Editor’s note: Biking is a very green form of transportation; new bicycles, though, can be expensive. This week, Lighter Footstep’s Chris Baskind has some pointers for buying a used bike. This post was originally published on August 30, 2007.

Other than walking, there’s no more Earth-friendly mode of transportation than a bicycle.

Bikes have an incredibly low manufacturing footprint in comparison to a motorized vehicle. They’re cheap to operate, don’t pollute the air, and provide more miles per calorie of energy than any mode of getting around known to humankind. Best of all, a properly maintained bicycle should last for decades.

These qualities make bikes a good candidate for buying used. You can pick up a quality bicycle for a fraction of their original purchase price, and it will give you many years of reliable service. But you’ll need to know what to look for.

We’ve put together a guide to help you locate a terrific used bicycle and assess its condition. Ready to roll? Let’s ride!

Where to find a quality used bike

By far, the best place to locate a ready-to-ride used bicycle is your local bike shop. If the shop is of any quality at all, you can be reasonably assured their used models have been vetted, adjusted, and are ready to hit the road.

Private sales are another good option. Cycling enthusiasts looking to upgrade their equipment are a great source of lovingly ridden machines. You’ll find them on eBay, Craigslist, and specialized listings such as rec.bicycles.marketplace newsgroup .

Finally, there are the old standbys of garage sales, flea markets, pawn shops, and police auctions. You can find some great deals here, but you’ll also need enough bicycle knowledge to recognize which bikes are junk, and which are treasures.

Evaluating a used bicycle

If you have a question about the condition of a used bike, take it to a shop for inspection. Bicycles are simple and reliable, but they must be properly maintained for safe operation. Here’s a checklist of things to consider before purchasing any secondhand bike.

• Frameset: Paint chips are like beauty marks — they’re inevitable, and add character. Expect dings and scratches. What you don’t want, particularly in aluminum frames, are significant dents. These can act as failure points. Carefully check the lugs or welds where the frame is joined together. Welds should be even. Cracking of any kind is a show-stopper. So are bends at the dropouts (where the wheels attach to the frame). There should be no play in the front fork. Small areas of oxidation or rust are primarily just a cosmetic issue.
• Handlebars: Never ride a bicycle with unplugged handlebars. If you can see the hollow of the bars, you must replace the handgrips are bar plugs before saddling up. In an accident — even a minor fall — unplugged bars are an impalement hazard. The bottom of racing-style "butterfly" handlebars should be roughly parallel with the ground. Replace worn or missing bar tape.
• Saddle: Replace torn or obviously worn saddles. There should be no play whatsoever. Generally speaking, saddles should be adjusted parallel to the ground. Sitting in the saddle, your leg should have a slight bend at the bottom of the pedal downstroke. If your pelvis rocks when you are pedaling quickly, the saddle is probably too high. Lower it bit by bit until the rocking goes away. Verify that the seatpost clamp is free of cracks or obvious distress.
• Brakes: Check for worn or dried-out brake pads. These must be replaced, along with frayed or rusty brake cables. Braking should feel positive. Look for cracked or bent brake levers.
• Drivetrain: Wiggle the crankset. Side-to-side play indicates worn bearings or an improperly adjusted bottom bracket. The same applies to pedals. Replace a chain if it’s rusty or has frozen links. Chains and rear gear cogs become mated with use, so chain replacement may require the purchase of a new gear cassette. Spin the freewheel and listen for the chatter of broken bearings. Lift the rear wheel — you may need help for this — and verify that shifting is crisp through all gears. You should be able to shift into the largest and smallest rear gear without the chain jamming or becoming unshipped. If this isn’t the case, the gearing requires adjustment. On bicycles with rear derailleurs, inspect the rear brake hanger for bends or cracking.
• Wheels: As with the crankset, side-to-side play in a bicycle wheel indicates poorly maintained hubs. Squeeze the spokes with your fingers. The tension should feel equal across the entire wheel. Loose spokes indicate serious problems. Rims require periodic adjustment to remain "true" (straight). Stand over each wheel and use the brake pads as a visual reference. Spin the wheel. A small amount of side-to-side motion can usually be corrected. Up-and-down rim motion cannot. Rims should smooth and free from road impact damage. Tires should hold the rated sidewall pressure. Replace tires exhibiting dry rot, worn tread, damaged sidewalls, or tears exposing inner ply.

What should you pay?

Do your homework and find out the cost of new bicycles in your shopping class. A well-maintained used bike — ready to ride — will command up to half its purchase value. You’ll need to take any necessary repairs into account as you size up a potential purchase.

So knock on some doors, get a good sense of the marketplace, and expect to find some good values. Then saddle up! Here’s wishing you smooth roads and endless tailwinds.
Copyroght © 2007 VidaVerdeMedia

Editor’s note: Football season is almost here, so Lighter Footstep’s Chris Baskind shares some tips for greening your tailgate party before the big game. Originally published on August 24, 2007.

Labor Day Weekend is just around the corner — and with it, the football and tailgating season in the United States.

