Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

Do you believe “giving more” isn’t the same thing as “buying more”? Are you planning to celebrate the holidays in a way that won’t tax your wallet — or the planet? Well, now is your time to shine! Because from now until Monday, January 5, 2009,* Compete to Conserve invites you to enter our first annual holiday competition: “Give More & Use Less.”

Share Your Ideas for a Green Holiday Season

Post photos, videos, or a simple written entry on our official competition page: http://www.competetoconserve.com/competition/view/14/coming-soon-give-more-and-use-less-holiday-competition

One Grand Prize Winner Will Receive Our Ultimate Green Your House Gift Bag, Which Includes:

• One reuseable bag made from recycled materials

Share your ideas to win our Ultimate Green Your House Gift Bag (valued at $125).

• One Compete to Conserve baseball hat

• One .6-liter reuseable SIGG water bottle

• Six water-saving faucet aerators

• One shower shut-off valve

• One hot-water gauge

• Four 60-watt soft white CFLs

• One 32-ounce bottle of Lucky Earth Waterless Car Wash

• One 16-oune bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day Countertop Spray

• One Energizer rechargeable compact battery charger with rechargeable batteries

How Will You Use Less?

There are lots of opportunities to use less during the holiday season, whether it’s hosting a party, giving gifts, decorating, or simply sharing time with family and friends. Tell the Compete to Conserve community what you’re doing, and you can inspire others — as well as win a bounty of green prizes to start your new year right.

* Be sure to post your entry by 11:59 p.m. Pacific Daylight Time to be entered to win our Ultimate Green Your House Gift Bag.

photo credit: Velo Steve

In August, we wrote about a California Audubon report that said lead poisoning from spent hunting ammunition is killing the last California condors — birds that, thanks to two decades of human intervention, were brought back from the brink of extinction. The report also noted that this costly recovery effort is unrealistic and unsustainable unless lead is banned from hunting ammunition.

Now the Los Angeles Times reports that: “A ban on hunting with lead ammunition within the California condor’s 2,385-square-mile range will be expanded to prohibit its use in the shooting of small nuisance animals [such as squirrels and rabbits].”

Good News for California Condors

The majestic birds with wingspans up to 9 1/2 feet are scavengers, like vultures, which means they ingest lead while eating the carcasses of hunted animals and gut piles.

The California Condor Preservation Act had already banned lead ammunition from hunting large games such as deer and antelope (presumably an easier sell to hunters because people don’t want to ingest lead from game they’ve hunted either). This will be the first time the act applies to small animals, which are more likely to be left behind, and thus more likely to be eaten by California condors.

Read the complete story at: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-condors4-2008dec04,0,1706424.story

Every year, even in flush economic times, my family says we’ll pull back on holiday spending — there’s nothing we really need. We all like the idea of giving to charity, but it’s still nice to have something to unwrap Christmas morning, especially for the kids. So here’s a list of five conservation-minded charities the staff of Compete to Conserve thinks make great gifts:

© Davide R. Schrichte. All rights reserved. A manatee nurses her calf.

For just $25, you can adopt the manatee of your choice and keep tabs on your adoptee throughout the year. An adoption includes:

• A photo of your manatee (we have our manatees’ photos framed on our wall at home)
• Your manatee’s biography
• An adoption certificate
• A membership handbook
• Four newsletters throughout the year with updated reports on your adoptee

The club also sells children’s books and plush manatees that make great gifts for kids. Money raised from the club goes toward protecting endangered manatees and their habitat, much of it in Florida.

Adopt a manatee at: http://www.savethemanatee.org/adoptpag.htm

photo credit: Lord Biro

Defenders of Wildlife

We’ve got a soft spot for penguins, but you can also adopt other animals, including wolves, polar bears, snow leopards, sea turtles, and beluga whales. Most of the adoptions start at $25 and include a small plush toy, photo, and fact sheet.

Money raised goes toward protecting imperiled wildlife and wild lands through education, outreach, and political and legal action.

Adopt the animal of your choice at: https://secure.defenders.org/site/SPageServer?pagename=wagc_homepage#AllAnimals

Surfrider Foundation

photo credit: mikebaird

Who doesn’t love the beach and think our coastal waters should be protected for all to enjoy? Even non-surfers can support the Surfrider Foundation’s mission to educate the public about threats to our coasts and to encourage grassroots activism.

