29 33/29 33/29 33/28 33/28

$22,680 $19,465 $20,655 $28,525 NA* $29,225 $44,660 $33,030

*NA = Not available Sources: Manufacturers & 2006 Fuel Economy Guide published by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy.

Diesels are a thrifty and green alternative for drivers who want to fight global warming, reduce oil consumption, and still have fun driving. www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 25

GREEN BUSINESS

FLY RIGHT Buying carbon offsets for air travel can reduce your environmental footprint—or just alleviate your guilt BY JENNY GAGE

With the help of online calculators, you can estimate the amount of carbon dioxide your air travel would generate, and then match this figure to the financial support needed to subtract an equivalent amount of CO2 from the global equation.

26 | P L E N T Y

WE’VE ALL HEARD THE SCARY STATISTICS about the climbing rates of carbon dioxide emissions from human activities. But let’s imagine, just for argument’s sake, that we agreed to limit emissions of the heat-trapping gas to the quantity that the world’s forests and oceans can absorb each year. Assuming equal distribution of “polluting rights” among all 6.5 billion people on earth, each of us would be allowed a maximum of 6,600 pounds of CO2 emissions per year. That sounds like a lot until you do the math. You’ve probably got a refrigerator, right? That will cost you 220 pounds each year. Those 20 miles you commute each day? Subtract 4,400 pounds from your budget. Taking a flight from New York to Costa Rica to hug some trees in the rainforest? Uh oh. That’ll be 4,000 pounds. Game over! Or is it? When the name of the game is global warming, there’s little doubt that we are only starting to pay for a pattern of consumption that stretches back to the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Atmospheric concentrations of CO2 have been rising steadily in recent years. And while many human activities, particularly driving, release CO2 into the atmosphere, air travel is a noteworthy culprit. Some climatologists say that aircraft emissions such as nitrogen oxides exacerbate the heat-trapping qualities of CO2 when they’re released at high altitude—say, from a jet engine at a 30,000foot cruising altitude. For those who wish to make amends for their jet-setting habits, a growing number of

organizations sell peace of mind in the form of carbon offsets. With the help of online calculators, you can estimate the amount of CO2 your air travel would generate, and then match this figure to the financial support needed to subtract an equivalent amount of CO2 from the global equation. American Forests (americanforests.org), for example, can remove an estimated 5 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere each year with every acre of trees it plants. Other companies sell offsets to provide funding for renewable-energy projects or energy efficiency initiatives (see sidebar for details). For some consumers, buying offsets has proven to be a handy way of evening the score. Steve Greenberg, an energy management engineer at the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California, recently purchased about $300 worth of offsets from the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (greentagsusa.org) after attending a six-person family gathering in Edmonton, Alberta, with a side road trip to nearby Jasper National Park. He and his wife also spent “a sizeable chunk” to offset the flights that the entire wedding party took to their nuptials in 2002. “Offsetting assuages our guilt,” he admits, though the couple’s use of rooftop solar panels to generate household electricity and power their electrical car would seem to place them above reproach. “It’s an additional lever we can pull to move the economics and production of electric power in the right direction.” Though buying offsets is appealing in theory, some environmental advocates wonJune/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

der if they deliver the benefits promised, while others question the wisdom of letting consumers sidestep the remorse that unsustainable choices should entail. Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s global warming program, concedes that these initiatives can raise awareness about the environmental impact of flying and other lifestyle choices. But, he warns, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we need people to cut their pollution. If buying offsets makes people feel less guilty about their polluting ways, our children lose out.â&#x20AC;? Others disagree. Mitch Rofsky, cofounder of Better World Club, an auto club similar to AAA that offers travel-related carbon offsets, points to improvements his company has made to public schools in Portland, Oregon, with offsets purchased by green-minded customersâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;including the installation of occupancy sensors to switch lights off when a room is empty and new, efficient natural-gas furnaces in place of oilburning models. Rofsky doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t believe that everyone who buys offsets does so to excuse high-polluting lifestyles, although some people may fall into that category, he concedes. Judging the value of various offset projects is a bit tricky. Better World Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projects have been certified by the Climate Neutral Network, a team of consultants that helps consumers evaluate the quality and duration of their green investments. But not all projects have been reviewed by independent groups, and because the United States did not ratify the Kyoto Protocol, efforts to establish federal regulatory boards

or rating criteria have yet to be developed. In most cases, consumers will have to rely on their consciences and judgment when choosing which programs to support. There are signs, though, that these decisions will get simpler in the future. Recent pledges from more than 200 U.S. mayors and a coalition of seven Northeastern states to limit greenhouse gas emissions raise hopes that local efforts can make broader ones more feasible. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We need new regulations that get the worst-performing products out of the marketplace and drive investment in new, better incentives for cleaner technologies,â&#x20AC;? says Dale Bryk, an attorney overseeing state climate policy for the Natural Resources Defense Council. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nothing we can do until we get there.â&#x20AC;? Bryk stresses supporting CO2 reductions beyond existing measures, as well as thinking critically about how offset funds are used: Reforestation projects may be risky, for instance, because planting one tree might justify cutting down another elsewhere. Whether or not you buy offsets for your rainforest vacation, the most important thing you can do is look for ways to put your daily transportation strategies on a carbon diet. Telecommute and take public transportation to work when possible. When traveling long distances, take a train instead of a commuter flight, or combine business and vacation itineraries into a single trip. After all, there are many ways to have a bon voyage. â&#x2013;

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PLANNING A GREAT ESCAPE BUT DONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T WANT TO LEAVE YOUR CONSCIENCE BEHIND? HERE ARE A FEW ORGANIZATIONS THAT OFFER CARBON OFFSETS.

"REATHING IS EFFORTLESS "ACK 0AIN DISAPPEARS

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Better World Club (betterworldclub.com): This ecoâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;auto club sells offsets for travel-related emissions and donates the proceeds by adding environmental amenities to public schools in Portland, Oregon. $11 per domestic flight. Carbon Fund (carbonfund.org): A nonprofit group that purchases pollution credits from the Chicago Climate Exchange, thereby lowering the maximum carbon emissions for the exchangeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s member companies. $5.50 per ton. One-time, monthly, quarterly, and annual payments available. Bonneville Environmental Foundation (greentagsusa.org): A Climate Neutral Networkâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;certified nonprofit that supports the production of renewable wind and solar power in the United States and Canada. Approximately $27 per ton. One-time and monthly payments available. Native Energy (nativeenergy.com): This Native Americanâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;owned energy company harnesses wind and solar power as well as farm-generated methane to produce electricity. $12 per ton of carbon offsets. Sustainable Travel International (sustainabletravelinternational.org): A Swiss-based charity promoting renewable-energy and efficiency projects in developing countries. Approximately $18 per ton.

(EAD IS STRAIGHT 3HOULDERS ROLL BACK 3PINE AND 0ELVIS ALIGN

WWW EARTH US

4RANQUIL

BOOKS

WARMING TRENDS Two new books illuminate the politics and perils of coal energy and the emerging science behind GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

BIG COAL BY JEFF GOODELL HOUGHTON MIFFLIN, $25.95

WHEN THINKING ABOUT SEX, or places in which to have it, a coal mine is not the first locale that comes to mind. So it was curious when about a year ago General Electric began airing a racy TV ad touting the seductive power of coal. Shot in sensual sepia, the ad featured a group of young, sexy men and women striking sweaty poses in what appeared to be a coal mine (it was actually a set). “Imagine,” said an off-screen narrator, “if a 250-year supply of energy were right here at home.” Cut to a gorgeous model staring down the camera. “Harnessing the power of coal is looking more beautiful every day.” As journalist Jeff Goodell argues in his important new book, Big Coal, GE’s ad is part of a larger campaign by mining companies, trans-continental railroads, coal-fired electric utilities, and their bought-and-paidfor representatives to portray coal as the future of an energy-independent United States. The premise of that scenario? The United States possesses more coal than any other country—we are, as Goodell puts it, “the Saudi Arabia of coal”—and in a post9/11 world, the prospect of an energy source free of Mid East entanglements, along with enough energy for a quarter-millennium, sounds pretty appealing. That’s why 28 | P L E N T Y

President Bush in his 2006 State of the Union speech followed his declaration that “America is addicted to oil” with a call for $2 billion into research on “clean coal technologies.” The United States, Bush said, has enough coal to last for 200 years. Is coal the answer to our energy problems? It would be nice to think so. But as Goodell shows, the truth about coal is not only more complicated than President Bush would suggest, it has also been manipulated, covered up, or just plain ignored for decades by those who profit from the coal economy. That 250-year figure mentioned in the GE ad, for example, is little better than a guesstimate from a 1974 survey by a scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey. Much, maybe most, of the coal in the United States is either too difficult to mine or of too poor quality to be economically feasible. Certainly we depend on coal more than we realize. About half the electricity Americans use comes from coal, and Goodell says that the average American consumes about 20 pounds of the stuff every day. Meanwhile, coal capitalists push the idea that their product brings Americans cheap and “increasingly clean” energy, and the White House has proposed building hundreds of new coal-burning power plants. But the real price of coal is far more than what shows up on our monthly electric bill. It is the devastation coal mining wreaks on the American landscape; the disease and premature death associated with that mining and with the emissions from coal burning; the political corruption coal profits buy; and the planetary trauma that global warming will effect. Statistics on the health effects of coal are hard to come by, but since 1900 more than 100,000 Americans have been killed in coal mine accidents, and Goodell says that another 200,000 miners have died from black lung disease. Meanwhile, the environmental devastation is horrific: in Appalachia alone, the waste from coal mining has destroyed 700 miles of rivers and streams and transformed 400,000 acres of forest into sterile flatland.

Buying coal-powered electricity turns out not to be such a bargain after all. Grim news, yes. But the story of coal does make an unexpectedly lively read, considering its lethal and inanimate protagonist. Goodell muckrakes in the tradition of Ida Tarbell, Rachel Carson, and Eric Schlosser, leading us confidently, if ruefully, on a tour through the world of coal, from the “dig” to the “burn” to the “heat.” Goodell takes us to places most of us will never see (and probably don’t want to). He visits a woman whose West Virginia home is constantly threatened by flash floods thanks to such coal mining techniques as “mountain-top removal” and “valley fills” (both exactly what they sound like). He travels to a Wyoming mine to help blow up 55,000 pounds of explosives—“the earth lifted like a giant blanket beneath my feet”—which are used to break up the ground for easier coal extraction. He rides a milelong coal train on the Burlington Northern Santa Fe line to explain not only how coal is hauled across the country but also why railroad conglomerates have such a powerful interest in promoting the use of coal. The one place, sadly, to which Goodell can not gain entry is the White House. Nonetheless, it is still disturbing to read about how much Vice President Dick Cheney’s secret energy commission and its recommendations were influenced by the fact that his home state, Wyoming, may contain more coal than any other state. (And, to be sure, it’s not only Republicans who are peddling coal; Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, a Democrat, is pushing coal as an economic remedy for his struggling state.) As Cheney and other coal capitalists surely know, most Americans never think about coal. We turn on our air conditioners and flip on our lights without considering the real source of that power—the atmospheredestroying utilities, the continent-crossing railroads, the earth-scarring mines, their human casualties. Big Coal shows the true cost of our ignorance. —Richard Bradley June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

THE WEATHER MAKERS: How Man is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth BY TIM FLANNERY ATLANTIC MONTHLY PRESS, $24

“SO THE OCEANS RISE AN INCH OR TWO,” a puckish friend said recently. “So what?” It was an aggravating question, not least because I didn’t have an answer. Most of us have heard by now that human activity is upsetting the atmospheric balance that has made the planet hospitable for human civilization. Heat-trapping greenhouse gases, particularly carbon dioxide, regulate the earth’s temperature; releasing the earth’s accumulated store of carbon into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels is heating up the planet. But answering the decisive question—so what?—requires a fuller understanding of the complicated science of climate change than most nonspecialists have. Australian biologist Tim Flannery has written a book that will equip the common reader with an understanding of why global warming will become, as he puts it, “the

only issue.” The Weather Makers provides a remarkably thorough survey of the subject of climate change, bringing this abstract and diffuse issue to life. Of course it’s not a particularly pleasant life. The possibilities that Flannery describes sound like doom mongering: three out of five species extinct by 2100, coastal cities inundated by rising oceans, hurricanes of terrifying force ripping apart our cities, drought leading to famine and disease on an unprecedented scale. (So what indeed.) But even the most outlandish of his scenarios proceeds from a daunting array of scientific evidence: 2005 was the hottest year on record, nine of the ten hottest years have occurred since 1990, and Greenland’s glaciers are melting at a rate ten times faster than previously thought. The earth is warming at a rate 30 times the speed of the warming that changed the planet from an icy wasteland to our present temperate climate beginning 10,000 years ago. Flannery hopscotches around the globe to places where climate change has already

had an impact—from the Costa Rican jungles to the Arctic Circle. Along the way he deploys almost every relevant scientific study written on the subject. The cumulative effect is devastating without being cumbersome: the studies are summarized deftly, and Flannery manages to be both comprehensive and concise. His disquieting work ends with a measure of hope. We already have all the technology we need to move toward a carbon-free economy, he notes, and only entrenched interests and political resistance stand in the way of the transition. Britain cut carbon emissions by 14 percent from 1990 levels by emphasizing efficiency and existing solar, wind, and wave technologies—a reduction that the United States could surely replicate if the political will existed. In the meantime, he notes, “we can all make a difference and help combat climate change at almost no cost to our lifestyle.” (“If you wish to make a real contribution to combating climate change,” he notes, “don’t wait for the hydrogen economy—buy a hybrid fuel car.”) This bleak yet hopeful book tells what may become the central story of our time, a story that we still have the power to ensure is one of disaster averted. —Wesley Yang

New and Noteworthy REAL FOOD: What to Eat and Why BY NINA PLANCK (BLOOMSBURY, $23.95)

Planck, founder of the nonprofit Local Foods, believes butter, bacon, and full-fat cheese—in moderation—can be good for you. She cites scientific studies that back up her claims and also weaves in personal tales of her childhood on a farm, including a humorous firsthand account of her illfated attempt at a vegan diet. THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ISLAND: A Novel BY MICHEL HOUELLEBECQ (KNOPF, $24.95)

Newly translated from the French, this novel is a series of vignettes told from the perspective of a man living in a future in which a cult of health freaks is working to eliminate the need for emotions and to replace reproduction with cloning. WILDFIRE AND AMERICANS: How to Save Lives, Property, and Your Tax Dollars BY ROGER G. KENNEDY (HILL & WANG, $26)

Kennedy, former director of the National Park Service, explains how our increased dependence on natural resources has caused more frequent and intense wildfires over the last 50 years. Calling wildfire a “people problem,” Kennedy offers practical, hopeful policy solutions. www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 29

BIONEERS 17 th ANNUAL CONFERENCE A 3-DAY EVENT THAT INSPIRES AND UNIFIES: • P LENARIES

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GREEN GEAR

Good

Sports

How will you spend your summer weekends? Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going camping or playing catch in the backyard, these goods will make you an eco-MVP

1 TESTING, TESTING (ecoshack.com) This prototype tent, the Thermalwing, won a green tent competition run by Ecoshack, a California-based design lab. It reflects heat from the sun to warm the sleeping surface and was tested for 10 days in Joshua Tree National Park.

T I H G ROU

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 31

H E A LT H

GREEN GEAR

TRAIL BL AZERS

GOOD IN-TENT-IONS $300 (kelty.com) Purchase Kelty’s ultralight Ridge tent and you’ll have more places to use it: Kelty cofounded the Conservation Alliance, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting wilderness areas like California’s South Yuba River.

summer DON’T BUG ME $13 (sundancesolar.com) Who needs DEET? Repel mosquitoes with this solarpowered gadget. It charges up in three hours and mimics the ultra-high-frequency sound of a male mosquito. The only mosquitoes that bite are females who recently mated, so the idea is that they’ll steer clear of what they perceive to be another male.

32 | P L E N T Y

camp

4 EASY BAKE $189 (sunoven.com) A sun oven can bake, boil, or steam just about anything. By capturing solar energy, it reaches temperatures of up to 400 degrees. The flame-free design makes it ideal for campground cookouts. (Remember, only you can prevent forest fires.)

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

GREEN GEAR

make a

DRINK

splash

LEADER OF THE PACK

GO WITH THE FLOW $200 (berkeywater.com) A must on long camping trips, Berkeyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s water purifier relies on gravity to pull water through its filtration system. Popular with missionaries and others who travel in developing countries, the Berkey can even make untreated water from lakes and ponds drinkable.

34 | P L E N T Y

$85 (ecolution.com) Durable renewable hemp makes up the bulk of this super-strong, waterproof, multicompartment backpack. Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to love?

6 FLOAT ON $108 (rei.com) Hit the high seas in ecofriendly style. This personal flotation device is filled with organically grown and sustainably harvested kapok, a buoyant, water-resistant plant fiber.

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

GREEN GEAR

8 BATTING PRACTICE $70 (mizunousa.com) Fast-growing bamboo has been used for all kinds of products including clothing, flooring, and cabinets. Because it’s harder than maple or red oak, it makes for a pretty awesome baseball bat, too.

NET WORTH $200 (lynxleisure.com) The frame of this portable soccer net—part of Dom Sports’s EnviroSport line—is 100 percent recycled commercial and industrial scrap and can be recycled again when you’re done with it. EnviroSport earned the Canadian EcoLogo (the equivalent of a Green Seal in the United States) and helped establish guidelines for eco-friendly sporting goods.

league

of their own N! O E M GA

10 TEE TIME $25 for 1,000 tees (ecogolf.com) Indiana-based Eco Golf offers two types of biodegradable tees: one is a composite material that breaks down over time with the help of natural additives, while the other is made from corn polymer, a renewable material.

36 | P L E N T Y

QUITE A CATCH $250 (carpentertrade.com) Send in a tracing of your hand and Scott Carpenter will make you a custom-crafted baseball glove that’s designed to last a lifetime (and also happens to be vegan).

DISK JOCKEY $3.50 (dtworld.com) The ultimate summer accessory, this cleverly named “Reflyer” is a colorful disc made from 60 percent postconsumer recycled materials.

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

10 Reasons to Join the World Future Society

As a member of the world’s largest and most enduring organization devoted to building tomorrow today, you will... 1. Stay on top of the trends that could change your world. 2. Participate in a network of accomplished professionals in many fields. 3. Learn from insightful articles and special reports by business and technology insiders, visionary scholars, and professional futurists. 4. Develop strategies that will make you a valued leader in your community. 5. Look at the world through a wider lens, with multiple perspectives. 6. Think more creatively, inspired by new ideas from innovative problem solvers. 7. Work more productively, using tools developed by experienced futurists and experts. 8. Discover innovations in fields you would not otherwise be exposed to. 9. Access vital resources on the future available nowhere else. 10. Receive THE FUTURIST, the Society’s premier magazine covering forecasts, trends, and ideas about the future. One-year membership in the World Future Society ($49) includes subscriptions to THE FUTURIST bimonthly magazine and Futurist Update, the monthly e-mail newsletter—and much more! Join online at www.wfs.org/member.htm, call toll-free 1-800-989-8274 Monday-Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern time, or use this form:

❑ Yes! I want to join the World Future Society and begin receiving THE FUTURIST and much more. Enclosed is $49 for my first year’s dues. (❑ Check here if this is to renew a membership.) ❑ Student membership ($20 for full-time student under 25). Age:

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World Future Society, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 450, Bethesda, Maryland 20814, U.S.A. • Fax: 1-301-951-0394 • E-mail: info@wfs.org

OFF THE BEATEN

PATH Deep within America’s national parks and forests lie pristine, ultraprotected spots called wilderness areas—and most of us are only a day trip away from one. Hike secluded trails, take on Class IV rapids, and support the continued protection of these spaces. Plenty’s wilderness guide shows you how. By Kate Siber

38 | P L E N T Y

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

T TOOK MERE MINUTES before I was out of earshot of the parking lot and into the light-dappled pine forest. I noticed footprints in the wet earth as I followed a trail up switchbacks carved into the mountainside, but I didn’t see a soul. Between the bare trees to the northeast shone Trout Lake and Yellow Mountain, its craggy, snow-dusted peak iridescent in the midmorning sun. Soon I encountered early-fall snow myself—a foot of it. Slowly, on this nine-mile hike to the base of Lizard Head, one of Colorado’s most challenging mountains, I became wild like my surroundings. I slogged through snow, my pant legs wet to my knees. I lost the trail and regained it. I slipped off the edge of a hillside while navigating mud-smeared rocks. I reached the road at sunset, my feet blistered, throat parched, stomach empty, soul happy. This is the Lizard Head Wilderness, 10 miles outside Telluride, Colorado, a rugged and pristine spot that in 1980 was designated a “wilderness area.” It takes an act of Congress to garner this designation, the highest form of protection for federally owned public lands. Wilderness areas don’t have to be completely untouched by humanity. Established grazing can continue, as can sustainable hunting and angling. But no industries can mine resources, and no motorized or mechanized activities are allowed: no mountain bikes, dirt bikes, ATVs, or snowmobiles, though there is an exception for wheelchairs. U.S. presidents, congressmen, and land-management agencies like the Forest, National Park, and Fish and Wildlife Services can recommend tracts of wildernessworthy land to Congress, but it’s often citizens armed with GPS units, cameras, and gumption who identify areas that fit the official designation established by the Wilderness Act of 1964. (They should be at least 5,000 acres; and “the imprint of man’s work [should be] substantially unnoticeable.”) And frequently, disparate groups like hunters, environmentalists, and small-business owners come together to sponsor a wilderness bill. In the process, they’re discovering an oft-forgotten truth: When people realize exactly what wilderness means, they’re almost always in favor of it. “Not only is wilderness public land that a variety of people can use, it’s something that politicians from different sides of the aisle can agree on,” says Jon Owen, a government-affairs repre-

sentative with the nonprofit Campaign for America’s Wilderness. There’s no doubt that President George W. Bush is not a chum of conservationists, but preserving wilderness is one environmental issue to which he is amenable. Mostly because of the persistence of bipartisan wilderness supporters, Bush has signed nine wilderness bills, adding 1.4 million acres to the 105.2 million acres in the National Wilderness Preservation System. Since last October those designations have included the dry grasslands of the Ojito Wilderness in New Mexico, the tropical forests of El Toro Wilderness in Puerto Rico, and the 100,000-acre Cedar Mountain Wilderness in Utah. HAVING ACCESS TO NATURE lets us find solitude and remember who we are against a backdrop that changes cyclically and predictably. We all have places—a stream with a mossy rock perfect for snoozing, a knobby lookout with an old oak for shade, a sunstruck wildflower meadow—that etch themselves into our consciousness. For many of us, these areas are wilderness, literally and spiritually. Being there, or simply knowing they exist, is both comforting and exhilarating. But we also need wilderness to survive in a tangible way. More than 60 percent of the U.S. population gets its drinking water from rivers that run through forests, according to the EPA. Trees filter pollutants and absorb carbon dioxide: according to American Forests, trees in Washington, D.C. absorb 878,000 pounds of chemicals each year. Wilderness can help fuel rural economies, too. A 1995 U.S. Forest Service study found that national forests generate $125 billion a year, 75 percent of which is recreation based. “The importance that our society places on wildlife, on open spaces, on clean air, on clean water—those values are not weakening, they’re getting stronger,” says Matt Skroch, executive director of Arizona’s Sky Island Alliance, which has proposed the Coronado National Forest’s Tumacacori Highlands as wilderness. “There’s a growing desire to protect these places.” The five locations depicted in the following pages are poised to become our country’s next great wilderness areas. Take your spouse, your partner, your kids, or go alone. Fight for these areas, support them, but most importantly, enjoy them.

