Monday, June 25, 2007

green police?

ok… i’ve been a HUGE police fan since… well, forever… and was thrilled when sting, stewart and andy decided to get back together for this tour! i even happily doled out a few hundred dollars, per ticket, so i could fulfill my dream of seeing these three, incredibly talented, influential, iconoclastic musicians take the stage together one more time.

so the day finally arrived and, on saturday, as i’m walking into dodger stadium feeling like i’m 12 years old again, i thought there was nothing that could put a blemish on this moment (not even LA's horrific traffic) i’ve been waiting for more than half my life… sadly, i was wrong.

don’t misunderstand me. the concert was amazing (although I would have given my left eye to hear “tea in the sahara,” “one world (not three), "be my girl - sally," "hole in my life," or “lowlife,” among others… oh, and if I never hear “every breath you take” again, i’ll be quite content, thank you)… anyhoo, i’d seen sting solo quite a few times, so it was simply incredible to see/hear andy and stewart LIVE! not to mention that the foo fighters were ON! but i digress…

what bummed out this little ol’ green gal was two-fold. first off, there were NO recycling containers at the event, which meant the place was littered with plastic cups and other such wholly recyclable materials (and, btw, the clean-up crew wasn’t separating anything, either… grrrr)… and, second, when i approached the merchandise stand and asked to check out the t-shirts, not only were they not made of organic cotton but they were manufactured in nicaragua.

while i know the t-shirt issue was a bit too much to hope for, i was aghast at the lack of recycling! i really expected more from the police, who are performing at the u.s live earth concert in just 10 days. and I certainly expected far more from sting, who has vocalized his concern for the environment for decades. really, guys. there are plenty of “green tours” being run out there by innovative organizations such as reverb, and if you can’t convince a venue to behave ethically… who can?

simply enough, gentlemen, you ignored a prime opportunity to step up... and that made me a sad monkey girl :(

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

a bounty of waste

how many paper towels do you use in a day? i was using too many to count, which got me thinking (ouch!) -- how many trees are chopped down so I can perform such noble tasks as cleaning the pile of cat barf off my carpet?

well, think of it this way: according to my heroes over at the natural resources defense council, if everyone in the u.s. replaced one roll of virgin fiber paper towels (70 sheets) with 100% recycled, we could save 544,000 trees. think about what the difference would be if we replaced a majority of our paper towels with washable, reusable dishcloths and dishrags?

believe me, i’m not suggesting you get rid of all your paper towels, as i think there are just some clean-up jobs (meow!) that require a paper towel, but -- you know as well as i do -- most do not. this is where the cloths come in handy. making these your primary cleaning tools (along with sponges) will save you money, as well as a few trees. nifty!

(as a side note, when you notice that your sink sponge is getting a bit, you know, funky, just water it down and pop it in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. instant disinfectant!)

and, while you’re at it, you can cut down the number of dinner napkins you use by digging out those cloth napkins that you got ages ago. seriously, when's the last time you had a formal dinner party, anyway?

now... if i can only teach matisse, my feline friend, to use the potty...

Tuesday, June 5, 2007

green daddy

yup, father’s day is right around the corner and i, for one, am usually at a loss as to what to get my pa-pa so here are a few ideas that pops will like (and are kind to the earth, to boot).

for the golfer

eco golf balls – while I can make no guarantees regarding the performance of these puppies, the idea of water-soluble golf balls just makes me giggle… find dad an beautiful ocean cliff and let him wile away an afternoon smacking these puppies into the surf.


for the gadget guy

solio offers a kick-butt line of portable solar chargers that will keep dad’s mobile electronics running smooth no matter where he is. (I just dig this!).

for the sunday couch potato

if pops’ idea of a perfect day is watching sports and barbecuing, try some organic beer (wolaver's and peak are two of an ever-growing number of brands) and some grass-fed meat (eatwild.com has links to a variety of natural farmers).



for just about any dad

earthpak – backpacks, duffel bags and computer bags made from recycled soda bottles. they’re decently priced and perfectly rugged (and if anyone wants ideas for what to get me for my b-day, the transpecos is right up my alley … dark green or black… hint… hint… :). NOTE: check out my change of heart regarding this company. DON'T order from them!