Quantcast

The Green Life:


« February 2014 | Main | April 2014 »

21 posts from March 2014

March 31, 2014

Avocado-less Guacamole

AvocadolessGuacamole

Imagine guacamole without the avocado. That may be a reality we face in the coming years, either because of scarcity or high costs. Some scientists are warning that climate change and Ambrosia beetles could cause a decline in avocado yields in the US.

There is no true substitute for avocado in my favorite dip, but I thought I’d at least prepare to use less of this tasty green fruit. I scoured the internet and found three recipes that seemed worth a taste test, so we sampled them. While there was no clear winner, there was a distinct loser.

Edamame base/ Edamole: This dip was a much brighter green than the real thing, with a "bean-y" flavor and "homemade peanut butter" consistency. Several tasters noted its “smokiness,” possibly imparted by the spices and soy. It would do well smeared—or, um, crumbled—on a veggie burger.

Asparagus base: This dip was "much less attractive" appearance, with a dark color and soupy texture akin to those of “real guacamole that’s been left out overnight." Still, it was the most "convincing" guacamole substitute.

Green pea base: Remember that distinct loser I mentioned? A few people liked this as a spread for baguettes, but it's certainly no guacamole substitute, and one taster said this "just horrible" dip brought forth childhood memories of being forced to eat peas. Most considered it “too sweet” to pass as a guac alternative, but the addition of more seasonings and sour cream could even it out.

Try the recipes yourself and see if they're tasty enough to replace this iconic dip.

Edamame Dip/Edamole

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic 

1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or to taste

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans), thawed

1 tablespoon water, or as needed

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Place the garlic cloves, chipotle pepper, olive oil, hot sauce and cumin into a blender. Puree until smooth, then add the edamame and continue to puree until smooth. Add water as needed to achieve your desired consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper before serving. 

Recipe reprinted with permission from AllRecipes.com/HealthyFoodLover.

 

Asparagus Guacamole

Ingredients 

1 lb asparagus spears, cut into 1 inch lengths

3/4 cup water

2 tablespoons plain yogurt (or low fat) 

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 medium tomato, seeded and chopped (1 cup) 

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 garlic clove, minced (add more if you so desire!)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Directions

Combine asparagus and water in a 2 quart saucepan. Bring to boil over medium high heat, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer 8 to 10 minutes or until tender. Rinse with cold water; drain. Blot asaparagus with a power towel to remove excess moisture. Combine asparagus, yogurt and lemon juice in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. In a medium mixing bowl, combine asparagus mixture and remaining ingredients. Chill if desired. 

Recipe reprinted with permission from Food.com/Sharon123

 

Green Pea "Guacamole"

Ingredients

1/3 medium red onion, finely chopped 

4 tbs. olive oil

juice of 1 lime (about 4 tbs.) 

1/2 bunch cilanto, stems removed

1/2-1 tsp. chipotle chilis in adobo sauce or 1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded

10 oz frozen peas

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

Directions

Chop onion in food processor until finely chopped. Place onion in a medium bowl and set aside. Combine oil, lime juice and cilantro in a food processor until roughly pureed. Add chili, peas, cumin, salt and blend until almost smooth (should be some chunks left). Stir in red onion. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with a bit of chopped red onion. Serve with tortilla chips or toasted pita.

*You don't need to defrost or cook the frozen peas before pureeing them, but I do let the dip sit at room temperature for about a half hour before serving. 

Recipe reprinted with permission from stylishspoon.com/Ilana

 

--top image by iStockphoto/billyfoto

 

Bianca Hernandez is an editorial intern at Sierra. She recently received her MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California and has written for various publications.

 

Read More: 

5 Healthy Takes on Classic Comfort Foods

Spoil No More: Avocados

7 Gluten-Free Bread Bowl Alternatives

March 27, 2014

An Electric Car for Wheelchairs

Kenguru, electric car designed for people in wheelchairsIstvan Kissaroslaki was working in finance in Germany when he became sick -- sick enough that he had to stop working for six months. During his convalescence, his perspective on life changed: the finance world just didn't seem right anymore.