Get involved To learn how to support local wilderness campaigns, contact your state-based conservation organization or a national group like the Wilderness Society (800-8439453, wilderness.org), which works to protect wild areas through scientific research and advocacy, or the Campaign for America’s Wilderness (202-544-3691, leaveitwild.org), which helps people develop successful wilderness petitions.

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 39

OFF THE

BEATEN

PATH SOUTHERN ARIZONA’S CORONADO National Forest lies where the Chihuahuan and Sonoran deserts, the Colorado Plateau, and the Sierra Madre Occidental meet. Within it are the Tumacacori Highlands, a bewitching land of madrean oak forests, rocky peaks, and mesquite-and-scrub grasslands. Coronado likely explored here in the 16th century on his search for the seven cities of gold; Apaches roamed the high mountains; and in the 17th century Catholics started the country’s first mission not far from the current art colony of Tubac. It’s also rumored that Jesuit priests stashed billions of dollars worth of gold and treasure somewhere in these mountains. Today the area is a haven for plentiful, diverse, and rare wildlife, including the parrotlike elegant trogon, the Mexican vine snake, and the Chiricahua leopard frog. Even jaguars, which were thought to be extinct in these parts, have been spotted in the last decade.

The Tumacacori’s historical, cultural, and natural cachet explain why a group of local citizens and conservation organizations have banded together to campaign for 84,000 of its acres to be labeled as wilderness. “There are beautiful lookouts, high mountains with cliffs, and some wonderful peaks,” says Ellie Kurtz, 75, a local resident who has lived on a ranch near the north boundary of the proposed wilderness area for 30 years. Conservationists are concerned that rapid development may threaten Tumacacori: Arizona is the secondfastest-growing state in the nation. What’s more, a local utility company has proposed running a 345-kilovolt power line through the area to assuage power outages in Nogales; such construction might disqualify the area from receiving a wilderness designation. Next up? Proponents are looking to Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to introduce legislation this year.

Wild, Wild West THE TUMACACORI HIGHLANDS IN ARIZONA It’s well worth the 1,500-foot climb to Atascosa Lookout, the old fire tower north of Nogales where Edward Abbey, author of The Monkey Wrench Gang, spent the summer of 1968. On the fourmile round-trip hike from the trailhead off Ruby Road, you’ll have unobstructed views of starkly beautiful desertscapes, including Baboquivari Peak to the west, the rugged spires of Sycamore Canyon to the south, and the Santa Rita Mountains to the east. Some say that on a clear day you can even see Mexico’s Sea of Cortez. Come evening, stake a campsite at the secluded Pena Blanca Campground, about three miles from the trailhead. Southern Arizona’s mild weather and cloudless skies mean you’ll have orchestra seats to some of the country’s best stargazing. Spot Scorpius or Sagittarius, or, in August, count the Perseids as they prance across the sky. The next day, angle for bass and bluegill in nearby Pena Blanca Lake, which abuts the proposed wilderness area and is flanked by views of the Atacosa cliffs and 1,000-foot canyon bluffs.

DETAILS AND RESOURCES To support the Tumacacori Highlands wilderness proposal, contact the Sky Island Alliance (520-624-7080, tumacacoriwild.org). The Coronado National Forest (520-388-8300, fs.fed.us/r3/coronado) has visitor information. 40 | P L E N T Y

PHOTOGRAPHS BY MATT SKROCH

GO THERE

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 41

OFF THE

BEATEN

PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY CALIFORNIA WILD HERITAGE CAMPAIGN

PATH

42 | P L E N T Y

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

Natural Treasures CALIFORNIA’S NORTHERN COASTLINE

WHEN GOVERNOR ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, more than 20 California county supervisors, wineries, ranches, timber companies, Native American tribes, and church groups support a wilderness bill, you’d imagine Capitol Hill would take notice. In the case of the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, also known as the North Coast Wilderness Bill, that’s exactly what happened. With the help of numerous public meetings and input from citizens, Senators Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) painstakingly adjusted boundaries and drafted legislation agreeable to diverse Californians. As of press time, the bill had passed the Senate and was awaiting a House vote. It will potentially designate 14 different areas of Northern California’s public lands— more than 300,000 acres—as wilderness, including parts of the Mendocino and Six River National Forest and the Black Butte River. In addition to dozens of species of wildflowers, animals like the Chinook salmon, bald eagle, Roosevelt elk, and goshawk find havens in these rugged landscapes. Cedar Roughs in Napa County is home to one of the last wild black bear populations in the state and the biggest grove of rare Sargent cypress in the world. In King Range, you’ll find the Lost Coast, which is the longest stretch of undeveloped coastline in the United States outside Alaska. The second-largest bald eagle population in California spends the winter in the proposed 30,870-acre Cache Creek Wilderness. GO THERE During the 21-mile, two-day raft ride on Cache Creek, both the Class III rapids and the scenery—bald eagles, elk, and steep volcanic canyon walls—will vie for your attention. You can also easily spend four days exploring the sand, pebble, and boulder beaches of Lost Coast Trail in the proposed King Range Wilderness; there are a total of 25 rough-hewn miles of highway-free shoreline. For a day trip try the four-mile Bug Creek Trail in the proposed Mad River Buttes Wilderness, where views of the Pacific and the Trinity Alps await.

DETAILS AND RESOURCES To support the Northern California Coastal Wild Heritage Wilderness Act, contact the California Wild Heritage Campaign (916-442-3155, californiawild.org). For information on recreation in the proposed wilderness areas, get in touch with the Mendocino National Forest (530-934-3316, fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino), Six Rivers National Forest (707-442-1721, fs.fed.us/r5/sixrivers), Ukiah field office of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) (707-468-4000, blm.gov/ca/ukiah), or the Arcata field office of the BLM (707-825-2300, blm.gov/ca/arcata). Cache Canyon River Trips offers two-day rafting excursions ($100-$150 per person; 530-796-3091, cachecanyon.com). www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

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PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY ONRC AND TOM IRRACI

PATH

Lewis and Clark Country MT. HOOD NATIONAL FOREST IN OREGON THERE’S NO DOUBT that parts of the 1,067,043-acre Mount Hood National Forest in Oregon deserve wilderness designation; the question is how much of it will get that label. Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who introduced legislation into the Senate in 2004, would like to see 177,000 of the forest’s acres allocated as wilderness. Representatives Greg Walden (R-OR) and Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who introduced legislation in late March, proposed 77,500 acres. And according to the Oregon Natural Resources Council (ONRC), 261,000 acres are worthy of the designation. The forest is home to Douglas fir trees that are up to 300 feet tall and as wide as station wagons, as well as at-risk wildlife like the northern spotted owl. Its rivers supply water to more than a quarter of Oregon’s residents. Wolverines, deer, and elk walk the high ridges, lush forests, and meadows packed 44 | P L E N T Y

with lupines and balsamroot. But best of all, the area is only an hour’s drive from Portland, offering outstanding recreation to millions of city dwellers. And more than 4 million people take advantage of it each year. “When you get out there, you feel like you’re in a sanctuary,” says Leslie Logan, a schoolteacher in the greater Portland area, who has visited the forest with her Quaker group and her two sons. “It’s rich and green. It’s this incredibly pristine place. How much do we have left that we can still call wild?” In the next year or so, perhaps a bit less: according to the ONRC, parts of the forest may be leased to timber companies, and the logging could render the areas unworthy of wilderness designation. Nature enthusiasts are hopeful that the legislation Representatives Walden and Blumenauer just introduced will help stave off this development. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

GO THERE Explore some of the proposed wilderness area’s old-growth forests, raging rivers, and toothy peaks by means of sustainable, human-powered travel. Bite off a threeday, 30-mile section of the Pacific Crest Trail, starting at Lolo Pass. You’ll hike through the Hatfield Wilderness area before reaching the Columbia River Gorge, which is rife with dramatic cliffs and waterfalls. Or opt for a one-day raft trip down the Class II-III rapids of the upper Clackamas River, which cuts through the proposed wilderness area and is flanked by steep, green hillsides and basalt cliffs. You’ll spot ospreys, falcons, herons, and the occasional otter along the way.

DETAILS AND RESOURCES To support the Lewis and Clark Mount Hood Wilderness Proposal, contact the Oregon Natural Resources Council (503-283-6343, oregonwild.org). The Mount Hood National Forest (503-668-1700, fs.fed.us/r6/mthood) is a good resource for visitors. Rafters can get in touch with Clackamas River Adventures for daylong trips ($80 per day; 800-909-7238, clackamasriver.com).

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

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Gold Mine

THE MONONGAHELA NATIONAL FOREST IN WEST VIRGINIA AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY West Virginia’s Monongahela National Forest was logged so extensively that the nearby Ohio River flooded. Today the so-called Mon has rebounded: its 919,000 acres grow rhododendrons and orchids along with red spruce, oak, maple, hickory, black locust, sassafras, and white pine. Within these lush forests, black bears, deer, beaver, northern goshawks, and wild turkeys roam freely, and trout fill the streams. No more than a day’s drive away for one-third of the country’s population, the Mon is considered a valuable attraction, especially because the East Coast harbors less than 4 percent of the country’s wilderness. “In the east there aren’t many places where there’s this much natural land, where you can have solitude and no intrusions of noise or human devel46 | P L E N T Y

opment,” says Beth Little, 67, a former consultant who has lived in the area for 30 years. “It’s really precious, and we’ve got to protect it.” In 2002, others who felt similarly began the process of identifying the wilderness-worthy portions of the forest. And in 2004 the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition officially proposed 143,000 acres. The Mon already houses five wilderness areas, but it’s not surprising that locals want to protect more of the land. Some timber companies oppose any additional legislation, but most residents and local businesses support it as a way to boost the state’s burgeoning tourism industry. West Virginia’s five members of Congress have decided to wait for recommendations from the Forest Service, anticipated in July or August, before drafting legislation to designate wilderness.

GO THERE If you’re an angler, camp near trout-rich Seneca Creek and try your hand at catching dinner. For a day-hike, the 2.2-mile Blackbird Knob Trail boasts views of Cabin Mountain and the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge. Or take a long weekend and tackle the 24-mile North Fork Mountain Trail, where you could spot snowshoe hares, cottontails, Virginia northern flying squirrels, and Cheat Mountain salamanders. Even the eastern cougar is rumored to prowl the pines.

DETAILS AND RESOURCES To support the Monongahela National Forest wilderness proposal, contact the West Virginia Wilderness Coalition (304-864-5530, wvwild.org). The Monongahela National Forest (304-636-1800, fs.fed.us/r9/mnf) has information on recreation.

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

AT FIRST THE Wild Sky Wilderness Proposal, a call for the protection of 106,000 acres of Washington’s Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, was controversial because snowmobile users and seaplane pilots worried it would hinder their recreational use of the area. But after many compromises and modifications, the campaign is now supported by a diverse group of outdoor enthusiasts and more than 120 elected officials in Washington State. In a 2003 Senate committee hearing, the Bush administration agreed to sign the bill, which passed in the Senate last July and, at

press time, was awaiting a House vote. Wild Sky would be the state’s first new national forest wilderness in more than 20 years. It would protect low-elevation forests, including statuesque old-growth Douglas fir and cedar, and it would be a blissful playground for wildlife like Northern spotted owls, pileated woodpeckers, pine marten, bald eagles, cougars, and deer. What’s more, the North Fork Skykomish River and its streams host some of the most plentiful stocks of wild steelhead, bull trout, coho, and king salmon in the Puget Sound area.

Old Growth Glory MOUNT BAKER-SNOQUALMIE NATIONAL FOREST IN WASHINGTON GO THERE Take North Fork Skykomish Road to Troublesome Creek or Stairstep Hole, both perfect for steelhead angling. If you have more time, hike a four-day, 30mile loop on the West Cady Ridge, Bald Eagle, Pacific Crest, and Quartz Creek trails. You’ll walk along Bald Eagle Mountain’s ridge and among high meadows with wild orchids and lupine. You’ll be treated to views of the northern Cascades and Mount Baker, and you can camp in clearings. From the Bald Eagle trail, take a two-mile side trip to Blue Lake, a secluded, serene alpine lake. Day hikers can tromp with troops of Boy Scouts to Barclay Lake, dominated by the 3,000-foot sheer north face of Barclay Mountain.

DETAILS AND RESOURCES To support the Wild Sky Wilderness Act, contact the Washington Wilderness Coalition (206-6331992, wawild.org). The Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest (425-775-9702, fs.fed.us/r6/mbs) has information on recreation.

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

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MOVIES | TV | BOOKS | RADIO & PODCASTS

Pop culture

T H E G R E E N I N VA S I O N

FROM ECO-FRIENDLY FILMS TO PROGRESSIVE PODCASTS, PLENTY PICKS THE BEST IN SUMMER ENTERTAINMENT

T’S CREEPING THROUGH your favorite bookstore. It’s lurking at your local megaplex. It lives in the eerie glow of your television. It’s broadcasting its messages over the airwaves. Books, movies, TV, radio—no medium is safe from the green invasion!

But citizens of the world need not be afraid. After all, this infiltration is no surprise. As our planet heats up, the environment is becoming a hot topic in popular culture, with eye-opening and entertaining results. In the pages that follow, Plenty explores how sci-fi films, from Soylent Green to Star Wars, have addressed planetary doom in both silly and profound ways, and why the first-ever summer blockbuster, Jaws, has made the world a dangerous place for sharks. We’ll also help you pick a great work of eco-literature, from classics like Sometimes a Great Notion to the newest fun summer reads. You’ll find out how mainstream TV shows like West Wing and Days of Our Lives are sending subliminal save-the-earth messages, and how a new network, Lime, is uniting the green community. And whether you’re into old-school radio or on-the-go podcasts, we’ll tell you where to tune in for the best eco-commentary. Also, we interview the host of NPR’s Living on Earth, Steve Curwood, and discover the difficulties of covering the eco beat. There’s no need to run from the eco-revolution. Give in and immerse yourself in green this summer.

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POP culture

Natural Born Thrillers

FROM GIANT ANTS TO SINGING DOLPHINS, SCI-FI MOVIES HAVE FOUND MEMORABLE WAYS TO EXPLORE ECO THEMES BY THELMA ADAMS Lowell rebels. This grumpy tree hugger is unwilling to commit herbicide and goes ballistic, taking human lives to save his leaves. (Note the conservationist’s name: Free-man. No one ever described ’70s sci-fi as subtle.) The following year saw Richard Fleischer’s overpopulation saga Soylent Green. Set in 2022, the movie depicts 40 million people coexisting in New York City alone. Natural foods are scarce—a serving of strawberries costs $150. As the New York homicide detective Thorn (Charlton Heston, who radiates the curdled ’60s idealism that sets the movie’s tone) pursues a murder investigation, this thorn in the establishment’s side (subtlety again!) uncovers a truly grotesque state secret: the unnamed ingredient in the government-manufactured, synthetic, crackerlike foodstuff is human tissue. Well, that’s an extreme form of recycling—and Soylent Green should have provided enough of a message of future doom and gloom to scare much of the American moviegoing public, er, green. But it’s only a movie, it’s only a movie . . . Even the Star Wars and Star Treks of the film world have ecomessages. (Not to mention box office influence: In 2001, the New York Times reported that six of the ten all-time top-grossing films were sci-fi.) In the hugely popular Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986), the U.S.S. Enterprise crew travels back in time to save the nearly extinct humpback whale. Live long and prosper: now that’s a green idea for Hollywood to savor! Thelma Adams is film critic for Us Weekly.

NEW AND NOTEWORTHY Three documentaries for ecophiles that are currently screening across the country The Great Warming (thegreatwarming.com) Based on the climate change book Storm Warning: Gambling with the Climate of Our Planet (Doubleday Canada, 2000) by Lydia Dotto, this three-hour film, narrated by Keanu Reeves and Alanis Morissette of all people, was filmed in eight countries on four continents. It includes information on Rich Cizik and his fellow eco-minded evangelicals (who were chronicled in the February/March 2006 issue of Plenty). An Inconvenient Truth (www.climatecrisis.net) Since the 2000 presidential race, Al Gore has been spending his time touring the world, delivering a slideshow on a subject he’s studied for decades: global warming. An Inconvenient Truth weaves together footage of his presentation with biographical asides. Gore’s fantastic slideshow makes complex climate issues easy to understand and explains to viewers what’s at stake by reaching them on an emotional level. The documentary debuted at Sundance last year and was shown at the Cannes Film Festival in May—the same time that a Rodale-published companion book was released.

Director Chris Paine of Who Killed The Electric Car?

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Who Killed The Electric Car? (whokilledtheelectriccar.com) Director Chris Paine tracks the creation and ultimate demise of General Motor’s EV-1, an emissions-free electric car that was introduced in 1997 in response to California’s Zero Emissions Mandate. Paine sets up his documentary like a murder mystery investigation, but it’s not really that much of a mystery: The “suspects” include Big Oil, the auto industry, and right-leaning politicians.

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPH LEFT PAGE COURTESY SONY PICTURES; RIGHT PAGE:JOHN SPRINGER COLLECTION/CORBIS

THE CATCHIEST MOVIE TUNE in 2005 wasn’t the Oscar-winning “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” but the opening ditty for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Jolly, disembodied voices sing: “So long and thanks for all the fish; too bad it had to come to this.” Huh? It’s only gradually that we, the audience, realize that it’s our smarter fellow mammals—the dolphins—bidding adieu before they leap out of the sea and into space, a well-mannered but final exodus that happens because humanity has trashed the earth. The dolphins’ song is one of those tunes that you can’t expunge from your memory. Not only is it dead-on funny, it’s also emblematic of the clever ways science fiction movies can tackle big ideas like overpopulation and environmental devastation. Rewinding to the ’50s, a B-movie like Gordon Douglas’s Them (1954) addressed the potential horrors of radioactive testing by offering a very simple “What if?” scenario. What if a radiation leak resulted in giant, sugar-addicted ants that terrorized humans—and turned the tables on the balance of nature? Them and other ’50s-era sci-fi flicks helped articulate America’s atomic-age jitters. Less than a decade after Hiroshima, the notion that messing with nature (even in the name of peace) could have dire consequences was nothing less than radical. Environmentalism took off in the ’60s and ’70s, and sci-fi films picked up on the movement’s underlying fears and concerns. In Silent Running (1972), Douglas Trumbull’s futuristic dystopia, humanity has eradicated all of the trees on earth, so forests are cultivated in domes orbiting Saturn. When the government orders Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) to destroy the far-flung nature preserve he tends,

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IN 2001, SIX OUT OF THE TEN ALL-TIME TOP-GROSSING FILMS WERE SCI-FI.

