The Red, White, and Green

My baby daughter turns 1 today. It’s a birthday that feels every bit as momentous as it should, and I’ve thought a lot in the past couple weeks about how we would spend it together.

I’ve decided to heed my own advice, skip the toy store, and nurture her love of nature. If we want our littlest Americans to care about the future of our country, to care about the future of our planet, then the best present we can give them is to take them outside.

I’ll be taking her for a nice long hike somewhere lush and green. She waves at rocks and trees as enthusiastically as she does people, which is something I hope she’ll continue for a long time to come.

–Jennifer Grayson

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I just got back from a trip to Boston, where I was blown away by all the cool happenings on the city’s green scene. My brother and his wife live there, so via frequent visits I’ve been able to witness the city’s eco evolution since I myself went to school there a decade ago.

Back then, the only thing happening on the sustainability scene was the small health food store where I checked groceries. That’s now Whole Foods. Look at all the other green goodness I uncovered on this trip (click on photo to learn more):

Hubway Bike-Sharing System

Tell me, Beantown tree huggers — what did I miss?

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: KitAy

Tree huggers actually need to see trees once in a while, so I’m off for a week’s worth of woods-fueled recharging with my husband and baby daughter. Other than our twice-weekly hikes, this will be her first time fully immersed in nature. (Poor thing — I don’t think she’s ever slept without a fire engine driving by. I’m really curious to see if I notice a difference in her behavior. Or sleeping habits. Please!!!)

As I often do on these trips, I’ll be unplugging, so forgive me if I fail to cover any breaking environmental news this week; posts will still be published, though, thanks to (this is where technology does come in handy) advance scheduling.

I’ll be thinking of all of our men and women in uniform, past and present — as well as their family members — as we drive to our destination this Memorial Day. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel blessed to live in our beautiful country, and it’s wholly because of their sacrifice that I’m able to do so.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Francesca Russell

Anyone else out there think an Earth Day sale is kind of tacky? To me, it smacks of the same cringe-inducing consumerism as when Bush told Americans to ‘go shopping’ in the aftermath of 9/11.

I promise you don’t need to buy a new reusable water bottle to celebrate Earth Day. Heck, you don’t even have to plant a tree. Just shut down your computer, walk out your front door, and go spend some time outside.

And preferably take a kid with you. (It doesn’t even have to be your own; just don’t steal one.) According to the 2010 United Nations-commissioned Bio-Index report, the younger generation is increasingly losing touch with the natural world: More than 1 in 7 children don’t even know what an endangered species is. Not surprising, given that (according to the same study), playing computer games trumped playing outdoors as the more enjoyable pastime.

It’s kind of hard to care about saving the Earth if you never actually enjoy it. So go see some green!

–Jennifer Grayson

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San Francisco's Hotel Carlton: Super cute and EPA-approved

Planning a holiday trip? You don’t have to splurge on a fancy eco resort to travel green: The Environmental Protection Agency has a helpful online database that allows you to search for hotels that have earned the Energy Star rating. Energy Star–labeled hotels perform in the top 25 percent of hotels nationwide, and use at least 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than other hotels.

Curbing energy consumption in the US hotel industry could have a tremendous impact: Reducing energy use by just 10 percent overall could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 million tons a year.

A search for Energy Star–certified hotels in San Francisco, where I’ll be heading later this month, revealed a slew of sustainable options. Among them: the W Hotel (OK, so maybe a bit of eco luxury); and the more modest (but hip) Hotel Carlton. Obviously EPA has been updating its database since I first reported on it this past summer. Or maybe San Fran, not surprisingly, is just more progressive on the green hotel front.

If you can’t find an eco hotel option for your vacation destination, at least stick to a few energy-saving tips while you’re lounging about in your spa robe and slippers: Turn off the lights and adjust the thermostat when leaving your hotel room, open the curtains to take advantage of daylight, and reuse your towels in lieu of requesting fresh ones.

–Jennifer Grayson

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[Watch Harmony trailer on Vimeo]

It’s been said that with great privilege comes great responsibility, but not many in said position take that old adage to heart. (Bush tax cuts, anyone?) So it’s encouraging to see arguably one of the most privileged men on our planet working so hard to protect it.

I’m talking, of course, about HRH the Prince of Wales, whose enviro documentary Harmony premieres tonight on NBC as part of the network’s Green Is Universal week. The film focuses on the disconnect between ourselves and nature as the source of the current global environmental crisis, and offers solutions as to how we can restore that balance.

For those who doubt that a man who lives in a palace can know anything about communing with nature and solving the climate crisis, think again: the Prince has spent over 25 years as an organic farmer; was named a “Hero of the Environment” by Time Magazine; addressed last year’s Copenhagen climate conference; and even interviewed Al Gore about climate change long before the former vice president made it cool.

Will the film be a royal success, especially for the American television market? So far, The New York Times says maybe not. But I’ll be tuning in to take a closer glimpse at the man who will be king and his message.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Twitpic: Urbanbaby

Just 12 days to go till baby arrives (or sooner; that’s just her “guess” date), so I was glad to have a bit of R&R last weekend at my favorite green getaway: El Capitan Canyon in Santa Barbara, CA.

