Plenty Magazine Issue 22 June/July 2008 by Plenty Magazine

PLENTY

the seven eco wonders of the world

The World In Green

The Travel Issue

june/ july 2008

road trippin’ USA

88 Places to Eat, Sleep & Explore p.82 Lenny kravitz

“Turn the Damn Light Off”p.45 summer fun

Gifts for Dad Beach Gear Safer Sunscreens

the new economy

Why Carbon is the Next Gold p.86 the heat is on

Global Warming and the Future of Wine p.46 behind the wheel

How Intelligent is the Smart Car? p.93

10 Life Changing Adventures Iceland’s Blue Lagoon geothermal seawaters

PLENTY The World In Green

We insisted that the Seven Eco Wonders of the World connect our built and natural realms, cultivating hope for a brighter, greener, more innovative century.

The California Academy of Sciences is aiming to be the country’s first museum with a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating.

contents june/july 2008 The Seven Eco Wonders of the World

Adventures of a Lifetime Swim with sharks. Go

The map has just been redrawn

82 On the Road

86 Carbon Rush

Forget the Taj Mahal and

hunting with Kalahari Bushmen.

for the road trip as you know

as early as next year if the US

Machu Picchu—what are

Or witness the last stand of

it. Introducing Plenty’s ultimate

decides to regulate carbon

the landmark structures

polar bears in the Hudson Bay.

nationwide guide to must-do

emissions. While legislators

for the 21st-century era of

Plenty’s list of ten iconic journeys

eco sightseeing, restaurants,

hash out the details, consul

sustainability? After scoping out

into the natural world promises

and lodging for when you hit

tants and financiers are

new and upcoming projects, our

moments of sheer wow.

the road this summer.

scrambling to stake their claim.

expert picked a set of modern

By jeff Hull

By Kimberly Fusaro and Madhu Puri

But the question that remains

marvels that offer inspired

A trillion-

dollar market could be created

is: Will the environment emerge

takes on building with a gentle

as the winner?

footprint. By CC Sullivan

By Victoria Schlesinger

2 | june-july 2008

photo by tim griffith

—page 68

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PLENTY The World In Green

living

45 People 46 Food

Eco Star Lenny Kravitz

+ Winemaking in Today’s Changing Climate + Farm to Fork with Dan Barber + An Innovative, New Iced Tea Brewing System

in every issue

6 Plenty Online 10 Editor’s Letter 12 Letters 14 Land of Plenty 16 Contributors 18 Ask Plenty

52 Home

+ Burst House’s Museum-worthy Prefab Style + Eco-chic Home Accessories for Any Budget

56 Trash to Treasure DIY Project

Max McMurdo’s

Green Fiend Annemarie Conte on the ups and downs of planning an eco wedding.

The Ins and Outs of Sustainably Raised Beef and Seafood

96 Last Word

+ + + +

Sloane Crosley’s Glow in the Dark Adventure

Beach Gear for Good, Clean Fun in the Sun Men’s Grooming Products for Father’s Day The Biodynamic Beauty Trend Major Shoe Companies Making Giant Strides

Green Media New Films, Music, and Books for the Ecophile spectrum

21 + + + + + +

Chasing the Automotive X Prize National Parks by the Numbers Hypermilers Hit the Road Make Your Own Wildlife Sanctuary Traveling with Alternative Currency Wearable Energy Bag Banning Across the World

32 Life in the Green Zone

Green Gear®

Comedian Lizz Winstead goes loco trying to buy local.

65 Summer Lovin’

Go-anywhere bags, a Bluetooth headset, world-changing flashlights, and a party-ready, solar-powered disco ball.

current

35 Science

+ Cleaning Up Polluted Waterways with Shellfish + The Northeast’s Bat Scare + Another Use for Soy Emerges

38 Business

+ The Next Big Thing in Biofuels + The (Potentially) Recession-proof Cleantech Boom + Pinpointing Green Consumer Buying Trends

40 Tech

+ Making Energy From Raindrops + Burying CO2 to Help Solve Global Warming + Pond Scum Power

Activist in Residence Bill McKibben tackles the congestion pricing issue by offering an unexpected alternative: free public transit for all.

plenty labs

91 Tester’s Choice + + + +

Seeking Out Safer Sunscreens The Best Natural, All-purpose Cleaners Behind the Wheel of a Smart Car The Lightbulb That Lasts 35 Years

93 Green, Greener, Greenest

Three-Tiered Solutions with Lori Bongiorno

photos courtesy of uncharted africa safari co; Terry Joanis; david hindley; Gunnar Britse; anthony verde; Miguel torres winery; ronni flannery; dan morgen

60 Style

ÂŠ2008 Travelocity.com LP. CST# 2056372-50.

Sandcastles or houses. What will you help build? With Travelocityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Travel for Good,SM you can build more than castles made of sand. How about a schoolhouse made of wood? How about helping a village in Thailand become self-sustaining? How about protecting an endangered species? How about giving back to the world, one trip at a time? Well, how about it? www.travelocity.com/travelforgood

plentyonline

Just can’t get enough PLENTY? Check out plentymag.com to satisfy your daily craving for the latest news, blogs, and our exclusive online series tackling environmental problems that matter now. web series

What’s Wrong (and What’s Right) with Eco Travel? Plenty blogs

Looking for answers to your eco quandaries? We offer everyday advice.

Your Daily Green Bit

Do your green deed for the planet, your health, and your budget. Mindy Pennybacker delivers practical tips for living green at home, work, play—you name it.

Ask Plenty

From figuring what the heck biodynamic wines are to recycling your toilet, Ask Plenty addresses your eco inquiries, conundrums, and snafus.

Ecotourism has expanded wildly since it began in the 1990s, holding the hopes of endangered species and developing countries in the balance. But fifteen years and countless international conferences later it’s unclear whether the industry has achieved its dual goal of travel that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people. While major development agencies are now funding ecotourism projects, there’s clear evidence that in some areas tourist presence is negatively impacting ecosystems. As many as two-thirds of American travelers say they prefer to patronize hotels with a “responsible environmental attitude,” but only 14 percent actually ask hotels if they have an environmental policy. It begs the question: Is ecotourism making a difference? To find out, read our exclusive online series, What’s Wrong (and What’s Right) with Eco Travel?

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NEW FROM

PETER SENGE AUTHOR OF THE FIFTH DISCIPLINE

AN EMPOWERING LOOK AT HOW ORGANIZATIONS ARE WORKING TOGETHER TO FORGE A SUSTAINABLE WORLD.

PLENTY The World In Green June/July 2008

Editor in Chief & Publisher Mark Spellun Creative Director Tracy Toscano Deputy Editor Anuj Desai Senior Editors Alisa Opar, Mindy Pennybacker Associate Editors victoria schlesinger, jessica Tzerman Assistant Editors Tobin Hack, Sarah Parsons Copy Editors Diane bernard, Iya Perry, Dave Zuckerman Proofreader adam Stiles Fact Checkers Bryan Abrams, Andrew Bradbury, Michael matassa Editorial Assistant Nicole Scarmeas Editor at Large Cathy Garrard Contributors dan barber, Annemarie Conte, Lisa Selin Davis, Liz Galst, Bill McKibben, Lizz Winstead Art Associate Art Director Lindsay Kurz Photo Assistant Rachel Leibman Contributors Josh Cochran, Al Rivera, Jameson simpson, Camilla Slattery, Felix Sockwell, Anthony verde Advertising & MArketing Associate Publisher Lisa Haines | 415.887.9574 | lisa@plentymag.com Western Manager Nina Sventitsky | 949.276.5513 | nina@plentymag.com Midwest Manager Cheryl Kogut | 312.494.1919 | ckogut@newco.com Detroit Manager Joe McHugh | 586.360.3980 | joewmchugh@hotmail.com Marketing & Creative Services Manager Morgen Wolf 212.757.0048 | morgen@plentymag.com

In The Necessary Revolution, the author of “one of the greatest business books of all time” (Financial Times) reveals how organizations are reinventing themselves and our future by shifting toward sustainable practices now.

VISIT WWW.SOLONLINE.ORG FOR MORE INFORMATION

AVAILABLE JUNE 10 WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD Also available as a Random House Audiobook

Published by Environ Press, Inc. Chairman: Arnold Spellun 250 West 49th Street, Suite 403 New York, New York 10019 Phone: 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 ©2008 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 (ISSN 1553-2321) 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, New York 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 body stock that’s free of elemental

chlorine and contains 85 to 100 percent recycled content (20 to 30 percent post-consumer). Our cover stock uses 10 percent recycled content, is Forest Stewardship Council–certified, and is made using green power. Plenty offsets its carbon footprint with eMission Solutions, a division of Green Mountain Energy (greenmountain.com).

Please recycle.

Nature’s Path® has always sought to minimize our impact upon the earth, while maximizing our ability to deliver the earth’s nutritional bounty to our customers.

CEREALS & SNACKS

www.naturespath.com

Founder Arran Stephens has always dreamed of creating delicious, organic foods.

Gwen Stephens, Pioneering Organic Farmer & Mother of Nature’s Path Founder Arran.

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Would On the Road be less interesting if Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty had bought carbon offsets for their whole journey? It would still be a novel about discovering yourself and America, and it still could have inspired a generation. But different choices might have meant a different road trip altogether. Which makes us wonder: What if you could pull off the road today to get some food at the local greasy spoon and not only fill up your car with biodiesel but also get some local, organic goods, allowing you to support regional economies with ease as you travel across the country? With this summer travel issue, we kick off Plenty’s eco road trip (see “On the Road,” page 82). From coast to coast, LEED-certified hotels, specialty fair trade shops, and sustainable restaurants are opening up seemingly every day. We could hardly do justice to all the places that inspire the average greenie to pull over and take in the sights. So we hope this article turns into a living document and that you send us your ideas. E-mail your favorite eco stops to roadtrip@plentymag .com and we will keep updating our listings of green America online. Intrepid souls have been traveling the globe for generations to see the Seven Wonders of the World. The original seven, such as Egypt’s Great Pyramid of

Giza, were monumental feats of human ingenuity. More recent lists of Wonders have included engineering marvels that exemplify our mastery over the world. With the emergence of the eco era, we felt it was time to present a Wonders list that celebrated a different kind of human brilliance. “The Seven Eco Wonders of the World” (page 68) reveals landmarks that are spectacular triumphs of engineering and design while also reflecting a new set of values for the 21st century. From outings close to home to adventures in far-flung lands, overall we hope that our travel issue inspires, challenges, and prompts you into action. With this issue we also launch a new section of the magazine: “Land of Plenty” (page 14). In this section we want to tell the stories of how you—our readers nationwide—are going green and making our world a little more sustainable. It’s our celebration of people acting on behalf of the planet and its well-being. Check out this first group of greenies—I think they are all pretty inspiring. Have an action of your own to share? Send your story to landofplenty@plentymag.com. In the meantime, happy eco travels.

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“Where would Western society be if perfection was required of all technological breakthroughs? While we wait, the Arctic, the Antarctic, and glaciers everywhere are melting.” living

June to January (arcas guatemala.com).

Bring in a Healthy Harvest serves tasty vegetarian meals, and a two-day eco tour ($33) includes a guided hike through the rainforest to learn about medicinal plants, along with visits to scenic waterfalls. Tours leave Xela every Saturday morning from Parque Central. Reservations are made at Café Conciencia in the picturesque city of Quetzaltenango (comunidad nuevaalianza.org).

Clear the Air

Trip Fix

A volunteer vacation in Guatemala lets you have fun while helping the country rebuild After decades of civil war, the now stable democracy of Guatemala offers a multi-layered, mix-and-match vacation experience with more than a dozen ecosystems to explore in a country the size of Virginia. In mere hours, you can venture from steamy coastal wetlands to chilly cloud forests, or trek to an indigenous Mayan village and be back in town for late-night salsa dancing. The best part? You can do it all while pitching in to improve the country and the lives of its people. Guatemala is host to hundreds of environmentally and socially conscious projects in need of volunteers, each offering a unique way to experience this culturally and ecologically rich land. So whether you want to spend a day or two saving turtles or weeks building houses, there are voluntourism treks for you. Here are some of the country’s best. Help a Fair Trade Farm Comunidad Nueva Alianza is a fair trade organic coffee and macadamia nut plantation with an inspiring history. In the late ’90s, the owner failed to pay the 40 families working here, leaving them without enough money even

“to buy a ball of soap,” as one resident tells it. So the families organized, booted the boss, and were awarded collective ownership of the land by the government. The environmentally conscious farm is now nearly selfsustaining with biodiesel,

hydropower, and bio-gas from pig and cow waste, but the workers are still paying off the mortgage. Help out by dropping in for a visit or staying on as a farm volunteer. The former owner’s home has been converted to a rustic eco lodge that

In many rural village homes, women spend hours indoors cooking over an open fire for their families. That means they’re breathing in black smoke every day, and their children live dangerously close to open flames. One simple solution is to build an enclosed plancha stove with a chimney to carry the smoke up and out. These stoves also help curb deforestation because they heat more efficiently. Materials cost about $125, though, which is a prohibitive amount for a village family. Enter the Pacaxjoj Community Stove Project, one of several in Guatemala to provide families with cement or adobe planchas built using volunteer help. Pitch in and be a brick-layer for a day and you’ll get a taste of rural village life. Plan to stay in nearby Quetzaltenango, which also makes a great base for gorgeous volcano hikes with Quetzaltrekkers, a guide team that donates all its profits to a school for local homeless children (quetzaltrekkers.com). The best days for stove building

are Thursday and Saturday. Trips to the village leave from Quetzaltenango (e-mail: estufasmejoradas@ gmail.com).

Green the Highlands Tierra Verde means “green land,” and that’s the goal of this new reforestation project in the Guatemalan Highlands. When Hurricane Stan hit in 2005, the devastating mudslides were caused not so much by rain and wind as by the dearth of trees—their roots would have helped keep soil in place on steep inclines. Now, this group of ecominded expats and locals is rebuilding the villages as well as the forests. They’re currently tending more than 10,000 pine, white Cyprus, and eucalyptus seedlings that you can help plant from June to September, all while enjoying the region’s breathtaking views and misty mountain air (e-mail: tierrav@gmail .com). After a hard day’s work, treat yourself to a hot soak at Las Fuentes Georginas, where natural thermal pools nestled in verdant cloud forests (lasfuentesgeorginas.com).

Protect Endangered Turtles Some experts predict that the leatherback—the largest known turtle—will go extinct within 30 years. You can help the conservation group Arcas reverse this trend for both leatherbacks and the similarly threatened Olive Ridley sea turtles. While staying near the beach town of Hawaii, you’ll assist with nightly beach patrols, search out nesting turtles, and collect their eggs for safekeeping in the hatchery. More intrepid volunteers can also help breed crocodiles and iguanas. Turtle season is

You won’t want to miss the jungles and ruins of El Peten, in the north, where you’ll be in close proximity to endangered jaguars, tapirs, Morelet’s crocodiles, and scarlet macaws. But you can also get a different perspective on the region by visiting the Equilibrium Fund, an organization that trains rural women to organically farm the nutritious Maya nut. The species once grew in abundance throughout Central America but is now threatened with extinction due to deforestation. Since 2001 the group has planted more than 400,000 trees. You can help them plant June through September (theequilibriumfund.org).

and hotels arranged; and an English-speaking local to guide your group and customize extracurriculars. But get ready to work. Half of all the Habitat homes in Latin America are built in Guatemala: 3,000 went up in 2006 alone (habitatguate.org).

Build a Home A stint with Habitat for Humanity is more expensive than most volunteer trips in Guatemala ($1,200 to $1,700), but this reputable nonprofit takes the guesswork out of planning. You get: door-to-door service from the airport to everywhere you go; meals

For information on hundreds of other projects, check out the database from EntreMundos . The group keeps tabs on volunteer opportunities across Guatemala, and unlike other voluntourist agencies, will help you find a perfect fit for practically nothing (suggested donation $5).

Grateful for Guatemala

I was surprised to find Jennifer Block’s article (“Trip Fix,” April/May 2008) about conscious tourism in Guatemala. I was just there in January, mostly in the area of Quetzaltenango (aka Xela), and I agree with everything the writer said. I also wanted to add that for those looking to study Spanish—whether to brush up on your rusty high school phrases, to start from scratch, or to perfect your grammar—Quetzaltenango is the place to go. The town is full of Spanish schools, and many are collectively run and sponsor social and environmental projects. Keep up the good work! Erica Schuetz Baltimore, MD

Write us at letters@plentymag.com

current

Electrifying Breakthroughs Better battery technology will make eco cars road-ready

Sunny Forecast Solar energy on the rise

Chances are you live in an area that gives incentives for going solar. Most states offer investment credits, rebates, and sales tax or property tax waivers to consumers and businesses alike. And it’s working. In 2006 America’s solar energy industry continued its double-digit annual growth rate, and if manufacturers can keep up with demand, it will only expand. Solar energy comes in two forms: solar thermal (ST)

‘‘In >>Go, Clean Racer, Go<<

Yes, the auto industry is ripe for revolution—but what will the car of the future look like? What’s under the hood? Who will make it? And when will that clean machine (silently) roar? One expert surveys the scene. 76

by Vijay V Vaitheeswaran

50 years, we’ll look back on the internal combustion engine and see it as a giant anachronism, like the steam locomotive.”>>> 77

uses the sun to heat water; solar photovoltaic (PV) uses the sun to generate electricity. They’re both eco-friendly and increasingly popular. PV shipments in the US tripled in 2006, from 206,511 in 2005 to 618,302; and the number of ST systems shipped climbed from 14,680to 19,532 during the same period. Here’s a look at how PV and ST compare:

Photovoltaics

Solar thermal

Solar cells convert sunlight directly into electricity.

Collects sunlight to: heat water for homes and businesses; generate electricity by boiling water into steam that turns turbines

Commercial businesses; homeowners

Homeowners; utility companies

So-so. About 19% of the sunlight that hits the system can be turned into electricity.

Pretty good. Up to 40% of sunlight that hits the reflectors used for power generation (as opposed to heating water) can be turned into electricity.

Whether you live in Maine or New Mexico, you can use PV. Once installed, the panels require little maintenance and can last up to 30 years.

Compared to PV, ST systems are more energy efficient and cheaper (5–17 cents per kWh). They also require little upkeep.

It’s more expensive than ST (22–40 cents per kWh); and recent shortages in high-grade silicon used to make the cells have upped the price. Improperly disposed of PV components can release toxins.

It’s limited to sunny, arid locations like the Southwest because it requires constant sunlight. Some ST plants are hybrids: They run on fossil fuels when the sun isn’t out. And compared to PV, ST plants take up a lot of space.

A PV technology called thin film modules is poised to take off. It’s cheaper and more flexible than conventional crystalline silicon technology but not as efficient.

Expect to see this technology expand as ST factories hit US soil. In 2007, Ausra, Inc, broke ground in Las Vegas on the country’s first ST manufacturing plant. Once completed in April, it will make reflectors and other components.

A slogan to sum up this year’s bill of auto shows might read “Hybrids! Electric cars! Fuel cells! You name it, we’ve got it! Or, will soon … really.” It’s hard to count how many times we’ve heard about breakthroughs in electric cars. Yet, so far, little has come of the hype. Ask around and you may hear that electric cars are too expensive, they’re a threat to the combustionengine industry, or the technology just isn’t there yet. But dig deeper and one reason holds fast for their delay: batteries. Ron Freund, chairman of the nonprofit Electric Auto Association, says that despite all the advances in electric cars, “We still need better batteries.” The most recent advance came in December 2007, when Stanford University engineering and materials scientist Yi Cui increased tenfold the amount of energy a lithium-ion (also known as Liion) battery can store. By making the anode from silicon nanowires, Cui upped the capacity and durability of the electrode. “It’s a revolutionary development,” he says. In fact, it would be a major breakthrough if the discovery could be applied to electric car batteries. We carry gasoline in a fuel tank; similarly, we need a portable container for hauling electrical energy. When it comes to electric cars, we have just a handful of options for rechargeable batteries. Some of the most popular are lead-acid and nickel batteries. But the latest newsmaker is Li-ion. Enthusiasm about the battery took off in 2002, when material scientist Yet-Ming Chiang and his MIT colleagues increased the conductivity of lithium iron phosphate, making it a better choice for use

in battery electrodes. The technology is currently popular in cell phones and laptops because it packs a lot of energy into a small, lightweight cell. It can be recharged hundreds of times and holds its charge when idle. Thanks to these qualities, companies from General Motors to Tesla are talking about eco concept cars powered by Li-ion batteries. Despite breakthroughs like Chiang’s and Cui’s, it may be years before they’re available for purchase. GM’s much touted hybrid plug-in Chevy Volt, for example, will run on this promising technology, but the Volt isn’t expected for sale until at least 2010. An electric car battery has to be light, small, energy dense, and quick to recharge. But it also has to be relatively cheap, long lasting, and safe. Li-ion batteries received some bad press in 2006, when a few blew up after overheating in laptops. The explosions proved that what works in a lab may be far from ready to be mass-produced for cars. “From the time a fundamental discovery is made and someone builds a test shell, it’s typically seven to ten years before it’s available as a product. That’s been repeated over and over,” says David Sivertsen, head of research and development for AC Propulsion, an electric car technology company. “I remain skeptical of new battery breakthroughs,” says Martin Eberhard, the departed founder of Tesla Motors, but he concedes that he’s “intrigued” by Cui’s discovery. If it “increases energy density with the same lifespan, that alone would change the world.” —Victoria Schlesinger

ON THE DRAWING BOARD

SOLAR PLANE

& BEYOND LEDS

>Keep an eye out for the first manned test flights of a solar airplane (above) later this year. Cells covering 240 square yards of wing and tail surface will power the 3,300-pound plane, called the Solar Impulse. Designing the control systems has been challenging: The ultra-lightweight Impulse will face more turbulence than ordinary airplanes, so simulation software is less reliable. “We are in an unexplored flying domain,” says André Borschberg, Solar Impulse’s CEO. The goal is to fly the plane around the world in 2011.

An electric car battery has to be light, small, energy dense, and quick to recharge.

>A Canadian company is designing a screw-in light bulb it claims will be cheaper and longer lasting than CFLs and LEDs. Like LEDs, Group IV Semiconductor’s technology uses a solid substance to generate light, requiring less energy than traditional bulbs, which use filaments or gases. “It’s siliconbased, and silicon costs at least 20 times less than LED materials,” says business development director Howard Tweddle. “This should lead to much more affordable products and much faster adoption.” The company expects the technology to hit the market in a couple of years.

Stop Dissing Diesel

Bravo to Batteries

I was extremely disappointed in the story by Vijay Vaitheeswaran (“Go, Clean Racer, Go,” April/May 2008) because of the glaring omission of virtually any mention of clean-diesel cars. Your readers were cheated out of a balanced view about this new generation of diesel cars and how they have changed. They should know that clean diesels are now being considered alongside hybrids, flex-fuel vehicles, and plug-in technologies to meet higher fuel economy mandates and to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the future. Plenty is a great new conversation space about consumer lifestyles and our daily impacts. A great space should above all provide great perspective, which means diesel would have given a more balanced view as a new and viable choice for our personal transportation needs.

Thank you for your April/May 2008 article on electric cars by Victoria Schlesinger (“Electrifying Breakthroughs”). Electric cars always seem to get ignored. The only complaint I have is the prevalent attitude that’s summed up in the article’s subhead: “Better battery technology will make eco cars road-ready.” We believe that the battery electric car is road-ready. My husband and I have been owners of the 100 percent–electric Toyota-manufactured RAV4 EV for the last six years. We’ve never had mechanical problems, we charge it every 100 miles from our photovoltaic solar rooftop array, and we charge it at home while we sleep— what could be easier? We can’t understand why society insists we wait for the perfect battery. Where would Western society be if perfection was required of all technological breakthroughs? While we wait, the Arctic, the Antarctic, and glaciers everywhere are melting; the Midwest is drowning in record floods; and extreme climate events are costing the American economy every year.

Allen Schaeffer Executive Director Diesel Technology Forum Frederick, MD

Norma and Alan Williamson Cerritos, CA

Unfair Fair Trade Coverage In the April/May 2008 issue, I saw an inquiry (“Ask Plenty”) about how eco fair-trade products really are. The answer was very vague and not illuminating enough for the average person. Fair trade products are not always made with recycled/reused/organic materials—but oftentimes they are! Besides, many fair trade co-ops in developing countries don’t have a lot of money and will use the resources (or trash) at hand to make beautiful, functional items to help increase their livelihood. You can even search the Fair Trade Federation’s website by organic or recycled materials under the “Find Members” tab. Heidi and Mick Baikie Fair & Green: Gifts with a Conscience Truckee, CA

Our Bad In the April/May 2008 issue, we mistakenly referred to Subodh Bapat as the chief technology office and engineer at Sun Microsystems (“Solar Synergy”). Bapat is actually a vice president and distinguished engineer, responsible for driving the company’s systems level energy strategy. We regret the error.

current

land of plenty Our readers across the country (and around the world) are making strides toward living the green life and creating a modern Land of Plenty. We’ve selected a few of their eco accomplishments—both big and small—to share. Send us stories about how you’re trying to make a difference; we’ll choose the best to publish in an upcoming issue of the magazine. E-mail us at landofplenty@plentymag.com The Brooklyn Green Team: fighting to green its borough.

