A NEW DAWN

It's hard at this point to write something that hasn't already been written, express a thought or emotion that hasn't been more eloquently stated by scores of others. Suffice to say that with Barack Obama's win this past Tuesday night the world was forever changed for the better.

In the two days since this magnificently historical event global ebullience is still high. We seem to collectively understand the implications of a man of color rising to fill the top job in America. As a country founded on principle rather than persuasion, we have only recently attempted to truly manifest the potent words of our Declaration of Independence, "All men are created equal." On Tuesday night we finally realized this prophesy.

President-Elect Obama's win was both a valediction to a terrible, terrible period in our history and a coming-out party for one that at long last gives depth of meaning to another famous phrase from the Declaration, "We, the people."

As of Tuesday night a black child could also dream of becoming President, a privilege formerly reserved only for white boys. And thanks to the spirited campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton, now girls, both black and white, can share this lofty reverie.

Internationally, we've pulled ourselves up from the depths to which the Bush administration had sunk us. Whereas we were just recently perceived as callow bullies, insensitive to the global brotherhood the European Union has begun to build, our tarnished image has now been shined as we put our fears and prejudices aside to do the right thing.

In electing Barack Hussein Obama as President of these United States we didn't elect a black man or a man of mixed heritage or a man with a different name or a man whose father was born in Kenya. In electing Senator Obama we chose the best man for the job, because of and in spite of all of these things. It's not so amazing that we picked a black man to be our next President. What is amazing is that we picked the right man to be our next President, and he just so happens to be black. That is true equality.

God Bless America and God Bless our 44th President, Barack Hussein Obama.

Bring International Attention to Malnourished Ethiopian Children

Sponsored by: UNICEF

The effect of drought and rising food prices in some parts of Ethiopia is headline news, yet few people know the truth of the situation.

Children are the most vulnerable to nutritional deficits and the first to succumb when there is not enough food to go around. The Government of Ethiopia estimates that 75,000 children under the age of five live with severe acute malnutrition. And 25 to 50 percent of children with severe acute malnutrition are likely to die if they don't receive proper treatment.

But there is hope for the children of Ethiopia. UNICEF-supported therapeutic feeding programs have been set up around Ethiopia following the establishment of a national protocol for severe acute malnutrition. This approach has revolutionized the treatment of malnutrition in Ethiopia, leading to a significant drop in mortality rates for malnourished children of all ages.

Bringing international attention to the plight of these children and the benefits of the therapeutic feeding programs can help save lives!

To add your name to the petition to help raise awareness about this terrible situation please go to http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/209965929?z00m=17735456

VOTE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE......... Please.

This is Really Inspiring

I love these kids!

VOTE

Hooray for Hartmann!

On Friday evening I attended a speaking engagement with author/humanitarian/historian/entrepreneur/educator/economist/radio host Thom Hartmann at the San Fernando Valley Democratic Headquarters in Van Nuys, CA.

If you don't know Thom, you need to. Thom is, to me at least, a modern-day version of another significant Thomas – Jefferson – in that he's worldly and erudite yet an everyman. He is a true believer in a "we society" as opposed to a "me society", and yet he has the capacity to be the one to speak out for "we."

On Friday night he waxed philosophical on a number of topics – from Hobbsian vs. Lockean views (he sides more with Locke) on society to a particularly formative night he spent making peace with members of a tribe inside an Iroquois teepee.

He mentioned being especially impressed with the way Barack Obama handled himself during the last debate – how he refused to take the bait McCain put out for him. In spite of the fact that even the cool and collected Hartmann found himself creaming at the TV for Barack to retaliate to the lies, he did in the end see the greater wisdom of Obama's strategy. It is a more peaceful, controlled, self-assured leader we Americans are seeking today. The more McCain played the role of bully, and the more Barack responded with calm rather than anger, the greater his approval rose. In the end, most polls had Obama winning the debate by a huge margin, despite the initial concerns of some, like Hartmann and myself.

Thom admitted to not agreeing 100% with Barack on all the issues, but that the important thing right now is to get him into office, at which time our real work will begin – to push him to become a great reformer in the mold of Lincoln and FDR. He pointed out that neither man started their political careers with great change in mind. Lincoln only decided to give slaves freedom when he saw the divided nation before him. FDR's first act as President was to cut welfare to widows and orphans of WWI soldiers. It was when the People expressed their displeasure, and then their needs, that he began to change into the FDR we appreciate today.

Thom also addressed the (gulp) possibility that the Conservatives steal the election. While he isn't in favor of a Bolshevik-style revolution, he would become actively involved in a nationwide sit-in, a la Gandhi. Let's hope he never has to dirty up his trousers.

