Roses are Red, Valentines are GREEN

Send a little eco-love to your valentine!

Share some love with the earth by checking out these great green
postcards to send to all your loved ones!

You can also check them out and send them to your loved ones here.

crabbtown at itsyournature.org

hello all,

my new blog area at NRDC's itsyournature.org is up and running. you can find it at:

http://www.itsyournature.org/crabbtown

NRDC is awesome because of what they do:

1. Taking on corporate polluters and government indifference in court;
They sued the U.S. Navy and stopped them from blasting the world's marine mammals with deadly hi-frequency sonar.

2. Helping companies and institutions see the 'green' light;
They've partnered with Warner Music Group to revolutionize their music label into the greenest on earth. They've also "greened" this year's Grammy and Oscar ceremonies.

3. Making smart sustainable policies the law of the land;
We ensured that a half million kids in California are getting tested for lead poisoning every year.
If you're into environmentalism, check it out. If not... then check it out.

-peace

crabbtown blog 1-20-08

Bush Administration Rejects California’s Global Warming Clean Cars Rules

At what point did our politicians STOP supporting state's rights? And who is employed by the EPA these days? I'm reposting this from www.itsyournature.org

Here's the NRDC Press Release:

EPA Sticks Thumb in Eyes of Governors Representing Half of All Americans, Says NRDC

WASHINGTON (Dec. 19, 2007) – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today denied California's request for routine permission to implement its clean cars law (AB 1493). This rejection represents bald-faced political interference with California's decades-long authority to enforce its own clean air rules, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
Following is a statement by David Doniger, NRDC Climate Center Policy Director:
"The California standards are the single most effective step yet taken in the United States to curb global warming. By blocking the California standards, the administration has stuck a thumb in the eye of 18 governors from both red and blue states who have led the way on global warming by adopting these landmark rules.
"California and the 17 other states have led the way to cut global warming pollution from new automobiles. Their right to do so has been affirmed by three federal court decisions this year, including the Supreme Court's landmark ruling that carbon dioxide is an air pollutant, just like any other. The new energy law signed by the president today explicitly preserves this Clean Air Act authority.
"The EPA administrator claimed the new energy law sets a standard of 35 miles per gallon and thereby precludes California's more effective standards. That is just plain wrong. The energy law only sets a fuel economy floor. It requires the administration to set standards of 'at least 35 miles per gallon,' expressly giving the administration the power to go farther. And the law expressly preserves California's authority under the Clean Air Act to set independent, stronger standards to meet the challenge of global warming. Let's be clear: the California standard is stronger and more effective than the 35-mile-per-gallon floor established in the new energy law.
"EPA Administrator Steven Johnson's claim that California lacks 'compelling and extraordinary conditions' is completely indefensible. California is suffering severe impacts from global warming. Mr. Johnson's 'policy preference' for a different approach is exactly the kind of illegal free-lancing the Supreme Court rejected in its landmark April decision on global warming."

Green in the New Year

Kate Finklea, my awesome cohort at ITSYOURNATURE.ORG, reposted this great blog entry from http://www.simplesteps.org about going green in the new year. If you haven't yet checked out our page and blog, find us here:

http://www.itsyournature.org

and here on myspace:

http://myspace.com/itsyournature

It's Resolution time again, and as we all struggle to reform and renew our personal pledges, take a moment to think about how your individual improvements can create a greater worldwide impact. Thanks to our friends at simplesteps.org we have some help for those looking to act a little greener in the new year.

"Resolutions for a Greener New Year"

This year make a few resolutions that are easy to keep. Pledge to take a couple simple steps, one at a time, to live healthier, reduce waste and tread a little more lightly. Do one or do them all but each is a beginning, a small step to a more balanced life. Start by eating well, then take a couple steps to simplify your life and cut down on clutter.

Eat well!

Buy organic <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/103/37/> when you can particularly peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, nectarines and strawberries, which commonly contain the most pesticides.

Eat more locally grown food <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/192/37/> . In season produce that hasn't flown half-way around the world will be fresher, tastier and cuts down on pollution.

Stop buying tomato-based canned food and drink less soda. The linings of the cans leach BPA into your food and drink.

Avoid fish high in mercury and choose fish that are sustainably caught to ensure a steady supply for years to come.

Simplify!

Grab that stack of holiday catalogs and log onto Catalog Choice <http://www.catalogchoice.org/> to put a stop to unwanted catalogs <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/195/37/> .

Don't spray pesticides to control pest in your home. Safer alternatives are more effective and longer lasting.

