This is a non-profit philanthropic organization supported by the Annenberg Foundation. They shoot films and photos that showcase the natural world – its animals, cultures, places, environment, etc.  Their material is of exceptional quality, very well-researched, and focuses heavily on real people making real change the world over.

Have a look at their latest video and redesigned website here.

The hand brakes have been applied to the pedal-powered production phase of a soon-to-be-released documentary film called Within Reach, a 6000 mile bike tour of communities, cohabitations, and communes shot entirely using solar-powered electronics and leg-powered bicycles.

We caught up with riders, director, and producer Ryan Mlynarczyk and Mandy Creighton encamped and rejuvenating at the Joyful Path Healing and Meditation Center out in Blue Mounds Wisconsin.

For us that meant eco villages, co-housing communities which are more of an urban, townhouse style co-habitation, a co-op where everybody lives under the same roof but you each have your own bedroom.  And then we also visited a couple of the old communes that are still around.

The movie isn’t slated to be screened until Earth Day 2011 but you can catch teasers, clips and blog posts on their website, WithinReachMovie.com.

For more on sustainable communities and the full interview with Mandy and Ryan, click here.

Photos by Ryan Mlynarczyk.

GA: We’re speaking with director Ryan Mlyarnczyck and producer Mandy Crighton who are now in post production for their upcoming documentary film Within Reach which takes the viewer along on a cross country tour of the United States’ sustainable communities, many of which have been thriving for many many years and others which are the product of new ways of thinking about sustainability and community.  Mandy and Ryan, thank you so much for joining us.

Super glad that we had a chance to hook up and thanks to Solana out in Occidental who I bumped into when I was out there speaking with Michael Stusser who is the owner of that wonderful oasis, Osmosis.  I don’t know if you guys ever had the chance to get out there but if you didn’t, do it.  Take the enzyme bath.  I highly recommend it.

It’s one thing to make a documentary film on sustainable communities but it’s another to do it in the way that you did.  Can you tell us what was special about how you actually toured the country and shot this movie?

MC: Sure, well, first of all, when we had the intention of going around and visiting sustainable communities, we thought, well we can’t show up in a car.  So that first sparked the idea of what’s the most sustainable way of get ourselves around and we experimented with solar bikes and solar trailers and electric bikes and things and ended up feeling like this is about wants versus needs and what do we actually need?  We need to get from place to place and the side benefits are optimum health, you get to experience nature and humanity in a whole new way.  I expected the nature side because when you’re on your bike you’re subject to the elements and whatever comes your way.  What I didn’t expect was the high level of interaction with people.

GA: When you’re on the ground level like that it’s inevitable that you’re gonna bump into people on a bike.

RM: Yeah, it’s almost like you become a magnet.  When people see two bikers with all this gear and flags and they look worn and weathered, instantly within two seconds people are like, “Where are you from?  Where’d you come from? Where have you biked?”  It’s like, “Does it look like I’ve traveled around the country?

GA: So it’s just you two in the production and you had saddle bags on the bikes, using touring cycles.  I’m curious about the actual physicalities of the set-up.  Can you run through the gear a little bit for me?

RM: It is just Mandy and me riding.  There are other people involved in the actual production but we’ll get into that later, like Solana for example. But, yes, Mandy and I, as riders we have experimented in many different ways with our gear.  We started off on a tandem recumbent bike and had saddlebags and panniers along with a solar powered electric assist bike trailer that we invented and showed off at the Maker Faire.  It was really fun, however, we found that in sustainability one of the first questions you gotta ask yourself is, “Is this a want or a need?”  And we quickly realized that a lot of the things we were bringing with us were definitely not needs, they were wants.  We got rid of a lot of the unnecessary gear like books, because they’re heavy, and extra clothes we didn’t need.  Even during the summer we got rid of our winter clothes and sent them to somebody who would hold them and when we needed our winter clothes we’d have them send them to us where we were.  Lot’s of little tricks of the trade to figure out how to keep your bike as light as possible.

MC: Some other things we did, of course, we carried lightweight backpacking gear but we call it “bikepacking.” Essentially it’s tent, sleeping bag, pads.  We joked that on each of our bikes we had four panniers, a rear rack back and a front rack and we would jokingly say, “Well, go in the kitchen and grab the fork.”  One of the panniers being the kitchen, one being the closet, so we sort of kept ourselves organized that way.  But one of the most amazing things that happened about bike touring that made this all possible is the site called WarmShowers.org.  I don’t know if the listeners have heard of this but for touring cyclists, it’s an amazing community and it’s online and it’s cyclists who open up their doors and host other cyclists who are on tour.

GA: Get outta here.

MC: No, it’s awesome.

GA: I would love that!

RM: Have you ever heard of couch surfing?

GA: Yes.

RM: It’s the same kind of a setup but it’s more geared toward bicyclists hosting other bicyclists.

GA: I wanted to just get back to something that I think is sort of up in the air for a lot of people, is this definition of sustainability.  It seems to have different meanings for different people and I just wanted to get a clear idea from you what defines a sustainable community and how you were able to determine which of these communities that you were going to visit.

MC: We tried to focus more on intentional communities, so smaller groups of people who live in the same region often on the same co-owned piece of land and who are trying to live as sustainably as possible.  Not just ecologically sustainable meaning by lightly and having a lower carbon footprint but by trying to live more economic, spiritual and socially sustainable lifestyles.  So this kind of redefines sustainability in a new way, it’s not just about the physical things you can do to change how you impact the earth but it’s also how we impact one another in our way of communicating and just being together.  We tended to narrow down the list that way, by people who were intentionally trying to live sustainably together.  And for us that meant ecovillages, co-housing communities which are more of an urban, townhouse-style cohabitation.  Co-ops, where everybody lives under the same roof but you each have your own bedroom.  And then we also visited a couple of the old communes that are still around.  There are a few but there are actually a few incoming sharing communes that started up in the 60s and 70s that have adapted their lifestyles and are still thriving.  And then lastly, we visited a few transition towns which is the more accessible part of this movement to anybody and that’s where an entire town decides okay we’re gonna get together and transition our city or our township to become a sustainable community.

