I just came across this article with video on The Huffington Post regarding the egg industry, where male chicks are instantaneously euthanized daily because they have no production use due to being male, and there’s no profit in them in other industries either. The industry acknowledges that killing of male chicks by a huge grinder is a standard practice supported by the animal veterinary and scientific communities. Continue reading »

The Oregon/Idaho AAA has decided to go green a bit by offering bicycle service in Oregon and Southern Idaho. This is after over 100 years of anti-environmental lobbying, including fighting against bicycle path creation. Adding insult to injury, the media is covering this as if AAA in an eco-pioneer instead the truth that they are six years behind Better World Club.

Better World Club claims this is not the first time that AAA of Oregon/Idaho has copied their innovation:

“In 2001, Better World was the first travel agency/company to offer carbon credits to offset the greenhouse gas generated by travel. Oregon/Idaho AAA followed suit just last year. (However, Better World Club also provides an offset to each of its auto insurance clients for free – a service not offered by AAA.)” - Better World Club

For the record, AAA is not the first auto club to offer bicycle roadside assistance, and
- You can only get AAA’s bike assistance through their Plus program.
- You have to own a car to get it and pay a premium price, while BWC offers bike-only insurance.
- Not only is the program offering limited to Oregon/Idaho, but the coverage is as well, as opposed to BWC’s nationwide coverage.

For more information, www.betterworldclub.com or kicking_asphalt@betterworldclub.com and please pass this info on!

Disclaimer: I am a member of Better World Club, and am sharing information at their request from their news alert to get the word out about AAA’s pseudo ‘greening.’

I’m sitting here, watching the Borat movie on USA (don’t judge), and I saw an commercial for the National Geographic Channel’s new show, “Hooked.”

I haven’t seen an episode yet, but by the commercial, it seems that it’s about fishing (duh).  And not any fishing, but virile man testosterone adventure fishing where they try to find large (and possibly exotic?) fish.

Do they throw them back?  That I don’t know.  But here’s what I think is weird about channels like National Geographic, Discovery and Animal Planet:

They broadcast really environmentally-unfriendly programming.

It’s not that I don’t watch “Deadliest Catch” and weep for crabs (because I also like to eat crabs), but I was really disturbed by the recent episode where we learned that if the boats don’t get to shore in time, the crabs die and are basically useless and dumped.  The futility and wastefulness of that made me uneasy.  I realize that overfishing is environmentally-irresponsible (I’m not saying that the captains on the show engage in this practice, only that, you know, it happens).

It was the logging show (“Ax Men?” I feel like there are two of these shows on different networks update: Ax Men is on the History Channel which is not necessarily pro-enviro, but it’s weird nonetheless) that really got me thinking about this.  I know that logging happens, I use paper, I print things at work… but I feel like it’s weird to have a show on a network that also showcases “green” programming and promotes environmentally-aware miniseries such as “Planet Earth.”

So what do you guys think?  Do you think the programming choices are weird?  Or is it just that these networks cater to all opinions, and chooses not to “force” environmentally-friendly programming on its viewers?  Is it irresponsible to broadcast a show focusing on logging (and getting the most work done to make the most money) without also letting the viewer in to the environmental impacts the practice might have?

Let me know in the comments.

Nowadays you can recycle just about anything from yard waste to paper products to plastics.  Figuring out what materials your local curbside pick-up will accept is fairly easy with the help of the internet.

You can find your local recycling center by using this handy tool: Find a Recycling Center.

You can find out what items are picked up curb-side by using this handy tool: Who Picks Up My Recycling?

Once you establish what you can put out front on garbage day, remember to check every item before you toss in in with the trash.

Recycling Symbols:

Plastic containers are clearly labeled with  numbers 1-7.  Below find a brief overview of what each of these symbols mean.  Most curb-side recycling will collect all numbers except  6.

PETE 1 (Polyethylene Terephthalate)

Found in most single-use soft-drink and water bottles.  Also found in other household containers.

Recycled into fiber, carpet, and paneling.

HDPE 2 (High Density Polyethelene)

Found in motor-oil bottles, juice jugs, detergent bottles, and cereal box liners.

Recycled into other bottles, lumber, fencing, drain pipes, and floor tile.

PVC 3 (Poly Vinyl Carbonate)

Found in cleaning solution bottles, shampoo bottles, clear food containers, and sometimes windows and piping.

Recycled into lumber, mats, and highway fixtures.

LDPE 4 (Low Density Polyethelene)

Found in squeezable bottles, plastic bags, and carpets.

Recycled into garbage bags, bins, package padding, and floor tiles.

PP 5 (Polypropylene)

Found in medicine containers, some syrup or ketchup bottles, sipping straws.

Recycled into trays, pallets, and other plastic goods such as bins, wire covers, ice scrapers, etc.