"I felt like I wanted to do something more meaningful with my life than making as much money as possible and trying to increase the yield of a financial institution," he said.

Now, Kissaroslaki is the co-founder of Kenguru (Hungarian for "kangaroo"), a company that's designed an eponymous electric car for people who use wheelchairs.

"I was thinking about teenagers in wheelchairs. What do they do when they’re sitting at home and their friends are getting driver's licenses?" Kissaroslaki said. "They hope to have public transportation or someone who can drive them. That was my motivation, to give these teenagers mobility." Between 2006 and 2008, Kissaroslaki worked on this car (which was originally designed by a company he worked for) as a side project. But in the middle of 2008 he realized that Kenguru needed more of his time and attention, so he quit his full-time job to work on the car instead.

In 2009, when the project was in limbo because of financial problems, Stacy Zoern, a Texas lawyer disabled by a muscle disease, happened upon Kenguru online and reached out to Kissaroslaki.

"I told her what happened and that we’re not building them and I’m back fundraising. This answer didn’t make her happy, and she kept calling." Kissaroslaki said.

He went to visit her in Austin a few months later, when he decided to give her a piece of the company and they started working on Kenguru together. A year later, Kissaroslaki moved from Hungary to Austin. Now, they're even earning shout-outs from President Obama.

Kenguru decided to make the car electric for practicality's sake. "It’s more comfortable to ride in a small vehicle that's electric than a small one with a combustion engine," Kissaroslaki said. "Plus, subsidies are more likely to be given by governments if the product is green."

Kenguru steering wheelThe Kenguru is definitely small -- smaller than a Smart Car in fact. It can travel up to 25-35 miles per hour (depending on the regulations in your state) and around 60 miles a day. The first vehicles will be rolling off the assembly line sometime in 2015. 

"The first generation vehicle will have a retail price around $25,000," Kissaroslaki said. "Our goal internally is to dramatically reduce this price over the first three years, to somewhere under $15,000."

Most customers, he adds, are paying a fraction of the cost, and many pay nothing. This is due in part to subsidies for eco-friendly vehicles, but the biggest deduction available in the US and western Europe is if someone needs the vehicle to go to school, work, or otherwise engage in a way that's beneficial to their country. Some agencies or vocational rehab programs will pick up 95-100 percent of the cost in this case.

"For any city, for any government, it makes sense to invest $50,000 to $100,000 in someone in a wheelchair who’s eager to go to school or work," Kissaroslaki said.

Kissaroslaki, Zoern, and the others at Kenguru are planning to come up with more ideas to increase accessibility and independence of those in wheelchairs, but the first generation vehicle is taking the front seat in priority.

"We will have other products out that will address the same market, but for now I would like to focus on the task in front of us," Kissaroslaki said.

--All images courtesy of Kenguru

Jessica ZischkeJessica Zischke is an editorial intern at Sierra. She is currently studying environmental studies at Dartmouth College, where she also works as a staff writer for The Dartmouth newspaper.

 

READ MORE:

Solar Taxi Circumnavigates the Globe

What Should Electric Cars Sound Like?

Power Up: Electric Vehicles for Everyone

March 26, 2014

Ask Mr. Green: Paper Towels or Rags?

Mr. Green is Bob SchildgenHey Mr. Green,

During a drought, is it better to clean the house with paper towels or with cloth rags that need to be washed? We have a Kenmore front-loading washer, which the Internet says uses 17.28 gallons per load. —Heather, in Redwood City, California

Because of the extreme variability in the personal use of rags and paper towels, and the many kinds of paper towels available, this question is impossible to answer definitely. But undaunted by impossibility, I forge on in search of ever-elusive truths.