We’re the Brooklyn Green Team, a group of six Brooklyn residents (above) who maintain a blog (brooklyngreenteam.blogspot.com) and send e-blasts that (we hope) inspire individuals to make small lifestyle changes and reduce their carbon footprint. We launch challenges such as the No New Clothing Challenge!, for which a group of 30 people pledged not to buy any new clothing and purchase vintage instead for six months. In February, we launched the No Disposable Water Bottle Challenge! More than 70 people have pledged not to purchase the throw-away bottles for three months!!

I am copresident of the environmental club at my high school, the Academy of the Holy Cross, which is an all-girl school in Maryland. With the help of our wonderful environmental science teacher, Corky, we have brought the school’s recycling program back into practice. This means that a black trash bin, a tan commingled materials (glass and plastic) bin, and a blue paper bin will be placed in each classroom and office. We’re trying to convince administrators that it’s also important to place them in the hallways, but they are hesitant. If we show them that the bins are working, perhaps this will push them to agree with us. This is a huge accomplishment on the Academy’s part, and I hope it acts as one small step toward making our school eco-friendly! Monica Perfetto Kensington, MD

Brooklyn Green Team Brooklyn, NY When I began working at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Virginia, I noticed that the hospital functioned in a manner entirely unfriendly to the environment. In fact, as I looked into it, I realized we were severely polluting the environment locally and globally and wasting a lot of money in the process. It took some time, but I met up with the administrators and convinced them to pursue a green initiative, with me as one of the chairs of a “going green” committee. Now our team has incredible support from hospital employees, and we’re actively involved in all new construction and operations of the hospital. We’ve improved recycling and energy efficiency; we’re pushing for environmentally friendly purchasing and reprocessing of medical products; and we’re considering buying local and organic food. Our members span all areas of the hospital system, from architects to engineers and materials management to clinicians. Our scope includes five hospitals and two nursing homes, and we‘re reaching out to 70 satellite offices. We are pushing boundaries to try to become the first healthcare system to pilot environmentally friendly processes, and we are saving money at the same time!

I’ve been taking a couple of little actions to green my life. Instead of driving to work, I walk 20 minutes from my apartment to the subway. I’ve also been collecting plastic bottle caps from my friends and work colleagues in order to donate them to my local Aveda, which will use them in the packaging of a new shampoo debuting this year. Lastly, I have saved my used jam jars to store nuts and my old wine bottles to store different grains (above), such as brown rice and quinoa. The different shapes and colors of the bottles really look great on my kitchen counter.

Ravi Gupta, MD Falls Church, Virginia

Jessica Herrington Washington, DC

14 | june-july 2008

Algas Calcareas (Algaecal®), living calcium source from the sea – Part of the calcium complex in Bone Strength Take Care

Available at independent health food stores and: *These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

plentycontributors Victoria Schlesinger joined the Plenty team this year after freelancing for publications such as Harper’s, Discover, Scientific American, and the PBS show Frontline. She found that reporting her piece on the emerging carbon market (“Carbon Rush,” page 86) was much like researching her book, Animals and Plants of the Ancient Maya, only it involved more men in suits, vodka cocktails, and conference centers; and fewer coatimundi (raccoon-like animals), cups of palm wine, and rainforests. Chris (CC) Sullivan , our expert consultant on “The Seven Eco Wonders of the World” (page 68), thinks nothing of riding his bike from “the wilds of New Jersey” into Manhattan. It takes him anywhere from 45 minutes to three hours; we think that’s hardcore. The former editor in chief of Architecture, Sullivan contributes to publications such as Interior Design, Architectural Record, and Smart Money, and he has visited southern Spain’s Alhambra Palace a whopping ten times so far. This, too, is hardcore.

Gretchen Roberts would indulge in a “really expensive, really old vintage Champagne” if she had thousands of dollars to blow on a bottle of spirits. The Tennessee-based Roberts, who filed this month’s story about the effect climate change is having on the wine industry (“In Vino Gravitas,” page 46), contributes to Wine Enthusiast, Better Homes and Gardens, and Natural Health. She visits her parents in Walla Walla, Washington whenever she can. Not to see them, of course, but to sample the region’s wines.

Kimberly Fusaro & Madhu Puri Our intrepid road-trip researchers (“On The Road,” page 82) are no strangers to life out of a suitcase. New York–based writer and editor Fusaro (top) inherited her love of the open road and the sea from her father, who believes he’s part pirate. Next up? She and her fiancé are determined to drive from northern to southern Italy during their honeymoon this September. A former editor for T: The New York Times Style Magazine and Art and Auction, Puri (bottom) has spent the past two years traveling and writing. Try not to hate her. Puri’s favorite place to roadtrip is California, where the terrain changes dramatically and her boyfriend is currently stationed with the Army.

askplenty by

Tobin Hack

Why should I pay more for grass-fed beef?

—Nathaniel T, Washington

Sandcastles or houses. What will you help build? With Travelocity’s Travel for Good, you can build more than castles made of sand. How about a schoolhouse made of wood? How about helping a village in Thailand become selfsustaining? How about protecting an endangered species? How about giving back to the world, one trip at a time? SM

Well, how about it? www.travelocity.com/travelforgood

For starters, corn-fed cows are on drugs, and not in the Summer of Love kind of way. Most cattle ranchers focus on getting their cows fat as quickly and cheaply as possible. That means stuffing them with growth-inducing synthetic hormones and corn-based feed instead of letting them roam and graze on grass as nature intended. According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, these unnatural animal feeds can also contain: same species meat, diseased animals, feathers, hair, skin, hooves, blood, plastics, and manure or other animal waste. This grody (corn-based) diet wreaks havoc on cows’ stomachs, causing ulcers and acidosis. Just to keep cattle alive until slaughter, ranchers have to hop them up on daily doses of antibiotics, which you the consumer then ingest. With so many people exposed to antibiotics through feedlot meat, bacteria that infect humans can grow resistant to antibiotic treatments. Genuinely pasture-raised, grass-fed beef comes from healthier, leaner, and more humanely treated animals. It’s

higher in vitamin A, conjugated linoleic acid, and Omega-3 fatty acids, and lower in saturated fat and cholesterol. Your risk of getting E coli-induced food poisoning or mad cow disease from grass-fed beef is lower, and cows allowed free range naturally fertilize their pastures, creating healthy land that actually removes CO 2 from the air. Not all grass-fed products are created equal—the USDA doesn’t monitor antibiotics, hormones, confinement, husbandry, or welfare when it grants the right to use the words “grass fed.” Your shopping alternative? The American Grassfed Association (AGA) works with small-scale ranchers nationwide (find one near you: americangrassfed.org) who exceed USDA standards. AGA is now working with the Food Alliance to develop its own stringent, inspectionbased, USDA-and-then-some label. In the meantime, Rebecca Spector, Center for Food Safety’s west coast director, suggests consumers look for packages labeled as both USDA organic and grassfed, as an extra precaution.

Pressing eco inquiries, conundrums, snafus? Write to askplenty@plentymag.com.

Seafood is one of my favorite things about summer—what can I eat without depleting the oceans or ingesting mercury? —Marina L, Massachusetts

Some fish do contain high levels of mercury, via text. It’s also a good idea to look for the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and Marine Stewardship Council seal, as well other toxins, so the first thing to do is as terms like line caught, diver caught, and download a fish guide for your wallet— sustainably caught. And if you’re near the try the Environmental Defense Fund’s coast, ask your waiter or grocery store which Pocket Seafood Selector (edf.org), or the fish are local—you’ll be supporting smallBlue Ocean Institute’s guide (blueocean. scale fishing operations and eliminating the org/seafood). Both address health and need for fuel-intensive shipping. Be polite sustainability issues. Or try this nifty trick: but persistent in asking how your fish was text “FISH” and the name of the species snared—even if your server can’t answer you’re considering ordering or buying to your questions, the restaurant will get the 30644. Sustainability details and a health message that sustainable fishing methods Growingadvisory A Kid (8x5) 4/8/08 10:15 AM Pagematter 1 will shoot back instantaneously to their clientele.

J.R. Carlson Laboratories, Inc. 15 College, Arlington Hts., IL 60004 847-255-1600 • 888-234-5656 Fax: 847-255-1605 E-mail: carlson@carlsonlabs.com Website: www.carlsonlabs.com

It’s no secret we’re proud of our children and grandchildren. That’s why we developed our Carlson for Kids product line, to ensure that they receive the very best nutritional supplements. All Carlson for Kids products have been carefully formulated with a child’s optimal health and nutritional needs in mind. No artificial colors or flavors are ever used. Extensive testing and research is done on every formula. After all, our grandchildren and your children depend on it.

one shot

plentyspectrum

Grand Prize Auto The Alé, a three-wheeled high-performance sports car, gets 92 miles per gallon. But to win the $10 million Automotive X Prize, its makers, British Columbia company FuelVapor Technologies, will have to do better. FuelVapor is one of more than 50 competitors taking on the challenge of delivering a safe, assembly line–ready car that travels at least 100 miles on a single gallon of gas (or its electric equivalent). The winning model must also limit its greenhouse gas emissions to 200 grams per mile. That’s barely a tenth of what cars usually spew. The Automotive X Prize competition kicked off in March and will run for two years. May the greenest car win. progressiveautoxprize.org

plentymag.com | 21

spectrum

> BY THE NUMBERS > by the numbers

Park Place,Park National Place Treasures

You don’t need to traverse the globe to find fascinating cultures and stunning natural marvels. There are real adventures in your own backyard—and getting there leaves less of a footprint than international jet-setting. Look at what’s been going on in America’s national parks.

Number of people who were attacked by Great Horned Owls within two days at Glacier National Park in 2008

million Number of people who visited North Carolina’s Blue Ridge Parkway in 2007

Number of glaciers in Glacier National Park. In 1850, there were 150.

billion

Tourism dollars generated by national parks each year National Park Service budget in 2006

Number of states that have national parks (all of them except Delaware)

5 Number of years it took for funding of national park federal land acquisition to fall from $130 million (in 2003) to $23 million (in 2008)

540

million Number of acres in and around Yellowstone that burned during a fire in 1988

Number of snowmobiles allowed per day in Yellowstone

Minutes it took for a coyote to bite two people near Old Faithful in 2007

Number of bears hit by cars in 2007 at Yosemite National Park Percentage of America’s threatened and endangered species that reside within park boundaries

22 | june-july 2008

Number of people who visited Alaska’s Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve in 2007

Maximum weight per person allowed on a Grand Canyon mule ride

Julia hoffman

Number of American Indian tribes affiliated with Yellowstone

Year Hot Springs Reservation, the first national park, was established in Arkansas

million

Approximate number of visitors the national park system received last year

Year Woodrow Wilson created the National Park Service

Number of national parks in America

illustration by

Save Power. Save Space. Save Money. Save the Planet. See how Sun’s new Eco Innovation Initiative can help you cut your energy costs by 60%, increase your server efficiency by as much as 85% and consolidate your data centers by up to 75%, all with a simple 3-step approach: assess, optimize and virtualize. With open source Solaris™, virtualization is free, making it easier for you to get maximum utilization of your resources. See how faster can be cooler, better can be cleaner and cheaper can be greener. SM

Good for your business. Good for our planet.

Who needs expensive, proprietary virtualization software when, hey, you can get it free with open source Solaris. © 2008 Sun Microsystems, Inc. All rights reserved. All logos and trademarks are property of their respective owners.

spectrum

> auto

“This is the environmentally conscious, green Oscars. So tonight our presenters will be walking all the way to the microphones.” Jon stewart during the 80th Academy Awards

“If you’d ask any environmen talist about George Bush’s policies on the environment, he gets close to an F.” Leonardo DiCaprio

“[I have] the first one.” paris hilton, claiming the impossible about her hybrid suv. (Also, she says they’re “awesome.”)

“I think the band might eventually whack me around the head if I did it too many times.” Radiohead’s Thom Yorke on why he doesn’t preach his green choices during concerts

“Driving in the H7 is like being in a time machine, a full-size, luxury time machine … with power windows. And in the future people are smart: They pump water instead of gas! Hopefully someday soon I’ll be able to buy one of these beautiful cars so I can get back to the future.”

/eco•speak/

Jason Bateman on the BMW Hydrogen 7 sedan he was loaned

The Miles High Club They’re going the distance, but they’re sure as hell not going for speed. In fact, for one extra mile per gallon, they’ll drive way below the speed limit and coast to stop signs. They’ll suffocate in scorching Wayne Gerdes receives his award heat rather than use AC, die of for achieving 145.7 mpg at the boredom instead of turning on Hybridfest 2007 (above); Jerad Parish (right), and Laurie With the radio, even barrel down hills (below) are avid hypermilers with the motor illegally shut off. They’re hypermilers—a new breed of extreme drivers whose goal is maximizing mpg. On July 19, the gasefficiency gurus will convene at Hybridfest in Madison, Wisconsin, to compete in the MPG Challenge for $20 worth of gasoline and sweet victory. “The joke is we give them 20 bucks and everyone goes ‘Hey, that’ll last him 2,000 miles,’” says Hybridfest president and cofounder Eric Powers. “The joke is we give them 20 bucks In the inaugural 2006 MPG Challenge, champion and everyone goes ‘Hey, that’ll Wayne Gerdes achieved 180 last him 2,000 miles.’” mpg in his Honda Insight using the “pulse and glide” technique— line with the highest average fuel economy over 100 mpg will win $1 million for their sponsor’s accelerating to a certain speed, then coasting. Hypermilers were once an underground scholarship fund. What Powers and Gerdes are really out to community that met mostly online, but their pastime’s popularity is growing: This August, prove is that everyone—even SUV owners—can a New-York-to-San-Francisco Great Race boost mileage. “It doesn’t matter if you’re a global MPG Challenge will commemorate the 100th security hawk like me, or a big environmentalist, anniversary of the first around-the-world auto or Suzy Q driving her kids to the local soccer race. Competitors’ cars will be sponsored by match,” says Gerdes. “Everyone has a reason to —Tobin Hack universities; the first team to cross the finish hypermile.”

green fatigue: [green] [fuh•teeg] n. Overwhelming feelings of

exhaustion caused by preachy environmentalists and/or the overall complexity of the myriad ways to save the environment. Sample usage: “Linda, I am so tired from calculating my carbon footprint, finding environmentally friendly products that are also inexpensive, and judging if offsets are worthwhile. I have major green fatigue.” “Well John, you better suck down an eco energydrink. Greenhouse gas emissions aren’t going to decrease on their own, you know!”

24 | june-july 2008

THE BIG PICTURE by Bob Eckstein

“Noah, who the hell is Al Gore?”

photos by Brett Roseman; Joseph W. Jackson III; Jim Mone (ap)

He Said/She Said

spectrum

> gardening

Creature Comforts

> art

Lord of the Rings

From left to right: living-moss ring, pirate bracelets, and telephone magnet necklace.

Though it needs a daily spritz from its accompanying recycled-silver watering can, designer Brandon Holschuh’s living-moss ring is meant to adorn the finger. The piece—a fruiting moss cradled in a copper cup complete with watering holes for drainage—is characteristic of Holschuh’s creations, which typically include earrings, necklaces, and bracelets that marry the industrial with the organic. From metals found at antique shops to Wonder Bread twist ties, 8mm camera lenses, beige seedpods, and even (gasp!) mouse femur bones, the artist uses recycled and natural materials to make wearable art. “I like to take something that wasn’t so pretty or didn’t have a place in history and reuse it,” Holschuh explains. The 32-year-old Ohio native, whose work is displayed in galleries and on collarbones from New York to LA, will kick off the summer arts-festival season with a June exhibit at Art by the Falls in Chagrin Falls, Ohio. He’ll also be finishing up his book, The Jeweler’s Studio Handbook (Quarry Books), set to be released in 2009. Discover some pieces from Holschuh’s ever-changing online collection, like the repurposed metal trumpet ring or the telephone necklace made from old phone and printer parts. Now that’s some trash you can really treasure. —Molly Webster

Forgetting to cover your trash bin might attract critters, but there are better ways to turn your yard into an animal mecca. Even if you’re a city dweller, you can register your lawn as a wildlife sanctuary with the National Wildlife Federation, a conservation nonprofit. More than 74,000 people nationwide have shunned sod, ponied up $15, and ensured their yards provide animals with food, water, cover, and places to raise young. Here are a few simple tips that will help you turn your estate into a bona fide animal house.

For more of Brandon Holschuh’s jewelry, check out brandonholschuh.com.

> travel

The Buck Stops Here People flock to the Berkshires in Massachusetts to ski, hike, and spend their money in the low-lying mountain range’s quaint shops. But forget the bucks: There’s a new currency on the block—BerkShares. BerkShares—money accepted only in the southern Berkshires—is the brainchild of the EF Schumacher Society, a group devoted to social and environmental sustainability in small communities. More than 300 businesses accept the cash; food from farmers’ markets and eateries are the most popular purchases. Organizers hope the currency will boost the economy and environmental thinking by encouraging

26 | june-july 2008

residents to buy local, reducing their communities’ carbon footprint from transportation and imports. More than 1.5 million BerkShares have circulated since the program launched in 2006. “Consumers see how goods are produced and that they’re done in an ecologically responsible manner,” says Susan Witt, the program’s administrator. Witt hopes BerkShares will eventually offer no-interest loans for local businesses and draw more services to the area. While residents are not required to use BerkShares, there is an economic incentive: They are issues at a 10 percent discount to the US dollar (so 90 cents gets one BerkShare worth a dollar). The program is geared toward locals, but some offering banks say tourists request them, too. BerkShares have inspired towns like Newark, New Jersey, and New Orleans to consider similar ideas. Keep an eye—and a wallet—open for community currencies near you. —Joshua Payne

Build a birdhouse or frog pond to provide a safe place for animals to raise babies. For shelter—and a hands-on weekend project—create a rock wall or rain garden. If shovels aren’t your thing, buy a birdbath or feeder.

To learn more about how BerkShares work, check out berkshares.org

plant evergreens or dense shrubs to create cover for creatures. Put in native flora that bloom (butterflies, hummingbirds, and beneficial insects can’t resist them) or produce berries that can serve as wintertime snacks for hungry critters. Visit natureserve.org/explorer for nativeplant suggestions.

pesticides and fertilizers. Instead, place mulch around plants—it reduces the need for fertilizers and water. If you can’t go chemical-free, use products with a low environmental impact quotient, which is a measure of pesticide toxicity. (Check out nysipm.cornell.edu for ratings on 300 common pesticides). —Alisa Opar

Don’t Use

For more information on how to create a backyard wildlife sanctuary, visit nwf.org

photos by jason houston (far left); Dan Morgan (top); Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Asa Hardcastle, president of BerkShares, Inc. uses the local currency at rubi’s cafe.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Fe JXc\ Alcp ( N_\i\m\i 9ffbj 8i\ Jfc[

0 ACTICALLY 0OSH <Zf K`gj KXb\ j_fik\i# Zffc\i j_fn\ij1 Water heaters account for nearly one fourth of your home’s energy use, so try to limit your hot showers. Plus, beauty babes: non-scalding showers won’t dry out your skin.

I\jlii\Zk`fe 9flc\mXi[1 The next time you’re looking for a loveseat, check out Freecycle.org—a grassroots website where people can give and get quality stuff in their own towns.

?Xm\ Xe \Zf$Z_`Z _fd\1 Beautify your home with the huge array of Earth-friendly accessories, like organic cotton sheets, low-odor and low-chemical paints, and bamboo products, which are naturally lovely and more sustainable than wood.

DXb\ pfli fne eXkliXc Zc\Xe`e^ gif[lZkj1 Use baking soda to scrub the tub or to neutralize refrigerator odor (just place an opened box in the back). Mix one part water to one part vinegar in a spray bottle for an allpurpose disinfectant and deodorizer. A half of a lemon dipped in salt will clean and shine your brass and copper.

! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

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spectrum

Energy from walking powers this knee brace’s generator.

> conservation

I Sea Dead People

> tech

Jerry Norman wants you to sleep with the fishes. But don’t worry, he won’t push you off a pier in concrete shoes. Norman is the CEO of the Neptune Society, a cremation service that enables you to stay eco from beyond the grave. “Isn’t it better giving something back for eternity?” he says. Located off the Florida Keys, Neptune Memorial Reef houses cremated remains and memorial plaques—and also provides a home for corals and aquatic life. The first remains were placed in December 2007, and Norman says the reef is already attracting fish. Though Neptune is the first and largest artificial reef burial site, several other companies offer methods of encasing one’s remains in smaller eternal reefs, or “reef balls.” Artificial reefs can be anything from a sunken ship to cement structures designed to house marine creatures—recently, they’ve been used for conservation purposes as natural corals suffer from pollution, acidification, and bleaching. If you’re thinking of spending forever

The Neptune Memorial Reef resides 50 feet below sea level and is modeled after the lost city of Atlantis.

in the briny deep, make sure to do your homework. Researchers agree that artificial reefs can provide marine species with necessary shelter and food but must be built with conservation in mind. “One size will not fit all,” says Bill Lindberg, an aquatic scientist at the University of Florida. “You can’t make a blanket statement about all artificial reefs.” If you’ve got love for the seas but artificial reefs sound a little too, well, fishy, consider donating money to marine charities like the Ocean Conservancy or the Global Coral Reef Alliance. —Kate Howell

For more information on Neptune Memorial Reef, check out nmreef.com

actout TAKE IT OR LEAVE IT Getting undesirable gift cards from Great Aunt Tillie (to, say, disgusting fast food joints) is inevitable. But now you can turn that passé plastic into some serious green: Donate them to Gift Cards for Trees (GCFT), which cashes cards in and gives the money to American Forests, a nonprofit that uses the dough to plant trees nationwide. GCFT sells cards to the highest bidder—usually on eBay or to companies like giftcardbuyback.com. Ultimately, about 80 percent of the card’s value goes to tree-planting initiatives, says Michelle Sarkany, GCFT’s president. With your eco deed, looks like Auntie will be giving you a cool present after all. —Nicole Scarmeas

To learn more, visit giftcardsfortrees.com and americanforests.org

28 | june-july 2008

What you wear can elicit praise, envy, even disdainful glares from the fashion police. But now apparel is generating something a little more worthwhile: electricity. Read on for the latest threads under development. Soak up the Sun Next year’s sundress could be solar powered. Konarka Technologies is developing Power Plastic, a flexible photovoltaic strip that can be embedded into fabric and works like a solar panel to charge iPods and other gadgets. The company says the plastic is five times cheaper than existing solar technologies and can be colored, patterned, and cut to seamlessly blend into clothing. Brace Yourself Researchers in Canada and the US are giving new meaning to power walking: They’ve created a knee brace that harnesses energy from walking and turns it into electricity. Someday, the technology could be built into prosthetic joints, pacemakers, and other implanted devices, eliminating the need for batteryreplacement surgery. Hikers and soldiers might also find the device handy for charging cell phones and GPS locators. Sustainable Shirt Whether you’re getting your groove on or going to the grocery store, a shirt made by Georgia Tech scientists can use that body motion to generate electricity. Textile fibers are covered with nanowires; when fibers rub together, the piezoelectric process converts the movement into electricity that can power portable devices. Power Pack University of Pennsylvania scientists have developed a backpack that is suspended from a frame by springs so it bounces up and down as the wearer walks. The movement drives a small generator that creates electricity, providing scientists and soldiers a welcome alternative to lugging heavy, cumbersome batteries into the field. Solar-powered backpacks suddenly seem so passé. —Sarah Parsons

photo by Derry Huff (top left)

You’ve Got the Power

Keeping your household clean isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t easy. But it can BeGreen Now.

Learn more about offsets, find out how to balance out the emissions from your car or home, and check out our Gift of Green products at www.begreennow.com.

spectrum > trend

Empires Strike Bags

Don’t expect to hear “paper or plastic?” in Beijing this summer. As of June, China is the latest country to impose a ban or tax on plastic bags, a movement that has spread in recent years to prevent the nonbiodegradable bags from clogging landfills, blocking drains, and choking wildlife. Here’s who’s joined the worldwide ban club. —Julia Ross France 2007 Paris bans plastic bags in large stores; a nationwide restriction is slated for 2010.

United States 2007 San Francisco bans petroleum-based bags in large grocery and drug stores—the first law of its kind in the US. Before the ban, 180 million plastic shopping bags were distributed in San Francisco each year. The measure will conserve an estimated 430,000 gallons of oil.

eco-meter

Ireland 2002 Introduces consumer “PlasTax” of 15 cents per plastic bag. Consumption drops by 94 percent; within a year, tax raises $9.6 million for environmental initiatives.

Denmark 1994 Imposes tax on plastic bags. Consumption declines 66 percent, and tax revenue (paid by retailers) goes toward environmental projects.

China 2008 Bans production of ultra-thin bags and forbids stores to distribute plastic bags for free. Prior to the June ban, the country used about 3 billion plastic bags each day.

South Africa 2003 Bans ultra-thin plastic bags and taxes thicker ones. Subsequently, Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda introduce their own total or partial bans.

India 2003 Cities of Mumbai and Delhi, along with Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, and Maharashtra states, each introduce total or partial bans to prevent flooding.

Bangladesh 2002 Bans plastic bags in its capital, Dhaka, labeling them a culprit in recent floods. Country sees a revival in its jute bag industry.