It’s an annual ritual: head out to the game, break out the barbecue, and enjoy an afternoon with friends and family. There’s no need to skip the fun, even if you’re trying to live more lightly and be kinder to the Earth. With all the green options available to consumers these days, you can tailgate with the best of them and still leave behind a modest environmental footprint.

Just to make the point, we’ve rounded up a few ideas for an eco-friendly tailgating party. Because green’s got game.

The green barbecue

Your lowest-impact option for the tradition barbecue is propane. Sure, propane is a petroleum product — but it burns a lot cleaner than charcoal or wood fires. Propane also leaves behind less waste, and is particularly convenient when you’re cooking away from home.

If you’re going the charcoal route, consider Greenlink’s All Natural Briquettes. They’re made from environmentally friendly wood sources and renewable plant wastes such as coconut husks. Unlike conventional briquettes, Greenlink doesn’t use clay or anthracite fillers.

But skip the charcoal starter: it’s rich in Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), which you don’t want in your food or in the air. Use an electric starter. If that’s not practical, a good-quality charcoal chimney will get those coals glowing in minutes using nothing more than a sheet or two of newspaper.

Earth-friendly eats

Maybe you’re easing back on your meat consumption for the sake of the environment. That doesn’t mean you’ll have to miss out on grilling at your tailgate party. Check out the Vegetarian Kitchen’s tasty suggestions for veggie barbecue.

Not ready to give up on burgers and hot dogs? If you’ve not tried Boca’s burger patties or one of the great vegetarian franks you’ll find in most grocery’s freezer sections, you’re in for a surprise. A tip: veggie hot dogs are better boiled than grilled. You can always steam them in foil when you’re ready to serve.

As for the rest of the meal: go with local, seasonal produce and plug in your favorite recipes. The great thing about tailgating season is that it coincides with the biggest selection of the year down at the farmer’s market. Bon Appetit!

Organic brew

Green beer isn’t just for St. Patrick’s Day. Of course, we’re talking organic — not color.

Organic beer has really taken off in the past few years. Even big players like Anheuser-Busch have gotten into the act, which means organic brew may very well be sold wherever you normally buy groceries. Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, or most local natural food stores also carry organic beer lines.

Wolaver’s is currently the largest national distributor of all-organic beers. Their Pale Ale is a good choice for warm-weather tailgating. It’s traditional to drink heavier brews once there’s a snap to the autumn air. In any case, it’s an excuse to sample Wolaver’s award-winning Brown Ale or Oatmeal Stout. You’ll find similar organic selections from Peak Brewing and Goose Island Beer Company.

Ditching the Disposables

It’s tempting to break out the paper plates and plastic cutlery when you’re eating away from home. They’re certainly convenient, but most dining disposables end up in the environment or clogging local landfills, rather than finding their way into the recycling stream.

It’s really not much of a hassle to bring some dishes from home. They needn’t be your everyday ware: picking up a set of lightweight plastic place settings is a great outdoor investment, and you can probably find them secondhand for next to nothing at a garage sale or thrift store. Carry them home for washing in a lock-top box.

If you really need disposables that won’t make a mess of Mother Nature, check out Cereplast’s line of compostable cutlery. They’re made from a bio-resin derived from corn and potato starch. For other ideas on cutting picnic waste, see our article on Dining Without Disposables.

A little entertainment

If you’re fit enough to roll with the Tour de France (and perhaps a bit crazy), you can always follow the big game on a bicycle-powered television set like these inventive fellows.

For the less obsessive, there’s the Eton FR300 Emergency Crank Radio. You’ll probably have a great-sounding car radio to turn up at the tailgate site, but the FR300 is ideal for catching the play-by-play in the stands. It can be crank-operated, which means no need for AC power and zero battery waste. The FR300 has a TV audio section and will even recharge a dead cellphone battery in a pinch.

It’s a great radio to have on hand for emergencies, and a subtle way to demonstrate alternative-powered consumer devices for friends.

©2007 Lighter Footstep Media

Editor’s note: This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind shifts gears a bit to give attention to a big event next month: Blog Action Day. Of course, we’ll be participating, too (though it’s not much of stretch here!) This post was originally published on August 19, 2007.

On October 15th, many of your favorite blogs will go green.

We’re talking about sites which aren’t usually focused on environmental issues, including many of our faves here at Lighter Footstep: Lifehacker, Copyblogger, Web Worker Daily, ChrisG, Problogger, ZenHabits, and GigaOM.

It’s all part of Blog Action Day, an event organized by a trio of power bloggers which aims to unite thousands of sites for a day of articles and fundraining on behalf of the environment.

The idea behind Blog Action Day is simple: on October 15th, participating bloggers will post an article which deals in some way with green issues. A financial blog might address eco-friendly investing. An automotive site could choose to focus on hybrids or plug-in vehicles. It’s all about the Earth — and diversity of opinion.

As well-known blogger Brian Clark points out, the initiative is certainly a "call to action worthy of response." And while we don’t really think of Lighter Footstep as a blog in the strictest sense, we’ll be joining Blog Action Day here and at our sister publication, ecoTumble.

In addition to our online participation with Blog Action Day, Lighter Footstep will donate an amount equal to our one-day advertising revenues on October 15th to The Nature Conservancy, one of Blog action day’s designated environmental charities.