Your washer has a capacity of 3.1 cubic feet. So I first selected a rag that was about 3 feet square (18 by 26 inches), loosely balled it up, and calculated its volume by the time-honored formula of V = 4/3 πr3. Allowing for space around each rumpled rag of this size, I figured that you could fit about 24 in a 3-cubic-foot washer. I then filled up my own 3-cubic-foot washer with a collection of these rags, and to my immense delight, I found that it could hold about the same number as indicated by my computation—not exactly as big a deal as finding the Higgs boson or calculating the gravitational force of dark matter at the birth of the universe, but gratifying nonetheless. So, dividing the 17.28 gallons by 72 square feet, I concluded that your machine would use about a quarter of a gallon of water per square foot of rag.

I then obtained a roll of paper towels that contained 53.2 square feet, put it on a kitchen scale, and found that it weighed a half pound. I consulted the American Forestry and Paper Association’s Sustainability Report which states that it takes 5 gallons to make a pound of paper, so my half pound of paper towels would’ve required 2.5 gallons, meaning that each square foot would’ve required about .05 gallons, or only one-fifth the amount of water as washing the rags.

But since it probably takes about five times as much footage of paper towels as rags to cope with the equivalent messes, the two are probably tied as far as water consumption is concerned. Which is to say, it looks like an, um, wash.

Far more important in the grand scheme of things is the fact that you have a relatively efficient modern washing machine. Washers that were made before 1998 use twice as much water as newer brands that meet federal standards, and three times as much water as today’s Energy Star models, which take 15 gallons or less per cycle, or 8 gallons less than non–Energy Star models. An Energy Star washer will use 27,000 fewer gallons over its lifetime than other machines and also consume far less gas and electricity.

Finally, if you do use paper towels, opt for recycled ones, because every ton of recycled paper saves an estimated 7,000 gallons of water, according to a report from Green Seal, an organization that certifies the sustainability of various products. —Bob Schildgen

 

Got a question? Ask Mr. Green!


READ MORE:

Ask Mr. Green: Paper Towels or Hand Dryers?

Ask Mr. Green: Garbage Disposal or Compost Heap?

Ask Mr. Green: What Are the Best Crops for My Backyard?

 

 --illustration by Little Friends of Printmaking

Spring Cleaning, Homemade and Detoxified

Non-toxic homemade cleaning recipesIt's time for spring cleaning. Attempting to spiff up every nook and cranny in your home can be stressful, but did you also know it can expose you and your loved ones to dozens of harmful toxins? Just thinking of the harsh fumes and neon hues must have you wondering if there's a better, safer way.

You may already have ditched the phosphate-heavy cleaning agents for more eco-friendly options, but you can even opt to make your own cleaning products. Make sure you have the following common ingredients on hand (you'll save multiple trips to the store): white vinegar, baking soda, citrus, hydrogen peroxide, washing soda, rubbing alcohol, essential oils, and castile soap. These cleaning recipes will save you money and help you take control over what you put in your home!

For the laundry room. Using just three ingredients, Rebekah of Potholes and Pantyhose fixed up the only laundry soap you'll ever need. Her recipe will last you through 50 to 100 loads of laundry (depending on the efficiency of your washer), and only costs three to five cents each time.

For the kitchen. Now that you have the perfect laundry soap, it's time to detoxify your dish-washing products. Erin, the mom behind the blog The Humbled Homemaker, created this great liquid dish soap.. If you prefer a dishwasher (which may be a more efficient option), check out Wellness Mama's homemade detergent.

For the bathroom. Kresha from Nourishing Joy, a self-described bathtub scrub snob, found the recipe for success with her homemade bathtub scrub. The secret ingredient? Eggshells! The calcium and rough texture from the crushed shells are perfect to get your tub, sink, and counters gleaming.

For the windows. Leslie, the blogger of Crunchy Betty, is a home remedy master, and her homemade glass cleaner may be one of her all-time favorite recipes. The four magical ingredients will work together to leave your windows streak-free. Plus, with a nickname like Alvin Corn, how can you resist this cleaner?