GA: So a town that may have been affected by some kind of natural disaster where they have to overhaul the community or is it something else?

RM: Are you talking about Greensburg, Kansas?

GA: That’s the one I guess.

RM: That’s one that’s actually on our list.

MC: That could actually be an ideal situation because they’re at kind of ground zero and they can start from scratch but we’re also talking about just existing towns that are saying, “Hey!  This isn’t working.  Peak oil is coming, global climate change is happening.”  Whatever’s the motivation but we want to live more sustainable lifestyles.  And they buy this book, The Transition Handbook, get a group together and just start relocalizing.

RM: The great thing about it is that it started in England and there’s already over 100 or 200 in the world that started through England and now there’s like 50 in the US with over 500 cities that are trying to become a transition town.  It’s a huge movement.

GA: Looking at the stats it looks like you guys covered something like 6,042 miles all told which is quite a haul.  Was there much danger along the way?

RM: That’s interesting because I remember being interviewed by another crew at the beginning of the journey about that same question and I think a lot of people by asking me that question wonder, first of all, how it could be possible to bike all across the country on all different types of roads and not be hit by a car.  I tell you, there is something special about being on the road with all that gear and as long as you’re visible, cars really watched out.  For most of the time on the trip we had no issues with cars.  There were about three or four incidents, we had narrow misses but it was mainly due to Mandy and I getting bored out there on a desert road and wandering in too close to a lane and the same thing happened with the big rig who wandered too close to us. It missed us by inches but for the most part, after 6,000 miles I was completely shocked by the miraculous safety that we had throughout the journey.

GA: Was there something that happened along the way that was a particularly magical moment, something unexplainably amazing, hopeful, shocking…

MC: I’d say one of the most magical moments that will definitely be in the film is an interview with a gentleman named Sam Katz.  Who chose to live in co-housing in Madision, WI, and he chose that because he has a disability – CP. This is one way he thought he could have a more balanced life and be able to give an receive equally.  I think people with disabilities often thing, well, “How can I live a sustainable life and how can I contribute to this movement?  I’m just a burden.” And he, in this community, is able to give an receive so equally.  I mean, I was brought to tears in the interview.

RM: I was brought to tears too because his gift in life to people is his presence.  I don’t think he even realized that until we started crying and he hadn’t even done anything, he was just talking.  The way he talks, by the way is really – it requires a lot of patience.  I don’t know if you’ve ever heard people with severe stuttering problems but it’s like that times 10.  The way he talks makes you slow down but if you’re patient enough to listen to him he says things that are absolutely brilliant.  I mean, the guys a genius but he just can’t communicate like a genius.  This guy was just so brilliant because he taught us that you don’t have to give money, you don’t have to give labor, you don’t have to give skills.  You can actually just give your heart and be a gift to a community.

GA: When can we expect to see the film?

RM: You can expect to see it on Earth Day, 2011, that’s our goal.

MC: In the meantime, our website is updated weekly with teaser clips, two minute teasers which give practical information about things you can do right now in your life to live more sustainably and create community right where you’re at.  And we’re blogging and constantly sharing stories from the tour.

RM: I just wanted to give a plug to this amazing community we’re staying at right now through the winter.  It’s called the Joyful Path Healing and Meditation Center out in Blue Mounds, WI, which, in itself is a sacred portal place.  It’s an old Indian burial ground and it’s just outside Madison, about 25 miles west and they are struggling to keep the doors open because they’re kind of out in the boonies here.  But, if anybody is coming through this winter to the Madison area, please stop on by.  We’re giving monthly workshops about our journey and about sustainably community living and the most important feature of these presentations will be something that’s quickly coming up in mass consciousness which is that, we believe that sustainable communities are only within reach once you reach within.  So the thing that we’re learning the most about, of course, is meditation and natural healing and just greater well being through preventative healthcare and just living a healthier lifestyle in general.  If you wanna come learn more about that we’re out at this amazing place with some Buddhist monastics who are crazy cool young people about our age.

GA: Our guests have been Ryan Mlynarczyk and Mandy Creighton, director and produced of the pedal-powered forthcoming documentary film, Within Reach and visit WithinReachMovie.com for first look.

Photos by Ryan Mlynarczyk, Conscious Photography.

It’s unfortunately all too common for most homes, whether in a hot or cold climate, to be improperly insulated against whatever weather conditions it faces.  This could mean thousands of dollars a year in energy costs not to mention the toll energy transmission and generation takes only to be wasted on the end user.

One solution, at least for those bracing against cold, is  selecting one of the new lines of electric space heaters available.  Here are a couple things to keep in mind when buying:

1.) Only go for newer model heaters up to date with all the current safety features which bare the UL stamp of approval.

-and-

2.) Choose a thermostatically controlled heater, as they avoid the energy waste of overheating a room.

One such model that fits these specs and was tested here at Green Air HQ is the Dayton U33 Electric Space Heater available at Air-n-Water.com.  It’s compact, thermostatically adjustable, and even electrostatically adjustable saving us from bank account busting winter heating costs.

For more specs on space heaters and ways to stay sustainably comfy, check out the following links.

Portable Heaters (United States Department of Energy)

Space Heaters: Reviews (ConsumerSearch.com)

Eco Heater: Good for chilly rooms and heating bills (GreenUpgrader.com)

Photo by oatmeal2000.

Check out Revel In in it’s full glory here.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Kombucha is a fermented tea that is imbibed for medicinal purposes. Although there is limited specific scientific information supporting any purported benefits due to a lack of studies being conducted, there does exist much anecdotal information purporting its historical medicinal value.[1]. Kombucha is available commercially, but can be made at home by fermenting tea using a visible solid mass of microorganisms called a kombucha culture or mushroom.