For $44, you can give the gift of a membership to the Surfrider Foundation, which includes:

• An organic Limited Edition Surfrider Foundation t-shirt or all-purpose tote bag
• Six issues of the Making Waves newsletter
• A sticker to show your support

Purchase a membership at: https://www.surfrider.org/membership/gift_membership3.cfm?specialGift=holiday

photo credit: nojhan

Heifer International

Heifer International aims to stamp out world hunger through community involvement and sustainable development. Donors may fund a specific project, such as natural resource management in Tanzania, or pay to provide an impoverished family with livestock.

Buy livestock for a family at: http://www.heifer.org/site/c.edJRKQNiFiG/b.204586/
Fund a project at: http://www.heifer.org/site/?c=edJRKQNiFiG&b=3538797&msource=pcb07

Register for the charities you want to support.

Think of it as the philanthropist’s gift card. Changing the present allows you to register for charities, in the same way a bride registers for gifts. If you’re serious about not getting gifts this holiday (or Valentine’s Day, birthday, wedding, any event at all), this is a great way to let friends and family get you something you want — and let them get a tax deduction, too.

Register at: http://www.changingthepresent.org/registries

photo credit: colmsurf

The surfing community may be split but the new rule is clear: as of March 1, 2009, tow-in surfing will be allowed during high surf advisory days at Mavericks, California’s most famous big-wave spot, just off the coast of Half Moon Bay.

Finally, a Compromise

The Los Angeles Times reports that surf traditionalists, who prefer to paddle on boards to catch waves, object to the noise, polluting exhaust, and surf-chopping wakes that personal motorized watercraft create. (It’s worth noting that the craft disturb marine wildlife, too.) But a new generation of big wave surfers depend on the crafts to take them to catch enormous waves that surf photographers and spectators love. It’s taken seven years for federal officials, after listening to extensive public comments, to reach a compromise that will satisfy both camps, at least some of the time.

The new rules ban personal motorized watercraft — lifeguards excepted — from three designated and newly expanded marine sanctuaries along California’s northern and central coasts. The vehicles will be allowed high surf advisory days, so that tow in surfers can take advantage of the coast’s highest waves, typically December through March.

No More Chumming and Dumping Untreated Sewage

Additional new rules include a ban on chumming for great white sharks around San Francisco’s Farallon Islands so that tourists in dive cages can get up close to the fish (yikes!), and a ban in protected areas on dumping partially treated sewage water from ocean liners.

Read the plans in full at: http://sanctuaries.noaa.gov/jointplan/

photo credit: rick

Last week, city planners met with the San Francisco Transit Authority to consider congestion pricing, and now initial plans are out. “Drivers could pay $3 to enter, leave or pass through parts of San Francisco during morning and evening commutes under a proposal designed to push motorists out of their cars,” the San Francisco Chronicle reported Wednesday.

For a map of the areas that would be affected by congestion pricing, go to: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/26/MNS614C8S1.DTL&hw=congestion+pricing&sn=003&sc=570

photo credit: kke227

This Tuesday, San Francisco officials will consider the feasibility of congestion pricing as part of an ongoing effort to ease traffic and reduce pollution in some of the city’s busiest areas.

Congestion Pricing a Tough Sell

Congestion pricing, which requires motorists to pay a toll to drive in heavily trafficked areas, is already at work in London and Stockholm. But starting congestion pricing in the United States is a tough sell: New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg had suggested charging drivers $8 to enter certain parts of Manhattan, but his ambitious plan was killed the the New York state Assembly in April.

The idea of congestion pricing has the support of San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, as well as some of the 11 elected county supervisors who make up the San Francisco County Transportation Authority’s board.

But when city planners present various pricing and zone scenarios to the board this Tuesday, a wide-ranging group that includes business owners and motorists will be ready to voice their dissent. Even San Franciscans who might otherwise support the idea of congestion pricing may be leery of imposing an obstacle to business in these challenging economic times.

