humor

From mkd's newsletter:

Time to break out those gumdrops and some icing glue because ‘tis the season for gingerbread houses! This year, however, why not put a green twist on this great holiday tradition? We’ve created a recipe for creating your very own gingerbread Lotus or, as we like to call it, gingerLotus. Aside from being a fun and delicious holiday activity, we think this project is an excellent way to start acquainting children with the ideas of sustainability and green living. It’s never too early to begin teaching your kids to be concerned for our environment and training them how to respect and protect it through everyday actions. This time of year is such a fun and exciting one for children; what better way to engage them in greening then by integrating it into your family’s holiday traditions. We hope you’ll find the results yummy in every way!

I received this from a friend and it originated at Andropogon Associates, a landscape architecture firm in Philly. It is only a concept house for now but could have huge implications if embraced by bakers in scale.

Water Harvesting: Roof leaders and cisterns are employed to collect and store water for non-potable water needs such as frosting and gingerbread hydration

Reduced Resource Consumption and Waste: Locally made gummy trees and shrubs reduce negative environmental impacts caused by shipping

Sustainable Materials: Baked in hybrid solar oven, all gingerbread is made of organic ingredients. Contains no artificial flavorings, preservatives, or hydrogenated oils

Recycled Materials: Walkway paved with salvaged frosting from roof

Stormwater Management: A bioretention pond collects excess water and recycles wastewater by filtering out all artificial flavorings, preservatives, and transfats

I just stumbled on a quite well-constructed Environmental Voting Guide, which lists local races state by state and collects information like endorsements from environmental groups and links to voting records, etc. It's part of a site called Grinning Planet, which purports to be an environmental humor site, but is, aside from the voting guide, completely unnavigable and about as funny as a Hallmark greeting card (see the pic), so far as I can tell!

I saw this today in a publication called the Onion. This quotation was especially concerning:

"The stigma attached to littering is at long last being put to rest," industry analyst Tom Schneider said. "As long as manufacturers are packaging their goods in unbleached paper and biodegradable, cornstarch-based plastics, more and more consumers will discard their refuse wherever they please, knowing it will safely decompose within 10 to 20 years. Call it the 'New Compost.'"

New Eco-Friendly Packaging Triggers Boom In Guilt-Free Littering

ROCKFORD, IL—Nick Sundin used to be neurotic about littering. The 37-year-old pediatrician admits he kept trash bags in his car, and would even pick up and throw away garbage he found on the street. Since boyhood, Sundin said, he was keenly attuned to the environmental degradation littering caused, an attitude triggered by the famous Keep America Beautiful "Crying Indian" public service announcement he saw on television as a young man.

Not anymore.

"These 'eco' products are amazing—they've totally changed my life," Sundin said. "Now, I just toss my used Seventh Generation–brand paper plates out the car window, knowing they'll soon be absorbed into the earth."

Read the full article