Biology of kombucha

The culture contains a symbiosis of Acetobacter (acetic acid bacteria) and yeast, mostly Brettanomyces bruxellensis, Candida stellata, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, Torulaspora delbrueckii and Zygosaccharomyces bailii.

The culture itself looks somewhat like a large pancake, and though often called a mushroom, a mother of vinegar or by the acronym SCOBY (for “Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast”), it is scientifically classified as a zoogleal mat.

History and names

The recorded history of kombucha began in Ukraine and Russia during the late 19th century. In Russian, the kombucha culture is called čajnyj grib чайный гриб (lit. “tea mushroom”), and the drink itself is called grib гриб (“mushroom”), “tea kvass” квас, or simply kvass, which differs from regular kvass traditionally made from water and stale rye bread.

In Chinese, kombucha is called hongchajun 红茶菌 (lit. “black tea fungus/mushroom”), hongchagu 红茶菇 (“black tea mushroom”), or chameijun 茶霉菌 (“tea mold”).

In Japanese, the kombucha drink is known as “kōcha kinoko” 紅茶キノコ (lit. “black tea mushroom”). Both the Chinese and Japanese names use hongcha or kōcha “black tea” rather than cha 茶 tea or lü cha 綠茶 “green tea”.

Japanese kombu 昆布 “a Laminaria kelp; sea tangle” is dried and powdered to produce a beverage called kombucha (lit. “kelp tea”). The English kombucha fermented tea name is pronounced like, and confused with, the Japanese kombucha seaweed tea name.[2]

Some promotional kombucha sources propagate falsehoods that the history of this tea-based beverage originated in ancient China or Japan, but in both cases centuries prior to knowledge of tea (see history of tea in China and history of tea in Japan). One author claims kombucha, famously known as the “Godly Tsche [i.e., tea]” during the Chinese Qin Dynasty (221-206 BCE), was “a beverage with magical powers enabling people to live forever”.[3] There are no recorded references to either tea or “godly tea” during the Qin dynasty. Another author claims an etymology from “a Korean doctor named Kombu treated the Japanese Emperor Ingyō in 415 A.D.”[4] The early Japanese history Kojiki does mention an envoy from the ancient Korean state Silla who was “deeply versed in the medical art” and cured the Emperor’s sickness – but his name was 金武, which is pronounced Korean Kim/Gim Mu or Japanese Kin/Kon Mu.[5]

Components

Kombucha contains many different cultures along with several organic acids, active enzymes, amino acids, and polyphenols. [6] For the home brewer, there is no way to know the amounts of the components unless a sample is sent to a laboratory. Kombucha, has been safety-checked by The US Food and Drug Administration . Final kombucha may contain some of the following components depending on the source of the culture: Acetic acid, which provides much anti-microbial activity; butyric acid, gluconic acid, glucuronic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, oxalic acid, usnic acid, as well as some B-vitamins.[7]

Due to the acidic fermentation process used in its brewing, Kombucha contains ethyl alcohol in amounts that vary from 0.5% to 1.5%[8], depending on anaerobic brewing time and proportions of microbe. Commercial preparations are typically 0.5% for distribution and safety reasons.

Additionally, some tea makers offer a dried version of kombucha, mixed with the tea leaves, that dissolves in hot water.[9]

Health Claims

Kombucha proponents[10] claim many advantages such as increased energy, sharper eyesight, better skin condition, and better experience with foods that ’stick’ going down such as rice or pasta.

A review of the published literature on the safety of kombucha suggests no specific oral toxicity in rats,[11] although it has also been shown to increase the size of both the liver and spleen in mice.[12] While no randomized case-controlled studies have been published in humans, several unsubstantiated reports have suspected liver damage, metabolic acidosis and life-threatening toxicity.[13][14] Other reports suggest that care should be taken when taking medical drugs or hormone replacement therapy while regularly drinking kombucha.[15] It may also cause allergic reactions. [16]

Other health claims may be due to the simple acidity of the drink, possibly influencing the production of stomach acids or modifying the communities of microorganisms in the GI tract.[citation needed]

Scientific Claims

Health claims for kombucha focus on a chemical called glucuronic acetate, a compound that is used by the liver for detoxification. The idea that glucuronic acid is present in kombucha is based on the observation that glucuronic acid conjugates (glucuronic acid + waste chemicals) are increased in the urine after consumption of kombucha.

Early chemical analysis of kombucha brew suggested that glucuronic acid was the key component, and researchers hypothesized that the extra glucuronic acid would assist the liver by supplying more of the substance during detoxification. These analyses were done using gas chromatography to identify the different chemical constituents, but this method relies on having proper chemical standards to match to the unknown chemicals.

A more recent and thorough analysis, outlined in the book in Analysis of Kombucha Ferments by Michael Roussin.[17] suggests a different explanation. Roussin reports on an extensive chemical analysis of a variety of commercial and homebrew versions of kombucha, and finds no evidence of glucuronic acid at all. These scientific measurements contradict the earlier studies and conflict with the original hypothesis.

Instead, Roussin discovered that the active component in kombucha is most likely glucaric acid. This compound, also known as D – glucaro -1,4 lactone, helps in the elimination of glucuronic acid conjugates that are produced by the liver. When glucuronic acid conjugates are disposed in the bowel during the elimination process, normal gut bacteria can break up these conjugates using an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. Glucaric acid is an inhibitor of this bacterial enzyme, so the end result is that the glucuronic acid + waste is properly eliminated the first time, rather than being reabsorbed and detoxified over and over. Thus, glucaric acid probably makes the liver more efficient.

