Plenty Magazine Issue 16 June/July 2007 by Plenty Magazine

PLENTY

BABIES GO GREEN: FAB CLOTHES, CRIBS, AND TOYS

IT’S EASY BEING GREEN

THE TOPVING A ENERGYA-SNCES, APPLI NICS, ELECTROORE AND M

ECO TRAVEL 2.0 YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO PLANET-FRIENDLY TOURISM

+ SURPRISING DESTINATIONS + COOL TRIPS, EXPERT TIPS

PLENTY IT’S EASY BEING GREEN

Contents june/july 2007

features 44

The Eco Travel Tool kit Your complete guide to going green when you’re on the go. By Kate Siber

Be Our Guests In the midst of a crippling agricultural crisis, farmers in Kerala, India, are welcoming tourists into their homes. Plenty reports on how this latest take on ecotourism is shaping the region’s future. By Lindsey Reu

Paradise Lost? On the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, two eco-resorts come of age. By Lisa Selin Davis

Raising Your Baby Green Stylish products that are eco, practical, and just plain cute. By Bari Nan Cohen

ON THE COVER 40 Appliances and electronics 44 Eco travel 2.0 62 Babies go green

2|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

PLENTY

june/july 2007

FAST 15 A worldwide concert for climate change; the skinny on carbon sequestration; Steel City gets a green makeover; what we’re putting on our lawns; testing CFLs.

FORWARD 27

PEOPLE Barbara Kingsolver on her yearlong experiment in

local eating. By Tracy McMillan

TECHNOLOGY Tomorrow’s energy crops are germinating in

laboratories today. By Jennifer Weeks

BUSINESS Making seawater drinkable has become a quest for

U.S. companies. By Alisa Opar

MOTION With a new carpool service, you can text your way

home. By Mark Anderson

THINKING Naturalist Kenn Kaufman; Peter Pringle’s Day of the Dandelion; Jonathan King’s Black Sheep.

WILD WORLD The once-endangered wolf is back in big numbers, and not everyone is happy about it. By Kiera Butler

GREEN GEAR These efficient home appliances and electronics

save energy and water—and they’ll lower your bills, too.

CHOICES 69

HOME Green and affordable in Sonoma; build a bat house in

your backyard; tabletop items that evoke an exotic scene.

CULTURE For a small subculture of ordinary Americans, the

best car is no car at all. By Trevor Stokes

RETREADS Volunteers in Mexico find a new use for old plastic bags. By Laura Fraser

STYLE Set sail with nautical clothes for summer; designer Anna

Cohen; the latest salon trend: nontoxic dyes and treatments.

PLENTY

BABIES GO GREEN: FAB CLOTHES, CRIBS, AND TOYS

FOOD Vegetarians who eat meat? Welcome to flexitarianism. By Christy Harrison

IT’S EASY BEING GREEN

THE LAST WORD My summer as a state-park mascot.

THE TOP ING ENERGY-SAV , APPLIANCES CS, ELECTRONIRE AND MO

By Joni Tevis

in every issue 6 8 10 12

plenty online

ECO TRAVEL 2.0 YOUR COMPLETE GUIDE TO PLANET-FRIENDLY TOURISM

from the editor contributors letters

+SURPRISING DESTINATIONS +COOL TRIPS, EXPERT TIPS

Cover illustration by tavis coburn 4|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

82 To subscribe to Plenty call 800.316.9006 or log on to plentymag.com

illustration by LOU BROOKS

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PLENTY june/july 2007

What’s coming UP on Plentymag.com

JUNE the grass is greener

JULY Jam session

Ditch those pesticides and fertilizers forever. In June, watch for a plentymag.com report on how to pimp your lawn, eco-style.

Are you ready to rock? We’re gearing up for Al Gore’s Live Earth concert on July 7, 2007. Visit plentymag.com for concert buzz, photos, and more.

❯ In Depth

❯ A Farmer’s Notebook

❯ Action

❯ The Current

❯ Green Gear

❯ Eco-Eats

Breaking news, book and movie reviews, and features on topics from politics and technology to green cuisine and sustainable design.

P43 Prana

Plenty makes your daily dose of environmental news taste good.

K77 Fire

V36 Autumn

K74 Karuna

Sustainable farmer Ragan Sutterfield sends dispatches from Adama Farm in the mountains of central Arkansas. Daily reviews of the coolest eco-friendly products on the planet.

Plenty brings you green events happening in your neighborhood, tasty eco recipes, and do-it-yourself projects. Food guru Nathalie Jordi rounds up bits and bites from the world of sustainable cuisine.

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from the editor

editor in chief executive Editor art director senior editor associate editors

style editor deputy art director research editor editorial assistant copy editor

Fly Right

contributors

Traveling has always been a great way to find ourselves. As classic novels like Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance and On the Road suggest, it seems we must break free from our day-to-day lives in order to better understand who we are and our relationship with the world. If our travel patterns today are any indication, we are becoming much more globally minded. Only 21 percent of the U.S. population has a passport, but the travel industry is growing rapidly: There were more than 800 million international tourists worldwide in 2006, and that number is expected to grow about 4 percent in 2007. This global mindset is reflected in the growth of ecotourism. Probably the fastest growing sector of travel, ecotourism has been exploding in part because it’s a relatively new concept, but also because more and more people want to get in touch with the natural world and see it before it disappears. One of the contradictions inherent in ecotourism is that air travel is unsustainable—at least until someone builds an airplane like the one on our cover. Presently, jet fuel accounts for about 12 percent of transit-related carbon emissions in the U.S., but we’re finding more and more ways to reduce this impact. For example, now when you buy your tickets through travelocity.com, you have the option of buying carbon offsets for the emissions you’ll produce during your flight. Ideally, the entire process of getting from one place to another would involve only renewable, sustainable resources—but for

8|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

now, offsets are a step in the right direction. Today there are an unlimited number of ways for us to see the world. Over the past year, Plenty has featured stories about volunteer vacations and culinary holidays. In this issue, we offer you a new, green way to immerse yourself in India (“Be Our Guests,” page 52), and we also examine the changes taking place at two environmentally conscious resorts—one older, one newer—on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John (“Paradise Lost?” page 58). But no matter where you want to go, we want to help get you there in a greener way, so check out our complete guide for eco-friendly travel (“The Eco Travel Tool Kit,” page 44). There was a time when people traveled mostly for trade or religious purposes. While that’s not always the case today, hitting the road is still a wonderful way to learn about our world. Travel has always been, and will continue to be, an important part of Plenty.

editorial interns

Mark Spellun Deborah Snoonian Tracy Toscano Sarah Schmidt Kiera Butler Alisa Opar Susan Cosier Lisa Stasiulewicz Richard Gambale Sarah Parsons Tobin Hack Jessica Mahler Joshua M. Bernstein Justin Tyler Clark Bari Nan Cohen Lisa Selin Davis Liz Galst Christy Harrison Kate Siber Felix Sockwell Alison Sherbach Justin Nobel

Advertising & Marketing publisher Shannon Metcalf 212.810.2893 shannon@plentymag.com assistant publisher Morgen Wolf 212.757.0048 morgen@plentymag.com detroit ad sales Joe McHugh BreakthroughMedia 21675 Coolidge Highway Oak Park, MI 48237 586.360.3980 Published by Environ Press, Inc. Chairman: Arnold Spellun 250 West 49th Street, Suite 403 New York, New York 10019 Tel: 212.757.3447 Fax: 212.757.3799 Subcriptions: 800.316.9006 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 ©2007 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 15532321) is published bimonthly, six times a year. The annual subscription price is $12 per year. PLENTY is a publication of 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 621, Mt. Morris, IL 61054-7568 or call 800.316.9006.

PLENTY is printed on 80% recycled paper and manufactured with elemental chlorine-free pulp. Please recycle. PLENTY offsets its carbon footprint with eMission Solutions, a division of Green Mountain Energy (greenmountain.com).

Mark Spellun Editor in Chief

Nurturing People, Nature &Spirit.

Organic from the inside out.

DAG FALCK Organic Program Manager for Nature’s Path Foods. Nature’s Path® has always attracted people like Dag. Passionate people, committed to promoting, and living an organic, healthy lifestyle. He knows nothing can replace the richness and complexity of nutrients found in a varied diet of fresh, organic whole foods. Foods grown without synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fungicides and no added preservatives or additives. Nature’s Path® organic cereals and snacks are a great way to start down the path to an organic lifestyle. Available in food service and at grocery & natural food stores. Visit our website for online shopping or to find the store nearest you. www.naturespath.com

contributors

Kate Siber (“The Eco Travel Tool Kit,” page 44), a regular contributor to Plenty, lives in Durango, Colorado, but could be considered a resident of the world. She’s traveled to exotic locales such as Nepal, Bhutan, China, Thailand, Dominica, and South Africa, to name a few. She says she’s become mildly obsessed with the idea of green tourism. “After writing this story, I’m planning to offset all of my emissions from flying this year,” Kate says. “Considering how much I fly, it will be a sizable commitment.” Kate’s writing has appeared in Outside, Men’s Journal, National Geographic Adventure, the New York Times, and Backpacker.

Mark Anderson (“Ticket to Ride,” page 34) is impressed that carpooling companies like Texxi and TaxiBus are addressing questions on mass transit. “Their answers could change the way many people get from point A to point B,” he says. Though he holds an M.S. in astrophysics, Mark makes a living as a freelance writer covering science and technology for publications like Rolling Stone, Discover, Harper’s, Wired, and Science. In 2005, he published his first book, “Shakespeare” By Another Name, which represents the culmination of a decade of research into alternative theories about The Bard’s plays and sonnets. He lives in western Massachusetts.

Laura Fraser (“Sleep On It,” page 78), says that when she visited Mexico recently, she saw two things that bothered her: plasticbag litter and children sleeping on dirt floors. “It’s great that someone thought of a creative idea to help solve both problems,” she says about the volunteers who make mattresses stuffed with plastic bags. Laura has also written for More, the New York Times, Mother Jones, and Organic Style, and her latest book, An Italian Affair, was a bestseller. She lives in San Francisco, where she takes cloth bags to the market.

Tavis Coburn (cover image), who studied at California’s Art College of Design, has created illustrations for clients across the media spectrum, including Time, Rolling Stone, GQ, the Discovery Network, and Universal Music Group, among others. Tavis draws inspiration from 1940s comic books, the Russian avant-garde movement, and publications from the ’50s and ’60s. His work has earned high praise in the design world: He recently received a gold medal from the Society of Publication Designers, and was named one of “20 Breakthrough Talents Under 30” by Print magazine.

Jennifer Weeks (“Power Plants,” page 30) has worked as a congressional staffer, lobbyist, and program manager for several environmental groups. But when she moved to Boston and became a freelance writer, she replaced her suits with hiking boots. Jennifer has published articles in Popular Mechanics, Wildlife Conservation, Grist, Environment, and OnEarth magazine, and she’s currently part of a team that’s developing an environmental science curriculum for high school teachers. She says that seeing the Boston Red Sox break the Curse of the Bambino in 2004 reinforced her belief that no challenge is insurmountable—even curbing global climate change.

letters

“I was especially impressed with the story ‘An Uncertain Harvest.’ The whole world is experiencing climate change, but the story pointed out how drastic the change is in Africa, where there is not much food to begin with.”

kudos for food Thanks for dedicating your whole last issue to the intersection of the environment and food production. The documentary Super Size Me and the book Fast Food Nation have generated a critical mass of coverage in the past few years on how terrible the American diet is, and how far removed it is from real food. I very much enjoyed your articles on culinary vacations (“Moveable Feasts,” April/May 2007, page 60) and eateries that focus on providing local foods (“Slow Food Nation,” page 83), as well as the story about family farms (“It’s a Family Affair,” page 38). Even though I’m sure you have covered this before, I think it was an oversight not to include an article on Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), which would have provided readers with a concrete and affordable way to implement environmentally-sound eating and cooking. One website that provides a database of CSA farms 12|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

is localharvest.org/csa. I just read in the Washington Post that recent public heath studies show that only 11 percent of Americans are eating two fruits and three vegetables daily. Thanks again for publishing a number of positive stories about people finding a path for ecologically sound food production and consumption. Mary Grace Folwell Annapolis, MD

what’s up with the wheat? I am 12 years old and live in Cupertino, California. My mom is a frequent reader of Plenty. In your April/May issue, I couldn’t help but notice that the cover line, “The Way We Eat,” looks very similar to “The Way Wheat.” I also noticed that the picture on the cover is of a man and woman standing in a room full of wheat.

Although my dad and I think it is a clever marketing strategy that is intended to interest readers, my brother and mom think it is just a coincidence. Can you help straighten it out for us? Youseph Pavlovis Cupertino, CA Dear Youseph, Your mom and brother are right—it was just a coincidence, and one that worked out in our favor, luckily. (In fact, we’re a little embarrassed that we didn’t notice it ourselves.) Thanks for reading! —Eds.

climate change and THE africaN CONTINENT I read your magazine cover to cover! I enjoy all the articles, but I was especially impressed with last issue’s “An Uncertain Harvest” (April/May 2007, page 44). The whole world is experiencing climate change, but the story pointed out how drastic the change is in Africa, where there

letters is not much food to begin with. Thank you for such an in-depth story about the continent of Africa and global warming. We all need to do our part in saving our planet. Suzann Glenn Strongsville, OH

clearing up CLAIMS ABOUT recyclinG Your last issue contains a statement that electrical extension cords are not recyclable (“Claim Check,” April/May 2007, page 18). Actually, the metal contained within the cords can be recycled. The tolerance for contaminants (in this case, the plastic coating that covers the metal within the cord) depends on the heat used during the recycling process. Metals and glass are melted down at high temperatures, so

contaminants like the plastic coating and paper labels burn up well before the metal or glass melts. Recycling of paper is accomplished using much lower temperatures, which is why it’s important to remove contaminants like staples. And recycling plastic requires less heat than recycling metal and glass. Another article states that the deconstruction of electronics like computers and cell phones has a high hourly cost, and implies that this is because of high labor costs in the U.S. (“EWaste Not,” page 31). The recycling center for which I have worked has a lot of expenses, but they are not for labor. That is done by volunteers, and this is not unusual. The bulk of the budget goes toward rent, utilities like lights and power tools, and shipping. Karen Carlson via e-mail

Dear Karen, Thanks very much for your letter. We spoke to a few recycling experts, including Sharon Fisher from the New York State Association for Reduction, Reuse and Recycling. Fisher told us that while it’s possible to recycle the metal contained within electrical extension cords, it’s best to strip the cord of its plastic or rubber coating before doing so, instead of relying on the recycling process to burn off the plastic. Also, Gloria Hardegree of the Georgia Recycling Coalition told us that while volunteers do provide some of the labor at recycling centers, most of these centers rely primarily on paid labor. Write us at letters@plentymag.com.

plentymag.com|april / may 2007|13

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BIONEERS

October 19-21, 2007 marin center san rafael, ca

CHANGING THE STORY: FROM FEAR TO HOPE – FROM DESTRUCTION TO RESTORATION “The Bioneers has been consistently ahead of the curve. The issues they were raising a decade ago have moved into the mainstream. It is now a hatchery for the next wave of important ideas that five years hence people will be talking about in Rotary Clubs.” – Author Bill McKibben, quoted in The New York Times, 2006

The annual Bioneers Conference connects the dots among diverse issues, ideas, cultures and movements to inspire a lifeaffirming culture of healing, justice and democracy. Join us in exploring practical solutions at the crossroads of ecological restoration, human health, social justice and the sacred. Sharing visionary solutions for: Restoring our ecosystems Preserving cultures Greening economies Protecting oceans Creating sustainable cities Building community And so much more . . .

P Explore

Visit www.bioneers.org for details on speakers, workshops and exhibitors, to locate a Bioneers conference in your region and connect with the ever-growing Bioneers community.

P Connect P Celebrate

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

18th Annual Conference

Watch for Leonardo DiCaprio’s feature documentary 11th Hour in movie theaters, featuring Bioneers founder Kenny Ausubel and many other bioneers.

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PHOTOS BY JENNIFER ESPERANZA

SPONSORS

• CLIF BAR • NEW LEAF PAPER • ORGANIC VALLEY

MEDIA PARTNERS • MOTHER JONES • NATURAL PAGES • ODE MAGAZINE • PLENTY

877-BIONEER info@bioneers.org

It’s all alive. It’s all connected. It’s all intelligent. It’s all relatives.

FAST

> LUDACRIS, MADONNA, AND SMASHING PUMPKINS ROCK OUT AGAINST THE CLIMATE CRISIS > PITTSBURGH GOES GREEN

> CFLs THAT ARE EASY ON THE EYES

> FAN + ICE WATER = BETTER THAN A/C? > THE FRESH AIR/TIMES SQUARE CONUNDRUM

DEEP TROUBLE

A STRANGE PHENOMENON taking place just off the

coast of Grand Bahama Island is bringing new meaning to the phrase tourist trap. Recently, tour operators have been inviting divers to sit on the ocean floor—sans cages—and watch as Caribbean reef sharks glide past them dauntingly during a feeding demonstration. Though the practice has drawn some criticism, many argue that allowing people to see their favorite marine predators up close and personal will encourage more responsible measures to protect their dwindling populations. As author and undersea photographer Jeff Rotman, who shot this startling image for his book Underwater Eden: 365 Days, explains, “Sharks have become threatened and, in some cases, endangered from overfishing. It’s my purpose to show the beauty and majesty we are on the brink of losing if we do not take care of our oceans.” —Alison Sherbach

fast

7/7/07: The world rocks out against climate change.

The Concert Heard ’Round the World bring together Kelly Clarkson, Ludacris, and Smashing Pumpkins? Why, Al Gore, of course. It seems everyone’s jumped on the green bandwagon for Live Earth, Gore’s latest celebrity-studded effort to raise awareness about global warming. The 24-hour musicfest, which was modeled after the super-successful Live 8 concert in 2005, will take place in cities on all seven continents, featuring more than 100 performers and reaching an audience of 2 billion people. Proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to The Alliance for Climate Protection and other international environmental organizations. The festivities kick off on July 7 in Sydney and proceed through the times zones to Rio de Janeiro, Johannesburg, Tokyo and Shanghai. The North American show will be held at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium, and not since Cyndi Lauper, Tito Jackson and Bob Dylan all shared the stage to sing “We Are the World” in 1985 has such a diverse crew of pop stars been assembled: Dave Matthews Band, The Police, Rihanna, and many others are set to perform. Across the pond, the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Madonna will play in London’s Wembley Stadium. Didn’t get your ticket? No worries, the performances will be streaming live at liveearth.msn.com. At press time, organizers were still booking acts for the Antarctica show. Perhaps Sanjaya is free? —Lisa Stasiulewicz

WHAT COULD POSSIBLY

DILEMMA

Raising the Roof Q: I need a new roof, and I’ve heard that light-colored roofs are more energy-efficient because they reflect sunlight. But I live in the northeast—shouldn’t I be more concerned about heating than cooling? 16|JUNE / JULY 2007|PLENTYMAG.COM

A: It’s true that in northern homes, insulating your roof against the cold can be a bigger priority than making sure it reflects heat during the summer. You might consider installing a green or vegetated roof composed of native plants, says architect Lance Hosey, a director at the green design firm William McDonough and Partners. Green roofs limit heat gain in the summer and prevent heat loss in winter, and they’re becoming a more practical option for

PLENTY TI P

BUG OFF

Tired of insects devouring the fruits—and vegetables—of your labor? Try planting these natural repellents in your garden. —A.S. Pest: ANT Is repelled by: mint, pennyroyal Pest: APHID Is repelled by: mint, garlic, chives, coriander, anise Pest: COLORADO POTATO BUG Is repelled by: green beans, coriander, nasturtium Pest: JAPANESE BEETLE Is repelled by: garlic, larkspur, rue, geranium Pest: TOMATO HORNWORM Is repelled by: marigolds, sage, borage Pest: SLUG Is repelled by: prostrate rosemary, wormwood

homeowners now that several companies offer kits for making them. They’re best for houses with long, low roofs and relatively short walls, though, so they wouldn’t be appropriate for homes with steep or pitched roofs. Another option, says Hosey, is to use salvaged slate shingles for a new roof. They’re cheaper and more eco-friendly than traditional slate, and they insulate your home just as well on those chilly winter nights.

fast

Burning Question

Q: Which is more environmentally conscientious— living in the country or living in the city? Eustace Conway naturalist and founder of the turtle island preserve

by the numbers

Lawn and Order A lush lawn has gotten to be such a fixture of the American dream that the hum of lawnmowers and the soft hiss of sprinklers have become nostalgic harbingers of summer. But there’s more to landscapes than just blades of grass and garden gnomes. Here are some facts you may not know about your yard.