I encourage everyone reading this to get to know Thom. He's really a remarkable, inspiring man, and best of all, he can be heard every morning from 9-12 on Air America Radio. Also, check out his site here, where you can buy his many books and even catch podcasts of his show.

Friday marked my third time seeing Thom Hartmann speak live. I look forward to many more.

MC Yogi raps about Barack

This is really great – great song, great message:

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

Do They Make Cow Mints?

Here's a "Why didn't I think of that?" story: Researchers in the Netherlands have begun feeding garlic to cows as a means of reducing global carbon emissions. 

Cows produce some 17% of the world's carbon output, by way of... um... flatulence, and this neat trick has been shown to reduce their gaseous effluence by 15%. I don't really want to know how the researchers measured the stuff, but there you have it. 

Now, to figure a way to get garlic into the diets of a couple of guys at the gym...

Get Positive

We've written a petition hosted on the Care2 Petition site requesting of Senator John McCain that he stop the negative campaigning . It sets a bad tone and creates a dangerous environment, one that's destructive to the democratic process.

Please sign the petition within the next week and we'll send it off to the McCain campaign. We'll let you know if we get a response.

Petition powered by ThePetitionSite.com

Oops...

So, just four days into my month of buying only American-made goods I did a little shopping at Trader Joes, a place where I figured I could let my domestic product radar down. My bad. When I got home I came to find that I purchased a little plastic container of cherry tomatoes picked in Mexico.

Damn.

Now, I'm not nearly as upset as I would be if they had been grown in China or Taiwan or a place where we have a massive import to export disparity (in favor of import). In fact, Mexico is an amicable trade partner (except for the drug thing, which is a whole other story) and I suppose in a way, by supporting Mexican farm workers we lower their desire to come here illegally, where they take jobs from American (taxpaying) workers and get abused by a system hostile toward illegals.

Anyway, I'll be more careful from now on. Tasty tomatoes though!

Buy American... Like Me

I made a decision today, a decision that, if everyone in this country also made, would go a long way towards solving our current financial dilemma. I decided, for the next 30 days, to buy only American-made products. No Sony or Sanyo, no GAP or Nike, no off brands imported from China or Pakistan. If it doesn't say "Made in USA" I ain't buying it.

Unless it's second hand. I decided that I will check out thrift stores as I'm stocking my new apartment because buying second hand means not pulling something new from the production chain, whether it's a foreign or domestic one.

You see, part of the problem that resulted in our economic meltdown – a big part – is the fact that whereas up until the mid-70's we had a trade surplus, the largest in history. Simply put, we produced and sol more than we bought.

But all of that began to shift in the late-70's. We flipped over from having a surplus to a deficit, and we've never looked back. Today it's nearly $800 billion, or 7% of our GDP. That's a lot of buying and very little selling internationally. For a nice fable on the mechanics of how this all came to be check out this Warren Buffet-penned article from 2003: America's Growing Trade Deficit...

The point of this is twofold: For one, by buying foreign we are sinking our own ship. As our deficit grows out of control the dollar is increasingly devalued, inflation rises, people can't afford to pay for the things we import cheaply but sell high.

The second half of this equation is that by buying American we protect the atmosphere on a global scale. When products are produced here they don't have to be shipped halfway around the world, saving tons of carbon (literally) from entering the atmosphere. We are essentially shopping locally, with the whole of the United States counting for "local."

So, I am pledging here and now to buy only U.S. produced goods for the next 30 days, longer if possible. It won't be easy – lots of label reading required – and probably more expensive too. But the goal is a worthy one. If I can ween myself off foreign-made goods maybe others will be inspired to as well, and with an increased demand for Made in the USA stuff local production will increase, jobs created and the environment protected.

Hey, it's worth a shot...


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Some links to help you shop American-made:
http://www.madeinusa.org/
http://www.stillmadeinusa.com/
http://www.madeinusa.com/

http://www.buyamericanmart.com/

Windy State

We'd like to give props to the entire state of New Jersey today for agreeing to build a huge offshore wind farm in the southern part of the state to Garden State Offshore Energy, a joint venture that includes P.S.E.G. Renewable Generation, a subsidiary of P.S.E.G. Global, a sister company of the state’s largest utility.

The decision, which includes access of up to $19 million in state grants, is part of New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan, which calls for 20 percent of the state’s energy to come from renewable sources by 2020.

The proposal by Garden State Offshore Energy includes installing 96 turbines to produce as much as 346 megawatts of electricity, enough to power about ten thousand houses. The turbines would be arranged in a rectangle about a half-mile long by one-third of a mile wide. The project, which would cost more than $1 billion, would not start producing electricity until 2013.