PS 6 (Polystyrene)

Found in Styrofoam containers, Styrofoam cups, and other Styrofoam-like materials.

Difficult to recycle and non-biodegradable.  Avoid using PS 6 until better recycling programs are available.

7 (Miscellaneous Plastics)

Found in plastic items such as computer parts, 5-gallon jugs, and nylon.

Recycled into end-use products such as lumber and highway materials.

Number 7 plastics contain the group of plastics so often in the news for containing Bisphenal-A or BPA a type of Polycarbonate, or hard plastic.  Studies have shown that these types of plastics can leech hormones and other carcinogens into the environment making them dangerous for use around small chidren.  Many sites now list items that are specifically manufactured without the use of BPA.  One example of BPA-free children’s products can be found here.

I am sure you’ve heard it, Bob Barker signing off The Price is Right by telling folks to be sure to spay and neuter their dogs and cats.  When Drew Carey took over, he continued the tradition, and this Wednesday he is taking his ecological message a few steps further.

With Ed Begley Jr. guest starring, the Price is Right will feature Earth-Friendly products such as a Toyota Prius, an electric cart, cell phones made out of recycled materials, solar charging equipment, an electric bike, and a recycling cabinet.  The trips given away will be paired with carbon-emissions credits to offset the ecological impact of traveling.

While this is all, of course, in recognition of Earth Day, I hope that the producers see the benefit of being green and incorporate more eco-friendly products into future episodes as well!

I’m sure you’ve seen it, the crunchy-looking thirty-something coming back from yoga sipping on an aluminum water bottle as she gets into her Prius.

Pretentious? Perhaps. Trendy? Sure. Necessary? Absolutely.

According to the Chicago Sun Times, it takes over 1.5 million barrels of oil to manufacture the plastic bottles that supply Americans with bottled water for just one year. That amount of oil is equivalent to the amount needed to fuel 100,000 cars.

Making matters worse, out of the billions of bottles consumed, only about 20% are recycled, with the rest making their way to landfills or even worse, to the world’s oceans.

Earth 911 makes an interesting argument by pointing out that if everyone in New York City alone gave up water bottles for just one week, they would reduce the number of bottles headed to a landfill by 24 million. Giving up plastic water bottles for a year would reduce the number of water bottles headed to a landfill by over 1.3 billion bottles.

But water in bottles is so much better/healthier/cleaner than my local tap water, isn’t it?

Probably not. According to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC),  out of more than 100 brands of bottled water tested, the overall quality was “spotty” with a third containing contaminants. Tap water, on the other hand is a tightly regulated alternative. If you don’t like the ‘taste’ of your tap water, you can easily use a filter.

Water bottles have become such a source of wasted resources that some stores have refused to stock them.  Food Fight Grocery, an all-vegan grocery store in Portland, Oregon, recently stopped carrying bottled water.  Instead, the owners opted for a more eco-friendly alternative, Food Fight Aluminum Water Bottles.  They allow customers to refill them in the store at any time.

Purchasing a reusable water bottle such as the trendy Sigg bottles available here, is a great alternative to consuming water in disposable plastic bottles. You can refill it with tap or filtered water and can drink with a clear conscience, knowing that you did not contribute to the wasted energy or resources that go into the plastic water bottle industry.

I really like Nalgene bottles, so much so that I gave one away last year, they just make sense.  Stop buying bottled water, spend a few bucks on one of these and a Brita pitcher and you’ll help reduce global waste.  OK, enough preaching, onto the actual story.

Because I’ve purchased from the official Nalgene website, I get their emails now and again.  It’s refreshing that a company really restrains themselves from bombarding my inbox with emails, Nalgene sends maybe four a year, but when they do, it’s usually some really good sale.  Yesterday I got an email with their newest promotion, possibly one of the more clever marketing ideas I’ve seen this year.  It caught my attention so much that I’m now telling you about it, which means their marketing director should get a cookie, or a gold star at the very least.  Check it out:

There is no official endorsement or sponsorship and Nalgene isn’t selling bottles with elephants or donkeys on them, but it’s a great way to push a product, give the consumers a discount and run a fun, interactive poll.  Offer is valid until November 3rd, find out if more Democrats or Republicans buy Nalgene bottles on their Facebook page sometime after the election.  Great marketing idea!  Visit www.nalgene-outdoor.com to order, use coupon code McCain on red 32oz widemouth bottles or Obama on blue 32oz widemouth bottles and receive 10% off.

The November 4th Presential election is quickly apporaching and the marketing camps are in full swing.  The nice part about most of the political marketing is that it’s very short lived, by this I mean you can change the channel if you don’t want to see a commercial, turn the page in a magazine or flip to a different radio station if you wish not to hear the advertisment.  Even billboards along highways will soon be changed, but sadly, one marketing tactic won’t, roadside signs.