Best in Shows

Raw Spirit Festival September 12–14, Sedona, AZ

This eco-living celebration focuses on raw, vegan foods and features performers like Astarius, Singing Bear, and Almadeus Star. While the event’s grub won’t generate any greenhouse gas emissions, the fest is more natural health than environment-centered.

30 | june-july 2008

Taiwan 2001 Bans thin plastic bags and sees a 77 percent drop in use over three years. Department and convenience stores must charge for bags.

Australia 2008 Announces plan to phase out distribution of free plastic bags by year’s end. Major retail chains had already voluntarily cut plastic bag use by 45 percent between 2003 and 2005.

You know it’s summer when the onslaught of music festivals begin. Take a look at how some eco shows stack up:

Taos Solar Music Festival

Rothbury Music Festival

June 27–29, Taos, NM

July 3–6, Rothbury, MI

Concert-goers can learn about fuel cells, organic farming, and rainwater catchment systems while scoring solar-baked cookies. Artists include middle-of-the-road performers like Collective Soul and Susan Tedeschi; don’t expect any bigger name dogooders like Bono.

Composting, recycling, offsetting, and using alternative power, this shindig’s got serious green cred. An Energy Fair and roundtable events will address climate change, and the 70-plus performers—from Modest Mouse to Snoop Dogg— offer tunes for all tastes. Fo’shizzle.

spectrum

Lizz Winstead

Lizz Winstead goes loco trying to buy local 32 | june-july 2008

Lizz Winstead is cocreator of The Daily Show and former cohost of Air America’s Unfiltered. She currently stars in Shoot the Messenger, a satirical review of the media world running in New York City (shootthemessengernyc.com).

photographs by

Life in the Green Zone

had a dinner party recently at my New York apartment. A whisper campaign started because I made a blueberry tart in February. I was treated like some kind of Traitor Joe for using berries that were obviously not local. They were organic, but that didn’t matter. How do we all—urbanites especially—deal with trying to buy goods grown locally while living in a place where the only thing grown locally is bitterness about the lack of anything grown locally? Of course there are people who find a way. On the really extreme end, there are the freegans, who dumpster dive and consume only the remnants of discarded items in the name of absolutely rejecting a corrupt economic system. I am not sure if what they retrieve is local or if it just ends up local. Either way, I am just not that noble or nimble or um, adventurous. The thought of weeding through certain types of doggie bags in the trash to find something edible from another type of doggie bag is not a commitment I’m willing to make. Sure, I’ll grab an old lamp or even a shirt I’ve found curbside, but when it comes to food, I need to find a different path—one that doesn’t involve treating an expiration date as merely a suggestion. So, having ruled out freeganomics, the obvious choice is shopping at the farmers’ market. Even though our local farmers’ markets aren’t exactly local, they are localish and mostly organic. (Apropos of nothing, just as an added bonus—in the sexy department, organic farmers are the new firemen.) But should I not eat produce in the winter? Become a victim of scurvy? What about that ribbon on your lapel—was it made locally? And what about everything else we buy? Until chain stores like Bed Bath & Beyond rename themselves Bed Bath & Nothing Has Been Made Beyond a Five Mile Radius of Your Home, I will not be bullied. I’m going to buy carbon offsets every time I want to eat an orange, so don’t even try to get all self-righteous on my ass. I already use flushable, biodegradeable poop bags for my dogs and carry their business home twice a day. (What can I say? I feel for the dumpster divers.) I use vinegar to wash my windows, so my apartment often smells like I’m trying to get rid of that not-so-fresh feeling. My canvas bag collection has taken over the back wall of my kitchen. How much more can I do? We all have our limits, and for me, the enviro movement today is all about reconsidering and discovering that we can establish new ones. But in the end, there are still limits. As for those tart-judging hypocrites? They had no comment about the Bordeaux they were happily chugging while questioning my blueberry choice. No one asked how many trees died to make those $20 bills I used to pay for the tart, pasta, wine, and pricey hothouse tomatoes I served, either. No, oddly enough, those issues never came up. Instead, at the end of the night, they said, “We should do dinner again.” ✤

Rachel leibman

As page 33 reveals, the Big Apple actually became the Big Orange in 1673.

ith all they need to teach you in school, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to see how they might have missed a few important historical details. Like the fact that the Dutch took New York from the British for a year and renamed it for the royal familyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s color: New Orange. America has a fascinating and colorful history. Packed with 365 daily readings, The Intellectual Devotional: American History raises your intellectual stock while shedding light on the history-making decisions of today. Build your intellect and broaden your mind with readings from the original New York Times bestseller, The Intellectual Devotional. Learn more at TheIntellectualDevotional.com.

200957601

Available wherever books are sold. An imprint of Rodale Inc.

science

plentycurrent

New Oyster Cult

Shellfish like these mussels are being used to help clean polluted rivers and bays around the country.

Scientists are looking to sponges, mussels, and oysters to clean up polluted waterways

photo by MC Barnhart

ysters aren’t just a tasty dish for a romantic evening. Scientists are turning to the creatures for a decidedly less sexy reason: to clean up polluted bays. Sponges, oysters, and mussels are excellent multitaskers. They feed by filtering water that rushes over them, pulling out the nutrients they need; in the process, the animals can remove pollutants and pump out cleaner water. “In the US, we are mainly in the talking One question being raised is whether stage on the subject; there is not much shellfish that have been used to help in the water yet,” says Gary Wikfors, a clean a bay should be sold for human microbiologist with the National Marine consumption. Another is whether the Fisheries Service. But that may change soon. creatures will be able to survive in In June, scientists from around the country extremely polluted waterways. “It’s will gather in Providence, Rhode Island, to a mistake to think that just adding discuss the future of shellfish aquaculture. Researchers who support using the animals to remove pollutants from bays, lakes, and rivers do have a few concerns.

oysters or mussels is going to be enough anywhere,” says Jay Levine, a North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine researcher responsible for leading the cleanup of North Carolina’s Wilson Bay. “But along with other approaches, bivalves can help restore waterways.” Here’s how these invertebrates are taking it all in. Sponges Some 10,000 species of sponge inhabit fresh and salt waters, and a single

Nearly 70 percent of freshwater mussels are endangered or threatened.

plentymag.com | 35

science

New York City’s Gowanus Canal, once a dumping ground for corpses and trash, is now home to 2,500 oysters. The shellfish, each of which can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day, are doing their small part to clean the murky waters. In North Carolina, a more extensive project is helping clean up Wilson Bay: Oysters are suspended near the water’s surface, where they pull out excess nutrients, preventing algal blooms that suck oxygen out of the water.

Oysters

The US Fish and Wildlife Service is identifying waterways nationwide that could be helped by freshwater mussels. The primary goal is to bolster dwindling populations (nearly 70 percent of freshwater mussels are endangered or threatened), but the creatures will also help pull nitrogen, heavy metals, PCBs, and other contaminants out of rivers and lakes. —Alisa Opar

Freshwater Mussels

Each aquarium is filled with murky water (top); after about one hour (bottom), the water in the tank on the right, which has mussels in it, is crystal clear, while the water in the tank on the left is still cloudy.

36 | june-july 2008

Bat Grave

Many of the bats that perished in a massive die-off in the Northeast have a ring of white fungus around their nose.

Scientists are racing to discover what killed thousands of bats last winter

s dusk settles on summer evenings in the Northeast, the buzzing of insects fills the air. Soon after, bats emerge from their roosts, swooping gracefully to snatch flying bugs. But this timeless interplay may be thrown out of whack because of a puzzling ailment that killed shocking numbers of insect-eating bats in New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Vermont this winter. Dubbed “white-nose syndrome” for the circle of white fungus on sick bats’ noses, the mysterious illness has wiped out tens of thousands of the mammals, and wildlife managers are racing to identify it. The sick bats lose their winter fat Hoping to stave off disaster, virologists, reserves too fast and starve. The fungus is bacteriologists, toxicologists, and dozens an obvious suspect, but scientists believe more experts from universities, environmental it’s a symptom, not the cause. Whatever the consulting firms, and government agencies source, white-nose syndrome is spreading: are racing to figure out if an infectious agent, First noticed in four caves in New York in a toxin, or some other factor is killing bats. In January 2007, it may addition, caving groups have killed as many have asked members to as 11,000 bats last stay above ground until winter. This year, the May 15 and to report malady spread to previous expeditions more than 20 caves to state wildlife and mines, expanding agencies in case from a 7-mile radius to humans are spreading an 80-mile radius. More than 500,000 bats the syndrome. Kunz’s lab is looking at hibernate in the affected sites, and some whether the sick bats’ immune systems are biologists fear half could disappear. “This is compromised and trying to understand the unprecedented in the annals of bat biology,” cause of the fat reserve loss—in January, says Thomas Kunz, a Boston University bats’ energy stores, which usually last biologist. “I’ve been working on bats for 40 through April, were nearly depleted. years, and I’ve never seen anything like this. Bats hibernate deep inside mines and We’re grasping at straws.” caves and stir if they’re disturbed. “If you’re Bat welfare is a concern partly because of in a cave with 50,000 bats for two hours, by their voracious appetites. A small colony of 500 the time you leave, they’re moving around bats that weigh one-third of an ounce each so much it sounds like rustling wind,” says will consume 5 to 10 pounds of bugs a night. Al Hicks, a bat specialist with New York’s Scientists fear large die-offs could cause insect Department of Environmental Conservation. populations to explode, which could lead to But in affected caves, bats cluster near the gardeners and farmers in the Northeast taking entrance—perhaps because it’s colder there a hard hit from pests in the spring. “If you and they can conserve more energy—and remove top predators like bats, it could throw don’t rouse when people enter. Equally the ecosystem out of balance,” Kunz says. unusual is the sight of sick bats flying outside

“If you remove top predators like bats, it could throw the ecosystem out of balance.”

photo courtesy of NYSDEC (top); John Alderman, Alderman Environmental Services Inc. (lower left)

current

sponge can filter hundreds of gallons of water per day. As aquatic restorers, the animals are perhaps best known for their ability to remove microorganisms, like those associated with fecal contamination. Researchers have found that a Mediterranean sponge, Spongia officinalis, can eliminate a wide variety of water pollutants, from bacteria to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) to oil.

A bat that weighs .02 lb can eat .01 lb of insects per night. Over its 10-year lifetime, that bat could consume 12 lb of insects.

mid-winter. “If bats are running through their reserves, the last thing they do is either die in the roost or fly outside hoping there’s a meal,” says Hicks. “It’s their last gasp.” Investigations this summer might shed light on the problem. Bats can travel hundreds of miles between winter roosts and summer homes, called maternity roosts, and not all residents of one summer colony winter together. This behavior may be spreading an infectious agent, or there may be something deadly at a maternity roost. To find out, researchers may visit summer colonies to count bats as they exit at dusk to feed and study environmental conditions there. “We’ll go back to these areas and see if there are any bats left,” says Robyn Niver, a US Fish and Wildlife Service biologist. Little brown bats are suffering the biggest losses, but Indiana, eastern pipistrelle, northern long-eared, and smallfooted bats are also dying. Wildlife managers are especially worried about Indiana bats because they’re endangered. “I’ve spent my entire career looking at Indiana bats, and we were just thinking we might be able to get them off the [endangered species] list,” says Hicks. But he’s optimistic about the widespread efforts to find the answer. “This level of support is what it will take to find out what’s killing bats.” —AO

illustration by

jameson simpson;

photo by antonie van den bos (right)

beat the heat Soy isn’t only useful as a dairy alternative and biofuel—the hairy plants might also help combat global warming. Researchers studying vegetation that produces abundant leaf hairs, making the plants bright and therefore good at reflecting sunlight, say the trait could reduce local temperatures and help crops survive as global temperatures rise. University of California, Irvine grad student Chris Doughty found that soybeans bred to have four times the normal number of leaf hairs reflect up to 5 percent of sunlight, preventing the earth from absorbing that light as heat. As a result, air temperature drops on average by 1.85°C—a change big enough to stem crop loss as the planet heats up. “This was really just a thought experiment,” says Doughty. “But we do think it may be prudent for seed companies to try and breed brighter crops in case of a very hot future.” —Victoria Schlesinger

FINDINGS

If your science teacher told you eyespots on butterfly wings frighten off predators, she was misinformed. Researchers recently found that large markings are more important for survival than spots that mimic eyes.

2 3 4 5 6 7 8

Forests and oceans are often lauded for their ability to store CO2, but don’t discount the desert—scientists discovered sand housing certain bacteria can trap significant amounts of greenhouse gases, too. Scientists can tell where you’ve been living without looking at your driver’s license. They pinpoint the place you call home by comparing oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in tap water to your hair clippings. Not all biofuel blends contain what they say they do: Only 10 percent of 20odd retail samples tested had blends that were 20 percent biodiesel, as advertised. The discrepancy could cause engine problems in cold climates. Your sweet ride may one day run on a sweet fuel. Scientists have developed a process to convert plant sugars into hydrogen, which could eventually power fuel-cell cars. For the first time, scientists have identified a link between pesticide exposure and Parkinson’s disease, a chronic illness marked by tremors and muscle rigidity that affects 1.5 million Americans. Alligators have a deadly reputation, but proteins in their blood might provide new antibiotics to fight drug-resistant “superbugs,” infections from diabetic ulcers, and severe burns. Ironically, scientists have identified trees as a threat to tropical rainforests; non-native trees (some, like strawberry guava, were introduced for their fruit) can alter the ecosystem and possibly make it inhospitable for native flora and fauna.

The US and other countries dumped more than 200,000 tons of chemical weapons into the ocean between 1946 and 1972, but nobody marked down the locations. Now scientists are calling for those weapons sites to be mapped before toxic chemicals seep into seawater.

ask a SCIENTIST Ed Rappaport

Deputy Director, National Hurricane Center

Q. Why does hurricane season begin in June? A. By June the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico are warm enough for tropical cy-

clones (which include cyclones, hurricanes, and typhoons) to form. The warm, moist air rises from the surface, forming clouds as it cools; at the same time, surrounding cooler air quickly takes the warm air’s place, forming a swirling system. Tropical storms do best in the summer, when there is relatively little wind shear (the change in wind direction or speed higher in the atmosphere). In addition to warm oceans, tropical cyclone development also requires an initial disturbance in the atmosphere. One disturbance is the tail end of cold fronts that are most vigorous during wintertime. Those are responsible for much of the development we see in May and June and at the end of the season in October and November. The second primary source of disturbance is tropical atmospheric waves (changes in temperature, pressure, or wind velocity). Those waves become stronger toward the middle to latter part of the summer. —as told to Sarah Parsons

plentymag.com | 37

business

current

Strange Crude

Thanks to next-generation versions that won’t require new infrastructure, biofuels are the next big thing—again

than $1 million. Amyris and LS9 isolated and arranged the genes necessary to make petroleum-like fuels in 2005 and 2007, respectively, and introduced those genes into bacteria, creating billions of live biofuel factories for a fraction of what it would have cost five years earlier. “Because we have this genetic control over the organisms, we can really tailor the set of molecules that come out the other side,” says Greg Pal, LS9’s senior director of corporate development. Amyris and LS9 are producing fuels that are slightly different from one another. Amyris is making gasoline and diesel similar enough to conventional forms that they can be pumped through

LS9 aims to ship its biocrude to refineries in 2011.

existing pipelines and directly into cars. In doing so, the company, which raised $20 million in 2006 and another $70 million last year, could bypass one of biofuel’s biggest problems in the short term: distribution. Whereas Amyris is creating a product similar to conventional refined fuels, LS9 is touting the real deal. “If you took all the constraints off, what would you make?” Pal asks. The answer: crude oil. LS9, which secured $15 million in phase two funding last year and was recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the 39 Technology Pioneers of 2008, is engineering bacteria to make crude that can be shipped directly to refineries.

LS9, which was recognized by the World Economic Forum as one of the 39 Technology Pioneers of 2008, is engineering bacteria to make crude oil that can be shipped directly to petroleum refineries. 38 | june-july 2008

photo by Mike Moya

he biofuel industry has had a bumpy few years: Ethanol is still a Department of Energy golden child, but recent studies raise serious questions about its viability. Production could eat up half of America’s corn crop this year, potentially causing food shortages, and some say that ethanol manufacturing uses more energy than it produces. What’s more, the fuel’s corrosiveness makes it unsuitable for distribution via existing petroleum pipelines. But two new biotech companies believe biofuels can leapfrog past these problems, and they’re each engineering fuels that are virtually identical to the gasoline and diesel we use today. “We said, ‘What does nature make that looks like a fuel?’” explains Kinkead Reiling, cofounder of Amyris Biotechnologies in Emeryville, California. Every living organism efficiently converts sugar from food into fat to store energy, and fats are chemically similar to the hydrocarbons that make up fuels. So by tinkering with a few genes, scientists at Amyris and San Carlos, California, biotech firm LS9 have designed bacteria that eat almost any type of plant—mostly sugarcane, corn, and other forms of cellulose—digest it, and convert it into “fuel.” The companies’ plans are feasible because of how quickly and cheaply scientists can now sequence and synthesize genes. It took thirteen years and $3 billion to order the first human genome, but last year, Nobel Laureate James Watson had his own sequenced in two months for less

Conventional crude oil can contain thousands of types of molecules—that’s why it’s called “crude”—but LS9’s will have only about ten, which Pal says is ideal: The company’s oil will have the molecular diversity necessary to make a number of fuels and petroleum products but will be free of unwanted chemicals that can muck up engines. It’s “a pretty optimal solution,” he says. The magic year for both companies is 2011, when LS9 expects its crude oil to be in full-scale production, and Amyris’ diesel, which solidifies at a lower temperature than vegetable-oil biodiesel, should come to market, too. Amyris’ jet fuel and gasoline and an LS9 biodiesel will follow several years later. What’s so green about fuels practically identical to conventional ones? The answer lies in how they’re made. These newer biodiesels start out as plants that suck carbon dioxide out of the air, so burning them releases little, if any, net CO2—it’s a closed loop, Pal argues. LS9 estimates that its bacteria produce 90 BTUs of fuel for every 100 BTUs of sugar they eat. And although genetically engineered, the bacteria are not producing something completely synthetic. “The molecules we’re creating are made in nature by plants and organisms,” Reiling says. “We’re just changing the setting in which they’re made.” —Melinda Wenner

illustration by jameson

simpson

PERSONAL BEHAVIORS (% RESPONDING)

Coming Clean

The country might be going through a recession, but the clean technology industry seems unlikely to feel it in the same way. Venture capital investments in clean companies boomed by nearly 40 percent in 2007 over the previous year, reaching nearly $4 billion. Where is all that green for green going? Energy-related companies—including fuel cells and power transmission—took up the lion’s share of dollars. Water-related companies had the greatest growth rate—up a startling 397 percent—because of new arrivals in this sector. Meanwhile, energy infrastructure dropped 46 percent in 2007, not because of a loss of investor interest, but due to a $130 million round of funding secured by electric grid solutions company Current that spiked the numbers in 2006. If US gas prices keep rising and global economies continue to expand, clean energy companies are likely to attract more venture money in 2008. A look at how the money broke down in 2007 helps predict some of the investment trends to watch this year. —Helen Kaiao Chang

Venture Capital Cleantech Investment North America, 2007

$140.3

$118.4

$151.1

$114.7

$210

$71.7

$254.5

$21.6

$350.7

$2,1

$376.8

$ in millions

ALWAYS

SOMETIMES

RARELY

NEVER

Recycle items like bottles, cans, and newspapers

55%

27%

10%

Use energy-efficient appliances like refrigerators, light bulbs, and air conditioners

46%

41%

Use environmentally friendly cleaning products

22%

55%

14%

Donate money or time to a social cause or organization

18%

41%

24%

16%

Buy from companies that demonstrate they are good for people on the planet

17%

57%

16%

10%

Bring reusable bags when shopping

16%

28%

19%

37%

Buy organic or locally grown foods

14%

55%

20%

10%

Compost

13%

22%

20%

44%

Use fuel-efficient modes of transportation, such as riding bicycles, walking, or driving hybrid cars

12%

27%

34%

Invest in mutual funds or stocks of companies that maintain high ethical and social standards

11%

24%

20%

46%

Carpool

10%

26%

22%

42%

Use public transportation

20%

28%

43%

Donate money or time to an environmental organization

33%

29%

28%

Purchase carbon offsets when booking airline travel

11%

16%

70%

Margin of Error: +/- 2.2 percentage points. Source: BBMG, in conjunction with Global Strategy Group and Bagatto

Energy Generation Energy Storage Transportation Energy Efficiency Recycling and Waste Energy Infrastructure Materials Agriculture Water and Wastewater Air & Environment Manufacturing

Buyer Be Aware These days, every company seems to have a green division, acquisition plan, or rebranding strategy. But will those efforts produce returns in the consumer marketplace? The first major undertaking to combine ethnographic case studies with a national survey, the BBMG Conscious Consumer Report, polled 2,007 adults nationwide in September of 2007 to gauge their awareness of sustainable purchasing choices, the factors that affect their decisions, and more. Results excerpted from the BBMG report, which was released this spring, reveal that American consumers still have a long way to go before the nation’s buying patterns change dramatically. That means a vastly untapped market still awaits those companies willing to go eco.

plentymag.com | 39

tech

current

When It Rains It Powers Raindrops may be the next source of renewable energy

For example, solar-powered sensors are sometimes connected to a battery that stockpiles power collected by the cells in the daytime. But solar cells only work on clear, sunny days. That’s why it’s essential to find more ways to match sensors to the environments they monitor. “People think of light and wind when they think of free energy,” says Jean-Jacques Chaillout, one of the paper’s authors. “But there is much more out there. There is no one answer for powering sensors.” To make electricity in rainy locales,

“People think of light and wind when they think of free energy. But there is much more out there.” To be completely reliable—not to mention sustainable—sensor networks would have to power themselves. To address this shortfall, researchers have focused their efforts on capturing and storing energy from the environment. 40 | june-july 2008

Chaillout’s team is using a piezoelectric material—in this case, a plastic—that translates mechanical energy from the impact of the raindrop into electric energy that powers a sensor. During a rainstorm, the material dribbles electrical energy

to a battery, storing it for later use. The scientists examined raindrops that range in diameter from a 1-millimeter drizzle to the 5-millimeter drops dumped in a downpour. Their experiments suggest they can collect up to 12.5 milliwatts of instantaneous power from one large droplet; you’d need nearly 5,000 of these drops to light up a 60watt bulb, but the sensors require only a fraction of that power. Piezoelectric sensors are already in use. Some cars use them to trigger airbags. Other devices capture vibrational energy from ocean waves and humans—including backpack-wearers, people pushing turnstiles, and pedestrians climbing stairs (see page 28 for more examples). Someday scientists hope the technology will power implantable biomedical devices, like pacemakers, that currently rely on batteries. But only recently have wireless sensors become sufficiently cheap and lowpower to benefit from piezoelectric energy

illustration by josh

hen most of us see an overcast sky, we scramble for an umbrella. When French researchers looked to the cloudy heavens, they saw a potential source of energy. Their new technology could make so-called bad weather ideal for harvesting power. Scientists from Europe’s Atomic Energy Commission, in Grenoble, France, have shown that vibrations from raindrops landing on a certain type of plastic can generate enough energy to operate some low-power wireless sensors, like battery-powered outdoor thermometers. But the results, published in the February issue of the journal Smart Materials and Structures, could do much more than save you the inconvenience of replacing a drained battery in your outdoor thermometer. The findings could help improve networks of wireless sensors that measure conditions like temperature, pressure, or the presence of pollutants. By continually monitoring the environment, these networks provide early warning systems for dangerous air quality, severe storms, or disease outbreaks. Networks that exist now use batteries that require annual replacement.

cochran

scavenging. “It’s an emerging area,” says Edward Sazonov, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Clarkson University. “It just has to gain acceptance in industry as a viable alternative to batteries alone.” Vibrational energy harvesting may still have a way to go before it’s widely adopted. According to Daniel Inman, a mechanical engineer at Virginia Tech and director of the school’s Center for Intelligent Material Systems and Structures, the best materials harvest no more than a few milliwatts per

strain. “There’s still quite a bit of materialsscience research going on to find the best mechanics and configurations,” Inman says. Given how little power wireless sensors require, that isn’t an issue for Chaillout. From his point of view, the biggest challenge is the cost of the material: $460 for 1 kilogram. But that will change with time, he adds, hinting that one company has already expressed interest in his lab’s rain-power product. Who knows, April showers may soon bring power. —Sandra Upson

Between a Rock and a Hard Place Burying CO2 could help combat global warming

illustration by jameson

simpson; photo courtesy nokia (upper right)

Storing carbon dioxide deep underground forever. underground might sound like an The Energy Department created ostrich sticking its head in the sand. But seven Regional Carbon Sequestration researchers are exploring several such Partnerships to develop technology, schemes. In fact, the US Department infrastructure, and regulations for of Energy has announced it will pump implementing large-scale sequestration $275 million into the studies. programs around the country. The first Carbon targeted for underground step is making sure the technology storage must first be captured at works and that it’s safe. Currently, factories or power plants. The gas the groups are running pilot projects, is then compressed into a liquid, injecting CO2 into different geological transported by pipeline to a nearby formations, and monitoring how the underground storage site and injected gas moves underground and interacts thousands of feet below into porous rock with the rock. They’re also keeping an formations beneath an impermeable eye out for leaks. Here’s a look at the geological cap such as shale, which acts like a lid on a jar. Scientists predict most CO2 formations scientists are investigating. will dissolve in water there, like bubbles in seltzer. Power station CO2 Gradually, the pressurized capture and carbon will react with the separation rock and convert into a solid mineral, remaining trapped

ON THE

drawing board

Trash Talk Nokia is aiming to take cellphone recycling to the next level with its new concept phone, Remade. The design calls for only recycled materials: The body is made of aluminum cans and plastic bottles, and the rubber key mats come from automobile tires. Using printed electronics (instead of wires, circuitry is printed on paper or plastic) cuts manufacturing waste and CO2 emissions. Currently, Nokia doesn’t plan to market Remade—the goal was only to show the potential of recycled materials to produce gadgets. —Nicole Scarmeas

> patentwatch

Pond Scum Power Unminable coal beds

Methane-rich gas is usually adsorbed onto coal’s surface. Injecting CO2 into the bed displaces methane, which is captured above ground and replaced below by CO2.