The turbines would be between 16 and 20 miles off the coast of New Jersey’s Atlantic and Ocean counties, and thus in much deeper water than other proposed projects. Deepwater Wind, which will work with P.S.E.G to build the wind farm, said it can affordably build turbines in 100 feet of water with the same technology used to build oil and gas rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and other locations.

This plan follows ones already approved in Delaware and Rhode Island  and hopes are high that New York will soon follow suit. Can Florida be far behind?

For more on this story check out the NY Times article that broke it: Huge Offshore Wind Farm Wins Approval

Trash That Can

By now we should all be separating our garbage from our recylables from our compostables. So what's the next step in cradle-to-grave ethos? How about compostable garbage cans?

UMBRA has come out with a line of cans they say will degrade under natural conditions – the kind found in composting heaps. It's kind of hard to believe, seeing how sturdy and plasticy they look, but we purchased a tall grey can with a swivel top for the kitchen.

We're going to check into just how they degrade, and as to how organic their materials are. Upon seeing the can in the store however, we were compelled to buy it, if for no other reason than to make a statement with our "disposable" income. For now we can report that the can works up to our standards...

SOLAR ENERGY NOW!

Just read this compelling, and heartening, piece on Andrew Sullivan's excellent blog. I'm seriously psyched over this one folks!

"This is the nirvana of what we've been talking about for years," said MIT's Daniel Nocera, the Henry Dreyfus Professor of Energy at MIT and senior author of a paper describing the work in the July 31 issue of Science. "Solar power has always been a limited, far-off solution. Now we can seriously think about solar power as unlimited and soon."

Inspired by the photosynthesis performed by plants, Nocera and Matthew Kanan, a

postdoctoral fellow in Nocera's lab, have developed an unprecedented process that will allow the sun's energy to be used to split water into hydrogen and oxygen gases. Later, the oxygen and hydrogen may be recombined inside a fuel cell, creating carbon-free electricity to power your house or your electric car, day or night. The key component in Nocera and Kanan's new process is a new catalyst that produces oxygen gas from water; another catalyst produces valuable hydrogen gas.

The new catalyst consists of cobalt metal, phosphate and an electrode, placed in water. When electricity -- whether from a photovoltaic cell, a wind turbine or any other source -- runs through the electrode, the cobalt and phosphate form a thin film on the electrode, and oxygen gas is produced.

Combined with another catalyst, such as platinum, that can produce hydrogen gas from water, the system can duplicate the water splitting reaction that occurs during photosynthesis.

The new catalyst works at room temperature, in neutral pH water, and it's easy to set up, Nocera said. "That's why I know this is going to work. It's so easy to implement," he said.

Sponsible Challenge: TAMPA

Just returned from a weekend jaunt to the Tampa-Clearwater area of Florida and have to say that I was disappointed by a seeming lack of indifference to our environment. Be it at Tampa Int'l Airport, the Tampa Performing Arts Center, or my grandparents' community center, I saw nary a recycling bin. While I'll slap myself on the wrist later for not bringing my SIGG bottle on this trip, I winced several times as I was forced to throw plastic bottles in the trash. C'mon Tampa! Let's get with the program!!

Now, I'm sure southwestern FL is chock full of environmentally conscious types far more frustrated over the situation than I. So, I encourage any of you reading this to contact me. Let's put our heads together and come up with a gameplan for getting your city and its outlying towns on the right track. There's a lot of lush greenery in semi-tropical Florida. What say we make the state even greener, together?

GO SOLAR!

When I was a kid I was fascinated by the concept of being able to cook food with the sun. My sisters had their EZ Bake oven – I wanted to harness the power of the cosmos!

I remember seeing various solar cookers – from cigarette lighters to big-ass ovens – in the 1970 Whole Earth catalog and feeling envious of those who had the money to actually buy these things. Then I saw instructions for making your own solar cooker. All I needed was cardboard, tinfoil, and something to adhere everything together.

I never got my makeshift oven to work (although I may have inadvertently reflected radio waves to an alien society), but never gave up the thought that, in theory at least, I could cook with the sun.

Fast forward about 30 years and the do-it-yourself bug has struck me again. Wouldn't it be coo, I thought, to finally get that solar cooker cooking? Indeed. Enter instructables.com.

This site has detailed instructions on making an incredible array of cool useful things, including a solar hotdog cooker. Now, I'm not a fan of dogs, but I may have to try to build on eof these things and itch that self-sustaining scratch I've had lo the past three decades. I'll let you know if it works...

Check out the directions here.

BABY STEPS

Sometimes, in our rush to make big change, we get discouraged when we see that the sum total of our best efforts may not amount to much at all in the grand scheme. Nevertheless, it's important not to lose the faith, for we know not what grand result our tiny action may reap.