Interestingly, glucaric acid is commonly found in fruits and vegetables, and is being explored independently as a cancer preventive agent.[18] It has also been discovered that the bacterial beta-glucuronidase enzyme can interfere with proper disposal of a chemotherapeutic agent, and that antibiotics against the gut microbiota can prevent toxicity of some chemotherapy drugs.[19]

Reports of adverse reactions may be related to unsanitary fermentation conditions, leaching of compounds from the fermentation vessels,[20] or “sickly” kombucha cultures that cannot acidify the brew. Cleanliness is important during preparation, and in most cases, the acidity of the fermented drink prevents growth of unwanted contaminants. If a culture becomes contaminated, it will most likely be seen as common mold which is often green, blue or black in color. Often novice brewers will mistake the brownish root filaments on the underside of the culture as a mold contamination when it is seen through the surface of a thinly formed culture.

Safety and contamination

As with all foods, care must be taken during preparation and storage to prevent contamination. Keeping the kombucha brew safe and contamination-free is a concern to many home brewers. Key components of food safety when brewing kombucha include clean environment, proper temperature, and low pH.

There is a low rate of homebrew contamination which might be explained by protective mechanisms, such as formation of organic acids and antibiotic substances. Thus, subjects with a healthy metabolism do not need to be advised against cultivating Kombucha. However, those suffering from immunosuppression should preferably consume controlled commercial Kombucha beverages.[21]

In every step of the preparation process, it is important that hands and utensils (anything that is going to come into contact with the culture) be dish soap clean so as not to contaminate the kombucha. Kombucha becomes very acidic (in the neighborhood of pH 3.0 when finished) and so can leach unwanted and potentially toxic material from the container in which it is fermenting. Food-grade glass is very safe. Gunther Frank says on his website [22] that besides glass, acceptable containers include china, glazed (without lead) earthenware, stainless steel and food-grade high density polyethylene (HDPE) and polypropylene (PP). Keeping cultures covered and in a clean environment also reduces the risk of introducing contaminants and insects.
Mold contamination on the culture surface.

Maintaining a correct pH is an important factor in a home-brew. Acidic conditions are favorable for the growth of the kombucha culture, and inhibit the growth of molds and bacteria. The pH of the kombucha batch should be between 2.5 and 4.6. [23] A pH of less than 2.5 makes the drink too acidic for normal human consumption, while a pH greater than 4.6 increases the risk of contamination. Use of fresh “starter tea” and/or distilled vinegar can be used to control pH. Some brewers test the pH at the beginning and the end of the brewing cycle to ensure that the correct pH is achieved and that the brewing cycle is complete.

If mold does grow on the surface of the kombucha culture, or “mushroom,” it is best to throw out both culture and tea and start again with a fresh kombucha culture.

Kombucha mother and the symbiotes

The Kombucha Mother, shown in a square shape, is not unlike the thickness of a well risen pancake, and takes the shape of its container. It is a rapidly multiplying bacterial mass floating atop a yeast filled fluid. The bacteria are of the genus Mycoderma (Greek for fungus skin). The yeast below are involved in fermenting and receive oxygen for this process, passed by the bacteria. Acetic acid is created by the yeast, hence the second, title word Aceti (Latin for of the acid). Kombucha is “Mycoderma Aceti”. Kombucha is “mother of acid”. [24]

“Kombucha tea” is a homemade drink of the living medium of Kombucha. Kombucha contains both bacteria and yeasts. Normally these two microorganisms are at odds with one another, but in this case there is a symbiosis. It is able to repel other organisms such as molds and bacteria that would normally contaminate such a long-standing culture. It keeps its liquid’s pH low to accomplish this.

The lake of black tea has been highly sweetened with sugar.

Brew

Tea is the medium of the mother. Kombucha tea is a tea flavored to the tastes of the consumer and to the general gustatory sense of a flavor profile that is inevitably, to some degree, pungent and acidic. Black tea is a popular choice but green tea may also be used as well as any other flavor. The resultant flavor profile should take into account the tendency for a slightly acidic and pungent background. Sugars assist fermentation. The sweet brew is added to the container with the mother, and the container covered with a porous cloth to deter dust and organisms while allowing fresh oxygen into the container.

During a week or two of fermentation, frequent samples are taken to taste for some desired balance between sweet and sour. Eventually the liquid is tapped. Some liquid is retained to keep the pH low to deter contaminant microorganisms. The process repeats itself indefinitely. The mother will eventually produce a “daughter”, which can easily be directly handled, separated like two pancakes, and moved to another container. The yeast in the tapped liquid will then continue to live. A second wait time for about a week produces more carbonation.

Left entirely alone the Kombucha settles into months of production time (producing daughters perhaps), creating an ever more acidic and vinegar-dominated cider. At any point the Kombucha can be checked for daughter or tapped or have tea added. An amount of liquid from the previous batch will preserve some yeast.

