From the category archives:

green living

Fuel-Focused Films and Climactic Climate Cinema

In the past couple of years, several documentary films have come out that are focused on the folly of fossil fuels (such as oil, gasoline, and natural gas), and new films have also been made to bring attention to the broader climate crisis. Most of these movies have been critically acclaimed.

Recent fuel films include:


Gasland (2009): about drilling for natural gas by “fracking” (hydraulic fracturing) (Gasland is currently airing on HBO and via HBO On Demand.)


Crude (2009): about the lawsuit on Chevron/Texaco’s contamination of an Amazon community in Ecuador


Fuel (2008): about biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil


A Crude Awakening: The Oil Crash (2007)

Also, in the years since the release of An Inconvenient Truth, several new films have been made about climate change; these include:


Climate of Change (2010: Coming Soon): This film was created to present inspiring, uplifting stories of regular people around the world who have spearheaded a variety of local initiatives to combat climate change.


The Age of Stupid (2008)


Climate Refugees (2009)


The 11th Hour (2007)

Click on the links to see trailers or to learn more about each film. Check sites such as IMDB, Rotten Tomatoes, and Netflix for reviews.


If you’ve seen any of these films, let us know what you thought of them by posting a comment below.

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July 26, 2010
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Kicking the Carbon Habit: How to Reduce Your Dependence on Oil and Other Fossil Fuels

In these times of unnatural disasters—such as BP’s out-of-control oil-hemorrhaging drill “spill,” as well as extreme weather events caused by increasing climate volatility—more people are seeking ways to reduce their carbon footprint: i.e., their consumption of fossil fuels (petroleum, coal, and natural gas). We are all essentially junkies—or oiloholics—who don’t know how to live without these substances.

Power plants (especially those that burn coal), transportation (particularly emissions from cars and jets), and energy use for homes and buildings (e.g., for heating and cooling) are the primary sources of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases, such as nitrous oxide and methane. [For detailed information on the percentage of emissions from different sectors, see the U.S. Energy Information Administration: Emissions of Greenhouse Gases Report and Architecture 2030’s data analysis.]

Until government and industry help shift our infrastructure and economy away from dinosaur fuels and into clean, renewable energy sources, we’ll never be able to get truly “clean”—so we should all be pushing for government to end subsidies and tax breaks to dirty energy industries and to support cleaner energy sources (e.g., solar, wind, tidal power, biomass, and some types of biofuels—a topic for a future post). But we can also do a lot right now, in our everyday lives, to start getting ourselves less addicted.

In addition to the most obvious steps that can be taken to reduce our direct use of fossil fuels and electricity generated by fossil fuels — such as driving as little as possible and conserving energy and water at home/work/school— there are lots of other ways that each of us can lessen our dependence on filthy fuels. You can do so in every area of your life, from choices you make for your home and household and yard and garden, to your vehicle/transportation, travel, food, and other consumer choices. For example, plastics and many household products (such as common cleaning products and personal care products) contain petrochemicals, so it’s best to choose alternatives to such products (e.g., glass instead of plastic bottles/containers, and all-natural household/personal products).

I’ve compiled this compendium of several online resources that list specific ways that we can start tackling our individual and collective carbon addiction:

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July 6, 2010
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The Green Spotlight on Facebook

Take a look at The Green Spotlight’s official Facebook Page for more frequent postings of brief news blurbs and recommended links. And if you have a Facebook account, please consider connecting to the page by clicking on the “Like” button at the top. Feel free to share links, recommendations, or comments with The Green Spotlight community.

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July 6, 2010
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Low-Cost, High-Payoff Green Home Improvements and Retrofits

These days, more homeowners (and renters) are interested in making green home improvements, and they’re particularly interested in knowing which improvements have a low cost and a high (or fast) payback—i.e., a good Return on Investment, or ROI. A few of the most common suggestions for easy, low-cost projects that reap significant savings (in energy, water, and dollars) are:

  • Switch to LED and/or compact fluorescent (CFL) light bulbs. (Note: When buying CFLs, choose low-mercury products. And CFLs cannot be thrown in the trash; because they contain mercury, they must be recycled by a hazardous waste facility. Some stores, such as Home Depot, collect used CFLs.)
  • Switch to Energy Star appliances and electronic equipment when it’s time to replace old units.
  • Install Energy Star ceiling fans, to reduce or eliminate the need for air conditioning.
  • Switch to WaterSense plumbing fixtures (e.g., dual-flush or other high-efficiency toilets, and ultra-low-flow faucets and showerheads).
  • Insulate your hot water pipes; and add insulation to your attic (and/or walls and basement).
  • Have a home energy audit done to check for air leaks and identify other inefficiencies or areas that need improvement; a home performance contractor should then make the needed improvements. More and more companies are springing up to offer these services. (One of the first companies on the scene was Recurve, formerly called Sustainable Spaces.) You can search here for a contractor near you who has been accredited by the Building Performance Institute.