Right now I'm working on getting the company I work for (who shall remain nameless) on board with paper recycling. About a year ago I enrolled us in a bottle & can recycling program, simply by googling "recycling los angeles". As it turned out, There was a place within blocks of our office. We received a free corrugated plastic box with a lid for depositing bottles and cans.

Now, here's the cool part: Yes, we now push our plastic, glass and metal recyclables back into the system, rather than a landfill. But maybe the bigger imapact is the response of my fellow employees, many of whom were inspired by my small act, and who have since "confessed" to me about their own recycling deeds. Love it.

Today I lunched into Part II of my personal recycling campaign: Paper. I met with the owner of a recycling company who is willing to come pick up the reams of paper we toss each month, and give us money to do so. That's what I call a win-win-win situation: us-them-Earth.

Let's see what more may come of this. To be continued...

Freecycle!

Ever find yourself with a bunch of packing boxes you just used for moving and no idea what to do with them? Throwing them in the dumpster would be way wasteful. Recycling them is a hassle. You figure someone could probably use them for a move of their own, but who? And if so, would they even pay you for used boxes?

Enter freecycle.org, a brilliant networking idea that may be in a town near you. The idea behind freecycle is to keep used stuff for which you have no room out of the landfill. By simply posting it on the Yahoo! group in your area you can more than likely find it a home, freeing up space for you and filling a need for another. Usually you can just say that you're leaving a pile of _______ outside, propped up against the big sycamore tree at 6pm, and before you can say "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle," it will magically disappear.

Of course you can also score that ratty old mattress you've been searching for or the 5lb. bag of used coffee grounds for your compost worms. A little give, a little take is not just green- it's good karma.

A CHANCE FOR CHANGE

This is an amazing story that picks up on the incredible devastation caused by a huge tornado in the town of Greensburg, Kansas last year. It's proof that given the opportunity, people will opt for a greener lifestyle.


Tornado-flattened Kansas town is coming back greener
AP ONLINE

By ROXANA HEGEMAN

GREENSBURG, Kan. - A year after it was practically wiped off the map by a tornado, Greensburg is rising again - and going green, too, with solar panels, wind turbines, tinted windows, water-saving toilets and other energy-efficient technology.

Environmentalists and civic leaders have seized on the disaster as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-engineer the town.

"I would never say the tornado happening was a good thing. I would never wish that on anybody," said Kim Alderfer, assistant city manager. "But given the opportunity, we have to do it right - to make it better."

On May 4, 2007, a ferocious F-5 twister blasted Greensburg, killing 11 people in the town of 1,400 and flattening its turn-of-the-last-century brick buildings, Victorians and prairie-style houses. Townspeople found themselves disoriented after most of Greensburg's manmade and natural landmarks were erased or uprooted.

But now the water tower is back, the town's one traffic light has been replaced, and neighborhoods are showing signs of life.

Returning homeowners and businesses are being encouraged to think about such things as energy-saving lights and rainwater collection systems as they rebuild. And the town government has resolved to erect public buildings that meet the stringent LEED Platinum standards for energy-efficient design.

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

Far more than ever before, the world is in a mood to celebrate the day meant to honor Mother Earth and all she provides us. Tomorrow, April 22nd, 2008, is Earth Day and we here at sponsible mean to celebrate it heartily.

The history of Earth Day spans back to 1962, when then-Wisconsin senator Gaylord Nelson got the idea to set aside a day in which Americans paid heed to the need for environmental conservation. He first pitched his idea to Attorney General Robert Kennedy and then to President John Kennedy, both of whom liked the idea.

It took seven years before a decision to set aside a day for a "nationwide grassroots demonstration on behalf of the environment," said Nelson in an interview years later. It was inspired by the Vietnam War and Civil Rights rallies he had seen all around him during the turbulent 60's.

Finally, on April 22nd, 1970 the first Earth Day was held. 20 millions people rallied behind the cause, at schools, at community events, in Washington – not because Nelson was able to organize a multi-million dollar campaign, but because people cared enough about the Earth to organize themselves.

Gaylord Nelson passed away in 2005 but his spirit is brighter than ever as we celebrate this, the 39th installment of Earth Day.

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EARTH DAY TIPS
We've numerated a few things we hope our readers will do this Earth Day, if no other, if for no other reason, then to honor Senator Nelson's amazing work.

1. BOTTLE YOUR TOILET – By this we mean fill a plastic water bottle with water and place it into your toilet's tank. The volume will displace the same amount of water every time you flush, saving hundreds and even thousands of gallons of water per year (depending on how many toilets and how many people you have in your home).