References

1. ^ Kombucha / Manchurian Tea / Mo-Gu / Fungo Japon
2. ^ Crystal Wong, U.S. ‘kombucha’: smelly and no kelp, The Japan Times July 12, 2007
3. ^ Harald W. Tietze, 1995, Kombucha” The Miracle Fungus, Tietze Publications, p. 7.
4. ^ Siobhan Roth, Kombucha fermenting a revolution in health drinks, Pittsburg Post-Gazette June 07, 2007.
5. ^ Basil Hall Chamberlain, 1919, The Kojiki: Records of Ancient Mattters, The Asiatic Society of Japan, p. 367. Chamberlain transcribes the doctor’s full name as “Komu-ha-chimu-kamu-ki-mu” 金波鎮漢紀武, and notes “that 金 is the surname, 波鎮 an official title, 漢紀 an official designation of the kinsmen of the Korean King, and 武 the personal name.”
6. ^ >{{cite news | first=Brad | last=Stone | coauthors= | title=FDA CAUTIONS CONSUMERS ON “KOMBUCHA MUSHROOM TEA” | date=1995-03-23 | publisher=Food and Drug Administration |
7. ^ Aleksandra, Velicanski (2007). “Antimicrobial And Antioxidant Activity Of Lemon Balm Kombucha“. Acta periodica technologica: 165. doi:10.2298/APT0738165V.
8. ^ Acute effects of alcohol administration on regional cerebral blood flow: the role of acetate. Alcohol, Clinical Experimental Research. 1993. pp. 1119–23.. PMID 8116820. “These findings suggest that both acetate and alcohol contribute to the changes in CBF seen in the intoxication syndrome and that their relative influence is age-dependent.”.
9. ^ Subacute（90Days） Oral Toxicity Studies of Kombucha Tea 生物医学与环境科学：英文版－作者:R.VIJAYARAGHAVAN MANINDERSINGH 等
10. ^ Kombucha – Healthy Elixer Or Not?
11. ^ Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence
12. ^ Sunghee Kole, A; HD Jones, R Christensen, et al. (May-June 2009). “A case of Kombucha tea toxicity“. Journal of Intensive Care Medicine 24 (3): 205-207.
13. ^ Srinivasan MD, Radhika; Susan Smolinske, PharmD & David Greenbaum MD (October 1997). “Probable Gastrointestinal Toxicity of Kombucha Tea Is This Beverage Healthy or Harmful?“. Journal of General Internal Medicine 12 (10): 643–645. doi:10.1046/j.1525-1497.1997.07127.x.
14. ^ Kombucha “Mushroom” Hepatotoxicity
15. ^ Roussin, Michael R.. “About the Kombucha Consumer Research Group“. Kombucha-Research.com.
16. ^ Walaszek, Z. (1990-10-08). “Potential use of D-glucaric acid derivatives in cancer prevention“. Cancer Letters (Elsevier Science Ireland) 54 (1-2): 1–8. doi:10.1016/0304-3835(90)90083-A. PMID 2208084.
17. ^ Involvement of ß-Glucuronidase in Intestinal Microflora in the Intestinal Toxicity of the Antitumor Camptothecin Derivative Irinotecan Hydrochloride (CPT-11) in Rats
18. ^ Phan, Tri Giang; Jane Estell, Geoffrey Duggin, Ian Beer, Diane Smith and Mark J Ferson (1998). “Lead poisoning from drinking Kombucha tea brewed in a ceramic pot“. The Medical Journal of Australia (Australasian Medical Publishing Company) (169): 644–646.
19. ^ MAYSER P. (1) ; FROMME S. ; LEITZMANN C. ; GRÜNDER K. (1998). “The yeast spectrum of Kombucha“. Blackwell, Berlin, ALLEMAGNE.
20. ^ How to make your own Kombucha Tea
21. ^ Nirinjan Singh (2005). “Ph Levels For Kombucha Tea Beverage“.
22. ^ a convenience link to Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

* Tietze, Harald W.: Kombucha – The Miracle Fungus. Gateway Books. ISBN 1-85860-029-4.
* Dipti, et al. Lead induced oxidative stress: beneficial effects of Kombucha tea. Biomed Environ Sci. 2003 Sep;16(3):276-82.
* Ernst, et al. Kombucha: a systematic review of the clinical evidence. Forsch Komplementarmed Klass Naturheilkd / Research in Complementary and Classical Natural Medicine 2003;10:85-87.
* Pauline, et al. Studies on toxicity, anti-stress and hepato-protective properties of Kombucha tea. Biomed Environ Sci. 2001 Sep;14(3):207-13.
* Teoh, et al. Yeast ecology of Kombucha fermentation. Int J Food Microbiol. 2004 Sep 1;95(2):119-26.
* Frank, Günther W.: Kombucha – Healthy beverage and natural remedy from the Far East. Its correct preparation and use, Ennsthaler Gesellschaft GmbH & Co KG: 1995, ISBN 978-3850683371
* System of A Down: Sugar

Video by Douglas Arnold and Jonathan Rogness.

Ghoulish as it may sound, the business of burials is something we’re all fated to deal with eventually but new environmentally responsible options to handle this morbidly necessary event have emerged here in the US adding a note of green to this eerie realm of commerce.

Elizabeth Fournier, Director of Cornerstone Funeral Services and Cremation in Boring, Oregon, is the self-proclaimed “Green Reaper.”

A lot of people have chosen cremation already and a lot of that is the idea of, ‘Hey, I don’t want to take up space, I don’t want my family to shell out a bunch of cash, and I want to do something good for the environment.’ But of course, what we’re learning is the idea of cremating somebody isn’t so environmentally conscious as we once thought.  Actually burying somebody  the Green way with no chemicals, no concretes, and no metals in the soil is actually a better choice.

It’s the goal of Ms. Fournier and others in her industry to offer ways families can continue the responsible legacy of their deceased…beyond the grave.

For more on this and the full interview with Elizabeth Fornier, scythe through some of the following links:

Composting the dead (Environmental Graffiti)

Burials and cemeteries go green (NPR)

Do cemeteries impact on the environment? (University of Technology, Sydney)

Japan’s high tech graveyard solution as burial space grows scarce (Treehugger)

Artwork by amanda.f.i.

Green Air Filter:

A small yet potent architectural firm whose principals happen to be close friends and occasional business partners of mine, recently completed construction of a very green, very LEED residential townhouse project just down the way in the Boerum Hill section of Brooklyn (full article and interview is forthcoming).  The project began in 2006, weathered the nightmare market, ran up against DOB blockades thrown up by officials whom had no idea what evacuated tube solar hot water systems meant, and only in the past weeks has the developer been able to show off his dream to potential buyers.

As expressed so eloquently and succinctly by the author of this article, Shari Shapiro, Attorney and LEED AP, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission only just recently by way of what appears to be logical deduction and something that actually resembles reason concluded that companies might actually be encouraged to invest in green technologies as climate risk has been equated to a risk to shareholders.  The correlation between what the SEC has done and what my friends at Cycle Architects are doing is that with perseverance, good work, determination, and knowing what’s just, eventually, dreams do come true.

Photo by webjunkie80.

Here’s what Boston-based NGO and founding organization World Eduation has to say about The Learning Farm’s purpose:

In Indonesia, poor, vulnerable youth have been deeply affected by the country’s economic crises and lack both education and economic opportunities. Many feel hopeless at a time when they should be optimistic about the future. Lacking education, skills, or support, they are at risk of being trapped in a cycle of poverty and never realizing their full potential.