Camping isn’t easy when you’re nine-and-a-half-months pregnant, so glamping at El Capitan is the next-best thing: Cabins and tents with real beds inside, a rustic canyon setting that’s a short walk to the beach, and an adorable on-site market that serves up yummy eats if you don’t want to cook your own over your own personal fire pit.

Real-deal campers may scoff at such a cushy vacay, but I say that any way you get your dose of nature is good for you and for the planet: A recent series of studies from the Journal of Environmental Psychology, for one, found that being in the great outdoors makes people feel measurably more alive and energetic.

The only thing that wasn’t so eco about the trip was the half a bag of marshmallows (the junky kind, sorry; those kosher ones just don’t taste the same) I roasted and ate while sipping in the stars.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Dierk Schaefer

This time next year, you could be saving gobs on gas money — not to mention cutting your carbon footprint — on your summer road trip: Rental car company Hertz will be adding the new, all-electric Nissan Leaf to its offerings in early 2011, along with plug-in hybrids like the Chevy Volt and Prius PHV.

While the electric vehicles won’t be available everywhere — major cities like New York, San Francisco, and Washington, DC, will get first dibs — my guess is that Hertz and other rental car companies will be quickly expanding their EV offerings to other markets. Provided that the rental rates aren’t significantly higher than for a standard car, who wouldn’t want to fuel up for practically free?

When my husband and I rented a car for a one-way road trip up the coast from Los Angeles to Seattle last fall, we were upgraded to a Prius, and it was almost magical: We spent about $75 on gas for the entire trip, and we only had to refuel twice. Sure, it may have felt more festive to cruise the coast in a Ford Mustang convertible, but it would have also cost us $100 more in gas (according to the AAA Fuel Cost Calculator) — not to mention 600 extra pounds of CO2.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Ugg Boy

Planning a trip this summer? You don’t have to go camping or splurge on a fancy eco resort to travel green: The Environmental Protection Agency has just released a helpful online database that allows you to search for hotels that have earned the Energy Star rating. Energy Star–labeled hotels perform in the top 25 percent of hotels nationwide, and use at least 35 percent less energy and emit 35 percent less greenhouse gases than other hotels.

I know — who would have thunk that the EPA would be doling out travel advice? But it makes sense to encourage Americans to support hotels that help reduce our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels — especially in light of the BP oil disaster.

And curbing energy consumption in the US hotel industry could have a tremendous impact: Reducing energy use by just 10 percent overall could help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6 million tons a year.

A search of Energy Star–certified hotels in my area (Los Angeles) revealed only two chains by the airport and a Comfort Inn that’s not even in LA proper (not exactly suitable lodgings for out-of-town family), but hey — it’s a start.

In the meantime, if  you can’t find a green hotel option for your vacation destination, at least stick to a few energy-saving tips while you’re lounging about in your spa robe and slippers: Turn off the lights and adjust the thermostat when leaving your hotel room, open the curtains to take advantage of daylight, and reuse your towels in lieu of requesting fresh ones.

Already have a vacation spot in mind? Click here to search for an Energy Star hotel.

–Jennifer Grayson

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Photo via Flickr: Nexeus Fatale

This post was originally published on 11.17.09, but I thought about it yesterday en route to Chicago for the weekend: I left my stainless steel reusable bottle sitting on the dish rack at home and had to buy a $4.39 plastic bottle of water when I got to LAX. I know I should feel guiltier about the 965 lbs of CO2 emissions from my flight than about a plastic water bottle, but still…

I sometimes wonder if the TSA ban on liquids is a secret ploy to encourage the sale of bottled water at airport shops. OK, so I don’t really believe that. But for those of us who have become dependent on our Kleen Kanteens et al, there aren’t really a lot of options for a decent H20 fill-up at the airport.

This, I realized, after three weeks of traveling that took me through five US airports. It was heartening to see that recycling bins for cans and plastic bottles have now become commonplace, but if I didn’t want to cave and purchase a $4 bottle of Aquafina, my only options were to either: a) fill up my reusable bottle from the sink at the airport bathroom (fine at O’Hare, with its top-ranked tap water; pretty gross at LAX); or b) go to a restaurant/bar and ask to be filled up (usually met with weird looks).

I realize that green airport is an oxymoron — after all, the flights I took over the past few weeks emitted 2.5 tons of CO2 into the atmosphere — but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to eliminate waste whenever possible. A lot of airports now have green initiatives that include recycled building materials, energy-saving lighting, and even miniature wind turbines to generate electricity; why not install filtered water stations by the gates where passengers can fill up reusable bottles before their flights? The airlines could even conceivably get behind such a measure, since less passengers requesting water on board would reduce their costs.

I’m not reinventing the wheel here; these “water stations” used to be a common sight in this country before advertising agencies snookered millions of us into paying for what is essentially free tap water in a plastic bottle. They were called drinking fountains.

–Jennifer Grayson

Do this now: Before filtered water stations become a reality, check out EcoUsable’s Ech2o stainless steel (and BPA-free) reusable bottle, which has a built-in filter.

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