For other ideas and helpful cost/benefit assessments, check out this new book: Green Sense for the Home: Rating the Real Payoff from 50 Green Home Projects, by Eric Corey Freed and Kevin Daum (Taunton Press, April 2010). Here’s the publisher’s description of the book: “When does a green home project make financial sense? The authors of this book provide the answer to this and other questions relating to the cost (and relative value) of environmentally friendly home improvements. They walk readers through 50 green home projects and break them down according to the positive impact they have on the environment, as well as the impact they may have (both positive and negative) on the reader’s wallet. They evaluate a wide array of projects, including insulating pipes, weatherizing doors and windows, composting and recycling trash, installing a solar hot water heater, installing green countertops, upgrading appliances, building with reclaimed materials, and installing radiant heat.”

Other recent books include Green Home Improvement: 65 Projects That Will Cut Utility Bills, Protect Your Health & Help the Environment by Daniel Chiras, PhD (RS Means) and This Green House: Home Improvements for the Eco-Smart, the Thrifty, and the Do-It-Yourselfer by Joshua Piven (Abrams).

For additional information and tips, these are some online articles and websites with lists of green improvements that are good investments:

If you’d like assistance with choosing and implementing green home improvements or remodeling strategies, I am a green advisor who can provide this type of assistance through email consultations (or phone or in-person consultations). Click here for more info.

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May 6, 2010
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Flea and Tick Treatments That Won’t Poison Your Pet

Fleas and ticks (and mosquitos) can bring severe itching, discomfort, and even serious diseases to your pets, so it’s important to protect your pets from them. However, studies have found that many common flea and tick treatments—the kinds that are readily available at stores and have been recommended by most vets—aren’t just harmful to fleas and ticks; they can actually poison and even kill pets, and some are also dangerous to humans and other animals.

Many conventional flea and tick treatments (particularly the topical, spot-on treatments that are applied directly onto pets’ skin, but also many flea collars, powders, and sprays) contain highly toxic pesticides, some of which have been shown to cause a range of serious reactions in pets, from skin problems, vomiting, and excessive drooling to neurological problems (e.g., seizures or uncontrollable shaking), heart attacks, and death.  So, horrifically, some pesticides end up serving as pet-icides…

The Center for Public Integrity did a study in 2008, and found that at least 1,600 pet deaths related to spot-on treatments were reported to the EPA over the past five years. According to the NRDC, cats may be more susceptible to adverse reactions than dogs, since they are more likely to lick the treatments off of their fur and they often lack enzymes for metabolizing or detoxifying the pesticides. Many of these pesticides are toxic to humans, as well, and children are especially vulnerable to exposure.

Avoid products that contain pyrethroid, pyrethrin, or permethrin pesticides, organophosphate insecticides (such as tetrachlorvinphos/TCVP; chlorpyrifos, dichlorvos, phosmet, naled, diazinon, and malathion), carbamates (e.g., propoxur, fenoxycarb, and carbaryl), or Amitraz. (This list was updated on May 26, 2010.) Many common flea/tick control products contain at least one of these ingredients.

It’s sickening to me that so many of us have been unwittingly poisoning our beloved animals (and probably shortening their lives) by using these products, at the recommendation of our veterinarians, who trusted the manufacturers’ assurances of the products’ safety. It’s yet another example of how you can’t trust that a product is safe just because it’s been allowed into the marketplace. According to the Humane Society, the EPA did not start reviewing pet products for safety until 1996, and there is still a backlog of products that need to be tested. However, the overarching problem is that ingredients that the EPA had deemed “safe” clearly are not. This message seems to have finally gotten through. The EPA recently announced that it will be developing stricter testing and evaluation requirements and will be placing new restrictions on flea and tick products, including possible changes in their formulas.

Fortunately, there’s no need to wait for those changes to take effect. Safe and natural alternative products and methods for controlling fleas and ticks already exist. Here is some guidance from the NRDC on ways to prevent flea problems. And when treatments are necessary, some pet supply stores and many online sites (see links below) now carry flea and tick products that are made up of plant-based ingredients, such as peppermint oil, citrus oil, clove oil, or Neem, which is a natural insecticide that comes from a tree. (See the NRDC’s Flea and Tick Product Directory to look up the ingredients and risks of specific products.) Also, there are some very inexpensive, low-tech solutions to consider. Like vampires, fleas and ticks are repelled by GARLIC—and they’re also repelled by rosemary and lavender. So to ward off the bugs, you can add a little smidgen of chopped or crushed garlic to your pet’s food once or twice a week. Or you can tuck sprigs of rosemary or lavender under your pet’s bed cover, or boil one of the herbs in water and pour the cooled water onto your pet, rubbing it into their coat. (Note: Even herbal or “natural” ingredients can cause allergic reactions in some animals. Be sure to test any treatment in a small dose first; and always apply treatments sparingly and only as needed. Also, never use pet products that contain pennyroyal oil, which is toxic to animals.)