Don’t have a blog? Feeling left out?

In honor of Blog Action Day, we’re going to take the wraps off an initiative we’ve been kicking around for a while. We call it the Green Blog Incubator.

At Lighter Footstep, we think the more green voices, the better. So if you’ve ever thought about starting your own green blog, we’d like to help. And we’ll get you up and running before October 15th.

Details on how this is going to work are coming next week. In the meantime, pencil Blog Action Day onto your calendar.

See you there.

Editor’s note: Interested in being as green at work as you are at home? Lighter Footstep’s Chris Baskind provides some great tips for practicing environmental stewardship in the office. This post was originally published earlier today (August 16, 2007).

In business, going green is more than a marketing slogan: it’s the new way of doing things. It’s an edge — a method by which you can improve your company’s bottom line while acting responsibly toward your customers, employees, and the environment.

Back home, you’ve swapped your incandescent bulbs for CFLs; installed low-flow shower heads, weather stripping and an electronic thermostat; you’re eating more local and organic foods; and recycling is finally second nature.

Good job. But how does one scale personal progress in green living to the more complex structures of the 21st Century workplace? At home, you have full control. But in a business setting, there are co-workers, customers, and possibly investors involved — and nobody is ever in a hurry to change traditional operating practices. Bringing sustainability into the workplace is a long-term commitment, whether you’re responsible for two employees or two thousand.

The good news is this: green business is profitable business. So. to help you get started, Lighter Footstep has rounded-up twelve specific specific actions you can take to starting greening the way you work. Pick a few, drop them into your organizer, and let’s get started!

Share the ride

Organizing an office carpool can be as easy as posting a notice on your lunchroom bulletin board. While the immediate personal benefits are obvious — reducing employee impact on traffic while preserving our finite energy resources — it’s a great team-builder, too. Look for opportunities to place notices on company intranets and newsletters, and consider incentives for groups which manage to organize and sustain meaningful ride-sharing.

Shut down electronics at night

Every night, computers display screensavers to millions of perfectly empty cubicles. While it’s convenient to be checking email within moments of picking up your morning coffee, a computer works approximately as hard to produce a screensaver as a spreadsheet or any other routine task. That means many office computers waste twice as much power idling as they do actually working. Take a moment to shut down at the end of the day. Modern desktops boot fairly quickly, and you’ll save thousands of watts per year.

Dine out on eating in

Client lunch dates are an important part of business culture. But if you’re routinely leaving the office to eat — particularly if that involves driving — consider packing lunch. It’s probably healthier for you, you’ll save gas, and you’ll recover all that weekly driving time in workday productivity. Are you responsible for other workers? Make sure they have facilities to lunch-in, as well: seating away from their desks, access to a microwave, and a sinks for cleaning reusable utensils and food containers.

Get paperless

Moving to digital documents — through creation or by scanning paper documents into a database — is usually mentioned as a means to save trees and paper. This is true. But the biggest payoff, from a business standpoint, is in data recall. Most modern desktop operating systems now feature robust search functions which drill deep into a document text’s and its particulars, such as who originated it and when. Paperless offices can save storage space and thousands of man hours each year, just by getting their data off paper and onto networks where people can access the information. It’s win-win: save forests and precious time with digital documents.

Recycle the paper you must use

Whether you’re disposing of scanned documents or just juggling the little scraps of paper than tend to multiply like bunnies around the office, recycling is a no-brainer. Not only is it kinder to the environment, recyclable paper may actually be a salable commodity for larger offices and businesses. Set up convenient recycling hoppers around your workplace, along with smaller bins for each desk and cubicle. There’s no reason the zero waste can’t mean the office, too.

Be smart about lighting

Does your workplace have windows? Is their light blocked by cubicle walls and storage units? It might be time to rethink the arrangement of your workspace. Natural lighting is healthy and free — and it sure beats those industrial fluorescent tubes. Consider decentralizing the way individual spaces are lit. Rather than roof fixtures, it may be smarter to install energy efficient lighting at each desk. Of course, if you’re going CFL, be sure to add expended bulbs to the things that get properly recycled. And your mom was right: turn off lights when you’re done with them. Millions of watts are wasted each night lighting empty offices and parking lots. Save energy and curb light pollution by illuminating only what you really need.

Leverage instant messaging and teleconferencing technology

During World War II, offices and alleyways were plastered with posters urging resource conservation. One of the most common was, "Is this trip really necessary?" The slogan still applies today, particularly in view of broadband network connections and powerful real-time instant messaging and teleconferencing tools. With fuel prices up and travel more expensive than in previous years, it makes sense to replace some trips and conventions with electronic events. Not every computer needs a camera — and this might represent a security risk to some companies, anyway — but teleconferencing is a great way to save resources while improving communication with customers and co-workers.

Green your office cleaning supplies

Office supply cabinets contain some of the most powerful toxins allowed for sale — often in institutional quantities. Just as at home, swapping chemical cleaning agents for non- or less-toxic natural equivalents can go a long way toward greener, safer indoor spaces.

