I never preach about being a vegetarian. I never push my practices on others. I let them ask questions and I answer them honestly. If it makes them think then I feel i have done some good. So, I am not here to convert or preach… I will let the facts do that for me. Johathan Safran Foer has written a book called Eating Animals and has an interview on NPR that is an eye opener on the impacts of eating meat. Impacts not only on the body but on the environment and society. Foer’s words might be shocking to some but only made my practices and assumptions more concrete.
Living a lifestyle of not eating meat is not the end of the world. It is cheaper. I do not feel lethargic after meals. I find myself opening up to a much broader line of cuisine. Many cultures all around the world have been living a non-meat lifestyle for centuries. It is today’s society that has put emphasis on eating meat to the point where humans consume 150 times more chicken than they did 80 years ago. There are many pitfalls to supporting companies that provide beef, pork, and poultry. Environment and social economic impacts that will continue to get worse if changes are not made. Foer makes very good points and supports them with facts.
Read the full article or even listen to the interview here.
If your trying to lower your electric bill or just enjoy the natural lighting of candles there are a few things to consider. There are some hazards that come with using candles for light and heat. Burning candles are the leading cause of residential fires. Soot is put out by some candles and can cause physical harm when inhaled. In the past candlewicks contained a lead core, which is harmful to humans. Not to worry though! With a little common sense and modern alternatives you can light those candles with no worries.
Candles can be made from many products such as beeswax, paraffin, stearin, gel, tallow, and various plant waxes. If your environmentally conscious stay away from candles made from petroleum based products. Paraffin and stearin are both petroleum products as well as certain gels. Vegans and vegetarians have to pay close attention to some candle ingredients. Tallow is made from animal fat while beeswax comes from the cultivation of honey and honey byproducts. Plant based candles might be something for you to take into consideration. No animals are harmed and no petroleum is utilized in soy, carnauba, bayberry or many palm waxes. Soy candles are becoming very popular and are affordable. I use soy candles and love them!
Containers for candles come in many forms and lots of decorative designs. Glass containers can shattered due to stress factures caused from the prolonged heat of the candles. Any container used for the candle can be decorated in tons of wonderful ways but stay cautious of any flammable containers i.e. wood and any paper based materials. Paints used in the decorating of the containers should be considered as well. Some paints contain lead, flammable materials or simply melt with the heat of the candle.
For a few candle alternatives here are a few websites you can visit for more information.
Here at Eco-Monkeys it is one of our proud missions to do product reviews so that you can make knowledgeable purchases which will take you one step closer to living green. The biggest complaint I hear about almost all green products is the price. It seems that many products that are termed eco-friendly end up being much more expensive than their counterparts. Other concerns include whether or not the product works as well as non-green products and if the product is actually as eco-friendly as it claims.
I was doing a little shopping at a new grocery store in my area and came across Holy Cow Glass Cleaner. The label boasted an amazing green product and it just so happened that I was out of window cleaner. I was immediately curious if this product could stand against those that were more mainstream. That’s where the Eco-Monkeys come in. Product review time!!!
During the initial uses of the Holy Cow Glass Cleaner I was extremely impressed! Not only did it smell good, it did a fabulous job on all the surfaces the label claimed it would clean. I started with the mirrors in my bathroom and moved on to the windows throughout the house. It worked great. However, windows are mirrors are not difficult to keep clean in my house. The true test of this product was when I used it to clean my pick-up truck. My truck was dirty inside and out. Not only did it do a fabulous job on the inside of the car, it also made easy work of cleaning the winshield, removing mud and dead insects with almost no effort on my part.
The cost of this product also lends to its charm. I paid $2.99 for a 32 fl.oz. bottle for the Holy Cow Glass Cleaner and for comparison I purchased a new bottle of Windex for $4.57 in a smaller 26 fl.oz bottle. Not only was the amount I paid for the Holy Cow Glass Cleaner substantially less, the volume of product was significantly more.
