Conservation 101: the Compete to Conserve Blog

photo credit: striatic

Laptops, Camcorders, Game systems, printers—nearly any electronic product you have lying unused around the house could potentially be traded-in FOR MONEY. Well, technically not everything may qualify for trade-in value, but ecoNEW, the program behind this offer, does promise that items will, at the very least, be properly recycled.

Here’s how it works:

1. You choose a retailer—Sam’s Club, NEX Navy Exchange or Office Depot—and enter info about your product into the “Value Calculator.”

2. A trade in value is determined and a prepaid mailing label is printed so you can send your product to a certified partner. When the product is received, a branded gift card is sent to you in the amount of the trade in value. And if there is no trade in value assessed, you can still send the product for recycling.

3. Your traded in product may be resold or broken down for sale in parts, while the remaining pieces are recycled.

Although the program is administered by N.E.W. Customer Service Companies, Inc, a provider of extended service plans, buyer protection programs and product support for retailers, etc, the end game is undeniably in line with the green goals of Reuse and Recycle. 

For more info and a list of accepted products, check out: http://www.econewonline.com/

photo credit: patti haskins

Not all turkeys are created equally. And with Thanksgiving just around the corner, more and more retailers are answering the call for alternative holiday bird options. While Butterballs are the standard fare (not to mention perfectly delicious), an increasing number of turkey aficionados are favoring ancestors of the broad-breasted Tom.

Heritage Breeds, like Standard Bronzes, Narragansetts, and Bourbon Reds, are quietly gaining respect and market placement due to their exceptional flavor and biological diversity. According to the Heritage Turkey Foundation, “They are traditional ‘standard’ breeds of turkeys which have not been ‘industrialized’ for efficient factory production at the expense of flavor and the well-being of the turkeys.”

As industrialization took over the turkey industry, these heritage breeds became all but extinct. Meanwhile, the mass production of Broad-breasted whites developed a quick-to-fatten breed that cannot mate on its own, has difficulty walking, and must be slaughtered before it grows too big to carry its own weight.

The American Livestock Breeds Conservancy and Slow Food have been working together to increase awareness and availability of the traditional heritage varieties. As a result, numerous retailers are offering heritage breeds for this holiday season. Since some require “pre-ordering,” you may want to hop on this option sooner rather than later. Or you could be sizing up the Butterball section in the coming weeks.

As one of the few All-American, nationally celebrated holidays, why not take the route of celebrating like our own ancestors—alongside a harvest of organic fall veggies, of course? To find a retailer that sells heritage breed turkeys near you, check out: http://heritageturkeyfoundation.org/

photo credit: thadman

With the “slide” toward the holidays starting pretty much after Halloween, and with the economy as it is, many people are already budgeting or even shopping for the upcoming season. Now, perhaps more than ever, people are looking for gifts worth giving, especially for those “hard to buy for” people.

Add to the lack of ideas the fact that—for many of us—our parents, grandparents, or in-laws have expressed they no longer want “gifts.” They are busy clearing out and downsizing—sometimes even delivering boxes of stuff long since left behind, under the auspices of not being sure if we still want them.

For Christmas a couple of years ago, the in-laws drew the biggest blank for me. I was working steadily down the “list” of family and friends, jotting down gift ideas, and found myself skipping them on each pass. In trying to figure out what to give someone who didn’t want anything, I came across Heifer International. (Care of a flyer that somehow ended up in my mailbox—a rare case of welcomed direct mail.)

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photo credit: WTL photos

The crunch of fuel prices has driven airlines to charge extra fees for everything from baggage to blankets. Tired of rising fuel costs, Virgin Atlantic head honcho Richard Branson announced plans to start building cellulosic ethanol plants to make biofuel. The hope was to offset the 700 million gallons of fuel Virgin uses annually to power its fleet by replacing some or all of it with ethanol.

In theory, biofuel can be produced from any biological carbon source. Although many different plants or plant-derived materials are currently used in biofuel processing, the most common option tends to be photosynthetic plants that capture solar energy. While Branson aimed to accomplish this feat in 5-6 years, nearly three years after his announcement plans are still in the works.

Meanwhile, others have joined the fray, including Solazyme of South San Francisco, CA. This renewable oil production company claims to have created the “world’s first microbial-derived jet fuel” by genetically modifying algae to consume a wide range of feedstocks, including wood chips and sawdust. When the algae have, in a sense, overeaten, they produce oil as a storage mechanism. The result: non-toxic, renewable oil that can be “leveraged across a wide variety of industries and applications.”

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photo credit: d70focus

Growing up literally half-a-mile from Salem, MA, I had mixed feelings regarding witches and witchcraft. On one hand, I had recurring nightmares of coming home from school and finding the Wicked Witch of the West at my house. (I could sometimes tell she was there because her car was parked out front—don’t ask.) On the other, I could barely contain my excitement when Laurie Cabot, the Official Witch of Salem, visited our elementary school. (It was pretty cool.) 

As a pre-teen I frequently saw Cabot walking toward her shop in Salem or around the Commons. And in high school, I was intrigued by, and notably accepting of, a classmate’s announcement that she planned to join Cabot’s circle.

With this “doctor’s kid” kind of knowledge into one branch of the ancient pagan religions, I should mention how misrepresented they are as a group, particularly in popular media. And yet, I must also confess that movies like The Craft and Practical Magic are hopeless guilty pleasures.

While we continue to be fascinated with them, pagans are trying to reclaim their holidays and traditions, as they live pretty ordinary lives. And this month we can celebrate with them.

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photo credit: Matt Callow

As pumpkin patches across the country hitch up their hayrides and welcome the harvest with visitors, eco-friendly sites are posting hints and tips to remind readers to choose and use their gourds wisely.