Voice Your Opinion on Congestion Pricing

The public is invited to attend meetings in San Francisco to learn more about the city’s congestion pricing plans, Tuesday, December 2, 2008, and Monday, December 8, 2008. City planners are also hosting an online meeting Friday, December 5, 2008, for those unable to attend the other sessions in person. For details and to register for the online event, visit: http://www.sfcta.org/content/view/302/148/

Local thoughts on San Francisco’s congestion pricing study that kicked off last year:

“Congestion Pricing in the News,” Transbay Blog, September 17, 2007:
http://transbayblog.com/2007/09/19/congestion-pricing-in-the-news/

“Baby, You Can Charge My Car,” SFist, September 19, 2007:
http://sfist.com/2007/09/19/baby_you_can_ch.php

photo credit: stevelyon

CEOs of some of the world’s most prominent companies are floating the idea that the U.S. “consider raising taxes on gasoline,” according to Real Time Economics on The Wall Street Journal Online.

Idea “Tucked Away”

The idea, which according to Journal editors was “tucked away” in a proposal on long-term tax policy, came about during a two-day session this week in which nearly 100 CEOs of global companies gathered to define the priorities they believe President-elect Barack Obama and the new Congress need to tackle when they take office in January. (Finance and the U.S. economy; energy and the environment; health care; and America’s role in the global economy were the four key issues the CEO Council discussed, underscoring that there will be no dearth of work Obama’s administration will face.)

Proponents of raising the gas tax say that it will lower gasoline consumption, encourage both the production and market for fuel efficient vehicles, lower imports, and decrease polluting emissions.

Critics argue that increased taxes unfairly burden consumers, especially the poor, and that reduced consumption hurts industry. (I haven’t found anyone yet that says pollution is good, but I’m sure there’s someone out there!)

Support Gaining Steam?

Raising the gas tax, of course, is nothing new. But until now its support has been limited. Because most Americans are dependent on cars to get to work, school, and every else, opponents have been able to build a broad coalition that makes politicians think that championing the cause would be certain political death.

But now something different is happening. There is an increasing awareness of the interconnectedness of energy use, economy, the environment, and public health. And when CEOs of companies that collectively employ 5.9 million people and $2.2 trillion in annual revenues say officials should consider raising the gasoline tax, my bet is that this idea won’t go away quietly this time.

The Wall Street Journal will report results of the CEO Council Monday, November 24, 2008.

More resources:

The Wall Street Journal CEO Council:
https://ceocouncil.wsj.com/index.html

photo credit: Glenn Loos-Austin

This November, as families across the U.S. prepare for the button-popping holiday known as Thanksgiving, a growing number will give thanks for belonging to a CSA. CSAs, short for community supported agriculture, allow consumers to purchase fresh, in-season produce directly from a farm.

This subscription-based arrangement cuts out the middlemen (distributors and grocery stores) and provides a dependable income for the farmers. In return, consumers receive weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly boxes of fruits and vegetables, usually organic and at a better price than what one would pay for comparable produce at the market.

Thankful for a Variety

Growers can also offer a diverse selection of produce, because subscriptions give them a guaranteed market. While a typical grocery store may offer organic apples and tomatoes, a CSA box could also contain difficult-to-find foods such as organic daikon, tomatillos, and chili peppers.

Thankful for the People Who Grow Our Food

CSA members say they also enjoy developing a personal relationship with the people who grow the food they eat. Most CSAs distribute newsletters or have blog detailing their plantings, harvests, and other interesting news on the farm.

Thankful All Year Long

Some CSAs run spring through fall, offering a bounty of seasonal produce. In California, most of the CSAs operate year-round, though members should prepare to get lots of kale and dark greens through the cooler winter months. Thanksgiving can be a real treat because of the amazing sweet potatoes, butternut and acorn squashes, and colorful potato varietals.

In my experience as a member of the Eatwell Farms CSA, summer was my favorite season because of the berry fruits and unusual variety watermelons. In the winter, I have to confess, many of my dark greens went toward making vegetable stock. Still, I appreciated the variety of local, seasonal vegetables it provided the family. Without it, I may have been tempted to buy more than one box of blueberries imported from Argentina in February.