Saline formation

At least one million tons of CO2 will be injected into deep saline reservoirs, which are too salty for drinking water. These formations could store 100 years of CO2 emissions (500 billion tons) from major North American sources.

Depleted oil and gas reservoir Enhanced recovery Pumping CO2 into a reservoir pushes oil or natural gas out. The product comes up to the surface while the CO2 stays deep underground. Oil and gas companies have been using this technique for decades to increase their output.

These geological formations stored oil and natural gas for millions of years, until industries pulled the resources out of the ground. The cavities could be filled with CO2.

Algae may be a better biofuel source than corn or soy, but growing the plant-like organisms cheaply and efficiently is still a challenge: These green machines need direct sunlight to grow, so the ponds in which they flourish require a lot of space. But David Bayless, a mechanical engineer at Ohio University, and his colleagues hope to dispel this challenge with a new bioreactor design that allows algae to thrive in 7-foot-tall, 4-inchdiameter containers. The design uses fiber optics to distribute concentrated sunlight from a solar collector throughout the contraption. —SU

plentymag.com | 41

columnist

current

Bill McKibben

activist in residence

Bill McKibben tackles the congestion pricing issue

by offering an unexpected alternative: free public transit for all

42 | june-july 2008

lot, but it’s actually 64 fewer than are called for to address existing overcrowding. In a sense, the sides in the congestion pricing battle are divided by class. Welloff commuters who tie up the city’s traffic because they need or want to travel alone and on a personal schedule are pitted against residents who are willing to submit to public transit or can’t afford to do otherwise. But a New York free-transit plan could have a broader and more enduring significance: As a microcosm, it helps illustrate the sort of shifts rich nations like the United States will have to make in the next decade to accommodate, say, the growth in energy demand in places like India and China. Our world will soon be one in which those who pollute more per capita will have to start paying for it. That, it seems, will be our future cost of living—and it will be a lot easier to swallow if some things come for free. ✤ Bill McKibben is the author of The End of Nature, Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future, and others. He is the recipient of the 2000 Lannan Literary Award for nonfiction, and founder of Step It Up, an organization whose nationwide day of climate change protest in 2007 (stepitup2007.org) is considered the largest to date in the US.

travis ruse

shift instead of 31. Transaction-free bus rides could result in a 20 percent reduction of route time, leading to an effective 25 percent growth of each fleet because drivers could make more runs per shift. The city would also triple the price of streetside parking in Manhattan south of 96th Street, making it about the same as the private parking garages. “There are parts of the city where a quarter or more of drivers are simply looking for a parking spot,” says Komanoff. All told, when you add up the numbers, 2.4 percent more people would enter Manhattan south of 60th Street every day. But the number coming by car would drop by a quarter, and the number traveling by bus, bike, or subway would rise dramatically. Across the entire city, automobile travel would drop by 9 percent. Obviously, neither Bloomberg’s plan nor Kheel’s radical alternative is an easy sell. Some opponents raise practical difficulties— swamped subways, for instance. But by using Kheel’s reasonable projections for the parallel commuting methods that would be available if road traffic were to decrease, Komanoff found that only 211 additional subway cars would be needed during peak hours. That might sound like a

photograph by

hen proposed change runs into strong resistance, we usually say it’s because the idea is overly ambitious or it’s gone too far. But sometimes it’s because it hasn’t gone far enough. Consider New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s controversial plan to charge automobile drivers entering Manhattan south of 86th Street during major business hours an $8 congestion pricing fee ($21 for large trucks). Modeled after a system in place in London, the proposal for New York is an excellent effort to reduce traffic, and hence cut down on some of the environmental and economic costs arising from gridlock. New York’s state assembly rejected the plan in April, but most believe New Yorkers haven’t heard the last of congestion pricing. Now consider a much-discussed alternative, proposed by famed New York labor mediator and environmental advocate Theodore W Kheel: Double that fee for cars driving into Manhattan south of 60th Street (and raise it to $32 for commercial vehicles). And then use the extra revenue to make subways and buses free for everyone in the five boroughs. Drivers might howl twice as hard, but at least there’d be someone howling back on the other side—someone who wanted to ride the bus for no charge. Ninety-four years old,Kheel commissioned a team led by veteran environmental analyst Charles Komanoff to study the free-transit plan, and a half-year of intensive work produced a massive spreadsheet called the Balanced Transportation Analyzer (BTA). (Both the Kheel Plan and the BTA are available at nnyn.org/kheelplan.) “When we started, I thought the idea was nutty,” Komanoff recalls. “I thought, how could you give up the fare box?” Instead, Komanoff’s data revealed some pretty startling discoveries. In Kheel’s report, the city would raise taxi fares by 25 percent, with all extra money going to support public transit. With less congested streets, the analysis calculates, the average cabbie would make 37 runs a

The trips you take produce a lot more than jet lag. But they can BeGreen Now.

Learn more about offsets, find out how to balance out the emissions from your car or home, and check out our Gift of Green products at www.begreennow.com.

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Photo: Cesar Rubio

Adam Spangler

people

plentyliving

Eco Star

Lenny Kravitz For Lenny Kravitz, it’s all about love. In all its forms—personal, familial, religious, planetary—love has been the singular theme running through his nearly two decades of chart-topping music. Not surprisingly, then, he’s been called a hippie since Let Love Rule, his 1989 debut. Critics have fallen back on cliché again with his new release, It Is Time for a Love Revolution, for which he begins a world tour this May. But Kravitz wants the haters to get over it. In fact, he wants us all to get over it. “Since when did love,

11 questions for the man who hates to be called a hippie

peace, taking care of your planet, taking care of each other, and not fighting just have to do with being a hippie?” he asks. “It’s not about hippies or the ’60s. It’s about right now.” Disdaining labels of all kinds, Kravitz doesn’t want to be called an environmentalist either; he says he’s just another guy trying to make a difference, flaws and all. Plenty caught up with the singer in Paris to see how his colorful past is catching up with the green present.

5 6

Topic that occupies way too much of his brain Finding a wife.

Favorite place on earth

My 1,000-acre organic farm in Brazil outside Rio de Janeiro. It’s completely selfsufficient. When you open the tap in the house, local spring water comes through the pipes. A waterfall from the spring turns a wheel to make electricity.

Environmental pet peeve [People]

don’t understand their power as individuals. The love revolution is you. Whatever you put out into the world today should be love and peace. I am trying to live in love, so turn the damn light off.

No, but seriously

I love stereo products and technology, but when you’re done, they should shut down— the TV is off, but the red light is on. Standby mode drives me crazy.

Favorite musician right now

Gil ScottHeron. He is the shit.

Green car of choice I sold

all my cars. But did I get in a car today that is not a hybrid? Yes, I did. I have to be truthful. We’re all hypocrites sometimes.

Noteworthy eco sin The occasional private jet. I used to take them more, but I stopped. I fly as little as I have to. When I wasn’t touring, for example, I didn’t fly for almost two years.

Unheralded skill Design. But people are starting to hear about it through some projects I’ve done. I think my design talent is pretty equal to my musical talent.

Ideal carpool partners Barack

Obama, Cornel West, Sade.

Eco hero Explorer Mike Horn

photo by David Hindley

circumnavigated the world along the equator to raise people’s awareness of the environment, to show them firsthand what’s going on. He’s not just talking about it but doing it, and sometimes on incredibly dangerous trips.

Title of his memoirto-date The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

plentymag.com | 45

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living

In Vino Gravitas

Gretchen Roberts

To capture CO2, Torres winery maintains 3,700 acres of forests in Spain’s Catalonia region.

In the world of wine, climate change is a blessing and a curse. Growing season temperatures in 27 of the world’s major wine-producing regions warmed an average of 1.3°C over the last 50 years, according to a viticulture-focused study by research climatologist Greg Jones. And while winemakers in traditionally cooler zones like the Pacific Northwest and northern Europe have embraced temperature increases—which made their vintages more predictable and palatable to the modern consumer— projected rates of future climate change worry winemakers elsewhere. Vintners in countries as far-flung as the United States and Australia are concerned about issues like shifting 46 | june-july 2008

boundaries for grape-growing regions, scarce water supplies, and longer growing seasons coupled with earlier harvests. In an industry as old as winemaking, few events have the power to precipitate major change. But global warming is one of them. In regions set to benefit and in areas that are suffering, forward-thinking vintners are doing more

than just embracing evolving circumstances. They’re engaged in campaigns as multifaceted and complex as the wine they produce, incorporating innovative growing methods, reevaluating crop choices, and launching conservation efforts worldwide. For the winemakers of tomorrow, the key to surviving climate change is learning to adapt and persevere today. To start, winemakers are rethinking land use. Torres, an award-winning Spanish family winery with production sites in Spain, California, and Chile, is buying land in higher, cooler altitudes to protect the business for the next generation. Other labels like Chapel Down in southern England are planting

photo Courtesy of Miguel Torres Wineries

As temperatures heat up in the world’s grape-growing regions, winemakers face incredible opportunities and unforeseen challenges. How are they responding to the shifting fortunes of climate change? In a word: adaptation

photos Courtesy of Banrock Station (top); Miguel Torres Wineries (bottom left); frog’s leap winery

grapes that perform better in warmer climates. Chapel Down started growing cool-weather Germanic varietals in the 1980s but today has switched to grapes like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. “The growing envelope has moved north. Twenty years ago winemaking was marginal here; now we’re winning awards,” says Frazer Thompson, managing director of Chapel Down. “There’s no question climate changes are real.” In the vineyard, practicing sustainability through organic farming and water conservation is the new status quo. When Frog’s Leap Winery in Napa Valley began farming organically more than twenty years ago, the industry shook its collective head, according to Jonah Beer, the company’s general manager. “Now if you go to a party in Napa and aren’t talking about organic, you’re not with it.” The winery is still on the cutting edge: Frog’s Leap dry-farms, which involves mulching to preserve soil moisture and foregoing irrigation. The tasting center and business offices use geothermal heating and cooling, and its 1,020 photovoltaic solar panels collect so much sunlight that they sell excess energy back to the utility. Across the world in southern Australia’s Riverland, Banrock Station is also concerned about water use—but on a scale that extends far beyond its property’s borders. When the winery was founded ten years ago, it vowed to invest in conservation both on the property—the vineyards overlook 1,100 acres of wetlands—and around the world. “Our projects are about biodiversity,” Tony Sharley, Banrock’s Wine and Wetlands Centre manager, explains. “Initially we wanted to protect habitats and improve water quality worldwide. Today we realize that wetlands are carbon sinks, too. Not only do they store CO2 in the soil and above ground but they consume it as living systems.” Sharley’s insights on water conservation led to a speaking engagement at Spain’s Climate Change and Wine Conference in February, which Al Gore also addressed. To date, Banrock has raised close to $5 million in twelve countries for its global wetlands restoration projects. Older growing regions are responding as well. The Bordeaux region of France recently launched the Bilan Carbone

project to measure the carbon footprint of its wines, reacting less out of urgency than out of a larger sense of responsibility and long-term preservation. Winemakers there have enjoyed exceptionally good vintages lately because Bordeaux is at its climate peak; according to Jones’ research, however, the region is projected to be at the upper end of its optimum ripening climate for many of its red grapes and outside the ideal range for its whites in 40 years. “If climate change is not stopped, all the benefits global warming brought to regions such as Bordeaux and Rioja will turn into challenges,” says Pancho Campo, Spain’s Wine Academy director. In Oregon, one of the newest wine regions, winemakers try to view climate change with a mix of caution and “giddy excitement,” says Kevin Chambers, owner of Resonance Vineyard, a biodynamic vineyard in the Willamette Valley. “Climate changes have improved our consistency,

“If climate change is not stopped, all the benefits global warming brought to regions such as Bordeaux and Rioja will turn into challenges.”

Before the restoration of Banrock Station’s wetlands (top), the area was used for sheep grazing. Today, more than 70% of the River Murray’s wetlands have been destroyed or degraded in some way. Frog’s Leap built its LEED-certified Hospitality Center and Administrative Office (bottom right) in 2005. Water circulating within a sealed underground loop system heats and cools the building, which maintains a constant temperature of around 57°F. Spain’s Torres winery (bottom left) relies on helicopters, which emit 15% less CO2 than tractors, to farm its grapes.

but we do need to think ahead. What should I plant now that will sustain warmer temperatures for the next 50 years?” Like Thompson, Chambers recognizes that global warming has contributed to his personal success even as it marginalizes wine quality in warmer areas. Despite undeniably shifting wine zones, deeply rooted places like Frog’s Leap Winery, famed for its sustainable practices, have no plans to decamp for cooler regions. What’s more, Beer believes a little perspective is in order. “We wake up every day thinking we need to find ways to reduce our impact on the environment,” he says. “Because at the end of the day, if you can’t grow grapes in Napa, there will probably be worse problems in the world as a result of global warming.” ✤

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Banrock Station Australia’s Riverland Supports wildlife conservation to nurture the grapes on its 4,200-acre property and donates a portion of the proceeds from every bottle sold to wetlands projects around the world. TRY

2005 Shiraz Cabernet Sauvignon, a medium-bodied fruity wine with hints of spice. $6

Sustainabilty in a Bottle Wine quality depends on many variables—climate and weather patterns, the caliber of the grapes, the winemaker’s skill—but sustainable growing and operating practices go a long way toward producing better vintages. Here are a few of our favorite bottles. — GR

Benziger Family Winery Sonoma, California Employs vineyardspecific growing practices, protects native yeasts, and relies on predatory birds and insects for pest control as part of its Farming for Flavors cultivation program. TRY

2005 Oonapais Sonoma Mountain, a rich, earthy red blend made from certified biodynamic grapes, handsorted in the vineyard. $50

Frog’s Leap Winery Napa, California Starts with deeply rooted vines that pull every ounce of nourishment from the earth without irrigation or pesticides. TRY

2006 Sauvignon Blanc Rutherford Napa Valley, a crisp, elegant wine with mineral undertones ($18), or 2006 Zinfandel Napa Valley, a well-balanced, lowalcohol Zin. $28

Torres Catalonia, Spain Has forgone pesticides and herbicides for the last 30 years and recently created more than $10 million in reforestation grants to facilitate the reduction of CO2 . TRY

2006 Viña Esmeralda Catalunya, a lightly spicy white with floral aromas, or 2004 Coronas Catalunya, a medium-bodied red, tasting of dark cherry and toasted oak. Both $10

Resonance Vineyard Oregon Farms biodynamically on soil that’s primarily ocean sediment to produce its wines’ signature flavor. TRY

2006 Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir, a bright, smooth wine with raspberrypomegranate aromas and hints of clove. $49

Willamette Valley Vineyards Oregon Offers employees 50 free gallons of biodiesel each month to encourage the use of biofuels. It is also the first winery in the world to use FSC-certified cork in its bottles to help preserve an environment that sequesters carbon and releases oxygen. TRY

2005 Dijon Clone Chardonnay, a medium-bodied, fruit-forward wine with lingering flavors of vanilla, pear, and cream— it rivals the winery’s acclaimed Pinot Noir. $18

48 | june-july 2008

individual-size thirst, the inauthentic flavors, added sugar, and increased cost in both carbon emissions and dollars hardly add up to a healthy or eco-friendly option. Instead, check out the new tea-overice system from Tea Forté, the purveyor of those stylish pyramidshaped tea bags.

Place hot water and one tea pyramid in the top beaker and fill the bottom vessel with ice. After three to four minutes, pour the contents of the top beaker over the ice and, voilà, you have two cups to enjoy or an extra to share. Created by Peter Hewitt, founder of Tea Forté

and a former designer for New York’s Museum of Modern Art, the new glass system wins points for both style and function. And with four sublime iced tea flavors like organic Ceylon Gold and White Ginger Pear already available, you’ll be sipping pretty all summer long. —Jessica Tzerman

photographs by anthony

Brewing a cup of that summertime favorite— iced tea—isn’t quite as simple as it might seem if you’re after a clean, crisp sip. Ice too quickly and you end up with watered-down tea; wait too long and the craving has passed. And while bottled brews seem like an easy solution to quench an

verde (top)

Easy as 1-2-Tea

7 whole grains on a mission

food

living

farm to fork

Dan Barber

of local farmers, like Jack, who grow strawberries bred for their delicious flavor rather than their uniformity. One taste of his Tristar berries (so-called because of their three-month growing season) and you’ll see why these summer fruits are worth waiting for. ✤

Recipe

Strawberries and Cream

For the panna cotta 2 quarts heavy cream 1½ cups condensed milk 2 vanilla beans, split lengthwise, seeds scraped 3 sheets gelatin For the granite 1 lb strawberries ½ cup sugar For the strawberries 2 lbs strawberries 1 cup sugar Make the panna cotta ❶ In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream, milk, vanilla beans, and seeds over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Bring mixture just to a simmer, then remove from heat and discard vanilla beans.

28 | june-july 2008 50

❷ Soften gelatin sheets in cool water. ❸ Stir gelatin into heavy cream mixture. ❹ Pour into glasses and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until the panna cotta sets, at least 3 hours. Make the granite ❶ Mix strawberries and sugar, and let stand at room temperature for about 15 minutes. ❷ Transfer berries to food processor or blender and puree. ❸ Strain through a fine sieve, pressing on the solids to extract all the juice. Discard solids. ❹ Pour granite mixture into a shallow metal pan and freeze for about 45 minutes. Stir with a fork every 30 minutes until mixture is a

slushy, icy consistency. It will take 2½ to 4 hours, depending on the size and depth of your pan and the temperature of your freezer. Make the strawberries Mix strawberries and sugar and let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Strain and reserve. Serve Layer strawberries and granite on top of the panna cotta and enjoy. Serves eight. Dan Barber is the executive chef and co-owner of Blue Hill restaurant in New York City and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, located within Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, a pioneering farm and education facility in Pocantico Hills, New York (bluehillnyc.com).

rachel leibman;

more than 400 fossil-fuel calories to fly a single 5-calorie strawberry from California to my neighborhood supermarket in New York City, according to nutritionist Joan Dye Gussow. But increasingly, shoppers are beginning to identify other names, those

photo by jen munkvold; photograph by

“We got some good runners this year,” Jack Algiere, Stone Barns’ vegetable farmer, said to me last summer, trying to explain how, as if by magic, the number of strawberry plants had multiplied from 500 to 4,000. Feigning understanding—what do runners have to do with anything?—I crouched down to examine the crop. These weren’t the fist-size berries you’d recognize from supermarkets and hotel buffets. Each one was small and plump, and when I popped one of the dark, red jewels into my mouth, it burst with warm juice. Thanks to the big food chains, brandname cartons of shiny, symmetrical berries are as ubiquitous as General Mills, shipped to supermarkets year-round from farms in California or Chile, Oregon or Argentina. What you don’t see on the labels, however, is the fact that it costs

dan barber photo by nicholas basilion

eschews industrial-size strawberries in favor of smaller, less uniform fruits to make a cool summertime treat

home

living

52 | june-july 2008

Amber Bravo

Bursting the Bubble

By bringing customization to the prefab world, the architects behind the Burst house are minimizing waste and winning accolades from the Museum of Modern Art

all photos by Floto + Warner

his summer, a house that now sits on a beach in Australia will make an appearance (so to speak) in the least likely of places: a high-profile New York art show. The house is a vision of the future of prefabricated housing known as Burst*003; the men who conceived it, Jeremy Edmiston and Douglas Gauthier, comprise one of five architectural teams chosen from nearly 400 to present a full-scale dwelling at the Museum of Modern Art’s (MoMA) forthcoming prefab show, “Home Delivery: Fabricating the Modern Dwelling” (opening July 15). The structure the pair designed for the show, actually another iteration of the Burst series called Burst*008, will stop passersby with ease. But the New York architects’ ability to add an element of customization to kit housing is their less noticeable and more sustainable achievement. Through a custom-kit process, they minimize waste even more than the average prefab. “Everyone thinks prefab is just a big chunk of house you dump on a site and then you bolt it down,” says Gauthier. “Ours is a little bit more like an Ikea project. It’s thousands of pieces that can all be handled and stitched together on site.” Though the interior of the Burst*008 house will be modified to respond to the constraints of New York City and the MoMA’s specific building requirements, the structure will share many attributes with its Australian seaside counterpart. (Other Burst projects include a birdhouse and an art installation, so applying their concept in different contexts is nothing new for Edmiston and Gauthier.) Burst*003, aka Parish House, was designed for a family of five and is sited on a suburban cul-de-sac in North Haven, just minutes away from the north coast of New South Wales. The house is purposely designed in an understated form and with modest materials to capture the spirit of the traditional Australian beach shack. A mostly undifferentiated façade (in other words, no front doors or mullioned windows) is topped off with eye-popping roofing that borrows its pattern from a floral bikini. Structural joists are designed to store surfboards and bikes. And as of 2006, it was the only house in the neighborhood to actually meet the flood standards required of houses built so close to the water. Design foresight is not the only way in which Burst*003 responds to its environment. Traditionally, prefabricated structures are built off-site and delivered almost entirely assembled. The Burst system uses powerful software to design and calibrate all of the structural components to a specific site and project, from the number of screws needed for assembly to the cuts of all the material. Advanced CAD systems and a highly efficient milling process for the plywood enable the team to create a structure >

Burst*003’s glass facade (left) and interior walls enclose a simple floor plan (below).

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living

with very little waste. “The machine nests [the plywood] so efficiently, you end up with very little extra. Construction waste can account for as much as 20 percent of a project, but we’re down below the 5 percent range,” says Gauthier. The architects’ method allows them to partially adapt the structure prior to delivery according to site-specific environmental parameters. “Burst uses the most sophisticated technology we have available to us for designing, engineering, testing, and fabricating a structure,” says Edmiston, who works with Gauthier on Burst, though the two maintain separate architectural practices. “The promise is that

this can be shipped to locations that don’t have such ready access to technology, but where labor is more readily available.” The MoMA show’s demands are the same as any domestic exhibition space, so Burst*008 will be altered to withstand heavy foot traffic. Its clear, glazed back, replete with bleachers and a deck, will open onto the other projects in the show, acting as a sort of performance, party, and meeting space. What’s more, you’ll be able to see the façade from the street, which means Burst*008 might cause its fair share of house envy; particularly if, in the midJuly heat, there are surfboards stowed in those joists. ✤

Burst*003’s playful floral motif can change to suit a client’s wishes (above). Rowan and Erwan Bouroullec’s Facett chairs help decorate the space (bottom).

“Everyone thinks prefab is just a big chunk of house you dump on a site,” says architect Douglas Gauthier. “Ours is a little bit more like an Ikea project. It’s thousands of pieces that can all be handled and stitched together on site.” 28 | june-july 2008 54

}

Save

Eco-chic home accessories for any budget

Splurge

LICENSE TO GRILL

Eva Solo Table Grill

In humble opposition to pimped-out butane-burners, Danish design company Eva Solo came up with a charming tabletop grill that cooks perfectly using a small amount of Smartwood or FSC-certified lump (not pillow-shaped) charcoal. The porcelain grilling chamber doubles as a serving bowl when you’re not using it. (To achieve an even cleaner burn, check out the portable solar oven at realgoods.com.) $340, evasolo.dk

}

High-Low Split

Electrolux Jeppe Utzon Barbecue

Jeppe Utzon, the 37-year-old grandson of Sydney Opera House architect Jørn Utzon, created this sleek outdoor grill, which relies on natural gas, an alternative heat source that emits about half as much CO2 as traditional charcoal pillows. When you’re not cooking, its covers slide back in place to convert the unit into a minimalist patio table—a bonus that makes the grill’s cost a little easier to swallow. From $8,300, electrolux.com.au

< > < > RUG-(GED) BEAUTY

Gaiam All-Weather Rug

Liberate rugs from the living room. The Gaiam Reversible All-Weather Rug works both indoors and out, so you can liven up your patio or cleverly disguise a patchy bit of lawn. The floral design is made of recycled plastic soda bottles and handcrafted by Thai artisans who receive a fair wage for their work. It’s a feel-good floor mat and a lifesaver for mudrooms, kitchens, garages, and any other place dirty feet dare to tread. $39, gaiam.com

Christian Rathbone Eco-Friendly Handmade Turkish Rug

Rathbone’s graphic hand-spun rugs are made from humanely sheared sheep’s wool, organically dyed with colors from pomegranates, oak, walnut, madder root, indigo, and chamomile. The result is a fresh interpretation of traditional Oriental rug patterns, built to last from 50 to 70-plus years (depending on how kind you are to your rug). From $1,400, christianrathbone.com

BATHROOM ZEN-SATIONS

Indika Organics Towel

These luxurious towels from Indika’s Bamboo line are first-class fluffy without the high-class price tag of a bespoke tub. Made in Montana with hand-loomed, organic Turkish cotton and infused with coloring from vegetable and plant dyes, the Indika Bamboo towel is quite possibly the most eco-friendly way to dry off, save running around in the breeze. $14 to $66, indikaorganics.com

Wooden Tub

Sunken marble tubs seem so Dynasty. For a modern take on the indulgent soaker, try a Japanese-style ofuru bath from Alaska’s Sea Otter Woodworks. Artisans handcraft each indoor or outdoor tub from sustainably harvested cedar and hinoki. Connoisseurs can design a bespoke bath or hot tub, or choose from one of the existing creations. Added depth and naturally heat-trapping wood make it that much easier to drift off into sudsy bliss. From $3,390, japanesebath.com

plentymag.com | 55

diy

living

Max McMurdo

Stool Work > trash to treasure

Max McMurdo gives new life to bulk packages by transforming them into multipurpose storage seats

The founder of UK design company Reestore (reestore.com), Max McMurdo takes everyday, landfill-bound objects and turns them into charming yet functional furniture and accessories.