So, what’s in it? So far the Holy Cow Glass Cleaner is winning but is it actually a green product? The label claims: non-toxic, biodegradable, cruelty free/not tested on animals, no ammonia, no vinegar, and no harmful chemicals. The website claims the Holy Cow products have no VOC (volatile organic compounds), no alcohol, no harmful oxygen-based bleach cleaners, and to my surprise no citrus-based products that would possibly dissolve rubber or plastics. Seriously, so what is in this stuff that makes it work better than Windex and holds to its claims to be green? The ingredients are listed on the bottle… sort of. Holy Cow Glass cleaner “contains a proprietary blend of surfactants, solubilizers, and drying agents. Organic and natural fragrance added.” They might as well have listed the ingredients as “STUFF”. The ingredients list was too vague and draws concerns. I am sure that protection of the product is very important, however, I feel that it is also important to list the specific items involved in making the product to let the consumer know what they are buying.
Though more investigating into the ingredients will need to be done I will continue to use the product over any of the other brands of cleaners out there.
Eco-monkeys will explore alternative housing in another installment of the What Is… series of articles.
A yurt is a Mongolian home that is becoming popular in the western world because of the low impact it has on the environment. Yurts can be quickly constructed for a low building and very little cost for the upkeep of the house.
Rammed earth homes are made from materials from the earth that it is constructed on. The walls of the structure are made from the dirt in the area and eliminate shipping building materials long distance.
Recycled Structures are a very creative way to reuse larger objects for housing. Using old large boats for housing on land is one way to preserve the boat and keep it in use for years to come after it has been retired from the sea. Shipping containers also make for a solid structure to live in.
Any creative home building and green additions to homes will be covered through this on going series, so stay tuned.
Here are a couple of places for alternatives to the suburban home blues.
The Egyptians are credited for some of the earliest recipes for beer. In their day the effects of human carbon imprint on the planet probably was not a consideration. Today we can look at the damage that is done simply by a single product that is accepted in society… ALCOHOL.
If you partake in the consumption of alcoholic drinks you may have never taken into consideration the damage that a single drink can cause the planet. A bottle of beer, wine or other alcoholic products are transported from the factory to the store or establishment where the consumer purchases it. This transport is most likely done with the aid of a delivery vehicle that runs on fossil fuels. Wine can come from local vineyards or from out of state but the majority of wine is international. Australia, South America, and many European countries are among top wine distributors. With further distances air transport is heavily relied on. Majority of wine is bottled in thick glass bottles that along with the wine itself can weigh on average of 2 pounds per 750ml. bottle. Twelve bottles in a case plus the weight of the box it’s self can really effect the gas efficiency of a vehicle.
Which is better bottles or cans? Well if you are at the pub go for a pint and avoid both. If you go to the store options are limited. Does your town have a good recycling program? Is the product your buying made locally or is there a long shipping distance for it to reach your store? If bottles and cans can be recycled in your area get bottles for the locally brewed and aluminum cans for the out of state brews. The shipping weight alone will help in the carbon dioxide output of the delivering. Boxed wine utilizes paper and plastics in its packaging is a little more difficult to separate for recycling. Corks for the wine is a much debated subject with distributors and connoisseurs and now come in traditional cork, screw tops and few new alternative products. While this debate continues you can always turn to your organic wine option. Most organic wine distributors will take the alternative route in their packaging as well. Don’t forget to read those labels and ask questions when in doubt.
The production of the actual alcoholic product should be taken into consideration as well as packaging a shipping. Brewing of beer creates carbon dioxide as well as the carbon dioxide put into the environment from the delivery of the product or even the trip to the store for a six-pack. Spirits, beer, and wine are all contributors of carbon dioxide in the environment. There are scientific studies that say none are worse than the other in it’s output of carbon dioxide.
Nina Shen Rostogi wrote a really informative article on the subject of carbon imprint of alcohol. Check it out here.
Alcohol is technically a depressant, not this story. This eco-monkeys article was meant for enlightenment on the subject not a sobering slap on the wrist for those who drink.
Tuesday, September 22 is Benefit Day for Health Alliance For Austin Musicians (HAAM).
Austin, Texas is the live music capitol of the World. No matter what your musical tastes are you can be assured you will get your fill any night of the week. People living in Austin or just passing through know that live music is a true blessing and we owe a great deal of gratitude to the many musicians that provide this service. Sadly most musicians cannot afford many services such as health care. HAAM makes these services a reality to underpaid musicians in Austin, Texas. Musicians can apply with HAAM through their website and will be able to see if they are eligible for services. For the application click here.