The Learning Farm seeks to address the lack of skills, opportunities and hope amongst vulnerable Indonesian youth by providing entrepreneurial and life skills training in the context of an operational organic farm. Located in Puncak, West Java, the Learning Farm provides Indonesian youth with the tools and skills needed to live healthy and productive lives and become change agents within their own communities.

The Learning Farm is a community where vulnerable youth can find opportunity and support; an educational center where these youth can obtain practical skills and knowledge; a productive organic farm as the primary educational medium; a social enterprise where youth apply their new skills to benefit themselves and support the sustainability of the Learning Farm; and a networking center where experience and lessons learnt are shared with other organizations working with vulnerable youth as well as with the community at large.

The farm serves as both an educational center and an organic farm, where students take responsibility for tasks related to running the farm and participate in structured learning activities that utilize a “learning by doing” approach. The farm’s curriculum includes basic literacy, numeracy, and critical thinking skills, organic farming, enterprise development, health, life skills, computers, and English. Using environmentally-sound growing methods, the youth work in teams to produce organic vegetables for their own consumption and also for sale. Most importantly, the farm has become a community where young people feel welcome, work directly with supportive adults, and have a chance to focus their energy and intelligence on building meaningful skills and relationships that will help them over the course of their lives.

Speakers include:

• Ji Way Tung of the Learning Farm.  Click here for video.
• Ben Flanner from Greenpoint’s Rooftop Farms.
• Beekeeper Meg of Brooklyn Honey.
• A pickling demonstration by Shamus Jones of Brooklyn Brine.
• Michael Haggerty and Raj Kottamasu, 1st Place Award Winners of the Resilientcity.org design competition.
• Joann Kim, Chief Organizer of the fabulously new fresh, local, and poised on the brink of greatness, Greenpoint Food Market.
• Special musical performance by Darcy and Mark Dunn.

Please RSVP to corielizabeth@gmail.com.

If you cannot make the fundraiser but would like to contribute, please email corielizabeth@mail.com for a PayPal donation page.

Habana Outpost is located at 757 Fulton St., Brooklyn, NY 11217.  Take the G to Fulton St. or the C to Lafayette Ave.

See you there!!!

Headline photo by Gill & Andy of Bogor Blog.  Midroll photo by David Hagerman of Eating Asia.

Marina of the Zabbaleen, a new documentary by Torch Films, enters the lives of this largely Coptic Christian tribe seen through the eyes of three children and their mother.  Barely eking out survival in this poor community, Marina’s tribe subsists by collecting nearly half of Cairo’s municipal solid waste, separating it into its recyclable components and feeding what’s left to their pigs.

When the H1N1 virus, or Swine Flu, was declared an international pandemic, Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak ordered all the country’s 300,000 hogs slaughtered.  The result was an all out halt of Egypt’s decentralized, natural and sustainable waste disposal system – the hungry pigs.

Now, the garbage heaps in Cairo are too much for the Zabbaleen to control themselves, effectively burying the unfortunate tribe under the very material that kept them alive.

For a look at Marina of the Zabbaleen, click here.

Screenshots taken from Marina of the Zabbaleen courtesy of Torch Films.

On the fringe of experimental earth science exists a theoretical and nearly improbable study of climate called geoengineering or terraforming.  The basic idea is if we do certain things to alter our atmospheric composition or sunlight intake, we’ll be able to counteract the negative effects of the damage we’ve already done.

One theory suggests that if we shot more sulphur into the atmosphere, it wold enhance a cloud’s ability to reflect sunlight.  Only problem is that atmospheric sulphur particles are what make acid rain and is usually the byproduct of dirty factory pollution.  Other theories involve enriching the sea with iron to propagate plankton growth, one of nature’s most efficient carbon removers.

In the end, the unwitting tampering with fragile climate systems seems only to have presented more problems but an open discussion of geoengineering has new solutions emerging into the mainstream.

For more on geoengineering, take a look at some of the following links:

Geoengineering our way out of trouble (Columbia University)

The human element to geoengineering (Op Ed News)

Recruiting plankton to fight global warming (NY Times)

Diagram by Kathleen Smith/LLNL

According to the New York Times, Representaitve Henry A. Waxman of California, co-authored the revolutionary climate bill but was forced to coerce the delegation with billions of dollars in promises in order to get the votes he needed to pass the bill through.

Utility companies seemed to make out the best from the hundreds of pages of special favors written into the bill.  Big Coal made an especially big haul as they were granted the go-ahead to build new coal-burning power plants without shouldering new costs.  They also walked away with billions toward free pollution permits and the development of carbon capture technology to help meet future pollution targets.

While President Obama agrees the bill isn’t an exact science, he does believe it represents an extraordinary step for the nation.

For a close examination of the new climate bill, check out some of the following links:

House passes bill to address threat of climate change (NY Times)

With something for everyone, climate bill passed (NY Times)

Obama: “Cynical claims” attacking energy bill (Associated Press)

Photo by The Official White House Photostream

Alcoa is trying to mesh its aluminum manufacturing ways into the world of sustainable building. Could this be a contributor to the buzz? It’s most certainly an indication that something is cooking.

Aluminum has been used for used for years successfully as a building material, known for it’s durability and resistance to decay. At the same time, it’s only ecological relevance seems to be that it is made from bauxite which is found in the earth, and aluminum is recyclable. Recyclable to the umpteenth degree. In other words, where a rose is a rose is a rose, an aluminum can is a door, is a frame, is a gutter, is a siding.

The argument here would of course be how sustainable?  Will Alcoa stop mining bauxite and smelting aluminum, or will they go into the business of recycling, oh let’s see, old cars, and airplanes?