2. STEM THE FLOW – Next time you brush your teeth simply turn off the faucet as you do your brushing. Most of us let the water run throughout the process. You can save between a quart and a gallon of water each brushing by doing this.

3. DON'T BUY ANYTHING – We're serious! For one day, don't buy a thing. Save your money. Save the eco-cost of producing the thing you purchased to replace it on the store shelf. Even food - Make your meals tonight so you don't have to order out tomorrow. See how it feels to not have to open your wallet for a day. Feels pretty good, no? Why not make a habit of it??

4. RECYCLE (Really!) – Sure, we all know to recycle by now, but how many of us do it with everything we dispose of? How many times are you out, drinking from a plastic water bottle, and you finish it in the middle of a walk where there are no recycling containers? Do you carry the bottle to the next one you can find, or simply toss it in the nearest trash can? C'mon, an empty bottle isn't that heavy...

5. WALK IT – Need to make a trip to the post office down the street? Leave the keys in your pocket and hoof it this time. Maybe you're at work and the post office a a couple of miles too far to walk. Why not shoot an email to your co-workers asking if anyone needs stamps while you're there? You could save them a trip, which is a nice thing to do in and of itself, and it saves on auto emissions.
6. GET CREATIVE – Use that ownderful mass of grey matter in your skull to figure out new, creative ways you can help protect this home of ours. It can be fun and fulfilling to happen upon a creative solution that no one else has realized before. Just make sure to let us know about it so we can spread the word and give you the credit you're due.

NICE MUG...

Last week we noticed the stacks of styrofoam cups in our office lunchroom and decided to do something about them.

Styrofoam, or polystyrene, is one of the least biodegradeable materials known to man (we're talking upwards of 100,000 years to degrade) and very few companies have the facilities for recycling it yet. Also, polystyrene will leach chemicals into the hot liquids with which it comes into contact. That includes coffee and tea.

In other words... Styrofoam - Huhh! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing!

Yet it's one thing to attempt to badger people into giving up their styrofoam habit yet another entirely to actually get them off it. So we gave them a little incentive. A trip to our local 99¢ store later and we had purchased ten porcelain mugs for $9.99 and left them in the kitchen with a note: "TAKE US!" A company wide email followed with our free offer and our intentions.

Happily, the feedback was positive. The mugs went fast and the emails of appreciation and support flooded in shortly thereafter. If each of those ten new mug owners have now been dissuaded from using two Styrofoam cups each day, five times per week, that equals a reduction of 5000 cups per year! Now, imagine if one sponsible soul in every company across the nation followed suit. We'd be talking over 200 million Styrofoam cups saved from going into landfills, rivers and oceans. Here's to hoping a few of you reading this consider joining us in our quest to clean up this place. Let us know if you do and how you did. We'll pick one respondent to receive a shiny new sponsible mug!

By the way, an interesting dissertation on the comparative environmental impacts of Styrofoam cups vs. ceramic mugs can be found at Ask Pablo.

YES, WE CAN!

Al Gore is back – not that he went anywhere – in the news with yet another environmental initiative that picks up where "An Inconvenient Truth" left off.

Whereas "Truth" presented a rather bleak picture of the future with little in the way of a blueprint for change, the "We Campaign" is an action-oriented plan backed by $300 million raised in large part by The Alliance for Climate Protection -- a nonprofit, nonpartisan effort founded by Nobel laureate and former Vice President Al Gore.

"We" is a three-year advocacy campaign calling for the U.S. to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. It will combine advertising, online organizing and partnerships with grass-roots groups to educate the public about global warming and urge solutions from elected officials.

Reaching across political lines, Gore has enlisted the help of people like Pat Robertson and Newt Gingrich in fighting global warming.

To join the We movement log on to http://www.wecansolveit.org/ and register your email. Then explore the site for tons of ways in ic you can get involved in taking stewardship of your planet.

EARTH HOUR TONIGHT!

What started as a nationwide initiative throughout Australia last year is now a worldwide phenomenon, and it's happening tonight.

Dubbed "Earth Hour," the goal is to make a significant impact on CO2 output, if just for one hour. Already, Europe has seen significant dips in power usage and greenhouse gas production (2% in London!) as a result of the Earth Hour initiative.

In 5 minutes (or as soon as you're done reading this), the East Coast of the U.S. should starting shutting down their power-hungry equipment and keep it off until 9pm. We here on the West Coast have three hours to go.

Okay, that's it for this post. To everyone in my home state of New York: Shut down and unplug... now!

Just Recycle...

2...6...4...7... No, this isn't a quarterback's call before the snap. It's a few of the seven different classifications assigned to plastics to describe their composition.