Reduce indoor air pollution

Indoor smoking is already a thing of the past in many parts of the world. But offices remain loaded with plastics, artificial fibers, and finished surfaces which may disperse Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) into the air. Some kinds of common office equipment — fax machines, copiers, and printers — emit pollutants and odors. Keep office air conditioning and ventilation equipment in good repair. Locate offending equipment away from occupied workspaces. And take air quality concerns into consideration when making purchase decisions.

Replace the watercooler with a quality filtration unit

There’s no reason "water cooler talk" can’t be "water filter chat." The ubiquitous water cooler is a nice convenience for office workers, but bottled water, even five gallon quantities, isn’t a good deal. Consider installing reverse osmosis water filters, instead. In many cases, the quality of filtered tap water exceeds that of bottles, particularly when you take haphazard cleaning of office coolers into account. Go with the filter, and encourage employees to bring stainless steel or food-grade polycarbonate water bottles to work, rather than wasting paper cups.

Buy reconditioned office equipment and recycled supplies

Virtually everything for modern business can be purchased in refurbished condition: computers, desks, copiers — you name it. Refurbished goods are often sold with manufacturer’s warranties and are in most respects identical to new items. Expect to save 20-30 percent on refurbished equipment, and up to 50 percent on used. Recycled office supplies are available from paper to printer cartridges. Choosing refurbished or recycled gear is good for the bottom line and for the Earth, keeping older equipment out of landfills and saving resources which would have been used to manufacture something new.

Form a green office committee

Sustainability in business is a day-by-day, department-by-department commitment. Form a standing committee to regularly brainstorm and implement green strategies. And here’s a little secret: it’s usually the front-line employees, not middle managers, who find effective and practical economies. Ask for their input, act on their best suggestions, and reward results.

Get the idea? Once you get started, other actions will begin to suggest themselves. Network with peers to find out what is working for them. Provide green living information to your staff — keeping green issues top of mind is how real change becomes self-sustaining. And and if you already have some ideas on best practices for green business, please share them in the comments section.

Here’s to your success!

Copyright © 2007 Lighter Footstep Media

Editor’s note: This week, Lighter Footstep’s Chris Baskind takes a look at an unusual development in alternative energy: burning expired drugs. This post was originally published on August 6, 2007.

Imagine this sticker above your light switch: Powered by Prozac.

No, it’s not likely that your local power plant will be swapping coal for old Celebrex tablets anytime soon. But a little free energy is the happy byproduct of drug disposal by Milwaukee-based Capital Returns, a company that specializes in the management of old pharmaceutical stocks.

Drugs have shelf life, beyond which they cannot be sold. But old medications are more difficult to get rid of than you might think. Drugs which get sent to landfills will eventually leech their way into the groundwater. Flushing old stock — the method generally recommended to consumers — puts chemicals into our watershed even faster.

Drug-Filled Rivers

And that’s a problem. Ignored for years, pharmaceutical water pollution is finally getting the attention of U.S. and European scientists as unexpectedly high levels of antibiotics, heart medication, anticonvulsive drugs, and a host of other powerful medications are turning up in rivers and groundwater. Perhaps the most disturbing pollutants are endocrine disruptors: human estrogen from birth-control pills and the vast effluence of animal hormones produced by commercial livestock production.

The effects of these substances on wildlife — and the human food chain — are just now being studied. But they’re likely to reveal bewildering mutations similar to the dual-sexed smallmouth bass turning up in the Potomac River north of Washington, DC.

Most pharmaceutical pollution makes its way to our watershed through the release of treated sewage. But controlled industrial incineration prevents old drug stocks from adding to the problem, and is being harnessed by Capital Returns to produce surplus power.

A Prescription for Free Power

Every day, the company receives millions of expired pharmaceuticals from drug manufacturers, cataloging their receipt and routing them for hazardous disposal or to Covanta Energy, a company which specializes in converting waste into energy. Covanta currently operates thirty facilities in the United States, offering communities an alternative to landfill dumping in the disposal of such things as municipal solid waste and household trash. Their incinerators exceed EPA regulations for air purity.

And now, expired drugs. Capital Returns disposed of over 6.5 million pounds of pills in 2006 — producing enough energy to power about 220 homes for a year. That’s tons of coal or natural gas saved and fewer pollutants making their way into the water table.

Next Stop: Your Corner Drug Store

Capital Returns says it handles about a quarter of the industry’s disposal needs. But they don’t address expired drugs already in the hands of consumers. Washington State is among the first to set up pilot programs to test the viability of public drop-off centers. Emma Johnson, who works for the state’s Department of Ecology, says a five county area has been experimenting with pharmacy-based drug collection centers since last October. If successful, the effort will be expanded statewide.

Converting drugs to power is, admittedly, a footnote to emerging story of 21st century alternative power solutions. But it illustrates the larger strategy of closing the loop on consumer goods, keeping dangerous wastes out of the environment while converting them into something useful.

Editor’s note: This week, Lighter Footstep’s Chris Baskind takes a look at something most of us use every day: soap. This post was originally published on July 31, 2007.

For more information on products that may contain sodium laureth sulfate, see Jennifer’s post on "natural" beauty products.

Well, they smell good, at least.

But take a look at the label of your favorite hand soap, shampoo, or body wash. The first listed ingredient is likely water — followed by sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) or some closely related compound.