20 Acres of lawn in the U.S., 3 Estimated pounds of in millions—more land than any single crop takes up

pesticides per application for an acre of farmland

7 Estimated pounds of

Percentage of water consumed on the East Coast that goes toward watering lawns

60 Percentage of water

consumed in western States that goes toward watering lawns

32 Gallons of water used per

capita on lawns daily in the U.S.

20 Gallons of water used

during an average shower in the U.S.

pesticides per application for an acre of lawn

40 Percentage of chemicals

from ChemLawn’s consumer product line-up that are banned in other countries

Number of commonly used lawn pesticides known to be carcinogens

373 Number of calories a 150-pound person would burn using a push mower for one hour

1830

Year that Edwin Budding invented the lawnmower

1855 Year that Walt

Whitman’s Leaves of Grass was published

1962

Number of human studies documenting a connection between pesticide exposure and lymphoma

Year that Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published

1984 Year that the U.S.’s

Approximate percentage of bugs in a typical yard that actually interfere with lawn growth

18|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

100

Number of miles a late model car would have to drive to produce as much pollution as a lawnmower emits in one hour

use of synthetic fertilizer on lawns surpassed the amount used on all of India’s food crops

Sources: National Wildlife Federation, Redesigning the American Lawn, Pesticide Action Network North America, Toxics Action Center, Lymphoma Foundation of America, EPA, People Powered Machines, Gimme Green.

Living in the country, because it allows you to be more aware of how your actions affect the natural world. If you live in a city, then you lack the education, connection, and awareness of how you fit into the natural environment. You’re removed, and that can break down your depth of understanding and love. Separation from the environment, from seeing how you participate in the big picture day-to-day, is one of the most devastating problems that we have on this continent to date. John Hickenlooper mayor of denver

Living in a dense area with transit infrastructure uses less energy for heating homes and traveling, leaving a smaller environmental footprint. In this regard, Manhattan is the greenest place on earth. It’s serendipitous that the urbanization of the world is happening just as we encounter issues of sustainability throughout society. We have a unique opportunity to move in directions that leave a legacy of economic opportunity, environmental health and genuine sustainability for future generations. Jules Pretty author of agri-culture: reconnecting people, land and nature

I’d like to sit on the fence. Both urban and rural contexts can provide for sustainable forms of living. There is evidence to show that contact with the natural environment and green space promotes good health and mental well-being, but this is independent of the type of green space. Nearby nature (that we find in cities) and countryside and wilderness (that we find in rural areas) are both good for us. The important thing is getting out into nature. It makes us well, and increases the likelihood that we’ll act responsibly.

fast

going places

Steel City Revisited pittsburgh’s fortunes

have waxed and waned throughout its history (and we’re not just talking about the Steelers’ lousy record last season). Its steel industry—once the source of enormous wealth and enormous quantities of polluted air and water—is mostly gone. But healthcare, education, and technology have recharged the local economy, and the city’s leadership (including its youth-

Getting around While not extensive, a light-rail and subway system services the downtown area (known as the Golden Triangle); the local bus system is more comprehensive, with several lines that serve the surrounding suburbs. Bike trails along the riverfronts and hundreds of public staircases for traversing the city’s steep slopes make it easy for residents to get places without cars. Though the locals don’t use them much, tourists get a kick out of riding the funiculars (above), carrying cars that ascend the Duquesne Incline on Pittsburgh’s South Side, which were built in the 1870s to take steelworkers to their mill jobs.

Shopping Stop by Little Earth Productions (littlearth. com) in the SoHo district to score handbags and belts made from old license plates and bottle caps (below). If your taste runs more to designer duds browse the selection at Jonäno (jonano.com) which offers sleek tops, yoga pants, and other wardrobe staples made of “ecoKashmere,”a bamboo-based fabric. The name means “everybody healthy” in an ancient Scandinavian tongue.

Pittsburgh’s convention center earned a silver LEED rating.

ful mayor, Luke Ravenstahl, who was sworn in last year at age 26) is embracing a variety of eco-forward initiatives. With its rolling green hills and the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio rivers running through, Andy Warhol’s hometown is a lovely sight in spring and summer. So check it out—there’s a lot more to The ’Burgh than just football. —Deborah Snoonian

Sightseeing The Pittsburgh Glass Center, above, (pittsburghglass center.org), home to studios for glass artists, ingeniously uses excess energy created by the glass-making process to heat the interior spaces in wintertime. For those who prefer to enjoy art en plein air, plants are the medium of choice for installations at the The ArtGardens of Pittsburgh in Frank Curto Park (persephoneprojects. org), which promotes gardening as an art genre. At the “Building Green” exhibit at the Carnegie Science Center (carnegiesciencecenter.org), vistors can check out sustainable building materials, measure the energy used by lightbulbs, and learn about different types of insulation.

Eat up With its large student population, it’s no surprise that Pittsburgh has a number of casual eateries offering sustainable fare. Kaya, in the popular Strip District, cooks up vegetarian dishes inspired by Carribean, Spanish and Cuban cuisines (bigburrito. com/kaya). Over in the Oakland neighborhood, the Beehive Coffeehouse (right) tempts diners with veggie versions of international favorites, like barbecued tofu, mixed vegetable curry, and Tex-Mex chili (beehivebuzz.com). If you’re brown-bagging it, the city’s six farmers’ markets offer local produce from May through November (city.pittsburgh.pa.us/parks/).

20|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

Walking the talk The energy-efficient David L. Lawrence Convention Center (pittsburghcc.com) reduces the environmental impact of its events by using recycled dinnerware and encouraging host hotels to adopt green cleaning and maintenance practices. The city’s car fleet includes several that run on natural gas, and the Clean Cities program (cleancities-pittsburgh.net), founded in 1995, also promotes the development of alternative fuel vehicles. Carnegie Mellon University, known for its stellar engineering and arts programs, has a hand in many local and national environmental initiatives; learn more at the school’s website devoted to all things eco (cmu.edu/greenpractices).

on the drawing board Like many cities, Pittsburgh is spiffing up its downtown area to attract new residents. This year, construction will begin on RiverParc, a mixed-use green community of condos, art venues, shops, and services. The project will be built over a 10-year period at a cost of $460 million, and is expected to add 700 new residential units and 9,200 jobs to the area.

fast

Marine Algae Scientists are experimenting with ways to lace oceans with iron particles to promote algae growth; ostensibly, the algae would consume CO2 before sinking to the bottom of the sea. So far, results don’t look promising.

coal seams Coal beds hold methane, which is commercially valuable as a natural gas. When CO2 is injected, it displaces the methane and pushes it out. Potential CO2 storage capacity: 120 gigatons. Saline formations Deep, salty pools of water lie below much of the U.S. This brine reacts with injected CO2, helping to keep it locked in place. Potential CO2 storage capacity: 3,200 gigatons.

Depleted oil and gas reservoirs Liquefied CO2 injected into oil reserves mixes with the oil and makes it easier to sweep out. When pumped into natural-gas reservoirs, the excess pressure forces gas to the surface. Potential CO2 storage capacity: 80 gigatons.

Ocean sea bed Theoretically, liquid CO2 could be injected deep below the ocean floor, where it would stay locked under the surface. No one has tested this scenario yet, however.

Enviro 101

Stashing Our Emissions

coal-fired power plants are responsible for a third of the carbon dioxide that’s pumped into the atmosphere in the U.S.—that’s two gigatons. Naturally, a lot of folks are trying to think of something better to do with all that CO2 than spewing it into the air. One solution that’s been batted around by everyone from energy companies to environmentalists is carbon sequestration, a process that captures carbon dioxide before it’s emitted and sticks it somewhere where it won’t do any (or not much) harm. This involves separating the CO2 from other gases,

compressing it into a liquid so it can be transported, and then injecting it into a contained location. “We should be utilizing this technology with new coal plants from now on,” says George Peridas, a scientist with the Natural Resources Defense Council. Energy companies are also gung-ho on sequestration methods—not only because they help reduce their emissions, but also because many of these techniques will make it possible to harvest additional energy sources like methane. Here’s a quick primer on how some of these ideas work. —Susan Cosier

Tolstoy and Tomatoes At the Hudson Valley Seed Library in Gardiner, New York, books aren’t the only things patrons can borrow. They can also take out tomatoes. Or sunflowers. Or purple-podded peas. Okay, okay, it’s not exactly the plants they borrow—it’s their seeds. Three years ago, Ken Greene, now 34, founded the seed library, which is housed inside Gardiner’s public library. “Patrons look through 22|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

the seeds that we have,” says Greene. “Then they grow the ones they choose. They find the ones that produce the most flowers and save the seeds from those. Then, at the end of the season, they ‘return’ those seeds to the library, the same way you would a book.” What’s the most popular seed? According to Greene, it’s the heirloom Brandywine tomato. “The smell and taste—it’s like what you fantasize about when you think of the perfect tomato,” he

says. But you won’t find Brandywines at most supermarkets, since they bruise and split easily and often have odd skin markings. Right now, only about a dozen patrons use the seed library, but Greene expects that number to grow as word spreads. “The more people get involved with the project, the more I feel like we’re actually doing something,” he says. “It’s backyard activism.” —Kiera Butler illustration by jason lee

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fast CLAIM CHECK

Beat the Heat THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER: They’re hot, and maybe humid in your neck of the woods, too. One surefire way to get some relief during those 100-degree days—and some shut-eye on those nights when the thermometer doesn’t dip below 85—is to turn on the air conditioning. Of course, every turn of the dial strains not only your wallet, but also our aging power grid. In recent years an alternative to A/C has become increasingly popular: the swamp cooler. These devices, also called evaporative coolers, use fans to draw in air from outside and blow it over water-saturated pads, causing the water to evaporate into the air, thus cooling it as it enters your home. (If you’re having a hard time drawing a mental picture, lick your hand and then blow on it—your skin feels cooler because of evaporation.) Manufacturers claim that swamp coolers are more eco-friendly than A/C units, but should you believe the hype?

THE CLAIM Swamp coolers are greener than air conditioners. THE FACTS According to the Department of Energy, evaporating water into the air in arid re-

gions is a natural, energy-efficient way to cool air by as much as 30 degrees. Swamp coolers cost about half as much to install as window A/C units, and use up to 75 percent less electricity. One window should be open when running a swamp cooler, which pushes warm air outside as cool air blows in. The influx of fresh air is a definite perk of swamp coolers, as opposed to window A/C units, which recirculate air. According to scientists at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, evaporative coolers can meet all or most of a house’s cooling needs, but only for houses located in a low-humidity area. In general, that means they’re ideal in the Rocky Mountain region, the Northwest, and the Southwest. In wetter climates, though, swamp coolers would just add humidity to the air. They also evaporate anywhere from 3 to 15 gallons of water a day—something that people living in drier climates should take into consideration. The energy efficiency of swamp coolers makes them a greener option than air conditioners, despite their need to consume about a shower’s worth of water every two days—but they’re only effective if you live in a dry climate. And if water conservation is an issue in your town, check with your water utility before purchasing one. —Alisa Opar

THE CONCLUSION

THE BIG PICTURE

Just when you thought it was safe

BY JESSICA HAGY

PLENTY LABS

Light Switch Lighting accounts for more than 11 percent of residential greenhouse gas emissions today. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Compact fluorescent bulbs (CFLs) use a quarter to a third less energy than incandescents, and thanks to technical improvements, the better ones now offer a warm, natural glow rather than the creepy office sheen of yore. We tried some of these twisty bulbs to find out which has the best color and brightest light for around the house. —Andrew Irwin

MaxLite SpiraMax

Warm White, 15 watts $6.95, maxlite.com The quickest to warm to a full shine (CFLs can take over a minute to reach full brightness), the SpiraMax is handy for a high-traffic room like the kitchen. Its subtle yellow-white color is inoffensive, though it’s a bit too dim for reading.

Soft White Spiral, 15 watts $5, gelighting.com This CFL is one of the most widely available, gracing the shelves of Target, drug stores and most places you buy bulbs. It’s a good generalpurpose bulb, best for the living room or near the TV, where its bluish tint is less easily noticed.

N:Vision

Soft White, 18 watts $8, tcpi.com This bulb’s bright, bluish light strained my eyes after just a few minutes, but I found it to be effective at revealing facial imperfections, making it good for a bathroom. Just make sure you limit your time in front of the mirror.

Round The House

Soft White, 13 watts $8 for two, cvs.com This low-wattage bulb casts a soft yellow glow, rather than the promised white. Probably not the best choice for a central light, but it’s a great addition to a dimly-lit room.

Lights of America

Mini Twister, 20 watts $10 for two, lightsofamerica.com This could be the best CFL reading light out there, a great find considering that fluorescents can often cause eyestrain. The bright yellow light makes the text pop from the page, though this bulb wouldn’t be my choice for a romantic dinner—its glow is a little unflattering. 24|JUNE / JULY 2007|PLENTYMAG.COM

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FoRward people

technology

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thinking

wild world

From Stories to Strawberries A celebrated author’s yearlong experiment in local eating By Tracie McMillan

of storytelling skills and a social conscience, best-selling author Barbara Kingsolver has built a career on the premise that a well-told story can move mountains. This May, her latest effort, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life, tells an entirely new tale: her own. Spun around her family’s move to Virginia and their subsequent decision to eat only foods grown and raised in their county—including their own farm— Animal marries Kingsolver’s narrative gifts with reported essays from her husband, biologist Steven Hopp, and recipes from her then-19-year-old daughter, Camille. Plenty caught up with Kingsolver to talk about the local food movement, taking your dinner seriously, and why eating well is for everyone—not just the elite.

with her rare mix

Author Barbara Kingsolver with her husband, Steven Hopp, and daughters Camille (top) and Lily (bottom).

You started this project a few years ago, long before local food was on the cover of Time. Why did you decide to do it, and did your friends think you were crazy?

The truth is we were pretty quiet about it.

We didn’t make any big announcement to our family or friends. We’ve been growing a lot of our food for years, and when we moved to the farm, it just came up: “How about if we try to produce all of it our- * plentymag.com

|june / july 2007|27

forward | people It’s not about putting on burlap and hiding ‘‘ out in the mountains and going away from the world; it’s a way of going into the world.”

selves, or get it from our neighbors who are farmers?” Did you have any moments of doubt?

We really didn’t. We didn’t try to be fanatical; this was not a religious conversion by any means. When friends invited us to their houses, we ate whatever they served, and if they had strawberries in January, we ate them and said, “Oh, wow, strawberries!” But we didn’t try to make it difficult—we tried to make it meaningful. If we needed to make an exception, like cranberries at Thanksgiving, we did it. We didn’t stress about it. Were there any surprises?

Just that summer was the hardest time while winter was pretty easy—that was a huge surprise. We did so much of our work ahead of time [growing and preserving food] that eating locally in winter was relatively easy. And we were surprised we liked doing this so much. When the year officially ended, nothing fundamentally changed for us. Now, we’ll sometimes splurge on Alaskan salmon, or something from far away, but it’s a treat, not something normal. And I think that’s good. How can changing what’s on your plate change anything besides dinner?

I think we’re under an obligation to serve as examples that we can do things differently, that we don’t need this industrial food pipeline. Once you begin to incorporate local products into your diet, it gets easier. And the more people do it, the easier it will get because we’ll be a significant body of consumers that farmers will be able to grow things for. But isn’t it hard to take your food that seriously?

It feels a bit contrived to do that here, but we live in a culture that’s incredibly lazy about food. In Europe, even working mothers stop at the market, pick out the freshest vegetables, and make meals because 28|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

that’s the way it’s done—and those cultures are not facing a crisis of health problems from bad eating. Attending to the sources of your food is not about crossing things off the list; it’s about creating a new culture of food that makes sensible connections between your body, the place you live, and the goods that place can give you. It’s practical in a very basic, biological sense: Eat what’s available nearby like animals do.

Steven and I had this idea to write an environmental textbook for nonscientists. Americans are not really educated on why we need to think about tomorrow, how we are biologically connected with the place where we live. Dinner is the one time we are fundamentally brought back to the fact that we are animals. So looking closely at where food comes from is a really profound way of engaging people with our biological essence.

In some ways, this is relatively easy for urban people. The small organic farms surrounding cities are the fastest growing section of our agricultural economy, and farmer’s markets are opening at an incredible rate. I started this book with a promise that I wasn’t going to tell anyone to do anything, but it’s not going to work unless you are willing to cook for yourself. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Healthy fast foods take 20 minutes in the oven; I can cook a whole meal from scratch in 20 to 30 minutes. But isn’t it elitist to tell people to eat local or organic when those foods are more expensive, if you can find them at all?

That comes down to politics, and this year’s farm bill. It’s hypocritical for our government to say, “Everyone should eat more fruits and vegetables,” through the surgeon general’s office while paying for subsidies that make junk food cheap. Why is healthy food more That sounds pretty hippie. expensive? The production How is it different from of a fast-food hamburger the 1970s back-to-the-land uses enormous amounts movement? of diesel fuel, so why does Barbara Kingsolver (top) This is not isolationist, but enlisted the help of her family it only cost 99¢? Because social. There’s nothing in to tell the story of their manufacturers can deduct culinary experiment. our lives that wants to hide fuel costs from their taxes, from the world. We know our farmers by so anyone paying taxes is paying to subsitheir first names, in the same way you know dize junk food. But if you cook using whole your hairdresser’s name. It’s not about put- ingredients, it costs less than eating out at ting on burlap and hiding out in the moun- restaurants or buying prepared foods. Ortains and going away from the world; it’s a ganic ingredients cost more, but the difference disappears if you cook. When we way of going into the world. added up the year’s tab, it came out to $1.75 per meal, per person. Most of us can So how can people in cities eat locally and build a sense of place around food when probably afford to spend a bit more on a they live in a concrete jungle? better diet.

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forward | tech

Power Plants

Tomorrow’s energy crops are germinating in laboratories today By Jennifer Weeks “must be fast-growing, resist disease, have a small canopy, and a high cellulose-to-lignin ration.” It might sound like a science-fiction personal ad, but these characteristics describe a different kind of ideal plant: one engineered for making biofuel. Today, 3 percent of U.S. automotive fuel comes from corn-based ethanol, and many critics argue that it’s a pale-green choice at best, because manufacturing it consumes nearly as much fossil fuel as gasoline and generates significant amounts of greenhouse gases. But biofuels made from cellulose—the tough, woody plant material found in the cell walls of plants—require less energy to make and emit less greenhouse gas. They will enter production in the next several years, and have the potential to replace one third of our current oil consumption by 2030. Corn ethanol, or grain alcohol, is produced by grinding up corn, adding enzymes that con30|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

vert the starch to sugar, mixing in yeast to ferment the sugars, and distilling the product to separate alcohol from water. Corn ethanol currently dominates the biofuel market because corn starches break apart easily into sugars for fermentation. Cellulosic ethanol, on the other hand, requires an extra step, called “pretreatment,” to break down cellulose chains found in plants, such as switchgrass and poplar, into sugars. It’s a complex and expensive process right now, but researchers backed by private and federal dollars are developing new processing methods and more efficient enzymes that could make cellulosic ethanol production significantly cheaper in the future. Energy experts view cellulosic biomass as an attractive commodity because it contains more energy than corn and is cheaper to grow. “An ideal energy crop is drought-resistant, grows with minimal fertilizer and pesticides, and can

be harvested without special equipment,” says Reinhold Mann, associate director at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The most promising of the so-called energy crops, which could be grown on a large scale for fuel, include switchgrass, willows, and poplars. What’s more, they can be raised on marginal lands that are unsuitable for food crops, and they improve the habitat where they grow. These species are naturally energy rich, but researchers are taking steps to improve nature. One acre can currently yield four to six tons of switchgrass, but Mann estimates that selective breeding could produce up to ten tons per acre. Biotech is another tool: In September 2006, after four years of work, an international team published the poplar’s complete genetic sequence. “We’re zeroing in on genes that enable trees to grow close together in a plantation and regulate features like stem thickness,

so we can maximize biomass production,” says Mann. Scientists are also developing specialized enzymes to break cellulose apart efficiently. Ottawa-based Iogen Corporation, which operates North America’s only cellulosic-ethanol plant, created and patented an enzyme cocktail that separates wheat straw into sugars. And Virginiabased Edenspace is engineering crops with genes for cellulases. These enzymes speed the breakdown of cellulose, lowering the cost of converting plants into ethanol. Unlike corn, which grows mainly in the Midwest, cellulosic crops flourish nationwide. But so far, they’re growing mainly on modestly scaled research plots. The State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) in Syracuse has planted more than 500 acres of shrub willows, some of which will feed a nearby pilot biorefinery, to be built in 2008 or 2009. “There’s lots of interest in growing willow for commercial uses,” says Tim Volk, the project’s director. “I expect thousands of acres will be planted in the next five years in New York alone.” Other researchers are testing willow strains developed by SUNY-ESF researchers at various locations between Maryland and Canada. But farmers who grow subsidized commodities, like corn and soybeans, will need incentives to convert to switchgrass and willows. Iogen’s factory produces only about one million gallons per year, reflecting the low demand for feedstocks. But that may soon change. “Markets are the biggest challenge right now,” says Volk. “It’s a chicken-and-egg situation: If people grow it, will somebody buy it?” Congress may offer energy-crop incentives in the 2007 farm bill, the major agricultural legislation that is rewritten every five years. Under the federal Conservation Reserve Program, farmers can receive rental payments for taking environmentalC

CMY

Bang for Your Buck

ORNL’s Reinhold Mann in a field of energy-rich switchgrass.