HAAM provides professional musicians in greater Austin access to health services. These services cover mental health, dental care, and primary health care. Seton Family of Hospitals provides the services for the primary health of musicians registered with HAAM. St. David’s Community Health provides dental care and mental health counseling is handled by SIMS Foundation. I knew Sims Ellison personally and I have a special place in my heart for the work SIMS Foundation does. I am grateful for the joined efforts with HAAM and the SIMS Foundation.
How can you participate in Benefit Day?
1) Go support some of these musicians directly by going out and supporting live music. HAAM has a huge line up of performances to celebrate HAAM Benefit Day. Look here for the performance list.
2) Go shopping at participating stores that will give 5% of the days proceeds to the cause. (For a list of those contributors look here)
3) Become a HAAMbassador by volunteering! Your time and effort working with HAAM is greatly appreciated.
4) Donating money directly to HAAM is available online through their website donation or mail in your donation to:
Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
PO Box 301496
Austin, Texas 78703-0025
I am a local musician and I appreciate HAAM for everything that they do. I encourage you to support live music and HAAM.
For more information about HAAM please visit their website here.
For more information about SIMS Foundation please visit their website here.
Billboard signs are everywhere I drive in Austin and although I have been able to block most of the obtrusive marketing going on, one sign did catch my eye as I drove past. Organic Mattresses For Sale! This was worth a second glance and a little research.
It turns out that an “organic” mattress is simply a common mattress that utilizes organic materials; no synthetic materials or bleached materials can be used. All the fabric is made from 100% Certified Organic Cotton or even 100% organic wool while other parts may consist of natural rubber (Latex). Just like run-of-the-mill mattresses, the prices of organic mattresses vary substantially. Your average non-organic queen-sized mattress usually ends up costing somewhere between $500 and $1000. I found organic Queen-sized models that started at $1,200 and shot up to $3,000. My favorite was The Healthy Round Bed for $4,679!!! Yes it’s a round bed! No more waking up on the wrong side of the bed anymore.
Organic bedding goes beyond just the mattress. You can also find organic pillows, sheets, comforters, duvets, and moisture pads. There are even box springs and mattress foundations made from organic wood.
If you’re really eco-conscious when it comes to your sleep, there is another tier of products involving hemp, though be prepared to open your wallet wide! For a queen-sized hemp mattress expect to pay about $2,300.
If you’re interested in reading more, here are a few places that you can visit:
Bensons For Beds - a shop in the U.K. that offers some organic options. The members of their staff threw this fun little video together:
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Humans spend 1/3 of their lives sleeping. Wouldn’t you want to make sleeping a more healthy and relaxing experience? Is spending a little more money worth it so that you and your family can rest on a healthier option?
Katie and I ventured out with the Austin Progressive Vegetarian group once more to tackle all that is good and healthy in our fair city. It has been nice meeting new like-minded people and getting a chance to try out some eateries that we might otherwise have overlooked. Cheer Up Charlie’s is a trailer located at 1104 East 6th Street that serves vegan/raw foods, coconut drinks, and smoothies, as well as handmade raw chocolates.
The owner Tamara fixed us a couple of her signature health drinks; Katie had the Bare Bones and I tried the Bruce Lee. Not only were both a good price at $5 apiece, but they were a dose of energy badly needed mid-week. After the outdoor screening of Fletch, I decided to get a hummus burrito to take home for later. It was devoured within minutes. The hummus burrito was by far the best thing I had eaten in weeks and it left me craving more. A real treat during the evening was unknowingly standing in line with musical group The Dandy Warhols. The band was headlining at local venue Emo’s that night. Tamara had volunteered to stay open to host their after party and I was welcomed to stay for a late evening.
Cheer Up Charlie’s is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10am-9pm, Thursday 10am-10pm or later, Friday 10am-midnight or later, and Saturdays 1pm-3am or later. Please keep in mind that they are closed Sunday and Monday for a well-deserved break.
In the hunt for new footwear I came across many eco-friendly options at prices that don’t trip you up. I rarely shop for clothing, and when I do it has to be as painless as possible. I like to know exactly what I am after before I even consider an outing for new duds. To keep up with the times of ever changing trends in fashion, I turned to the internet for answers. Shoes were the first step in updating my wardrobe, but what kind? I knew that I needed a new pair of hiking boots, some running shoes, and some smart casual dress shoes. Let’s face it. I hate shopping and I wait until my situation is dire before admitting it is time to make trip to the dreaded mall.