Sodium laureth sulfate does the heavy lifting in most of the personal cleaning products on your shelf, right down to toothpaste. It’s a cheap and powerful foaming agent, and it’s foam’s ability to suspend dirt before it gets rinsed off which makes things clean. While concerns have been raised from time to time about sodium laureth sulfate’s long-term safety, nothing has really stuck. SLES is an entrenched part of our daily lives.

It’s also a detergent. While detergents are sometimes called "soaps," there’s a difference. Soaps are derived from fats; detergents are synthetic.

Detergents and Your Skin

As a detergent, sodium laureth sulfate is gangbusters. It may actually be too effective for some people, stripping the skin of necessary moisture. If you have dermatitis or certain other skin conditions, SLES may make things worse. And then there are all the other chemicals present in modern hand soaps and body washes.

Switching to real soap may provide relief to some people with sensitive skin. But it’s more than that — soap making is an art, and good soap can be an eco-friendly and relatively inexpensive luxury.

Soaps are different from detergents in that they’re derived from fats and oils. The Egyptians made crude forms of soaps — though they were used for things like wool making, not washing. Modern soaps are primarily fashioned from vegetable oils, and owe their basic formulations to Arab recipes dating from the 7th century.

Being Kinder to Yourself

Commercial soaps are comparatively poor in glycerine content and may dry the skin. But handmade soaps are rich in moisturizers and replenish the body’s oils as they wash away dirt. This is the sort of balance many people find refreshing after years of exposure to harsh, detergent-based personal care products.

There are as many varieties of handmade soaps as the oils which are used to make them. But the classic base is olive oil, which has been used therapeutically for centuries. Olive oil contains oleic acid, linolenic, and alpha-lenolenic, — which assist skin in the natural production of prostaglandin — along with a variety of antioxidants. Other common soap making oils include palm, jojoba, almond, and coconut.

While many natural soaps are unscented — a good thing for people with sensitive skin — they’re often scented with combinations of aromatic oils and colored by natural dyes and clays. These ingredients can sometimes produce allergic reactions, so pay attention to what’s in your soap and how you react to it. But it’s variety of traditional soaps which lends them so much charm: their colors, scents, and textures.

Where to Find Natural Soaps

Switching from detergents to natural soaps also provides an opportunity to support local artisans. In addition to well-known national brands such as Kiss My Face, your neighborhood natural foods store or gift shop probably stocks soaps made in your own region. Craft shows are another place to meet area soap makers. And a quick Google search for natural soaps will yield plenty of online options.

So get the chemical detergents off your shelf — and enjoy the eco-friendly world of natural soaps.

Editor’s note: Household paint can be a toxic substance that keeps on giving off VOCs long after it’s dried. This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind points us to a healthier, greener alternative to common paints: milk paint. This post was originally published on July 17, 2007.

By now, a lot of people have heard about the hazards of VOCs — Volatile Organic Compounds. In this case, “organic” doesn’t mean they’re good for you.

VOCs are a toxic soup of carbon-based molecules such as ketones, aldehydes, and hydrocarbons. Indoors, they escape from a variety of things you probably take for granted: certain kinds of treated wood, carpeting, plastics, cleaning supplies — even cosmetics. And VOCs vapors tend to hang around.

How big a problem is this? The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has research showing that indoor air can be 2 to 5 times more polluted than the air you breathe outside. Exposure in effected homes and businesses is chronic, and VOCs are a big contributor to “sick building syndrome.”

A major source of VOCs is household paint. Fortunately, paint manufacturers are getting on the low- or zero-VOC bandwagon, from specialty companies like AFM to old-guard names such as Sherwin Williams.

Concern about VOCs has also led to a revival in milk paint. Milk has been used as a pigment base for thousands of years: it’s cheap, widely available, and imparts a rich glow that was very popular until locally-made paint was displaced by the convenience of non-perishable oils around the middle of the 19th century.

Milk paints hung on as a craft item and for the restoration of historic wall and furniture finishes. But now modern companies are turning out milk paint with the explicit purpose of providing zero-VOC wall coverings for healthy indoor environments.

One such manufacturer is the Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Company. Their one concession to convenience is that they’ve chosen to use dried milk, which allows customers to mix as they go. Otherwise, Old-Fashioned Milk Paint sticks to tradition, choosing clay, ochre, iron oxide, and other natural pigments to arrive at about 20 mixable colors. In theory, you could drink their paint. That’s about as green as it comes.

Got a home project coming up, or are you looking for a way to cover-up a conventional wall finish? Perhaps milk paints are for you. Visit the Old-Fashioned Milk Paint Company website for color ideas, or try one of these other milk paint manufacturers: Real Milk Paint, The Original Milk Paint Company, or Vintage Paint Works.

Feeling a bit do-it-yourself? Check out Pioneer Thinking’s 1870 Milk Paint Formula. Sounds like eco-friendly fun. 

Editor’s Note: This week’s post from Lighter Footstep reveals how to stay cool when it’s oh-so-hot. Five Unusual Ways to Stay Cool, by Chris Baskind orginially appeared on July 13, 2007.