I’m already getting ‘‘e-mails from farmers

asking about growing switchgrass for cellulosic ethanol.”

ly sensitive land out of cultivation for 10 to 15 years. Most of this land is planted with grasses or trees, so some advocates (including the USDA) support using part of it for energy crops. But according to Scott Faber, director of Environmental Defense’s farm policy campaign, this approach could mean paying farmers to grow crops far from where they’re used. “Refinery developers contract with nearby farmers for feedstocks. If energy crops are grown more than 50 or 60 miles away, it’s too costly to ship them to the factories,” he says. Environmentalists also warn that frequent harvesting on conservation lands would disturb wildlife. Despite these growing pains, cellulosic ethanol is attracting investments from major corporations, including Dupont and Chevron, and from prominent venture capitalists like Richard Branson and Vinod Khosla. In February, the Department of Energy investCompared to oil ed $385 million in six plants that and corn ethanol, together will be able to produce the environmental and economic more than 130 million gallons benefits of of cellulosic ethanol per year. As cellulosic ethanol factories are built, the market for are clear. This chart compares energy crops will expand. “I’m althe ratio of ready getting e-mails from farmers energy produced asking about growing switchgrass to fossil-fuel energy used for for cellulosic ethanol,” says Mann. the production of If Dustin Hoffman were to revisit gasoline, today’s his role in The Graduate today, the ethanol, and cellulosic ethanol. key to future success that’s whis(Source: Allen E. Farrell, pered in his ear might well be celet al, Science 311, 506-8; 2006) lulose.

bang for your buck Ratio of energy produced to energy used

12 12 10 10 88 66 44 22 00

Energy (in MJ) produced for eachToday’s MJ of fossil fuel used Gasoline Cellulosic

Gasoline

Ethanol Ethanol Today

Cellulosic Ethanol Ethanol

forward | business

A Brine Idea

Making seawater drinkable has become a quest for U.S. companies BY ALISA OPAR PICTURE THIS SCENE: Rugged fishermen are trolling the sea when their sonar device picks up a signal. They cast their nets, and then rejoice as they pull them in, brimming with their catch. But they haven’t caught bluefin tuna or Atlantic salmon. Instead, they’ve ensnared hundreds of bottles of water. “Harvesting over three billion gallons of freshwater from the sea each year,” the narrator intones. “Water desalination from GE.” By now you’ve probably seen this commercial, which began airing several months ago. Desalination—removing salt from seawater to make it drinkable—was once dismissed as a fantasy (too expensive, energy greedy, and environmentally unsound). But now it’s considered a practical solution to meeting water demands. “The price of water is going up,” says Tom Pankratz, a desalination consultant and co-author of Desalination.com: An Environmental Primer, “and desalination is growing exponentially.” The battle for water has already spurred numerous lawsuits in the western U.S., and some 20 California communities are considering new desalination plants. Meanwhile, several Middle Eastern countries have relied on desalination for decades, and Australia has been building its own facilities. And it’s not just the population increases and associated growth in industrialization and farming that are making water scarce—shifting climate patterns are punishing already dry environments. The U.N. predicts that 5.5 billion people will face water shortages by 2025. That translates into big business. According to a 2006 report by the consulting firm Global Water Intelligence, the market 32|JUNE / JULY 2007|PLENTYMAG.COM

for desalination will grow from $10.9 billion to $126 billion by 2015. A handful of U.S. companies are hoping to tap into this growth. General Electric has hundreds of scientists around the world looking into energy-efficient technologies like desalination, and the company is perfecting a process called reverse osmosis, which forces seawater through a semipermeable membrane to separate freshwater from brine. Refinements in the last decade have improved the technology’s performance, reliability, and efficiency. The strategy appears to be paying off. “In the last 25 years, the cost to desalinate water has come down by 80 percent,” says Bill Harvey, GE’s global marketing leader for desalination. The company claims reverse osmosis consumes

power source for those occasions when the wind doesn’t blow. “The idea is blending—using renewable when it’s available,” says Harvey. Other improvements soften desalination’s impact on the oceans. Newer facilities use screens on the intake pipes to protect sea life. In addition, the concentrated brine—deadly for marine life because of its high salt concentration—is now usually released offshore, farther from coastal ecosystems. Another company, Houston-based Water Standard, has designed a shipboard desalination facility that could produce between 5 and 75 million gallons of freshwater daily and pump it back to the mainland. This oceangoing vessel would draw water far enough from shore to avoid harming marine life, dilute the

By 2025, 5.5 billion people will face water shortages. Desalination, once dismissed as too expensive, energy greedy, and environmentally unsound, is now considered a practical solution to meeting some of this demand. less energy than competing systems, and that plants employing it need up to 25 percent less land. Harvey predicts that just as with the computer industry, the cost of desalination will continue to drop as the technology improves. For the moment, however, energy is still responsible for a third to half of desalination facilities’ operating expenses, and even the newest systems require an adjacent carbon-burning power plant. But GE is attempting to incorporate renewable energy. This year the company is building a pilot wind-powered desalination plant with Texas Tech University in Lubbock. The system will likely have a backup electric

leftover brine with seawater, and then discharge it deep below the surface. Biodiesel may even fuel its jet turbine engines. For now the design exists only on paper, but the company says it is hoping to close its first deal to build a seawater desalination vessel in the Middle East. Monterey, California, is also considering the scheme. “Carrying our own power plant means we can serve different locations, reduce our environmental impact, and reduce the cost of desalination,” says Amanda Brock, CEO of Water Standard. “We’re able to produce water where it’s needed.” ILLUSTRATION BY JASON LEE

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Ticket to Ride With a new carpool service, you can text your way home By mark anderson it’s a solution any 14-year-old would love: The challenges of foreign oil dependency, global warming, and gridlock are not so big that you can’t text-message your way out of them. Today in Liverpool, England, if you’re downtown at a pub and want to get back to your hotel on the other side of town, you can send a text message containing the postal code of your destination to 83994, and it’s as good as done. By punching a dozen buttons on your cell phone, you’ve contacted the fledgling cab service called Texxi. (“The taxi you text.”) The company, which owns no cars and employs no drivers, acts like an automated travel agent for your ride home: Its computer receives your request and finds other Texxi users whose pickup and destination points are roughly the same, and it summons a single cab from one of the city’s cab companies for everyone to share. The cost for this Texxi ride with, say, two or three other passengers is less than £4.6 (about $9) each, instead of the £9 (about $18) or more that it would cost to hire a cab solo, and the cab company, on average, earns more total fare per ride. The savings of fuel, pollution, and congestion are at 34|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

least as much as if you had arranged your own carpool back to your hotel. Plus, perhaps the biggest drawback of taking a cab—standing outside and waiting—is eliminated: Each passenger receives a text message the moment their ride has arrived. Users can even set up their own Texxi groups to preferentially seek out ideal fellow passengers. Eric Masaba, inventor of the Texxi system and managing director of its Liverpool pilot program, says that the shared-cab system he’s created could easily be replicated for 9-to-5ers in Raleigh, North Carolina, or football fans in Brisbane, Australia, or—with a large enough passenger base to work from—a denizen of any city going anywhere within that greater metro area at any time. “When I calculated how much this idea is worth on the world market, I couldn’t believe it,” he says. “I kept coming up with figures in the hundreds of billions or trillions of dollars.” Masaba’s lightbulb moment came in 2003, after he had spent more than a decade working as a consultant on problems, in economic wonk-speak, of “maximizing resource efficiency in power grids and in the wake of

massive corporate collapses”—such as the Enron implosion of 2001. “It just dawned on me that if we use the existing infrastructure rather than buy a new one, we could get a city up and running very quickly.” Make no mistake about it: Masaba has big plans for his start-up model, and is now schmoozing with entrepreneurs and potential investors around the world to ensure that someday soon you, too, will be able to text for your taxi. The idea does have a few hurdles to jump— the main one being the very method that the call system works with. To make something like Texxi work, the majority of a city’s residents, not just cell-phone savvy teenagers, needs to be familiar with text messaging (that heretofore unexplored menu option on your phone that lets you send short text messages to other cell phone users). Overall, Americans have not yet caught the texting bug. When asked in December 2005 if they would be sending a “Happy New Year” text message to anyone, 90 percent of Spanish respondents, 88 percent of Germans, and 92 percent of Italians surveyed said yes—compared to just 35 percent of Americans. illustration by lou brooks

motion | forward

But the benefits of a Texxi-like system, once established, are quite attractive. The program would require no public subsidies or infrastructure, and would cut down congestion and emissions in the highest density regions and during the busiest times of the day. “The Texxi model is intriguing because it seems to be addressing some of the barriers about ride-sharing,” says Susan Shaheen, a transportation expert at the University of California, Berkeley. One key benefit is that it can gather a critical mass of riders. “If they have a phone, they send a text message, and there you go.” The Liverpool model, where one in five residents are students and a massive club scene produces a predictable glut of passengers on Fridays and Saturdays, could be implemented differently in other areas. The cab service could be organized around schools, shopping, commuting, or large events, Masaba says. The mass-market potential of Texxi has some investors already excited about setting up their own franchises. Masaba says he’s in touch with potential backers in Australia,

where texting is about as popular as it is in Europe, as well as stateside. Officials and investors in Texas, California, and North Carolina are looking to get involved—and inquiries have come from both sides of the political aisle, with Masaba fielding recent e-mails from former employees of both the George H.W. Bush and Clinton administrations. A British businessman, Joe Olmi of TaxiBus, has also been in touch with Masaba on promoting a similar but more ambitious plan aimed at out-greening public transit. Olmi proposes publicly owned fleets of GPS-enabled shuttles that are able to change their routes on the fly as new users request rides

with their cell phones. Olmi’s version could be a subsidized transit system, with its own fleet of vans and drivers in its employ. “The technology is not a complex issue,” Olmi says. “There’s no great rocket science to it: GPS street navigation is just a bolt-on component. Mobile phone networks are already set up. Minibuses already exist.” All that’s needed are a handful of innovators to put these components together in the right way. Then, with a system like TaxiBus or Texxi in town, jumpstarting an eco-transportation revolution would just require a cell phone—and two green thumbs to punch those tiny keys.

A GREENER OPTION > As much as 50 percent of congestion in cities is caused by people looking for parking, some studies estimate. Taxi-sharing systems such as Texxi and TaxiBus would reduce this gridlock. >According to the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, 10 trillion empty-seat miles are produced by American vehicles every year because most cars on the road are not fully occupied. This figure translates to 123 billion gallons of gas wasted and 1.2 billion tons of excess carbon dioxide emissions. Ride-sharing programs would increase the number of occupied seats per vehicle on the road. >As Charles Lave of the University of California, Irvine has pointed out, empty seats in America’s highway vehicles constitute the greatest oil reserve in the world. —M.A. plentymag.com|june / july 2007|35

forward | thinking

The Wingman moths are just pests to be kept away from their closets, but for naturalist Faithful Beauty Moth Kenn Kaufman, they’re so much more. “People think of these dingy, little brown things that eat holes in their sweaters,” Kaufman laments. “There are 600 to 650 kinds of North American While Kaufman’s subjects range from cougars to carpenter ants, butterflies, but there are close to 11,000 species birds are his true passion. When he was 16, he dropped out of high of moths. They’re vastly more diverse and come school in Wichita, Kansas, and hitchhiked across America to go birdin every color of the rainbow.” ing, which often meant trekking through freezing rain, surviving on Kaufman’s affection for winged creatures is unsavory dishes like cat food, and fending off muggers and cops. Deevident in his latest book, Kaufman Field Guide spite the risks, his self-education paid off: Kaufman became one of the Kaufman Field to Insects of North America, which was published foremost authorities on birds, working with experts like Roger Tory Guide to Insects of last February. The book joins his other volumes of Peterson, and leading birding expeditions on all seven continents. North America field guides to North American birds, butterflies, Kaufman recalls one brush with danger while searching for the By Kenn Kaufman (Houghton Mifflin, $18.95) and mammals, and he’s currently rare lesser prairie-chicken in Oklahoma. As a researching a guide to North America’s reptiles, as well. scruffy, long-haired hippie, Kaufman, then 19, If compiling field guides seems like a literal walk in the attracted the attention of one local rancher who park (or woods, in Kaufman’s case), think again. Kaufman marched up to him wielding a shotgun. Luckily, a digitally edits every photograph that appears in his guides game warden came by and smoothed things over. to correct shadows, colors, and scale—he’s the only fieldKaufman finally found the pale, sandy-colored guide series author to do so. Each photograph takes one grouse, which he calls “a beautiful bird.” to two hours to edit, and each guide contains more than Seeking out often-overlooked creatures isn’t just 2,000 images, so this is no easy task. a career for Kaufman—it’s a philosophy. If we learn But the wingman’s projects extend beyond field Naturalist Kenn Kaufman to identify animals, he reasons, we’ll be closer to guides. Kaufman, 53, has written four other books and (center, with Roger Tory understanding how all species are interconnected. at left) has led birding is a regular contributor to magazines like Audubon. A Peterson “That little brown bird on the beach could just be expeditions on every continent. collection of his essays is slated to be published next a little brown bird,” Kaufman says. “You might spring. He’s also a self-described “porch-light evangelist,” encouragadmire it for a minute and then go on. But if you know that it’s a ing people to stay outside on their porches until late in the evening to pectoral sandpiper, and that it’s come from someplace in Alaska or observe the array of moths drawn to the light. “You can find amazing, even Siberia and it’s on its way to Argentina, then it really makes colorful little moths even in the middle of the city,” he says. your world more three-dimensional.” —Sarah Parsons most people feel that

New and Noteworthy > > > Slow Food Nation By Carlo Petrini (Rizzoli New York, $22.50)

In the 20 years since he founded the slow-food movement, Italian food and wine writer Carlo Petrini has studied places where people have managed to avoid the troubles associated with mass-produced groceries. In his new book, Petrini draws on his experiences to illustrate his belief that by changing what we eat, we can change the world. 36|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

Wendell Berry: Life and Work Edited by Jason Peters

(University of Kentucky Press, $35)

A farmer, poet, essayist, and conservationist, Wendell Berry has dabbled in so many spheres that it’s almost impossible to pin him down in one volume. But this new book of essays comes awfully close. Berry’s friends and colleagues reflect on the many accomplishments of the Kentucky native.

The Lazy Environmentalist

Cape Wind

(Stewart, Tabori, & Chang $14.95)

(PublicAffairs, $26.95)

By Josh Dorfman

Environmental activism has never been so easy. Dorfman advises people on everything from clothing to construction—and beyond. There’s even a section on environmentally friendly investment portfolios (how to green your green, if you will).

By Wendy Williams and Robert Whitcomb A wind farm on Cape Cod could be part of the solution to America’s energy crisis, but an affluent group of homeowners worry that turbines will mar the pristine shoreline. This new book is as much an ode to wind power as it is a sociological portrait of a community. —Susan Cosier

Genetically engineered sheep make their cinematic debut in New Zealand director Jonathan King’s first film.

thinking | forward

GONE TO SEED day of the dandelion

Shear Terror sheep-phobic brother; Tucker, the fearless Deep in New Zealand’s rolling hills, farmer farmhand; and Experience, a feng shui–emAngus Oldfield tries to create the perfect bracing activist. Together, they must comsheep—but his barnyard project goes terbat a herd of human-eating sheep, and save ribly wrong. When members of his herd are New Zealand from what one character calls bitten by an altered animal, they become “genetically modified devastation.” carnivorous killers ready to attack anything Sheep jokes and eco-humor abound. within biting distance. What’s worse, the At one point, when Henry and Experipeople who are attacked mutate into enorence are moments away mous sheep themselves, from an encounter with and gorge on human flesh. a rampaging sheep, ExBut Black Sheep isn’t your perience pulls out a getypical B-list horror movie. ranium-scented candle. With the help of the graphWhen Henry asks what ics developed by the Weta she’s doing, she explains Workshop (best known for that she is giving herself its work on the Lord of the a dose of aromatherapy. Rings films), director JonaBlack Sheep Directed by Jonathan King “My hormones need balthan King strikes the per(Live Stock Films) In theaters June 2007 ancing!” she exclaims. fect balance between hilarThis film is a must-see for fans of hority and suspense, keeping audiences laughing ror movies, comedies, sheep, and Kiwis. even as they watch the disaster unfold. But insomniacs take heed: Don’t expect To contain the damage wrought by Oldsheep-counting to help you fall asleep after field’s experiment, a trio of unlikely heroes seeing this flick. —S.C. springs into action. There’s Henry, Angus’s

is journalist Peter Pringle’s first foray into fiction, and this horticulture whodunit has everything an eco-minded, mystery lover could want: murder, a pending agricultural crisis, and a Day of the Dandelion dashing protagonist. By Peter Pringle The world’s food (Simon & Schuster, $25) supply is in danger, and scientist-cum–secret agent Arthur Hemmings is the only one who can protect it. Hemmings, a researcher at Kew Gardens and a spy for the British Secret Service, is called on to investigate a theft of maize seeds at an Oxford laboratory. The seeds are at the center of an international race to find and patent a supergene that controls reproduction in plants. The discovery would allow scientists to create perfect crops—ones that clone themselves and generate seeds that retain desired characteristics indefinitely. The supergene is worth billions of dollars, and an unscrupulous biotech company races against the British and U.S. governments to locate the stolen research and claim ownership. It’s a deadly game that leaves one scientist drowned, another poisoned, and a third, a beautiful Russian woman, missing. The clever, dashing Hemmings relies on his espionage experience to stay one step ahead of his pursuers and to protect those who want the whole world to benefit from the discovery. The chase comes to a head at the World Patent Organization in Switzerland, where Hemmings’s actions determine who will win control of the research. The first book of a planned series, Day of the Dandelion will leave readers eagerly awaiting another glimpse into this fictional world of international intrigue, romance, and science. Agent Hemmings is sure to cultivate a hearty group of fans—no genetic engineering required. —Alisa Opar

Terloo Sphinx Moth

forward | wild world

Cry Wolf

The once-endangered animal is back in big numbers, and not everyone is happy about it By kiera butler

2007 issue of Outdoor Life magazine, and the first thing you’ll probably notice is a pretty scary-looking confrontation. The cover features an outdoorsy oil painting—think 1950s Boy Scouts manual—of two snarling wolves charging toward a hunter. “Wolf Attack,” reads the neon-orange cover line, pointing to a story about a hunter whose dogs were killed by wolves. The story has conservationists fuming. “It makes it sound like the wolves are attacking these people and their dogs, but it doesn’t really explain what occurred,” says Suzanne Asha Stone, a spokesperson for the conservation group Defenders of Wildlife. “People went hunting with their dogs, and they released them near

pick up the february

38|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

the wolves’ denning site. It’s unfortunate that this happened, but it’s not common.” Neither the story nor Stone’s reaction is surprising; hunters and animal advocates have an acrimonious history together, to put it mildly. But there’s a backstory that makes the Outdoor Life article especially timely—and, if you ask Stone, especially worrisome. Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains are back from the brink of extinction. Before the westward expansion, wolves were plentiful in the Rockies, but by the early 1990s, only 66 remained. Then, in Wolves loom large in the February 2007 issue of Outdoor Life magazine.