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A Godzilla-like creature destroys a London building in the film Gorgo.

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This 1,191-pound tiger shark caught during a “Monster Shark Tournament” on Martha’s Vineyard.

Jumping the Shark JAWS MAY HAVE CAUSED THE DEATHS OF THOUSANDS OF GREAT WHITES. DID AUTHOR PETER BENCHLEY CARE? BY RICHARD BRADLEY PETER BENCHLEY IS GONE, dead in February of pulmonary fibrosis, a progressive scarring of the lungs. He died young—65. I never met Benchley, but if I’d had the chance to ask him a question, it would simply be this: knowing what he came to know, would he do it again? Would he write Jaws a second time? Benchley, whose father and grandfather were distinguished authors, was a moderately successful but frustrated journalist until he published Jaws in 1974. (The book was the result of a lunch with a Doubleday editor and a $1, 000 advance for the first 100 pages.) An entertaining, fast-paced read about a bloodthirsty great white shark terrorizing a Long Island resort town, the novel spent almost a year on the New York Times bestseller list. In 1975, Steven Spielberg made Jaws into the first Hollywood summer blockbuster. 52 | P L E N T Y

(Benchley co-wrote the script.) By the time of Benchley’s death, his book had sold 20 million copies and the movie had taken in more than $450 million—not including the three sequels. But for Benchley’s protagonist, the shark, that success came with a price. Jaws—the book and the movie—convinced millions that the great white was a menace to be feared and destroyed. A relentless killing machine, Benchley’s shark attacked latenight skinny-dippers, clueless beachgoers, hapless fishermen, and sizable boats with equal bloodlust. Thanks to Benchley, bagging sharks—especially great whites— became big business for macho trophy hunters. Even today collectors pay up to $50,000 for a great white jaw. On Martha’s Vineyard, where Jaws was filmed, a local

fishing club hosts an annual “Monster Shark Tournament,” broadcast on ESPN. Angling for a $130,000 grand prize, last year’s contestants hooked thousands of sharks, including a rare, 1,191-pound tiger shark, which they promptly killed. Meanwhile, shark populations around the world’s oceans are in decline, threatened not only by sport hunters but also by drift nets, longline fishing, and demand for shark-fin soup (considered an aphrodisiac). According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization’s most recent statistics, 856,000 tons of sharks (and their close relatives, rays and skates) were caught in 2003. Sharks are vanishing—but partly because of Jaws, few people care. Benchley did try to undo the damage he wrought. He became an ardent conservationist, working with the Environmental Defense Fund and WildAid, a group that aims to protect endangered animals. He lectured and wrote that humans are a vastly greater threat to sharks than the other way around. In subsequent books—none of which was remotely as successful as Jaws—he altered his villains from nature to nature distorted by man: the giant squid that eats people because its food supply has been overfished (Beast), the monster shark genetically created by army scientists (Creature). And at every opportunity, Benchley insisted that Jaws merely reflected what was known about sharks at the time. But that wasn’t quite true: Even in 1974, people knew that sharks didn’t linger in a small section of ocean, hunting down a town’s bathers and boats like Moby Dick tracking the Pequod. Benchley never wanted to admit that he’d taken gross liberties to make his book more lucrative. After Benchley’s death, his widow, Wendy Benchley, told the Associated Press that “Peter kept telling people the book was fiction, it was a novel, and that he took no more responsibility for the fear of sharks than Mario Puzo took responsibility for the Mafia.” The line between fiction and consequences is always an uncertain one, of course. Peter Benchley was an aspiring novelist who could never have imagined that his book would become a massive bestseller and even more popular film that changed the way the world sees sharks. Jaws assured Benchley a life of ease, glamour, and continued publication at nature’s expense. The writer-conservationist may never have been completely comfortable with that quid pro quo, yet he never renounced it either. It wasn’t his responsibility. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPH LEFT PAGE BY CHRIS LEWIS; PHOTOS CLOCKWISE PAGE RIGHT:BETTMANN/CORBIS; BUREAU L.A. COLLECTION/CORBIS; WARNER BROTHERS; LION’S GATE

POP culture

MOVING PICTURES These 10 Hollywood pictures deal with today’s biggest eco issues, including pollution, global warming, and endangered species. Some, to be sure, are subtler (and more scientifically accurate) than others, but all deserve baseline props for bringing green to the mainstream. Don’t see your favorite blockbuster on the list? Visit plentymag.com and sound off on the Plenty blog.

Chinatown PARAMOUNT; 1974

ECO ISSUE: Drinking water While investigating the murder of a public official, Los Angeles detective Jake Gittes (Jack Nicholson) uncovers a corrupt land development scheme in which access to water is controlled by the wealthy and powerful—and has an affair with the murdered man’s wife, Evelyn Cross Mulwray (Faye Dunaway). In the end, the power struggles over the city’s water supply become a metaphor for Mulwray’s gruesome family history, which is revealed in a nerve-wracking plot twist.

who lived with and was ultimately killed by one of the animals. Treadwell had no real wilderness training, yet he seemed to fit in better among the bears in Alaska than in human society, as Herzog reveals in telling interviews with Treadwell’s parents, friends, and lovers. Grizzly Man both sympathizes with and questions the man’s choices.

Sahara PARAMOUNT; 2005

ECO ISSUE: Pollution In this big-budget Indiana Jones wannabe, Matthew McConaughey stars as Dirk Pitt, an explorer who must find and shut down a nuclear waste facility that is threatening the earth’s ecosystem. Remember kids: Toxic waste dumping is bad!

Medicine Man HOLLYWOOD PICTURES; 1992

The Day A ft er To m o r r o w 20TH CENTURY FOX; 2004

ECO ISSUE: Global warming Greenhouse gasses result in tornadoes, hurricanes, tidal waves, and an Ice Age—all in the course of this one movie. You may not really care whether or not climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) can rescue his son from ravaged New York City, but the postapocalyptic images of Gotham are certainly sobering.

ECO ISSUE: Environmental destruction Sean Connery (of “you’re the man now, dog” fame) stars as a cancer researcher searching for a cure in the Amazonian jungle. His progress is thwarted when bulldozers are sent to clear-cut the area. Medicine Man is sometimes dismissed as preachy, but it’s probably hipped more than a few couch potatoes to the importance of rainforest preservation.

Syriana WARNER BROS.; 2005

Erin Brockovich UNIVERSAL; 2000

ECO ISSUE: Pollution Julia Roberts stars in this biographical film—destined to become a chick flick classic—about a tube top–wearing single mother who takes on a corrupt corporation that has been illegally dumping toxic waste. It’s David vs. Goliath, but with more cleavage.

ECO ISSUE: Oil industry This complex film starring George Clooney reveals how big oil is entangled in our lives, both socially and politically. And it helps us understand why oil—and our continued dependence on it—can be such a thorny issue.

Gorillas in the Mist

The To x i c A v e n g e r

UNIVERSAL; 1988

TROMA; 1985

ECO ISSUE: Endangered/threatened species

ECO ISSUE: Pollution

Another biopic—this one stars Sigourney Weaver as Dian Fossey, a scientist who traveled to Africa to study and help save the mysterious mountain gorilla. Veering between scenes of tenderness (like the moment when Fossey’s favorite gorilla first touches her outstretched hand) and violence (Fossey stages a fake lynching to freak out would-be gorilla poachers), the sometimes melodramatic film depicts a woman whose commitment to conservation was remarkably deep.

A nerdy teen falls into a vat of toxic waste and morphs into a disfigured but kind-hearted crime fighting superhero. This gross-out classic is mostly campy fun, but it does explore issues involving corruption and big business greed.

Grizzly Man LIONS GATE; 2005

ECO ISSUE: Endangered/ threatened species Werner Herzog’s complex portrait of grizzly bear activist Timothy Treadwell, www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

Wa t e r w o r l d UNIVERSAL; 1995

ECO ISSUE: Global warming Kevin Costner’s water-logged look at a globally-warmed world in which the polar ice caps have melted and flooded all of civilization, leaving people to float on salvaged materials in search of dry land. Unfortunately, most people laughed this one off before any messages about the greenhouse effect could sink in. P L E N T Y | 53

POP culture

TV Vanessa Garnik and Tristan Bayer of Caught in the Moment; Crocodile Hunter host Steve Irwin gets down and dirty with a frisky croc (below).

Rare Specimen A NEW SERIES, CAUGHT IN THE MOMENT, ADDS DEPTH TO A TIRED GENRE BY JACQUELYN LANE MOST PEOPLE have an affinity for the cute and fuzzy creatures of the planet (and maybe the scaly and slimy ones, too). But it wasn’t until the 1950s, when television suddenly became accessible to the masses, that the world’s more exotic fauna entered the American consciousness. The earliest—and most formative—animal shows of that era include The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau and Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. The stars of these shows—famous oceanographer and pioneer in the art of underwater filming, Jacques Cousteau, and the grandfatherly zoologist, Merlin Perkins—were as much cultural phenomena as the sharks and leopards. Although both hosts were animal protection advocates, their shows, which were designed to entertain as well as educate viewers, left a legacy of dramatizing animals: In Wild Kingdom, the danger of crocs, snakes, and elephants was emphasized by long camera shots in which Perkins and other men were shown fighting the animals to submission with anxiety-inducing orchestral music playing in the background. Today, such overt (and sometimes violent) manhandling might incite people to call their local animal protection organization, but at the time—preEndangered Species Act, with the World Wildlife Federation in its infancy—viewers 54 | P L E N T Y

were, for the most part, enthralled. Still largely hosted by men and focused on entertainment, these creature-centric shows continue to spotlight the dangerous aspects of wild animals; they also pander to viewers’ short attentions spans by keeping education tidbits to a minimum. Granted, there have been a few positive developments—most of today’s animal shows have toned down the Jaws-like soundtracks and have made an effort to occasionally feature less “exciting” animals (such as birds and insects), but they are obviously inspired by their historical counterparts. Take Steve Irwin, host of the ultra-popular Crocodile Hunter. While the rambunctious, tow-headed Aussie obviously fosters a keen fondness for the large lizards that star on his show, his tactic of provoking crocs to bare their teeth for the viewers back home seems less than respectful. And then there’s the beefy yet hopelessly dorky Jeff Corwin of The Jeff Corwin Experience (who’ll stop at nothing to temporarily capture a cool snake or tree frog). Google his name and you’ll find a mile-long list of fan sites gushing about his chiseled physique. Why pay attention to those pesky carpenter ants when Jeffy is sporting a custom-made muscle shirt? While the Irwins and Corwins of the world definiteJune/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

ly have their followers, their style of overpowering the animals, rather than simply observing them, harks back to an era that fails to resonate with a younger, more ecologically sensitive generation of viewers. For viewers who love animals but find the current menu of nature shows lacking, there’s a new dish to sample: Pan on Vanessa Garnik and Tristan Bayer—the young, smart, and admittedly gorgeous stars of the new Animal Planet series Caught in the Moment (premieres on June 20, 9 p.m.). As hosts, they offer different but complementary skills. Bayer, son of famed wildlife cinematographer Wolfgang Bayer, brings a keen eye to capturing the beauty of the natural world, while Garnik, a trained naturalist, imparts astute observations about the complexity of animal protection. CITM is one of the only animal shows featuring both a male and female host, and together Garnik and Bayer offer a dynamic that is refreshingly balanced. Each episode takes the duo to a new location—Costa Rica, Madagascar, and Cocos Island are just a few—in which they seek out rarely seen, usually endangered animals. Along the way, they often engage the locals to discuss how human activity either benefits or damages animal habitat. This is exactly the type of comprehensive approach we wouldn’t expect to get from a critter show, but this pair likes to push the envelope. They’re involved in every facet of the show’s production, from the music (each episode culminates in a three-minute music video combining show footage with the work of an emerging artist) to the fashion. “You don’t have to wear the safari shorts and vest to care about animals and to go into the jungle,” says Garnik, who’s particularly fond of peasant skirts. They’re also working with Animal Planet to set up a carbon-offsetting program to minimize the show’s environmental impact. “You really need to cover all your bases if you’re even going to attempt the c-word—conservation,” says Bayer. Though CITM departs from the overly dramatized presentations of shows past, its primary focus continues to be the wildlife. And that’s a good thing, because many of these animals won’t be around forever. “We’re working with a lot of animals that are time sensitive and that people don’t really know about yet,” says Garnik. “Hopefully it reaches people.” We hope so, too. While watching a guy stick his head in a croc’s mouth is occasionally amusing, watching two hotties make the world a better place for animals is something we could really get into. www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

GREEN TELEVISION TV doesn’t have to be a guilty pleasure. Here are five shows for the enthusiastic ecophile. 2004, garnering a Silver Telly Award. The second installment returned in April, and will continue to show throughout the summer. Each episode will feature a different story about a person making a difference in the fight to save the planet; past subjects have included a slow-foodist who delivers soup on his bike, as well as the debate over how to manage the last remaining wetland in Southern California.

Backyard Habitat (Animal Planet) – Built on the National Wildlife Federation’s Backyard Wildlife Habitat certification program, Backyard Habitat teaches land owners how to turn their green spaces into havens for indigenous plants and animals. Whether you’ve got a balcony in Manhattan or a farm in Vermont, co-hosts David Mizejewski and Molly Pesce will teach you how to tend your yard to attract the wild things and to help them flourish. Design Remix (HGTV) – Want to give your digs a makeover, but cringe at the thought of sending all of your less-than-stylish furniture to a landfill? Created for the crafty homeowner (or renter) on a super-tight budget, Design Remix will show you how to dramatically transform your domicile by rearranging and retreading items you already own. Natural Heroes (PBS) – This series of independently produced films about the environment first premiered in

Orgasmic Organic (LIME) – Amazingly enough, the Food Network doesn’t have a single show that addresses eco-friendly cooking; luckily, LIME (see box on this new eco-tastic network) is picking up the slack. Two organic chefs and an organic wine expert, all with cute European accents, will show you how to make mouthwatering organic fare. Dirty Jobs (Discovery) – Most of us would probably rather not think about what happens to waste after we flush our toilets, but someone has to! Tag along with host Mike Rowe as he shadows the men and women who do all the work that’s both nasty and necessary to keeping our lives running smoothly. Past episodes have followed a sewer inspector, a garbage collector, a road kill cleaner, and a sludge recycler.

ECO AND PROUD — LIME Launched in November 2005, LIME is designed for those who want to lead healthy, sustainable lives. Tapping into a technologically savvy generation of viewers, LIME is available on multiple platforms including TV, radio, cell phone, and of course, the Web (lime.com). On LIME’s Web site, loyal followers participate in a dynamic online community by watching and commenting on short, digestible videos on healthy living (hosted by the likes of Deepak Chopra and Dr. Weil) as well as posting responses to blog entries from LIME’s diverse contributors. LIME offers an array of fun series and documentaries, from the award-winning drama The Insider Guide to Happiness to Rodney Yee Energy Yoga to The Paper Colony, which tells the story of the different stakeholders trying to shape the future of Maine’s North Woods. Want LIME? Check with your cable provider to see if it’s offered. If not, much of the network’s programming is available via their Web site and podcasts.

STEALTH-ECO TV — ENVIRONMENTAL MEDIA ASSOCIATION While product placements of everything from sodas to cell phones are rampant in today’s TV shows, one group has been laboring behind the scenes to embed not products, but eco-messages, into mainstream media. The Environmental Media Association, a California-based nonprofit, works with Hollywood execs and producers to get earth-friendly messages into the minds of the public. They use lots of sneaky tactics like providing major network shows like Will & Grace and The West Wing with green props, such as recycling bins and hybrid cars, as well as eco-themed storylines. They also give out awards to shows that make use of earth-friendly production practices. (You may be surprised to learn that the 2005 winner of the EMA Green Seal Award for daytime TV was Days of Our Lives.) Shows that the EMA is currently working with include Las Vegas, My Name is Earl, and The Office. For more information, check out www.ema-online.org. P L E N T Y | 55

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No Static at All

NPR’S LIVING ON EARTH DOES ECO-RADIO THE RIGHT WAY BY DEBORAH SNOONIAN IT’S

EASY TO BE A POD-

(microphone: check! laptop: check! Internet connection: check!), and as hot as global warming to be an ecophile. Combine these two phenomena and you’ve got an influx of enviro-themed radio shows of decidedly mixed quality. Take More Hip Than Hippie: its two female hosts, Steve Curwood Dori and Val, offer of NPR practical tips on environmental topics, but you’ve got to sit through a half hour of their uninspired anecdotes about family life or other minutiae first. Try though they might, Dori and Val can’t maintain the comic juice in their off-the-cuff repartee—something that (like them or not) Click and Clack of NPR’s Car Talk have perfected in nearly three decades on the air. There’s also audio spam masquerading as eco-radio. Doing Well While Doing Good, a podcast categorized in iTunes as an environmental show, turns out to be a construction supplier soliciting investors to help CASTER

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rebuild New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (from the company’s owner: “We think our share price is going to quadruple in the next 45 days.”) Then there are the vegan pocasts, or more specifically Go Vegan with Bob Linden, which offers up food-related news tidbits sprinkled among heavy doses of moralizing about the ethical failures of omnivores. Hosts like Linden can’t negotiate the fine line between satirizing meat-eaters and, well, skewering them, which not only plays into the hands of anti-environmentalists, but also turns off otherwise sympathetic listeners. Why bother mocking an easy target like figure skater Sasha Cohen (a spokesperson for the beef industry), whose awkward falls during the Winter Olympics were gleefully recounted on another vegan podcast, Erik’s Diner, when there are legitimate animal rights issues to report on? To be fair, vegans are also easy targets (“I’d sure be pissed off if I couldn’t eat bacon,” etc.) and podcasts are tough to produce on a shoestring. Still, all this new static makes the eco-news hunter hunger for a show that offers substance: namely, a traditional radio program. Enter NPR’s Living on Earth (LOE), the longest-running radio

show devoted entirely to environmental issues. In its 15-plus years, host Steve Curwood and his staff have reported on every topic in the eco-sphere with authority, conviction, and an appropriate amount of nuance. It may not be in vogue to dig oldschool, old-media NPR, but NPR’s got LOE, and LOE gets eco-issues right. The high standards set by LOE (which is broadcast on more than 300 NPR stations, reaches 80 percent of the country, and yes, is available as a podcast at loe.org) can be traced to Curwood himself. Before launching the show, he had been a Pulitzer Prize–winning investigative reporter at the Boston Globe and host of NPR’s Weekend All Things Considered. He was raised in Massachusetts and Ohio, and spent much of his childhood on a family farm in southern New Hampshire (where he now lives) and at a 1,000-acre wooded preserve at Antioch College, where his mother, a scientist and birder, taught for years. LOE was in equal measures a career move and a way for Curwood, who once aspired to be a biomedical engineer, to reconnect with his earlier interests. “I’d just finished a book and my agent said, ‘Why not write about the environment next? That’s a hot topic,’” he says. “So I started looking into climate change research, and my hair practically stood on end. I realized that the environment touches on science, politics, culture, religion, race—every topic you could ever report on. And I thought, no one’s doing this on the radio.” That was in the late 1980s, before Al Gore published Earth in the Balance, and long before Clinton, Gore, or Bush made environmental protection—or at least the idea of it—a campaign issue. The first LOE broadcast took place in the spring of 1990; the show has been running continuously since April 1991. Over the years Curwood has paid the price for a few of his stories. “We lost some stations over endocrine disrupters,” he says, referring to LOE’s ongoing coverage of chemicals that tinker with the normal functioning of hormones, which some chemical companies objected to. But far from being one-sided, Curwood and LOE’s reporters regularly feature skeptics and detractors of environmental issues. He hopes the media will step up coverage of water (“we can replace oil with other energy sources, but if we don’t have clean water, we’re all in trouble”) and is still troubled by what he calls continued “shakiness” about climate change. “I felt embarrassed that we [journalists] took a long time to understand that a broad trend in sciJune/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

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POP culture

entific data can be real,” says Curwood, “even though the trend doesn’t mean that scientists can predict temperatures or specific climate changes.” The reporting has gotten better, he says, but there’s room for improvement. Curwood is gratified to see the eco-beat getting more street cred these days. “People used to say environmental journalism was nothing more than advocacy,” he says. “Yet no one ever criticizes sports reporters for, say, caring about baseball. There’s greater acceptance now that reporters can cover news about the environment without pushing a particular point of view.” He’s also remarkably upbeat about the future of the planet. “A hundred years ago we were killing whales and using their oil in lamps for light, so our use of solar power or biodiesel is just a natural evolution of our knowledge,” he says. “We’re coming up with terrific solutions to the challenges we face. And the more scientists study our biological responses to nature and other species, the more they understand that making those connections is not just good in a mumbojumbo, PC kind of way—it actually enriches our mental state and improves the human condition. Where else can you get that kind of good news?” Where else indeed? Some radio programs are just talk. Thankfully some, like Living on Earth, have something to say.