The numbers, bordered a chasing arrow symbol, can be found on an inconspicuous spot on most every piece of plastic packaging and some merchandise you find. Numbered 1 through 7, they represent the wide variety of plastic formulations that comprise consumer packaging and indicate to recyclers the process to be used for melting them back down into plastic soup.

The numbers reveal something else too – the toxicity of the packaging that will invariably come into contact with your skin, as well as with things you will touch, apply and even ingest.

Following is a list of the seven categories of plastic, along with their relative danger to you. No matter the number, however, be sure to put your plastics in recycling bins. Even if your local recycler doesn't currently take a specific number, if they receive enough of it, they're apt to change their ways.

Poly(ethylene terephthalate): Soda bottles, water bottles, vinegar bottles, medicine containers, backing for photography film. About a billion pounds of phthlates per year are produced worldwide. That new car smell that's especially pungent after the car has been sitting in the sun for a few hours, is partly the pungent odor of phthalates volatilizing from a hot plastic dashboard. In the evening's cool they then condense out of the inside air of the car to form an oily coating on the inside of the windshield. Phthalates have been linked to the in utero demasculinizing of male embyos. However, in the grand scheme, Poly's are on the safer side of plastics.

High-density Polyethylene: Containers for: laundry/dish detergent, fabric softeners, bleach, milk, shampoo, conditioner, motor oil. Newer bullet proof vests, various toys. Polyethylene has recently been discovered in milk sold in plastic containers. Get yours (organic, of course) in cardboard. Again, not quite as toxic as some of its cousins.

Poly(vinyl cloride): Pipes, shower curtains, meat wraps, cooking oil bottles, baby bottle nipples, shrink wrap, clear medical tubing, vinyl dashboards and seat covers, coffee containers. PVC becomes chemically active when heated. We strongly recommend not heating food in any kind of plastic container, but especially those made with PVC. PVC incineration leads to the emission of dioxins, a known carcinogen.

Low-density Polyethylene: Wrapping films, grocery bags, sandwich bags. As with PVC, Low-density Polyethylene degrades when heated, especially over about 120º. However, at room temperature it's relatively safe.

Polypropylene: Tupperware®, syrup bottles, yogurt tubs, diapers, outdoor carpet. This is one of the safer numbers on the scale, acceptable for use in baby bottles.

Polystyrene: Coffee cups, disposable cutlery and cups (clear and colored), bakery shells, meat trays, "cheap" hubcaps, packing peanuts, styrofoam insulation. According to the EPA, short-term styrene exposure at levels above the Maximum Contaminant Level (used to set drinking-water standards) can cause nervous-system effects such as loss of concentration, weakness, and nausea. Long-term exposure can cause liver and nerve damage and cancer.

Products labeled as "other" are made of any combination of 1-6 or another, less commonly used plastic, including polycarbonates. The effects of low-dose Bisphenol-A (BPA) exposure on laboratory animals found significant effects, including alterations to brain chemistry and structure, behavior, the immune system, and male and female reproductive systems.

Green Eggs and Bunnies

So we find ourselves giving in to the consumer tradition of buying the kids egg-shaped, foil-wrapped confections and cocoa bunnies for Easter. Try explaining to a 5-year-old that you're abiding by a principle that will benefit his and future generations when he's looking quizzically at the organic grapes in his basket where jellybeans should be.

However, we did decide that we could impart a smidgen of sponsibility to our Easter celebration by looking not to the treats, but the filler, specifically that most hallowed of all holiday padding – Easter grass.

Rather than opt for a bag of that shredded neon green plastic foil we decided to get creative while keeping our commitment to finding unique ways to honor our planet. A stack of magazines reserved for recycling did the trick.

Rifling through the pubs we pulled out colorful pages (advertising for the most part) and ran them through the paper shredder. In about five minutes we had enough colorful confetti to fill three baskets. All told we shredded only around 30 pages. Of course they'll still make their way to recycling, only in the form of a bunch of slivery strips.

BTW- the baskets themselves, while purchased, were chosen with multifunctionality in mind. After Easter they'll become repositories for toiletries in the kids' bathroom. Of the three R's we managed to reuse and recycle and, by not going overboard with the sweets this year, reduce as well.

Happy Easter everyone! Don't forget to compost your egg shells...

Troubled Water

This past Thursday night we had the chance to be a part of an amazing educational experience courtesy of LA Green Drinks. Thanks to the efforts of LA Green Drinks organizer Barent Roth and the good folks at Living Green, host of Culver City's monthly event, members of the research vessel Alguita were on hand to discuss their recent voyage and its amazing findings.

Anna Cummins and Marcus Eriksen, along with four colleagues, spent four weeks this past January and February sailing the Pacific Ocean, and more specifically, the northeast portion of a giant gyre that inhabits it. A gyre is a huge, swirling area of ocean created by clashing currents. There are nine gyres around the world with the one they researched called the North Pacific Gyre.

