We’re excited to announce that GReNO’s Volume #5 is currently in distribution for your reading enjoyment throughout Reno.
You can also download your free PDF copy here!
Jul 092010
Jun 162010
By Christal Padilla
Six years ago when I bought my current car I really wanted a hybrid vehicle. Unfortunately the wait for the then-newish technology was 20 months (give or take) and my car at the time would not last that long. So, I got the next-best thing in a fuel-efficient vehicle with just enough room and cargo space for our family. I have often wondered if, environmentally speaking, I should trade in my decent vehicle for a more virtuous hybrid now that they are more readily available. However, financially-speaking, my car is paid off and our expendable income is a bit, let’s say, less expendable, these days.
So, how can you be greener (or ish) if you can’t afford to buy a new vehicle, or simply can’t squash your family and all their soccer gear, dance shoes, groceries and pets into a Prius or Insight?
Well, here’s the good news according to Andrew Davis of the Environmental Transport Association, a UK organization that studies environmental transportation issues: “Of all the main environmental variables involved with buying a car . . . it is the length of time a car is kept that is crucial. . .” Davis’ point is that whatever kind of car you have, you should keep it for its entire useful life, as each day you own the same vehicle essentially lessens the carbon footprint used to plan, produce and transport that vehicle.
Davis also adds that “how and when you drive is far more important than what type of car you buy.” Regardless of what vehicle you drive as long you maintain it and drive it efficiently, you can reduce your pollution contribution. He is referring to “hypermiling” which means, simply, maximizing gas mileage through a combination of adjustments to one’s vehicle and one’s driving habits.
So, what exactly is hypermiling, you ask? First, it is important to make sure your vehicle itself is running as efficiently as possible by tracking your gas mileage, keeping it tuned up, making sure your tires are inflated properly, getting rid of extra cargo and removing roof racks and bike carriers when not in use. Secondly, you need to change how you drive. This is the hard part, trust me.
Full disclosure: I have always been a fast driver. Just ask my high school Driver’s Ed teacher who named me lead-foot Smalley the first day of instruction. Also, I am nearly always in a hurry and am usually distracted on some level while driving. This is not good, I know, but it is not uncommon either. When child A gets out of school at 3:30 and child B has dance lessons at 3:45 clear across town, some of the techniques required to hypermile seem impossible. However, over the last month, I have made a genuine attempt with increasing levels of success. According to fueleconomy.gov my car should get an average of 27 mpg and I have been able to increase that on average by about 6% to 28.65. Not the 30% that some say is possible, but it’s a start.
Generally, fuel economy is maximized when acceleration and braking are minimized. So hypermilers attempt to anticipate what is happening ahead, and drive in such a way so as to minimize acceleration and braking, and maximize coasting time. Idling for any reason is to be avoided because, guess how many miles per gallon you get when you are standing still? That’s right, zero (this means no drive-thru folks). Hypermilers believe that they can even lessen congestion with well-timed application of the techniques.
To hypermile you:
1. Use your cruise control for highway driving whenever possible. A consistent speed will net better miles-per-gallon.
2. Accelerate slowly. It is recommended that you push down the gas pedal no more than half an inch when accelerating. Warning – this can seem maddeningly slow if you are not used to driving this way, and people behind you won’t like it.
3. Don’t drive aggressively. Mashing down the gas pedal which floods the engine with more gas than is really needed, then slamming on the brakes, negating the momentum you just used that gas to achieve, is truly the least efficient way to drive.
4. Coasting to a stop or into a slowdown is ideal. This way, you are using the momentum you already gained, instead of more fuel only to stop or slow down using your breaks. This requires that you pay attention, think ahead, and observe a fairly large following distance. This, by the way, is impossible when talking on your phone, yelling at your kids, or going over your to-do list. Again, people behind you aren’t going to like it, so toughen up and ignore those tailgaters.
5. Don’t speed. Gas mileage decreases dramatically over 60 miles per hour and the faster you drive the less likely you will be able to anticipate slowdowns and stops, making braking more necessary.