Radio Whether you’re a news junkie, a hybrid fan, or an animal lover, you’ll find the right frequency with one of these programs THE GREAT LAKES RADIO CONSORTIUM ENVIRONMENT REPORT glrc.org Now in its 11th year on the air, this Ann Arbor, Michigan–based public radio program has snagged more than 80 awards for topnotch reporting on environmental issues that affect the Great Lakes, which together hold more than 20 percent of the earth’s fresh water. Reporters turn breaking news about science, health, and policy into compelling narratives about long-term environmental implications, and host Lester Graham navigates complex discussions with the ease and authority of the veteran reporter that he is. RADIO ECOSHOCK ecoshock.org Howard Stern, step aside: Radio’s hottest shock jock is ecophile Alex Smith. Broadcasting from British Columbia, Smith uses clever music, background sounds, and clips from historic broadcasts to add depth and wit to his reporting on environmental issues. Whether he’s dissecting population growth or the Kyoto Protocol, Smith sets each issue in its historic context and backs up his commentary with quotes from experts—while also recognizing that bad news goes down better with a dash of humor. THE WILDEBEAT wildebeat.net Avid outdoorsman Steve Sergeant, based in San Jose, California, hosts this upbeat program about the pleasures and perils of the Great Wide Open. Each of his 10-minute segments hones in on a single wilderness-related topic. Whether he’s interviewing www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

A CULT WORTH FOLLOWING By Stephen Camelio The music industry may be stuck worshipping false American Idols, but floating above the glut of prepackaged pop tarts is Cloud Cult, a band that’s just as easy on the environment as it is on the ears. This Minnesota-based quartet melds the activism of Woodstock-era folk singers with a Modest Mouseesque indie-rock sound. When environmental scientist and lead singer Craig Minowa founded Cloud Cult in 2000, he was disappointed to learn he couldn’t manufacture his band’s compact discs in an eco-friendly way. Taking matters into his own hands, he founded Earthology Records, a studio built from recycled materials that’s powered by wind-generated electricity and geothermal heating and cooling. There, he creates and packages CDs using only recycled jewel cases, 100-percent postconsumer recycled paper, non-toxic soy ink, and biodegradable corn cellulose shrink-wrap instead of the usual toxic PVC. The scraps left over from cutting the CDs are recycled into plastic milk cartons; for shipping, Earthology packs boxes with dried leaves instead of Styrofoam. But recycling doesn’t stop at home for Cloud Cult, whose growing popularity owes much to its live shows, which are known to feature painters, interpretive dancers, and video art. While touring, the band calculates how much electricity it uses during its shows and hotel stays so that it can buy the same about of green energy credits from Native Energy (see page 26 for more about this practice, known as carbon offsetting). “We know we’re using power from the grid,” says Minowa, “but we pay to have it fed back by supporting wind power.” Also, to compensate for the 800 gallons of gas guzzled while traveling during its last tour, the band planted 200 carbon dioxide–absorbing trees in its home state through American Forests. With such a direct sense of purpose, you might expect Cloud Cult to forfeit musicality for songs about using coffee mugs instead of paper cups or riding your bike to work, but that is decidedly not the case. The band’s last two albums, 2004’s Aurora Borealis and 2005’s Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus, debuted at #2 and #3 respectively on CMJ’s college music charts, and in 2004, Cloud Cult was nominated by the Minnesota Music Academy for Minnesota Artist of the Year. (Prince won.) “Our lyrics focus on celebrating and cherishing life,” Minowa says. “We hope people will see us as a model, without having our message forced down their throats.” Like a pop tart.

backcountry search-and-rescue teams, chatting up tourists at a ski festival, or reviewing new camping equipment, Sergeant’s enthusiasm for all things wild never flags. ECOTALK ecotalkblog.com Veteran reporter Betsy Rosenberg first brought eco-issues to radio in 1997 when she launched TrashTalk on San Francisco’s KCBS, a weekly program examining the intriguing underworld of garbage and waste management. She expanded the show’s content and changed its name a few years ago, and now produces EcoTalk for Air America Radio, where she hosts a variety of guests to discuss pressing and persistent environmental problems—and to champion the people who are solving them. BEYOND ORGANIC beyondorganic.com What are we eating and where does it come from? With its indepth coverage of organic food and farming, this Californiabased program appeals to foodies, gardeners, and health mavens alike. Host Jerry Kay mixes news reports on issues such as genetic modification and fair-trade issues with interviews with experts and policymakers, such as author Michael Pollan (The Botany of Desire) and Secretary of Agriculture Dan Glickman. EV WORLD evworld.com Host Bill Moore, once a minister, now gets his audience revved up about the fast-changing world of hybrid cars. The program highlights the people and policies behind the latest car models, and looks into the future of sustainable transportation technology and earth-friendly energy sources for our rides. GOOD DIRT RADIO gooddirtradio.org Co-hosted by Tom Bartels and Tami Graham in Durango, Colorado, this program’s tagline—“Digging up good news… for

a change”—aptly sums up its positive focus. Volunteers write and produce segments that highlight the work of environmental role models; profile subjects have included emerging leaders in solar energy technology and groups that encourage consumers to demand recycled paper products. THEWATT thewatt.com If your eyes light up at the mention of biodiesel or wind turbines, tune into theWatt, where host Ben Kenney reports on a variety of energy-related issues. Though he describes his Ontario-based studio as “pretty ghetto,” Kenney’s discussions are professional and thorough, covering topics that include efforts by European countries to cut oil consumption and assessments of the worldwide market for ethanol. ANIMALS ALOUD animalsaloud.net From snakes and cats to birds and rats, this San Francisco–based program examines the relationship between us two-legged creatures and the critters we love, loathe, or hope not to find in our kitchens. Host Deirdre Kennedy interviews veterinarians, sociologists, historians, artists, and entertainers to capture a broad range of perspectives on the animal world.

Short on time? Many of these programs have brief audio summaries available, and The EnvironMinute (environminute.com) and Earthwatch Radio (ewradio.org) will give you one eco-headline each weekday. Or check out The Lazy Environmentalist, a show devoted to “easy, hip environmentalism,” on Sirius Satellite or Lime Radio (lime.com).

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books

Fictional Environments

HOW RICHARD POWERS’S GAIN CAPTURES THE COMPLEXITIES OF MODERN-DAY ENVIRONMENTALISM BY STEVE WEINBERG LACEWOOD, ILLINOIS, is the home of Clare Soap and Chemical, the fictional manufacturer of hundreds of consumer products as farranging as pore cleanser, air freshener, microwave bacon, car tires, and Multi-pli Maxiwipes. Lacewood residents diligently courted Clare’s management a century earlier and convinced the company to relocate its corporate headquarters to the town, bringing along new jobs and national recognition. Few in town gave a thought to potential environmental damage from Clare’s factories; besides, the company promised to act forever as a benign, even beneficent, neighbor. So when Laura Rowen Bodey, a 42-yearold Lacewood real estate agent, notices in her garden one early June day that “some nasty bug has already begun to nibble her summer squash in the bud, [while] another goes after her beans,” she never thinks to connect the blight with a larger ecological problem. Instead she sprays the plants with homemade pest repellents, using “stronger measures when strength is needed.” Thus author Richard Powers sets the stage for his eco-masterpiece, Gain (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1998). The novel develops along two parallel story lines: the progression of Laura’s cancer, which kills her a year after her diagnosis; and the 170-year saga of relentless growth at Clare. Readers with a tendency to think the worst of corporations might be quick to blame the company’s products and manufacturing effluent for Laura’s cancer, but Powers is no ham-handed reductionist. He tells both stories with compassion and allows readers to sort out the probabilities. Gain explores in vivid detail how a business begins as one family’s dream and grows far larger than even its prescient founder could have imagined. The giant corporation that ends up dominating countless lives may be operated to maximize profits 170 years after its founding, but the dream did not encompass greed at its inception. In sections alternating with Laura’s personal story, Powers painstakingly portrays the company’s 58 | P L E N T Y

evolution into a multinational corporate giant, and much of the portrayal is empathetic. Before she learns of her cancer, Laura drives past Clare’s headquarters at least three times a week. She understands that Lacewood “cannot hold a corn boil without its corporate sponsor. The company cuts every other check, writes the headlines, sings the school fight song. It plays the organ at every wedding and packs the rice that rains down on the departing honeymooners. It staffs the hospital and funds the ultrasound sweep of uterine seas where Lacewood’s next of kin lie gray and ghostly, asleep in the deep.” Powers’s many-layered portrait neither fawns on the corporation nor tips into ecopolemic, and this depth is part of the reason why Gain is such a compelling narrative. Historically, novels focused on environmental issues have had powerful effects on readers, but some of these stories feel one-sided today, in a world where their warnings have been incorporated into the public consciousness. Upton Sinclair’s novel The Jungle (1905)

brought to light the horrific, unsanitary conditions of the meatpacking industry at the time and moved the government to enact stricter controls on beef production. But the novel portrays the relationship between the factory owners and the workers as a simple good-versus-evil dichotomy (as noted in Chris Bachelder’s new novel about Sinclair— see “Beach Reading” at right). Similarly, John Nichols’s novel The Milagro Beanfield War (1974) captures the sense of struggle in the early days of modern environmentalism, using satire and irony to tell the tale of peaceful agrarians who are oppressed by the water and grazing laws enacted by rich city folk. While humorous, the novel is also quite sentimental in its portrayal of the oppressed underdog. Novels that put forth an overtly green political agenda do have their place, but it is refreshing to discover a writer like Powers who refrains from oversimplifying issues, shows empathy for all of his characters, writes believable dialogue, and paces the unfolding of the story line in an engaging way. As Powers clearly understands, matters of legal and moral liability for environmental damage are complicated. People who reflexively blame the corporate behemoth next door for every human cell mutation might know what they are talking about—or might not. In Powers’s fictional world, nobody at Clare forced Laura to buy the cleaning agents and hairsprays in her home, just as nobody at reallife Wal-Mart forces shoppers into their supercenters. Despising the Clares and WalMarts of the world is easy. But if the despisers never act on their disapproval by supporting homegrown merchants and environmentally sound products, who is really to blame? Richard Powers’s next book, The Echo Maker (Farrar, Straus and Giroux), deals with the mysteries of human memory and is set against the backdrop of a stunning spring bird migration. It will be released in October 2006. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

Beach Reading These quick, engaging books are great companions for any summer trip THE OMNIVORE’S DILEMMA:

SKINNY DIP by Carl Hiaasen (Warner paperback, $12.95) Chaz Perrone, a wildlife biologist charged with monitoring the sensitive Everglades region, doesn’t recycle, chucks empty plastic bottles on the ground, and likes to run over snakes in his Hummer. He also tries to kill his wife by throwing her off a cruise ship, seemingly for no reason—but the beautiful swimming champion survives the fall and is rescued by a kindhearted ex-cop. The two of them proceed to make Chaz’s life miserable, covertly raiding his house (and hoping to discover his murderous motives in the process). Author Hiaasen, a veteran environmental journalist in South Florida, peppers his outlandish tale with touching evocations of the area’s natural beauty. Witty, absurd, and fast-paced, Skinny Dip is the ultimate environmental beach read. —Christy Harrison

A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan (Penguin, $26.95) Pollan’s masterful new book is risky reading for anyone harboring vague back-to-the-land fantasies. In The Omnivore’s Dilemma, he traces four individual meals back to their sources in different systems of production, each of which is part of an entire lifestyle and culture. Pollan’s exposé of industrial agriculture is so damning and his pastoral evocation of local food economies so compelling that you may be tempted to chuck your life for another one lived off the grid. —Wesley Yang

U.S.! by Chris Bachelder (Bloomsbury, $14.95) In the alternate early-’90s universe of Bachelder’s novel, radical leftists find their spokesman in Upton Sinclair, the muckraking consumer advocate and author of The Jungle (1906). Specifically, they resurrect Sinclair from the dead and parade him around from one speaking engagement to the next, where he is routinely assassinated. Between rebirths and deaths, the increasingly bullet-pocked socialist writer produces a series of political novels,

which are met with scathing critical reviews. Clever and funny, U.S.! is also a poignant meditation on the relationship between art and politics. —C.H.

THE LAST AMERICAN MAN by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin, $26.95) Eustace Conway, owner of the Turtle Island Preserve in North Carolina, can hunt with a homemade blowgun, make fire by rubbing sticks together, sew clothes from animal hides, and cross the U.S. on horseback in a world-record 103 days. But he can’t seem to find a wife or keep close friends around for long. Elizabeth Gilbert’s sympathetic, sharp-eyed portrait of Conway traces this complicated, idealistic man’s history from his childhood fascination with wildlife, to his riveting lectures about living off the land, to his frustration that he can’t convince those close to him (much less the rest of world) to change their resource-hungry ways. —Deborah Snoonian

FIELD NOTES FROM A CATASTROPHE: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert (Bloomsbury, $22.95) Too often books on global warming read like homework, but Kolbert’s engaging work is the exception to the rule. Expanding upon her in-depth series for the New Yorker, Kolbert discusses the scientific evidence for global warming, its inevitable consequences for people and wildlife, and how local action may help to reverse the damage. She peppers her deft reporting with anecdotes about the people behind the research and captivating descriptions of the far-flung places where global-warming science happens. —C.H.

CLASSIC WORKS OF ECO-FICTION Whether they’ve been around for decades or merely years, these enduring literary works deserve a spot on any ecophile’s bookshelf Oryx and Crake (2003) by Margaret Atwood Sometime in the not-too-distant future, Snowman (né Jimmy) is the last true human being on an Earth overrun by fierce, genetically modified creatures including wolvogs and pigoons. Atwood’s book is both a suspenseful, postapocalyptic tale and a poignant meditation on the dangers of unrestricted genetic modification and thoughtless resource use. —C.H. A Friend of the Earth (2000) by T.C. Boyle In 2025, as the world is being ravaged by the effects of global warming,

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Tyrone Tierwater, a formerly passionate environmentalist, is forced to eke out a living as the caretaker for a pop star’s private collection of endangered predators. Though Boyle’s vision of the future is a little too close for comfort, his unique blend of satire makes for great fiction. —Jacquelyn Lane Sometimes a Great Notion (1964) by Ken Kesey The Stamper family runs a small, independent logging operation on the Oregon coast. Whereas other loggers in the area have unionized and gone on strike, the Stampers refuse to take part, stubbornly continuing to fell and

sell their timber. Kesey’s evocation of the stunning Oregon environment and complex social and family dynamics in an era of transition make this novel a meaningful and important piece of environmental literature. —C.H. The Monkey Wrench Gang (1975) by Edward Abbey Vietnam veteran George Washington Hayduke III returns home to the desert to find his beloved canyons and rivers threatened by industrial development. Hayduke and a cast of kooky green cronies take revenge, carrying out over-the-top, controversial acts of pro-environmental sabotage. Readers

will likely disagree with many of the group’s tactics—and that is part of the reason why this seminal work of ecofiction continues to provoke thought and inspire dialogue. —C.H. The River Why (1984) by David James Duncan A young and irreverent fly-fisherman named Gus Orviston sets out on a voyage of self-discovery along the rivers that he loves and finds unexpected environmental devastation there. With humor and sensitivity, Duncan renders Gus’s commitment to protecting the natural world and his newly developed understanding of love. —C.H.

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Summertime, AND THE EATING IS LOCAL AND THE EATING IS LOCAL

TWO MONTHS ON A SUPERMARKET-FREE DIET BY LOU BENDRICK PHOTOGRAPHS BY JASON HOUSTON

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LOG ON FOR LOCAL EATS

LocalHarvest.org, founded in 1998, provides a nationwide directory of small farms, farmers’ markets, and other local food sources. Foodroutes.org connects consumers with farms, farmers’ markets, restaurants, and food co-ops that sell local produce. The USDA Farmers Market Map (www.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets) offers a comprehensive directory of farmers’ markets for all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C. —Anngela Leone

RIVING TO NORTH PLAIN FARM in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, I nearly collide with a free-range chicken that takes its title a bit too seriously. I’m here to stock up on meat and eggs, and as Sean Stanton (or “Farmer Sean,” as people tend to call him) tallies my bill, I watch an elderly mare gorge herself in a juicy green field. Standing here beats standing in line at the supermarket checkout, I think to myself, even as I shell out $70 for a little more than a week’s worth of animal protein: beef ribs, ground beef, two different kinds of sausage, bacon, and a dozen eggs. The eggs, which sometimes have feathers stuck to them, come in a variety of sizes and pale, earthy colors. I’ve vowed not to set foot in a grocery store for the next two months. Not even my local co-op. It’s less of a personal challenge than a protest against the tired but still amazing fact that the average piece of produce—say, the quintessential pesticide-coated apple— travels 1,500 miles to get to the table and that factory farming produces cheap meat at a disturbing price: Hormones and antibiotics are pumped into animals that have short, horrendous lives. Supermarkets, meanwhile, have turned the grocery shopping experience into an exhausting marathon, punctuated only by complimentary cubes of cheese at the deli or sips of in-store French roast. The first supermarket, which operated from a leased garage in Queens, New York, opened in 1930. Its motto said it all: “Pile it high, sell it low.” So for one-sixth of the year—during summertime, when good produce is easy to come by—I’m going local. I am hoping to both feel good and do good. As an avid cook and eater, I intend to experience the gustatory joys and health benefits of eating close to the land. By supporting local growers who tend to be organic, I hope to lighten my environmental footprint. But I don’t expect the whole thing to be light on the wallet, given the cost of a dozen farm-bought eggs (a pricey $3.75).

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

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Summertime, AND THE EATING IS LOCAL

I also figure I’ll be running around to get my food, but that mileage will be inconsequential compared with the 1,500-mile apple. I’ve stocked up on basic supplies from my co-op (pasta, oatmeal, and other essentials) and plan to rely on a handful of local farms, farmers’ markets, bakeries, cheese makers, and so forth for the fresh items. I’ve set the rules: I may buy from any producer within a 50mile radius of my home in Great Barrington. My only fear going into this experiment is petty and irrational: that I will run out of vanilla, needing it to make an emergency batch of chocolate chip cookies. I forgot to stock up on vanilla, which only grows in the tropics. It could be a long, cookieless summer.

LEARNING THE ROPES One day when I’m out visiting North Plain, Stanton motions me toward a pickup. I’ve brought along my four-year-old daughter, Annie, on the premise that there is always something interesting for a child to see at a farm. From the bed of the truck, a small heap of piglets regards us warily. Stanton and his brother, Jeremy, are about to castrate them. “Makes you wish they’d all been born females,” says Stanton wistfully. Farmer Sean is lean and soft-spoken. Four years ago, when he was 26, he developed a taste for fresh milk and ran up a hefty bill at a nearby farm, Moon in the Pond. To pay off his debt, he did farm chores, and he liked the work so much that he decided to become a farmer. His original flock of 40 chickens has grown to 400, which he raises along with heritage-breed pigs and turkeys on his parents’ 10acre property. Eating locally has introduced me to farmers like 62 | P L E N T Y

Stanton and allowed me to step into a world that I, child of the mallcentric suburbs, have never known. My husband, Hal, and I have lined up a platoon of farmers to supply our food during these two months, because each farm specializes in only a few specific products. Indian Line Farm, the oldest community-supported agriculture farm (CSA) in the nation, is our new go-to for produce. We’ve paid a one-time annual fee of $635 to cover the farm’s production costs, in return for which we receive a weekly share of the farm’s organic harvest for six months. This share includes vegetables and fresh flowers, as well as fruit from other nearby farms as it becomes available. On Wednesday mornings Highlawn Farm drops off a pound of fresh butter and hormone-free milk in glass bottles. Miraculously, home delivery adds only $1 to the cost of each order. Hal has also decided to e-mail Dominic Palumbo, who owns the Moon in the Pond farm, to stock up on starter for homemade yogurt and some lard with which to make piecrusts. “Thank you for thinking of me for all your lard needs,” Palumbo replies. The Barrington Coffee Roasters take care of the caffeine, while the Berkshire Mountain Bakery supplies our carbs. A few weeks into my local-food experiment, I mention to a friend that it is going well but that I’m worried about running out of something critical, say, vanilla. He tips me off to a local vanilla producer a few miles away, and I’m both astonished and comforted: The local food scene might have more to offer than I had expected. Of course the family-run vanilla producer, Charles H. Baldwin & Sons, does not grow the tropical orchids used to make vanilla, but for more than a century it has been making small, artisanal batches of extract aged in oak barrels. Whatever happens this summer, I will not be cookieless. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

SEASONAL COOKBOOKS

Figure out what to do with all that produce. Fresh from the Farmers’ Market: Year-Round Recipes for the Pick of the Crop by Janet Fletcher (Chronicle Books)

Offers simple and satisfying recipes, tips on selecting and storing food for each season, and shopping advice from the farmers themselves. Farmer’s Market Cooking by Sally Ann Berk (Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers)

A guide to shopping for, storing, cooking, and eating fresh foods. Includes more than 100 recipes and a farmers’ market directory for the United States and Canada. Recipes from America’s Small Farms: Fresh Ideas for the Season’s Bounty by Joanne Hayes, Lori Stein, and Maura Webber (Villard)

Bring farmers into your kitchen—or at least some of their delightful recipes, which highlight seasonal and locally grown produce. Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating From America’s Farmers’ Markets by Deborah Madison (Broadway)

Like chef Madison’s other cookbooks, this one features a range of sophisticated, sometimes complex dishes; it also offers tips on seasonal eating and getting to know your farmers. Farmer John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables by Farmer John Peterson and Angelic Organics (Gibbs Smith)

This collection was compiled by quirky organic farmers and features anecdotes, essays by nutrition experts, and even poems. It also gives practical advice on produce storage, handling, and preparation, and offers pairing suggestions for each dish. —A.L.