I’ve got no problem if you want to show the support of who you back for public office, but I start to take issue when the public highways are littered with rows upon rows of signs.  Possibly the worst part is that as soon as one camp gets a new stretch bombarded with their signs, the opposing camp will start to put their signs up within hours.  Not only are they ugly, it’s public land.  Top that off with the fact that most of these signs are not made of recyclable materials and are hard to recycle and besides some weak attempt at advertising, you’ve created more landfill.  Lastly, those so anxious to put them up never seem to be around to take them down.

Most cities, townships, boroughs, etc., all have guidelines and regulations about how quickly they need to be removed, but it’s very hard to enforce when there is no door to knock on to ask that they be taken down.  Do we ask that political candidates go around pull them up themselves?  Should they be fined?

How effective are they anyway?  Has your opinion ever changed based on a  yard sign?  Have you ever driven past one and thought to yourself maybe I should look up information on this person?

The signs on a large part can be used for one thing or another long after the election takes place though, they just take thought.  Here are four ideas that you can do with your political yard signs after November 4th.

Recycle them.  They could be made of cardboard, plastic or some other material that may be easily recyclable.  Contact your local recyclers and ask if they take them.

Trash bags.  Some of the plastic yard signs are simple bags that get placed over two thin metal steaks placed in the ground.  The metal stakes can be used as plant or tree supports in  your garden and you can use the bag to put fall leaves in or as a small trash can in your home.  Ironic huh?

Reuse the sign.  It’s generally cheaper to print on two pieces of corrugated cardboard and stick them together around the stakes that go into the ground, if that’s the kind of sign you have you are in luck!  Peal them apart and you can use them at a later time to announce a yard sale, baby announcement or some other event you need attention for at your house.  Just grab a magic marker and have fun.

Pack them away.  Over the years political memorabilia has become a sought ofter commodity, so if you feel like gambling and have the space, consider packing some of it away in hopes of profiting on it in the future.

In doing research for this article I wasn’t able to easily come up with any information or locations that openly took these yard signs to recycle, that doesn’t mean they aren’t out there.  Please take the time to contact your local plant to see if they take them.  I’m also interested in what other creative ideas you have for reusing the signs for another purpose, so leave a comment!

Yesterday President Bush signed the Bicycle Commuter Benefits Act into law. This is pretty exciting stuff since I’ve been commuting to work on my bicycle three to five days per week for nearly four months now. The Bicycle Blog says,

The benefit — up to $20 per month — begins with the new year in 2009. Employers may reimburse employees, tax free, for “reasonable” expenses related to their bike commute, including equipment purchases, bike purchases, repairs, and storage if the bicycle is used as a “substantial part” of the commuter’s trip to work for the month.

They also have the nitty gritty info on the law itself, for those of you who wish to read it, and I suggest you all look into it.

$20 per month doesn’t sound like a lot, but that’s on top of gas savings. My civic currently gets around 33mpg, my commute to work via car is 16 miles round trip, provided I don’t run errands before or after work or during my lunch break, I put about 80 miles on my car just driving back and forth to work. Doing the math, 80 miles is roughly 2.42 gallons of gas, I filled up last week for $3.35, a steal if you ask me (barf), so my commute to work via automobile costs me roughly $8.11. If I drive every day of the month, I spend roughly $32.44 per month, nothing to scoff at.

On the other hand, riding my bike 4 days per week will save me roughly 2 gallon of gas or about $6.70. I say 4 days because one day of the week it’s usually raining, I’m running late or just need a break from cycling. Some weeks I ride all 5 days, other weeks it may only be 3 days, so 4 is about my average. One month of cycling to work instead of driving will net me roughly $26.80 in gas savings, top that with the $20 that I hope to get my employer to pay for pedaling to work and I could be looking at an additional $46.80 per month! The money is supposed to go towards bike repairs, maintenance, and other items that support persons in commuting to work.

$20 will actually buy a decent amount of cool things that will keep you and your bike in tip top shape. Here are 10 great products that cost $20 or less.

Bicycle Tubes. As a commuter I always carry at least one tube with me. Honestly, I should probably have two at all times, but these are just part of the expense of riding a bicycle, thankfully they range in price from $3-9. My personal experience with them says stay away from the ones with slime inside, or labeled self sealing. Not only are the a pain to install quickly, when they get a hole in them, and they will, they leak a messy goo inside your wheel that takes forever to clean up and gets everywhere

Bicycle Pump. When you get a flat, you’ll need a way to put air back into the tube. Most compact pumps will fit easily into your travel bag while others will clip or bolt onto your frame so you don’t forget them. Costing between $11-20, this easily fits into the budget and is a must have. Additionally, a floor pump with a proper gauge is needed for anyone who rides a bicycle. Generally speaking, I re-inflate my tires every other time I ride. More air in road bike tires provides less rolling resistance and better tire wear too!