While gyres are an important ecological phenomena that circulate water, and with it food, between coasts and throughout oceans, they also form vast traps for human debris, specifically plastic.

Collecting plastic samples from the North Pacific Gyre, the crew was dismayed to find that the polluted area has grown to twice the area of the United States and is expanding at a mind-boggling rate. Currently it's estimated that the gyre contains 3.5 million tons of plastic, half of it floating on the surface and half sitting on the ocean floor.

The couple (who actually became engaged on the deck of the Alguita while at sea) presented samples of their findings, ranging from soda bottles to fishing line to an action figure arm, all coming from a variety of Pacific coastal regions including California, Alaska and Japan.

Unfortunately, Eriksen noted, there's nothing that can be done to remove the expansive plastic soup. Instead our focus must be on enacting legislation to stop more plastic from going into the sea. China is already banning the use of plastic bags and similar bans are beginning to take effect here in the U.S.

Eriksen is working to raise awareness of our collective need to limit our plastic consumption by sailing a raft made from used plastic bottles from Long Beach, California to Hilo, Hawaii this May. We'll be sure to keep you updated on his remarkable voyage and help spread the message of the crew of the Alguita.

Where the buffalo roam... for now.

We felt that the following message from our friends at Earthjustice was so important that we decided to bring it to you here on sponsible. Please take a moment to read on, and then click the link to sign the petition:

There are few animals that evoke the majesty and heritage of the American wilderness more than the Bison (commonly known as the Buffalo). Yet some of our country's last remaining wild bison are being trapped and killed as they migrate from the safety of Yellowstone in search of food during the harsh winter months. What's worse is that this brutal treatment is based on an outdated justification. The government spends hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars each year to capture and slaughter Yellowstone bison in the Horse Butte peninsula (just outside the western boundaries of the park). This slaughter is motivated by a perceived need to protect cattle from bison-borne disease.

The problem is that there aren't any cattle grazing in the peninsula; in 2002 cattle grazing on public lands was stopped by a court order and the remaining private land in the area has been purchased by new owners who have declared the property open to bison. Earthjustice, the Buffalo Field Campaign, and local landowners are calling for a halt to the buffalo slaughter and the initiation of a new environmental impact study that takes into account the current circumstances in the area and removes the justification for the killings. We need your help to encourage the U.S. Park and Forest services stop the senseless killing of the bison.

Please take action to let the government know that you want this tragedy to end.

-Earthjustice Because the earth needs a good lawyer

Crowne Achievement

Until recently hotels have represented the pinnacle of wastefulness in our disposable culture. It seems almost to be a right of the traveler to indulge in excesses on the road that he'd not even consider at home. After all, you're paying for everything from housekeeping to mini soap bars when you're handed your key card at the front desk, so why not get your money's worth? An extra towel to dry your feet here, a lotion sample gone missing there – hey, you're on vacation, live it up.

However, if we choose not to leave our sponsible mindset at the front door of our abode when departing for points known, we can still get the pampered experience and keep our conscience intact. Leaving behind the toiletry samples we'll probably never use is one way. Staying at a Crowne Plaza hotel is another.

Crowne Plaza, like a number of other hotel chains these days, is taking sponsibility for its carbon footprint by taking part in Conserving For TomorrowSM, an environmental program developed exclusively for InterContinental® Hotels Group, of which Crowne Plaza is a member. Over half of the entire InterContinental Hotels Group properties are participating in the Conserving For Tomorrow Linens and Towels Re-Use Program.

As it's explained on Project Planet's website, "Conserving For Tomorrow revolves around asking guests to use their bed linens and towels more than once. When guests participate and re-use their sheets and towels, hotels save money in reduced water, energy, labor, detergent; and sheet/towel replacement costs.

"Environmentally, Conserving For Tomorrow makes a large impact, saving 6000 gallons of water monthly and 40 gallons of detergent monthly (based on average-sized 100 room hotel.)"

Thanks to Crowne Plaza and other hotel members of the InterContinenal Group, all of us with a shared sense of sponisbility can sleep a little easier at night, especially when away from home.

COnscious Clothing

By now everyone knows that U2 lead singer Bono is a socially conscious juggernaut, acting as a voice for various organizations over the years, from 46664 to ALAFA to Amnesty International. His latest fight is against poverty and disease the world over, particularly on the African continent. To this end he helped organize ONE.