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

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Summertime, AND THE EATING IS LOCAL

FIND LOCAL GOODS IN YOUR SUPERMARKET

Can’t make it to the farmers’ market? Check your local grocery and health food stores; many carry some locally produced goods. Even supermarket chains often have a localfood section. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, talk to the owner or manager about specific items you’d like the store to carry, and enlist your friends to do the same: Supermarkets are likely to respond to customer demand. –A.L.

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JUGGLING THE LOGISTICS We decide to throw a dinner party in the third week of the experiment, and the hot weather seems to call for a giant salad. I arrange for an early pickup at Indian Line Farm so that we’ll get the produce in time, but I discover on arrival that the “globally warmed” weather has made my favorite greens—spinach and arugula—go to seed. Now they can’t be harvested, which means a salad of plain greens for the party. It certainly isn’t a disaster, but I’m worried that the whims of the weather will determine my summer menu. I picture myself with mountains of vegetables that my toddler will deem yucky and buying one of those cookbooks you find at library book sales, something like 101 Magical Brussels Sprouts Recipes. Next I go to North Plain Farm to pick up a big order of spareribs and sausage to grill for the party the following day. I call ahead to say that I’m coming; when I get there, Stanton is nowhere to be found. Standing in his driveway, I dial his number on my cell phone as a rooster crows in the background. A woman answers the phone: “He’s out working with horses.” This is definitely not the sort of thing that would happen at a supermarket. I am now not only at the mercy of the weather and perhaps pestilence, but also dependent on extremely busy and understaffed farms. I am suddenly keenly aware of the real people behind every bite of food I eat—the people who have things to do other than serve me. I leave empty-handed. Stanton calls me that evening, sounding exhausted. He says he’ll have the order for me the next day, which he does. I pick up fresh rolls from the bakery and local ice cream. Hal picks up fresh beer from Barrington Brewery. For some quirky reason, the dairy carries lemonade (despite its obvious lack of citrus groves), so I order some for the kids. Our party goes off without a hitch. I think I’d be less easygoing about logistical problems if they were happening in the supermarket, where my expectations are high, the choices are many, and gratification is instant. Local food involves a certain amount of serendipity and a sense of humor. At a farmers’ June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

I subscribe to the theory that when (not if) the world’s oil supply runs out, we’re going to have to live and eat locally.

market I am told that I can’t get my favorite Gould Farm cheddar because the cow (yes, the cow) isn’t producing much milk these days. I also find that the closer I am to my food supply, the more patient I am, because there’s usually something to learn. While my daughter and I are apt to become testy in line at the grocery store, we’re perfectly happy to loiter while my coffee is ground and bagged at the local shop, because we get to watch the beans being roasted in huge Willy Wonka-ish machines. Sometimes the local-food learning curve is steep. One day, Stanton leads me to a walk-in freezer where I load up on all sorts of free-range and organic goodies: sausage, bacon, ground beef, and chops. He is out of chicken. “Can’t you just kill one?” I ask jokingly. He thinks for a moment. “I could,” he says, “but it would be really tiny.” In other words, it is the wrong time of year. Meat, when it’s not frozen, and when it doesn’t come from a factory farm, is seasonal. Of course my question points to a harsh reality that is less easily avoided when you’re eating a local, omnivorous diet: Cute animals die so that you can eat. I’ve thought about this issue and anticipated getting up close and personal with my food source, but it doesn’t quite go as I had planned. A month and a half after learning about the seasonality of meat, I pull into the driveway at North Plain, Annie in tow. A bunch of strangers, and some farmers I recognize, are standing around talking. The group has recently finished slaughtering 130 chickens, and Stanton is covered in protective plastic. “I guess I should have worn a Hefty bag,” says Palumbo, inspecting his blood-speckled shirt and pants. “You should go pick up hitchhikers,” someone replies. “I was going to call you,” says Stanton, trimming something meaty with a knife, “but I forgot.” I had asked him to call me when he slaughtered so that I could see firsthand the food chain in its naked entirety. “What are they doing?” my daughter asks. www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

“They killed chickens so that we could eat them,” I explain, pausing to let her ponder things. It’s the moment I’ve been waiting for, and I expect to be pelted with questions and perhaps some tears. I have a little speech prepared about the deep gratitude I feel for the animals that die for our meals. “OK,” she says nonchalantly. “Can we go look at the goat?” Neither Annie nor I learn much that day, but at least we will have chicken.

FLAVOR FATIGUE There’s a paradox with seasonal eating. You might expect that lack would be a problem, as it has been for us with the chickens and the arugula. If it’s not ready or not harvestable, you don’t get to eat it. But surplus can be an even bigger problem if you’re not careful about how you buy—and nobody had ever told me this. So one gorgeous Hudson River School–painting kind of morning, we drive out to pick organic strawberries at Thompson-Finch, a pick-your-own (PYO) farm. The strawberries are giant, sweet, and lipstick red. In our excitement we pick 33 pounds, a bargain at $1.60 a pound. It’s a beginner’s mistake, made by people neither accustomed to the bounty of the harvest nor the need to make good use of it. That evening we make a strawberry-rhubarb pie (using Palumbo’s lard for the crust) but barely make a dent in the berries. What to do with 29 pounds of strawberries? The next day the berries are fragrant and practically rotting. I thrust baskets of them into the arms of friends, neighbors, and passersby. In the end, I freeze most of them. The surplus problem has given us a greater appreciation for recipes that hail from my grandmother’s era, when waste was unheard of and the seasonal bounty had to be eaten up (berry pies, betties, cobblers, buckles) or preserved in some fashion (berry jam, jelly, etc.). But the surplus doesn’t stop with cute little summer fruits. We are also overrun with greens, pork, and dairy—more specifically, ungodly amounts of chèvre. I subscribe to the theory that when (not if) the world’s oil supply runs out, we’re going to have to live and P L E N T Y | 65

Summertime, AND THE EATING IS LOCAL eat locally. So I had better get damn used to goat cheese, which the French cheerily refer to as “le chèvre versatile.” The relative monotony of the local diet has to do with another French term: “terroir,” meaning soil or earth. Greens, berries, goats, and pigs thrive in the climate and off the soil of southern New England, whereas you’ll find great shrimp in Louisiana and the best citrus in Florida. Seasonality and supply are also factors: You can get organic, grass-fed beef in New England, but not much of it in summer. The supply is limited because farmers tend to slaughter in the fall and sell all of their meat. Pigs, on the other hand, fatten more quickly than cows and are slaughtered more often. Thus, it’s pork aplenty for now. The true nadir of my experiment comes with the confluence of too many houseguests, a heat wave, and a bad mood. Instead of leaving me alone and shoving chocolate under the door, Hal makes the innocent comment that I seem a little crabby. I unleash on him: I’m tired of the humidity, tired of houseguests, tired of farms, and sick of pork. Especially pork. “I don’t ever want to see a pig again,” I wail. “And don’t even get me started about goat cheese. How can French women stand it?” But the feeling passes the next day as I enjoy a splash of fresh cream in my freshly roasted coffee. All is right in the world for the moment. And, I should mention, I do go out to eat. (I’m not trying to live like a pioneer, after all, so local eateries are fair game.) I make an effort to eat only at restaurants supported by Berkshire Grown, an organization that connects nearly 90 local farms with more than 100 commercial food buyers and hosts foodie events like seasonal dinners. Surprisingly, despite all the pricey organic food consumed at home and in restaurants, my overall monthly food budget so far is no worse for the wear, mainly because I run a tighter ship in the kitchen. There are no packaged foods or impulse purchases cluttering the fridge or pantry shelves. To boot, we all feel robustly healthy: fast food has become pasta with pesto (the latter made by throwing all of the ingredients into the food processor). And the way my clothing fits tells me that I’m a smidge thinner these days, even with the onslaught of cream and six-egg omelettes.

OVERCOMING STEREOTYPES Food isn’t the only thing you learn about on farms. Toward the end of summer the haul at Indian Line is especially bountiful. We get the usual lettuce as well as beets, cucumbers, zucchini, cabbage, as much basil as we want, a carton of Bing cherries, and PYO flowers and sugar peas. While Annie and Hal pick peas, I chat with farmer HOW TO SAVE FOR THE OFF-SEASON The only trouble with eating seasonally is that most fruits and vegetables come on like gangbusters for a month or two, only to make themselves scarce for the rest of the year. One solution: Try freezing your bounty for the lean months ahead. Here’s the basic how-to. APPLES, NECTARINES, PEACHES, PEARS, AND PLUMS All can be cored or pitted, sliced, and frozen raw. Apple and pear slices should first be dipped in lemon juice or sprinkled with an ascorbic acid

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preserver like Fruit-Fresh to prevent browning. Place in a sealable plastic freezer bag and freeze flat. BLACKBERRIES, BLUEBERRIES, RASPBERRIES, AND STRAWBERRIES Slice off tops of strawberries. Pop berries in the freezer overnight in the box they came in (this will preserve their shape). Once berries are frozen, pour into a bag and freeze flat. GREEN BEANS Clean, trim off the ends, and then blanch (submerge in boiling water) for 3.5 minutes. Drain, chill in ice water, then drain again. Freeze flat in bags.

Alexander Thorp, who is genial and Viking-size. He runs the farm with his wife, Elizabeth Keen, a petite blonde with bright blue eyes. They have a toddler who has Liz’s eyes, and who at that moment is busy tossing tomatoes into a washtub. During the conversation, I surmise that Al must be tired, being a farmer and all. (Getting up at dawn with the roosters has to take a lot out of you, right?) “People think farmers never relax,” he replies. “They think we never sit and have cup of coffee.” He’s sort of right: Even though all of “my” farmers are fairly young and hip, I still tend to think of farmers as leathery, aged men (not women—the women tend the wood stoves or something) with flannel shirts and overalls who never have a moment’s rest, except when they’re sitting down in church. But one evening Hal and I go to the theater, where we find that

I feel a little traitorous for returning to the environmentally insensitive American food machine. the opening act is Farmer Al’s a cappella men’s group. They are dressed in black and give a very witty, if not edgy, performance. Soon after, I bump into Farmer Sean at Rubi’s, a coffee shop in Great Barrington that carries local foods. So maybe farmers really do sit and have a cup of coffee. When I finally return to the supermarket, it is a letdown. The late summer crowds are thick, and the lighting seems garish. The variety is both enthralling and overwhelming. I feel a little traitorous for returning to the environmentally insensitive American food machine. As I wait in the checkout line, I have a guilty, fleeting thought: I hope no farmer sees me here with my shrink-wrapped package of ground beef. Back at home, my husband and daughter are gleeful at the prospect of tofu and hamburgers. My long-distance avocado is downright exotic. But within a day or two, we all start to feel sad. We have grown attached to our local rhythm, to the food, and the people behind the food. Meanwhile, I discover that being a rebel pays: My summer food costs are down $200 per month from the previous year. Hal and I decide that we’ll limit our grocery store trips to one per week. I’m happy that we can pick up produce at Indian Line until November, when the last of the squash and cool-weather greens disappear. Most of our farmers will be off to vacations in warm places this winter, and I’ll picture them sunning and snorkeling while I await the spring. ■ CORN Can be frozen either on or off the cob. In either case, remove husks and silks. Whole cobs should be blanched for 8 to 10 minutes; kernels for about 4 to 5. Chill in ice water until cool, then drain. Kernels can be placed in plastic bags and frozen flat; cobs can be frozen in either large bags or plastic containers. TOMATOES Best if fully cooked before freezing, either stewed or in your favorite tomato sauce recipe. Once finished, cool and freeze in plastic containers, leaving about 2 inches of leeway at the top (the liquid will expand as it freezes).

GREENS, SUMMER SQUASH, AND ZUCCHINI All of these can be blanched until tender before freezing but are prone to losing their flavor and crispness. Instead, try cooking them up in vegetable soups, and then freezing according to the above guidelines for tomato sauce. BEETS, PARSNIPS, POTATOES, WINTER SQUASH, AND YAMS All keep for several months when stored in a cool, dark place, but if you can’t use your surplus in time, bake into casseroles using a scalloped potato or similar recipe, then freeze in a dish covered well with plastic. —Sarah Schmidt

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

CHECK OUT WHAT’S SEASONAL IN YOUR REGION THIS SUMMER

NORTHEAST—apricots, green beans, berries, carrots, celery, corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive, fennel, garlic, lettuce, melons, nectarines, okra, onions, peaches, hot and sweet peppers, plums, new potatoes, radicchio, scallions, summer squash NORTHWEST—apples, apricots, avocados, basil, berries, cactus pads, celery, corn, cucumbers, grapes, loquats, melons, nectarines, nettles, okra, peaches, Asian pears, peas, plums, pluots, purslane, radicchio, rapini, rhubarb, shallots, summer squash, tomatoes MIDWEST—apples, beans, berries, carrots, corn, eggplant, garlic, grapes, horseradish, leeks, melons, nectarines, okra, peaches, bell peppers, plums, potatoes, rhubarb, squash, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables SOUTHWEST—apples, apricots, basil, green beans, beets, berries, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, grapes, lettuce, melons, nectarines, okra, peaches, pears, peppers, plums, potatoes, summer squash, tomatoes, cruciferous vegetables SOUTHEAST—avocados, mangoes, passion fruit, Asian pears, potatoes

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

—A.L.

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HEAVY METAL HOW MERCURY HAS FOUND ITS WAY INTO OUR WATER, OUR AIR, AND OUR BODIES—AND WHAT IT MIGHT BE DOING TO OUR HEALTH BY SARAH BRIDGES

had mixed feelings about sending a sample of my hair to Greenpeace to be tested for mercury exposure. The test process was simple enough. A small envelope contained everything I needed: directions on the best place to cut (the back of your hair near the root), how much to cut (a small clump), and a glib warning (don’t stab yourself with the scissors). I hadn’t thought much about mercury, a known neurotoxin, until I read about Greenpeace’s campaign to test the mercury levels of tens of thousands of people. As it turns out, one in six women of childbearing age has blood mercury levels that would be considered unsafe for her fetus, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The numbers for men are likely similar, though the FDA sets no “safe” limit for males. Exactly how mercury ends up in our bodies—and what the long-term health consequences are—has lately been the subject of heated scientific debate. I imagined the analysis of my hair would demonstrate my healthy eating habits. Like the tree rings of my diet, the strands of my hair would evidence all the almonds, blueberries, and tofu I had eaten as a child growing up on a commune in Forestville, California, and the organic food and ample amount of fish I integrated into my diet as an adult. As it turns out, my test results were startling. A computerized graph indicated that my hair contained 1.5 parts per million (ppm) of mercury—above the EPA-determined safe limit of 1 ppm. Greenpeace’s hair study of more than 10,000 people backs up the CDC’s stats: roughly 20 percent of the women tested have unsafe blood mercury levels. Greenpeace hopes to educate the public about the health risks associated with mercury. And since coal-mining and coal-fueled power plants both release the metal into the air, the group wants to convince the Bush administration to focus more on renewable energy. So how did I, child of the commune, end up with all this mercury in my body? And what was it really doing to my health? The question had personal significance to me because my son, Porter, was severely brain damaged at four months of age after routine immunizations (he was diagnosed with autism at 20 months). Our government’s acknowledgement that tainted inoculations caused the brain damage heightened my interest in studying the relationship between environmental toxins and health. Now that my body, too, contained high levels of a poison, I delved into the research to find out everything I could.

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SOURCES OF MERCURY ercury has long been used for medical and manufacturing purposes because it’s easy to work with (it stays liquid at room temperature) and serves as a sterilizing agent. Most adults have been exposed to the metal their whole lives. They grew up around mercury-laced paints, medicines, old thermometers, pesticides, batteries, and now-archaic baby products like teething powders. Volcanic eruptions have always released mercury into the air, which may explain why humans possess a protein called metallothione, which helps the body excrete heavy metals. Mercury is used in “silver” dental fillings and vaccines, and it’s found in the fish we eat. We’re in contact with mercury almost daily, but current research can’t tell us definitively how that affects our health.

M FISH

It’s likely that the most common (and most easily avoided) source of mercury in people’s daily lives is fish, an otherwise healthy, important food. Larger fish like albacore tuna, swordfish, tile fish, king mackerel, and sharks are the most troublesome, having as much as 100 times more mercury than smaller fish. Linda Greer, director of health programs at the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explains how fish are contaminated: “Coal-burning power plants and chlor-alkali companies [manufacturers of chemicals like chlorine and detergent] pollute the air, which then rains into the water systems. Tiny bacteria eat the mercury and then are consumed themselves by small fish. As bigger fish eat the smaller ones, the mercury they contain rises precipitously.” For most Americans tuna is the biggest source of mercury. “It isn’t safe to eat tuna even once a week, and for children or pregnant women, it should be avoided,” says Greer, who believes in a stricter limit than the FDA’s current 1 ppm figure. Groups like the NRDC and the EPA have created lists of fish categorized by their average mercury content (see the “Go fish” box). Eventually, our bodies will eliminate mercury through our natural defense systems, but at a glacial pace. “The reason we advise women of childbearing age to avoid contaminated fish is that mercury may remain in their bodies for about a year, during which time they may become pregnant,” says David Acheson, M.D., the chief medical officer for food safety at the FDA. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

FOR MOST AMERICANS, TUNA IS THE BIGGEST SOURCE OF MERCURY GO FISH Groups like the NRDC offer free wallet-sized cards to help you determine which seafood you can enjoy—and which species (like tuna) should be avoided. Here are some highlights. Lowest in mercury Anchovies Calamari Haddock Oysters Scallops

Highest in mercury Grouper Mackerel (king) Orange Roughy Shark Swordfish

Hg CH

DENTAL FILLINGS

Other sources of mercury include “silver” dental amalgams, which consist of about 50 percent mercury (the other half comprises silver, tin, zinc, and copper). Scientists agree that mercury fillings emit a steady stream of vapors, though they disagree about the subsequent health impact. Autopsies performed at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden (which awards the Nobel prizes in medicine) found that people with mercury amalgams have three times more mercury in their brains and nine times more in their kidneys than those without silver fillings. A recent National Research Council (NRC) report to Congress stated that mercury vapors enter tissues—including the brain—and that significant correlations exist between the number of amalgams in the mouth and the amount of mercury in our tissues. “We worry about mercury everywhere except when we put it in the mouth,” says Mark Breiner, D.D.S., an antimercury advocate and author of Whole-Body Dentistry (Quantum Health Press, 1999). “There’s no doubt it contributes to your overall body burden, though it’s less clear what harm it does from there,” says Deborah Rice, Ph.D., a toxicologist and one of three scientists who helped establish the EPA’s mercury safety standards (she currently works for the www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

Maine Department of Environmental Protection). She recommends erring on the side of safety: “If you have a cavity, I’d fill it with something besides mercury.” Currently dental patients have a choice of amalgams or mercury-free options like white porcelain fillings. The American Dental Association (ADA), a private, for-profit trade group, insists that the mercury in amalgams poses no health threat, though many Western countries discourage its use. It’s estimated that 16 percent of the mercury emissions in the U.K. are the result of the toxic fumes released in crematoriums (melted dental amalgams turn into mercury vapors). Several states in America are considering bills to remove amalgams before cremation.