Rinse container inside and out. Draw a line around the circumference of the container at the point where the side walls end and the top begins to taper.

Drill a pilot hole in the top section of the drum to prevent splitting, then carefully cut along the line. Save the separated top for step 4.

Lay the fabric face down, making sure it’s slightly larger than the foam. Place foam on fabric and plywood on the top, like a sandwich. Starting with the corners, pull fabric tight and use staple gun to affix fabric to plywood.

To get dimensions for the interior dividers, measure diagonally across the top and bottom of the container, then trace the line between these points along the outside of the drum. Size plywood pieces accordingly. (I tend to oversize and sand to fit.)

56 | june-july 2008

Sand the top opening to create a smooth edge.

Cut a slot in the top half of one divider and in the bottom half of the other. Make sure each slot is slightly wider than the thickness of wood. Fit the pieces together and place inside the drum.

Place separated top onto the plywood (as far to one edge as possible) and trace the circumference to determine the size of the stool bench. Saw and sand edges.

Top with the fabric cushion and the stool is complete. I use mine as a receptacle for storing cleaning products in the bathroom, separating wine bottles for recycling, or hiding away toys, dog bones, or old magazines.

Jameson Simpson

tools drill, jigsaw, sanding block, staple gun

Illustrations by

MATERIALS 1 industrial-size plastic container with four defined corners (any 6-plus gallon bin from, say, a restaurant or wholesaler will work) 1 small sheet of plywood roughly 3½ ft x 3½ ft (ideally recycled—local building sites are a good resource) 1 16 in. x 16 in. piece of used fabric, like an old T-shirt 1 old cushion or piece of upholstery foam 1 box of 6 mm staples

EARTHWORKS EXPO 2008 FEATURING: ~ Over 150 exhibitors in renewable energy, green building, green transportation, and Earth-friendly products & services ~ Dozens of informative, hands-on workshops ~ Special activities for children ~ Live music and entertainment ~ Valuable prizes and giveaways ~ Low ticket prices

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS: Peter Barnes, co-founder

of Working Assets & author of Climate Solutions: A Citizenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Guide

Michele Weingarden,

Director of Greenprint Denver, former environmental advisor to Senator Barbara Boxer

WWW.EARTHWORKS2008.COM ~ 970-416-8700 ANDERSON & ASSOCIATES

Public Relations Inc.

Boulder Green Building Guild, Boulder Weekly, Denver Newspaper Agency, Greenprint Denver, High Country News, McStain Neighborhoods, Rocky Mountain Chronicle, Sanyork Fair Trade, Waste-Not Recycling, Westword

the green fiend

living

Annemarie Conte

TO DO: • invites • dr ess • honeym oon • register! • food • music ?

The Green Fiend

Annemarie Conte is hearing wedding bells. But if the day is to be remembered forever, does offsetting the whole thing erase some of the permanence? I got engaged this year on January 2, and right after my fiancé, Andy, proposed, I said to him, “We’re going to enjoy this engagement for a full week before we begin planning the wedding.” Two hours later, I was practically picking out china patterns. In an attempt to stay organized, Andy and I have created the requisite wedding notebook to track appointments, potential vendors, and various ideas along the way. We’ve learned to tackle one thing at a time, take lots of deep breaths, and explore as many environmentally friendly options as possible—because they’re out there; they just aren’t organized in one convenient place. Here are some excerpts from our nuptials notebook. Taking a peek at these pages also provides a glimpse of the emotional roller-coaster that is my planning process, so get ready. Note to Self Get rings. Andy proposed

with a family ring, which is the best form of recycling there is, but unfortunately, the matching wedding band didn’t outlast Great-Grandma Pasquelina. We have a problem here. In the Margins There are jewelers who use recycled gold, like Green Karat (greenkarat.com) and Leber Jeweler in Chicago (leberjeweler.com). And while Tiffany & Co is researching fair-trade certification for diamonds, there’s no word yet on guaranteeing the gold they use. I don’t think the legendary ring bearer will come through in time for me, so I have to scratch them off the list. Note to Self Find a dress that makes me feel great. Bridal shops stress me out, and buying a new gown just doesn’t appeal. I need alternatives, something like a “gently used” dress from Encore Bridal (encorebridal.com). In the Margins Every single consignment shop dress I try on has poofy ’80s sleeves and is made with approximately 44 pounds of lace.

Note to Self Create a registry. For those into estate silver and china, Replacements (replacements.com) and Rocky and (rockysgoldandsilver.com) Brenda’s offer previously loved tableware—a bonus not only for the eco factor but also because you get distinctive stuff, instead of the same old Crate & Barrel plates that everyone else gets. In the Margins Do I really need all this stuff? Actually, hell yes, I do. I’m tired of living like a frat boy. Note to Self Send invitations. But I don’t

need multiple pages or heavy cardstock made out of trees from virgin forests. In the Margins Some people I know use Evite or Pingg, but it just feels so backyardbarbecue to me. Under consideration are Earthly Affair (earthlyaffair.com) and NepalesePaper.com, which has gorgeous, sustainable papers made out of some sort of bark by villagers in the Kathmandu Valley. Note to Self Line up the reception.

Guests getting drenched during an outdoor reception? No thanks.

In the Margins The people at the Pocono Environmental Education Center in Pennsylvania don’t look at me like I have three heads when I say the words “No disposables,” and they have a hall made from local timber that incorporates green design. That’s promising. Note to Self Select the food. September will be a great time for the wedding because local produce is abundant on the East Coast. Two of the hardest-working men in the food business, Albert Sabitini and Kevin Ruch, grow amazing eats on 14 Acre Farm and have their hands in a restaurant, a B&B, a bakery, and a catering business near Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. In the Margins I’m scared they’ll be so exhausted from other endeavors, they’ll fall asleep in the herb-roasted blue potatoes. But the star duo assures me they’re hardy people. Note to Self Map out the honeymoon. I haven’t had any time to find an eco-friendly resort yet, but what I do know is … In the Margins I can’t wait.

Andy proposed with a family ring, which is the best form of recycling there is, but the matching wedding band didn’t outlast Great-Grandma Pasquelina. Send Annemarie your wackiest DIY ideas at contact@annemarieconte.com. 58 | june-july 2008

We only have ONE. Treat it well.

ECO TRAVEL

GREEN GADGETS

ORGANIC GOODIES

PLENTY

FAIR TRADE FASHION

POLITICS WITH A TWIST

The World In Green

Green is feeling it more, not less. Green is living a lifestyle that supports innovation. Green is never compromising.

Subscribe today and save 60% off the newstand price. Call 1-800-316-9006 or visit www.plentymag.com

style

living

Ann Wycoff

Making Waves Hit the beach in eco-friendly style Tilley Endurables’ TH4 Hemp Hat staves off sunburn with a laid-backadventurer feel. $79, tilley.com

The ultimate eye-candy tote, Nahui Ollin’s organic canvas Artesenal Quintana is hand-embroidered with yarn colored with natural dyes. $229, nahuiollin.com

Cover sun-kissed skin with Omala’s bamboo, hoodie dress—it sports a sleeve pocket designed to hold your iPod. $90, omala.com Amy Sacks Masa Mahogony sunglasses are made from bamboo and they’re as sustainable as they are chic. $175, amysacks.com

Laze in the sun on this leopard-print towel by Rogan for Target, made entirely from organic cotton. $30, target.com Stroll the boardwalk in El Naturalista’s men’s Arrecife sandal—handstitched with a recycled rubber sole. $150, elnaturalista.com

Legendary surf photographer Aaron Chang designed this reversible, recycled polyester bikini, allowing you to rock two hot looks for the price of one. Top, $54, bottom, $45, aaronchang.com

Think polar bear cool in this US-made, organic cotton T-shirt from Darwin Design Clothing. $22, darwindesignclothing.com

El Naturalista’s Ikebana sandal has leather uppers tanned with vegetable extracts and ground tree bark. $125, elnaturalista.com

Hang ten in Patagonia’s Minimalist II Board Shorts, made from recycled polyester with a durable, water-repellent finish. $55, patagonia.com

60 | june-july 2008

Lather Up The gift of good grooming just got gentler for Father’s Day Ahava Men’s Foam Free Silk Shave Shaving foams can be drying, but this rich cream is infused with vitamin E to keep cheeks smooth and blemish-free. $18, ahavaus.com

Origins Save the Males Moisturizer This oil-free face lotion features carrot protein for hydration, Chinese wolfberry as a protective antioxidant, and white birch to combat signs of aging. $33, origins.com

Photographs by anthony

verde, styling by camilla slattery (top and opposite); photo courtesy of nike (far right)

Korres Marigold and Ginseng Aftershave Balm

The Art of Shaving’s 4 Elements of the Perfect Shave Carry-On

Aveda Pure-Formance Composition

Calms irritated skin with aloe vera, witch hazel soothes redness, and the ginseng extract goes to work on your parched jawline.

Attention road warriors: This kit meets airport restrictions yet lasts for many shaves. A preshave oil, shaving cream, brush, and moisturizer are included—just add a razor. $60,

Consider this a one-stop dryness elixir: Work a few drops into your scalp, hair, skin, or body. A splash of citrus mixed with spearmint and lavender essential oils will perk you up, too.

$19, dermstore.com

theartofshaving.com

$25, aveda.com

TRENDWATCH

BIODYNAMIC

BEAUTY

Biodynamic gardening already took the winemaking world by storm, and it’s now taking root in the beauty industry, too. Consider the method organicplus: Growers eschew herbicides and pesticides, rotate crops to preserve soil, and tend to plants according to lunar cycles. “It helps ensure plants are at their healthiest,” says Eli Halliwell, president of Jurlique. Biodynamics also boost a plant’s potency, so the active ingredients pack a stronger skin-saving punch. Jurlique launches its new line of biodynamic products in June. jurlique.com

Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Daily Face Scrub Use this before shaving to get a little closer— its mild exfoliants leave your face squeaky clean, and there’s no added fragrance or soap. $18, crabtree-evelyn.com

Burt’s Bees Natural Cologne for Men This 100 percent natural cologne is made with bergamot, orange, and fir-needle oils and comes in a bottle made from recycled glass. $25, burtsbees.com

—Jessica Hartshorn

Nike Wavy Jane $35, nike.com

Reducing Their Footprint Major shoe companies are stepping in an earth-friendly direction Shoe manufacturing is notorious for toxic dyes and glues, wasteful scraps, and landfill clutter. But several major brands are starting to improve that process, creating more sustainable footwear that treads lighter globally. Brooks molds their midsoles individually to eliminate waste, and this July, their Trance 8 runner will have a plastic midsole that can biodegrade in 20 years—instead of the usual 1,000. Nike has crushed more than 18 million pairs of used and defective shoes into a composite, Nike Grind, that has resurfaced more than 200 sports fields worldwide. And their new Considered line of footwear—which includes the Air Jordan XX3 and the Wavy Jane—is made in part

from manufacturing leftovers. Timberland and Patagonia recycle rubber scraps into some of their soles, and Crocs launched a take-back program this year that grinds down old shoes to make new ones. “People think eco-friendly has to mean recycled or organic, but there are energy needs and transportation emissions, too,” says Galahad Clark, director of Terra Plana, a British company that’s leading the way in the eco-friendly-shoe movement. “The most important thing is that shoes are made well, used, and loved, and not just worn a couple of times and thrown away.” —Zoe Cormier

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reviews

living

Tobin Hack

> green media

New music, film, and reading for the ecophile Cloud Cult: Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) Earthology Records, CD, $12

From its ethereal hybrid of indie-rock, electronica, and classical sounds to the “action paintings” that lead singer Craig Minowa’s wife, Connie, creates during concerts, Cloud Cult defies categorization. What’s certain is that since day one—Ghosts is Cloud Cult’s sixth album—the band’s ethos has been green. Cloud Cult records on a geothermal-powered organic farm in northern Minnesota, produces 100 percent postconsumer recycled products, and offsets its tours. Its label (a not-for-profit founded by Minowa in 1998) provides eco consulting to other bands and giants like Universal Records. Eco-indie aficionados rejoice.

The Dominant Animal: Human Evolution and the Environment Why I Came West By Rick Bass Houghton Mifflin, $24

Rick Bass made Montana’s Yaak Valley his home because it made him feel small, because it was full of stories, and because he felt compelled to protect it. West is part memoir and part petition on behalf of one of America’s great and fragile wild territories, now threatened by loggers and pressure to build roads that scar the land. Bass’ humorous, selfeffacing, wise, and meandering musings on place, self, and nature will hit home— no matter where yours is. 62 | june-july 2008

The End of Food

By Paul R Ehrlich and Anne H Ehrlich Island Press, $35

By Paul Roberts Houghton Mifflin, $26

The latest book from Stanford professor, MacArthur-genius-award winner, and author of controversial bestseller The Population Bomb Paul Erlich tells the story of how mankind came to dominate nearly every inch of the earth. Coauthored with his wife, scientist Anne Ehrlich, Animal spans the entire history of the world, weaving both cultural and biological evolution into the ambitious narrative. At its core are timely questions we would all do well to consider: Is it in our best interest to dominate Earth? Are we creating a future we want to live in?

With The End of Food, Roberts delves into the economics, politics, and psychology behind the many food crises—hunger, obesity and its ramifications, abominable safety supervision of mass-produced food—that today foretell a dramatic exit from “the age of superabundance.” Roberts, author of The End of Oil, refrains from dumbing down his complex material; instead, he offers an unabridged explanation of how we got here and what consumers can still do to help pull our global food economy out of the ditch.

The Plot to Save the Planet: How Visionary Entrepreneurs, and Corporate Titans Are Creating Real Solutions to Global Warming By Brian Dumaine Crown Business, $25.95

What if there’s more money in solar power and clean tech than there ever was in Microsoft, Dell, or even Google? Peak oil and global warming are forcing us to overhaul our world’s infrastructure, but you won’t hear Fortune Small Business editorial director Brian Dumaine moaning about it. America, he argues, is positioned to pioneer the new green frontier and save the world—reviving the economy, creating jobs, and making boatloads of profits in the process. Through engaging anecdotes from forward-thinking businesspeople in energy, furniture design, transportation, and more, Dumaine shows that from here on out, it will pay to think green.

SUMMER SCHOOL Children are open-minded, sponges for information, and bursting with optimism and enthusiasm. Who better to get excited about fighting for the future of the planet? And what better way than with books? More an activity book than a bedtime story, Round Like a Ball (Blue Apple Books, $15.95, ages 4 to 8) is a guessing game– cutaway book that illustrates Earth’s precious and fragile nature. The stunningly photographed Elephants (Thames & Hudson, $19.95, ages 4 to 10) challenges burgeoning biologists with amazing trivia about the huge mammals. Pale Male (Knopf, $16.99, ages 6 to 12), a good choice for artistic types, tells the true story of a red-tailed hawk that built its home atop a New York apartment building in 1995, capturing the dreamlike quality that wild animals acquire in an urban setting. And MySpace cofounder Tom Anderson’s

My Space/Our Planet: Change is Possible (HarperTeen, $12.99)

is a hip handbook that blends green teens’ MySpace comments with eco tips from experts, embracing the seemingly paradoxical idea of a virtual green scene. For young film buffs, Disney’s Pixar-animated Wall •E (in theaters June 27) follows a lone robot in charge of Earth’s final clean-up.

Flow: For Love of Water

photograph by anthony

verde (top)

A documentary film directed by Irena Salina Opens in New York and LA in July and August, flowthefilm.com

Flow’s premise is simple but terrifying: The world is running out of clean drinking water. A handful of big water corporations are in cahoots with the World Bank, privatizing water supplies in municipalities throughout America and other nations. Not surprisingly, water privatization and pollution are hitting the poor hardest, but no country or community is exempt from the ramifications. Following water activists like Maude Barlow, viewers watch blood, trash, and sewage pouring into a Bolivian river, but we also meet the innovators and aid workers who are bringing hope to a thirsty world. It’s difficult to imagine a person who could watch this chilling but ultimately uplifting film and remain unchanged—what An Inconvenient Truth did to elevate the issue of climate change, Flow could do for the water crisis.

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Italy, the Romagnoli Way A Culinary Journey

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G. Franco Romagnoli, the godfather of Italian cooking in America, and his wife Gwen chronicle their years of travel from north to south, taking you on a chapter-by-chapter journey through particular regions—their history, culture, people, and, above all, their distinctive cuisine, from the cannelloni and venison of Tuscany to the couscous and capers of Pantelleria. Throughout, the Romagnolis include recipes of their tastiest discoveries, allowing you to conjure up the true flavors of Italy without leaving home. Delectably illustrated with full-color photographs, this book will give you both inside knowledge of, and a craving for, Italy’s most savory secrets. As bedside reading, a travel companion, or a kitchen essential, Italy, The Romagnoli Way brings the heart of the Old World to life—and to the table—for lovers of fine cuisine, cooking, and all things Italian. AVAILABLE WHEREVER BOOKS ARE SOLD

Jessica Tzerman

plentygreen gear

gear

photography by anthony

verde

Summer Lovin’ Bench Press

High-concept designs with a low-key vibe make it easy to stay cool all season long

There’s something really fun and full-circle about relaxing with a glass of wine on a bench made from old wine barrels. The same mellow, quality oak that once aged a fine vintage looks positively decadent in a hallway or bedroom, or on the porch. Each handmade bench has hidden depth under the seat for storing towels, blankets, toys, and more.

$400, uncommongoods.com

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green GEAR Space Age

Herman Miller’s mobile C2 Climate Control system (which also filters the air) uses energy-efficient, thermal-electric technology to keep your personal space comfortable—regardless of who’s controlling the thermostat. $280, dwr.com

Let There Be Light

SunNight Solar’s buyone, give-one flashlights have provided affordable illumination for families from Eritrea to Houston. The latest series of souped-up (pink!) beams continues to shine. $25–30, sunnightsolar.com

Phone Home

Kids’ Corner: Milk It Green Toys has figured out an ingenious way to get kids to drink milk: Convert the empty containers into super-fun toys like sand castle kits, gardening kits, and tea sets. Phthalate- and BPA-free, the sweet pastel playthings are parent-approved, nontoxic, and virtually indestructible.

Sand Play Set, $20, greentoys.com (for retailers)

Saturday Night Fever

Who says the party has to end at dawn? With this solar-powered disco ball, daytime is the right time to get charged. A solar cell converts the sun’s energy into enough electricity to keep the lights flashing and your guests grooving all night long—and maybe longer. $35, mxyplyzyk.com

For the first time ever, Bluetooth technology goes green with Iqua’s solarpowered headset. Weighing in at less than one ounce, the Iqua Sun lasts for nine hours of talk time in complete darkness when its fully charged. $100, shopiqua.com

Slim Picking

At less than two pounds, Toshiba’s Portege R500 can deliver an entire workday’s performance on a single charge, thanks to energy-saving LED lamps. Starting at $2,149, toshibadirect.com 66 | june-july 2008

Editor’s Pick

Stick a Cork in It Any wine drinker knows that racking up eight corks is as easy as, well, going through eight bottles of wine. Thanks to Remake It’s genius wine cork trivet kit, now there’s a bona fide reason to indulge. Just screw your stoppers onto the coils, and you’ve got a ready-to-use, recycled hot plate. And because the kits are mega-affordable, you should probably buy a few—you know, for later. $10, replayground.com

Trend Alert: Bag It

Recycled totes of all sizes for the plane, train, beach, or trail In the Bag Part of LeSportsac’s Spring/Summer collection (and first-ever ecofriendly line), this stylish, roomy, and 100% recycled Stella McCartney tote in a funky pop print screams It Bag—not Mom Bag.

$350, lesportsac.com

Sail Away

We can’t get enough of recycled-sail carry-alls, and nine-year-old Sea Bags is the leader of the pack. Not only do they support the 2008 Olympic sailing team and breast cancer research through limited edition sales (and sails) but they also offer an uncommonly large variety of sizes and options, including this sporty duffel. $185, seabags.com

Carry On

Targus named its convertible messenger bag/backpack Grove for a reason. Besides being one of the most versatile pieces of indoor/outdoor luggage we’ve seen, it’s made from cool green materials like recycled plastic and nickel-free metal, without any trace of PVC. $80, targus.com

The Tao of Travel

Being on the go is all about making do with less; travel gear—not so much. Enter Mountainsmith. The outdoor giant has ramped up its sustainability efforts with a new line of thoughtfully recycled travel trunks and accessories (like this medium-size Cyber II camera case) made from reincarnated PET plastic. $20, mountainsmith.com

Messenger Bag

Last fall, Timberland erected billboards in Boston and Providence, near its headquarters, to spread the message about its eco-friendly Earthkeepers collection. Once the campaign ended, the footwear pioneer converted the signs into sleek, one-of-a-kind totes that hold everything but never seem bulky. $25, timberland.com for store locations

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The Taj Mahal. Machu Picchu.

And the Eden Project?

Introducing...

The Seven

eco wonders

of the World

By CC Sullivan

Present and future landmarks that embody our new era of sustainability in a way that past lists never could have 68 | june-july 2008

Architect Frank Gehry’s model for the Museum of Bioiversity, set to open in 2010.

The Seven Wonders of the World. The phrase, first used by ancient Greek historians like Herodotus, recalls a simpler time, when the human influence over nature was an awesome mystery. From the Hanging Gardens of Babylon to the Great Pyramid of Giza, the magnitude and mastery displayed by the ancient wonders were staggering to our ancestors. Century by century, through advances in technology, engineering, and exploration, our collective sense of what constitutes a marvel has changed. But even recent rankings of world wonders—a set called the New Seven Wonders of the World, based on global voting results, was announced in Lisbon last summer—herald our ability to triumph over nature. Today, at the dawn of a new eco era, this old-school monument standard makes us, well, wonder. Should we celebrate endeavors that cast us as conquerors of the natural world, or those that connect with and sustain our environment? Plenty editors decided we need a new list of wonders—one with an eco-enlightened perspective. So we searched the globe. We visited today’s most progressive, iconic structures. And we studied blueprints for projects now under construction that represent a better form of development for tomorrow. We insisted that these eco wonders connect our built and natural realms, cultivating hope for a brighter, greener, more innovative century. And lo and behold, Plenty’s Seven Eco Wonders of the World was born: present and future marvels (in no particular order) that prove our civilization can leave an eco-friendly imprint.

1/ Museum of Biodiversity Panama

The Eco Wonder The density of plant life in Panama is greater than in Brazil or China. Such incredible variety inspired local leaders to erect a new Museum of Biodiversity—aka the Bridge of Life—on a conspicuous site at the Pacific mouth of the Panama Canal. Designed by iconoclast Frank Gehry, the Bridge of Life will be as colorful as a parrot’s plumage. Once it opens in 2010, the Panama City museum will house an original edition of Darwin’s The Origin of Species, and it will feature twin semicylindrical aquariums, and “Panamarama,” a three-story, fourteenscreen film space. What’s Behind It Sensing the need for a new national icon, Panamanian nonprofit Fundación Amador is developing the museum with Gehry; the surrounding botanical park with New York’s Edwina von Gal; and the educational exhibits with Toronto design guru Bruce Mau. The Smithsonian Institute and Panama’s national university are also advising. Eco-touring Tips Soberania National Park, a lush rain forest preserve, is just minutes away. Many visitors stay at Canopy Tower, an observatory in the tropical park, amid the roar of howler monkeys and the blue flash of Morpho butterfly wings. More than 1,500 islands dot Panama’s coasts, making it a kayaker’s paradise.

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Nysted Havmøllepark (left); Dongtan (top right); and the California Academy of Sciences (bottom right).

Denmark

The Eco Wonder The Dutch are known for windmills, but it’s the Danish who now claim the world’s second-largest offshore wind farm, located in shallow but navigable waters 6 miles off the shore of the bucolic southern coastal town of Nysted. Gently rotating blades reach out more than 130 feet from their colossal 225foot posts. Seen from the sky, the 72 sleek, marine-gray towers rise from the ocean in neat rows, marking out a parallelogram. What’s Behind It Denmark leads the

globe in the push for renewable energy. More than 5,000 turbines on land and 200 offshore produce about one-fifth of the nation’s energy. The Nysted project, a joint venture between several European companies led by DONG Energy, has an annual output of 595 million kilowatthours, enough to supply 145,000 homes. Three of every four Danish wind farms are owned by individuals or cooperatives. Eco-touring Tips Visitors can sail in the unrestricted waters around the Nysted wind farm using sailing directions found on the farm’s website. Frequent tours leave from Nysted, where sport fishing is another popular local pastime. On shore, the Rødsand area is well-liked for its dunes, seaside campsites, game reserves, and a European Union bird sanctuary— and don’t miss the Egholm Ulvecenter, a wolf park and museum.