Natural Flea Remedy for Dogs and CatsThe following are a few online stores that specialize in natural and non-toxic pet supplies. (Note: This list does not constitute an endorsement of any of these companies):

Resources for More Information:

Click here to sign NRDC’s petition to PETCO and PetSmart, asking them to stop selling flea control products that contain highly toxic pesticides, to protect pets and people. Talk to your vet and your local stores about this, as well.

Related Post: Selecting Safe and Healthy Pet Foods

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April 7, 2010
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Selecting Safe and Healthy Pet Foods

I am a dog lover. Some people who know me might even say I’m a dog fanatic. (I like cats too, by the way. I don’t currently have one, but I have in the past and I’m sure I will again.) My husband and I consider our dog an integral part of our family, and we try to make sure we’re giving her the best sustenance and care that we can. Unfortunately, many pet foods are extremely low quality and don’t provide the proper nutrition to help pets live long and healthy lives. And some foods can even be harmful.

Remember, a couple of years back, when a bunch of pets got painful kidney stones, and some died, because of melamine in their food?  (Click here and here to see current recalls and alerts.) Contaminants and chemical additives aren’t the only problems to be concerned about. Many popular pet foods are essentially junk food—the equivalent of feeding yourself low-grade fast food and nothing else, every single day.

For some good overviews of the problems with many dog foods, and what types of foods to look for, you should read the following articles from DogFoodAnalysis.com (link 1; link 2), and the following articles by Dr. Weil, who’s not a vet, but rather an MD and a dog lover (link 1; link 2).

My dog’s vet recommends Chicken Soup for the Dog Lover’s Soul and Natural Balance. Dr. Weil feeds his dogs Acana Pacific. And the Dog Food Analysis site has given its highest rating (6 stars) to certain product lines within the following brands: Innova EVO, Wellness Core, Instinct, Orijen, Taste of the Wild, Horizon Legacy, Artemis Maximal, Blue Wilderness, and Go Natural Grain Free Endurance. You can look up the DogFoodAnalysis review and rating of the food you’re currently buying for your dog by using the site’s Search bar. Many products that are marketed as healthy and beneficial, such as Purina’s “Beneful,” have received very bad reviews because they contain such low-quality ingredients. In fact, most of the dog foods that were reviewed ended up getting only a 1-star rating!  (Bear in mind that some of the reviews on the site are a couple of years old, so some brands may have changed their ingredients since then.)

Some specialty stores, such as Pet Food Express (in the San Francisco Bay Area), have a large selection of some of the higher-quality food brands. But keep in mind that not all pet foods that are expensive (or that advertise themselves as healthful) are actually high-quality. Do your research to make sure you know what you’re getting.

Related Post: Flea and Tick Treatments that Won’t Poison Your Pet

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April 7, 2010
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Words of the Wise: On Progress and Action

Progress tends to take longer than we’d like. Change is almost always incremental: it happens through a series of steps, because many people are fearful of or resistant to change. However, small steps can gradually lead to larger strides. Individual actions can have a ripple effect. And small changes made by growing numbers of people can add up to a big impact. We shouldn’t let ourselves get paralyzed into inaction because we feel overwhelmed by the magnitude of a problem or we think our actions won’t make a difference.

Doing something constructive to address a problem is better than doing nothing. Wise thinkers throughout history—from Euripides to Lily Tomlin—have come to this conclusion, and they have articulated it in a variety of ways:

“Slight not what’s near, when aiming at what’s far.” — Euripides

“Nobody made a bigger mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.” — Edmund Burke

“The perfect is the enemy of the good.” — Voltaire

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” — Lao Tzu

“Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win.” — Jonathan Kozol

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is today.” — Chinese proverb

“We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” — Marian Wright Edelman

“Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does.” — William James

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” — Margaret Mead

“Big problems are rarely solved with commensurately big solutions. Instead, they are most often solved by a sequence of small solutions.” — Chip Heath and Dan Heath (This statement is excerpted from their book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard.)

“I always wondered why somebody doesn’t do something about that. Then I realized I was somebody.” — Lily Tomlin

For other words of wisdom, check out the Quotations page, and please feel free to add your own favorites in the Comments section.

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March 12, 2010
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New Books: Thriving Beyond Sustainability, and Fundamentals of Integrated Design for Sustainable Building

February 25, 2010

I’d like to let everyone know about these important new books, which were written by a few of my esteemed colleagues. Please click on the links below for more information about each tome:
Thriving Beyond Sustainability: Pathways to a Resilient Society, by Andres Edwards (New Society Publishers) — This book will be available in May (2010), [...]

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Recommended Film: The Cove

February 11, 2010

If you haven’t seen it already, I’d recommend watching The Cove.  I’m not the only one who thinks it’s a good film. It has won dozens of film awards, and it was recently nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary. (You can get it on Netflix, iTunes, or On Demand cable, or buy the DVD.)
The [...]

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