1995 and 1996, 66 more were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park and central Idaho. Today, scientists estimate that there are more than 1,200 wolves in the Northern Rockies—so many that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is currently considering removing the region’s wolf population from the endangered species list. For many, this is cause for celebration. But not everyone is happy about the return of the wolves. Ranchers and farmers say it’s difficult and expensive to protect livestock from them, and hunters point to several instances in which wolves have threatened people and killed dogs. Antiwolf sentiments are so rampant that conservationists fear that delisting will put the animals at risk again. And they have reason to worry. In Januillustration by josh cochran

wild world | forward ary 2007, Idaho governor C.L. “Butch” Otter spoke out in favor of an open hunt to reduce the state’s wolf population to 100, drawing national media attention when he said, “I’m prepared to bid for that first ticket to shoot a wolf myself.” In 2004, an Idaho man planted pesticide-laced meatballs in the state’s Salmon-Challis National Forest, hoping to poison wolves in the area. And at a rally this past March, Idaho AntiWolf Coalition leader Ron Gillett likened his group’s fight to eradicate all the wolves from the state to the American Revolution. “I hope we’ve got a lot of Patrick Henrys here tonight, because that is what it’s going to take to get it done,” he told reporters. Evidence that Americans have wolves on the brain isn’t just in the Rockies; it’s everywhere. In 2004, Bush’s campaign included a TV ad suggesting that John Kerry’s budget cuts would leave America vulnerable to terrorists, represented as a pack of salivating wolves. And in an episode of the HBO series Big Love in 2006, Bill Henrickson, the show’s protagonist, confronts (and shoots) a snarling wolf in the woods. Later, he decides to take on the show’s real “wolf ”—a controlling patriarch out to destroy his business. Historian Jon Coleman says that confrontations with wolves are part of our American heritage. When Coleman began researching his 2004 book Vicious: Wolves and Men

Many ranchers believe that this is just ‘‘ one more thing that the government is

doing to us, that the wolf reintroduction was inflicted on rural people.” in America, he found an interesting pattern: Wolf stories that had been passed down for generations were almost identical. “It’s a story about being surrounded at night,” says Coleman. “A child or a woman is trying to get home or visit a relative. They hear a howl, then another, and pretty soon they’re running, hearing the wolves all around. The person in danger always escapes. And the community always triumphs over the wolves, usually in a grand wolf hunt that ends with an angry mob destroying the pack.” In a way, says Coleman, the old story resonates with the current debate. Ranchers, farmers, and hunters feel surrounded—by literal wolves, yes, but also by figurative ones: the federal government. Mike Stevens, who runs a sustainable sheep ranch in Idaho called Lava Lake Lamb, agrees. “Many ranchers believe that this is just one more thing that the government is doing to us, that the wolf reintroduction was inflicted on rural people,” says Stevens. But when it comes to Governor Otter’s open-hunt plan, Stevens is skeptical. He doesn’t believe the

answer to the problem lies in eradication. A lasting solution will require something much more difficult—that is, for people to look beyond the cultural baggage and see wolves for what they really are: wild animals that are part of the Rocky Mountain ecosystem. At his ranch, Stevens is experimenting with nonlethal wolf control. Shepherds and guard dogs accompany his herds at all times, and he has installed fencing in areas where there have been problems. The Lava Lake team uses radio equipment borrowed from the FWS to track collared wolves, so shepherds know which areas to avoid. It’s intensive, hard work, and Stevens is constantly tweaking his strategy. After 25 sheep were killed in 2005, he began communicating regularly with an FWS biologist who was studying wolves in the area. And it paid off: 2006 passed without a single attack. Stevens says there’s evidence that people might be coming around to seeing wolves his way. “Some ranchers have realized that the wolves aren’t going away any time soon,” he says. “So we’d better find ways to coexist.”

Wolves Like Us

Wolves and werewolves on the big and little screens are a time-honored American tradition. Here are some of our favorites:

I Was a Teenage Werewolf (1957)

Michael Landon’s sordid, pre–Little House past as a confused kid who enlists the help of a hypnotherapist—only to be turned into a werewolf.

An American Werewolf in London (1981)

In this ketchup gore-fest of a thriller, two college kids’ jolly backpacking trip through England’s backcountry goes wolf-fully awry.

“Thriller”

Michael Jackson (1983)

The King of Pop calms his girlfriend’s fears after seeing a horror film featuring a werewolf. Then he becomes one. But first he dances with zombies. While wearing a red leather jacket.

Teen Wolf (1985)

It’s tricky navigating the mean halls of high school. But when you suddenly sprout fangs, yellow nails, and body hair, things get a whole lot easier. Michael J. Fox would know.

Dances with Wolves (1990)

The frontier is a desolate place in this Civil War tear-jerker. An exiled army lieutenant (Kevin Costner) befriends wolves, but still can’t quite make it in the Wild West.

Wolf (1994)

Like adolescence, the publishing world turns out to be a cinch when you’re a wolf. The relentlessly creepy Jack Nicholson wears the fangs.

“Wolf Like Me” TV on the Radio

(2006)

No ironic Girl Scouts T-shirts for these Brooklyn indie rockers—in this music video, they’re more the fur and all-fours set. —Tobin Hack

plentymag.com|june / july 2007|39

forward | green gear

Best in Showroom

We went beyond Energy Star certification to find appliances and electronics that slash energy consumption and use less water. And they’ll lower your utility bills, too.

Did you know?

Pair of Aces With one of the largest capacities available, the LG’s Tromm front-loading washer still manages to use a gallon less water than the average washing machine, thanks in part to its use of steam. And the dryer’s humidity sensors automatically adjust drying times, which can cut electricity use (and thus carbon dioxide emissions) by about 10 percent. (washer, model WM2688HRM, $1,399; dryer, model DLE7177HRM, $999; homedepot.com) 40|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

Front-loading washers can reduce water consumption by up to 25 percent—and save you about $40 to $50 per year in energy costs— because water only fills half the drum (top-loaders fill all the way).

green gear | forward ®

Cool Runnings A super-efficient machine, the GE Profile refrigerator only uses 448 kWh of energy per year (compared to 494 kWh for similar models), and only costs about $41 to operate annually, thanks in part to a sensor in the freezer that allows it to defrost only when necessary. (model PTS22LHBB, $1,449; geappliances.com)

Clean Machine Strategically placed jets in Asko’s dishwasher use less than 5 gallons of water per wash, which saves about 1,000 gallons per year, and the flexible racks let you cram in more dishes per cycle than any other model. (model D3531XLHD, $1,549; cooking.com)

Did you know?

According to Consumer Reports, top- and bottom-freezer units utilize interior space more efficiently than side-by-sides, therefore conserving more energy.

Did you know?

A ceiling fan can make a room feel six or seven degrees cooler. Run it counter-clockwise in the summer so you don’t force heat that floats to the ceiling back down.

Junior Partner The biggest drawback of owning a solar water heater is having to endure cold showers on cloudy days. Bosch has solved the problem with the AquaStar, a tankless, backup water heater that only turns on when the water temp needs a boost. (model 125BS, $591.28; itankless.com)

The Big Chill The Friedrich Quietmaster air conditioner keeps things cool by anticipating room temperature fluctuations. Plus, a programmable timer means you’ll never forget to turn it off before you leave. (model SS08L10, $556.63; appliancesdirect.com)

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|june / july 2007|41

forward | green gear

Flat Top Not only is Sharp manufacturing energy-efficient electronics like this AQUOS television, which uses half as much energy as a comparably-sized conventional tube TV—it’s also taking strides to make shipping practices more eco. The company has partnered with the EPA and transport companies to reduce air pollution by increasing the efficiency of rail and truck freight systems, and cutting down on unnecessary engine idling. (model LC20D42U, $899.99; amazon.com)

Smooth Operator The Panasonic cordless phone is super efficient (it turns off nonessential energy-consuming functions like screen display when idle), and comes with nifty features, like the talking caller ID that announces who’s ringing you. (model KX-TG6074B, $159.95; amazon.com)

The Vampire Slayer Most Valuable Player DVD players consume the bulk of their energy in standby mode. This Pioneer model uses only 0.7 watts in standby (compared to a high of 2.9 watts for other Energy Star models). (model DV-400V, $99; pioneerelectronics.com)

Cut down on the energy wasted by vampires— electronics that suck up energy even while turned off—by plugging your computer and its accessories into the Smartstrip, a surge protector that turns off connected devices when you turn off your computer. It also works for TVs. ($32.95; homeusa.com)

Fine Print HP’s Deskjet produces photo-quality prints, but the real story is its printer cartridges, which have been redesigned to use less packaging and to incorporate more recycled and recyclable plastics and cardboard—an effort that is expected to save 37 million pounds of greenhouse gas emissions in 2007. (model 6980, $135.99; amazon.com)

The Notebook Apple’s 15.4-inch MacBook Pro is made from 90 percent reusable or recyclable materials, and uses the lowest amounts of environmentally-sensitive materials like lead, mercury, and PVC. The company’s recycling program has diverted more than 21 million pounds of equipment from landfills worldwide since 1994. ($1,999; apple.com)

Learn More

For more information on eco home appliances and electronics, check out these websites:

energystar.gov The EPA-and DOE-run Energy Star program recognizes electronics that achieve various efficiency goals. In the next year, new requirements will go into effect for computers, TVs, and other electronics, so keep checking for updates.

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epeat.net The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, sponsored by the EPA and run by the Green Electronics Council, rates computers on environmental integrity of manufacture, design, packaging, and end-of-life disposal plans.

Did you know?

A software program called GreenPrint lets you adjust your documents so that blank pages don’t print. A typical Fortune 500 company using GreenPrint would save over $2 million and 4,000 trees each year, as well as prevent 7,833 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

greenerchoices.org This website offers green advice and product ratings from scientists and researchers from Consumer Reports for appliances like air conditioners, dishwashers, and refrigerators.

aceee.org The American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy is a great place to get information on federal energy policies, and state tax incentives for energy-efficient appliances, plus tips on saving energy at home.

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THE ECO TRAVEL TOOL KIT Your complete guide to going green when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re on the go by KATE SIBER illustrations by HEATHER

CASSILS

additional reporting by justin nobel and alison sherbach

as we once knew it is dead. The word has been misused, trashed, slapped on anything with a patch of grass and a thatched roof. In its place, a better breed of sustainable travel has emerged. And while the backpacking and bird-watching set may have pioneered the art of low-impact tourism, everyone from rock stars to business travelers to luxury vacationers is now joining the eco-chic jet set. Concepts like the green urban boutique hotel and European ecotourism have debuted, and at the same time, unique projects linking conservation and indigenous community development are appearing in Southeast Asia and Latin America. We searched the planet for the best hotels, trips, trends, advice, and up-and-coming destinations. Turn the page to begin your journey through the new and improved world of green travel. cotourism

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|june / july 2007|45

WHERE TO STAY

If the phrase “eco-friendly lodging” makes you think of primitive huts and bathrooms that make you want to head home, it’s time to ditch that notion. Innovative and comfortable options, from remote beach resorts to urban boutique hotels, now exist on six continents. Here, we introduce you to ten of the newest ones. Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa → american canyon, california California has taken the lead on climatefriendly hospitality by implementing a green-lodging incentive program, which may explain the gaggle of new green digs. One of the latest: Gaia Napa Valley Hotel & Spa, in the heart of wine country. Its space-age design was constructed of reclaimed corrugated metal and sustainably harvested wood. Solar light tubes reduce the need for electricity, and a high-tech, energy-efficient ventila↑Arenas del Mar Beach tion system recirculates air to reduce the & Nature Resort need for heating and cooling. Cheers to manuel antonio, costa rica the designers for their appealingly warm, Hike through Carara National Park to scope light, and airy interior. Doubles from scarlet macaws, or kayak through mangroves $189; gaiahotelnapavalley.com before a nap in a canopy bed cooled by the coastal breeze. The owners of this brand- Orchard Garden Hotel Crosswaters new resort avoided using heavy equipment san francisco, california Ecolodge and Spa guangdong, china during construction, and built it with green The Orchard Garden The developers of Hotel, which opened last materials like recycled plastic roof tiles. November three blocks China’s first ecolodge Rooms are outfitted with bamboo towels from San Francisco’s (in the Nankun Shan and solar hot-water heaters. Doubles from Union Square, is among a Mountain Reserve) sought not only to small group of American $190; arenasdelmar.com protect the existproperties that prove Fairmont Mayakoba mayakoba, mexico The touristy Mayan Riviera isn’t a hot spot for ecoconscious travelers— that’s why this luxury chain’s initiatives are so noteworthy. In addition to reducing waste and conserving energy and water at all its properties, its Mayakoba location, which opened last year, hired biologists to minimize the impact during construction, and Audubon International has recognized its golf course for its water conservation and wildlife corridors. Doubles from $279; fairmont.com/ mayakoba

Ulaa Patagonia biosfera transfronteriza andino norpatagonia reserve, chile

By the time you make the three-plus-hour trip from the nearest airport to this secluded resort on the banks of Chilean Patagonia’s Lago Puelo Inferior, its warmly lit cabins, Mayan sweat lodge, and peaceful orchards will make you feel like you’ve arrived on another planet. The menu boasts fresh ingredients from the onsite organic farm and greenhouse. From $70 per person, including meals; ulaapatagonia.com

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planet-friendly accommodations can be chic. This sharp, 86-room boutique hotel has highdefinition televisions, iPod docking stations, and open-air terraces. Its tony restaurant serves local and organic dishes; a key-card system reduces energy use in rooms; and housekeepers use biodegradable cleaning products. The hotel was built according to LEED standards, and building materials included recycled steel, glass and cement made from fly ash (a coal byproduct). Doubles from $169; theorchardgardenhotel.com

ing land, but to also enhance its health and embrace the local Keija community. A feng shui master helped design the 49-room lodge and spa that opened last year, to avoid disturbing the land. Construction relied heavily on indigenous bamboo, which grows quickly and thrives without the use of pesticides. The gardens boast lotuses, rice paddies, and organic vegetable patches, and the surrounding forest is home to owls, woodpeckers, and 176 species of butterflies. Doubles from about $300; 011-86-0752-769-3666

AND COMING SOON... Rosalie Bay Nature Resort rosalie, dominica Rosalie’s beaches once attracted illicit turtle-egg hunters, but when this resort opens in December, tourists will watch the endangered reptiles lay eggs safely, with the help of a local conservation program. Fifteen guest rooms, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and Morne Trois Piton National Park, will run on solar and wind energy and will feature a wetland wastewater treatment center. rosaliebaynatureresort.com

San Gregorio Hotel & Spa santa elena barillas, guatemala Opening above Guatemala’s Lake Amatitlán this November, San Gregorio Hotel will feature ten bungalows furbished with handmade Guatemalan artwork, a wine bar, juice bar, and spa. Organic cuisine, solar hot-water heaters, and drinking glasses made of recycled glass all attest to part of the resort’s environmental ethos. sangregoriospa.com

Hotel Terra

jackson hole, wyoming

Extreme skier Rob DesLauriers’s newest venture into the world of ski-in lodging—Hotel Terra—will open at the Jackson Hole Mountain Resort in December. It will feature 32 condos with Bose surround-sound systems and MP3 players typical of the swanky village. Not so typical: low VOC paints, double-paned windows, low-flow water fixtures, and renewable power. hotelterrajacksonhole.com

El Silencio Lodge & Spa bajos del toro, costa rica The owners of renowned eco Hotel Punta Islita in Costa Rica are putting their environmental sensibilities to work again with El Silencio (below), to open in November in the country’s central volcanic region. The 16 suites will run on small-scale, low-impact hydro energy, and sit on a small part of a 500-acre private forest reserve. elsilenciolodge.com

Kenya After a disastrous experiment with large-scale, high-impact tourism, community-run lodges and services are now the norm in Kenya, and U.K.based Journeys by Design arranges custom itineraries that sample some of the country’s best sustainable developments. A 12-day itinerary might start in a lava-rock lodge that sits amid fig orchards at Lake Naivasha; then move on to the Masai Mara, where millions of impala, zebra, buffalo, and wild cats roam the savanna; and culminate with a stay in a white-washed thatched cottage by the sea. From $4,894; 212-568-7639, journeysbydesign.co.uk

The view from Mt. Kinabalu in Borneo.

GREEN GETAWAYS

A slow float through Utah’s canyons. A meditative moment on the Tibetan Plateau. A chance encounter with a hawksbill sea turtle. We looked into dozens of adventures and picked eight of the most tempting, responsibly-planned, low-impact journeys from some of the most forward-thinking tour operators. Most of these companies offset their emissions, and many of them reinvest a portion of their profits in conservation groups and other nonprofits, or use their purchasing power to foster community development. Some do both. All go well beyond recycling soda cans in their commitment to sustainability. Prices are per person, double occupancy. Ladakh, India Meditate in tranquil monasteries, trek over high passes, and meet local shepherds on a 21-day odyssey to one of the world’s most remote places: the dry, starkly beautiful Tibetan plateau. Life in Ladakh still revolves around ancient agricultural ways and small villages, though you might spot a solar panel here or a small water turbine there, thanks to recent projects by international aid groups. KE Adventure offers several trips to Ladakh; this one, Zanskar’s Wild West, isn’t the most strenuous but does follow a hardy trade route over 12 days on foot. $2,295; 800497-9675, keadventure.com

Borneo Standing on top of Mt. Kinabalu to watch the sun rise, lazing in jungle hot springs after a long trek, and spending a night in a traditional Malay village are all part of Intrepid Travel’s 22-day Borneo Adventure itinerary. On this jungle island, the company supports organizations that fight trade in illegal wildlife products and encourages villagers to live off the land without destroying it. The trip includes a look at conservation efforts—travelers visit hawksbill turtle nesting areas and an orangutan rehab center. From $1,322; 866-847-8192, intrepidtravel.com

Ecuador Get up close and personal with Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest on GAP Adventures’s 16-day Inland & Amazon tour. You’ll stay with a family from the Quichua tribe, canoe the Napo River (an Amazon tributary), and ride horseback in the jungle that stretches over the Andean foothills. Most of the country’s visitors flock to the Galapagos Islands, so you’ll have the lush mainland rainforests largely to yourself, though the government is trying to change that situation by encouraging more community-based tourism with Amazon tribes. $795; 800-708-7761, gapadventures.com

Manitoba, Canada Polar bears may be among the early casualties of climate change—and their plight may teach us something about ourselves. On Natural Habitat Adventures’s six-day Classic Polar Bear Expedition, scientists from the World Wildlife Fund discuss climate change and polar bear life, while guests, safe in buggies, watch mothers tend to cubs and giant males brawl. On these outings, the tundra appears stark, but careful observation also reveals Arctic foxes and hares. Come evening, the Northern Lights flare across the sky. $3,795; 800-543-8917, nathab.com San Juan River, Utah Use gravity as your motor on a six-day rafting trip down Utah’s San Juan River organized by OARS. This stretch of the river meanders through crimson cliffs along the northern border of Monument Valley, and the long glide is interrupted by occasional rapids as well as hikes to ancient cliff dwellings. At night, camp on sandy banks under a sky thick with stars. All outfitters in this region follow the rules of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, including limits on the number of rafters plying the river, but OARS stands out for its offsets program and contributions to conservation projects. $1,515; 800-346-6277, oars.com

New Zealand The South Island of New Zealand is a study of heady, pristine landscapes: farmsteads and charming towns, glacial lakes and misty mountains that drop precipitously to the sea. Adventure South’s Milford Wilderness bike tour takes you on a scenic ten-day journey from Christchurch to Milford Sound and back to Queenstown. Most days involve about six hours of cycling, but there’s time, too, for off-road hikes and a day in Queenstown reserved for more exhilarating pursuits, like bungee jumping and jet-boating. $2,792; 011-64-3-942-1222, adventuresouth.co.nz Panama The Nature Conservancy has worked with Panama’s indigenous communities for the past 22 years, training villagers to become guides and conservationists. The nonprofit now offers a peek behind the scenes on a ten-day trip jointly offered with Emerald Planet. Visitors amble the streets of the old colonial capital, spy exotic birds in a lush cloud forest, and kayak through mangrove swamps in a protected area established by the Conservancy. Staffers explain their work, while graduates of the program identify botanical wonders and introduce their guests to indigenous customs during village visits. $3,250; 888-883-0736, emeraldplanet.com

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UP&COMING DESTINATIONS

Since the idea of ecotourism first emerged some 20-odd years ago, its success has been measured by how it has spread around the world. Ventures that benefit local ecosystems and communities have taken hold everywhere from Panama to Gabon to the mountains of China’s Yunnan province. The notion of sustainability in travel is also moving beyond developing nations and natural settings, as industrialized countries bring green energy and good environmental sense to rustic parks, tony resorts, and even business hotels in major metropolitan areas. These six regions are at the vanguard of the new generation of planet-friendly travel. Bosnia and Herzegovina It shouldn’t be hard to lure tourists to this Balkan nation, which claims some of Europe’s last virgin forests, picturesque medieval villages, and the historic city of Sarajevo. Seven-year-old Green Visions (greenvisions.ba) is trying to bring visitors back to the warfractured country, and to forge a link between tourism and conservation. Founded by aid workers, the nonprofit has published guidebooks to the region and helped train local people in organic agriculture, guiding, and preparing meals. The country still has a way to go—land mines buried in the forests make hiking guides mandatory—but Green Visions has already lured major tour operators like Intrepid Travel and Mountain Travel Sobek, which offers its first tour of the region in June. Wisconsin Other parts of the world have nurtured standards for green travel, and soon at least one of the United States will join them. This year, Wisconsin will launch Travel Green Wisconsin (travelgreenwisconsin.com), a voluntary but rigorous environmental certification program. Almost

any kind of facility—hotels, golf courses, and marinas, to name a few—may participate, provided it makes substantial efforts in areas ranging from water and energy conservation to wildlife management. Attractions will be rated on a pointbased system, and must make

improvements every year. The best thing about the program? It has spawned successors: This year, West Virginia will institute a similar pilot program. Laos With two UNESCO World Heritage sites, a dense rainfor-

WHERE NOT TO GO

Though traveling the world in an environmentally responsible way gets easier every year, there are still some trips worth avoiding. Here’s the lowdown on a few perennially popular options.