For everywhere else. Want something that works for all over the house? We've got you covered. Live Renewed blogger Emily came up with two fabulous recipes for disinfecting wipes that you can use for quick cleaning in any room. Frugal Granola also has a 3-in-1 household cleaner that will save you time and money. Even though it only says 3-in-1, we're pretty sure this cleaner could take care of just about anything in your house.

--Image courtesy of iStockphoto/perkmeup

Jessica ZischkeJessica Zischke is an editorial intern at Sierra. She is currently studying environmental studies at Dartmouth College, where she also works as a staff writer for The Dartmouth newspaper.

 

READ MORE:

Green Spring Cleaning: Save the Paper Towels

Book Review Wednesday: Home Cleaning

Green Spring Cleaning: Clean Slate, New Habits

March 25, 2014

This Bird Flies Underwater

 

KfThe "critter" in Sierra's current issue is the Kingfisher, a prodigious fishing bird that must provide its young with 2,000 little happy meals before they fledge. Exactly how they do this can be seen in this amazing slo-mo video (see below) shot on the River Shannon in Ireland by Colin Stafford-Johnson for the PBS documentary, Ireland's Wild River --they fly underwater. Kingfishers don't swim great distances or for long periods like penguins or cormorants, as you can see in the underwater footage toward the end, but instead pinpoint their tiny prey from above and dive straight down like multi-colored missiles to nab their lunch. 

As we noted in the magazine, the kingfisher is also known as the "halcyon" (from its Linnaean name, Alcedo atthis), and is associated with fine weather: 

In ancient times, the kingfisher was believed to build floating nests on the open sea at the winter solstice, during which time the waters would miraculously become clam and navigable. Pliny the Elder cites this story as the origin of the term "halcyon days."

Now come Christina Chronopoulou and A. Mavrakis in the journal Weather with an article entitled "Ancient Greek drama as an eyewitness of a specific meteorological phenomenon: indication of stability of the Halcyon days." Their study of weather references in classical Greek plays shows that the 5th Century BCE was pretty darn halcyon--so much so that audiences of the time could expect to watch open-air performances in amphitheaters in mid-winter. In fact, says Tim Radford at Climate News NetworkGreek dramas of the time were replete with halcyon references:

Euripides in Medea in 431 BC mentions "the temperate and sweet breezes" while Aristophanes in The Frogs in 405 BC actually addresses "you halcyons who chatter by the ever-flowing waves."

"Combining the fact that dramatic contests were held in mid-winter without any indication of postponement, and references from the drama about clear weather and mild winters, we can assume that those particular days of almost every January were summery in the 5th and maybe the 4th centuries BC," said Chronopoulou. 

Thus the kingfisher provides paleoclimatologists new clues for unravelling the fluctuations of weather, the better to chart our own drastic effects on the world's climate.

 

 Image: Colin Stafford-Johnson

PAUL RAUBER is a senior editor at Sierra. He is the author, with Carl Pope, of the happily outdated Strategic Ignorance: Why the Bush Administration Is Recklessly Destroying a Century of Environmental Progress. Otherwise he is a cyclist, cook, and dad. Follow him on Twitter @paulrauber

READ MORE:

Critter: Fish-hunting Cat

Critter: Tasselled Wobbegong 

The Tardigrade: Tiny, Cute, and Indestructible

 

 

 

 

March 24, 2014

What Plant Will You Be This Spring?

WhatYouShouldPlantForSpringHave you always wanted to get into gardening, but never knew what to plant? This quiz will help you figure out what plant best fits your personality.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What celebrity chef are you most similar to?

A. Swedish Chef

B. Julia Child

C. Ina Garten

 

Who's your favorite folk musician?

A. Mumford and Sons

B. Simon and Garfunkel

C. Joan Baez

 

How well did you take care of your Tamagotchi? (Be honest.)

A. It was constantly dying

B. I'm still playing

C. What's a Tamagotchi?

 

How long does it take you to get dressed in the morning?

A. Forever. All of my clothes are in unsorted piles. 

B. A minute to throw on whatever is closest

C. Not long. All of my clothes are organized by season and color

 

Who is your favorite farmer?