VACCINES Thimerosal-containing vaccines are another source of mercury exposure. Until recently, thimerosal was widely used in vaccines as a sterilizing preservative and was injected into infants in large amounts in the course of routine immunizations. That began to change in 1999, when groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics and the United States Public Health Service, concerned about the amount of mercury young children were exposed to, asked vaccine manufacturers to voluntarily phase out thimerosal P L E N T Y | 69

HEAVY METAL

use. Today most flu shots still contain it, as does the diphtheriatetanus-pertussis booster and several adult vaccines (for a list of thimerosal-containing shots, visit vaccinesafety.edu/thi-table.htm). MERCURY’S HEALTH EFFECTS he jury is still out on how much mercury is safe,” says Philippe Grandjean, professor of environmental health at Harvard University. Grandjean is a leading mercury authority whose unprecedented study of a fish-dependent community in the Faeroe Islands (located midway between Iceland and Norway) served as a basis for the EPA’s current mercury standards. “Just 10 or 15 years ago, the authorities said 10 to 20 ppm in hair was safe,” he says. “I believe the EPA should revisit the data and drop the limit to 0.5 ppm. Our experience with a variety of pollutants is that we underestimate their effects because we are too optimistic or don’t fully account for uncertainties.” In the meantime, Grandjean and other researchers continue to move closer to understanding the risks associated with constant low-level exposure. Oft-cited data about mercury poisoning comes from Minamata Bay, Japan, where for 30 years (starting in 1932), a chemical/plastics company had dumped mercury into the sea. Residents of the city ate contaminated fish and experienced an epidemic of neurological disorders such as blindness, tremors, impairment of hearing, slurred speech, walking difficulty, ataxia (lack of coordination), and paresthesia (numbness, tingling, or burning of extremities). Scientists discovered that the metal targeted the victims’ brains, hearts, and immune systems. Most of us won’t ever encounter mercury on that level, though. And there’s no scientific consensus as to what effects the mercury in fish, vaccines, and the like might have on the health of a typical adult. Some research has shown possible links between mercury and heart disease, Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, amyotrophic lateral aclerosis (ALS, often referred to as Lou Gehrig’s disease), Parkinson’s disease, and other ailments, but contradictory findings have deemed the conclusions too preliminary for definitive claims. What researchers do tend to agree on, however, is that fetuses and children are especially vulnerable. Kathryn Mahaffey, Ph.D., the EPA’s senior researcher on mercury hazards, estimates that one in six infants born in the United States (630,000 babies each year) has potentially unsafe blood mercury levels. “Half a dozen studies show that the umbilical cord blood has 1.7 times more mercury in it than the mother’s blood, and that fetuses have minimal defenses against the toxin,” says Boyd Haley, Ph.D., chair of the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky and an internationally recognized mercury expert. In a report to Congress, the NRC stated that in-utero mercury exposure causes hundreds of thousands of learning disabilities and lowers IQs in American children. In addition, babies and young children are exposed to the most vaccines. Despite the admonitions of federal agencies that mercury in air, products, and fish can be toxic to children, the CDC’s National Immunization Program continues to insist that the mercury in vaccines is safe. But a vocal group of scientists, lawmakers, and parents continue to call for an open debate. They cite research from Johns Hopkins University, Tufts University, and the University of Nebraska demonstrating that autistic children have very little ability to eliminate mercury. They also point to studies from Northeastern and Baylor Universities indicating that thimerosal damages DNA, and a 2004 Columbia University study illustrating that mice given thimerosal developed neurological quirks that

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resemble autism. While the debate rages on in America, Europe and most Westernized countries have removed thimerosal from vaccines. The government has stepped up its warnings about mercuryladen fish, though. In 2004, the EPA and the FDA issued joint fish advisories for pregnant women, nursing mothers, women of childbearing age, and young children. The FDA has indicated that the inclusion of women was meant only to protect their babies. Acheson acknowledges that there is some research showing a link between mercury and heart disease and other problems in adults, like a seven-year study of 1,833 Finnish men revealing that those who ate the most fish had twice the risk of heart attack compared to those who ate less fish. Overall, however, the science is not yet as clear-cut as that for children; hence, no warning for grown-ups. Additionally, while the Alzheimer’s Association does not point to a link between mercury and Alzheimer’s, some research implicates mercury in the development of the disease. Haley, who developed a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s, has shown that the brains of Alzheimer’s victims contain significantly greater amounts of mercury than those of unafflicted controls. His peer-reviewed studies have also demonstrated that exposing rats to mercury causes changes in the brain that mimic those in people with Alzheimer’s disease. Mercury poisoning is often a last-resort diagnosis because the symptoms overlap with so many other ailments. “The adverse effects that have been linked to mercury are nonspecific and can result from other exposures or events, so it might be hard to implicate mercury in any particular individual,” says David Bellinger, M.D., professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School and a leading mercury researcher. Still, more than 200 possible mercuryrelated conditions have been identified, and consumer health advocates want the government to address the issue more seriously. “Mercury is the new lead,” says Casey Harrell, former toxics campaigner for Greenpeace. He is referring to how the government quickly scrambled to lower the official “safe level” for lead exposure when research revealed that even small amounts of the toxin could cause brain damage in children. Many believe that mercury’s safe level will be downscaled accordingly. THE GOVERNMENT’S RESPONSE ith so many potential health risks associated with mercury, why does its use continue? The answer brings us back to money and big industry. “It’s impossible to talk about mercury without discussing politics,” says Robert Kennedy Jr., senior lawyer for the NRDC and a longtime environmentalist. “In the same year that our government is telling us that one out of six women has unsafe blood levels of mercury, the Bush administration is lowering pollution standards and allowing more mercury into the air.” Kennedy is alluding to the EPA’s new Clear Skies Initiative, which has actually weakened mercury standards. He points to existing alternative technologies such as the scrubbers on smokestacks that could reduce mercury emissions by 90 percent. Instead of adopting these, the EPA has mandated a 70 percent reduction in emissions—by the year 2018. “We’re going backward,” says Kennedy. In a campaign spearheaded by New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, as many as 15 states are suing the federal government to tighten these standards. In a minor victory this past March, a judge threw out a piece of the legislation that would have relaxed the time frame by which old power plants would need to upgrade their technologies. The Bush administration

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

has challenged the ruling, and it will likely go to the Supreme Court. One of the biggest champions of the Clear Skies Initiative was the EPA’s Jeffrey Holmstead, a former chief lobbyist for the energy industry. A 2004 Washington Post article revealed that large blocks of the initiative’s text were lifted verbatim from memos written by lobbyists at Holmstead’s old firm, something the EPA called a “mix-up.” Holmstead ultimately resigned after the issue continued to dog him. Because the Bush administration gives so much consideration to industry when drafting environmental laws, new scientific research on mercury may not be enough to move the government to action. Instead, Rice believes, the most promising route for jump-starting government involvement lies in economic analysis, which was instrumental in changing the politics of lead poisoning. “It is possible to calculate how much mercury-induced IQ loss costs the economy, and it is an enormous sum of money,” she says. Rice points to an EPA report showing that even tiny increases in people’s mercury levels can result in a quantifiable cost to society. “This kind of economic analysis is what eventually turned the tide with lead,” she notes. Groups that aren’t in favor of stricter mercury standards in the United States, including energy producers, often point out that America’s coal-burning plants generate only a fraction of the world’s mercury emissions. Mercury is a global toxin, the power industry argues; it’s a long-range pollutant that swirls across the ocean from power plants in Asia and Europe. But Scott Edwards, legal director of the advocacy group Waterkeeper Alliance, thinks that explanation misses the point, because there are known mercury “hot spots” that have higher than average amounts of the metal in their waterways. “Reducing mercury emissions in our country has a tremendous impact on local communities,” he says. Hot spots near power plants illustrate the problem with the government’s new “cap and trade” policy, which in aggregate may reduce pollution but doesn’t address the needs of specific locations. Figuring out how we’ve ended up with so much mercury in our environment often turns into a finger-pointing game. The FDA and the EPA warn us about fish consumption, yet there is less focus on coal plants or dental mercury. Haley suggests that these organizations spotlight fish because “it’s really hard to sue a halibut.” But energy producers aren’t the only ones lobbying the government about mercury. Tuna producers have fought to safeguard their livelihood and, in particular, to prevent California fish markets from displaying mercury warning signs. As for dental mercury, the Swedish National Board of Health, which back in 1997 recommended that mercury fillings be phased out, has been instrumental in encouraging other nations to ban amalgams. Japan and Switzerland no longer teach placement of amalgams in their dental schools, and Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Finland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, and others have www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

In the months after receiving my mercury hair test, I stopped eating fish and increased the amount of selenium and B vitamins I took which helped reduce the mild symptoms I was experiencing, like lack of focus and tingling extremities (see the “What you can do” sidebar for more on the symptoms of mercury exposure and how to alleviate them). These steps reduced my mercury levels (I was retested nine months later), but I was left feeling frustrated by the government’s oversight regarding mercury. It was comforting to realize that I wasn’t alone in my frustration, though. A growing number of politicians, scientists, and everyday citizens are equally involved in fighting mercury. Let’s hope things change soon. I, for one, would like my tuna sandwich back. ■

What You Can Do

“IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TALK ABOUT MERCURY WITHOUT DISCUSSING POLITICS,” SAYS KENNEDY

enacted health restrictions concerning pregnant women and children. In May 2005 the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection held hearings to determine whether mercury from human teeth was contaminating the state’s waterways, and whether to seek legislation to ban silver fillings. As of press time, no formal decision had been reached. State officials have been more active when it comes to thimerosal-containing vaccines, in part because of Kennedy’s accusation in June 2005 that the government had created a “thimerosal generation,” an epidemic of neurologically damanged children born between 1989 and 2003, a time when most vaccines contained mercury. California, Iowa, Missouri, Delaware, New York, and Illinois have passed laws restricting mercury-laced vaccines, and 15 others have bills pending. Anti-thimerosal companion bills have also been introduced in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

The good news about mercury is that there are specific actions you can take to rid your body of it. Testing is simple, fairly inexpensive ($25), and available through Greenpeace and many doctors. If you are a regular fish eater, have numerous fillings, live near a coal or chlorine plant, or have recently received a thimerosal-containing flu shot, you should consider being tested. ● “If people find themselves over the safe mercury limit,” says Bellinger, “they should eat less fish.” Early indicators of toxicity include tingling extremities, difficulty concentrating, depression, hair loss, rashes, and anxiety. If you have these symptoms, Bellinger suggests that you discuss options with your physician. Rice agrees, adding that you can confirm your diagnosis with a blood test. “The most important first step is to stop exposure,” she says. ● An antioxidant known as glutathione binds to mercury and helps us excrete it. You can boost your glutathione level by eating leafy green vegetables, broccoli, and such selenium-rich foods as Brazil nuts, chicken, and oatmeal. Rice recommends B vitamins and mentions that a selenium supplement may help as well. Haley also suggests supplementation. “I believe that vitamin C as well as vitamin B12 methyl can help reduce mercury levels,” he says. “Continue eating fish for the nutritional value, but stick to types like salmon instead of shark fin soup. Finally, avoid vaccines with thimerosal.” ● The NRDC Web site (nrdc.org) offers a “calculator” that allows you to estimate your mercury burden. It also lists fish by level of mercury contamination.

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NOW WEâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE EVEN GREENER!

HAS GONE DIGITAL!

Subscribers now have free access to back issues of Plenty at plentymag.com Want to save paper AND keep up with the buzz in the green community? Read Digital Plenty! This new format allows you to easily flip through the pages of Plenty right on your computer screen. The current issue and all back issues are included. There is also a digital-only subscription rate of just $10/year.

RETREADS

auto invention For inventors and designers, the road to reuse is paved with car parts BY JOSHUA M. BERNSTEIN EVERY YEAR MILLIONS OF JALOPIES ARE TRASHED, stripped bare, and eventually melted. It’s a scavenger-like process, with the choicest bits—engines, radios, etc.—vanishing first. But what becomes of items with no perceived use? After all, who wants a bald, flat tire? Or seat belts? More than 3 million tons of tires are trashed annually, and nearly 5 million tons of other auto junk (including plastics, rubber, wood, paper, and glass) are dumped in landfills, according to a 2003 EPA-funded study. To combat the waste, green-conscious designers and inventors are turning scrapped auto parts into both fashion statements and building materials. Here’s a look at three innovative uses for these car castoffs.

SEAT-BELT SAVIORS

BELT IT OUT: Peter Danko’s Arborline chair gives surplus seat belts a new lease on life.

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At Rosa Mexicano, an eatery near New York City’s Central Park, the dining room chairs are models of stylish reinvention: they’re partly fashioned from seat belts. The restaurant’s Arborline chairs are designed by Peter Danko, whose furniture sits in Washington, D.C.’s Smithsonian Institution and New York’s Museum of Modern Art; the 56-yearold D.C. native is also an ardent environmentalist. He fashions furniture by steambending plywood, which creates free-flowing shapes and yields 10 times more material per tree than solid-wood construction. And since 1994 he has turned his eye for smart resource use on automotive scrap. Danko’s vision for Arborline was born, ironically, with the arrival of a piece of junk mail advertising seat-belt remnants for sale. “This company had 43 million yards of fabric,” he says, laughing. If auto manufacturers are unhappy with a dye job (polyester seat belts are difficult to dye), they’ll reject the fabric—which is too bad for suppliers but a perfect opportunity for Danko, who relishes revamping them. Arborline includes stools and backless benches as well as chairs; all have wood frames slung with crosshatched seat belts. That the material can withstand 6,000 pounds of stress, Danko says, “makes for a P L E N T Y | 73

RETREADS

SEAT BELTS ARE MORE UTILITARIAN THAN FASHION FRIENDLY, AND THERE’S A LACK OF COLOR RANGES, WHICH MAKES INTERIOR DESIGNERS A BIT UNHAPPY. BUT, “THERE’S ALWAYS TONS OF ORANGE.” very, very sturdy chair.” But working with a material in unintended ways has posed one big problem: As seat belts are more utilitarian than fashion friendly, there’s a lack of color ranges, which makes interior designers a bit unhappy, Danko says. But, he adds, “there’s always tons of orange.” Despite this limitation, more seat belt entrepreneurs have come on the scene in the past several years. London’s tiny Ting design shop is one. Proprietor Inghua Ting set out to “make desirable objects out of CONVERT IT, DON’T HURT IT: The Ting Sling, fashioned entirely from castoff seat belts (above); recycled innertubes and seatbelts join forces in the Haversack bag by Alchemy Goods (below).

materials that would otherwise be wasted.” She scoured European factories for remnants and then set up heavy-duty sewing machines to weave the belts into cushions, wallets, and even hammocks (called Ting Slings). Another company, Kansas-based Zigzag, combines rubber, recycled men’s dress shirts, and reclaimed seat belts to create handbags. And Seattle’s Alchemy Goods was launched with a similar mission: make the useless useful. The company crafts messenger bags from the recycled inner tubes of bicycles, using junkyard-scavenged seat belts as straps.

TIRE RETREADERS John G. Dobozy, a snow-haired, 61-year-old inventor, can make tires disappear. The Australian visionary is the brains behind Molectra, a company in Queensland that has developed a technology to recycle tires with zero waste. Worldwide, more than a billion scrap tires are generated each year, with the United States alone contributing almost 300 million tires in 2003, according to the most recent EPA statistics. Effectively recycling the rubber is a daunting task because “it’s not just about getting rid of the problem but 74 | P L E N T Y

making something clean, valuable, and marketable at the end,” Dobozy says. Traditional tire-disposal processes only produce one type of end product; grinding turns tires into crumb rubber (minuscule bits of ground-up tire), while a heating process called pyrolysis melts them down into carbon and oil. These processes cannot be combined, and they leave behind a lot of waste, including the steel from wheel rims and the fiber cords that are used to reinforce the tire. Dobozy’s low-cost method (which costs an average of $1.36 per wheel) is different. It takes tires—ranging in size from slim June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

bicycle wheels to massive tractor treads— and turns all of their parts into raw materials. Steel rims are sold as high-quality scrap metal or turned into sandblasting material. Fiber cords are recycled into plastic panels or used as reinforcements for cement. The rest is ground into crumb rubber, which averages 15 pounds per tire and can morph into countless shapes, including floor tiles, rubber bricks, and even new tires. Dobozy’s process can also recover enough oil and hydrocarbon gas from the tires to generate the electricity needed to power Molectra’s entire plant. Other artists are approaching the problem in less technological ways. Mexican designer Metztli Mancilla Hernandez (a.k.a. Mecha) cuts tires into patterns and sews the pieces together. She turns trashed wheels into rugs, furniture cubes, and purses. And Danko isn’t stopping at seat belts, either: For his latest design he molded recycled soda bottles into a chair, then lashed the seat to the body with strips of discarded tire rubber.

CADILLAC LIBERATOR When Steve Heller wants to build wood furniture, he hunts for gnarled, scarred trees that he turns into perDRIVING DIRECTIONS: Molectra’s process creates tires from old rubber (left); Steve Heller rescues discarded vintage cars and turns them into sculpture (above) or functional art (right).

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fectly imperfect dressers and bookcases. When the 61-year-old upstate New York–based artisan wants to make a metal sculpture, he turns to the junkyard, where he rescues rusting 1950s Cadillacs, Pontiacs, and Buicks. “The [auto] crusher is the most evil piece of machinery ever invented; it’s destroying my raw material,” says Heller, a self-professed “car freak,” who has bought more than 40 junked vehicles. Though they’re no longer roadworthy, the Eisenhower-era automobiles live on thanks to Heller’s heavy-duty—and inventive—reinvention. He slices and dices their parts, welding them into unlikely furniture and dreamlike machines. A baby-blue 1959 Cadillac’s rear end was outfitted with wood and converted into a TV-ready entertainment center. A 1957 Buick’s chrome grillwork and bumper were attached to a cherry wood bar (bringing new meaning to the phrase “drinking and driving”). Perhaps most impressively, a 1998 Mercury Marquis was stripped and outfitted with taillights, fins, bumpers—the works—from about 10 bygone cars, turning the car into a machine fit for a sock hop. And for Heller’s drives to the country. “They can’t even make cars like that today,” he says. “I’m on a mission to save all those tasty, beautiful bits before they disappear forever.” ■

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S H E LT E R

SQUARED AWAY THE CUBE, AN ECO-EFFICIENT KIT HOUSE, MIGHT BE COMING TO A NEIGHBORHOOD NEAR YOU BY DEBORAH SNOONIAN

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June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY ROBERT VON STEMBERG

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WHO WOULD BUILD A HOUSE WITH NO WINDOWS? Most people would never consider living in such a place—but then The Cube, designed by Mark Baez of Venice, California, isn’t just any old house. Made from a simple system of steel beams, columns, concrete floors, and fiberglass walls, The Cube boasts several sustainable features, including solar hot water heating and a photovoltaic system for generating its own electricity. Baez finished this apartment building in 2005, and in time he hopes the parts needed to build it can be mass produced and shipped anywhere in the country, allowing Cubes to be built for a franction of the price of traditional housing. The project has been a labor of love for Baez, 45, a San Diego native who spent years working for design luminaries in Los Angeles, Europe, and Japan. The design was inspired by both high-end architecture and Baez’s work for lesser-known firms that churned out shopping malls and chain stores. “Typically we’d design a prototype, then modify it based on where it was being built,” he says. “There was an elegance to the process that fascinated me.” Baez began thinking about how the principles of mass customization could be applied to energyefficient housing, wanting to craft a modern-looking structure that could be replicated easily and tailored for any site it was built on. He established his firm M (mdesigns.net) in 1997; that same year, he bought a small plot of land in Venice on which he built the first Cube. Not surprisingly, The Cube takes its name from its shape. The basic “module” is a 30-foot square, three-story structure. On the ground level is a simple carport “paved” with garden turf blocks. Above it, two upper floors can be occupied by separate tenants or combined to create a single living space. Residents can leave the floors wide open, or divide them into rooms as small as 9 feet by 9 feet by using moveable fiberglass partitions that let natural light filter through. In

WHO NEEDS WINDOWS? The Cube’s exterior walls can be propped open to create cross breezes and let in sunlight.

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effect, the entire structure resembles a bigenough-to-live-in Rubik’s cube. Baez says, “You can build them in a straight line, or clustered around a courtyard, or in any configuration that will get you the best natural light or breezes. And you can easily add decks or a roof garden.” The structure in Venice consists of three modules that share a garden at the ground level. When the fiberglass exterior walls of The Cube are opened, they create overhangs that block the sun’s harshest rays while still allowing light inside. The radiant heating system consists of a network of pipes embedded in the concrete floors, through which hot water flows (the water is heated 78 | P L E N T Y

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPHS BY BELA TEMESVARY

S H E LT E R

“WHEN YOU OPEN UP THE WALLS, YOU FEEL LIKE YOU’RE IN A TREE HOUSE. SOME PEOPLE SAY IT LOOKS COLD, BUT THERE’S ACTUALLY TREMENDOUS WARMTH TO THE SPACE. IT FEELS LUXURIOUS, EVEN THOUGH IT’S NOT A LUXURY BUILDING PER SE.” by a rooftop solar collector). Radiant heat, used in more than half of new buildings constructed in Europe, typically saves homeowners 20 to 40 percent on heating bills compared to conventional heating systems that use forced hot air. And there is no air conditioning—a rarity in southern California. “Instead you create cross breezes by opening up the walls,” says Baez (so far, none of his residents have complained of the heat). The simplicity of The Cube’s construction, and the fact that its materials were available and manufactured locally, allowed Baez to build it in just a few months for the almost ridiculously low price of $80 per www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

square foot—much lower than the cost of many prefab houses (which typically feature more complicated systems) or even low-end McMansions, both of which start at around $175 per square foot. The Cube’s residents love its spare comfort. Michael Maloy, co-executive producer for the TV series Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, has rented a one-story loft space from Baez since last July. “It’s been great fun to live here,” he says. “When you open up the walls, you feel like you’re in a tree house. Some people say it looks cold, but there’s actually tremendous warmth to the space. It feels luxurious, even though it’s not a luxury building per se.”

