Daily Tip: November 30, 2007

Support local farmers and eat great food by participating in Community Supported Agriculture. Here’s how it works: You buy shares in a participating farm near you, then you’ll start receiving fruits and vegetables each week from the season’s harvests. Not only will you be getting fresh and local produce, you’ll be supporting independent farm owners and decreasing food-transportation costs. Talk about a win-win situation.

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Design on a Dime

You won't find green bling at Solara, just practical and cost-effective features that make this 56-unit ecofriendly apartment complex near San Diego affordable for low- to moderate-income families. "Green doesn't have to look different," says project manager Mary Jane Jagodzinski. "It can fit into any community."

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Breathe Deeply
Formaldehyde-free insulation keeps indoor air quality high.

Up on the Roof
Photovoltaic panels on roofs and carports generate all of Solara's energy, so residents have no power bills to pay.

Windows of Opportunity
Low-emissivity (low-e) windows reduce heat loss and gain and are positioned to allow maximum ventilation.

Healthy Living
Each family gets a shopping cart to take on walks to the farmers' market and other nearby conveniences.

Lush Life
Native plants make up almost half of the landscape. There's also an organic lemon grove and natural grasses instead of lawns.

Long May It Run

When a man writes a love song for his 1948 Buick, you know he's got a thing for old cars. But Neil Young's latest automotive exploit is no exercise in nostalgia--he's had his 1959 Lincoln Continental converted to a biodiesel-electric hybrid engine, and will be directing a film about the car as he drives it across the country to raise awareness about alternative fuels. My my, hey hey, hope that's an idea that's here to stay.

Daily Tip: November 28, 2007

If the recent news about lead in toys has left you wondering what gifts are safe for kids, do your holiday shopping at stores that feature fair-trade musical instruments and traditional (but still fun!) toys such as hand-puppets, wooden cars and blocks, puzzles, dolls, and clothing. The owners of smaller, locally owned stores are more likely to be able to tell you where their toys came from too.

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Your Gifts Are On Our List

Finding one of these presents under the tree could turn the most ardent Hummer driver into a tree hugger. What green gift would you be most grateful to receive?

FOR YOUR BROTHER
He'll have style and substance with a fresh renewable-energy T-shirt (pictured; organic and sweatshop free), hipster hoodie (made from organic fleece), rugged wallet (made out of discarded truck-tire inner tubes), geek-chic luggage tags (made of old circuit boards), or recycled messenger bag.

FOR YOUR SISTER
She'll toast your thoughtfulness when she unwraps this recycled-glass necklace (pictured) by artist Kathleen Plate. Or send her out on the town with a pull-tab clutch or shoulder bag and some ecofriendly lipstick to stick in it. Sis the shy and retiring type? Encourage her to express herself in a vintage-record-sleeve journal or one made from elephant poop (no, really).

FOR YOUR FOLKS
Decorative bowls woven from telephone wire (pictured) or vases made from recycled paper will add beauty to their home and benefit craftspeople in South Africa and Vietnam. Foodies or green thumbs will appreciate an herb-garden kit with organic seeds in a biodegradable pot.

FOR YOUR (FURRY) BEST FRIEND
Fido will drool his appreciation for a fabric chew toy made of recycled soda bottles (pictured) and rest easily on an organic, hemp, or recycled doggie bed.

Daily Tip: November 26, 2007

Get with the times and download new music instead of buying it on CDs. The “jewel cases” that CDs come in are usually made from polyvinyl chloride, a dangerous material that cannot readily be recycled. Downloading will also help cut down on the production costs and energy used to create the discs themselves. And many record labels (to use a quaint term) are making those clever liner notes available online.

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Things To Do This Weekend

Thursday: Enjoy your organic turkey, tofurkey, or other ecofriendly holiday meal while watching the carbon-neutral Lions-Packers game.

Friday: Avoid the hordes--stay home and buy nothing.

Saturday: Tune in to Sierra Club Radio for interviews with columnist Paul Krugman, global-warming leader Fran Pavley, and Cindy Kang of Green Corps, plus a political update from Carl Pope and some tips for heating water efficiently.

Sunday: Veg out. It's good for the environment!

Monday: Check back here for a gander at Sierra's green-gift guide. Yep, it's that time of year again.

Daily Tip: November 21, 2007

After you’ve finished baking, turn off the oven and open its door to let the heat into your kitchen. You’ll be amazed by how long the extra warmth lasts.

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Media Lounge

SEX IN A TENT
a book by Michelle Waitzman
Being dirty and talking dirty gloriously commingle in this guide to coupling in the great outdoors. Sprinkled with first-person accounts of how various folks got cozy during camping trips, Michelle Waitzman's book provides tips on "sexy tent games for a rainy day," how to make unwashed hat hair alluring, which clothing fabrics stink less after a few days' use, and which lightweight treats--such as licorice, chocolate, and cinnamon--help boost libido. For some backcountry foreplay, try salving your partner's mosquito bites or massaging his or her aching feet before skinny-dipping together. You may not learn how to pack economically, but you'll pick up some suave steps for a tent tango. --Marilyn Berlin Snell

Daily Tip: November 20, 2007

Planning a vacation? Skip the plane tickets and take a train instead. A transcontinental airplane flight that’s 80 percent full can generate 2.5 tons of carbon dioxide emissions. And we don’t have to tell you how bad driving is. Depending on the type of train and the length of your trip, train travel creates just 4 to 15 percent of the CO₂ emissions, per passenger, than going by plane. Plus it’s a great, safe, and unique way to see the country.

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