70 | june-july 2008

China

The Eco Wonder Called by its designers “the world’s first purpose-built eco city,” Dongtan will be powered entirely by renewable energy sources and supplied with battery or fuel-cell vehicles and solarpowered water taxis. Plans call for Dongtan, which will be located on Chongming Island in the Yangtze River Delta near Shanghai, to house up to half a million people by 2050. Tourist attractions will include a leisure park, a science exhibition, an educational center, and wildlife conservation areas surrounding Dongtan’s three distinct villages. What’s Behind It Even skeptics of this Chinese eco wonder are impressed. The Shanghai Industrial Investment Corporation is developing the site with contractors who use a mix of traditional and innovative measures like low-energy air-conditioning and green roofs. Dongtan will use half the water and create one-sixth the waste of a comparable city, even with 20 acres set aside for producing native foods like corn, rice, and fish. Nearby farms will be restored as wetlands, with a 2.1-mile buffer around the city to control ground pollution. Eco-touring Tips By the time World Expo 2010 comes to Shanghai, as many as 5,000 people will call Dongtan home. A one-hour ferry ride far from the bigcity bustle, pastoral Chongming Island is crisscrossed with canals and dirt roads, and hosts the largest migratory bird sanctuary in China.

Academy 4 / California of Sciences

California

The Eco Wonder With its steep, undulating 2.5-acre living roof, the glass-walled California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco looks like it rose from the ground around it. Covered with 1.7 million wildflowers, strawberries, and herbaceous perennials, the roof serves as a habitat for birds and San Bruno elfin butterflies, an apt topper for a natural history museum, planetarium, and aquarium rolled into one. What’s Behind It Designed by Italian modernist architect Renzo Piano with Monterey green-roof design firm Rana Creek, the $488 million building is shooting for a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum rating—a first for a museum. Built mostly of recycled materials, the natural showplace heats and cools itself with almost no external energy. Inside, there are more than 20 million living and preserved animal species from 170 countries displaying nature’s diversity. There’s even an alligator swamp and a rainforest. Eco-touring Tips The Academy opens this fall in Golden Gate Park. Nature lovers can plan picnics and hikes in the 1,000acre park when visiting. San Francisco, a global capital of eco chic, offers a nearendless selection of urban pleasures. Pick up a map from the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition’s impressive selection and twowheel it wherever you go.

photos courtesy of: previous page, Gehry Partners, LLP; these pages, left to right: Nysted Offshore Wind Farm; Arup (top); Tim Griffith (bottom); Tamsyn Williams; Ken Yeang; Star Axis

2/ Nysted Havmøllepark 3/ Dongtan

The Eden Project (above); Menara Mesiniaga (right); Star Axis (far right).

5/ Eden Project

6 / Menara Mesiniaga

7/ Star Axis

The Eco Wonder The biome conservatories of the Eden Project in Cornwall, England, are more than visually stunning. The giant geodesic domes made of inflatable plasticlike “pillows” enclose millions of plants, 5,000 species in all, laid out in botanical gardens that reveal how the plant kingdom supports human life. Billed as the world’s biggest conservatory, the otherworldly structures are also arguably the most environmentally advanced. Just one biome, the Humid Tropics section, covers 4 acres under a 180-foot-tall canopy, and is replete with butterflies, birds, and lizards. Yet the Eden Project’s main mission is for visitors to have fun—which explains why more than a million people enter the recyclable foil bubbles every year.

The Eco Wonder The fifteen-story Menara Mesiniaga stands as one of a handful of eco-friendly high-rise buildings designed by architect Ken Yeang. Full of open-air sky gardens with mature trees and tropical breezes, Yeang’s eco structures, most of which are found in his home country of Malaysia, are unlike any other tall buildings in the world. Menara Mesiniaga’s canopied sunroof, distinctive louvers, and open-air garden balconies give occupants the sense of being outdoors in airy spaces planted with tall trees and dappled with sunlight. From inside, floor-to-ceiling windows offer panoramic views of the surrounding area.

The Eco Wonder Part land art and part astronomy lesson, Star Axis occupies a remote plot in New Mexico near Albuquerque and Santa Fe. Conceived as a naked-eye observatory connecting people to the heavens and earth, the project has been underway for more than 30 years. The result, with its pink granite solar pyramid and a star tunnel precisely parallel to the Earth’s axis, will be elevenstories high and a tenth of a mile wide—a majestic and monumental bridge between land and sky.

England

What’s Behind It Millionaire record producer Tim Smit worked on another area attraction, the Lost Gardens of Heligan, before he envisaged his Eden, working with cofounder and architect Jonathan Ball, and horticultural gurus Peter Thoday and Philip McMillan Browse. Smit later enlisted British enviro-architect Nicholas Grimshaw to design the biomes. Eco-touring Tips By train, bus, or car it’s four and a half hours from London to the Eden Project in southwest England. Cyclists earn discounted tickets and line-jumping status at the biomes. Nearby activities include hiking the Camel Trail and Dartmoor National Park, plus Heligan’s Lost Gardens.

Malaysia

What’s Behind It Yeang’s bioclimatic design, better known as passive low-energy architecture, makes these towers work. The architect gained international renown by touting a future with “hairy” and “breathing” buildings, a reference to his patented ventilation techniques; high-rise vegetation sprouting from balconies; and open-air lobbies with picnic areas and playgrounds. Yeang believes that skyscraping cities are vital to our future, reducing sprawl while contending with booming populations. To work, they must bring in nature, fresh air, and sunlight where it’s least expected. Eco-touring Tips To witness the natural inspiration for Yeang’s architecture, stay at the Taman Negara eco resort, nestled deep in the world’s oldest tropical rainforest northeast of Kuala Lumpur.

New Mexico

What’s Behind It Charles Ross, a physicsstudent-turned-sculptor from New York, conceived of Star Axis in 1971. His idea was to create chambers and tunnels so people could experience the Earth’s spinning and movement in various time frames, from one hour to one season to one 25,920-year cycle of procession. Ross is well-known for celestial works—his prism installations at Harvard University create spectrum light that changes with the Earth’s rotation. Eco-touring Tips To look 13,000 years into the future, plan ahead. Star Axis is not officially open yet (the target date is 2010), though much of it is complete. The site is on Chupinas Mesa, where the Sangre de Cristo Mountains meet the eastern plains; check staraxis.org for updates. ✤

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Adventures by

jeff hull

of a Lifetime Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not hard to put together a list of classic encounters with the natural world: journeying across the Serengeti, swimming in the Great Barrier Reef, trekking up Mount Kilimanjaro. But the adventures on our list go a step further, helping us discover our place on this planet. From the ancient hunting rituals of the Kalahari Bushmen to the migration trails of polar bears, these ten trips are sure to awe and inspire.

Time Travel Across America National Parks in Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico

photo by Taylor Kennedy (Getty images) (opposite)

There’s no better way to witness the mythic grandeur of the Wild West than on a scenic train voyage. GrandLuxe Rail Tours takes you to iconic spots like Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley, “the American Serengeti”; the slickrock canyons of southern Utah, home to the Anasazi culture’s ruins; or the Grand Canyon’s variegated spires and plunging ravines, symbols of an epochal geology. The tour captures the romance of a bygone era with relaxing, luxurious rides that bridge the vast distances between these legendary landscapes. Fly into Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and roam around Grand Teton National Park for a day, then head for Yellowstone. Watch Old Faithful blow, board the train for dinner and drinks, and wake up in Utah, on your way to the beautiful cliffs and rock formations of either Bryce Canyon (at left) or Zion national parks. The next day, visit the Valley of Fire State Park outside Las Vegas before heading to the Grand Canyon. Additional stops in Sedona, Arizona; Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Salt Lake City round out the ten-day itinerary. The train’s 21 cars include two diners, where gourmet meals are served nightly, two bars, and two observation areas. Pullman and other modified cars provide comfortable sleeping to the rocking of the rails. There’s a feel-good factor in this sitback-and-relax option, too: Compared to flying, train travel emits about one-tenth the greenhouse gases.

Swim With the Sharks

americanorientexpress.com

Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia

Ancient Polynesians believed sharks were agents of the gods, sometimes benevolent and sometimes vengeful.

Seven of the Tuamotus’ 78 mid-ocean atolls comprise a newly created UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve, featuring one of the most fascinating and accessible marine ecosystems on the earth. These thin rings of land—formed on top of extinct volcanic cones that have long since subsided into the sea—surround warm, shallow basins of water in the vast South Pacific Ocean. Some of the best snorkeling in the world waits just beneath the calm surface of the lagoons, where sharks—mainly blacktip reef—cruise around by the dozens, providing long close-ups of the ocean’s most fluid swimmers. Ancient Polynesians believed sharks were agents of the gods, sometimes benevolent and sometimes vengeful. You’d be excused for fearing the latter. But here both ancient and popular myth melt away: Surrounded by a banquet of natural prey, Tuamotu sharks show precious little interest in snorkelers. After exploring the vivid coral beds, you can retire to the laid back Hôtel Maitai Fakarava for fresh mahimahi in vanilla sauce. Though not advertised as an eco lodge, the Maitai treads gently on its surroundings by virtue of its location inside reserve boundaries. hotelmaitai.com/fakarava.aspx

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Engage in a 30,000-year-old Hunting Tradition

Central Kalahari, Botswana

photos courtesy of uncharted africa

Hunting and killing prey for survival became fodder for our earliest sojourns into ritual and myth. For 30,000 years, the Kalahari’s Bushmen have hunted kudu, gemsbok, wildebeest, and eland, understanding their prey in a way only possible when a people live in true symbiosis with their environment. They remain in vital contact with this evolutionary imperative. Tour operator Uncharted Africa offers an amazing opportunity: the chance to accompany Bushmen on their initiation hunts and to briefly immerse yourself in the hunter-gatherer culture of the oldest tribe in southern Africa. Botswana’s Joan/Huansi Bushmen inhabit a remote land roamed by lions, leopards, giraffes, and meerkats. When you visit, you’ll be handed a digging stick and sent afield with women searching for grub—even an adolescent Bushmen girl will recognize more than 200 kinds of usable plants. You’ll sample bush foods like ostrich eggs, wild spinach, and roasted beetles (more conventional fare is prepared by your guide, too). But the highlight is a hunt: A young bushman tries to track a large antelope and down it with a poisoned arrow. In so doing, he passes from adolescence to manhood. You follow the hunters as they read the landscape’s subtle signs and imitate the animal’s stride, imagining themselves as their prey. Afterward, pieces of the catch are burned and ground into ash, then rubbed into cuts sliced in the initiates’ bodies—a symbolic transference of the animal’s survival skills to the hunters. To ensure that the presence of visitors is neither intrusive nor exploitative, each guide works with Bushmen elders to maintain the dignity of the community. This is the only trip of its kind in the world and the only chance to observe nature’s predator-prey relationship in a manner so little changed from its evolution since the dawn of humankind. unchartedafrica.co.za

photo by Dreampictures (Getty Images)

the Arctic Through a Researcher’s Eyes Instead of See Bay, Canada packing you Hudson Each Arctic October or November, polar bears congregate around Cape Churchill, Manitoba. wait there until ice shelves consolidate, allowing them to wander onto the sea. into a buggy They Several tour operators lead trips to Cape Churchill, but none come with the encyclopedic and driving knowledge of researcher Charles Jonkel. His Great Bear Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of bears and their habitats, and he has been researching the majestic you around all global animals for nearly 50 years. Instead of packing you into a buggy and driving you around day, Jonkel’s all day, Jonkel’s expeditions let you put boots on the ground and wander around the you can actually feel the wind, pluck snow-covered berries, cut chunks of frozen expeditions let tundra; ice to build igloos, and read animal tracks on the landscape. Nowhere on Earth is global you put boots warming changing conditions faster than in the Arctic, and Jonkel has witnessed those firsthand. Seeing polar bears through his eyes provides a rare opportunity to on the ground changes understand the demands of a world in which bears—for now, anyway—reign supreme. and wander greatbear.org/fieldcourses.htm around the tundra.

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Enter the Heart of the Jungle—by Day and by Night

Rio Napo, Ecuador

You get a bird’s-eye view of toucans, barbets, tanagers, harpy eagles, and hundreds of other varieties flitting about the treetops.

photos courtesy of napo wildlife center

Napo Wildlife Center is built on a lagoon swimming with caimans, electric eels, and piranha. The center invites guides to use its waterways to transport you to its 120-foot canopy tower, from which you get a bird’s-eye view of toucans, barbets, tanagers, harpy eagles, and hundreds of other varieties flitting about the treetops. Tours also take you to mineral licks, where parrots and parakeets congregate in a festival of color; or to local villages, where you can meet the indigenous Añangu people, who operate the lodge as an economic alternative to destructive resource extraction. In the evening, you head out onto the Amazon in a dugout canoe. As the lush floras disappear into blackness, new marvels appear. Tiny lightning bug–like insects float around the lily pads at the water’s surface, like thousands of Chinese lanterns; bats skim past in search of fish; caimans, ocelots, and other critters that spend daylight hours lurking in the foliage begin their hunt for food. When you see the caimans’ eyes shining in the beam of your flashlight, you’ll know just how close you are to that long snap-trap full of teeth. Day trips to this part of the Amazon reveal its colorful wonders, but it’s the nighttime outings that keep you tingling in your skin. napowildlifecenter.com

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Orangutans in the Mist

Borneo, Indonesia

As the last living remnant of a rainforest that once covered most of Southeast Asia, Borneo is a lost, remote world. Much of this island, which is split between Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, still exists as it has for ages, home to species found nowhere else on the earth, including rare Borneo pygmy elephants, orangutans, proboscis monkeys, and a significant number of tree species. At the Camp Leakey rehab center, Biruté Galdikas studies orangutans and rehabilitates captured ones for reintroduction into the wild. (Galdikas is one of the “Leakey Ladies,” the trio—Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey were the other two—of renowned primatologists led to the field by archaeologist Louis Leakey.) It’s hard to get closer to orangutans in their natural habitat than at Leakey, which runs its own trips to the jungle. Borneo’s rainforest is so dense and bewildering that traveling on foot is nearly impossible. So a visit to Camp Leakey means you’ll be transported via kelotok boats—think the African Queen, only longer and narrower. The kelotok allows you to float under low-hanging trees where proboscis monkeys frolic overhead and to approach other wildlife you’d never get close to while crashing through the jungle. The boats ply the rivers by day and provide a comfortable place to sleep at night, but the real highlight is waking to the layers of sound pealing through the trees. Reach Camp Leakey via the Orangutan International Foundation: orangutan.org.

It’s impossible to get closer to orangutans in their natural habitat than at Camp Leakey.

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Check in on Darwin’s Theory

Galapagos Islands, Ecuador

Book the Cormorant II through tribes.co.uk, a fair trade travel agency.

In the Galapagos, myths come undone.

Ride a Horse into the Mountains

Rocky Mountains, Montana

Galloping through a remote area on horseback, you connect intimately with both your animal and the landscape. In Montana’s million-acre Bob Marshall Wilderness Area (also called the Bob), horse hooves and hiking boots are the only way to get around. And what a wilderness it is: All of the region’s native creatures (with the exception of bison) still move through the Bob, a beautiful rarity. And if you’re riding a horse, the abundant elk and moose are more likely to stop and stare at you than to flee. The Bob’s magnificent Chinese Wall, a 1,000-foot-high escarpment stretching for miles, and its glacier-scraped, U-shaped valleys are awesome monuments to the pure power of geology. Trout-stuffed, crystal-clear streams; broad meadows; and the pine-clad shoulders of countless mountains stand as testament to how this part of the world once was. Nothing is more quintessential to the American outdoors experience than the crackle of a campfire, the silhouette of a mountain in the moonlight, the howl of a coyote and— if you’re in the middle of the Bob—the gentle snort of horses. To sign up for a ride, try jjjranch.com or wildernessranch.com.

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photo by Tui de roy (Getty Images) (top); Ronni Flannery (left)

Most cultures can point to places where their creation myths were born. In the Galapagos, myths come undone. It was during a visit to these islands in 1835 that Charles Darwin pondered how similar ecological niches were filled by different species on islands separated by just a few miles. Darwin’s ultimate solution, the theory of natural selection, methodically explains how life on Earth came to look as it does today—which, in the Galapagos, is almost exactly the way it looked when Darwin was there. The Galapagos’ highly regulated visitation program creates a certain sameness in tour options, but it also minimizes visitors’ disturbance of the wildlife. (Some Galapagos tortoises have been plodding around the islands since shortly after Darwin published his theory, almost 150 years ago.) Limiting the number of tourists has also fostered a lack of fear in the animals, practically guaranteeing intimate encounters. Be sure to book a small boat, like the sixteen-passenger catamaran Cormorant II, that lets you jump in the coves and reefs, and snorkel. The pageantry underwater is every bit as dazzling as it is on land. In his diary, Darwin described this chain of small islands as “a little world within itself.” And through him, they came to elegantly explain something about the rest of the world. If you want to connect with the fundamental elements of nature, the Galapagos Islands are a must see.

Stare Down a Jaguar

photo by john giustina

The Pantanal, Brazil Mayans and other Mesoamerican cultures believed that the jaguar moved between the earthly and spiritual realms, which may explain why the elusive cat is one of the most difficult-to-spot large mammals in the Western Hemisphere. The single place you might actually see a jaguar is at the Jaguar Research Center. A working research facility, the center offers tours and accommodations for visitors; and it’s located in the Pantanal, an area about the size of West Virginia that comprises the world’s largest inland wetland system, complete with seasonally flooded savanna and forests full of tropical hardwood. (A no-hunting policy, abundant prey populations, and waterways with surrounding open spaces allow for more jaguar glimpses than does the jungle, where the cats usually lurk.) Located where Brazil, Bolivia, and Argentina meet, the Pantanal is truly where wild things roam. Eighty-two species of large birds—a world record—inhabit the region’s waterways,

fields, and forests; giant otters and tapirs populate the swamps; piranha lurk in the waters. The research center sits in the heart of it all. In 2007, visitors saw 125 jaguars in 81 days of touring. No other operator comes close to that figure. Biofuel and rice agriculture projects threaten the Pantanal’s future, but attention from eco-tour operators like the Jaguar Research Center may help convince South American governments to preserve this ecological haven. jaguarresearchcenter.com

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photo by layne kennedy (left)

Live in Myth

Grindavík, Iceland Early Icelanders thought the Valkyries—female deities of Norse mythology—took the form of swans to visit hot springs like Iceland’s Blue Lagoon, seeking restorative powers they could find nowhere else. Iceland is, in fact, a wonderful place to restore your own sense of wonder, where myth sits very close to reality across a landscape of boiling mud pools, craters, and lava fields gouged by volcanoes and glaciers. Iceland’s plunging fjords, thundering waterfalls, and austere glacial interior make powerful impressions on a visitor, but the Blue Lagoon and other hot springs are easily the most comfortable—and visceral—way to let the country’s sense of lore inhabit you. As you soak, consider that Icelanders can still read their founding myths, the Sagas, in the original texts—the equivalent of our trying to read Beowulf in Middle English. Not coincidentally, a significant proportion of Icelanders believe that elves still inhabit features on the landscape; what could be perfectly straight highways were built with sudden jogs to avoid known abodes of little people. The country is also home to the Great Geysir (from which the word geyser originated), and instances of powerful geothermal energy shooting skyward can be a part of everyday life, providing frequent reminders of the fantastic forces that shaped the earth. If you happen to visit the Blue Lagoon and elsewhere during the long nights between September and March, it’s likely the dark sky will ripple with blue-green sheets of aurora borealis. According to legend, that electric shimmer would be the Valkyries again— specifically, the reflections of their armor as they carry slain warriors to a final resting place in Valhalla. bluelagoon.com

The Blue Lagoon and other hot springs are easily the most comfortable and visceral ways to let the country’s sense of lore inhabit you. 80 | june-july 2008

Local Motions

Wary of burning jet fuel? Scared by the dollar’s shrinking value? In search of kid-friendly options? These eleven outings reconnect you to the planet with ease. Witness Abundance Great congregations of wild animals give thrilling glimpses into those natural forces that operate beyond human interference: the Chesapeake Bay’s horseshoe crab spawn; sandhill cranes collecting in Nebraska; songbirds migrating through Lake Erie’s Point Pelee; and salmon runs through Seattle. State fish and game departments (fws.gov /offices/statelinks.html)

can point you in the right direction.

Employ the Scientific Method Pitch in on a field research project and spend time absorbing the rich contents of a scientific mind. Researchers employ volunteers for days, weeks, or months at a time. Approach a nearby university or, to wander farther afield, contact Earthwatch (earthwatch .org). For a small fee, you can participate in world wide studies of Mongolian wild sheep, Zambezi crocodiles, and more.

Enter Rehab Participating in the recovery of an animal injured by heedless human activity connects you to the wild heart. Check The Wildlife Rehabilitation Directory (wildliferehabber.org) or your state wildlife agency for options near you.

Document the Rhythms Photograph a natural place through its cycle of seasons

or its various weather phenomena. Try to shoot the exact same frame at regular periods for a year. In addition to revealing the subtle changes of time, returning to the same landscape will enrich your relationship to it.

Return to Gathering Mushrooms, asparagus, strawberries, mint, rice, huckleberries, herbs—all of these foods and more grow wild in various areas of the country. Find out what’s ripening near you, and then take a day trip to tromp around in the fields and gather enough to make a meal—or several.

Track Down Your Dinner Did you know that, worldwide, beef production creates more greenhouse gases than the transportation industry? Research where your food comes from, how it’s grown, what was displaced to produce it, and how far it travels to you—à la Michael Pollan in The Omnivore’s Dilemma.

Swap Sweat for Grub Sign up for a local Community Supported Agriculture or community garden and spend time working in the dirt in exchange for food. Be reminded firsthand of how rich and fecund the earth is—and reap great, local and usually organic foods to munch on after your weeks of tilling.

Count Birds, Not Sheep Anybody can lend a hand and contribute to the National Audubon Society’s annual Great Backyard Bird Count—even without a field guide and binoculars. Last year, more than 80,000 people submitted checklists for the ornithologists’ snapshot of bird distribution in North America (audubon.org /gbbc/index.shtml).

Clean Water Trout Unlimited (tu.org) and American Rivers (americanrivers.org) are two groups that organize stream rehabilitation or river cleanup projects nationwide. And, of course, there’s Plenty favorite Chad Pregracke; his Living Lands and Waters (livinglandsandwaters .org) team sweeps through

the Mississippi and other major rivers.

Read the Eco classics Don’t have time to explore the Arctic? Experience for yourself the words that informed and inspired the movement to save it and the rest of the natural world. A short list to get you started: Walden, A Sand County Almanac, Silent Spring, Song for the Blue Ocean, The Monkey Wrench Gang, Arctic Dreams, and The Lorax.

Camp in the Backyard The old childhood favorite helps to regain that aweinspired perspective on all things natural. It never grows, well, old.

For outdoor adventures closer to home, consider (top to bottom) cleaning rivers with Chad Pregracke; camping in the backyard; picking wild blueberries; photographing nature’s cycles; participating in the National Audobon Society’s Great Backyard Bird Count; or joining a field research project through Earthwatch or your local university.