A. Old McDonald

B. The couple in American Gothic

C. Joel Salatin

 

If you answered "A" often:

You're interested in gardening, but may not be ready for the responsibilities that come with daily care. Try something that doesn't require a lot of water, like succulents or other drought tolerant plants.

If you try only one plant this season it should be: aloe.

If you answered "B" often:

You're ready to dabble in gardening but may not have the space or time to do it as much as you want. Start off with some herbs like basil, mint, or one of many others that grow easily. You could also try window boxes with rows of lettuce, or hanging baskets

If you try only one plant this season it should be: sunflowers.

If you answered "C" often:

You have the time to put in a sizable garden, or at least more than one or two potted plants. Consider what plants grow best in your region and how much space you have. If your space if cramped, try window boxes and a dwarf citrus tree. If space is not an issue, get creative with native plants, putting in a raised bed or just turning your whole yard into a garden

If you try only one plant this season it should be: strawberries.

 

--Cover image courtesy of iStock/PeJo29

 

Bianca Hernandezis an editorial intern at Sierra. She recently received her MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California and has written for various publications.

 

Read More: 

Gangsta Gardener: Ron Finley

Return of the Victory Garden

Extreme Weather Gardening

Read more:http://sierraclub.typepad.com/greenlife/#ixzz2wvunXHKQ

March 23, 2014

Women of the Sierra Club: Allison Chin

Allison ChinMarch is Women’s History Month, and Sierra would like to take this time to acknowledge the extraordinary women who have joined the Sierra Club's ranks, both past and present.

When Allison Chin was growing up, she and her family went camping every summer, an experience that has embedded her with a love of nature and the outdoors. She started looking for an organization that showed the same desire to protect national parks that she felt, which led her to the Sierra Club.

Chin described herself as "a paper member" for years and joined the Sierra Club while in graduate school. 

"When I was a grad student I took a fellow grad student camping for her first time, and she was about 23, and it just hit me that I had taken it all for granted," Chin said. "If you don’t know the outdoors, if you don't know these wonderful places, why would you go out there?"

Unfortunately, graduate school doesn't exactly lend itself to free time, and Chin knew that volunteering wouldn't be on the agenda until after she graduated.

"When I did finally get my degree, one of my presents to myself was to volunteer with the Sierra Club," Chin said. "It was through the Inner City Outings program, and I love working with young people and I love hiking, so I could connect those two interests. It was great to give back and get to know a new area where I was living. That was definitely the beginning of a very, very long relationship."

Within a year after Chin's first experience with the San Jose chapter of the Inner City Outings, she became a certified outings leader and went on to lead over 200 trips. In 2008, she became the first person of color to serve as president of the Sierra Club's board, a position she held until 2010 and again from 2012 to 2013. She described her time as president as "humbling," and acknowledged the women who paved her way.

"Women were founding members of the Club too, which is just a testament to the fact that even though we're thought of as an old, male-dominated organization, there have been women as leaders in the Club who have been real critical to the movement," she said.

Chin has been an advocate for increasing diversity in the Club's leadership, and hopes that one day the diversity initiatives in place will no longer be necessary.

"The demographics in our country are shifting; we don’t reflect the communities that we work in and live in," Chin said. "If we want to reach everyone then we’ve got to reflect them in our leadership. It’s essential to building the movement that we really engage people, and one of the best ways to attract people is to make sure that you reflect them and their values."

One of the highlights of her time as president was when the board agreed to support a pathway to citizenship. The Sierra Club has a policy to remain neutral on the subject of immigration, but Chin believes this decision sent an important message.

"We were able to be consistent with both our practices of honoring our immigration policy and our commitment to being a more inclusive and welcoming organization," Chin said. "We found a way to stand up for the values we believe in; that everyone has a right to clean water, clean air."

During Chin's second term as president, she presided over a historic decision for the Club's board to partake in an act of civil disobedience against the Keystone XL pipeline.

"With the president getting his second term, with the Keystone decision, with our ears to the ground hearing people of all walks of life looking for leadership and wanting to take action, we did think that was the right moment."