More resources:

Search for a CSA near you:
http://www.localharvest.org/

Eatwell Farm blog:
http://www.eatwellfarm.typepad.com/

Biodynamic Farming and Gardening Association:
http://www.biodynamics.com/csa.html

photo credit: miss_rogue

Wrap rage, the anger, frustration, and, sometimes, injury that occurs when opening a new package will hit its annual peak this December. Instead of kissing under mistletoe or roasting chestnuts, millions of consumers will instead spend time untwisting sharp, poky twist ties and slicing through airtight plastic clamshell packaging that seems better suited to seal off biological weapons than iPods.

For people trying to conserve resources, wrap rage is particularly vexing because, in the end, they’re left with piles of waste that can be neither reused (how many twist ties can one family really use?) or recycled (just because there’s a recycle symbol on a plastic bag doesn’t mean your local recycling facility will accept it). Paying customers are also annoyed knowing that much of this packaging is produced to deter shoplifters. (It’s also designed to make shipping and stocking more efficient.) Remember the terrible wasteful 6×12-inch cardboard box CDs used come packaged in? Consumers complained enough to rid the industry of the boxes. Now a new generation is aiming to put an end to wrap-rage packaging.

Some, fed up with overconsumption and inspired by the “reduce” movement, say that the best way to avoid wrap rage is to not buy anything–or at least not buy anything overpackaged or sealed in a clamshell. That would mean swearing off all electronics and many toys. So while there are merits to this argument, like other abstinence-only pledges, it may not be realistic. The cultural traditions and comforts of giving and receiving gifts during the holidays run strong.

One happy medium suggestion is to reduce the number of gifts you buy this season. Faced with economic uncertainty, many consumers are already pledging to buy less this year (much to the dismay of retailers). In light of mindful holiday buying, Amazon.com is hoping its “Frustration-Free Packaging Initiative” will lure shoppers fed up with overpackaging.

The Seattle-based online retailer has teamed with toy maker Mattel, electronics manufacturer Transcend, and Microsoft to sell 19 products that use less packaging and are easier to open. Amazon says, for example, the Fisher-Price Imaginext Adventures Pirate Ship “is now delivered in an easy-to-open, recyclable cardboard box. The new packaging eliminates 36 inches of plastic-coated wire ties, 1,576.5 square inches of printed corrugated package inserts and 36.1 square inches of printed folding carton materials. Also eliminated are 175.25 square inches of PVC blisters, 3.5 square inches of ABS molded styrene and two molded plastic fasteners.” Transcend memory cards will be shipped in recyclable cardboard rather than plastic clamshells.

Nineteen is an awfully small number of products to choose from. And it won’t end wrap rage overnight. But it’s a start.

Turmoil in the financial markets, declining consumer confidence, and a renewed interest in the environment have created a perfect storm for conservation. Suddenly, it’s chic to be cheap.

As the Wall Street Journal reports: “Retail and manufacturing clients are seeing almost an aversion to consumption,” says Todd Lavieri, chief executive of Archstone Consulting, which tracks retail spending patterns. “In previous downturns [such as in 1991 and 2001], we have often seen shopping as therapy.” Now, with credit conditions so tight, Mr. Lavieri says, “people aren’t shopping to feel better. They actually are not shopping to feel better.”

To aid in the catharsis, the new website Spendster.org invites consumers to record their former profligate ways and post videos to share. For anybody who has ever regretted purchase (that’s pretty much everybody), the site is a humorous relief. Take a walk through users’ homes and you’ll see closets bulging with seldom-worn purses and hats and never-used appliances–electric can openers, anyone?–and other next-to-useless items likely found in your home, too.

The idea, of course, is to be mindful of one’s purchases. Though Spendster focuses on the financial benefits of buying less, it’s easy to see the environmental benefits as well.

More:
“Luxury Consumers Scrimp for the Sake of the Planet, and Because It’s Cheaper,” Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2008:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122575617614495083.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

“Shoppers Turn to Consignment Stores,” Wall Street Journal, November 4, 2008: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122576228664895683.html?mod=dist_smartbrief

Join these CTC members in their Cheap Is Chic goals:
Buy Less Stuff
Buy All My Clothes at Secondhand Stores
Create Less Waste
Have a “Green” Christmas
Purchase More Bulk Items = Less Packaging Waste