In the Northern Hemisphere, the heat is on.

There’s no doubt summer is here — and with it, the perpetual quest to stay cool. For those of us interested in sustainability, the thought of huge summer cooling bills (and all the greenhouse emissions they cause) is enough to send a chill down the spine.

You’ve probably already heard the basics of summertime energy management: keep your air conditioner filters clean; make sure your weather stripping is tight; draw the drapes during the heat of the day; and avoid the use of big heat-creating appliances like ovens and ranges whenever possible. If you want a quick review of hot weather energy-saving ideas , check Lighter Footstep’s Giant List of Summer Cooling Tips.

But there are other ways to keep your cool through the summer. We’ve rounded up five for your consideration, including several tried-and-true methods from the days before central air. Give one or two a shot, and see how they work for you.

Go Tropical

Take the lead of those who spend most of their lives in tropical climates: loose, lightweight cotton and linen clothing rules.

The guayabera, sometimes called the ÒMexican wedding shirt,Ó is constructed to cool you naturally. A relative of the traditional Filipino barong,
the guayabera wicks moisture from the skin and is worn untucked to
promote air circulation. Madras is another good summertime choice for
both men’s and women’s’ clothing.

Don’t forget the old standard of the American Deep South: seersucker.
Originally an Indian import, its crisp cotton and cooling ridges make
it a hot weather classic.

Cool That Pulse Point

When you were sick as a child, you mom may have brought you a cold facecloth. This idea works the same way.

Chill your pulse points by running cold water over your wrist for a minute or so each hour. Splashing water on your temples or face can produce a similar effect. And be sure to put some of that tap water into a glass and stay hydrated.

Don’t Eat: Graze

Ever notice how you feel hot after a big meal? It’s not just because the food was served warm.

Big, protein-laden meals force your body to stoke its metabolic fires. The solution is to break up your eating into smaller, more frequent meals. You’ll feel cooler — and it’s better for you, anyway.

Eat to Sweat

Latin America, India, Thailand — some of the world’s hottest places. And they happen to serve some of the world’s hottest foods.

Scientists have argued for years over why this is the case, but the most likely reason is that spicy foods make you sweat without actually raising body temperature. Chalk it up to capsaicin, a chemical found in things like hot peppers. Once your skin is damp, you’ll feel cooled by its evaporation.

Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to also reread our article on Choosing a Safer Deodorant.

Stay Cool Under the Covers

A lot of people find it difficult to sleep in hot weather.

Want to cool the bed down? Fill a standard hot water bottle with ice water. Use it to cool your ankles and the back of your knees — it works. You can also try bagging your sheets and tossing them in the freezer for an hour or two before bed.

Cooling your head cools your entire body. Opt for a cool and absorbent pillow of organic cotton it at all possible. Put aside down and latex pillows until the weather cools down this autumn.

Stay hydrated — stay cool — and enjoy an Earth-friendly summer!
—
Copyright © 2007 Lighter Footstep Media

Editor's note: This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind takes a rather controversial position in light of all the attention paid to climate change: perhaps there are issues that are more threatening. We don't know if you'll agree with Chris' position, but we're happy to publish it — and add to the discussion! This post was originally published on July 6, 2007.

On Saturday, over a hundred artists and some 2 billion people participated in the Live Earth concerts to highlight global warming. It was the largest mass musical event in history: a day-long multimedia extravaganza at eight primary venues on all seven continents.

And while public attention was focused on climate change, things elsewhere continued much as always. During the 24 hours of Live Earth, 214,000 acres of tropical forest disappeared forever. Two billion gallons of human sewage were dumped into the world's oceans. 10,800 children died from drought or the lack of clean drinking water. And we are now 85 million barrels closer to the end of the Petroleum Age.

Granted, climate change is a significant issue. We needn't agree on its causes to realize its potential impact: a shifting climate means the shifting availability of things like fresh water and viable farmland. While natural resources follow wind and tide, human populations do not. The resulting stresses are likely to produce regional instabilities at a very fragile moment in history.

But the effects of global warming, whatever they are, will be measured on a scale of decades or centuries. In the meantime, beyond the unblinking stare of MTV — far from the well-heeled audiences of London, Hamburg, and Giants Stadium — away from the celebrity and speechmaking, humanity's collective lack of environmental wisdom is grinding nature underfoot. While some propose spending billions of dollars to combat the uncertain foe of climate change, more pressing matters already threaten to upend our everyday lives.

We've rounded up five of these issues for your consideration. As you think back to Live Earth on Saturday, consider the things which are still happening today. Then ask yourself what you can do about it.

The End of Cheap Oil

When we think about progress — economic expansion, advances in food production, and the creature comforts of modern living — what we are really thinking about is cheap petroleum.

We're living at a unique time in human history. Throughout our lives, we've taken for granted the availability of plentiful, relatively inexpensive petroleum. This will not be the case for our children, or the generations which follow.

Bring up peak oil at a dinner party, and you're likely to receive the sort of stares reserved for UFO enthusiasts and those who insist the moon landings were all a fake. But peak oil is being discussed today in places such as the boardrooms of Exxon, if not in public.