6. Be courteous to your fellow travelers. Not allowing other cars to merge may seem like the best idea when you’re in a hurry, but it only makes the other drivers behave more aggressively, leading to people cutting each other off and thus, more brake slamming. Traffic congestion is not only caused by how many vehicles are on the road, it is directly affected by how those vehicles are being driven. If everyone could merge and move along smoothly the daily slowdowns would be much shorter and a lot less frustrating.
7. Avoid driving during peak traffic hours. Obvious, but easier said than done.
These strategies, like many environmental tactics, are fine when one person uses them, but their effects grow exponentially as more people join in. For example, if, let’s say, one-third of the people on the Reno freeway at rush hour practiced hypermiling, then congestion would be reduced, allowing smoother merging and less need for quick braking, thus increasing fuel economy for everyone as a whole. This then would reduce demand for oil, which we know is a major environmental problem. And, similarly, if enough people kept their vehicles for their full useful life, demand for new vehicles would be reduced, saving vast amounts of precious resources and keeping more cars out of landfills.
So, I’m going to continue my efforts to hypermile and keep my car as long as it will cooperate. And maybe when I need a new vehicle, alternative fuel technology and local public transportation will have made such great advances that my choices will be more and simpler. Come on and join me. I’ll give you a friendly wave instead of a fist shake when I see you slowly coasting to a stop.
a
Apr 102010
image courtesy of ecojovenes.com
by Marc Tiar from EcoReno
Have you ever seen packaging or advertising for a product, proudly proclaiming the environmental virtues of the company or product, and wondered how “green” it really is? Or seen earth-loving claims by a company that reeks of pollution, excess packaging, and conspicuous consumption? Then you have potentially been greenwashed.
The term “greenwashing” is slowly creeping into the mainstream, and while the term may still be unknown to the majority of consumers, more and more people are getting familiar with the concept. In fact, the word was been in the Oxford English Dictionary for over a decade now, defining greenwash as “Disinformation disseminated by an organization so as to present anenvironmentally responsible public image.” While I would argue that “disinformation” may be a narrow view of greenwashing, implying that green claims are outright lies, that is at least part of it.
Much more broadlyseen are the sugarcoating, wolf-in-sheeps-clothing, and distractions from the man behind the curtain that go on in over 90% of “green” products investigated by environmental marketing firm Terrachoice. Terrachoice has defined the “Seven Sins of Greenwashing” in an effort to bring more public awareness to the widespread practices of companies looking to cash in on consumers’ efforts to be more environmentally aware.
The classic example of greenwashing I couldn’t omit, as it was this practice that led to the coining of the term – although I can’t quite decide whether it’s the Hidden Trade-Off or the Lesser of Two Evils – is hotels asking you to reuse towels and linens to “save the planet” when, in fact, their main reason for doing so is to increase profits, and when you look around the hotel, you see all kinds of energy waste, no recycling, and little to no environmental effort made anywhere else.
It’s not hard to figure out why greenwashing is rampant in today’s marketplace. Everyone knows green is the new black, so to speak, and the LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) consumer segment is worth more than $200 billion per year. According to an article in Time magazine last year , sales of organic products alone went from $10 billion to more than $20 billion in four short years, from 2003 to 2007.
So, what can you do to avoid being greenwashed? The Federal Trade Commission is working to update their so-called Green Guides (originally issued in 1992 and updated in 1998), and there are slowly emerging legitimate “seals of approval” from third-party certification organizations .
But until such standards are common in the marketplace it’s up to you to do your homework, research companies environmental claims, and be skeptical. You can also go online to greenwashingindex.com or Greenpeace’s stopgreenwash.org to check out examples.
I find myself struggling with which produce to buy, organic or as locally grown as possible? I have a hard time buying organic oranges that traveled 1500 miles to get to my table, but I am equally discouraged by the idea of feeding my family vegetables washed in harsh pesticides. Can you please help me in my quest to make the best possible choice? Which is better organic or local?