Chin has continued to stay active in the Sierra Club with Our Wild America and the Diversity Council. She is also working with the Sierra Club and other organizations to increase diversity and inclusion.

--Image courtesy of Sierra Club Archives/Colby Library

Jessica ZischkeJessica Zischke is an editorial intern at Sierra. She is currently studying environmental studies at Dartmouth College, where she also works as a staff writer for The Dartmouth newspaper.

 

READ MORE:

Women of the Sierra Club: Marion Randall Parsons

Women's History Month: In The Workplace

Women's History Month: Women In Science

March 20, 2014

Swap It Like It's Hot

Clothing SwapI had no idea what I was doing, but, scissors in hand, I happily sliced away at what was once a favorite T-shirt during last weekend's Bay Area Swap-O-Rama-Rama. I had never been to a swap before, but organized swapping has been gaining momentum across the country and online.

Swapping is when people trade items, typically giving up things they don’t want for things they do. It can be a thrifty way to makeover a wardrobe, restock a makeup cabinet, or refresh a bookshelf with unread titles, all while keeping unwanted items out of the landfill.

The Swap & Sew I attended took place in a gallery. There were sewing machines, snacks, and tables where swappers could put items that were up for grabs. I had read ahead and brought a bag full of old clothes, intending to combat my hoarder tendencies by culling my closet, but my intentions were thwarted when I found myself wanting to take home as many clothes as I was giving up. Tables quickly became piled with items, and were restocked with each wave of participants.

After perusing the items up for grabs I decided to venture into a DIY Reverse Applique T-Shirt workshop. Some participants (experts?) wielded their own stencils and shirts, while others, me included, were less prepared. The two organizers were more than happy to help.

I quickly got to hacking away at my old t-shirt and struck up conversations with the people around me. Most had never been to a swap, but they had all brought items to give away and found items they wanted to take home. Though some had never done a DIY project like the reverse applique technique, they were encouraged by the organizers. Anytime anyone said, “I think I did this wrong” they were told that there was no “wrong” way, and that doing it wrong was actually perfect.

At the end of the day I left with a bag full of "new" clothes, a shirt I had resigned to never wear again, and a headful of ideas for revamping my closet. I was also pretty excited at the prospect of another sewing circle full of impromptu conversation.

How you can swap

The Swap-O-Rama-Rama is an international organization, so check out one of their meetings in your area, or start your own.

If joining an online swap forum, make sure you read the guidelines. Many of these online communities have rules and regulations. There are often rigorous verification processes in place to ensure the safety and security of members and transactions. On Reddit there are communities for clothes, nail polish, bras, makeup, books and more. Some are more stringent in their screening process than others. Always use caution when sharing personal information online.

If you want to give stuff away but don't want anything in return, check out Freecycle.org. The site has a list of freecycling groups by location. You must ask to join the groups, but after you're approved, you can post and browse freely.

Go to a clothing swap Meetup

 

--Cover image courtesy of iStock/gemenacon

 

Bianca Hernandez is an editorial intern at Sierra. She recently received her MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California and has written for various publications.

 

Read More: 

Green Your City: Organize a Swap

Swapping Your Way to a Greener Life

Swapping Smartly

March 19, 2014

The Gangsta Gardener of South Los Angeles

Ron Finley

23.5 million Americans live in food deserts, regions that lack access to fresh food. Ron Finley saw a need for produce in the food desert he called home and took action, sparking interest around the world, but more importantly, bringing his community together. The South Los Angeles resident taught us a few things about renegade gardening, and the importance of fresh food in his community's schools.

Bianca Hernandez: What led you to start guerrilla gardening?

Ron Finley: I’m not a “guerrilla gardener.” I’m a renegade gardener. A gangsta gardener. Guerrilla gardeners plant and then they bounce. My thing is to have ownership. I bring healthy food into a community that has none. Show people how easy it is. Help people to be able to design their own lives.

BH: Why is that important to South Los Angeles?