It’s easy to see how The Cube could work in sunny Venice, where it sits less than a mile from the Pacific Ocean’s cool breezes. Would such a beach-friendly house work in, say, North Dakota? Baez is confident it can. “I’m talking to an interested client from New Hampshire who wants to build two of them. They may use them as small offices,” he says. In the meantime, Baez has patented The Cube’s eco-efficient design and is doing his best to convince developers and builders of the potential to mass-produce it. “The ideas that went into The Cube are very forwardthinking,” says Maloy. “It’s great to have a small part in making it successful.” ■ P L E N T Y | 79

Green White

IS THE NEW

WEDDINGS CAN BE WASTEFUL AFFAIRS, complete with embossed paper cocktail napkins, cut flowers that die after a day or so, and pricey bridesmaids gowns made from a material that couldn’t possibly have been found in nature. Fortunately, green weddings have grown up a bit; no longer are they the sole property of barefoot hippies in flowing peasant skirts. In fact, eco-nuptials have sparked their own cottage industry, and, frankly, it’s more castle than cottage. “I don’t see green weddings as a trend—trends can go out of style,” says green-to-the-core lifestyle consultant Danny Seo, author of Simply Green: Parties (Collins, 2006). “Instead, people are adapting, and they’re incorporating green elements at the levels that make sense in their own lives.” And that can be as simple as asking your caterer to use only organic staple items like milk, eggs, butter, and flour, or as extravagant as hiring a wedding planner to make sure the entire affair is eco-friendly, right down to the recycled toilet tissue in the water flow–controlled restrooms. Seo, who was recently retained by an A-list movie star couple— contractually, he can’t give names—to help them plan an organic affair, says the key to a green event is to make the process organic, not only the menu and trappings. “We’ve all been to weddings at hotel ballrooms where the bride and groom clearly chose from package A, B, or C,” Seo says. “But whose life is like that?” He suggests you think about where you love to spend time and pick your site 80 | P L E N T Y

accordingly. From there you can build a menu around produce that’s abundant at that time of the year; ask your caterer not to stock paper goods, straws, and other disposable items; and use serving platters from your own collection so that disposable containers aren’t used to transport food to the site. The bottom line is to find your eco-comfort zone and, er, cater to it. “The things you have to factor into the budget for a green wedding are a little different than for a traditional celebration,” says San Francisco–based event planner Joannie Liss. For example, most brides and grooms serve their wedding vendors on paper plates, but eco-conscious couples will rent extra china for their photographers, DJs, and other staff. Liss helped create the elegant organic vegan celebration of the marriage of actress Alicia Silverstone and rocker Christopher Jarecki last June. In general, organic weddings can be more expensive, she says. Of course the more DIY planning you put into your wedding, the less it will cost to go green. A simple Google search reveals chat and message boards filled with brides and grooms trading information on sustainable and cruelty-free wedding jewelry, organic and alternative floral arrangements, and even invitations made from plantable paper impregnated with wildflower seeds. One company, Organic Weddings, sells a planning book and offers vendor resources on its Web site, organicweddings.com. To help you get started, we asked Liss, Seo, and other eco-wedding experts for tips. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPH BY SUZY CLEMENT

TIE THE KNOT IN ECO-FRIENDLY STYLE WITH PLENTY’S WEDDING GUIDE BY BARI NAN COHEN

Alicia Silverstoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s outdoor nuptuals to Christopher Jarecki incorporated many eco-elements.

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Green White DECOR Using dried flower arrangements (which guests can take home as favors) instead of cut flowers (which will be discarded after a few days) is one way to create greener decor. Baltic Originals sells handmade organic dried flower arrangements, known as verba, on its Web site, balticoriginals.com. Decorative stalks start at $4.99 each, and bouquets start at $21.99. “At the two green weddings I’ve done recently, we used very few flowers,” says Liss. “Instead we created centerpieces out of organically grown herbs and vegetables, and lit the space with lots of

soy candles.” Candela soy votive candles cost $6 for a four-pack (candelasoy.com). Another trick Liss favors involves rocks and sand. “This is doable on any budget,” she says. “You can paint small rocks with your guests’ names for place cards, and then paint messages—we did words like ‘breathe’ and ‘dream’—on large rocks to designate the different tables. We’ve even used sand as part of the decor.” MAKEUP The hottest trend in cosmetics happens to be earth-friendly. All-natural mineral makeup lines from boutique manufacturers like Youngblood and Jane Iredale offer women with even the most sensitive skin the option of that rosy, healthy glow on the big day. Pauline Youngblood Soli, founder and president of Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics (ybskin.com), recommends that all brides

Guys’ Night Out These days, many husbands-to-be are opting for an evening of food and friends or a weekend of male bonding in a natural setting, rather than the barhopping and flesh fests of yore. Karen Bussen, author of Simple Stunning Weddings (Stewart, Tabori & Chang) and a Manhattanbased wedding planner, offers a few eco tips for bachelor parties. Guys love wine and steak. Hire out a private dining room in a top-notch restaurant that serves organic wines and foods, and make a feast out of it. A private room is a great option, as you may be able to smoke organic cigars, play your own music, or host your own preferred “entertainment” (just make sure she’s wearing a hemp bikini!). You can even hire an event company to set up a Texas Hold ‘Em table and a roulette wheel if your friends are the betting sort. Later, you can donate the winnings to your favorite green cause. Make a weekend out of it. Coordinate a wilderness trip in a phenomenal setting—the Bahamas, for example, boasts The Tiamo Resorts

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South Andros Island, a famous eco-friendly hotel offering hikes, great food, and solarpowered, phone-free rooms. You could also rough it—rent a hybrid van and take the guys camping in a beautiful natural environment. Just make sure to bring along a few necessities, like organic beer and beef jerky. Is he a golfer? The eco-friendly Plantation Inn and Golf Resort in Crystal Waters, Florida, offers a great course, plus diving facilities and other tours along Florida’s Nature Coast. If bar-hopping is on the agenda, consider hiring one of the many new pedal-powered taxi services to transport you from haunt to haunt. These green cabs (carriages attached to a bicycle) are popping up in metropolitan areas all over the country. Other eco-options include booking a luxury hybrid car service through OZOcar (ozocar.com, New York City only) or ECOLIMO (eco-limo.com, Los Angeles only), or having a designated driver pilot an alt-fuel vehicle from EV Rental (evrental.com) or BioBeetle (bio-beetle.com), both in select locations.

stash a pressed mineral foundation and lip gloss in their bags. Read more about mineral makeup on page 89. RINGS Conflict diamonds—stones that come from war-torn areas of the world plagued by human rights abuses and corrupt governments—continue to infiltrate jewelry stores in the United States and elsewhere. The diamond industry responded several years ago by adopting the Kimberley Process, a system that tracks stones up until the point of sale. Canada participates in this initiative, so shopping for Canadian-mined diamonds is one way to help ensure your ring didn’t help fund a civil war. Still, the Kimberley Process isn’t flawless. Amnesty International states on its Web site that “much reform is needed” because the Kimberley Process doesn’t include polished stones and “could exclude diamonds originating from recognized governments such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.” Amnesty recommends that no matter where you shop, ask jewelers about their conflict diamond policies and find out if they offer any written guarantees (Leber Jeweler in Illinois does; leberjeweler.com). You could also opt for a lab-created diamond from a company like greenKarat.com. Want an alternative to precious metals and stones? Touchwoodrings.com sells custom handcrafted bands made from sustainably harvested wood. GOWNS Organicweddings.com offers couture-style gowns made from hemp that start at $900 (custom designs are available). If hemp isn’t your thing, then shop vintage, recycle (and restyle) a family member’s gown, or look in consignment stores for gently worn bridal wear. (See the next page for more ecofriendly dress ideas.) “Honestly, the wedding dress is the one area where I tell brides not to think exclusively green,” says Seo. “I don’t think it’s worth it. After all, the gown is an investment piece; it’s something you can hand down.” After their wedding, Sting and Trudie Styler auctioned off their couture duds to benefit the Rainforest Foundation. Mere mortals whose sartorial choices won’t fetch thousands at auction can donate their outfits to groups like Fairy Godmothers (fairygodmothersinc.com) or the Glass Slipper Project (glassslipperproject.org), which provide lowincome high school students with prom garb. June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

LEFT PHOTOGRPAH BY MARK MARTIN RIGHT PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF STEWART + BROWN

INVITES WomanCraft’s handmade, recycled-paper invitations (womancraft.net) are created by homeless women working to improve their situations. And organicweddings.com has a selection of tree-free and recycled papers.

BEST DRESSED Three women bypass the bridal mega-stores to create wedding gowns that speak volumes about their personalities and principles KAREN STEWART, who runs the eco-fashion label Stewart + Brown with her husband, Howard Brown, likes poking around army/navy stores for ideas and materials. That’s how she came across World War II parachutes, which were in perfect condition, their precise gridlike stitching still intact. The then-single designer didn’t know what she’d do with the material, but she snatched it up anyway. Later, she realized she could sew a stunning dress out of the parachutes—more specifically, her own wedding gown. Getting all of the grids to line up was a challenge. “I really had to engineer it,” Stewart says. But when she was finished, she had a gown of her own creation, made from a reused fabric with a storied past. Like Stewart, Kimberly Schneiderman, a career counselor from New York City, decided she wanted a wedding gown with more significance than the average store-bought frock. So she wore the fitted A-line gown she inherited from her late grandmother Dorothy. “My grandma and I were always really close—she was such a cool person,” Kimberly says. “Wearing her dress brought me a lot of pride.” After the ceremony, in a particularly clever example of reuse, Kimberly had the dress turned into Christmas ornaments to commemorate her grandmother. Two styles—an angel with Dorothy’s name embroidered on it and a pillow with a pocket that holds a poem about Dorothy—were presented to members of the family as keepsakes. The notion that pre-worn wedding dresses can carry meaning is not lost on Elizabeth Dye, a Portland, Oregon–based clothing designer and co-owner of the English Department, a fashion and housewares boutique. It’s that very quality that got her interested in working with castoff wedding gowns, which she finds at thrift stores and on eBay (she turns them into new wedding gowns and other articles of clothing). “These dresses were at one time really important to someone,” she says. Plus, wedding gowns are often made from fine fabrics—the kind that would be expensive to buy new. “Seems a shame to throw them into a landfill,” Dye says. She starts by chipping away at fussy dresses until she has a slimmer silhouette. Then she often dyes the pieces in pale colors (the different fabrics, like lace and satin, take on slightly varied hues). “The bridal industry has become just that—an industry,” Dye says. “There’s nothing more individual than a handmade dress that has a history.” —Christine Richmond

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Green White Alicia Silverstone’s green wedding parties into the night, guilt free.

FOOD Liss’s favorite catering trick is to approach local organic/vegetarian/vegan restaurants to 84 | P L E N T Y

see if they can do off-site catering for weddings. If you’re having a smaller affair, rent the restaurant for the evening and host the reception there. Seo recommends starting with a caterer you love, and then asking to work on an organic menu together. “Think in terms of what’s plentiful at your local farmers’ market,” he says. “If you’re having your wedding at a time when tomatoes are in abundance, you can ask your caterer to plan the meal around that, and you’ll probably be able to negotiate a great price with local growers.” Your caterer shouldn’t have a problem tracking down planet-friendly items like free-trade, shade-grown coffees and teas, and organic soymilk, cream, and sugar. “Domino Sugar makes an organic variety,” Seo says. “And if your caterer balks at the price of these things, offer to pay a bit more. A dollar per person is a lot to a caterer, but

in the scope of your wedding day, it may not be that much,” he says. A good liquor store can provide you with organic wine, beer, and other spirits. After your wedding, you’ll probably have leftovers on hand. Arrange in advance to have a local food rescue organization bring the extras to a nearby homeless shelter. America’s Second Harvest (secondharvest.org) can help put you in touch with a nearby group. FAVORS Seo suggests sending guests home with plantable saplings, complete with growing instructions. “Wrap them in burlap tied with a satin ribbon, and then go ahead and attach an appropriately cheesy message like ‘As this tree grows, so will our love,’” he says. “Plus, you’ll help offset the carbon emissions from your guests who drove to the wedding.” June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUZY CLEMENT

GIFTS With many couples already established in households, and thus already in possession of all the toasters and bread machines they can use, the option of registering with a charity for guests’ donations is becoming more common. “About 15 percent of couples who register with us select environmentally related nonprofits,” says Bethany Robertson of the Washington, D.C.–based I Do Foundation. “The groups include the Rainforest Alliance, Heifer Project International, and the Nature Conservancy,” she adds. In addition, both gaiam.com and greenfeet.com have innovative registry and electronic RSVP services to help you lighten the eco-impact of your wedding.

FOOD

REAL GREEN WEDDINGS MARK AND STEPHANIE Houston, Texas – April 1, 2006 MARK AND STEPHANIE ROBINSON honored their commitment to each other, the planet, and God by making their wedding an environmentally responsible affair. Being green is part of their faith, says Mark, who works with eco-clients at his management consulting firm. When he proposed to Stephanie, he presented her with a synthetic diamond engagement ring (made by Apollo Diamond). The couple greened their nuptials by sending out electronic engagement announcements; printing the wedding invitations using chlorine-free,recycled paper and nontoxic ink; buying carbon offsets to compensate for their guests’ travel and their honeymoon flight; serving local produce at the reception; putting green companies on the gift registry and reusing items whenever possible (their china is Stephanie’s great grandmother’s; they asked family members to purchase additional pieces at replacements.com); and choosing to stay at eco-friendly hotels during their honeymoon in New Zealand.

ZHENA AND GERARD Sri Lanka – April 8, 2006 A destination wedding at a tea estate was the natural choice for Zhena Muzyka, the founder of fair-trade organic tea company Gypsy Tea (gypsytea.com). She chose a biodynamic, organic fair-trade estate located high in the mountains of Sri Lanka—one with which she has worked closely since Gypsy Tea’s inception in 2000. She initially asked the growers if they’d let her borrow a corner of the property for her wedding, but when the community—300 people and their children—heard the news, they excitedly offered to host the couple. Zhena wore a traditional sari and rode an elephant during her nuptials; she and Gerard remained in Sri Lanka for a weeklong honeymoon. In lieu of gifts, they asked friends and family to donate to fair trade organizations through their wedding Web site. They also raised $1,000 at a prewedding yard sale and donated the funds to local schools. —Jacquelyn Lane www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

Cater to Your Green Needs WHEN

So you eat organic food at home and in restaurants— but would you serve eco-friendly fare to 100 of your closest friends? By Nicole Davis

Cater it Yourself PLANNING A MENU FOR HUNDREDS OF

GUESTS,

even the most eco-minded among us may not be willing to pony up for organic fare. Just ask Mary Cleaver, owner of the Cleaver Company, a catering outfit in Manhattan. A few years ago she attended a banquet for several hundred members of a major environmental group—the kind of people you would expect to live and die by organic milk and grass-fed beef. And yet they were served commercial tenderloin and farmraised salmon, dirty words to a woman whose company specializes in “handmade food.” Attending the ostensibly environmental feast made Cleaver, 52, realize that “there shouldn’t be a disconnect between a person’s beliefs and the cuisine they need to be purchasing,” she says. Often, though, there is. Jenn Louis, chef and owner of the sustainable catering company Culinary Artistry in Portland, Oregon, says she recently proposed a menu and quoted a price to a forest-preservation group that was planning an event. “They chose not to go with us,” Louis says. “When you’re feeding a lot of people, cost is a consideration.” She believes the group went with a conventional caterer, because she was the only organic one on the list from which the group was choosing. While the natural-foods market as a whole is booming and forward-thinking chefs trumpet their use of sustainable ingredients on restaurant menus, the field of green catering has remained somewhat under the radar. The National Association of Catering Executives, for instance, does not keep statistics on how many of its 3,500 members serve sustainable fare. Major environmental

Can’t find (or afford) a green caterer in your area? Want to do a DIY office party or an intimate wedding reception for 50? Here’s how to cater your own eco-friendly shindig in five easy steps. 1. Use only sustainable paper products. Print your invitations on recycled paper or paper from the quick-growing kenaf or hemp plants, and use napkins made from recycled paper. Either splurge to rent real plates and silverware, or buy biodegradable utensils and recycledpaper plates (try treecycle.com or ecoproducts.com, or your local supermarket). 2. Purchase your food from vendors who support local and sustainable practices. Buy your coffee, for instance, from a fair-trade coffee shop, your cake from an organic bakery, your produce and meat from the farmers’ market, and your cheeses from domestic, local artisans. 3. Decorate your event with organic, locally grown flowers and plants that are in season. In spring choose daffodils or peonies; in summer, sunflowers; in fall, marigolds. And in winter, be creative: Mary Cleaver uses branches of pine to decorate trays of hors d’oeuvres. 4. Try to keep waste to a minimum. Choose only decorations that can be composted, prepare finger foods that don’t require cutlery or plates, and donate excess food after your event to a charitable organization or your local soup kitchen. 5. Make food preparation simple: You’ll save time, reduce the number of dishes in the sink (and use less water to clean up), and enhance the natural flavor of the foods you’re serving. Cleaver’s signature twice-baked fingerling potatoes with truffle oil are surprisingly easy to make (see plentymag.com for recipe). Grilled summer vegetables brushed with herbs and olive oil are a cinch, and lemon bars are another simple favorite.

P L E N T Y | 85

FOOD

Kashi ® foods look like real, natural food because that’s what they're made with. Like TLC® granola bars, with roasted nuts and oats.

And TLC crackers with their hearty, whole grain texture.

And GOLEAN Crunch!® cereal with honey-toasted clusters. Jeff won’ t put anything in his food that he can’t ﬁnd in nature ﬁrst.

kashi.com

The phrase “one of my farmers” points to the responsibility that many green caterers feel toward the farmers, fishmongers, cheesemakers, and vintners that supply their ingredients. groups and eco-conscious consumers have only recently started making the commitment to go green at their biggest feasts. It took the Sierra Club until 2004 to write into its bylaws that any food it serves at meetings or events should be organic. And outside metropolitan centers like San Francisco and New York or college towns like Austin and Ann Arbor, green caterers are scarce. One reason enviros don’t always go for eco-catered affairs is that event hosts and soon-to-be-wed couples often fall in love with a location first, and then pick one of the space’s “preferred” caterers. Unless they seek out an organic caterer on their own or have a savvy planner to guide them to one, most people decide on a menu without considering how the food is grown. Bucking this tradition and deliberately seeking out green cuisine will cost you: While the Cleaver Company’s prices are on a par with most other catering firms in New York, one of the most expensive dining cities in the United States, in most other places you can expect to pay about 10 to 15 percent more than you would with caterers that don’t see the harm in a tomato shipped from Mexico. But Jamie Zartler, a 39-year-old teacher from Portland, Oregon, for one, thinks the extra cost is worth it. Zartler got married in his hometown last July and chose Louis’s company to cater the event. The difference between green caterers and their conventional counterparts really hit home for him when, four days before the wedding, he got an email from Louis: “Peaches are not quite in season and one of my farmers has great apricots. Can I sub apricots for peaches on the crostini for Sat. night?” (Zartler gave her the go-ahead.) The phrase “one of my farmers” points to the responsibility that many green caterers feel toward the farmers, fishmongers, cheesemakers, and vintners that supply their ingredients. Food is not the only thing that defines a 86 | P L E N T Y

green caterer. Louis cuts down on waste by printing double-sided menus and turning excess produce into jams and preserves. Cleaver also does her share of eco-Samaritan work: She bought a $1,000 share in Farm to Chef, a service that links farmers and New York chefs, and uses only biodegradable utensils if an event calls for plastic. And a couple of Austin-based caterers, Mark and Melanie McAfee, who run the Barr Mansion event facility specializing in organic food, use green building materials whenever they need to put up a new structure. Paper menus at their events are made of chlorine-free kenaf, a fast-growing plant, while hors d’oeuvres and dinner napkins are made from organic cotton. Still, not everyone has access to such progressive party planners. And not all green caterers advertise their organic principles, both because not every client wants to hear them, and because many caterers like Cleaver are foodies first. She had been running her company for two decades—serving earthy hors d’oeuvres like twice-stuffed fingerling potatoes topped with truffle oil, sustainably farmed ham, and gleaming local vegetables—before she even thought to make her sustainability a selling point. “Being a cook who became a business person, marketing hadn’t been something I focused on,” she says. At this point, consumers who actively seek out eco-friendly catering are essentially driving the market. “It’s a consciousness we need to develop in our own lives and in special events,” says Cleaver. “Only then will green caterers become more prevalent.” ■ To find an organic caterer in your area, start by searching online—a good directory to begin with is organicweddings.com (click on “Resource Directory” then “Caterers”). In regions where there are few other options, you may want to consider consulting an event planner that might know of an organic caterer, or simply ask your local green or gourmet market. Whole Foods, for one, can provide catered organic food in select locations. You can also request an organic menu from a conventional caterer; it is your party, after all. The following are a few green caterers we consulted: Cleaver Co. (New York, NY) 212-741-9174; cleaverco.com Culinary Artistry (Portland, OR) 503-232-4675; culinaryartistry.net Barr Mansion (Austin, TX) 512-926-6907; barrmansion.com Food For All Seasons (Ann Arbor, MI) 734-747-9099; foodforallseasons.com

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

“Surﬁng changes how you

look at everything. Even oatmeal.”

What the heck does surfing have to do with food? Everything. What Jeff’s learned from surfing is to flow with nature instead of fighting it. So he makes great tasting, all natural food from seven whole grains. Food that works in harmony with your body. It makes him, and you, feel just awesome. Meet Jeff at kashi.com/jeff.