- Ms. Divided – Reno, NV
Dear Ms. Divided,
I am glad to hear that you are thinking about the nutritional and environmental impacts of our current industrial food system. The ideal would be to buy produce that is both local and organic, but this is not always an option – there are a few ways to cut this conundrum. Local sustainable farming benefits our community, our economy and enhances our environment by enriching the soil, protecting air and water quality and minimizing energy use. I will be forthright with my bias towards the fresh and seasonal option wherever possible, yet understand that sometimes you want a Strawberry in November.
I eat what is grown seasonally in our local region because it tastes better, it is better for my body and the global environment. Produce is the most nutritionally dense within three days of harvest and most of our local farms are turning towards organic methods of growing (some are just too small to be certified, but have been growing food without pesticides for a long time). Some local farms I recommend are Lattin Farms, Hungry Mother, Churchill Butte and Nana Dew. When the farmers markets open, or when you go to a local grocery or restaurant that has locally grown fruit and vegetables – do your body a favor and give it the good stuff!
When you are shopping for produce grown in other parts of the world, there is a list of things you should always buy organic for health reasons. After you finish reading this letter please head straight to the Environmental Working Group’s website www.foodnews.org. The EWG provides consumers with a complete list of produce rated from worst to OK to buy non-organic: peaches are the worst (always buy organic), followed by apples, sweet bell peppers, celery and nectarines. The EWG is a reliable stop for pesticide related information, and they are motivated by the fact that pesticides “are designed to kill living organisms – insects, plants, and fungi that are considered “pests.” Because they are toxic by design, many pesticides pose health risks to people.”
Lastly, industrial food production is entirely dependent on fossil fuels, which, when refined and burned, create greenhouse gases that are significant contributors to climate change. When a tomato travels 1500 miles, and its growth was motivated by what it would look like on the shelf when it arrived at Scolari’s in Nevada – your health was not the priority, remember that! As much as forty percent of the energy used in the food system goes towards the production of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. By adding transportation, processing and packaging to the food system equation, the fossil fuel and energy use of our current food system puts tremendous stress on the environment.
Ultimately, the choice is yours, both organic and local have a positive value and impact. So, if you are motivated to have the smallest impact and gain the best nutrition for you and your family, buy seasonal and local first, and organic outside of our region for most things, but keep it as close to home grown as possible.
Sincerely,
Econista
Feb 272010
Greno was created because it’s time. As educators, local experts, business owners, and residents in Northern Nevada collaborating to grow a more sustainable region – we realized that this publication did not exist, and it needs to. We needed a place to be on the same page with each other and speak with the community at-large. We were interested in helping others increase their knowledge about different and more sustainable means of prospering, feeding their families, and powering our cities. Daily, more and more people in Northern Nevada are deciding it’s time for them and their families to live better and more responsibly – to waste less, to reduce consumption or reuse an item – because every little step adds to the momentum of this sustainability movement growing in our region.
Now, we have a tool, a place to turn to for guidance, education, community news, and inspiration as we continue to grow a more sustainable, responsible, and green region.
We all eat! So, we decided to focus Greno #003 primarily on food, where it comes from, and those who are working to provide our community with nutritious edibles. This eating process is a big portion of how we live, and in this issue you will meet new ideas and practices that may lead you to change something about how you eat, one spoon at a time.
When we eat Lay’s Potato Chips, drink a Coca-Cola, or even a Fig Newton there is a chain of resources and people who effectively engineered that possibility for us, and unfortunately these companies may not be thinking about our health, but the dollars we give them in exchange for their brilliant engineering!
In this issue of Greno we are investigating a healthier alternative when consuming edible, drinkable and packaged products. Every choice has a ripple effect that connects each vegetable we eat to a network of people, places, vehicles, chemicals, or not. It’s time to get down and dirty!
Please enjoy this issue. We enjoyed putting it together. Download your free copy of GReNO here, or visit your local sustainable store for your free copy.