On the Road Arizona

Kitt Peak National Observatory You so want to sit back with the roof open and participate in the Nightly Observing Program. See Saturn and the stars. Off Hwy 86 near Tucson, AZ 520.318.8726; noao.edu/kpno

West z Taliesin Frank Lloyd Wright HQ. Enhance your own ideas about organic architecture and conservation of the natural environment. In other words, get inspired. Cactus Rd and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ; 480.860.2700, ext 494 franklloydwright.org

California

x Tomales Bay Oyster Co

Bivalve farm sells namesake oysters, mussels, and clams. Waterside picnic area for prime shucking. 15479 Hwy 1, Marshall, CA 415.663.1242; tomalesbayoysters.com Buell House z Save-the-planet politicos Mark and Susie Tompkins Buell’s peace sign– fronted barn is a legend in Bolinas. Tricky hike to Alamere Falls, but it’s worth it for the 50-foot cascade directly into the ocean. Off Mesa Rd, Bolinas, CA Directions at marintrails.com

Monarch Grove Sanctuary Some 25,000 monarchs arrive from the Canadian Rockies and Alaska

to new digs in Butterfly Town, USA. Locals work to preserve their habitat and that of the Australian eucalyptus. October through March. Ridge Rd (between Lighthouse Ave and Short St), Pacific Grove, CA 831.648.5716; pgmuseum.org Post Ranch Inn f Architecture fit for its surroundings. Morning yoga, afternoon nature walks, and evening astronomy sessions. They know what you like. Off Hwy 1 (south of Carmel), Big Sur, CA 800.527.2200; postranchinn.com

The California Institute of Earth Art and Architecture (Cal-Earth) The roots of Nader Khalili’s futuristic subdivision and school. Called anything from eco-domes to super adobes to moon cocoons. Tours by appointment. 10177 Baldy Ln, Hesperia, CA 760.244.0614; calearth.org

La Jolla Cove Ecological Reserve Swim past the lounging sea lions, snorkel into a protected underwater ecosystem with Garibaldi fish and endangered giant black sea bass. 1100 Coast Blvd, La Jolla, CA 619.260.1880; scubasandiego.com

ARIZONA Hotel Valley Ho f 1950s legend complete with a Trader Vic’s. Stylish clientele eat local foods, can take a fitness class or a guided hike, and use low-flow toilets. 6850 E Main St, Scottsdale, AZ; 866.882.4484; hotelvalleyho.com

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Colorado

recycled paper, all bottles made from recycled glass, and trucks run on biodiesel. A microbrew capital in our book. 800 E Lincoln Ave, Fort Collins, CO 888.887.2797; odells.com

Rag Trade Happy Clothing Co Shop for locally designed highend goods among thrift-store threads. Note the price tags made from recycled party flyers. Way cool. 4600 NE Second Ave, Ste 6, Miami, FL 305.573.1478; ragtradeco.com

Devil’s Thumb Ranch f Geothermal energy and fire-

Connecticut

Georgia

places used for heating and cooling. Only 1 percent of land is developed. 3530 County Rd 83, Tabernash, CO 800.933.4339; devilsthumbranch.com

Odell Brewing Company x Six-pack holders are made of

Dressing Room Homegrown restaurant cooks up prime local produce. Located next to Paul Newman’s Westport Country Playhouse. Bravo! 27 Powers Ct, Westport, CT 203.226.1114

The Farmhouse at the Inn x at Serenbe Casual fine dining in this eco community. Opt for the porch and chef ’s choice menu. Stay overnight in one

dressingroomhomegrown.com

Saybrook Point Inn & Spa f Energy Star approved and pet friendly. Working fireplaces. Chemicalfree cleaning and low-flow water usage. Super nice and relaxing, too. 2 Bridge St, Old Saybrook, CT 800.243.0212; saybrook.com

Florida Pizza Fusion x Not your average pizza chain: organic ingredients, biode gradable spudware utensils, pies delivered in hybrid rides. 1013 N Federal Hwy, Fort Lauderdale, FL 954.358.5353; pizzafusion.com

COLORADO at the Broadmoor ] Golfing Certified by the Audubon Sanctuaries, the three sprawling championship courses show their true colors. 1 Lake Ave, Colorado Springs, CO; 800.634.7711; broadmoor.com

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Pelican Harbor Seabird Station Nonprofit rescues and rehabs sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife. Take a tour and see for yourself. 1279 NE 79th St Causeway, Miami, FL 305.751.9840; pelicanharbor.org

california Twins Ice Cream x Three Certified-organic farmers’ market fave. Biodegradable and compostable servingware. 610 1st St, Napa, CA; 707.257.8946 threetwinsicecream.com

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e spent the night watching live lightning storms meant just for us. We unearthed a winery in Nebraska; and we putted our way through a round of enviro-themed mini-golf, all in the name of green. We’ve compiled 88 of our favorite spots across the continental United States (and 200 and counting online) to inspire eco-conscious road-tripping that supports local economies. With our list in hand, you can plot a day off or a month-long journey. However you go about searching for American majesty, remember—the country offers a vast terrain for eco-minded travelers. by Kimberly Fusaro and Madhu Puri

exposed to raw elements behind a barrier of glass. 14520 River Rd, Plano, IL 630.552.0052; farnsworthhouse.org

Louisiana Bourbon Orleans f Enjoy this centrally located hotel (just steps from the gypsy booths!) knowing that it practices earth-friendly housekeeping and energy conservation. 717 Orleans St, New Orleans, LA 504.523.2222; bourbonorleans.com

california Feliz Lodge f Los Live like an Angeleno who has compost, conscious lighting, vintage furnishings, and nontoxic laundry supplies. 1507 N Hoover St, Los Angeles, CA 323.913.1443; losfelizlodge.com of eighteen rooms if you need. 10950 Hutcheson Ferry Rd, Palmetto, GA 770.463.2610; serenbe.com

Illinois

French Quarter Self-Guided z Walking Tour A 38-stop tour of the historic French Quarter. Hit all 38, or pick and choose your favorites. Download map from neworleanscvb.com/docs/walktour.pdf

Maine Cozy Moose Cabins on f Moosehead Lake Moose outnumber people around here. No joke. Scenery is best enjoyed from a canoe. 451 Moosehead Lake Rd, Greenville, ME 207.695.0242; mooseheadcabins.com

Hotel Monaco f EarthCare program is in effect

P ublic Market House x Shared space plays host

here, as per the standards of the Kimpton Hotels Group. 225 N Wabash, Chicago, IL 866.610.0081; monaco-chicago.com

to several small businesses in an effort to create a sense of community and keep the little guys alive. 28 Monument Sq, Portland, ME 207.228.2056; publicmarkethouse.com

C rust x One of the few certified-organic pizzerias. Not-so-deep-dish but delish. Euro-style, wood-fired oven, and ecoconscious from the flour to the truck that delivers it. 2056 W Division St, Chicago, IL 773.235.5511; crustchicago.com T he Farnsworth House z Architect Mies van der Rohe’s living legacy, where the indoors meet the outdoors in seamless harmony,

Massachusetts

F ireplace Seafood doesn’t get any fresher than this: mussels, clams, and oysters, all from local waters, plus artisanal New England cheeses. 1634 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 617.975.1900; fireplacerest.com

maine Surfboards } Grain Custom and handmade from local sustainable wood. Feeling crafty? Pick up a build-it-yourself kit. 60 Brixham Rd, York, ME; 207.457.5313; grainsurfboards.com

Michigan Wickwood Inn f Country stay of The Silver Pal-

ate Cookbook’s coauthor, so the eats are seasonally driven. Complimentary nibbles never a letdown—a must. 510 Butler St, Saugatuck, MI 800.385.1174; wickwoodinn.com

Minnesota Donna’s Delights } Yarn sellers offer some wool spun from their own herd. Nifty bamboo knitting needles. 110 N 1st St, Montevideo, MN 320.226.6457; maxminn.com/bev/

Coyote Grange z Pick your own strawberries at this 54-acre organic farm. 3476 271st Ave, Appleton, MN 320.752.4462 Red Stag Supperclub x First LEED-certified restaurant in the state. Menu items from farm to table. The Friday fish fry is a nod to owners’ Wisconsin roots. 509 First Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 612.767.7766 redstagsupperclub.com

Green Mini Golf Course ] APutting hole-in-one eco education. Aim

Onyx House f Centrally located boutique hotel stocks organic sheets and snacks. Hybrid drivers get parking perks. 155 Portland St, Boston, MA 866.660.6699; onyxhotel.com South End Buttery x Buy a cupcake or twelve without

michigan Ford Rouge Factory Tour z Maybe the world’s largest living roof; a historical site gone green. 20900 Oakwood Blvd, Dearborn, MI 800.835.5237; thehenryford.org

feeling guilty—a portion of proceeds from the three most popular types go to animal rescue. 314 Shawmut Ave, Boston, MA 617.482.1015; southendbuttery.com E nvi } Gal-pal owners pick the finest planet-friendly fashions for their oh-so-chic boutique. “Not hippie, just hip,” they say. 164 Newbury St, Boston, MA 617.267.3684; shopenvi.com

massachusetts Peak f Jiminy Mountain resort that uses a wind turbine to help meet electrical demands. Warm-weather activities include mountain biking, a climbing wall, and jousting. 37 Corey Rd, Hancock, MA; 413.738.5500; jiminypeak.com

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Candle Café x Vegetarian café is Green Restaurant certified. Like your meal? Buy their cookbook and make it yourself. 1307 Third Ave, New York, NY 212.472.0970; candlecafe.com Birdbath Bakeries x Green sister to celebrated NYC foodie destination City Bakery. Wind-powered, built from reclaimed materials, and organic to the last bite. 223 First Ave and 145 Seventh Ave S, New York, NY; 646.722.6565 buildagreenbakery.com

Brooklyn Brewery z Invests in wind power to offset

MONTANA

Fish Creek House Bed & Breakfast Into-the-wilderness setting. Food comes from the on-site greenhouse. Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest is your next-door neighbor. 5913 MT Hwy 41; Whitehall, MT; 406.287.2181; fishcreekhouse.com

for the grain bin and mock gas pump for a lesson in ethanol. Solarpowered concession stand serves soda in biodegradable cups. 210 N Minnesota St, New Ulm, MN 507.354.7888; puttinggreen.org

Montana Madison Buffalo Jump z Pack a picnic and hike to the top of these dramatic cliffs where people compelled bison to jump to their death nearly 2,000 years ago. Buffalo Jump Road, off US Highway 90, 23 miles W of Bozeman; 406.994.4042 fwp.mt.gov/lands/site_281935.aspx

West Paw Design } Everything for your cat or dog,

East Rutherford, NJ 800.765.6387 for tickets netsgogreen.com

New Mexico T he Lightning Field z by Walter de Maria Take off your shoes and stay awhile; vegetarian dinner provided. Lightning not guaranteed, but chances are good. Reservations required. Near Quemado, NM; 505.898.3335 lightningfield.org

W hite Sands National z Monument All white grains but no beach for miles. Hike one of the park’s four trails or take a scenic bike ride along Dunes Drive. US Hwy 70, 15 miles SW of Alamogordo 575.679.2599; nps.gov/whsa

with low environmental impact. Durable, nontoxic, and even recyclable toys. 32050 East Frontage Rd, Bozeman, MT 800.443.5567; westpawdesign.com

New York

New Jersey

New Jersey Nets First NBA stars accredited as carbon neutral. Green-themed throughout the season. Continental Arena, 50 State Rte 120

Stone Barns Center for Food & Agriculture Where James Beard Award winner Dan Barber and friends practice four-season farming, teaching, and more. Adjacent Blue Hill restaurant is his chef d’oeuvre. 630 Bedford Rd, Pocantico Hills, NY 914.366.6200; stonebarnscenter.org

its carbon footprint. Take a tour and sample the brews, or stop by for happy hour on Fridays. 79 N 11th St, Brooklyn, NY 718.486.7422; brooklynbrewery.com

North Carolina T he Cottages at f Spring House Farm Eco retreat boasts six secluded cabins nestled in 90-plus acres of rolling woodlands. Each cabin has a hot tub, a fireplace, and a fully equipped kitchen. 219 Haynes Rd, Marion, NC 877.738.9798; springhousefarm.com Lantern x Authentic Asian menu uses local and seasonal ingredients. Try the three-course tasting menu paired with an organic or biodynamic wine. 423 W Franklin St, Chapel Hill, NC 919.969.8846; lanternrestaurant.com

Oregon T he Heathman Hotel f Soon to be Energy Star certified, with green dry cleaning and eco wines. Give $25 to local treeplanting crew and get free parking for the hybrid when you book a package. 1001 SW Broadway St, Portland, OR 800.551.0011; heathmanhotel.com

Cooper Mountain Vineyards and Tasting Room Pinot, the state specialty, in the way God intended. The vineyard practices both organic and biodynamic farming Look for “no sulfites added” label. 9480 SW Grabhorn Rd, Beaverton, OR 503.649.0027; coopermountainwine.com

WASHINGTON Diner x Steelhead Pike Place Market on a plate, and serious and sustainable cuisine without sacrificing flavor. Maybe too good to be true? Not really. 95 Pine St, Seattle, WA (Pike Place Market); 206.625.0129; steelheaddiner.com

116 Market St, Philadelphia, PA 215.627.1899; franklinfountain.com Farmicia x Breakfast-lunch-dinner restaurant specializes in slow-food ingredients. The best part? No corkage fee if you bring your own bottle. 15 S 3rd St, Philadelphia, PA 215.627.6274; farmiciarestaurant.com T he Doylestown Bookshop } Big, bad independent bookstore. Partner with Eco-Libris, which plants trees for books. 16 S Main St, Doylestown, PA 215.230.7610 doylestownbookshop.com

South Carolina Hobcaw Barony z Research preserve that was home to several rice plantation giants. Coastal ecology and endangered species education on the roster. 22 Hobcaw Rd, Georgetown, SC 843.546.4623; hobcawbarony.org

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Esque Studio Look for their made-to-order (recycled!) blown glass line. Ralph Lauren and artist Kiki Smith are fans. Electric furnaces powered by wind. Studio open by appointment. 6717 N Borthwick Ave, Portland, OR 503.289.6392; esque-studio.com Oregon Coast Bike Route ] Bicycle-friendly state welcomes you to tour its coastline gas-free. See, smell, and hear the ocean. oregon.gov for maps, or bta4bikes.org for related information

new mexico World Headquarters f Earthship Not as scary as it sounds. Spend the night and experience recycled biotecture under a roof of rammed earth and tires. Taos, NM; 575.751.0462; earthship.net

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Pennsylvania T he Franklin Fountain x Old-fashioned soda fountain uses milk and cream from local farms in its to-die-for ice cream.

new york Habana x Café Luncheonette does eco to the nth degree. The tables are made from sawdust and recycled plastic. 17 Prince St, New York, NY 212.625.2001; ecoeatery.com

C lemson Blue Cheese x An artisinal cheese aged in an abandoned railroad tunnel. These Tigers really know their eats. 109 Hendrix Student Center, Clemson, SC 864.656.2155; clemsonbluecheese.com

Tennessee Ten Thousand Villages } Fair trade gift shopping packed with jewelry and trinkets. Mostly volunteer-run, locations nationwide. 3900 Hillsboro Pike, Nashville, TN 615.385.5814; tenthousandvillages.com

Texas Eve’s Garden f More than a B&B, it’s an eco crib and organic-gardening research site. Open forum for ecology talks. Ave C and N 3rd St, Marathon, TX 432.386.4165; evesgarden.org Farm Stand Marfa x After scoping Donald Judd and all things art-worldly in the middle of nowhere, nourish here. Local ranchers mix with new-resident yupsters. S Highland Ave, Marfa, TX; 917.215.6933 localharvest.org/farmers-markets

York Street x Nationally acclaimed chef (and a James Beard Award nominee) favors “responsibly raised food.” 6047 Lewis St, Dallas, TX 214.826.0968; yorkstreetdallas.com

and zip around Austin by bike or solar-powered scooter. New to the area? They offer guided tours. 1122-B S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 512.447.4220; alienscooters.com

Utah Z ion Lodge f Xanterra-operated inside Zion National Park. Six eco-friendly suites and no endangered fish on the menu. Leave a light tourist footprint. Springdale, UT 435.772.7700; zionlodge.com Moab z Beautiful desert and home to the country’s first EPA Green Power Community. On the way in, listen to windpowered public radio KZMU 90.1 FM. 435.259.5121; moabcity.org

Vermont Norma’s Restaurant x Super-helpful staff serves stellar locally grown dishes in this casual, window-walled bistro. Make a reservation. 4000 Mountain Rd, Stowe, VT 802.253.6445; topnotch-resort.com

T he Green Mountain Inn In the middle of historic Stowe Village, it’s just steps from a recreation path that practically begs you to walk, bike, or ’blade it. 18 Main St, Stowe, VT 800.253.7302; greenmountaininn.com

Wyoming Dragon’s Cauldron and Dragon’s Mouth z Black Fiery effects from Yellowstone’s thermal belly. Former spits black mud; latter spews stinky gas water. Plus, glimpse bison, elk, wolves, and more. Yellowstone National Park, East Entrance via US Rt 20, Yellowstone, WY 307.344.7381; nps.gov/yell M iracle Farm Bed & Breakfast f Spa and Resort Tucked in the Blue Ridge Mountains, this is a B&B and then some—with an organic farm and animal sanctuary, too. 179 Ida Rose Ln, Floyd, VA 540.789.2214; miraclefarmbnb.com

Washington Sleeping Lady Mountain f Retreat Recycled materials, down to the insulation. “Nature as art” is the running theme, along with fair trade coffee and gentle-on-the-planet toiletries. 7375 Icicle Rd, Leavenworth, WA 800.574.2123; sleepinglady.com T heo Chocolate Plant Tour z Willy Wonka be damned. Confections, brittle, bars, and cacao nibs in Fair Trade, organic, and singleorigin varieties. Sample your heart out. 3400 Phinney Ave, Seattle, WA 206.632.5100; theochocolate.com

Inn Serendipity Bed & f Breakfast Powered by the sun and air, the inn is an example of sustainable agriculture and forestry. Obsessed with its carbon footprint—in a good way. 7843 County P, Browntown, WI 608.329.7056; innserendipity.com

Wyoming Hotel Terra Jackson Hole f A leading green hotel with low-flow faucets and organic-cotton bedding. Cooler than expected. Look for the recycled seatbelts in finishes. 3335 W Village Rd, Teton Village, WY 800.631.6281 hotelterrajacksonhole.com

To view more listings, visit plentymag.com/roadtrip. E-mail your eco spots to roadtrip@plentymag.com

P urple Haze Lavender Ltd z Certified-organic lavender farm

TENNESSEE Farm x Blackberry Cheese, eggs, fruit, honey, and vegetables are all produced on-site. The menu is ever-changing, and chefs are happy to accommodate any “food-related whims.” 1471 W Millers Cove Rd, Walland, TN; 800.648.4252; blackberryfarm.com Strawmanor f Airy hilltop lodge perfect for groups. Spend an evening on the back porch; you’ll never want to leave. Owners help fund local land preservation. 417 Simon Crest, Canyon Lake, TX 866.860.4007; strawmanor.com

}

T herapy Threads you’d be tempted to buy even if they weren’t organic. Plus a wall of planet-friendly chocolates. Shopping and sweets—that’s our kind of therapy. 1113 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 512.326.2331; therapyclothing.com

A lien Scooters ] Ditch your four-wheeled ride

Farmers Diner x Classic diner dishes get a boost from fresh-off-the-farm ingredients. If you can’t grow it in New England, you probably can’t get it here. 5573 Woodstock Rd (Rt 4), Quechee, VT 802.295.4600; farmersdiner.com

Virginia Ayrshire Farm z Certified organic “manor farm” specializes in revitalizing rare and endangered livestock and in sustainably growing heirloom fruits and veggies. 21846 Trappe Road, Upperville, VA 540.592.9504; ayrshirefarm.com

on the royal fields of the Dungeness Valley. Open April through Labor Day. 180 Bellbottom Rd, Sequim, WA 888.852.6560; purplehazelavender.com

Washington, DC 94.7 The Globe ] DC’s radio innovator plays music with a hefty side of eco advice. Tune in. Washington, DC; 947theglobe.com

}

Restaurant Nora Housed in a 19th century grocery store. Country’s first certified-organic restaurant when it opened in 1999. A DC institution. 2132 Florida Ave NW, Washington, DC 202.462.5143; noras.com

Wisconsin

A rbor House Ecotourism at its height. An 1850s structure with an addition made of sustainably sourced wood. 3402 Monroe St, Madison, WI 608.238.2981; arbor-house.com

WASHINGTON, DC Nationals Park z Washington The brand-new stadium is Major League Baseball’s first LEED-certified ballpark. Capitol Riverfront, Washington, DC washington.nationals.mlb.com

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A trillion-dollar market could be created as early as next year if the US decides to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. While consultants and financiers scramble to stake their claim in the carbon rush, the question that remains is:

Will the environment emerge as the winner?

by Victoria Schlesinger Illustrations by Christian Northeast

n a February evening in the Butterfly Lounge overlooking San Francisco Bay, the jackets and ties and nametags finally came off. Attendees of the Carbon Forum America conference were sharing a nightcap and talking frankly about who will profit in the United States due to climate change. Would it be the banks, the traders, the greenhouse gas–emitting industries, or the public? A utility company employee who had already tossed back a few leaned heavily on a table, lamenting the problems with American capitalism. A CFO seeking funding for his solar venture called the carbon economy a “bunch of hot air.” And standing in small groups, as servers offered up hors d’oeuvres and glasses of wine, financiers projected the size of a possible US carbon market. With its potential to reach $1 trillion by 2020, it seems everyone wants a cut. The drinks and blunt musings came after a long day of panel presentations, where the questions of who will win and who will lose under proposed federal global warming legislation simmered beneath reserved exchanges. The conference began with an inspired speech about the significance of launching a carbon market—one in which companies buy, sell, and trade the right to emit carbon dioxide (CO2) to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere. It’s widely believed the world must slash CO2 emissions 80 percent by 2050 to avoid the worst effects of climate change, including sea level rise, catastrophic weather, and ecosystem degradation. “You are taking part in something that really matters,” James Cameron, vice chairman of Climate Change Capital, a cleantech investment group, told the crowd. “You’re finding ways to solve a problem that, ultimately, if we are successful, will have taught us how to achieve a level of cooperation between us as humans that, perhaps, we’ve never achieved before. That is the nature of the endeavor that is involved in the global carbon market.” Cameron, a tall, dapper Brit who wore pinstripe pastel socks and carried a fedora, received warm applause for his opening words. Next up was Nancy McFadden, senior vice president of public affairs for Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E). “I’ll bring this down to a level maybe not so lofty ...,” she began. It was a minor jab that alluded to the countrywide tension about how the $1 trillion will be divvied up. Financiers like Cameron, companies

such as PG&E whose CO2 emissions will be regulated, and environmentalists are now heatedly debating the rules for a market that could be in place as soon as next year. With about two-thirds of states pursuing regional carbon markets and climate change legislation in the absence of a federal policy, companies fear a regulation nightmare. As a result, the business sector is demanding the government establish a nationwide policy with a single set of rules as quickly as possible. An alliance called the United States Climate Action Partnership, made up of more than two dozen major corporations including General Motors, Duke Energy, and BP America, has pledged to help “enact an environmentally effective, economically sustainable, and fair climate-change program consistent with our principles at the earliest practicable date.”

lmost every process of modern life emits some CO2—transportation, heating, cooling, manufacturing, even exhaling. That’s why regulating the molecule is not only an unprecedented undertaking, but for most of us, an intangible one. Because trying to reduce an invisible and ubiquitous substance is by its nature an elusive effort, in the last year many economists have argued that the simplest solution would be to tax emitters for each ton of CO2 they produce. But most companies, financiers, and environmental advocates favor a more complex regulatory system, called cap-and-trade, for its cost effectiveness and incentives. “[A tax] doesn’t motivate the people here [at the conference] to get up in the morning and do something,” said Josh Margolis, co-CEO of CantorCO2e. Like Margolis, many conference goers offer financial services, such as investing, trading, and funding, to businesses that will be regulated and see their bottom line affected. “Do you think about steps you can take to minimize your taxes, or do you think about how you can earn more revenue? Most of my clients like to earn revenue,” Margolis said. To create a US cap-and-trade system, the federal government would set a limit on the amount of CO2 the country is allowed to emit, then ratchet down the limit each year. This makes the gas a valuable commodity that businesses can buy if they need to emit more or sell if they reduce their emissions. To monetize emissions, the government would issue carbon allowances, each of which would permit its holder to emit one metric ton (Mt) of CO2. For example, if a company called Alota Power typically emits 100 million Mt of CO2 a year but then invests in cleaner technology that reduces its emissions to 80 million Mt annually, it has 20 million unused plentymag.com | 87

allowances it can sell on the carbon market. Suppose Whata Steel Corp is struggling because it usually emits 130 million Mt but under the cap is permitted only 110 million. It can buy the 20 million carbon allowances it needs from Alota Power. In practice, a cap-and-trade system would regulate two types of companies: those that sell energy sources, such as coal and oil, or those that use a lot of energy, such as utilities and oil refineries. Because of the accounting mess that would ensue, individuals or residences wouldn’t likely be regulated. They will be affected, however, by rising energy and product prices. The climate change policy that legislators agree on will determine who gets the allowances, how many they receive, and who oversees the system. The EPA estimates that a single allowance of one Mt of CO2 could be worth between $37 and $51 by 2020. Given that the US emitted roughly 6 billion Mt in 2004, it’s easy to imagine the carbon market’s size. “We’re talking about handing out money,” says Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) climate program economist Chris Busch. “If you’re handing out money, everyone’s going to get in line and make arguments, which sound like principled arguments, for why they deserve to get the money.” For the first time in history, there’s a price on air.

hose making the loudest arguments are businesses that will most likely be regulated—and therefore required to pay for polluting—under climatechange legislation. They are pushing for cap-andtrade rules that best serve their interests, fighting over how low the cap should go, whether it could be broken under certain circumstances, and how carbon allowances should be handed out—for free, by auction, or both. What emitters want differs from what environmentalists want, and financiers and politicians have different ambitions altogether. “It’s contentious,” said Antonia Herzog, a climate legislation advocate for the Natural Resources Defense Council, about the carbon market design. “This is where the money is, so basically it’s a food fight right now.” At Carbon Forum America for instance, where most attendees were from the financial sector, the wants of industry didn’t seem to be of central concern. David Struhs, vice president of environmental affairs for International Paper, the world’s largest paper products company, found that out when he registered for the conference. In his presentation, Struhs told the crowd, “The nice lady at the counter … went through ‘Are you a technology provider, a consultant, a lawyer, a project developer, a trader, financial services, government employee …’ and that’s when I broke in and said, ‘industry.’ And she said, ‘Oh, we don’t have that one. I’ll just put you down as ‘other.’” Struhs paused. “Ladies and gentlemen, I think this is symptomatic of one of our problems.” Emitters may have been an afterthought at the conference, but they wield significant influence with members of Congress, who will design climate change policy. International Paper, like most large emitters, is arguing for the government to distribute carbon allowances free of cost to those with a history of emissions. Under this scheme, because International Paper emitted 10.5 million Mt last year, the company would likely be given 10.5 million allowances.