Bauxite is mined from areas with tremendous negative effect on the rain forest, chasing animals out of their habitat, leeching into groundwater, increasing dust clouds, it also takes a tremendous amount of energy to mine and smelt. That, in addition to the fact that once it becomes the building material known as aluminum, it does not decompose. Although some say a can will decompose in 2-five hundred years.

But let’s face it, people get behind a good buzz, so for Alcoa, talks about aluminum products that save energy, and subscribe to LEED standards should prove to be very beneficial. It seems the buzz has arrived before the product, which is a strategic move on the part of Alcoa, using momentum to secure, or add leverage for a positive response from the world of sustainable building.

Alcoa’s big mining project in Brazil is underway, with its ‘responsible’ initiatives in place. They have agreed to put back what they destroy, in an effort to mine sustainably.

Did I really just say “mine sustainably?” Seriously people.

Photos by mikeyexists.

There will be anywhere from 50 up to 200 dollars given to you for your old appliance when you purchase a new one that has the EPA’s issued Energy Star sticker. The sticker was developed by the EPA to indicate an appliance has met the new standards for energy savings. Which means savings for you as well in your home energy bill. In addition to saving us all money, global warming caused by emissions from less efficient appliances is hoped to be greatly reduced. The larger the scale of participants, yes, this means you, the greater the benefit to the earth.

If you’re confident in your old appliance, and aren’t sure you need a new appliance, one thing to consider is that if that appliance is fifteen years old or older the EPA recommends replacing it. Other tips for getting more savings and less impact on the environment out of an appliance include choosing a refrigerator with a top freezer instead of the side by side model. Also, choosing a washing machine that is front loading, versus top loading, is found to be more energy efficient as well.

Each state is allocated funds and has up to February 17, 2012 to apply the incentive. Check out your state and local government web-sites for when the rebate will be in effect for your state. Your local appliance dealer should have this information as well. It is still not indicated whether or not rebates can be applied retroactively, so stay on the look out and you might end up with extra Holiday spending money.

Photo by wackystuff.

The business of feeding the world’s populations has fast become less about the quality of the produce shipped halfway around the world to your salad bowl and all about the quantity and speed at which the agricultural industry can deliver higher yields through soil damaging pest control and genetic mutations through biotechnology.

A new investment firm seeks to pair sustainable solutions with the resources necessary to fix our broken agricultural system.

Janine Yorio, Founder of NewSeed Advisors.

A lot of what we call sustainable also becomes economically necessary in the face of rising oil prices.  So the day that we wake up and gas is at $5 again is that day that farmers and people [who] are actually involved in food production need to find alternatives to the petrochemicals that they use every single day to produce food.

According to Janine, the interest and the resources of the new wave of sustainable investors are big enough to counteract the old standards of short-term gains and turn-and-burn investing.

For more on NewSeed’s upcoming event and the full interview with Janine Yorio, click here.

Photo by rich_awn.

Janine Yorio is the Founder of NewSeed Advisors, a young and hyper-motivated investment firm hell-bent on improving the all but shattered agricultural system.  In speaking with Janine, it became clear that her understanding of the larger scope of the problem is well advanced.  Rather than fight the evils of multinational agribusiness megopolies,  she’s concentrated her efforts on finding economically sound solutions to problems that the entire industry can get behind regardless of a company’s size or asset flow.

Janine speaks candidly with us about how she bowed out of Wall Street and got real about sustainable agriculture investing.


GA: Your background is in finance and real estate investment so what flipped your switch to sustainable agriculture?

JY: Two things: The tremendous opportunity in the agriculture space to make improvements on existing agriculture and make it more environmentally friendly and less toxic for consumers.  And second of all, the fact that there’s so much positive momentum behind sustainable agriculture.  Media has already latched onto it and consumers are already starting to take notice of what they put in their body and where their food comes from.

GA: As an investor, the name of the game is generating cash flow.  How are you able to win over the short term gain, turn and burn style investor to get behind these so-called “slow money” investments?

JY: Well, I think the short term investors got fairly badly burned during the last downturn in the cycle and everybody’s reevaluating how they invest and how they think about returns.  The good thing about the agriculture space is that it’s such a big industry.  I mean, it’s hundreds of billions of dollars in this country alone so there’s clearly an opportunity even if you can capture a small percentage.  The investor base clearly understands the size of the investor base and they understand that it’s gonna take a little longer than people might have expected in 2004-2005 but they’re in it for the long haul because it’s clearly something that’s needed.

GA: So the investor climate is such that the long-term gain is simply known as “the way to go?”

JY: There’s that and then there’s also kind of a tipping point and a lot of what we call sustainable also becomes economically necessary in the face of rising oil prices.  So the day that we wake up and gas is at $5 again, is the day that farmers and people that are actually involved in food production need to find alternatives to the petrochemicals they use every single day to produce food.  So there’s a whole sustainable aspect to it but there’s also the whole economic necessity and environment where oil prices are rising.  So while it can be a very long time before investors see their capital back with a hefty return, it could also be quite near term if oil prices spike the way they did last year.

GA: Our agricultural system is clearly broken and there are plenty of fire walls standing in the way of any kind of reform like big-budget publicity schemes from public bio-tech companies and unregulated global agribusiness monopolies.  Will this always be a fight between good and evil or is there hope for concessions to be made?

JY: I don’t really see it as a fight between good and evil.  I mean, like I said, agriculture’s an enormous industry and there’s room for everybody.  You’ll see that when the economics are sound, people don’t even break it down into terms of what’s sustainable and what’s not, it’s really about finding solutions to problems that make economic sense and when they do, everybody jumps on board from big agribusiness firms down to the small guy.  The reason why we need capital in this space is to try to ferret out what the really relevant innovations are and give them the capital they need to reach critical mass.

GA: And that’s the purpose of NewSeed.  You guys put the innovators together with the resources and make good things happen.

JY: Right.  And half the battle is getting the message out and really articulating what’s needed and why it’s a good investment. People don’t intuitively understand that sustainable agriculture is a really compelling investment opportunity and part of what NewSeed is doing through the conference, through general public outreach is getting that message out and the capital will follow.