We look forward to growing with you,
The Greno Team – Morgan, Christal, Larry, Marc and Jason
Jan 212010
by Meghan Collins and Amber Sallaberry
Imagine you are a one-dollar bill, crinkled in the stuffy pocket of a Reno foodie. Your short-term use for your transporter is to purchase tomatoes, who faces a decision: run to a big-box store or shop at the local grocer down the street. This is a choose-your-own-adventure story of a dollar bill spent in one of Reno’s locally owned grocers vs. that spent in a brand-name grocery chain.
OPTION 1: BIG -BOX SPECIAL!
Your shopper walks through the sliding doors to the produce section, where she notices a large pyramid of tomatoes on the left wall. Choosing tomatoes only takes an instant because they are all the same shape, size and faint smell.
As she checks out, your rumpled dollar-bill-self goes in the drawer next to a few others of its kind, and it begins the journey in our global economy. It’s a fact that only 43% of money spent in a non-local business remains in the community (www. the350project.net). Where does the rest go on this hypothetical journey?
You, the weary dollar, enter into a pool of many others of your kind. This pool is divided in many ways. The first destination is to the retailer, taking a large percent of the revenue to cover overhead. Payroll stays local, as do taxes and utilities, but there is a great deal of money that is spent afar. Sources of products, supplies, and equipment are likely to be sourced from out-of-town. These chain stores also have the buying power to purchase distributors in large quantities from far-away industrial zones, contract with overseas merchants, or to the intensive costs of transportation and packaging itself. Past the owner of the franchise, a portion of the monies heads to the corporation’s HQ for research and development on market trends (heard of green washing?), advertisement, and costs of lobbying the federal government.
National and transnational shareholders, depending on the chain, often times see a large portion of year-end profits. This is significant because those monies are not being rolled back into location where money was spent to improve it, where individuals might have a vested interest in improving the community.
OPTION 2: HAND-PICKED BASKET
One alternative path for our tomato dollar begins at the independent grocery store, taking the locally-owned food cooperative as an example. In this case, the breakdown is much simpler. Compared to the $43 above, in the local scenario $68 of $100 returns to the community through payroll, taxes, and other similar expenditures (www.the350project.net).
Shopping takes a bit longer in this case. The owner of the dollar is surprised by the tomato selection at the Co-op. Because this enterprise supports many local Nevada growers, there is a large variety to choose from: slicing tomatoes, vine-ripened tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes and roma tomatoes.
The patron picks out a Cherokee purple heart heirloom and can smell its strong flavor even before cutting into it. The rumpled dollar is handed over to a worker paid a living wage for the region, and the patron’s eye catches a photo.
It depicts the farmer who grew the tomato. Next to this biography is a map of the Co-op’s ‘foodshed’ of the 95-mile radius around Reno, from which it aims to source the majority of its goods.
In the Co-op’s case, many supplies and equipment have been donated by members of the community. Some are recycled, some are handmade, and others come from other locally-owned businesses. The retail floor reflects a mentality of ‘bigger is not always better’, where products are sustainably produced and fresher, and where the space restriction might require you to get to know other ‘neighbors’ shopping alongside you.
Marketing in the case of the Co-op refers to education. Why is it important to buy local? What is the true cost of food, factoring in farm workers’ conditions and environmental aspects such as transportation and production methods? Why do individuals collaborate to form cooperatives in the first place? The list goes on…
The moral of the story is that spending the dollar locally provides more power to the region, as opposed to diluting it at a convenient franchise.
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Visit www.greatbasinfood.coop or come and visit us at 542 Plumas St. Reno, NV 89509 (775) 324-6133
GReNO is expanding its size and distribution – again for the third time!
Our next edition will be jam packed with great articles and information, with even more affordable ad rates. You can download our flyer here – or simply give us a call to discuss how we can help you reach our growing community of sustainable and renewable energy conscious readers. With our expanded distribution through Whole Foods and other eco-outlets, your message will reach a much wider audience for less money. But hurry… advertising reservations close on January 20th!
Nov 232009
Ready to download your free copy of GReNO Vol. 002? It’s easy… just click here and enjoy!