Posts filed under ‘recommended’
A Genetically-Engineered Empire
Businessweek ran a really interesting article about Monsanto this week, and I wanted to recommend it and also say a few words about the company, which has had an enormous but largely unrecognized effect on our food.
Monsanto’s a century-old company that most of us have probably heard of. As a kid, I often passed a large Monsanto plant that stretched along the Massachusetts Turnpike near where I grew up. The place reminded me of an city on Mars, a big tangle of shiny metal ducts and smokestacks and lights with steam rising off of everything. We always had to roll up the car windows as we drove by to keep the sulfurous rotten-egg stench of the place from entering the car and asphyxiating us. (more…)
Junk for Christmas
I think that a lot of us are probably uncomfortable with the idea of giving people junk for Christmas (or Christmakah or Festivus or whatever you celebrate). So here’s a simple crafty and relatively inexpensive way to make some junky gifts this year that everyone will love and you will be proud to give. (more…)
Green Gifts
Here are some more tips for holiday shoppers who aren’t prepared to deal with the guilt of buying environmentally-unfriendly gifts this year…
1. Buy used gifts
Although some may scoff at the idea of giving a used gift, I, personally would be very happy to receive second-hand goods this year. Look around on Craigslist, Amazon, or at your local antique/thrift shop for books, movies, furniture and pretty much anything on your loved one’s wish list. There are also lots of sites that sell refurbished electronics (I got my new/used laptop here: www.techforless.com), which means that you get a really great price on partially-used (but high quality and waranteed) tech stuff. Why are used things “green”, you ask? Answer: re-using is 100% efficient, which is better than recycling things, and way better than sending old things to the landfill and making something entirely new.
2. Buy energy-saving devices and carbon offsets (more…)
Give them Greentertainment this Christmas
Yesterday 20th Century Fox released the “Futurama: Bender’s Big Score” DVD, touted as the first “carbon-neutral” DVD ever. The studio apparently did all that it could to reduce waste during the DVD production process, and bought carbon offsets to balance out the remaining “unavoidable” energy use. The feature-length film also includes a cameo appearance (does it count as an appearance if it’s really only his voice?) from Al Gore, preaching the word of Green.
I’m not a huge fan of Futurama, but I have been known to chuckle at the show and I highly recommend buying this DVD for yourself or a loved one this holiday season. But if you and your loved ones aren’t into futurama, here are some practical and ways to give and receive greenly this year. (more…)
Green Turkey Day
I realize most Thanksgiving hosts have probably already ordered their turkey for this year’s feast, but for those of you last-minute cooks and early birds already planning Christmas Dinner, I recommend buying a pasture-raised, antibiotic-free turkey (or other animal). You can find them at the Eat Well Guide, from farms or stores in your area. (more…)
Garbage Game
This is kind of New York-specific, but everybody’s got garbage and this is an interesting way to start thinking about what happens to your trash once you toss it in the bin…
The Gotham Gazette Garbage Game 