What most people don't realize however, is that his wife, Ali Hewson, is equally dedicated to change and is a partner in ONE along with her husband. In addition the pair, along with New York clothing designer Rogan Gregory, has created Edun, a clothing company aimed at creating beautiful clothes using ethical conditions and to help create long-term sustainable employment in the developing world, particularly sub-Saharan Africa.

The collection includes denim, organic graphic tees, fleece tops, sweaters, knit and woven tops, blouses, dresses and casual jackets. The color palette pulls from the various shades of nature at night, from dusk through dawn.

Items are fairly pricey, but the proceeds go to supporting sustainability and fair trade as well as earth-friendly practices. Frankly, we'd rather spend our clothing budget on products that make a difference over those that make business executives wealthy.

Not for the Birds

Here at sponsible we believe in supporting not just the environment, but those businesses that choose to support it as well, sometimes even in the face of more economically viable business practices.

A few days back we highlighted Akasha, the new Earth-friendly restaurant in the L.A. town of Culver City. Today we thought we'd hop a plane to the right coast and give props to what may well be the most sustainable restaurant in the whole of Manhattan.

Birdbath, Neighborhood Green Bakery is actually more than simply a sustainable restaurant; it's a model of sustainability that sets standards by which all businesses should be measured.

Created by the owners of The City Bakery, a Los Angeles and, more recently New York, franchise, Birdbath is nothing short of an inspiration to the eco set. The walls are made of wheat, the countertops, recycled paper. They rely on wind power as their sole source of energy. Their floor is reclaimed wood. And on and on and on.

Needless to say, all of the ingredients that go into their muffins, breads and pasteries are organic, not to mention locally grown and farmed. The delivery men ride rickshaws. The staff wears linen, hemp and vintage. Just incredible.

While we can't personally vouch for the food, there's little doubt it's as good as are it's creators' practices. We're planning a trip to our hometown of NYC soon and will be sure to stop by the West Village for a taste test. We'll be sure to take lots of pictures and take a big bite for all of our readers.

Simple Pleasure

For many of us a good pair of shoes is one of life's great pleasures. To be cushioned in stylish comfort as we go about our workaday lives is a desire that's launched a thousand footwear companies - at least.

Looking beyond only our creature comforts, however, we now have the chance to walk stylishly, comfortably and environmentally all at the same time, thanks to Simple Shoes.

A division of the Santa Barbara-based company Deckers Outdoor Corp. (who also owns UGG and Teva), Simple Shoes makes footwear that not only looks cool and is built for comfort, but every pair they produce is made with sustainability in mind. Soles made from used tires, uppers of hemp, recycled PET (soda bottle) laces, are just a few of the materials that go into their very green line.

As if their products' green cred isn't enough, Deckers itself is more than up to snuff when it comes to sustainability, having been chosen the City of Santa Barbara's "Recycler of the Year." They even post things on their site like the success of their company carpooling program and when employees decide to bike rather than drive to the office. Bravo!

We encourage sponsible readers to consider purchasing a pair of Simple Shoes, not just for the comfort, the style or even the sustainability issue, but to help a support a company that is practicing what it preaches and may well serve as inspiration to others.

Good Eats

Culver City is fast becoming one of Southern California's hippest, most environmentally progressive communities and thanks to the opening of Akasha Restaurant, it's just gained a bit more cred on both fronts.

Last night I had the pleasure of dining at the brand new Culver City hotspot and left with both my tastebuds and conscience well sated. Former home of the old school Italian eatery San Gennaro, Akasha is the brainchild of chef Akasha Richardson, whose own green-tinged conscience is reflected in every aspect of the restaurant's being, right down to the recycled plastic aprons worn by the waitstaff.

In addition to the aprons, employees are outfitted with organic cotton shirts and black Levi's jeans. Even the menus themselves are covered in recycled particleboard- the kind those old, brown clipboards were made from.

As for the restaurant, the interior features an entirely green buildout, with walls covered in reclaimed siding from an old barn. The banquet seats are lined in hemp fabric and the chairs in organic leather. I'm probably leaving out a good deal more recycled and reclaimed materials, but there was only so much info I could absorb, courtesy of manager Sophie and waitress Brynn, before my mind zeroed in on the vittles before me.

As for the menu, every item is organic and sustainably farmed and all ingredient purchased according to fair trade standards. And delicious, at least my meal and that of my buddy Greg. I had the quinoa and lentils topped with slices of organic chicken. Exotic, hearty, subtle and very satisfying. Greg had the salmon and was equally pleased. We started with the cannelli bean hummus with seasoned pita, which disappeared faster than it probably should have in polite company.

Here's to wishing Akasha a long and fruitful (organic fruit, of course) tenure as a SoCal hotspot for good times, good food and a good, green initiative.

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For today's video, we focus on organic farming and ponder the question of whether it can sustain us...