For years I have heard about alternative footwear such as vegan shoes but I have never made the effort to look at the many options. Vegan shoes are footwear for men or women that do not incorporate any animal products. Why buy shoes that use animal products when you don’t have to? I have come across plenty of styles ranging from flip-flops to men’s dress shoes. Women get more options than men in terms of style, and there are even designer shoes including a line by actress Natalie Portman.
For plenty of options while avoiding the mall, I found several companies that offer environmentally friendly products in a variety of styles. Ecowise has vegan footwear available in Austin, Texas. Alternative Outfitters is a good place to start looking shoes and other clothing products. I really liked the selections of New York-based company Moo Shoes. Vegan Wares is based in Melbourne, Australia and boasts an impressive amount of non-leather products as well as footwear. The owner of Vegetarian Shoes started out as a shoemaker utilizing scrap tires as tread for his shoes and evolved into using a variety of products in his footwear.
I am going to get one or more of these products soon and do a product review. I will keep you posted on my findings and would appreciate any input for any vegan-related clothing.
Today we see the domination of the mp3 player as the next evolutionary step in our enjoyment of music. That same stride has now been taken in literature and written media with the mass marketing of the e-book reader. Instead of carrying around cumbersome books and stacks of magazines, imagine having all of your printed materials on one device to enjoy. Most e-book readers weigh about 10 ounces. So drop that hardcover copy of The Count Of Monte Cristo that weighs almost 4 pounds and load it onto your e-book reader and while you’re at it how about an entire set of the Encyclopedia Britannica too? Not only has the weight and shear bulk of a stack of books been eliminated, so has the cost. Once you have the e-book reader of your choice, you start to save right away. A set of the six-volume hardcover of Jane Austen costs $110.25 on Amazon.com while the digital download version of all six books comes to under a dollar! Any literature over one hundred years old is public domain, meaning FREE! Even books in the public domain need to be printed, shipped, and distributed through a store, potentially causing large cost to the consumer. With production complications out of the way, this frees the publishers to also release newer books for free to promote the authors without a loss of revenue.
The biggest concern I hear people mentioning is losing the feel of the book. Yes, it is a romantic notion of holding a nicely bound book close to your heart and sinking deep into the story. This not the case for many people, including myself. Most people are able to get inside the story just as much on an e-book reader.
E-book readers utilize electronic ink. This technology allows a reader to view the text for hours without any eye strain. The lack of a backlit screen, like the type computers use, prevents a constant electrical charge from operating while the reader is viewing the text. Only when you go to a new page does the e-book reader send an electrical charge to refresh the screen. This allows a far longer battery life. The Amazon Kindle DX boasts a battery life of up to 2 weeks under certain settings. Currently most e-book readers display their text in 16 shades of grey although some companies are investing in color e-ink technology.
There are about a dozen e-book devices available today. Sony and Amazon are at the forefront of the market and there are many e-book stores online to fill your devices with hundreds of thousands of books and magazines. You can even access blogs, pdf documents, and have your newspaper delivered to your device daily . It is believed by media critics that this method of distributing information is going to save the suffering newspaper industry.
E-book readers are the mp3’s of literature and I look forward to a future of easily portable and accessible books.
Do you think this technology will ever replace books in the traditional sense?
An article in the L.A. Times posted on August 25, 2009 is beginning to generate a lot of media attention. Here is a brief summary:
The EPA is planning to announce that global warming is beginning to threaten human health. They want to use the laws that fall under the Clean Air Act to regulate the emissions of the gasses believed to have caused global warming.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, who, according to the article represent 3 million large and small businesses, have declared their intention of preventing these regulations by challenging the validity of the EPA’s scientific data in a public hearing.
Critics of the EPA’s findings say that it is not conclusive that global warming is directly affecting human health and studies cited by the Chamber Of Commerce state “predict higher temperatures will reduce mortality rates in the United States”. Meanwhile, heads of top science agencies have sent a letter to world leaders stating that “the need for urgent action to address climate change is now indisputable”.
So who do you believe? Are we headed towards destruction or is the EPA full of hot air? Click here for the full text of the article.