Peak oil is the point at which conventional petroleum production tops out. There have been few major discoveries of conventional oil in the past decade, and existing fields command a finite supply. Beyond peak oil is a long and irreversible decline in the amount of petroleum which can be brought to market — and this slide will coincide with a worldwide demand which accelerates from year to year.

It's not just the energy. Look around you right now and think about all the petroleum products that touch your life every day, from plastics to the pesticides which make modern agriculture possible. Conservation may help, but all these things will eventually go away — and we have no replacement for them. Unless solutions are found before oil becomes unaffordable, our lives will change radically on the backside of the peak.

And when will peak oil happen? Some people think we may already be there. The so-called Early Peak theorists point to 2010. More conservative analysts say anywhere from 2015 to 2030. Soon enough, in any case. Long before the poles melt. If sea levels rise, they will inundate cities already emptied by the collapse of the economies which make them possible.

The Collapse of Ocean Ecosystems

We are turning our seas into sewers, and fishing marine populations to the brink of extinction.

In the Pacific and elsewhere, massive whirlpools of plastic waste turn slowly in the currents, a source of deadly and inedible food for hundred of marine species. It's not just a question of aesthetics: pollution on this scale disrupts the food chain — a chain which reaches to your local grocery store.

Look at satellite imagery of our coastal areas and you'll see the telltale smudge of massive algae blooms which choke oxygen from the sea and reduce oceans to lifeless underwater deserts. These blooms are the direct result of unchecked agricultural runoff — the dumping of manure and fertilizers into watersheds which eventually find their way to the world's oceans.

Meanwhile, researchers have determined that up to 29% of marine species have been overfished or so effected by human mismanagement that they are on the brink of collapse. In some cases, species face 100% collapse no later than mid-century. These trends are still thought to be reversible, but each year that goes by makes the ultimate recovery of the oceans less and less likely.

It's difficult to calculate the impact of such widespread change to marine environments, but humanity has always been heavily dependent on the ocean for food and commerce. The problems seem more dire when expanding worldwide population is taken into consideration. There is certainly a link between climate change and stress on marine environments. But the factors over which we have more direct control are the ones doing the most damage, and the window of opportunity for addressing them is rapidly closing.

The Coming Water Crisis

From the oceans we turn our attention to an even rarer resource: fresh water.

Of all the water on earth, less than 3% is fresh. Of this, some 70% is locked in glaciers and polar ice. Our survival depends on the tiny bit which is left.

Over a billion people already lack access to a safe supply of adequate drinking water. These numbers will increase with world population. Here, again, is a clear link to climate change: as rainfall patters shift, so does the availability of fresh water.

But the real crisis is this: right now, our largest cities depend heavily on groundwater. Beijing, Buenos Aires, Mexico City — and perhaps your own community — draws its water from underground aquifers. These aquifers take centuries to replenish, so it's unlikely their use on this scale is sustainable.

The recent corporatization of drinking water is no accident: investors recognize the trends of shrinking supply and increasing demand. This is the reason multinational companies are snapping up neglected municipal water infrastructures and throwing themselves into the bottled water business. Water is the Blue Gold of the 21st century.

How will we replace shrinking fresh water supplies? Desalinization of sea water is an obvious answer, but desalinization is expensive energy intensive. It would require the development of a distribution system that dwarfs the one by which we currently bring petroleum to market.

We will have to seek out new ways to reprocess wastewater and reduce our current demand on groundwater supplies. While changes will necessarily trickle down to the household level and will be neither cheap nor convenient, they are unavoidable if we wish to sustain our current rate of population growth.

There are no equivalents to carbon credits when it comes to water: you can't pay someone not to consume water on your behalf. When it comes to dwindling fresh water supplies, there can be no smoke and mirrors. Stop drinking for a day, and you'll realize the pressing nature of thirst. The recent drought in the American Southwest and the threat of water rationing in places like Los Angeles are a preview of things to come.

Deforestation

We depend on Earth's forests for the quality of human life. Over half of all known species live in tropical rainforests.

Every second, 2.4 acres of old-growth rainforest disappears, never to return. That's about 78 million acres a year: the area of a medium-sized country. The pyres from the illegal harvest of irreplaceable Amazon jungle are clearly visible from space, and the effects of large scale clear cutting reverberate across the entire planet.

While you might not care or even be aware of the destruction of some exotic tropical species, the reduction of Earth's biodiversity has very real economic and environmental impact on humans. Trees cool our climate and regulate the amount of carbon dioxide in the air. Much of our medicine is derived from plants located exclusively in the world's most threatened ecosystems.

The future is complex, and the sum of many actions. But such widespread abuse of non-renewable resources bodes ill for the planet's long-term sustainability.

Nuclear Weapons

Out of sight, out of mind: we like to think the end of the Cold War stuffed the nuclear genie back into the bottle.

But as Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent threat to re-target European cities demonstrates, the idea that the risk of a nuclear war has abated is largely an illusion. It's not really necessary to recount the horrors of a potential nuclear exchange, other than to remind ourselves that a nuclear winter would be the ultimate environmental disaster, and humanity's last insult to the planet.