Bicycle Repair Kits. The $20 per month is supposed to go towards the upkeep of your bike, and you can’t keep up on it if you don’t have common tools. Bicycle specific repair kits can varry in range from a few dollars to several hundred, but the one pictured at left is only $16 and includes most of the basics, including a set of common allen keys, small crescent wrench, tire levers and a patch kit, all in a nice little bag so you can take it with you in case you break down on the rode.

Presta valve adapter. These things cost as little as $1.50 and will let you inflate your tires at a gas station if you are running Presta valves. Some are more expensive at about $7 and include a small key-chain with them, but whichever you choose to buy, get a few of them because you will loose them. I’d suggest keeping one in any and every bag you plan on commuting with, a seat bag (if you use one) and if you wear shoes with laces to bike in, consider lacing an adapter into one of the laces so you can be sure to always have it with you. Compact hand pumps, like the one shown above, usually only provide 80-90psi, most rode and commuting tires need 120-140. Use the pump to get you going again, use the adapter to finish the job off at the nearest gas station.

Bicycle Saddle Bag. You’ve got your tubes, tools and adapters, now you need an easy way to carry them all. A bicycle specific saddle bag will provide you enough room to store a spare tube, some tools, your house keys and maybe a cell phone as well. Best of all, you won’t ever forget to take the essentials along with you! Bags range in price from $7-50 depending what features you want and need. Look for one large enough to carry everything you need (obvious), but some other really nice features include being water tight, internal pockets to keep things organized, reflective stripes on the back and / or a hook for a blinky light.

Bicycle tail light. Blinking tail lights come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and range in price from about $5-25. Take that useless reflector that came with your bike off and invest in one of these. Look for a red one, 3-5 LEDs and one that offers a few different blinking patterns. The one I bought came with a mount to put it on my seat post, as the saddle bag I bought had every feature I wanted except a place to clip a blinking light to. When you install it, take note to where the on / off button is and practice turning it on while you are riding. You may leave for your commute while it’s still sunny out but half way home it could be pitch black. Also take careful note to what size batteries it takes and how they need to be changed.

Bar Tape. Most road bicycles use bar tape wrapped around the handlebars. After sweating on it for countless months, being caught in the rain and pulling on them while you climb that hill of death, it wears out. Reward your hands with some new tape. Ranging in price from $7-25 depending on color, material and add-ons. The ones pictured at left are about $8 and have a small amount of gel in them as well as reflective bar end plugs. There are also enough color combinations to make anyone happy. Changing your bar tape takes about 15 minutes and anyone can do it, your hands will thank you for it.

Bicycle gloves. For warmer weather I don’t like gloves, but now that fall is here, I wear a pair of thin, full fingered ones. Fingerless and full finger gloves offer a bit of padding in the palm and the back sides can be used to wipe the sweat from your face if need be. Prices range from about $11-45 depending on what season you are buying for. Most gloves tend to fall apart at the seams between thumb and forefinger so pay close attention to how it’s stitched in there.

Water bottles and cages. With prices starting at $2 for water bottles and about $3.50 for a water bottle cage, pick up several, these things don’t last forever. I generally like to have one bottle per day of the week and try to rotate them as best I can. While 99% of the time only water goes in my bottle, I don’t even want to think about all the rode grime that gets kicked up onto the mouth piece, so I wash them on a regular basis. Clear is also my color of choice, only because in a quick glance I can see how much I have left. Cages come in many shapes, sizes and materials. Tried and true aluminum and steel tend to be the cheapest but will destroy the outside of your bottles a little bit faster. Plastic ones do almost no bottle dammage but often don’t have as secure of a grip on the bottle, so find a happy middle ground when shopping. Bottles and cages come in a rainbow of colors to fit any style too.

Bicycle chain lube. In order to keep moving forward and shifting gears smoothly, your chain must be lubricated. WD-40 is not an option here, don’t use it. Lubes cost between $8-15 per bottle and a bottle should last a pretty long time. Start with a clean chain, common degreaser will work with water, then apply the lube. Every 2 weeks reapply the lube, more often if you are riding in the rain. Once every two months clean the chain and relube. By a lube that will fit your riding needs, as some are better for wet weather while others are better for shedding dirt and mud.

Other essential items that will need regular attention are tires, which range in price from around $25-60 per tire, so I didn’t include them in this list, but could be purchased by saving a few months worth of twenty’s. Lastly, there are a few maintenance items that are best left to the professionals, like truing a wheel. Most local shops charge $5-10 per wheel, depending how much you ride and over what kind of terrain, you could easily need this done every 6-8 weeks.

I’m really excited to hear that this bill has passed, hopefully my employer will hop on board in 2009 and I can start to collect. While it is true I save money and help out the environment, cycling to work does have costs to it that add up, and this little government kickback will most definitely help out.