Costa Rica

Long lauded for pioneering small-scale ecotourism projects focused on conservation and sustainability, the West Virginia–sized Central American country now receives more than a million visitors a year. Tourism has become a billion-dollar industry, and some environmentalists worry that newer developments have placed profits before environmental protection. Avoid: The Guanacaste Coast Sprawling mega-resorts are popping up along a once-empty stretch of the northwest coastline. Instead: Lapa Rios Built by two former Peace Corps volunteers, this ecolodge practically defines the term and is surrounded by protected coastal rain-

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est, and a diverse array of peoples and cultures, Laos has a lot to show travelers (ecotourismlaos.com). The number of visitors has jumped from 14,000 in 1990 to nearly 900,000 in 2004. In response, the Laotian government has implemented a sustainable de-

forests and features bungalows built from local materials. laparios.com

The Yucatan Pennisula

A highly developed strip of hotels and megaresorts covers about 80 miles of the peninsula’s northeast coast, but head a bit further south and encounter a rarely visited tropical forest steeped in Mayan history. Avoid: Cancun The Mexican government has forked over millions of dollars to rebuild beaches swept away during storms like Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The mangroves and other native plants that once helped to keep sand in place are long gone from this spring-break hot spot. Instead: Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve Just 90 miles south of Cancun, Sian Ka’an includes Mexico’s largest protected coastal wetland, plus a tropical forest spotted with Mayan ruins. Rare, a U.S.-based environmental organization does conservation work there, and eco-friendly tours of the 1.3 million acre reserve. siankaantours.org

velopment policy to promote cutting-edge management practices in pilot projects. And with help from the Asian Development Bank, the country is organizing 20 community-based tourism projects along the wildly diverse Mekong River.

Cruise ships

Large ocean liners pump as many as 25,000 gallons of untreated sewage into the ocean each day. While more and more of these floating cities (some carrying as many as 5,000 people) are sailing the high seas, a number of smaller cruise lines now offer some environmentally-friendly alternatives. Avoid: The big ones Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have all been sued for environmental misdeeds, including illegal dumping of sewage and toxic chemicals. Instead: The little ones Cruise North Expedition, whose passengers number in the hundreds rather than the thousands, has local guides and an onboard naturalist to point out wildlife on their Canadian Arctic cruises. And Lindblad Expeditions works with groups such as the World Wildlife Fund and the National Geographic Society to promote conservation in some of the destinations they visit, including the Galapagos and the Nile. cruisenorthexpeditions.com; expeditions.com

Ireland Ecotourism has long had a social agenda, but communities in northwest Ireland are pushing boundaries by erasing them. The nonprofit Greenbox Network (greenbox.ie) will unite businesses across the border that divides the island, and create its first green (figuratively speaking) destination in the process. The Greenbox region includes parts of Counties Sligo and Donegal in the South and County Fermanagh north of the border, where local artists and a surfeit of health-and-wellness offerings draw an avant-garde crowd. Participants must meet rigorous standards. Last year, 14 Greenbox members won the prestigious E.U. Eco Label; another 20 are working to earn the accolade this year. Rwanda Tourism in Rwanda may sound like a tough sell, but this central African country is rich in natural resources as well as vibrant folk traditions that have survived terrible tragedy. With the civil war over, the government has turned its attention to sustainable tourism (rwandatourism.com). Early next year, the country’s first ecolodge will open in Nyungwe National Park, home to a vast chimpanzee population. USAID recently awarded $4 million to reconstruct and improve the park. Jordan Jordan may be adventure travel’s best-kept secret. Spectacular ruins dating back 2,500 years abound here, and now the kingdom is making strides in preserving its natural heritage, too. The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (rscn.org.jo) has plans to green facilities at the country’s major preserves, which include desert oases and rugged mountains that draw exotic species. Strategies will include everything from installing solar panels at the lodges to supplying mountain bikes and forging new hiking trails. The Society’s tour operator can arrange homestays in Bedouin communities, and a new ecolodge opened in the Azraq reserve in March. By 2009, the country will open the first fivestar green lodge near Petra.

The Mekong River in Laos.

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GETTING THERE

The fossil fuel saved by your hotel’s solar panels is peanuts compared to the amount you burned while flying to your great escape. Two British airlines—Virgin Atlantic and First Choice—have taken steps to reduce and offset emissions, but there are still few options for alternative transportation. Apart from conservation, today’s best solution is carbon-emissions offsets. According to a recent study conducted by the Tufts Climate Initiative, these four offsets programs have the most accurate calculators and prices, and invest in the most effective projects. PROGRAM NativeEnergy BASED IN Vermont WHAT Flights, buses, trains, and driving PROJECTS Renewable energy projects, especially wind power on Native American reservations and methane-gas energy production facilities on family farms in the U.S. PRICE PER TON OF CO2 $12 WEB nativeenergy.com PROGRAM Atmosfair BASED IN Germany WHAT Flights PROJECTS Renewable energy in the developing world, including solar power in India and South Africa, and methane entrapment in Thailand PRICE PER TON OF CO2 $27 WEB atmosfair.de PROGRAM Climate Friendly BASED IN Australia WHAT Flights, driving, and conferences PROJECTS Renewable energy in Australia and New Zealand PRICE PER TON OF CO2 $22 WEB climatefriendly.com PROGRAM Myclimate BASED IN Switzerland WHAT Flights, driving, and hotel stays PROJECTS Renewable energy and energy efficiency projects that contribute to sustainable development, including solar greenhouses in the Himalayas, wind farms in Madagascar, and biomass facilities in India PRICE PER TON OF CO2 $33 WEB myclimate.org 50|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

SEALS OF APPROVAL EXPERT ADVICE No handy green pages exist for lodges, tour operators, and destinations, but there are scores of programs that can help travelers evaluate everything from beaches to bungalows. We sifted through them to find the most common and reputable ones. CERT Green Globe WHAT All tourism services, from airlines to accommodations WHERE Global THE LOWDOWN Participants are first benchmarked according to regional bestpractice standards, then certified when they prove they are operating at a high environmental standard. WEB greenglobe21.com CERT Ecotel WHAT Accommodations WHERE Global THE LOWDOWN Hotels that meet primary criteria are inspected and then awarded between 1 and 5 Ecotel Globes. Certifications must be renewed every two years, and Ecotel inspects hotels unannounced. WEB concepthospitality. com/ecotel CERT Audubon Green Leaf WHAT Accommodations WHERE U.S., Canada, and Europe THE LOWDOWN Hotels submit a survey on their efforts in four areas of environmental stewardship, which are evaluated and then rated on a scale of 1 to 5 by TerraChoice, an environmental marketing organization. WEB terrachoice.ca CERT Sustainable Tourism EcoCertification Program (STEP) WHAT Tour operators, accommodations, attractions, transportation services, and community-based tourism WHERE Global THE LOWDOWN Planners reviewed more than a dozen certification schemes to develop this one, in which

tourism providers selfmeasure, assess, and agree to enhance their environmental efforts. WEB sustainabletravelinternational.org CERT Blue Flag WHAT Beaches and marinas WHERE Global THE LOWDOWN Beaches and marinas are evaluated on water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety and services. Blue Flags must be renewed every year. WEB blueflag.org CERT Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) WHAT Buildings WHERE United States THE LOWDOWN The U.S. Green Building Council rates hotels and other buildings as certified, silver, gold or platinum according to a multi-tiered ranking system. WEB usgbc.org CERT Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) WHAT Hotels and other travel-related businesses WHERE Costa Rica THE LOWDOWN Businesses are ranked on a scale of 0 to 5 according to how they operate their facilities, conserve the adjacent land, communicate with customers, and support and involve the local community. WEB turismo-sostenible.co.cr CERT Green Seal WHAT Hotels WHERE Global THE LOWDOWN Hotels submit an application detailing their efforts, which is

evaluated in-office. WEB greenseal.org CERT Green Tourism Business Scheme WHAT Hotels, attractions, tour operators, and conference centers WHERE U.K. THE LOWDOWN Service providers are evaluated on environmental, economic, and social issues, from efficient lighting to conservation, and then given a ranking of bronze, silver, or gold. WEB green-business.co.uk CERT Green Key WHAT Hotels, youth hostels, restaurants, and campsites WHERE Global THE LOWDOWN Participants complete applications detailing their environmental efforts. On-site visits are conducted by Green Key staffers. WEB www.green-key.org CERT Pan Parks WHAT Protected areas WHERE Europe THE LOWDOWN Independent auditors evaluate parks’ sustainable management plans. Sponsored by the World Wildlife Federation. WEB www.panparks.org CERT Nature and Ecotourism Accreditation Programme WHAT Tours, attractions, and accommodations WHERE Australia THE LOWDOWN Applications are independently assessed and audited before they’re rated on economic, environmental, and social sustainability. WEB ecotourism.org.au

GLOBE-TROTTING GREENIES SHARE THEIR TRAVEL TIPS To avoid waste when using bottled water for international travel, bring your own portable filter. You can just bring one big Nalgene bottle and significantly reduce your waste footprint.

GREG BENCHWICK Commissioning Editor, Lonely Planet

Before you leave for your trip, make sure to turn your water heater to the “vacation” setting, reset your thermostat so you’re not wasting energy, and remember to suspend your newspaper subscription. SABRINA COWDEN Volunteer Coordinator, The Climate Project

Holiday in your own country as an alternative to traveling abroad. Think about taking a walking/cycling holiday, which is not only more environmental, but great for your health, too. JO WOOD Creator of Jo Wood Organics, wife of the Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood

Fly less, stay longer. It’s obvious but true. If you can take a couple of longer trips rather than three or four shorter ones, then you can halve your carbon footprint. MARK ELLINGHAM Publisher, Rough Guides

Replace one lightbulb in your hotel with an LED or compact fluorescent bulb—it will save energy for ten years! ALISON GANNETT World Champion free skier and founder of Save Our Snow

When traveling, I carry my Solarjo Power Purse, a purse covered in solar panels, which will charge my iPod or cell phone. I don’t have to use electricity in the places I’m staying... and I really get to take advantage of being in a sunny destination. ALLISON ROGERS Miss Rhode Island, 2006

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Be Our Guests

The owners of Kalaketty Estate in Kerala have opened their home and eco-friendly farm to visitors. 44|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

In the midst of a crippling agricultural crisis, farmers in Kerala, India, are welcoming tourists into their homes. How this latest take on ecotourism is shaping the region’s future. by Lindsey Reu | photographs by rupert evers

y first night on Seetha Raj’s plantation had brid of tourism, or “eco-agritourism,” has taken shape and all the casual pleasantries of a holiday family brought some stability to the local economy. Farmers like gathering: multiple helpings of dinner, a half- Raj have begun hosting guests for country vacations. Will ignored game on television, and the endless chatter that homestay tourism be Kerala’s salvation? comes when food and family converge. But this was not a holiday, and these were not my siblings asking for secn 2003—the most recent year for which there are official onds and thirds. I was in Kerala, India, and although we data—over 17,000 farmer suicides were reported across Inwere eating fish curry rather than turkey and watching dia. Anecdotes and local media coverage suggest that there cricket rather than football, it felt like a homecoming. were probably even more in 2006. Most of the suicide victims I was finally soaking up some genuine hospitality after were single-crop farmers who took out large loans when prices several months of waking up in uninspiring hotel rooms crashed, and never recovered financially. But farmers with larger, and sharing meals with random travelers. It was nice to more diverse farms have had trouble weathering the volatile be with a family again, even if it market as well. Though they may wasn’t my own. not be suicidal, many are struggling Raj manages Ente Veedu (“My with debt. Raj and her husband, INDIA Own Home”), a plantation homeRaju, jointly own 20 acres of land stay tucked away in the remote and grow several different crops—inagricultural region of Wayanad in cluding coffee, coconuts, bananas, Kerala Wayanad the northeastern corner of Kerala. and vanilla—but were still greatly Global competition, unsustainaffected by the recent decline of the able farming practices, and crippepper market, which is another key pling cycles of droughts and floods crop for them. High labor costs, an have wrought havoc on India’s aguncooperative climate, and an influx • kochi riculture over the last decade, and of cheap, imported pepper have dras• alleppey family farms like Raj’s have been tically reduced the crop’s value in the hit hard. The situation is so dire, past few years: From 2001 to 2006, • varkala in fact, that another alarming prices dropped from $5.75 per kilobenchmark has also emerged: an gram to just $1.38. To recoup their losses and pay off their debts, the Rajs all-time high suicide rate among tried harvesting ginger. “We plucked farmers. But recently, a new hy-

map by jason lee

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30 sacks. It sat in front of the house, but no one bought it. We were crying,” says Seetha. At one point, they even considered selling a portion of their land. Fixing the broken agricultural system will take time, which is something many farmers can’t spare if they are to pay back their mounting loans. But tourism has recently blossomed in the area. The World Tourism Organization expects the number of visitors to Kerala to grow 11.4 percent per year between 2003 and 2013. That’s not surprising, considering that the region packs cliffside beaches, serene backwater canals, and mist-shrouded tea estates into nearly 39,000 square kilometers, an area slightly larger than the state of Maryland. Its lush foothills are dotted with wildlife reserves, and it is home to a rich culture that blends tribal traditions, a myriad of religions, and colonial influences from both the Dutch and Portuguese. Most of the tourist traffic has been along the coast, but homestays and ecotourism ventures are drawing visitors inland. Farmers like the Rajs are finding that hosting travelers can be a reliable, alternative source of income.

eetha Raj is one of about 20 homestay owners in Kerala’s Wayanad District, a bucolic farming area nestled between mountains and coastline. Like many others, she was drawn into the business by a local man named K. Ravindran, a former tire salesman who had retired to his wife’s plantation. In 2002, fed up with the economic uncertainties of agriculture, Ravindran decided it was time for his farming community to benefit from tourism just as the rest of the state had. “I

hatched the idea to develop tourism,” he explains. “Instead of selling off property, I’d sell the destination.” He turned his modest, one-story home into the Pranavam Homestay—a cozy place for a few days on my trip last fall. He also joined forces with other homestay and hotel owners in the region to form a private group dedicated to promoting the area called the Wayanad Tourism Organization. A government provision called the Heritage Home Protection Scheme has also helped the homestay concept catch on. The initiative provides incentives for Keralans to convert their homes into tourist accommodations by outfitting at least one room with a Western-style toilet and quality furnishings. Such homestays have also been popping up in more established tourist spots like Kochi and Alleppey on the coast. Urban Indian couples and families with young children are typical guests, but increasingly, Europeans and Australians are showing up, too. A year and a half after opening Ente Veedu, the Rajs are climbing out of debt and are optimistic that their new venture will keep them solvent. While Raju focuses on running the farm, Seetha handles the homestay. In her first year, she had about 40 guests. With a nightly per-couple fee of 2,500 rupees, she earned about as much by hosting guests as her farm’s pepper crop yielded last year. She also just added a new guest cottage, for which she charges 3,000 rupees per night. The structure was built by local people affiliated with Uravu, a nonprofit dedicated to training bamboo artisans. Ente Veedu guests have been the family’s saving grace, and the Rajs’ welcome each visitor with warmth. “I give visitors what I give my children,” Seetha says. When I stayed at Ente Veedu last fall, I

A year and a half after opening their homestay, the Rajs are climbing out of debt and are optimistic.

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photo Courtesy of seetha raj (top right)

The latest addition at the Ente Veedu estate—a bamboo cottage (left); visitors relax in an open-air treehouse (right).

Preparing the home for guests at Kalaketty Estate. plentymag.com

|june / july 2007|45

ayanad has only recently emerged as a tourist destination, but it is every bit as beautiful as the rest of Kerala, if not more so. Twenty-six percent of Wayanad is protected forestland, and it boasts two major wildlife sanctuaries, a magnificent trek up Chembra Peak, multi-tiered waterfalls, and several ancient temples. It lacks the stunning beaches of tourist hotspots like Alleppey and Varkala, and does not have the infrastructure to support a high volume of tourists (there is no train station, for instance), but in many ways, its inaccessibility is a benefit rather than a drawback. The area is thus perfectly poised for the kind of low-impact, sustainable tourism that works in conjunction with the region’s environmental ethos. Because many of these homestays support environmentally-friendly practices, they stand to benefit from increasing interest in ecotourism. Both Ente Veedu and Pranavam Homestay, for example, use organic farming methods and are fueled parVisitors to Ente Veedu make tially by biogas. A few more friends with the plantation’s elephant (top); Seetha Raj established homestays go shows guests the family’s coffee even further. Haritha Farms, crop (bottom right); visiting the Jain ruins near the edge a former rubber and coconut of the plantation. garden–cum–organic farm in the nearby Midlands region, has used its homestay business to support a return to traditional farming practices. In 1993, Haritha’s owners eliminated chemical fertilizers, which have been misused by many farmers in India, contributing to crop failures. They’ve reintegrated a plethora of crops (coconut, yam, pineapple, banana, tapioca, pepper, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, turmeric, vanilla, and various medicinal herbs) that had been displaced by expanding rubber plantations. Their guests stay in solar-powered bungalows and eat traditional Keralan food. Other eco-friendly initiatives at Haritha Farms include the use of low-wattage lightbulbs, as well as local products,

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services, and labor. The owners also limit the number of guests so that locals do not become dependent on tourism alone. That’s another reason the approach is so appealing, both socially and environmentally. No one wants to see Wayanad become an overrun tourist trap, nor does anyone think that its agricultural industry should be abandoned in favor of tourism. Instead, homestays blend with the work of the local farmers and let visitors get an authentic taste of the community. Homestays offer pristine landscapes and a view of Indian life from the inside—a pure and (almost) unadulterated experience of rural Kerala. “We’re not providing anything extra. It’s just a room that tourists join us in,” Ravindran says. And it’s true—life hardly skipped a beat for Ravindran, his wife, and their grandchildren while I occuppied the cozy quarters on the opposite side of their house. While I was there, Ravindran’s wife prepared traditional Keralan feasts served on banana leaves, and one morning I visited with the plantation workers as they harvested coffee, sampled a mouth-scorching chili, paid homage to the family deity, and sipped chai tea with the 86-year-old matriarch of the family. It won’t be long before Wayanad catches up with the rest of the state and becomes a must-see destination. For now, though, it’s still a virtually undiscovered patch of beauty and intrigue; as with much of rural India, you might pass through on a bus on your way someplace else. Its struggles are veiled by postcard-perfect hillsides, and peaceful-looking tea harvesters wearing brightly colored saris. My trip to Wayanad revealed a more intimate glimpse of India: the daily struggles and heartache of farming life, the joyful moments that keep farmers going, and the sacred bonds of family that, for a brief moment, they shared with me.

photos Courtesy of seetha raj (this page)

ate organic meals cooked in her kitchen, and slept down the hall from the family.

A guest room at Philipkutty’s Farm.

Five Places to Call Home in Rural Kerala Ente Veedu

Haritha Farms

Kalaketty Estate

Philipkutty’s Farm

Thani Illam

Guests explore the plantation’s coffee fields and rice paddy, visit the magnificent ruins of the Jain Temple near the edge of the property, and feast on traditional Keralan food, while staying with the Rajs in the peaceful Wayand District. The spot is in a prime location from which to embark on day trips to the Tholpetty and Muthanga Wildlife Sanctuaries, or to the mystifying Edakkal Caves. If you visit during monsoon season, owner Seetha Raj will show you how to properly play in the rain and share in the joys of crab catching.