Additionally, industry would like the cap—which will decrease over time to shrink the country’s total emissions—to lower as slowly as possible. “From the perspective of what’s actually doable, you would hope that the reduction curve would start relatively shallow and grow deeper over time,” said Doug Stilwell, International Paper’s manager of environmental health and safety. “Because we don’t have a ready answer. We all know of ways we can save a little [emissions], but nobody knows how we can save a lot.” Many environmental groups oppose handing out allowances for free and instead advocate auctioning them off in a cap-and-trade system. In this scenario, companies would buy carbon allowances up front from the government, bidding against one another for whatever price the market will bear. Environmentalists argue that an auction will help discover the price of carbon, prevent companies from lobbying politicians for extra allowances, and ensure a system that benefits the public. The funds generated from an auction, they say, should help taxpayers. MIT economist John Reilly has explored a system modeled after Alaska’s distribution of oil revenues to state residents; he found that equally dividing carbon allowance rebates could distribute $1,600 to $4,900 annually per family of four. International Paper opposes an allowance auction for the same reasons as most emitters. “A tremendous amount of capital will be sapped out of the emitters to purchase the right to do what they have historically done,” Stilwell said. “Which would you rather we do— spend the money to reduce the emissions or buy the right to continue to emit?” Stilwell conceded it was not an either-or situation, though

“This is where the money is, so basically it’s a food fight right now.” 88 | june-july 2008

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he also said that companies would move offshore deliberating over whether to spend money to Who Gets Regulated? if compliance became too costly. reduce their emissions or buy carbon allowCompanies that There’s a worry, however, that companies ances. “They recognize that NatSource charges extract raw materials: won’t invest in reductions even if they receive these exorbitant fees,” Struhs said, poking fun Oil, Coal, the allowances for free, but rather will add the at the financial services company sharing the Natural Gas value of allowances to their business costs. As stage with him. “But they also recognize that a result, product prices would go up, and the there will be certain circumstances where Natprofit could be passed on to shareholders. As Source can provide them with the low-cost alCompanies that Busch from UCS, which supports an allowance ternative.” Reclining in a leather booth at the convert raw materials auction, explained, “A scalper is selling Super Butterfly Lounge, Brian Prusnek, the 30-yearinto energy products: Utilities, Refineries Bowl tickets. Would you expect him to sell the old vice president of policy for Climate Change tickets for less if he got them for free?” Capital, explained the relationship between The concern isn’t trivial, as evidenced in emitters and financial experts more bluntly. the European Union. There, a carbon market Companies Consumers that “Companies that are going to be regulated are that use energy: use energy established in 2005 is helping countries meet going to have to spend money to comply with Paper, Cement their commitments under the Kyoto Protocol— regulation. Every penny they spend is possibly the international climate change treaty the US a penny or half penny for us.” didn’t ratify. In the first experimental phase of the EU carbon market, Financiers will rarely earn that much, but they do stand to gain called the European Trading System (ETS), allowances were given business from a cap-and-trade system. to emitters for free. Nonetheless, some utility companies raised the ith so much attention on the design of a carbon price of electricity as if they had purchased the allowances. As a market, the environment might seem like the result, power generators pocketed around 1 billion euros in 2005. birthday kid missing her own party. But there’s a To correct the problem, the ETS is moving to a hybrid model in reasonable explanation: Whether the government which some allowances are given for free and others auctioned. gives away or auctions allowances makes no The aim is to transition all industries to 100 percent auctioning by 2020. “The right approach is to look at the affected industries and difference to the atmosphere. As long as the annual cap on CO2 to make an assessment as to how they function and how they can emissions is put in place and reduced each year, we’ll be working pass price along,” said David Hone, group climate change advisor toward our target of lower emissions. “Allowances are about how you spread and divide up this pool of value,” said Janet Peace, senior for Royal Dutch Shell, the world’s third-largest corporation. After three years of experimenting, EU companies are like car- economist for Pew Center on Global Climate Change. “So the cap bon market veterans when compared to their American counter- isn’t affected by how you divide it up, as long as you have a cap.” Still, no one believes a cap-and-trade system alone can solve a parts. Hone attended Carbon Forum America, and he thought the tension among participants was due to a lack of experience with problem as vast as climate change. Even a market booster like Cameron emissions caps. “A lot of people in companies don’t imagine, for doesn’t think so. “The carbon market will produce innovation, it instance, that the carbon price can pass through in the services will find bigger markets for technology, but it can’t be expected they offer; therefore they see the possibility of auctioning as a to do everything that’s necessary to make the transformation,” he threat to their profitability,” he said. “We’ve experienced the same said. We also need, Cameron added, incentives to increase energy tension in Shell, but we now have a lot more economic input into efficiency in commercial buildings and homes; higher fuel efficiency standards while we research electric- and hydrogen-powered cars; our assessment of this than we did originally.” To gain similar insight, US companies are contracting experts to and major government investments in clean energy research and advise them, and therein lies the opportunity for financial intermedi- development, “But it’s without question the most significant policy aries, such as brokers and banks. Financiers are expected to handle lever we’ve got. It best fits the problem we have. It deals with the half to two-thirds of the trades in the $1 trillion carbon market, which diverse range of decisions that have to be made every day all over might explain why they dominated Carbon Forum America and why the world. It does help overcome unnecessary barriers between Struhs was peeved that industry was left off the registration list. In human beings in solving the collective action problem. And it will his presentation, Struhs described the plight of a fictional company create wealth worth having when it’s done.” ✤

➼ ➼

Cut Carbon: It’s the Law For all the talk about climate change legislation and a carbon market, there’s only one bill up for serious consideration. The Climate Security Act (S 2191), introduced by Senators Joe Lieberman (D-CT) and John Warner (R-VA) in 2007, is

scheduled for discussion by the Senate this June. The bill proposes a cap-and-trade system for reducing greenhouse gas emissions that the EPA would implement and enforce starting in 2012. The US would cut its emissions to 1.7 billion Mt,

or roughly 70 percent, by 2050. As far as allocating allowances goes, the bill proposes a hybrid approach. It stipulates auctioning 22.5 percent of allowances in the first year, with that number rising to 70.5 percent by 2031. The majority of the remainder would be given

to the “covered sources,” which include utilities, fuel producers, natural gas processors, and energy intensive manufacturers. Expect legislators to tweak these numbers and dates, and perhaps much more, as the bill is amended and debated.

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reviews

plentylabs

slattery

BEST EVERYDAY USE Origins Sunshine State SPF 20 As lightweight as body lotion, and it leaves no greasy, white film behind. Vitamin E slows signs of aging while chamomile soothes, and it’s sweat resistant, too.

photograph by anthony

verde;

Screening Process

styling by Camilla

With summer in full swing, protecting yourself from damaging UV rays is a must. Most sunscreens contain chemical ingredients like benzophenone that prevent sunburn by absorbing directly into the skin. The smarter choice? Mineral-based products— formulated with zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, or a combination of both—that create a physical barrier to reflect UVA and UVB rays off the body. Our testers slathered on dozens of brands to find the skin-saving best. —Stacey Stapleton

$23, origins.com

BEST FOR FACE Korres Watermelon Sunscreen Face Cream SPF 30 Rich in hydrating shea butter, this can be swapped for your usual daily moisturizer. The faint, fruity scent makes you feel as if you’re on vacation—even when you’re not.

BEST FOR KIDS Nature’s Gate Kid’s Block Giggleberry Sunblock Lotion SPF 30 Gentle enough for sensitive skin, the water-resistant formula spares you from having to reapply it every time your kid climbs out of the pool. $9,

$28, sephora.com

natures-gate.com

Natural sunscreens that offer maximum fun in the sun

BEST SPRAY Kiss My Face Sunspray Lotion SPF 30 The burn protection is unsurpassed, and the nonaerosol spray applies a light layer of lotion that quickly and evenly melts into skin. $13, kissmyface.com

BEST STICK Dr Hauschka Sunscreen Stick SPF 30 Toss the tube in your purse or pocket: Its messfree portability makes this allnatural protector ideal for touch-ups on your nose, lips, and ears. $15,

BEST TRAVEL SIZE Badger Sunblock SPF 15 or 30 The 2.9 ounce tube meets stringent airport carry-on restrictions, so you can bypass baggage claim and head straight for the beach. $16, badgerbalm.com

drhauschka.com

BEST FOR WATERSPORTS All Terrain AquaSport SPF 30 Designed for hardcore water enthusiasts, this protector beads moisture on the skin, so you know when it’s working and when it’s time to reapply. $10, allterrainco.com

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plenty LABS

Clean Genies Testing lean, mean purifiers in a bottle

Finding one all-purpose cleaner that performs well on walls, floors, tiles, and more saves both cash and energy, thanks to reduced packaging and shipping weight. But how to tell which cleaners are truly green? Many manufacturers don’t fully divulge their formulas, which are protected as trade secrets. Plenty tested several multitaskers that are free of caustic ammonia and chlorine bleach; reproductive toxins like glycol ether solvents; and synthetic fragrances, which can harbor hormone-disrupting phthalates. The cleaners all had something to offer, but only some had stellar range. —Alexandra Zissu

Ecover All Purpose Cleaner

Performance Powerful. Particularly good on

non-wood floors. Scent Lemony. Neither strong nor long-lasting. Packaging Readily recyclable #2 HDPE Also Noteworthy Plant-based surfactants,

soap and ethanol, and natural fragrance. ecover.com, $5.75 for 32 oz

Seventh Generation Natural All Purpose Cleaner Performance Does the trick, but not to be

used on wood. Scent Comes fragrance-free or in Green

Mandarin and Leaf (from plant essential oils). Packaging #2 HDPE Also Noteworthy Discloses all ingredients

onto something—one spritz, we found, cuts through substantial grime. Scent If you’re fragrance-sensitive, choose the Go Naked—most Method scents are pungent. Packaging 100% recycled #1 PET Also Noteworthy Method doesn’t currently list any ingredients on its bottles (it says this will change), but the Method website identifies some synthetics in the formula. Fragrances are said to be natural and man-made, but without phthalates. methodhome.com, $4 for 28 oz

Clorox Green Works Natural All-Purpose Cleaner Performance Works as well as non-eco

counterparts in all areas of the house. 92 | june-july 2008

the maker of chlorine bleach. Endorsed by the Sierra Club. Synthetics, Clorox says, make up less than one percent of their formula.

top grease and dry gunk on a high chair. Leaves no residue. Scent Mildly citrusy. Packaging Concentrated; available in HDPE #2.

cloroxgreenworks.com, $5.49 for 32 oz

Mrs Meyer’s Clean Day All Purpose Cleaner Performance So effective the professional

Performance Works great, even on counter-

biokleenhome.com, about $5 for 32 oz

Vermont Soap Organics Liquid Sunshine Spray & Wipe All Purpose Cleaner

cleaners at Brooklyn’s GoGreen! prefer it to industrial products for post-construction work. Best on non-porous surfaces, such as walls. Scent Very strong. Combines essential oils and synthetic ingredients. Packaging One 32 ounce plastic bottle (both #1 PET and #2 HDPE) is said to make 16 gallons of cleaning fluid when diluted. Also Noteworthy Uses some “safe” synthetics.

that it may dull shiny surfaces. Quite foamy and leaves a residue, so the product works best where easily rinsed off, like in the bathroom. Scent Orange. Pleasantly short-lived. Packaging #1 PET Also Noteworthy Made with a minimum of 70% organic ingredients; independently certified by Vermont Organic Farmers.

mrsmeyers.com, $7.99 for 32 oz

vermontsoap.com, $14.98 for 38 oz

Performance The company correctly warns

slattery

Performance Those raving Method fans are

Biokleen Spray & Wipe All Purpose Cleaner

styling by Camilla

Method All Purpose Cleaner

Scent Citrusy but not overpoweringly so. Packaging Readily recyclable #1 PET Also Noteworthy Pretty pure stuff from

verde;

seventhgeneration.com, $5.39 for 32 oz

photograph by anthony

on the bottle and on a material safety data sheet on the company’s website.

Green, Greener, Greenest with Lori Bongiorno

Question: I love spending time outdoors in the summer but worry about mosquitoes and ticks. What’s the best way to prevent bites?

City Smarts

Smart’s ForTwo offers a premium feel in a pint-size package

photo courtesy of smart usa (above right); lemnis lighting (right)

inally, Europhile Americans can park in true Continental style with the fuel-sipping Smart ForTwo, the überhip staple of congested European cities since 1998. Manufactured by Mercedes-Benz, the ForTwo is partially recyclable and otherwise quite green. Components such as the inner fenders and the underbody trays are made from renewable raw materials and 100 percent recycled plastic. The ForTwo is also classified as an UltraLow-Emission Vehicle because of its extremely low exhaust emissions. Fuel efficiency is impressive at 33 miles per gallon (mpg) in the city and 41 mpg on the highway. Alongside many à la carte factory options, Smart offers the ForTwo in three trim levels: Pure ($11,590), Passion ($13,590), and Passion Cabriolet ($16,590). Standard features include a five-speed automated manual transmission, a central remote locking system, and a two-spoke leather steering wheel. Available addons include a panorama roof, alloy wheels, and heated seats. My metallic silver test vehicle was a Passion Coupe optioned at $16,225 with fog lamps, power steering, a six-CD changer and sound system, and more. On the streets, the ForTwo drew smiles and thumbs-up from passersby. People just can’t process how small the car is—more than 3 feet shorter than a Mini Cooper. “Is that an electric car?” several asked. Europeans have grown accustomed to parking the 8.8-foot-long vehicle vertically, at right angles to the curb. But don’t try this at home— even though Smart is looking into reversing the law, it’s still illegal to park this way in the United States. The ForTwo takes a Flintstoneslike 12.8 seconds for its dash to 60 miles per hour (mph), and top speed is electronically limited to 90 mph. But thanks to favorable weight distribution and wheels pushed way out to the corners, the car is really fun to fling around sharp turns. And cruising on highways isn’t the least bit scary. Smart USA is aiming for a four-star

It’s worth the effort to discourage these bugs because mosquitoes can transmit West Nile, malaria, and dengue fever, while ticks can carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease. DEET has long been considered the most effective defense, but it can have adverse health effects, including seizures and skin rashes. While the EPA says DEET is safe when used according to directions, there are alternatives. Here are my Green, Greener, Greenest repellent solutions.

Green If you use DEET, use it sparingly. (Use products with concentrations of 10 percent or less on children 2 to 12 years of age, and never apply DEET to babies younger than two months.) It’s best to avoid products that combine DEET with sunscreen, because you should reapply sunscreen more often than bug spray. Use DEET only on clothing or exposed skin, avoiding cuts and rashes. Don’t put it on kids’ hands or faces. Wash it off with soap and water when you get inside.

Greener The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has declared two less-toxic alternatives to be as effective as DEET: picaridin, a chemical repellent, and plant-based oil of lemon eucalyptus (not to be used on children younger than three). Contrary to popular myth, garlic and vitamin B haven’t been found to put off mosquitoes, but tests have shown that soybean oil can work well.

Greenest Cut down on repellent use by covering up with hats, socks, shoes, and long sleeves and pants. (Remember: light colors make pests easier to see.) Stay out of underbrush, where ticks lurk, and check your yard for sources of still water, where mosquitoes congregate. Most tick and skeeter shelters are obvious, but some, such as gutters and empty bird feeders, are easily overlooked.

Lori Bongiorno is the author of Green, Greener, Greenest: A Practical Guide to Making Eco-Smart Choices a Part of Your Life (Perigree Trade Paperback Original). Ask Lori your questions at greengreenergreenest@plentymag.com.

safety rating in the States. The rating remained undetermined at press time, but the list of standard safety features is impressive, including a highly visible and stylish steel frame, Electronic Stability Program, an antilock braking system, and full driver and passenger front and side airbags. A high seating position keeps occupants safer in sideimpact collisions while also providing commanding road views. Do you need this car? There are compact vehicles at similar starting prices that are larger and offer more standard features with only marginally worse fuel mileage. But they just aren’t as distinctive, upscale, and maneuverable as the Smart ForTwo. Pros Head-turner design; fits just about anywhere; great gas mileage; ability to personalize inside and out. Cons Awkward transmission shift points; brakes take some getting used to; possible wait time for vehicle delivery. The Verdict An intelligent way to navigate urban sprawl. smartusa.com —Stuart Schwartzapfel

tradethisforthat Why switch from a regular incandescent bulb or a compact fluorescent (CFL) to the Pharox? Simple: If you buy one tomorrow, you’ll still be using it in 2043. With a lifespan of 50,000 hours or 35 years (based on an average usage of four hours per day), the LED-based Pharox lasts 50 times as long as a standard bulb while emitting the same warm glow, and it lasts eight times as long as a CFL without using any harmful mercury. Plus, although it costs more, you’ll save well over $200 for each Pharox that replaces a standard 40-watt bulb, according to the manufacturer’s estimate. But even if all of Pharox’s promises don’t prove to be true (who’s got time to keep tabs on life expectancy?) consider that lighting accounts for 20 percent of worldwide energy consumption. How many lightbulbs does it take to change the world? Maybe just one. $40, lemnislighting.com

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The ultimate ecoshopping guide

Green Furniture

⅛ PAGE HORIZONTAL

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Michael’s Custom Built, Inc offers clients environmentally conscious products without compromising on design or style. Whether building a new piece of furniture or reworking an old treasure, we are committed to meeting every client’s individual needs and desires. www.michaelsupholstery.com

neat chef™

Put down that hose! You’ve cleared the toxins out of your house. Now what are you using to wash your car? Lucky Earth is a non-toxic, environmentally friendly alternative that cleans, polishes, and protects vehicles without the use of harmful chemicals. www.LuckyEarth.com

100% Organic, Fair Trade Executive Chef Jackets, now debuting at the MGM GRAND, Las Vegas. For more information on all Organic, Foodservice and Hospitality Products in the neat chef™ portfolio contact us at info@aneatworld.com

Earthlings Powerful, informative and thought provoking, Earthlings is by far the most comprehensive documentary ever produced on the correlation between nature, animals and human economic interests. Narrated by Academy Award nominee Joaquin Phoenix and music by Moby, Earthlings is a feature-length documentary about humankind’s absolute economic dependence on animals raised as pets, food, clothing, entertainment and for scientific research. www.isawearthlings.com.

greenmarket@plentymag.com 212.757.0048

plentygreenmarket Ecover

TS DESIGNS

Sustainably sourced ingredients, sustainably produced in the world’s FIRST ecological factory, effective cleaning and minimum impact on aquatic life – Ecover operates with sustainability at its very core. More than just cleaning products. Ecover does the dishes, not the fishes! www.ecover.com

We offer full package, socially responsible custom printing and dyeing. We try to make all our business decisions based on what’s good for our customers, good for the planet, and just plain good business practice. www.tsdesigns.com

GREEN SINGLES

leed with style

Meet progressive singles in the environmental, vegetarian, and animal rights community and other greens who love the outdoors, holistic living, and spirituality. Free to browse. Free to join. Easy sign-up. www.GreenSingles.com support@greensingles.com 877-669-0633

NATURAL HIGH LIFESTYLE Natural high lifestyle is a progressive collection of clothing and accessories, designed in sustainable natural fabrics, to suit your conscious, active lifestyle. www.naturalhighlifestyle.com

The only ecoengineered floor manufactured in the USA in a way that’s healthy for you, our employees, and the environment. Choose from the largest selection of species, grades, and widths in 100% reclaimed or FSC certified. 00.951.9663 pioneermill works.com/ plenty

WATERWISE FREE Waterwisdom Report Exposes H2O Scams … What every consumer should know! Shocking truths revealed about distilled, mineral, spring, filtered, bottled, reverse osmosis and purified H2O. Which one should you drink? Be Waterwise! Drink the purest. 800.874.9028 www.waterwise.com

last WORD

Sloane Crosley

Night Swimming

96 | june-july 2008

the natural phenomenon. We’d made sure not to wear any, so the mosquitoes started snacking while we were still on land. We walked down an abandoned fishing dock and were met by our local guide. Somewhere down the shore, there were safety talks, helmets, and kayaks with lights on the bow and stern being given out. Not so for us. A pungent, terrible smell invaded our nostrils. With our flip-flops sinking into mounds of corroded fishing net, we trudged to the three most beat-up kayaks on the planet. Chris paddled in the seat behind me as we wove through boats in the marina. Taking turns swatting ourselves, we ducked beneath the tree branches and into the rainforest. “Try not to kill us,” I said to Chris as his paddle scraped against a rock. “We’ll be fine as long as you follow my lead.” “Chris?” “Yeah?” “You’re sitting behind me.” We spent the first mile with no lights, trying not to lose the other two boats. Lowhanging vegetation smacked me in the head, then Chris, producing a lot of: Thwap. Pause. Thwap. By mile two, we passed other tourists, rowing in lines like kindergartners holding a rope. As if we were driving down a highway without headlights, they’d scream, “Dark kayaks coming!” I got the sense that these people were scolding us more than warning each other. By mile three, my arms hurt, I was tired of being yelled at, and the bites on my legs were approaching the size of the bumps on my head. Where was the glow? The water looked as black as a lake in New England.

It started subtly. I looked down and noticed a white fish following alongside our kayak. Then I realized it wasn’t white—it was glowing from ingesting and swimming in phosphorescent waters. The kayak ahead of us now left a trail of smoky incandescence as each paddle touched the water. Then the branches cleared, and the water opened, and we were in the bay. If we’d been on one of the official tours, only our hands would have been allowed to touch the water, but we peeled off our moldy life jackets and dove in. Let’s call it a case of environmental jaywalking. With every movement of our limbs, a greenish sparkling glow followed: bay angels. If we lifted our hands from the water, it was as if we had dipped them in glitter. I snapped my fingers under the surface and watched the sparks fly. We floated between two constellations— the stars above and the ocean below. Sometimes, now that I am back in grimy New York City and hundreds of miles from the natural beauty of Fajardo, I will smell the rancid stench of manmade garbage in the streets and think of those fly-infested fishing nets. Or I’ll get honked at by a cab and remember those judgmental tourists. I’ll look to the sky for solace, only to find a handful of stars (one of which is an airplane). But there is still peace to be found in the lit billboards of Times Square or the headlights whizzing up the West Side Highway—we glow too, when we want to. ✤ Sloane Crosley’s debut, I Was Told There’d Be Cake, a collection of humorous essays on New York and its disappointments, is out now from Riverhead Books.

illustration by

Picture it: springtime, last year, San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three friends and I had taken a much-needed long weekend. The plan was to lie on the beach, drink piña coladas, and sip coffee in some open-shuttered café with a view of street chickens. Or maybe street roosters. It was a nonspecific fowl fantasy. But after two days of perfect sun tanning and pristine white rooms, we realized that we weren’t really seeing Puerto Rico. Aside from the words on our boarding passes, we could have been anywhere. I’m practiced at the art of doing nothing, but if you’re going to get on an airplane ... So my friend Chris, a tall, bear-like creature who gets along with people of all cultures, took it upon himself to befriend the owner of a local nightclub, who recommended we go night kayaking through the rainforest to see one of the famous bioluminescent bays. Usually these kayaking trips are done in large official tours costing hundreds of dollars, but our guy knew a guy who knew a guy. So that night we piled into a rickety van, pulled out of our manicured hotel driveway, and headed toward the bay of Fajardo. The phosphorescent algae at Fajardo— microscopic dinoflagellates that absorb light during the day and sparkle at night—were so intensely brilliant that explorers, on first seeing the glow, must have thought they’d found the fountain of youth. But development and pollution have since taken their toll. The bay is now known as one of the most endangered natural wonders on the planet. In fact, Fajardo’s shimmer is so precarious that swimming is prohibited; tourists, who tend to cover themselves in chemical insect repellent, are a threat to

felix sockwell

A New Yorker learns to glow in the dark at one of Puerto Rico’s bioluminescent bays

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New York Magazine January 2006

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Everyone can appreciate technologies that go from gas-friendly to gas-free. That’s why Chevy™ offers seven models with an EPA estimated �� highway or better,1 plus more vehicle choices today than any brand that can run on cleaner-burning, mostly renewable �� ethanol.2 It’s also why we’ve introduced both Malibu® Hybrid3 and Tahoe® Hybrid 4 — America’s ﬁrst full-size hybrid SUV.5 And why we’ve put tremendous design and engineering resources in place to make Concept Chevy Volt™6 — our extended-range electric vehicle — a reality. Now that’s technology everyone can appreciate. Find out more at chevy.com

FUEL EFFICIENCY

E85 ETHANOL

HYBRID

ELECTRIC

FUEL CELL

1 Based on EPA estimates and segmentation. 2 E85 is 85% ethanol, 15% gasoline. For more info or to ﬁnd an E85 station near you, go to chevy.com/e85. 3 Malibu Hybrid very limited availability. 4 Tahoe Hybrid limited availability. 5 Excludes other GM vehicles. 6 Concept Chevy Volt not available for sale. ©2008 GM Corp. Buckle up, America!