RF: This is a small section of the populace that has more disease and sickness than the larger population, and it’s by design. My thing is to self-empower the neighborhood, take matters into your own hands. Grow your own damn food.

BH: How can this be applied to marginalized communities beyond those in Los Angeles?

RF: Already has been -- healthy food is a basic need. Why should your food make you sick? For me, planting a seed in South Central [Los Angeles] has turned into a planet-wide movement. Kids in India are calling themselves gansta gardeners. I get calls from The Netherlands to London and everywhere in between. A lot of people are realizing food is our medicine. It doesn’t kill you right off, but it does eventually.

BH: Any current projects?

RF: Rooftop gardens are being put up in downtown Los Angeles to help feed the homeless. I’m doing consulting work with Los Angeles Unified School District. Kids are eating garbage and you expect their minds and bodies to develop? Grade school kids are having heart attacks, and it’s not from a lack of food, it’s from a lack of real food.

BH: What can someone do today in their community?

RF: Get a shovel, a pitchfork, and get your community together and grow your own food. You save money on food and health bills. Gardens don’t cost - they pay, and in more than one way. Build communities, build healthy bodies.

-- top photo used with permission from Ron Finley

 

Bianca Hernandez is an editorial intern at Sierra. She recently received her MA in Visual Anthropology from the University of Southern California and has written for various publications.

 

Read More:

Green Your Town: Community Gardening

Profile: Gentle Gardener George Gibbs

Got a Lawn? Make it a Garden

March 18, 2014

Ask Mr. Green: What to Do About Feral Cats

Mr. Green is Bob Schildgen

Hey Mr. Green, 

What are the preferred method(s) of reducing feral cats populations if not eliminating them altogether? —Donald in Burtonsville, Maryland

The feral cat is an invasive, non-native species that kills amphibians, reptiles, and 1.5 billion birds and 11 billion mammals a year, according to a study by the Smithsonian Institute and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The 50 million wild felines that the Humane Society estimates roam the landscape also deprive native predators of food. Extermination is obviously out of the question, because millions of cat lovers and animal rights advocates simply wouldn’t stand for it. We favor warm, fuzzy, flattering creatures to birds or lizards that usually get the hell out when humans show up.

Trap-neuter-and-return (TNR) programs are advocated by most major animal-protection organizations but opposed by wildlife biologists and bird-protection groups such as the American Bird Conservancy. Even some animal rights groups, like People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, oppose TNR: PETA says the programs “are not usually in cats’ best interests,” because the “altered” cat still must struggle to survive. The feral life span averages two years, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal—one-ninth a life instead of the proverbial nine. There is some evidence that feral populations can be reduced if the cats get diligent, long-term management: For more on this point, visit the ASPCA or Alley Cat Allies.

So, there’s no simple solution, but one policy all parties agree on is this: Cats should be kept indoors and never allowed outside unless they’re under strict supervision. Domestic cats do kill, and when let outside become vulnerable to diseases, brawls, and fatal encounters with wildlife. Indoor cats live longer—and arguably are happier. Gazing out the window at prey might actually be TV for tabby, and not an oppressive form of house arrest. —Bob Schildgen

--illustation by Little Friends of Printmaking

 

Got a question? Ask Mr. Green!


READ MORE:

Ask Mr. Green: Do Cleaning Products Have Dirty Secrets?

Ask Mr. Green: How Green Is Bamboo?

Ask Mr. Green: What Are the Best Crops for My Backyard?

 


User comments or postings reflect the opinions of the responsible contributor only, and do not reflect the viewpoint of the Sierra Club. The Sierra Club does not endorse or guarantee the accuracy of any posting. The Sierra Club accepts no obligation to review every posting, but reserves the right (but not the obligation) to delete postings that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate.

Up to Top


Sierra Club® and "Explore, enjoy and protect the planet"® are registered trademarks of the Sierra Club. © 2009 Sierra Club.
The Sierra Club Seal is a registered copyright, service mark, and trademark of the Sierra Club.