One of Kerala’s first forays into agricultural tourism, Haritha is a full-fledged eco-friendly farm in the Midlands. Guests stay in a solar-powered bungalow, and learn how to cook vegetarian Keralan meals with organically grown food and spices from the farm. While there, spend your days walking through the rubber plantation, pineapple groves, and rice paddies; visiting the nearby elephant training center; or taking part in one of Kerala’s countless festivals.

Upscale travelers looking for tranquility should stop here and stay in one of two serene, cavernous, and superbly decorated rooms. Take a tour of the 150-acre rubber estate, learn about worm composting, and taste succulent cuisine prepared with ingredients from the organic farm. Plan a day trip to the Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary (your best chance to see a wild elephant), or spend a peaceful afternoon amid the mahogany and mango trees with The God of Small Things, by Booker Prize winner and Kerala native Arundhati Roy.

If you’re coming from or about to head to the backwaters, drop anchor for a few days at upscale Philipkutty’s Farm, a small island that sits slightly below lake level. The organic farm grows coconut, nutmeg, cocoa, banana, pepper, and other spices and fruits, and the farm’s canals feature naturally grown jumbo prawns. Philipkutty’s five guest villas are available for extended stays, ayurvedic spa treatments, cooking classes, and artistic retreats.

One of the first heritage homes to be approved by Kerala’s department of tourism, Thani Illam was once the home of local Malayalam writer Malayattoor Ramakrishnan. This century-old house has been modified using parts from demolished buildings, like roof tiles and wooden door frames. The hosts rent out two rooms, serve homemade vegetarian meals (they’ll even teach you how to cook them), and offer ayurveda, yoga, and meditation services. No meat or alcohol is allowed.

$46 to $50 enteveedu.co.in

$60 to $95 harithafarms.com

Price upon request kalakettyestate.com

Price upon request philipkuttysfarm.com

$25 to $60 thaniillam.org

—L.R.

FOR MORE homestay options, visit: wayanad.com, homestayskerala.com, homestaykerala.com, earthfoot.org, and keralatourism.org.

Concordia’s energy-efficient tents overlook the U.S. Virgin Islands National Park.

Paradise Lost?

hirty years ago, long before LEED, Energy Star, or any other official green building guidelines existed, Stanley Selengut leased 14 acres of land along the two smile-shaped coves of Maho Bay on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John. Over the next few years, he built 114 one-room wood-andvinyl tents behind the turpentine and kapok trees, perched along wooden walkways that hovered over the soil so visitors wouldn’t damage the ground cover as they walked down to the beach or up to the restaurant pavilion, which was tucked back on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Water and electricity lines were laid beneath the walkways, precluding the need for trenches. “When I finished building the place, it looked like it had grown there,” Selengut says. The Maho Bay Campground is one of the country’s oldest—and perhaps crudest—eco-resorts. Selengut, who turned 78 in April, is an accidental ambassador of eco-tourism—the word wasn’t even in vogue back at Maho’s beginning—and indeed had no intention of becoming a green developer, or wielding environmentalism as a marketing tool. He started as a U.S. importer of Latin American crafts in the 1950s, helped set up craft cooperatives, and consulted for the Kennedy administration. In 1976, he was working as a housing consultant for the

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photo by lisa selin davis (opposite)

On the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John, two eco-resorts come of age By lisa selin davis

Perched on a sunny hillside on St. John are 25 eco-tents that make up the Concordia resort. plentymag.com

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Rockefellers, who introduced him to the Virgin Islands when the land along Maho Bay was up for rent. “I never dreamed of turning it into a big business,” he says. “When I got there and looked at the land and fell in love, I took a long lease.” Five years later, he started buying land along the southeastern side of the island for what eventually would become Maho’s spiffier, greener sister resort, Concordia. The resorts became popular destinations for environmentally conscious travelers, and today, business is booming. Concordia’s restaurant opened this spring, and eventually a performing arts center, yoga pavilion, crafts center, and residential component—along with what Selengut says will be affordable housing for both residents and guests—will follow. But as Concordia expands and its future brightens, Maho’s star may be dimming. Selengut owns Concordia’s land, but Maho’s lease will finally be up in 2012, and it looks like the owners won’t let Selengut extend it. It’s a bittersweet time for Selengut as he, and Maho’s many faithful visitors, face what could be the end of an era.

imagined that St. John would be overly touristy, but when I showed up in late January—in the lull between Christmas and spring break—I was surprised at how exotic and peaceful it seemed, and by how much its 28 square miles of terrain varied. The west and north sides are lush and busy with tourists, but the east side is nearly empty, with vast fields of fuzzy, red nipple cacti on promontories stretching out to the sea. Dramatic volcanic mountains are everywhere you look. Two thirds of the island is designated as a national park, and there are only two traditional resorts there—the Rockefeller’s Caneel Bay and the Westin. Of course, that’s likely to change when Maho’s lease expires. You can feel the tension in the air, the pressure to seize what little land is both undeveloped and free from park protection—which is precisely what makes Maho so precious.

Destination: GREEN

The ecotourism movement sprang from a growing interest in travel that supported local economies as well as their ecosystems. People all over the world laid the foundation for the industry in the 1970s, and it’s been expanding ever since. —Susan Cosier

1973 The word ecotour

appears in Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary.

About 20,000 people camp at Maho every year, nearly 80 percent of them repeat visitors. Nearby mansions reaching to the very edges of their half-acre lots spring from the cliffs, but Maho is a place where frazzled Americans can live simply. The staff of 60 consists largely of college kids and middle-aged earthy types who live in tents above the restaurant, and many of the younger folks are taking advantage of Maho’s work-exchange program: For 30 hours a week of toiling, you get free housing, 40 percent off meals (food is not cheap anywhere on the island), and discounts on all manner of activities. Not long after it opened in 1976, Maho got a glowing write-up in the New York Times, and its popularity grew. Once the word was out about his private eco-paradise, Selengut decided to start sending out a detailed questionnaire to each visitor to learn how he could improve Maho, which he continues to do today. He took what he’d learned from thousands of responses and years of trial and error to form his second resort. In 1990, he opened Concordia Eco-Tents using a slew of new materials and processes to make this second venture more environmentally sound. Tents at Maho were made of polyvinyl and pressure-treated pine (not the most eco-friendly materials), and they didn’t generate energy or collect rainwater, so Selengut spent a fortune on electricity bills and trucked water in. “We didn’t have a lot of options back then,” says Maho’s vice president, Maggie Day. At Concordia, things were different. “Every time someone mentioned a new idea, we could incorporate it,” says Selengut. Concordia’s 25 eco-tents are solar powered, and contain composting toilets and private solar showers that use rainwater collected in cisterns on the roofs. Plus, they take advantage of cogeneration: They’re tapped into St. John’s main power grid, and any excess energy is donated back to the island supply. “They’re basically self-sufficient,” says Selengut. Set along a cactus-strewn hill, Concordia’s tents are far more private than their tiny cousins at Maho. “Their views will never be ob-

1978 Stanley Selengut

wins the EPA’s Environmental Protection Award for his Maho Bay Campground on the U.S. Virgin Island of St. John.

1982 The word ecotourism

is coined. The definition, according to Webster’s, is “the practice of touring natural habitats in a manner meant to minimize ecological impact.”

1991The International Ecotourism Society is founded in Alexandria, Virginia.

PHOTO BY LISA SELIN DAVIS (CENTER)

Stanley Selengut observes aluminum casting at Maho (left); a recycled-lumber walkway at Concordia (center); glassware at the Maho gallery (right).

Concordia’s tents are powered entirely by solar panels (left); lush vegetation surrounds a Maho deck (right).

structed,” says Selengut. Especially when you arrive from the relative austerity of Maho, Concordia seems incredibly comfortable—a few of its tents are even wheelchair accessible. One major inconvenience, however, is getting there. From downtown Cruz Bay, where the ferry comes in, you can take an open-air bus called Mr. Frett’s Taxi for $8 to Maho or hitchhike, but you’ll have to rent a jeep to travel the 12 miles to Concordia. That’s something they hope to change as Concordia expands—maybe by providing a shuttle, or giving visitors instructions on how to catch the $1 public bus, which runs regularly. The sting of impending development is softened some by Selengut’s respect for the land; he’s donated some of his property to a trust, and the rest he’s developed slowly to ease its impact.

n the late 1990s, Selengut ran into a problem: The more folks came to his increasingly popular resorts, the more trash they left behind. There’s no recycling on St. John, so visitors’ beer bottles and food packaging had to be carted out by diesel-fueled garbage trucks to the ferry that transported wastes to a landfill on St. Thomas. “It drove Stanley nuts to have these things chucked out,” says architect Jim Hadley, who helped design the original tents. So Selengut’s team started crushing bottles and cans, adding the tidbits to decorative concrete. Then, in 1998, a glass artist named Larry Livolsi came to Maho and built a glass furnace, fueled by wooden palates left over from deliveries. “At first we made simple stuff like paper weights and sun catchers and things you could simply press into molds,” says Selengut. Then artists started swapping glass-blowing classes in exchange for stays at Maho. The glass pieces got more beautiful—vases, pitchers, flowers—and guests wanted to take them home. Maho artists started making other goods: Sheets became aprons and purses, and scrap paper and dryer lint became homemade paper. Selengut built recycling and crafting stations for each material. Now, the classes and crafts of the Trash to Treasure Center, a collection of shacks tucked below Maho’s

1992 Two birders open the

Lapa Rios Ecolodge, one of the first eco-resorts in Costa Rica. The lodge is constructed with renewable materials, and its waste generates biogas and compost.

1996 Ecotourism Kenya,

an organization that promotes sustainable tourism in the country, is launched. The group involves local communities in the effort to preserve local ecosystems.

2000 World tourism

increases by 7.4 percent, the highest growth rate in close to a decade, according to the World Tourism Organization.

restaurant, recycles about 150 of the 240 reams of paper they use, melts 32,000 bottles, and generates more than $200,000 in revenue each year, enough to pay for the staff and power the facility. The center makes only a small dent in Maho’s waste stream, but it certainly adds to the morale of both visitors and employees. Selengut hopes this strategy will be replicated in other tourism spots. He’s hired Jim Hadley to design an energy-efficient version that could be adopted and adapted by any resort. He’s already had talks with one of the world’s largest hotel conglomerates (he won’t name names) to develop such a center for a new resort in the Dominican Republic. The fact that Maho’s legacy might reach to the furthest and most luxurious corners of the hospitality industry is all the more poignant as Maho’s future remains uncertain. “There’s just so much pressure to develop,” says Day. She is not the only one who laments the possible demise of Maho; locals and visitors have organized benefits and fund-raisers to support the resort. Day took me on a drive around the island, pointing out the multimillion-dollar mansions cropping up along the hills. “This is what will happen to Maho if it doesn’t go into preservation.” The Trust for Public Land (TPL) has discussed purchasing the spot, but the organization isn’t commenting on the progress of the negotiations. “It’s just too early to say,” says John Garrison, director of TPL’s southwest Florida office. Selengut is sad at the prospect of losing Maho, but he knows that the campground is a little worn out, and that the waste it generates is still staggeringly high, even with the creative recycling. “If I renewed the lease, I’d probably start replacing the Maho tents with eco-tents,” he admits. Concordia’s expansion and the negotiations with the hotel chain make Selengut feel a little better, but he knows it’s only one tiny step in a long march toward sustainable tourism. “It’s just the beginning of the story,” he says. “The real test will be to see if it’s successful and if it spreads around the world.”

2002 The U.N. celebrates

the International Year of Ecotourism. In May, World Ecotourism Summit convenes in Quebec City.

2004 The Caribbean island

of Dominica is the first country to receive national ecotourism status from Green Globe, a sustainable tourism certification company.

2007 In May, the Interna-

tional Ecotourism Society holds a global conference in Oslo, Norway. A representative from Nature Air, a carbon-neutral airline, speaks on climate change.

Bringing up your baby

green

Stylish products that are eco, practical, and just plain cute

a n Cohe n r N a i y B b k e e g ologu rs y b e ug n photo s y

PIMP MY RIDE

Invented by designer dudes who have a thing for functional form, the Orbit Infant System includes a car seat, stroller base that features one-hand collapsability, and a car-seat base. Because the system is modular (and expandable—there’s also a bassinet and rocker base, plus a toddler stroller seat sold separately), you’ll cut down on your gear consumption. Baby can face forward, backward, and sideways, and the cleverly named “paparazzi shield” comes with the bassinet and offers UV protection for your wee one, too. Coming soon: all-natural fabric upholstery. $900, egiggle.com

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room to grow...

BABIES’ DEVELOPING LUNGS ARE EXTRASENSITIVE TO AIR POLLUTION, SO USE LOWOR NO-VOC PAINTS IN THE NURSERY, AND PAINT AT LEAST TWO MONTHS BEFORE YOUR BUNDLE OF JOY ARRIVES.

DAZED AND AMUSED

SLEEPING BEAUTY

SWEET, CHIC SEAT

When it’s time for baby to chill out before bedtime, let her gaze at the Piccomo You mobile. Each one is custommade by artist Julie Frith from eco-friendly plastic. $145, piccolinionline.com

Baby will snooze blissfully in the Oeuf crib made from recovered wood fiber, MDF. With fixed sides cut from single sheets of wood, there’s no worry about loosening joints as junior starts, er, rattling his cage. $145, piccolinionline.com

The adjustable Babylon Toddler High Chair from Argington adapts from tray-service to table-side dining, with a few minor (and fast) adjustments. With five finishes and its promise to safely hold up to 250 pounds, you won’t have to ditch it as your baby grows, or compromise style in favor of function. $198 for chair, $65 for optional tray; vivavi.com

bundle up...

OPT FOR A NATURAL LATEX MATTRESS WRAPPED IN FLAME-EXTINGUISHING WOOL INSTEAD OF A VINYL INNERSPRING ONE, WHICH CONTAINS FLAME RETARDANTS THAT CAN BE TOXIC.

SNUG AS A BUG

If you want baby to sleep tight, swaddling is the key: It’s been credited with reducing colic and other newborn discomforts, as well as improving sleep. Stock up on blankets in different weights to make sure you have options for varying temps. Clockwise from top: Pixel Organics “Lions and Tigers and Kit

tens, Oh My!” crib set $390 for set, $36 for pillow; pixelorganics.com; Jessica Scott Lyocell Swaddling Blanket $45, jessicascottltd.com; Swaddle Designs “Ultimate Receiving Blanket” $30, egiggle.com; Kee-Ka Jacquard Woven Blanket $60, kee-ka.com

get dressed...

< ROCK THE CRADLE It’s never too early to start schooling your child in the classics: Aerosmith, Van Halen, and AC/DC. These Tshirts are emblazoned with vintage concert-poster designs that recall the golden age of arena rock. $30 each, abchome.com

LIGHT BRIGHT >

Moms flip over the kimono-style onesies from Speesees—they’re colorful and fun, and there’s also no struggle to get a shirt over baby’s head. The line also includes coordinating wrap skirts and shorts, and everything is organic and fair trade. $12 to $24, speesees.com

< SAY IT LOUD

STYLIST: WILLIAM LAUGHLIN

Graphic rompers by Nina and Tom may feel light and soft, but they carry bold messages. Most are made from organic cotton and all are printed by hand with water-based inks. $21 to $23, ninaandtomfamilyfashion.com

< JUST FOR KICKS Slide your baby’s tootsies into all-natural calfskin booties. The flexible soles won’t interfere with proper foot development, and the elasticized ankles give them a snug, comfy fit. $35, sagebabynyc.com

PLENTYMAG.COM

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rub-a-dub-dub...

GOOD CLEAN FUN

HANG IN THE HOOD

FLUFF-N-FOLD

YOU’RE THE ONE

There’s a reason they call it “baby-soft skin.” Keep it that way with Erbaorganics’s line of lotions, baby oils, and washes that are free of parabens, pesticides, and artificial colors and fragrances. They’re also 75% to 99% organic. The company donates a portion of proceeds from certain products to the Worldwide Orphans Foundation. $12 to $25, target.com for stores

Cotton Monkey’s hooded towels have a silky sateen outer layer (available in five different prints), and a soft, organic-cotton terry lining that will keep baby cozy after her bath—and offer a great relaxing surface for a post-bath massage. $48, sagebabynyc.com

Every kid wants to be just like his parents, so treat your little one to a scaled-down version of a luxurious, grown-up bathrobe. This one is fashioned from hand-picked Egyptian cotton and treated with natural dyes. $38, egiggle.com

Made from the sap of rubber trees, this allnatural rubber ducky will keep your little one company in the tub while you sing the lyrics to Ernie’s theme song. $9.99 to $25.99, grassrootsstore.com

CHEW ON THIS

COLD APPETIZERS

This super-soft teething mushroom won’t bruise your baby’s tender gums, and it’s made from pesticide- and chemical-free organic cotton. Cleaning is a cinch—just toss it in the washing machine. $7, egiggle.com

Check out the freezer section in your natural foods supermarket for HAPPYBABY food, which comes in preportioned cubes. The freezing process preserves vitamins and minerals. Plus, every time you buy a box, you feed a child in Malawi for a day through Project Peanut Butter. $4.99 for a box of 12, happybaby.com for stores

chow time...

FRESH DIRECT

Bohemian Baby Food’s freshly-jarred foods skip the super-heated processing that zaps nutrients out of food, and instead offers frequent deliveries of freshly prepared veggies, fruits, and other dishes. Weekly menus help you introduce your baby to a variety of tastes. $45 for the starter kit, $3.50 for each additional 5-oz. jar; bohemian-baby.com PROTECT AND SERVE

HIT THE BOTTLE TRY USING A FOOD MILL TO PUREE FRUITS AND VEGGIES INTO HOMEMADE BABY FOOD. IT’S FRESHER AND USES MUCH LESS PACKAGING THAN READY-MADE.

66|JUNE / JULY 2007|PLENTYMAG.COM

BornFree Bottles won’t leach chemicals into your baby’s meal. Made without Bisphenol-A, a chemical found in most plastic bottles that’s considered a hormone disruptor, these bottles have a special valve insert that helps reduce colic symptoms. $19.99 for two, newbornfree.com

STYLIST: WILLIAM LAUGHLIN

Shield your little legume’s outfit (and your own) with this soft, 100% organic cotton bib-and-burp set made by Kee-Ka. $26, egiggle.com

play date... LOOK FOR TOYS THAT ARE MADE WITH NATURAL RUBBER OR WOOD INSTEAD OF PLASTICS, AS SOME HAVE BEEN SHOWN TO LEACH POTENTIALLY HARMFUL CHEMICALS.

SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF

RHYME AND REASON

GIVE ’EM THE FINGER

ANIMAL HOUSE

DON’T BREAK THE BANK

Toss this adorable “Socktopus” to your toddler and teach her about reusing at the same time. Made from recycled sweaters, this plush toy is sure to bring a smile. $20, elsewares.com

It’s never too early to greenwash your kid. By reading The Lorax (Random House) to your babe, you’ll pass along the message of eco-responsibility right from the start. $10, amazon.com

No, not that one—these handknit finger puppets will teach your child about imaginative play. The Kenyan women who craft them are affiliated with the East Africa Hub, a nonprofit that works with socially responsible businesses. $12, branchhome.com

Bring the zoo to the playroom. Salvor pillows feature adorably realistic silk-screened details of animals, including a penguin, kangaroo, and starling bird, on soft, organic cotton. $48 to $84, velocityartanddesign.com

Made from a nontoxic plastic, this little piggy—which comes in six funky styles, including this plaid—will help your child develop good saving habits. $16, elsewares.com

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CHOICES home

culture

retreads

style

food

An inexpensive canopy, made of galvanized steel, keeps this simple California house shady and cool.

Fast, Cheap, and Green photos Courtesy of J.D. Peterson

In Sonoma, homeowner Carrie Niederer and architect Cass Smith prove that some of the most affordable building choices are sustainable, too By David Sokol as cofounder of a san francisco–based

executive search firm, Carrie Niederer has a system for finding the right person for a job. When architect Cass Smith first met with her in 2003 to discuss renovating her house in Sonoma, California, she showed him an article she had clipped from a newspaper years ago about a home he designed, which she saved for just this moment. Niederer not only got the aesthetic she wanted, but also a champion for her best interests. The 1950s ranch-style house she lived in was unremarkable. It sat near the fenced edge of its lot, part of a former walnut orchard. “It didn’t take advantage of the whole indoor-outdoor lifestyle—the house faced the driveway, not the orchard,” Smith explains. He slowly campaigned Niederer to plant a new, tailor-made building in the middle of her two-and-a-half acres.