There remain approximately 20,000 active nuclear weapons, slumbering away in the missile silos, bunkers, and submarines we hide around the world. They're a miscalculation or a sharp political crisis away from being called to duty — a sword that's been hanging above us so long that we've come to mistake it for the sky.

If the political resolve being marshaled to combat global warming could be channeled into achieving the complete destruction of these awful weapons, it would go a long way toward the safeguarding of our survival as a species.

The Future

We could have easily added a half dozen other issues to this list: pandemics like AIDS and antibiotic-resistant tuberculosis; the enormous economic disparities between the northern and southern hemispheres; and the pervasiveness of industrial toxins in our food and air.

As the old saying goes, the future is unwritten. Humanity is a versatile species, capable of great resourcefulness in the face of challenge. All is not doom and gloom. We have more than sufficient capacity to address the changes of the new century.

The attention focused on global warming has renewed a moribund environmental movement. More importantly, it has people thinking — for the first time in many years — about the larger issues of sustainability and the kind of future we'd like to provide ourselves and our children.

Hope you enjoyed Live Earth. Remember, though, that the real job is ahead, as is the task of setting priorities to address it.

—-

Copyright © 2007 Lighter Footstep Media

Editor's note: This week, Lighter Footstep editor Chris Baskind shares some ways to cool off your kitchen this summer… and keep those electric bills down! This post was originally published on July 3, 2007.

Can't stand the heat? Don't get out of the kitchen this summer — cook smarter!

Summer is here — at least in the Northern Hemisphere — and with it, high cooling bills.

It's not just your pocketbook that suffers. Every kilowatt hour consumed by your air conditioner leaves behind an environmental footprint in the form of toxins, greenhouse emissions, and wastewater. So it makes sense to take a bite out of your seasonal energy needs.

One good place to start is the kitchen. It's already your home's biggest consumer of resources, and summertime cooking carries with it the double burden of removing heat from the room which escapes from your food and appliances. In a way, you're paying for the same energy twice.

Keeping heat out of the living space (along with the very real risk of cooking fires) was one reason large homes in the American South used to build kitchens detached from the rest of the house. And while that option isn't on the table for most modern residences, there are some things you can do to cool your kitchen — and your summer energy bills.

Cook in the Raw

No, not that kind of raw. We're talking about raw cooking: preparing food with minimal or no heat.

Raw foodism has exploded in popularity over the past few years. Its fans claim raw food is healthier and easier to digest than conventional cuisine. Raw food retains vitamins and enzymes which might otherwise be destroyed by conventional preparation. It also means less heat for your air conditioner to overcome.

That's not to say raw cooking is a free ride: you'll have to learn some new kitchen skills, and raw cooks recommend some specialized equipment, such as dehydrators, juicers, and food processors. But if you get into raw cooking, you'll be exchanging manual labor for the energy requirements of ovens and stovetops. You may also discover a fun, flavorful healthy way of eating.

Want to know more? Explore the Living and Raw Foods website. Alisa Cohen's book, Living on Live Food is a great place to get started, and Cohen offers an introductory DVD by the same title if you're a visual learner.

Think Small

Your oven uses as much energy as the furnace. And is there really any reason to crank up the range, when all you want to do is boil a little water?

If you want to reduce kitchen heating during the summer months, downsize your appliances. Take the oven, for instance: it's great for big meals. But in addition to heating your food, you're paying to heat 15 cubic feet of air — overkill if browning a piece of garlic bread is what you have in mind.

In this case, a toaster oven would be perfect. It browns and does pretty much everything a conventional oven might, but on a smaller scale. Quick meals, side dishes, desserts: you can do it all in a toaster oven without cranking the air conditioner down to 76.

The kitchen efficiency champ is the microwave, and for warm-weather cooking, it's without peer. The beauty of the microwave is that most of the energy goes into heating your food, not the air around it. You'll get in and out of the kitchen faster, saving a few watts in the process. Pair it with a toaster oven, and you can do just about anything.

There are some other choices, such as the tried-and-tue crock pot. While the energy saving benefits of slow cooking are a bit overstated, crock pot design keeps heat inside the cooking vessel and out of your kitchen. Veggie chili? Two cups of kidney beans, some salt and chili powder, veggies of your choice, a large can of organic tomatoes, and a can of beer (bonus points if it's organic brew). Set on low and head to the office. Dinner is ready when you come home.

Cook in the Great Outdoors

Summer is a great time to be outdoors, and one way to keep cooking heat from warming your house is never to bring it inside in the first place.

Yes, it's possible to grill and live green at the same time. You could go with a solar oven, or just wheel out the barbecue and enjoy the ritual of cooking with real fire.

According to the Sierra Club, the most environmentally friendly way to grill is with propane or electric. That's not to say the occasional charcoal BBQ is out of the question, though there are better alternatives in terms of air quality.

If you're going the charcoal route, consider briquettes made from sustainable materials like coconut shells. One example is Greenlink's Natural Charcoal Briquettes. They're chemical-free, and don't contain binders like anthracite or clay. Skip the charcoal starter — it's full of harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Opt for an electric charcoal starter instead.

Even vegetarians can get in on the act. Check the Vegetarian Kitchen for some meat-free outdoor grilling ideas.