Kashi ® Nutritionist

7 whole grains on a mission

GREEN BLING

shore things

THESE ECO ACCESSORIES ARE PERFECT FOR

DAYS ON THE BOARDWALK AND NIGHTS BY THE BONFIRE BEACHY KEEN $30 for the top; $36 for the bottom (organicavenue.com) Who knew hemp could be so hot? You’ll be fashion-forward and eco-friendly in this string bikini.

TIP OF THE HAT $70 (tilley.com) Made from renewable materials, this sun hat blocks 98 percent of UVA and UVB rays.

ORANGE YOU GLAD $138 (ecoist.com) Part of Ecoist’s new “hybrid” handbag line, this shoulder bag features tangerinecolored hemp and a recycled candy-wrapper trim.

SUIT YOURSELF $55 (patagonia.com) Quick drying and water repellent, these retroinspired board shorts are made from recycled plastic.

MUSIC TO YOUR EYES $320 (vinylize.com; for sale on disrespectacles.com) Artist Zachary Tipton works with vinyl records to create these stylish sunglasses.

BEST FOOT FORWARD $42 (splaff.com) Splaff puts inner-tube and tire scraps to good use by turning them into these handcrafted, unisex flip-flops.

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April/May 2006 www.plentymag.com

beauty and the beach

MINERAL MAKEUP

GOES ON SHEER AND WON'T MELT DOWN—EVEN ON THE WARMEST DAYS LIGHTEN UP THIS SUMMER with mineral cosmetics. They feel weightless 1. and won’t settle into fine lines. What’s more, most formulas are free of unpronounceable chemicals, harsh dyes, and skin-irritating fillers, so they’re perfect for sensitive or blemish-prone complexions. In fact, the two most common ingredients have long been used to protect skin: Zinc oxide is an anti-inflammatory agent, while titanium dioxide is a natural sunscreen, offering UVA and UVB protection. For a healthy glow, try the following Plenty picks:

2. 5.

1. JANE IREDALE PurePressed Eye Shadows; $17.50 (janeiredale.com) These silky shadows are available in 32 shades. Our favorite is Dawn, a deep beige color with a subtle shimmer that works on almost any skin tone. 2. LA BELLA DONNA Loose Mineral Foundation; $50 (labelladonna.com) This oil-free, fragrance-free, and weightless SPF 20 powder evens skin tone with a barely-there finish. 3. BARE ESCENTUALS i.d. bareMinerals Blush; $18 (bareminerals.com) The newest shade, Laughter, looks bright pink on the brush but turns into a universally flattering, fresh-from-the-beach flush when applied to cheeks and the bridge of the nose. 4. MONAVE Lip Glaze; $13 (monave.com) Give your lips a hint of color and a delicate shine with this glaze, so-called because it has the staying power of lipstick but glides on like gloss. 5. PUR MINERALS Mineral Glow & Mineral Powdered Light Split Pan; $21.50 (purminerals.com) Half gold-toned bronzer, half light-reflecting powder, it’s the perfect combination for summer skin. Use it to fake a tan, highlight cheekbones, add shimmer to shoulders, or brighten tired eyes. 6. LAVERA Volume Mascara; $20 (lavera-usa.com) Organic jojoba and wild rose oils keep this mascara soft and flakefree—even after it dries. www.plentymag.com April/May 2006

LIVE GREEN with style! For those who are fashion conscious with a conscience, Green Heiress is your source for a great selection of fun, trendy clothing made from only natural fibers without any animal products. Plus, we only do business with companies that treat their employees well and pay them a fair wage... part of our commitment to improving the world.

SHOP ONLINE AT: GREENHEIRESS c COM

H E A LT H

Keep Your Cool Five natural, unusual, and time-tested ways to combat summer meltdown by Valerie Reiss Summer is the season most of us look forward to all year (even during our globally-warmed winters). It means having the freedom to romp, bond with nature, and dress way down. Yet when it finally arrives, we’re quickly reminded that although the grass may be greener, it’s also wilted and sticky. Fortunately, cooling off doesn’t have to mean cranking up the air conditioner. Here are five natural ways to beat the heat—with almost no fossil fuels required.

Get misty To remind yourself of the ocean’s calming spray, whip up a batch of this cooling potion, concocted just for Plenty by aromatherapist Judith Fitzsimmons, author of Aromatherapy Through the Seasons: Restorative Recipes and Sensory Suggestions (Conari, 2001). You’ll need pure essential oils (which you can find at a health food store); a 4-ounce spray bottle (probably on the shelf below the oils); and water. (If you’re pregnant or diabetic, or have a history of seizures, Fitzsimmons advises checking with a doctor before trying this.) Pour water into the bottle until it’s about half full. Add the following oils: eleven drops of orange, eight drops of bergamot, five drops of rosemary, and two drops of lavender. Then, fill the rest of the bottle with more water. Keep the mixture in a cool, dry place and shake it before using. Spritz it on your body anytime throughout the day except before bed; it’s an energizing blend. It should also give you a gentle mood lift––“Try it instead of a cup of coffee,” Fitzsimmons says––with a dash of mental focus, emotional clarity, and cheerfulness.

Rock out Hot stone massages feel great in winter, so why not try a cold stone treatment when the weather heats up? To save money by doing it yourself, go to the nearest outdoor space and select some smooth rocks that are palm size and smaller, suggests Valerie Simonsen, a naturopathic physician in Maui, Hawaii. Once you’ve got your rocks, rinse them and lay them in your freezer on top of a bandana or piece of fabric. After about an hour they’ll be cold enough to rest on your wrists, neck, and other pulse points for maximum coolage. The stones may also––if you believe in this sort of thing––help ground you. At the very least, you’ll feel like a human being for an hour or so instead of human blacktop. 90 | P L E N T Y

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

Eat for the season In Ayurveda, India’s science of life and medicine, beating the heat is all about balancing the dominant element of summer––pitta, or fire. “Like increases like, so we have to have a diet and lifestyle that is opposite to the qualities of pitta,” says Krupali Desai, a New York–based Ayurvedic doctor. For example, in blazing summer, she recommends avoiding spicy, heavy foods and eating watery fruits and vegetables (melons, grapes, plums, apples, cucumber). Dairy, known for its cooling properties, is also recommended to take the sting off the heat. In India, says Desai, people often end their warm days by drinking a small glass of buttermilk with a dash of salt and cumin powder.

Breathe like a yogi When yoga practitioners want to lower their temperatures, they stick out their tongues. This is so they can do sheetali pranayama, which translates from Sanskrit as “cooling breath.” This exercise brings colder air into the body, but it also offers other benefits: “When we’re paying attention to the breath, we’re paying attention to the present moment,” says Devarshi Steven Hartman, director of professional training at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts. “Often we’re hot because we’re in a hurry,” he adds. “So coming into the present is a good way to cool down.” To practice sheetali, stick out your tongue halfway and curl it into a tube. Now, if no one’s looking at you funny, inhale evenly through it for about five seconds. Then, hold your breath while gently drawing your chin toward your chest. Hold for five seconds. Exhale through your nose. Do four to five rounds, repeating as needed throughout the day.

Run from ice No matter how relieving that frosty drink feels, traditional Chinese medicine holds that icy fluids and foods impair the ability to digest. “The digestive system is like a pot over a fireplace,” explains Elizabeth Fay, an acupuncturist with offices in Cambridge and Newton, Massachusetts. “If the fire under it isn’t warm enough, we’re not going to ‘cook,’ or digest, our food properly.” This can lower overall energy and harm your ability to fight illness––not to mention the sweltering heat. During summertime, Fay advises drinking room-temperature fluids.

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 91

INDULGENCES

Sweating It A selective guide to the best saunas, schvitzes, and steam caves in the U.S. BY JENNIFER BLOCK

Your local gym probably has a steam room or sauna, but devotees say establishments dedicated solely to heat are where you really detox both body and soul. 92 | P L E N T Y

FINNISH COUNTRY SAUNA AND HOT TUBS 5th and J Streets, Arcata, CA; (707)822-2228. $8. Private rentals.

If hiking through the majestic redwoods of Northern California leaves your muscles sore and your mind restless, stop into this sauna for a sweat break in your own private wood cabin. You’ll bake at temperatures that hover between 150 degrees and 185 degrees— depending on which bench you sit on— and, as is customary in Finland, a wood bucket and ladle are provided for upping the ante with steam. Afterward, cool off in the otherworldly garden, complete with a koi-filled pond and an island. If you’re feeling more social (or hungry), grab a cushion inside the café, which serves tea, finger sandwiches, and renowned hot juices—imagine heated cherry cider with fresh whipped cream (close your eyes and it’s pie!).

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPH UPPER LEFT: MARTA ROSTEK;UPPER RIGHT: TIM PANNELL/CORBIS

MOST AMERICANS DON’T HAVE A DEEP-SEATED LOVE of the sauna—certainly not like some of our European neighbors. Case in point: in 2002 a Finnish man named Magnus Bjork, along with friends from his current home on the French-Swiss border, went so far as to convert a rusty Saab 900 into a sauna—just for fun. The Finns, among other sweat-loving cultures, tout the health benefits of frequent exposure to extreme heat (though your Western physician might disagree): a workout for your internal organs as well as a detoxifying cleanse that promotes healthy circulation, clear skin, muscle relaxation, stress relief, and a strong immune system. Your local gym probably has a steam room or sauna, but devotees say establishments dedicated solely to heat are where you really detox both body and soul. Some believe sweating even serves a meditative, prayerlike role, while others claim it’s the salve that keeps marriages going. “If you’re fighting at home, I say get a cleaning person and join a sauna,” says a frequenter of Paradise Sauna in Chicago. “If you’re still fighting after a good sweat, call the lawyer.” While the health, spiritual, and relationship benefits of heat treatments are unproven, if nothing else they will leave you feeling relaxed. Sadly, though, a good sweat can be hard to find, especially in the United States. Here are a few gems to seek throughout the country. Then again, you might be inspired to start a sauna in your own backyard—or in an SUV.

PARADISE SAUNA

RUSSIAN AND TURKISH BATHS

VOLCANIC STEAM VENTS

THE D.I.Y. SWEAT

2852 West Montrose Avenue, Chicago, IL; (773)588-3304. $18. Single-sex.

268 East 10th Street, New York, NY; (212)473-8806. $25. Single-sex or mixed, depending on day; call for schedule.

Various locations, Big Island, Hawaii. Free and open 24/7 to the public.

Tucson, Arizona. $2 donation.

There’s the Finnish sauna, the Turkish baths, the Native American sweat lodge; and then there’s Mother Nature’s spa, located on Big Island in Hawaii. Here, volcanic steam vents create the only “natural saunas” or “steam caves” in the United States. These hot spots dot the Puna region, southeast of Pahoa along Route 130. Guidebooks and locals will help you find the best locations; or, thanks to Oscar Voss of Arlington, Virginia, who mapped out the GPS coordinates, you can navigate your way from the highway. After a short hike through the lush landscape, you’ll find many of the caves conveniently set up with benches and ladders—some are several feet below ground. Just leave your flip-flops and towel nearby to “reserve” your spot. Consult Voss’s Web site for coordinates: users.erols.com/ovoss/.

Twenty years ago, Lee Stanley made a stove out of a rusted-out maple syrup barrel, stuck it in an old toolshed, and invited a handful of friends to his makeshift sauna. Now his cactus-laden backyard is home to a unique sweat cooperative. He regularly welcomes “members”—a club of 500 by last count—and their guests on an honor system. Under the starry desert sky, there’s the wood-stove sauna, an outdoor shower, a pool, hammocks, and a polished stone that greets visitors with the inscription, “Be Nude Now.” Not surprisingly, the house has taken on something of a cult status in town. Occasionally Stanley gets a knock on the door from a hopeful businessman looking for the “nude bar.” Not that he minds the intrigue. “I don’t know any other city that has this culture, but it ought to be spread,” Stanley says, reminding readers: “You can start your own in your town.”

Don’t let the narrow, orange-and-hotpink-neon-lit entrance scare you; Paradise Sauna is what it claims to be. The dry sauna, steam sauna, and hot and cold pools will be familiar to any Turkishor Russian-bath devotee; but there are also signature Korean touches, like the huge salt crystal sitting atop the sauna’s stove (the salt is believed to help purge the body of toxins) and the delicious smells migrating from the restaurant next door, which will serve you sushi or udon while you remain in the comfort of your robe. Even more enticing is the nap room, furnished with leather recliners and soporific cable TV. Really, there’s no reason not to spend the entire day here—sweat, nap, eat, repeat.

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

A “schvitz” used to warm up immigrant life in the cold-water tenements of Lower Manhattan. Today the Russian and Turkish Baths still retain old-world charm: the steam rooms are tiny, the robes are threadbare, and the toilet is truly a water closet. Of course you won’t care once you’ve worked your way up to the top bench of the searing “radiant” room, made of pebbled concrete at the turn of the last century. Get some relief by pouring a bucket of ice-cold water over your head like the pros, and sweat beside everyone from disaffected models to hirsute old men (also from the turn of the century). Later, you’ll spot them kibitzing in the café over tuna salad and pickled herring platters. For something, er, more refreshing, head to the juice bar; in fair weather you can get some vitamin D by catching a few rays on the building’s roof deck.

P L E N T Y | 93

OFF THE GRID

GREEN

How eco-rapper and alt-fuel enthusiast Charris Ben Ford is helping to shape the new environmental movement

By Elizabeth Barker AT AGE 18, CHARRIS BEN FORD RETREATED to the hills of Tennessee to spend a decade working on his family’s solar-powered farm. The son of Woodstock-era back-to-the-land parents, Ford had channeled his lifelong love of nature into a sustainable agriculture major at Arizona’s Prescott College, but he quickly longed to transfer his studies to an outdoor classroom. Once in Tennessee, with his head out of the books and his hands in the dirt, Ford devoted his days to tending the organic garden, harvesting rainwater, foraging for food, learning farming methods from the small Amish community nearby— and beatboxing. “While I was out sawing wood and working with the Amish, I started rapping about mushrooms and eating bugs and alternative 94 | P L E N T Y

fuel,” recalls the 36-year-old biodiesel advocate/stonemason/carpenter, who co-manages the Telluride, Colorado–based Grassolean Solutions, one of the country’s first biodiesel production facilities. His future plans include opening a biodiesel station. Now rhyming as “the Granola Ayatollah of Canola,” Ford first discovered hiphop when Run-D.M.C. dropped their self-titled debut his freshman year of high school. “There was this track called ‘Wake Up’; it was like a Martin Luther King–style dream of a better day,” says Ford. “I was really struck by the possibility of rap as a way to spread awareness.” Awareness-spreading has since become the M.C.’s M.O., with Ford taking the last few years to “get everyone fired up about environmental protection” by speaking and rapping at conferences, workshops, and college campuses across the country (sample rhyme: “We could get driven to extinction just for spinnin’ our wheels/Up and offing ourselves with our own automobiles”). He launched Grassolean in 1999, the same year he bought a 1980 International Scout on the Internet for $6,000, converted it to run on biodiesel, and learned how to concoct the fuel from deep-fryer June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

PHOTOGRAPH UPPER RIGHT COURTESY CHARRIS FORD; RIGHT BY JASON HUDEPOHL

SCENESTER

grease donated by local restaurants. With the help of Ford’s two partners, Grassolean now produces thousands of gallons of biodiesel yearly and helped mobilize Telluride’s Galloping Goose, the first 100 percent veggie oil–fueled public bus in the U.S. “I’m excited to be a part of what is now the global effort to preserve our miraculous earth,” says Ford. For big-time happenings like last year’s United Nations World Environment Day in San Francisco, Ford teamed up with Daryl Hannah to spout off on the greasy-groovy benefits of biodiesel. The two met in 1998 and bonded over their shared interest in sustainable living; Hannah quickly hired Ford and his wife, Dulcie Clarkson, as the caretakers of her solar- and wind-powered ranch in the Rockies. Their duties included watering the moss-rock couch, maintaining the solar battery that powered several buildings, and putting up teepees when Hannah’s friends came to crash. Seven years later, the Kill Bill star was appearing on CBS 2 News in Los Angeles, licking the gas cap on her El Camino to show how much she fancies biodiesel. “My role in the green scene is a surreal one,” admits Ford, whose caretaking job wrapped up in 2005. Indeed, his universe seems colored by the curiosities of being a semi-celebrity: The first half of last year saw Ford sitting alongside the unlikely panelist-pairing of Red Hot Chili Pepper Anthony Kiedis and mushroom scientist/visionary Paul Stamets at the annual Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability conference in Los Angeles, while the latter half marked the release of a children’s book, Have Fries—Will Travel! by Linda K. Hempel, about the adventures of a rapping cowboy and his soybean oil–powered car. But for all the dizzy distraction to be had in, say, joyriding with Willie Nelson, Ford stays focused. “I get e-mails from places like the Czech Republic, asking

things like, ‘Can we create biodiesel from vodka?’” Ford laughs. But despite the fact that a growing thirst for alternative fuel has piqued the eco-curious public’s interest in Grassolean, he’s not looking to turn his company into the world’s first biodiesel empire. He wants the green movement to focus on bigger-picture lifestyle changes. “We need to start driving less, carpooling more, living closer to where we work, diversifying fuel sources,” he says. “Biodiesel is an important tool in the tool box, but it’s not the ultimate solution. It’s a way to say, ‘Let’s get this party started.’” Ford’s current party plans include a slight change in green scenery, as he and Clarkson are now hunting for an off-the-grid home to call their own. Married eight years, the longtime sweethearts met in 1988 when Ford hitchhiked to a permaculture conference at the Gila Wilderness, New Mexico hot springs commune where Clarkson grew up—in a solar-powered adobe home built by her mother. “I almost fell over when I saw her,” he remembers. “She was my hippie commune princess.” The two had their first child three years ago, a boy named after Cassius Clay (“but spelled K-AS-H-I-U-S, in case he doesn’t want to be a boxer,” Ford points out). Ford also joined forces with the filmmakers behind Oil on Ice— the 2004 documentary about the fate of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge—to produce a film about alternative fuel, which should be completed by early 2007. And even though he’s cutting back on eventbased business (“it’s asinine to fly somewhere to speak about fuel use, since flying is one of the least sustainable things we can do”), Ford aims to keep up the consciousness-raising—and beat-dropping—for years to come. “The rap thing is really just a party favor,” Ford remarks. “But that’s much needed in this movement. We can’t stop having fun.” ■

AWARENESS-SPREADING HAS SINCE BECOME THE M.C.’S M.O., WITH FORD TAKING THE LAST FEW YEARS TO “GET EVERYONE FIRED UP ABOUT ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION” BY SPEAKING AND RAPPING AT CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, AND COLLEGE CAMPUSES ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

www.plentymag.com June/July 2006

P L E N T Y | 95

T H E B A C K PA G E

THE PLENTY QUIZ:

Test Your Eco-I.Q. 1.

In which city and state is wind energy now cheaper than conventional sources of energy, according to the Earth Policy Institute? A. Austin and Colorado B. Boston and California C. New York City and Washington D. San Francisco and Massachusetts

With which other country is the United States collaborating to reduce methane emissions? A. Australia B. Finland C. Mexico D. Zimbabwe

3. Which recently published book that discusses environmental and political themes will be made into a movie for release in 2007? A. The World Is Flat by Thomas Friedman B. The Republican War on Science by Chris Mooney C. Are Men Necessary? by Maureen Dowd D. Collapse by Jared Diamond

4. In which state can the country’s top three worst-polluted cities be found, according to the American Lung Association? A. Arizona B. California C. New Jersey D. Texas

5. Which of the following statements about scientifically engineered animals is true? A. The FDA has approved genetically modified animals for widespread consumption. B. The first cloned cat wasn’t named CopyCat but Kit-Kat because of the candy bar’s sponsorship of the project. C. Cloned animals can’t naturally reproduce. D. With the use of cloning, pigs can produce omega-3 fatty acids on their own.

6. What number (roughly) multiplied by gallons of gasoline will result in the number of pounds of carbon dioxide emissions produced by a car? A. 5 B. 20 C. 30 D. 90

7. Which celebrity does not own a Toyota Prius? A. Cameron Diaz B. Leonardo DiCaprio C. Tom Hanks D. Sharon Stone

8. Which environmental organization was founded first? A. Transportation Alternatives B. Greenpeace C. The Nature Conservancy D. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

In London, by what percentage has bicycle and motorcycle use increased, and traffic accidents involving cyclists decreased, since the city’s implementation of a congestion tax on vehicles in 2003? A. 5 percent increase, 20 percent decrease B. 15 percent increase, 8 percent decrease C. 50 percent increase, 22 percent decrease D. 110 percent increase, 0 percent decrease

10.

Which word, when typed into Google, will result in zero hits? A. Ecoknowledge B. Ecosexual C. Ecopsychotic D. Ecovitality

WHAT YOUR SCORE MEANS: 0-2 Eco-ignoramus 3-5 Eco-wannabe 6-8 Eco-phile in the making 9-10 Want to intern at Plenty?

Answers: 1. A; 2. C; 3. B; 4. B. ; 5. D; 6. B; 7. D; 8. C; 9. B; 10. C

96 | P L E N T Y

June/July 2006 www.plentymag.com

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