About a year later, Niederer acquiesced— but her sky had limits. Specifically, she puzzled over how to afford a $400,000 budget. Smith’s creativity didn’t stop at the drawing board, and he suggested renting out the cavernous outbuilding Niederer’s former husband once used as a studio. Soon afterward, the studio became a storage unit. Besides allowing her to use her * plentymag.com

|june / july 2007|69

Clockwise from top left: Grapevines climb trellises that enclose the picnic table; the outdoor shower is adjacent to the pool at the house’s west end; a natural-gas fireplace emits less soot than a wood-burning model; kitchen cabinets are custom-made from formaldehyde-free materials; the new house sits among gardens and trees; the geometric arrangement of pavers and planters echo the clean lines of the home, and large agricultural tubs used as planters reinforce its rural feel.

70|june/ july 2007|plentymag.com

land more densely, the additional income allowed her to pay for a new house. “I believe in luxury through restraint, and through building what you need rather than building more than what you need,” Smith says. Even so, Niederer’s budget wouldn’t buy much in California. “I said, ‘You’re going to get a great house but it’s going to be really simple. There will be great connections to the land, nice high ceilings, good spaces and proportions, but not lots of bathrooms or fancy finishes.’” Niederer says the duo viewed the price tag as a mission rather than a hurdle: “The goal was to prove we could build something that was really special and elegant, and cost effective. I think Cass was even more charged about it than I was.” The most affordable form to construct was a 100-foot-long and 20-foot-wide box, with an exterior of cedar slats that aged to a purplish gray. As is typical for sustainable design in the region, the long axis of the house is oriented east-west to minimize the area of the house that’s exposed to direct sunlight. Outdoor curtains (hung on the house’s exterior) are in the works, Niederer says, which promise to cut exposure even more. Because the house didn’t have huge expanses of glass, it could be built entirely of struc-

photos Courtesy of ccs architecture (top left and bottom)

choices | home

home |choices

I believe in building what you need ‘‘rather than more than what you need,” says architect Cass Smith. tural insulated panels (SIPs). The panels are comprised of insulation sandwiched between two sheets of a material called oriented strand board, or OSB: a plywoodlike product that’s made of wood strips bound together with resin. (Nearly all the wood from harvested trees is used when manufacturing OSB, unlike some other wood products used in construction.) The SIPs were custom-made and shipped from Grass Valley, about two hours northeast of Sonoma. The building method eliminated expensive waste, not to mention costly labor: It was assembled in just four days. Still, a box is a box. “Cass kept referring to my house as a trailer,” Niederer laughs. While Smith admits he thought the house was a little boring, worse is that it lacked shade. “When you create a box, it doesn’t have any overhangs,” he says. “It’s a pretty harsh building to live outside of. In northern California you want to be outside, but you have to be in the shade.” So a pre-engineered canopy, purchased for a miniscule $6,000, was brought in for a fix. The galvanized steel structure added visual interest, marking off a spot for outdoor activities. More importantly, it keeps the house cool. Because the canopy faces south, Niederer is considering installing a rooftop solar system to produce electricity or heat the pool

that bookends the west side of the house. Like the old studio-turned-storage unit, the ranch house wasn’t completely hauled away. Smith salvaged the garage, installing a trellis grid on its roof, which makes even the thought of a car disappear into the landscape. Fittingly, Niederer drives the hour to her San Francisco office only once or twice a week. She usually works from home, and often bikes into town to round out the harvest from her bountiful fruit and vegetable garden and walnut orchard.

A third structure on her land was also retained. Originally meant for Niederer’s home office, “I found myself really resisting even those few steps away,” she says. “Cass said to me, ‘You know what the real definition of luxury is? It’s being able to do what you want, where you want.’” So now Niederer works in her bedroom, sends her 15-year-old son to the guesthouse for sleepovers, and revels in more of Smith’s innovations than she bargained for—including his bargain of a design. plentymag.com

|june / july 2007|71

choices | home A bat house should be installed in a sunny location that’s at least 12 feet off the ground.

Going Batty The world’s only flying mammals are an all-natural form of pest control By lori hall steele on a trip to egypt in the 1980s, Jim Buzbee, a software engineer, was mesmerized as his family sailed down the calm, slow Nile. The sun began to set over palm trees and sand dunes, and he could hear a distant call to prayer. “And as you looked closely over the water, you could see them—bats, silently darting and swooping, picking off the insects that came out as the sun went down,” Buzbee says. “And you also realized that they were everywhere. Near and far, sometimes close enough to the boat to reach out and touch. Silent and graceful.” And so began Buzbee’s love affair with bats. Years after his trip, and much to his wife’s dismay, he embarked on his own bat72|june/ july 2007|plentymag.com

ty project: building bat houses at his home in Colorado, finessing the design to lure nocturnal flyers to his neighborhood. These days, homeowners nationwide are following Buzbee’s example. In 2002, a Michigan Boy Scouts troop’s handmade bat houses were so popular that the troop was overwhelmed with requests to make more. Companies are peddling premade “bat hotels” that can be attached to homes or mounted on poles. And many people are hand-crafting homes to attract Chiroptera (from the Greek words for “hand wing”) to their backyards. And no wonder: The much-maligned bat eats up to half its body weight in mosqui-

toes and other bugs nightly. And counter to what the myths say, bats really don’t attack humans, get caught in hair, or turn into blood-crazed vampires. Farmers are also turning to bats to battle bugs, help pollination, and fertilize crops. In southern states, the high-flying Mexican freetailed bats gobble up moths before they infest cotton, corn, and pecans. “Bats are amazing nocturnal insect eaters,” says Mylea Bayless, a conservation biologist and artificial roosts specialist for Bat Conservation International, an Austin, Texas–based nonprofit. “Back in the old days, farmers thought they were vampires,” says James Rogers, who owns

home |choices The much-maligned bat eats up to half its body weight in mosquitoes and other bugs nightly. batcasa.com, an Orlando, Florida–based bat house retailer. “They killed the bats, and then all their crops were infested. Now, farmers embrace them. Let Mother Nature do her thing, and things will take care of themselves.” Their waste, or guano, is also a powerful fertilizer. “It gives that old-fashioned taste to tomatoes,” says Rogers. “Synthetic fertilizers, petrochemicals—they wrap around the roots, crystallize, and lock out nutrients, so people throw more fertilizer on their plants. Bat guano cleanses that stuff off.” Bats are everywhere, even if you rarely see them; they make up 20 percent of the world’s mammal species. North American bats have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years, and they migrate seasonally, either far south or to hibernate in a nearby cave. Most bat species in the U.S. have two feeding periods each night, and mother bats typically return home between feedings to nurse their pups. The country’s bat population dwindled during the 20th century as the night fliers were killed off superstitiously, and as development encroached on their caves and old-growth forest habitats. (Some species remain in decline today.) Attempts to lure bats back to farms and backyards were largely unsuccessful until the Bats are active during twilight hours, and can help pollinate plants and fertilize crops.

late 1980s, when Bat Conservation developed a successful bat-house model. Today there are “thousands and thousands” of bat houses in use, says Merlin Tuttle, the group’s founder and coauthor of The Bat House Builder’s Handbook. Rogers, one of more than 30 builders certified through Tuttle’s organization, makes bat houses in his garage that sell from $60 to $180. But you can easily build your own—just follow the guidelines from the experts (see sidebar). Keep in mind that bat houses aren’t recommended for areas where small children play, because they could pick up a fallen pup. Homeowners who’ve put up bat houses have been more than pleased with the results. Angelo Toscano installed one six years ago at his home in Sagaponack, New York, where mosquitoes were once so thick that his family couldn’t eat on the patio. Each year there were fewer mosquitoes. “And now we hardly notice any,” Toscano says. Now they regularly dine al fresco, and three of his neighbors have erected bat houses as well. “At night we see the bats flying around, so we know they’re there,” he says. “They’re not scary or anything…but they are a little witchy.”

VISIT batcon.org for a list of bat house retailers, as well as guidelines for building your own.

building a bat house ➤ Bats like it hot; ideally, the interior of their houses should stay between 80 to 100 degrees throughout the day. Bat houses should be caulked and installed facing southeast or south for maximum exposure to sunlight. In northern regions, where day and night temperatures fluctuate, they should be painted black or another dark color to help retain heat. ➤Make your bat house at least 20 inches tall and 14 inches wide; taller and wider houses are even better, and will attract larger colonies. ➤Because bats must “fall” from their resting places in order to get enough lift to fly, houses should be placed at least 12 feet high. Mount your bat house on your home or a pole, but not in a tree—they can house predators and keep the house too shady. ➤Inspect your bat house annually in winter. Remove wasp nests, which can crowd out bats, and seal any gaps to keep out drafts. Re-caulk and repaint the house every three to five years using nontoxic products. ➤For aesthetic reasons, avoid installing bat houses over windows with sills—droppings fall straight down. ➤As with any small, wild mammal, be careful around bats: They have sharp teeth, and, though it’s rare, they can carry rabies.

gardener’s gold Once upon a time, guano was as prized as gold. Incans who harmed bats were punished by death, and in the late 19th century, the U.S. government offered islands to people who discovered guano deposits on them, as long as the guano harvest was made available to all U.S. citizens. The agricultural value of guano waned with the advent of synthetic fertilizers in the 20th century, but that’s changing quickly. “It’s the best natural fertilizer in the world,” says Rogers. Commercial bat guano is harvested from caves, where it’s been eaten and excreted by beetles. Guano from insect-eating bats is high in nitrogen, which helps plants grow, while fruit-eating bats produce droppings that are rich in phosphorus, a vital nutrient that enables plants to bloom and bear fruit. Bat droppings can either be applied directly or composted. Use them sparingly on any indoor or outdoor plant—one or two pounds a year for small gardens. Every month or so, sprinkle a teaspoon around a plant, or drench with a guano tea (a mix of guano diluted with several gallons of water). —L.H.S. plentymag.com

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choices | home

In the Mix Turn your table into a scene from a faraway land by layering exotic pieces and rich colors

Handmade in Mexico, the recyclable tin and glass “Hacienda” lantern can sit on a table to shelter a pillar candle, or hang from the ceiling as a light fixture. $54.95, novica.com

Throw out the old rule for metallics: Mix silver and gold as you fancy. A gilded runner or place mat, like this fair-trade version made in Pakistan for ABC Carpet & Home, makes for a rich accent piece. $55, ABC Carpet & Home 212.473.3000

Crafted by farmers in Rajasthan, India, the “Temple” tea lights from World of Good were handmade by pressing individual mirrors and beads into warm lacquer. $4.95 each, worldofgood.com

Why buy new silverware? Set the table with mismatched vintage patterns, like these French forks, for a less formal, more eclectic feel. $48 to $156 for six, ABC Carpet & Home 212.473.3000

Shimmery, jewel-toned plates from Fire and Light are made from recycled glass, and show off the color and pattern of the tablecloth underneath. $26 to $34, fireandlight.com

Vintage Indian saris can be recast as beautiful, unexpected table linens. Cover your entire table, or lay one folded down the middle as an accent. $125 to $200, ABC Carpet & Home 212.473.3000 photo by eugene gologursky stylist: william laughlin

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choices | culture

Free Ride For a small subculture of ordinary Americans, the best car is no car at all By trevor stokes

76|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

wakes before sunrise, earlier than most residents of Bryan, Texas, a sprawling suburban community that markets itself as â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Good Life, Texas Style.â&#x20AC;? Wearing a mesh cap, Oakley wraparounds, a T-shirt, and faded Levis, he embarks upon his 30-minute commute to Texas A&M University, where he works as an electronics technician for the physics department. When Kirby, 43, arrives at work,

james kirby

illustration by christian northeast

culture | choices Biking or taking public transit are extremely cheap alternatives to a car: You can get a decent road bike for $500, and using public transportation in most cities costs well under $1,000 per year.

he doesn’t park in one of the school’s 34,000 available parking spots—the most of any university campus in the country. Instead, he walks his vehicle into the office and tucks it away in the small space behind his desk. There the recumbent bike remains until it’s time to head home. “I can’t think of a single thing that I’m really incapable of doing,” says Kirby about his decision to sell his truck four years ago, commute via bicycle, and go completely automobile-free. “I can go anywhere within 50 miles on my bike and not even think about it.” Kirby is not alone in the movement to

there he decided to sell his Chevrolet S10 pickup. “People are dying just so I can fill up a gas tank?” he asks. “I couldn’t in good conscience drive a car to the store just for a few groceries.” Others arrived at their decisions due to less idealistic factors. After totaling their minivan in an accident seven years ago, Julie and Brad Henderson of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, simply got rid of it and have been car-free ever since (except for a brief relapse with a Toyota Corolla). They say that combining bike-riding and walking with public transportation has made them

Maybe it’s just a drop of water ‘‘ in the ocean, but it’s my little drop

and I’m going to keep it up.”

shed auto dependency. As he and others and their three children—ages 14, 12, and have learned, voluntary car rejection in a 10—healthier, as well as more tuned in to landscape dominated by automobiles can each other. “At first, there was a little bit be financially, environmentally, and even of ‘Why can’t we just have a car like norphysically rewarding. As America now mal people?’ but now all three kids are boasts more vehicles than actual drivers, okay with the idea and have quit rolling a small cadre of people are bucking this their eyes,” says Julie. Sarah, their eldest, trend, opting for biking, walking, and pubis even becoming “a huge advocate for golic transportation in lieu of car ownership. ing car-free.” And being without a vehicle Statistics on this trend are hard to come by, has also yielded unexpected connections but money and environmental consciousness to their community: Instead of quitting are probably the most obvious motivating 4-H because the local chapter was located factors—and it’s not just homespun hipten miles away, they formed their own pie-types and urban subway riders who are chapter with neighbors. choosing to live this way. Even in auto-centric Los For his part, Kirby was Angeles, it’s possible to drop The average motivated by a sense of out of car culture. San FerAmerican drives obligation to U.S. soldiers nando Valley resident Eric 14,500 miles in Iraq. He had driven to Kamm, 46, has been vehiannually. At this the grocery store shortly cle-free for six years, a state mileage, even a after the U.S. invasion he originally found himself fuel-efficient car began in March 2003, in after the DMV botched (one that gets and once inside, he no30 miles per gallon) some paperwork and imticed that he could see his pounded his automobile. produces 4.29 apartment through the He found that he actually tons of carbon store window. Then and enjoyed the seven-mile bike emissions per year.

commute to the electronics company where he works—so much so that he never picked up his car. Kamm has saved money and reduced his carbon footprint, and riding to work has built up his quads and lung capacity as well. “During work days,” he says, “I can go the same rate as traffic flow.” Biking does require a pit stop at the gym near his office for a shower and change of clothes, but the trip takes about the same amount of time as the drive would. Of course, a completely automobile-free lifestyle will likely be the choice of only a small group of Americans, but there is some evidence that many people are becoming inspired to simply drive less. The government is even getting in on the act. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) recently instituted a $100 million Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program, in which four communities will become the testing grounds for an experiment in car-free, or at least car-light, living. The program, launched last year in Columbia, Missouri; The average Marin County, CaliAmerican fornia; Minneapohousehold lis–St. Paul, Minne- incurs more than sota; and Sheboygan $7,000 each year County, Wisconsin, in vehicle involves building sideexpenses, walks, bicycle lanes, according to the and trails to connect U.S. Bureau of schools, residences, Labor Statistics. businesses, and recreation areas. The FHA plans to release some initial data on the study this September, and the final results are expected in 2010. For those who have already given up the daily gas-guzzling commute, though, there’s no question about their preferences. As Kamm explains, even if he does eventually buy a fuel-efficient vehicle for out-oftown trips, his everyday routine will never again involve looking for parking, fighting congestion, or pumping gas. “Why change? There’s just no reason. Maybe it’s just a drop of water in the ocean, but it’s my little drop and I’m going to keep it up.” plentymag.com

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choices | retreads Volunteers in San Miguel de Allende use old plastic bags to fill homemade mattresses for needy children (right and bottom). One proud helper shows off a finished mattress (below).

Sleep On It One way to reuse all those freakin’ plastic bags: make mattresses By laura Fraser

78|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

in the colonial town of San Miguel de Allende in central Mexico, shoppers traditionally take reusable woven plastic bags to the market. But as in most of Mexico—and the rest of the world—big grocery stores have come to the area, along with mountains of their thin, disposable plastic bags. Now it seems that every other cactus in the surrounding landscape is adorned with a discarded plastic bag that got caught in its needles. One expatriate in San Miguel de Allende, Rita Krug, was tired of seeing all those bags scattered across the desert and filling up the garbage dumps. She had collected so many bags at her house that her maid suggested she stuff them into mattresses for poor children who might otherwise sleep on the floors of their homes. In 2000, Krug invited a few friends over for lunch and did just that. It became an occasional project. After Krug moved from the area, her friend Tonia Allen took the project to St. Paul’s, her local church in Mexico. Now every Wednesday morning, a group of parishioners and

friends gather there to stuff plastic bags they’ve saved or collected from friends and neighbors into mattress covers, donating the finished products to local charities. “It’s like an old-fashioned sewing bee, where you get together to do something mindless with your hands and talk about whatever subject comes up,” says volunteer Camilla Sands, whose tourism organization, Simply San Miguel, introduces newcomers to the many charity groups in the area. The St. Paul’s group raises money to buy the mattress covers (often by selling their own crafts, such as handmade Christmas ornaments), and to pay a seamstress to sew their shells. The mattresses are easy to make. Each shell requires six feet of sturdy, nonflammable canvas fabric, which costs about $7. After the shells are sewn on three sides, the volunteers, mostly retirees, stuff them with clean plastic bags that have been tied into compact knots, using about 1,500 bags for each mattress. To finish, one volunteer sews the thick covers together by hand, using a strong sew-

DIY:

Make A throw pillow If you have what seems like a million plastic bags lurking underneath your sink in an ugly tangle, don’t fret. With a pillowcase, a handful of buttons, and a little creative flair, you can make yourself a chic throw pillow that your friends and family will adore. Plenty intern Alison Sherbach shows off her plastic bag–stuffed throw pillow.

materials

•A pillowcase •30 to 40 plastic shopping bags (make sure they’re clean and dry) •15 to 30 buttons for decoration (or use just a few large ones) •Organic cotton batting (or use batting you already have on hand) •Scissors •Fabric glue •An iron •Needle and thread

procedure

➊ Iron your pillowcase and lay it on a flat surface, keeping the open, hemmed end on your right (Figure 1). ➋ Take the bottom left corner of your pillowcase and fold it diagonally toward the top until it forms a triangle (Figure 2). ➌ Fold the open, hemmed end of the pillowcase to the left (Figure 3), overlapping the triangle you created in Step 2. Iron this folded edge to create

a crease, then unfold it. ➍ Use your scissors to cut off the hemmed edge of the pillowcase (Figure 4). Make sure to cut through both layers of fabric at once, leaving the resulting sash of fabric intact. Set this sash aside— you will use it later. ➎ Unroll your batting and cut out two square pieces that are slightly smaller than the size of your pillowcase (about a half-inch smaller on each side). Slide the two pieces of batting into your pillowcase. ➏ Cut the plastic bags into 1-inch-wide strips. (Save one plastic bag to store the strips as you work.) When finished, stuff them inside the pillowcase, between the pieces of batting, until the pillow is plump and firm. ➐ Using the ironed crease from Step 3 as a guide, tuck in the unfinished edge of the open end of your pillow, until the creased edge becomes the new seam (Figure 5). Sew this seam closed with your needle and thread. ➑ Take the fabric sash you created in Step 4, and place it on a flat surface, with the seam side on the bottom. Using your fabric glue, glue your buttons in any pattern you like on the sash. Let the glue dry.

❾ Slide your decorated sash around your finished pillow. And, voila! Your gorgeous throw pillow looks like a million bucks, but cost next to nothing.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

✁

ing needle. It’s a time-consuming process; the volunteers, who number about 25 each week, turn out about 100 mattresses per year. The mattresses are also intentionally shorter than standard mattresses, to ensure that they’re mainly used for children. The church works with the local Feed the Hungry program, which builds kitchens and distributes food in areas outlying San Miguel where the need is the greatest, to identify families that need the mattresses most. Volunteers from other charities— Head Start and Centrol Infantil—also give suggestions. “It’s not hard to find houses for the mattresses,” says Allen. “The families appreciate them so much.” And the idea is catching on elsewhere. Recently, the government of the state of Guanajuato asked some of the St. Paul’s volunteers to go to Leòn, the largest city in the region, to teach 75 women there how to make the mattresses. And a couple staying with friends in San Miguel de Allende took the idea back to their home in Cabo San Lucas, where they’ve started their own mattress-stuffing program. Now the entire town of San Miguel de Allende is saving bags, with collection bins located at the church and local stores. “More people are donating bags to the project than are actually going to church, including the Mexican community,” says Sands. The project, she says, has helped people learn to recycle the bags instead of throwing them away. “We’ve taken an eyesore and nonrecyclable garbage and turned it into something that will make a big difference in people’s lives,” says Sands. “A good night’s sleep.”