Carry a reusable bag and refuse plastic bags -- no more breaking, tearing or blowing in the wind.

Save!

If you're leaving a trail of 12 oz. plastic water bottles in your wake, buy an aluminum reusable bottle instead.

Take a couple simple steps to save a lot of energy. Start by disabling your computer's screensaver and setting it to 'sleep' after 5 minutes of activity. Shut it off when you're done.

Don't buy clothes that need to be dry cleaned. Many fabrics can be safely washed or spot cleaned at home, even if the label says 'dry clean only'. Almost all dry cleaning uses toxic chemicals that linger on your clothes and in the air <http://www.simplesteps.org/content/view/1/198/41/> .

Clean your home with natural products, just about anything can be cleaned with vinegar, lemon juice, baking soda or Borax.

Reuse and Recycle!

Every piece of paper, bottle and jar counts. Every TV, answering machine and old computer really counts by keeping toxic chemicals out of our air and water.

Before tossing something, donate it or offer it to others.

What's That Smell?

"...when you smell a smell it's not really a smell, it's a part of the object that has come off of it -- molecules. So when you smell something bad, it's like in a way you're eating it. This is why you should not really smell things, in the same way that you don't eat everything in the world around you - because as a smell, it gets inside of you. So the next time you go into the bathroom after someone else has been there, remember what kinds of molecules you are in fact eating."

That's from my favorite scene in Ang Lee's "The Ice Storm," in which a very young and thoughtful Elijah Wood stands in front of his class to deliver a report about olfactory senses. As funny as the monologue is, the kid's really on to something.

NRDC has found that more than a dozen common household air fresheners contain chemicals that may affect hormones and reproductive development, particularly in babies. It seems the federal government doesn't test air fresheners for safety and the manufacturers aren't required to meet any specific safety standards.
Say what?

“More than anything, our research highlights cracks in our safety system,” said Dr. Gina Solomon, NRDC senior scientist. “There are too many products on the shelves that we assume are safe, but have never even been tested.”

Only two of the fourteen odor-ific brands tested, Febreze Air Effects and Renuzit Subtle Effects, contained no detectable levels of a hormone-disrupting chemical called phthalate. (Try saying it aloud without sounding like Daffy Duck.) None of the products listed phthalates as ingredients and several are actually marketed as “all-natural” and “unscented.” (You know- Natural, as in "Come into my kitchen. It smells like Cranberry-mango-winter-breeze"-natural.)

The three with the highest level of phthalates were Walgreens Air Freshener, Walgreens Scented Bouquet, and Ozium Glycolized Air Sanitizer. These phthalates (say it three times fast) pose the greatest risk over long term repeated exposure. This exposure can can affect testosterone levels and lead to reproductive abnormalities, including abnormal genitalia and reduced sperm production. So if your kids spend too much time in the den, which stinks to high heaven of "Vanilla-cinnamon-fresh linen-new car," it could mess up their unmentionables.

"Manufacturers are getting away with marketing products as ‘natural’ when they’re not, and that’s because no one is stopping them,” said Mae Wu, an attorney in NRDC’s health program. “Our research suggests this could be a widespread problem in a booming industry that – so far – has been allowed to do what it wants.”

NRDC recommends that consumers who purchase air fresheners be selective and try to reduce home odors by improving home ventilation. That air freshener might make the bathroom smell sweet and cover the smell of your dirty sneakers, but why not open a window? Remember, when you smell a phthalate, part of that phthalate is inside you.

The scene in question is at 5:40. Funny stuff.

What Would Jesus Watch?

You should really check out the new "What Would Jesus Buy?" It's a documentary by Morgan Spurlock, who made the great "Supersize Me" and the even greater TV series "30 Days." It's part exploration on the holidays and consumerism/part documentary about Reverend Billy of the Church of Stop Shopping. The film dabbles its feet in some heavy issues and never really beats you over the head with statistics and disturbing sweatshop footage. It's quite entertaining and has some really engaging parts. At one point, the crew motivates a group of 3 thirteen year-old girls to contact the companies who manufacture their favorite clothes to inquire about their policies and production. Its an amazing thing seeing these giddy teenagers get excited about finding out the answers to questions they never realized they wanted answered. I hope the film makes some people think that way.



The release is very limited, but you can check the website to see if it's playing in your area code.

http://wwjbmovie.com/

Part of the promotion for the film, in conjunction with www.itsyournature.org, was to get people to make their own videos discussing how they would attempt to celebrate a less materialistic holiday. People made some wonderful videos about handmade gifts, holiday memories, and their favorite charities.
I am a smart ass though...

all i want for christmas

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