This isn’t going to be much different. In fact, in my search to find options of what you can do with pumpkins—aside from showing off your creative carving prowess—I found that many regions of the US and UK are promoting composting. Pumpkins in a landfill can produce weeds and, believe it or not, sprouts. Only to be covered with someone’s torn up sofa or old alarm clock.

Whether you put the post-holiday pumpkin into a curbside compost bin or into your home kit version, the gourd holds valuable nutrients that can make good fertilizer. In fact, one site even recommended that you just plant the jack-o-lantern shell into the garden, to decompose at will.

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photo credit: orangeacid

When we first moved into our flat in San Francisco, the backyard was so overgrown that we took bets on how many bodies were hidden in the brush. As the yard was slowly cleaned up—blackberry bushes and ivy vines cleared, along with the trees both predators had taken down—the skeleton of a once terraced landscape design started to appear. And that’s where the home improvement project paused.

Now a year and a half later, we are sizing up the options for creating our first “real” backyard. The yard needs to be usable and kid-friendly, but thinking realistically, it should also be pretty low-maintenance.

One obvious component will be grass—probably multiple sections of it. And with water scarcity still commanding the local headlines, one can’t help but consider the option of grass alternatives.

While the thought of Astroturfing our landscape is a bit horrifying, recent developments in synthetic grass tout more realistic products. Some even promise to look, feel and act just like natural grass—without the need for water, fertilizer, pesticides or mowing. 

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photo credit: minor9th

In the midst of my foray into all that is organic, I recently came across a familiar-ish name from the past. Instantly an image came to mind—a chilly New York night, me coasting ‘round the back corner of Washington Square Park, and leaving my opponent buckled over and choking on my dust. (Oh, and did I mention I was wearing cowboy boots?)

While it wasn’t exactly organic wine that caused me to heed the call by Russell (now Adam) Morganstern to run the gauntlet around WSP, times have changed and we have (possibly) matured.

Now Morganstern is Editor-in-Chief for Organic Wine Journal, a useful resource for more than just wine. The journal’s website offers recipes, book, restaurant and wine reviews, and opportunities to learn, including articles on what makes a wine “organic,” all you wanted to know about sulfites, and help for the wine store timid.

To check out these features (and more), visit: http://www.organicwinejournal.com/

As for Mr. Morganstern, feel free to let him know I’d be happy to grant him a rematch, if he’s willing to put up some tasty vintages as a prize. But this time, I get to wear sneakers. 

photo credit: Darwin Bell

Possibly tired of taking hits from the anti-processed food push, the Corn Refiners Association launched a comeback campaign highlighting how high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) stacks up against other sweeteners. The aim of their message is to show that, like sugar, HFCS is “fine” in moderation.

The campaign, which includes television, radio, magazine and newspaper ads, centers around an informational website—where visitors can learn the HFCS facts. The site’s info includes a breakdown of how HFCS stacks up next to table sugar and honey, including the calories, taste, use in the products you eat, and manufacturing process.

Some highlights: HCFS is considered a “natural” food ingredient (according to the USDA’s definition), it promotes freshness and inhibits spoilage in food products, it is responsible for maintaining softness and texture in baked goods, it preserves flavor in beverages and keep ingredients “evenly dispersed” in condiments, and it is equal to sugar in caloric content and sweetness.

Overall, the Corn Refiners contend, “Research confirms that high fructose corn syrup is safe and no different from other common sweeteners like table sugar and honey.”

According to the Mayo Clinic, “some nutrition experts blame increased consumption of high-fructose for the growing obesity problem.” The idea, albeit not proven, is that fructose converts to fat more readily than sucrose (aka sugar). Meanwhile, a link between HFCS and adverse health effects like diabetes and high cholesterol has been seen in animal studies, but “evidence is not as clear in human studies.”

Despite these inconclusive results, the Mayo Clinic points out that the types of foods containing HFCS tend to be high in calories and low in nutritional value—which may be reason enough to avoid them.

Meanwhile WebMD.com found that “Researchers from Rutgers University tested 11 soft drinks sweetened with high fructose corn syrup and detected high levels of compounds that are normally raised in the blood of people with diabetes.”

Add to this the fact that industrialized corn production, the primary source of corn for refiners, seems to ravage the land where it is grown, as well as regions that may be downstream. A Washington Post article points out that “most corn is grown as a monoculture, meaning that the land is used solely for corn, not rotated among crops.” While this maximizes yields, it depletes soil nutrients, requires more pesticides and fertilizer, and weakens topsoil.

But since nearly all crops require some level of energy to harvest, process and transport, the Corn Refiners Association may still have some ground to stand on.

For more of the HFCS facts, care of the Corn Refiners Association, check out: www.sweetsurprise.com or http://www.hfcsfacts.com/

photo credit: Saquan Stimpson/monstershaq2000

If the first step in addressing an issue is to admit that there is one, then I have a confession: I am Irish. And as a member of the famous potato-famine ravaged brethren, I take my alcohol seriously.

Sure, I succumbed to the likes of “head-wrecker” beer in my younger days (the bottle opener bottom design was just too convenient for late night parties on the beach.) But as my palette, uh, matured, I tended toward the finer microbrews, the more intricate, aged wines, and the top-shelf alcohols. Not every time, but as often as my wallet could cover the cost (and when others were buying, of course.)

I have even patted myself on the back for purchasing, drinking and liking organic wines, especially when paired with local food fare featuring Niman Ranch products and regionally-raised produce. (A favorite in San Francisco is Green Chili Kitchen. I highly recommend it.)

But, until now, I have not delved much deeper into the availability of wines, beers and spirits that aim to lessen their carbon footprint. And more and more pop up every year.

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