Figure 4

Figure 5

plastic bag pollution ➲ More than four to five trillion plastic bags

are produced per year throughout the world, according to the Worldwatch Institute.

➲ Americans recycle 19.4 percent of paper

bags, compared to just 0.6 percent of plastic bags, says the EPA.

➲ The first plastic Baggies, made by Pactiv

Corporation, were introduced in the U.S. in 1957 to store sandwiches.

➲ Paper or plastic? Comparing the two, consulting firm Franklin Associates found that plastic bags produce less air pollution and water waste, and take up less space in landfills. But paper bags are made from a renewable resource, unlike the petroleum used to make plastic bags. ➲ Making a single paper bag takes slightly

more energy than making two plastic bags— but one paper bag usually holds as much as two plastic ones.

➲ Last March, San Francisco became the first

American city to ban plastic bags at large supermarkets and drugstores. The ban will be put into effect next year.

➲ Biodegradable or compostable plastic

bags can be made from starches, polymers, or polylactic acid. But they’re more expensive, and account for less than 1 percent of the market.

➲ Best bet for shopping: a strong cloth sack or a reusable woven plastic bag.

plentymag.com|june / july 2007|79

choices| style

Sea Worthy Set sail—or just look the part— with these nautical eco-friendly duds

3 4 6 2

FOR HER

SAIL AWAY The proceeds from this limited-edition bag—made from sails used in championship races—go toward sending the U.S. sailing team Horton-Nichol to the 2008 Olympics. $395, seabags.com

STAND AND DELIVER The soles of the Earth “Nantucket” sneaks, which are made from recycled plastic, were designed to promote good posture. $99, earth.us for stores 80|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

A BIT OF LACE Loyale’s swingy organic cotton “Murrieta” top is so lightweight and cool, it’s like having built-in air conditioning. $72, Hempsown; 707.826.0577

PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS Crisp, white jeans, like EDUN’s “Sylph” jeans in white deconstruct, always look sharp. $175, bloomingdales.com for stores

FOR HIM

RACING STRIPES Brooklynbased label Left Field reinvents a preppy classic in organic cotton with a hand-pressed varsity letter–style anchor patch. $75, leftfieldnyc.com

PICK POCKET Lightweight organic-cotton cargo shorts from Of the Earth fold up small so they fit easily in your beach bag. $58, backcountry.com apparel photo by eugene gologursky

stylist: william laughlin

style | choices

Sustaining vision

Anna Cohen goes beyond green fabrics in bringing eco-couture to the catwalk By Elizabeth Barker anna cohen’s

7 8 9

NO SWEAT EDUN’s lightweight zip-up sweatshirt, made of organic cotton, is just right for cool nights on the dock. $155, nordstrom.com for stores FEET FIRST Converse goes green with a hemp version of their iconic All-Stars, and conserves material by skipping the laces. $61.99, converse.com

THE SUN TIMES The Citizen Eco-Drive “Sailhawk” watch has a yacht-racing timer, and runs on solar or artificial light, so you never have to replace the battery. $500, citizenwatch.com for stores

eponymous line of slinky soy dresses and drapey bamboo jersey tops is a fashion-forward blend of style and sustainability. But for the 29-year-old designer, her dedication to conservation goes beyond eco-friendly materials. “I’m not just thinking about the fabrics,” says Cohen, who released her first collection in spring 2006, and recently nabbed a $10,000 Eileen Fisher grant for socially-conscious female entrepreneurs. “I’m also addressing energy and water conservation, recycling and reclamation, localization, and social equity.” A founding member of the fashion industry group Sustainable Design Alliance, the Portland, Oregon, native works to use locallysourced materials, scales back on shipping and transportation needs, and supports sweatshop-free production. Cohen found the inspiration for her label as a student at Polimoda, the Florence, Italy–based fashion design school she attended after two years at New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology. “There are so many things about this industry that are so taxing on the planet, and I decided I wanted to be a catalyst for positive change,” she says. With experience at Ital-

ian design houses like Patrizia Pepe under her belt, Cohen returned to the U.S. and landed a gig at Adidas, where she helped bring a “European feeling” to several collections of women’s apparel. In 2004, she struck out on her own. “I asked myself, ‘What’s my real passion?’” she recalls. “As soon as I made the decision to concentrate on sustainability, everything took off unbelievably.” Despite the quick acclaim she’s received for her classically stylish creations, Cohen has dealt with her share of struggle and compromise. To save water and energy, for instance, she aims to avoid dyeing. But, now that her collections have lured luxury-seeking stylephiles at Prêt à Porter Paris and shops like Mario’s 3.10, Cohen plans to introduce more hues in order to expand volume. Although she can’t currently afford eco-friendly dyes, she plans to adopt them as sales increase. Staying true to her vision while keeping up with the label’s growth is a challenge. Still, she remains focused on the sense of “connectedness” she hopes to convey in each collection, “that feeling and its integrity are so much more important to me than any one particular fabric.” plentymag.com

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Traditional ‘‘dyes use

choices| style

ammonia to dilate the hair…Our dyes get the same effect without the chemicals.”

To Dye For A new breed of eco-friendly salons offer natural, nontoxic colorants and treatments By Lisa Stasiulewicz blame it on society’s

obsession with youth or ubiquitous marketing campaigns that tell us “we’re worth it,” but now more people than ever are dyeing their hair with products that are harmful to both humans and the environment. Medical studies have linked hair-dye use with certain types of cancer, and allergic reactions—ranging from eczema to facial swelling and bruising—are on the rise. However, with the increased availability of high-quality, nontoxic dyes (no henna here), salons around the country are beginning to offer safer, ecofriendly services without sacrificing style. One of the first stylists in the U.S. to use only eco-friendly dyes was John Masters, who opened his eponymous “clean air” salon in New York’s SoHo neighborhood in 1994. A cozy, eclectic space filled with reclaimed, free-standing mirrors and shelves made from salvaged beams from 18th-century homes in upstate New York, the salon uses only clay-based, ammonia-free dyes, most of which Masters imports from Italy. “Traditional dyes use ammonia to dilate the hair, which makes it easier for the color to penetrate the cuticle,” explains Masters. “Our dyes get the same effect without the chemicals.” In-

John Masters (with dog Maya) uses only organic products and dyes in his SoHo salon.

stead, they use a moisturizer to soften and open the cuticle rather than forcing it to lift, and the result is colored hair that’s much less damaged. In fact, the dyes are so gentle they can be used on pregnant women (who increase their unborn child’s cancer risk if they use traditional dyes), which explains the parade of expectant mothers who regularly fill his salon’s chairs. And, living up to its “clean air” promise, the salon does not perform any treatments that use harmful chemicals—no manicures, no pedicures, no facials—so patrons can breathe easy. Other salons around the country have been following his lead. MODE Salon in Seattle also only uses nontoxic dyes, and adds environmentally-friendly permanent hair waves and textur-

izing treatments to its roster, too. The system is free from harsh chemicals like ammonia and thioglycolates, and curls hair without changing its pH (which leads to damage and a strawlike texture). “It has a pleasant fragrance, like apples, and is able to cope with most hair types using only one lotion,” says Joe Carling, owner and master stylist at MODE. “The results are incredible, and leave the hair soft and beautifully curled.” For Julie Ebner, owner of Juju Salon & Organics in Philadelphia, her motto—“Find a better way to beauty”—applies right down to her shop’s floor. Not only does she offer all organic, sulfate- and paraben-free products and chemical-free dyes, but she also hired a local green contractor to make sure renovations to the salon were eco-friendly and that the paints used were fume-free. “I’m committed to providing a natural experience every way I can, from organic ways to treat hair problems to using flea-market furniture,” says Julie. “The result is healthier hair, healthier people, and a cleaner environment—everyone wins.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT: JOHNMASTERs.COM, MODEHAIRART. COM, and JUJUSALON.COM.

MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY FACE Lancôme is dedicating itself to a different kind of beauty. Thanks to a suggestion from its newest spokesmodel, Elettra Rossellini Wiedemann, a longtime environmentalist and daughter of actress (and former Lancôme beauty icon) Isabella Rossellini, the company has partnered with carbonfund.org to offset the air travel of Wiedemann and its four other “brand ambassadors,” and retrofit its four freestanding boutiques to operate as carbon neutral by the end of the year. “Carbonfund.org is an amazing organization because it is so straightforward,” says Wiedemann. “It acknowledges that people want to make a difference and gives them a simple way to do so.” Lancôme has also pledged to plant a tree for each of the first 10,000 bottles sold of its new Primordiale Cell Defense, an antioxidant serum that protects skin against free radicals from environmental factors like pollution and UV exposure. So, you can reduce your impact on the earth while you reduce the earth’s impact on your skin. Beautiful! —L.S.

Wiedmann (left) was the catalyst for Lancôme’s eco initiatives.

choices | food

Vegetarian With Benefits Occasional omnivorism is increasingly popular among veggies By Christy Harrison

not so long ago,

fish-eating vegans and bacon-loving vegetarians would have found it difficult to explain their preferences to potential dinner-party hosts—let alone maintain their street cred with other ecophile foodies. These days, though, it’s common to meet people whose dietary regimens fall outside traditional categories like vegetarian, vegan, and omnivore. Only 2.3 percent of American adults strictly eschew all animal flesh, according to a 2006 poll by the nonprofit Vegetarian Resource Group. Vegetarian Times, a 33-year-old national magazine that used to print mostly vegan recipes, found recently that about 70 percent of its readers sometimes eat meat (now it publishes a more diverse range of vegetarian recipes, along with some vegan ones). Even philosopher Peter Singer, animal-rights guru and longtime vegetarianism advocate, outlines a plan for ethical meat consumption in his 2006 book The Way We Eat: Why Our Food Choices Matter. Welcome to the world of flexitarians: people who subsist primarily on plant-based foods, but aren’t strictly veg. No hard and

84|june/ july 2007|plentymag.com

fast rules determine the amount of meat a person must eat to be considered a flexitarian. Some of these folks usually go meatless; others may call themselves vegetarians, but view fish as acceptable eating. No one knows for sure how many people embrace the diet because there are still few self-identified flexies. Likely coined in 1992, the term was voted “most useful word of 2003” by the American Dialect Society, but it has been slow to come into widespread use. Still, about 30 to 40 percent of the population seeks out vegetarian meals at least occasionally.

Most often, folks go flex for health reasons, says Myra Kornfeld, a vegan/flexitarian cooking instructor at New York City’s Natural Gourmet Institute of Culinary Education and author of the forthcoming cookbook Healthy Hedonist Holidays: A Year of Multi-Cultural Vegetarian-Friendly Holiday Feasts. “People say they’d really like to be vegetarian for animal rights and the easier toll on the environment, but they just don’t find that their bodies are taking to vegetarianism,” she says, noting that vegetarians can have problems absorbing and consuming enough nutrients, like iron. These days, the widespread availability of sustainably raised meats has begun changing the idea that committed environmental-

The availability of sustainably raised meats has begun changing the idea that committed environmentalists should be vegetarians.

food | choices ists should be vegetarians, which Kornfeld says is “a healthy development.” Eating meat comes at a cost, though. Researchers reported in the journal Earth Interactions in 2006 that the average American omnivore would reduce his carbon footprint more by becoming vegan than by trading in his combustion-engine car for a hybrid. Still, the study’s lead author, geophysical scientist Gidon Eshel, doesn’t prescribe veganism for everyone. “If you really love meat, you just have to [either] give up something else, eat it infrequently, or be particularly judicious with respect to your greenhouse-gas emissions in other aspects of life,” he says. Eating less meat is a choice that many food-lovers find more palatable than full-on vegetarianism. Last year, out of concern for animal welfare, Dan Engber, a 31-year-old journalist who especially relishes pork, gave

up mammal meat— mostly: He makes exceptions for unique culinary experiences. “I don’t feel like I’ve cheated if I’m at a fancy restaurant and I order the pork dish they’re famous for,” he says. With people opting in and out of meat-eating from one meal to the next, what does it mean to be a flexitarian chef? As Kornfeld explains, it’s having “the ability to accommodate all your guests and having a lot of tricks up your sleeve.” She develops stews, fritters, and other entrées that are equally good with meat and veggie proteins, but look the same so that nobody feels left out. At holiday gatherings in particular, she says, inclusion is key because there are plenty of other social issues to deal with already. And as the person bringing this dietary democracy to the table, the flexitarian chef just might be the hero of the party.

Real Food on the Go Old-fashioned energy bars are often overprocessed and loaded with calories, but some companies are offering a healthy alternative: food bars. Made from simple, wholesome ingredients like fruits, nuts, and legumes, these bars are a great choice for taking on day hikes or simply for snacking on the go. Here are our favorites. —C.H.

Clif Nectar, Cherry Pomegranate (Organic) $16 for box of 9; clifbar.com Dates and cashews give this bar a smooth texture and subtle sweetness, the perfect foil for intensely flavored sour cherries and pomegranate juice. Our panel enjoyed the “great kick” of tartness, and marveled at the amount of taste it offered with just four ingredients.

Oskri organics, Sesame bar with Date Syrup (Organic) $17 for box of 18; oskri.com This bar’s robust toasted-sesame flavor and addictive crunch won it many fans. Dates and brown-rice syrup balance the natural bitterness of sesame seeds without being overly sweet.

LÄrabar, Cashew Cookie (Raw; Non-GMO) $27 for box of 16; larabar.com Our tasters loved the delicate flavor and flaky texture (“It eats like a cookie,” one commented). Made from just two ingredients—cashews and dates—it packs a healthy dose of vitamins, protein, and fiber without any additives. The company’s new Jŏcalat line also scored points for its rich cocoa taste.

SOYJOY, Mango coconut (All-Natural) $13 for box of 12; soyjoy.com Most soy bars are made with soy protein isolate, a highly processed form of the legume that is stripped of beneficial nutrients. But this one uses ground, whole nonGMO soybeans, keeping their nutrients intact. The fresh-tasting mango, coconut, and papaya made this bar our favorite of the company’s four flavors. Vegans take note: these bars contain dairy and eggs.

Marinated Grilled Chicken with Eggplant and Mushrooms Over Soba Noodles Adapted from

Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook This wholesome one-dish meal also makes a satisfying vegetarian entrée. Serves 6 Ingredients

1 lb. skinless, boneless chicken breast halves (optional) 1 bottle Annie’s Naturals Teriyaki Marinade ¼ cup canola oil 1 large Italian eggplant, unpeeled and diced 3 cups sliced shiitake-mushroom caps 8 oz. soba noodles (10 oz. for veggie version) 2 tbsp. soy sauce or tamari 1 tbsp. toasted-sesame oil 1 cup thinly sliced scallions, for garnish ½ cup chopped fresh basil, for garnish ¾ cup roasted, salted cashews or peanuts ➊ If using chicken breasts, place them and most of the marinade in a resealable plastic bag; refrigerate for at least 2 hours. ➋ Preheat grill to medium-high. Remove chicken from the marinade and grill for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until done, about 5 more minutes. Transfer to a platter and cover with foil. ➌ Meanwhile, heat the canola oil on mediumhigh in a large skillet. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the eggplant and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes longer. ➍ Cook soba noodles in boiling water according to the package directions. Drain the noodles, then return them to the pot. Add the soy sauce and sesame oil, tossing to combine. ➎ Add the eggplant mixture to the noodles and stir to combine. Transfer the noodle mixture to a large platter. ➏ Cut the chicken breasts into bite-size chunks and scatter them over the noodles. Sprinkle scallions, basil, and nuts on top. Drizzle the remaining marinade over the chicken, or serve it on the side. plentymag.com

|june / july 2007|85

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the last word

Happy Camper My summer as a state-park mascot by Joni Tevis when i took a job as a park ranger at the Cove Palisades State Park in central Oregon’s sagebrush country, I was 25 years old and thrilled to be leading hikes and educating visitors about the local wildlife. I had not yet realized that the job would involve a full-body costume. “We were thinking, with Memorial Day coming up, J.R. Beaver might make an appearance,” Ranger Steve, the park manager, told me one afternoon. “J.R. Beaver, he’s the mascot for the Oregon Parks and Rec. Makes rounds of the campgrounds every weekend. Here’s the background information.” He gave me a sheaf of paper. “Most important thing, make sure and wear the ice packs. Last year we had somebody pass out, one of the hotter days. In that suit, it’s always going to be a hot day, right? Ha ha. Also: J.R. doesn’t talk. Give the kids high fives, they like that. But talking scares them. Don’t forget your head.” He handed me a large, circular hat box. “Knock ’em dead!” And so began the most surreal episode of my time as a park ranger. Becoming J.R. Beaver was a long, awkward process. I could handle the nylon vest, with its ice pockets, and the foam barrel that provided my extra girth was easy enough to get on. But the actual beaver suit—made of acrylic fur the color of gas-station coffee—took nimble fingers to fasten, and when I wore the paws, my hands were as blunt as catchers’ mitts. And what to do about the broad tail paddle? If I belted it around my waist before zipping up the suit, I couldn’t fit the tail through the suit’s back slot. If I put the suit on first, I was too stout to reach behind myself and snap the belt. Then there were the blocky feet, held on with nylon-strap sandals, stiff with the sweat from rangers of yore. And, last of all, the beach

ball–size head, with Styrofoam teeth and mesh eye holes from which I peered. On my first day in costume, Norma, one of the camp hosts, drove me around in a golf cart. I didn’t do much—just visited campsites and posed for photos—but I was sweating hard after only ten minutes. Still, I kept at it, waving at kids and doing the J.R. Beaver Secret Greeting, a gesture that involved pointing the index and pinky fingers, and bending the middle and ring fingers and rubbing them against each other in a weak imitation of beaver teeth. “It’s the J.R. Beaver sign!” Norma explained, when curious campers wandered over. “Would you like to join the Junior Rangers?” Kids’ responses to J.R. varied. Some were fascinated—“Nice beavuh,” lisped one blond tot—and some were perceptive. “There’s a person in there,” said one of the older kids. There were inevitable confusions among those less schooled in mammal identification: “Hey, it’s Smokey the Bear!” I pointed to my considerable tail. “He’s a beaver,” Norma patiently explained. Many of the little ones were terrified; one tiny thing in a purple jumper didn’t want to have her picture taken, but her father insisted, shoving her forward as she screamed. I spent more than an hour in the beaver suit that day. By the time we headed back to the ranger station, I was spacey and tired, and felt like I’d been a little snookered. Would I have driven from Texas to Oregon for a summer job if I’d known about this part? I had to admit that I probably would have. I liked the ridiculousness of the suit, at least once I peeled it off. And it still beat the job I’d had two summers before: cemetery-plot salesperson. So that was the pattern all summer: weekend afternoons spent as J.R., and the rest of the

time doing regular park-ranger things. Out of costume, I found myself waiting around a lot, planning programs that nobody showed up for: Geology, Tree I.D., Mammals of the Cove. The last one would have included cool facts about coyotes, bats, and yes, beavers. Wild beavers, I learned, have bright orange teeth that never stop growing. If they didn’t wear down their teeth by chewing on tree branches, the teeth would grow longer and longer, piercing their lower jaws and causing death by starvation. (Luckily, J.R. managed to avoid this problem.) I had better attendance in the evenings, when I led campers on night hikes designed to raise their sensory awareness: Can you identify these smells: coffee, soap, juniper, sagebrush? If you listen for 60 seconds, what will you hear? “You’ve got to put the hay where the horses can get it,” one of my friends likes to say. That’s one thing I learned that summer. The campers at Cove Palisades went there on vacation; unlike me, most of them were not fascinated by the landscape, or its colony of rare, asexual whiptail lizards. For some of them, their only contact with a ranger was a chance meeting with J.R. Beaver. Or maybe they met J.R. and then decided to go on an evening hike to learn a little more about the place. What can you learn from a giant fake rodent? Maybe not much. But the next time I saw a beaver in the wild—far from Oregon—I saw its tail, which reminded me of the pebbled-vinyl one I’d worn, and thought, Hey, I’d recognize you anywhere. Joni Tevis’s writing has appeared in Isotope, Dislocate, and Shenandoah, among other venues. This essay is adapted from her first book, The Wet Collection (Milkweed Editions), which will be out this August.

Got an eco story to tell? E-mail us at lastword@plentymag.com. 88|june / july 2007|plentymag.com

illustration by felix sockwell

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