GA: You’ve got an event coming up this month called Agriculture 2.0.  Can you tell us what attendees can expect and who should attend?

JY: Sure!  The event is on Thursday, September 17th in New York City and the attendee base is actually really interesting; it’s about half investors, investors that are interested in investing in sustainable agriculture companies and the other half of the attendees are entrepreneurs and companies that are actually looking to raise capital from these investors.  I think that attendees can expect to really learn about the industry and see a lot of the really promising technologies out there and hear from investment experts why this is such a compelling opportunity, how big the market is, and what realistic returns expectations are.

GA: Can you give us a preview of what some of the cooler innovations that are going to be presented?

JY: We have eight company presenters that will be speaking at the conference and they were selected out of a pool of over 50 applicants to present their business plans and they range from an organic farmland investment company to a bio-pesticide firm, which makes chemicals that basically prevent pests from eating crops, the chemicals themselves are still organically approved.  We have a vertical farming expert that will be speaking on a panel.  We have an indoor aquaculture specialist who will be talking about he’s actually farming organically grown tilapia indoors in Brooklyn.  There’s really a pretty wide swath of who the innovators are and where they’re coming from.  We even have a company coming from Hi Nyan China that is also in the fish farming industry.  So it’s definitely gonna give attendees a very broad spectrum of what’s going on in sustainable agriculture to give them a sense of how big the market really is.

GA: Where can we find out some more info on your company and future events?

JY: There’s information about both on the website: http://www.newseedadvisors.com and there’s an entire tab about the conference and registration information.

Photos courtesy of thesstainabletable, R357, hincman, and tb222.

From the international Kyoto Protocol to the recent energy bill that passed the US House of Representatives, carbon offsets have been a centerpiece of policies designed to make countries responsible for the amount of CO2 they’re allowed to produce.

The general idea behind carbon offsets suggests US polluters send money overseas in exchange for promised – and often pretend – pollution reductions elsewhere.

Michael Despines, Climate Resilience Campaign Coordinator for the US chapter of Friends of the Earth.

For example (in) the United States, our per capita emissions is still about 19 tons per person. The world average is only 4 tons per person and in the developing world, it’s only about 2 tons per person.  So we’re still emitting much, much higher than our fair share and with offsetting, it sort of locks that unfair ratio in place.

According to their report, Friends of the Earth recommends the US clean it’s own house by reducing emissions by 40% by the year 2020 before paying for the cleanup of our neighbors.

For a look at the full report and extended interview with Michael Despines, click here.

Illustration by Will Etling.

Say you’re a coal burning power plant somewhere in the US and now, out of the blue, the government is telling you to produce 40% less CO2.  While it doesn’t make sense for you to cut 40% of the power you’re supplying, your alternative is to swap out the equivalent of your pollution by paying for some unseen, unregulated, unmonitored so-called clean energy development in a far off country.

This is the murky premise upon which carbon offsetting is based and supported in both international and domestic climate policy. A report published by the international climate action group, Friends of the Earth, entitled, A Dangerous Distraction – Why Offsets Are a Mistake the US Cannot Afford to Make, identifies the tragic flaws in carbon offsetting.

Michael Despines, Climate Resilience Campaign Coordinator for the US chapter of Friends of the Earth and co-author of this report, joins us in a discussion.

GA: Carbon offsetting, carbon credits, carbon tariff… these are all terms that are poorly understood by the great majority. What is offsetting exactly?

MD: It’s a great question and it can be a bit hard to understand so basically, if you care about climate change, you’ll want to understand what offsets are and particularly international offsets.  So the idea is, we know that our climate’s changing rapidly, temperatures are rising and that’s being caused by the emissions that we’re putting into the atmosphere like carbon dioxide and other gasses that trap heat in our atmosphere.  So what scientists are telling us is that we need to reduce our emissions as quickly as possible and many of the policy scenarios that are being put forth in the Congress and the Senate are putting forth ideas that, yes, we should reduce emissions – that’s the good news.  The bad news is that man of our policy options right now rely heavily on this idea of using offsets.  So offsets, what they mean is rather than a polluter here in the US, say a factory or a coal plant, rather than reducing their emissions here, what they’ll do is pay for a project in a developing country typically and that project will then pay a factory or a plant there to reduce their emissions at the equivalent amount.  And so the polluter here in the US gets credit for that and the allure of offsets is very enticing, it definitely seems like a win-win-win situation: We get to reduce emissions globally so the world environment wins; economically, you make the reductions where it’s most cost effective in countries where typically things are less expensive, so it’s very economically powerful and efficient; and then third, offsets are put forth as a way to finance sustainable development in the developing world.  And so, it’s very compelling to people but once you look into it and you see how it’s actually done in the real world and look at offsetting schemes that are out there, you find that offsets, particularly international offsets, they very rarely deliver on these promises and actually often can make climate change worse because emissions actually rise.

GA: This all started with something built into the Kyoto Protocol called the Clean Development Mechanism, an article which allows flexibility in the way that emission reductions could be achieved.  According to your report, the flaws in CDM offsets has started the domino effect of this misguided approach to global carbon reduction responsibilities.  Does this then nullify the Kyoto Protocol?

MD: I don’t think it nullifies it, I think the idea, the goal of the Kyoto Protocol is still very valid – we definitely need to reduce emissions around the world, all industrialized countries, everybody does.  The offsetting was added, as you said, as a flexibility mechanism to try and give as many options as possible and find creative ways to reduce emissions.  And as I said, in theory, it sounds great.  If we can reduce emissions, say, in China, as opposed to Indiana and it’s more cost effective, why not do that?  There are huge pressures on these offsetting schemes to produce lots of credits; there’s huge political pressure, pressure from governments, from industry, and just the way these mechanisms are set up, you have to fund thousands and thousands of projects all around the world and it’s virtually impossible to verify if these projects are real.  There’s a growing amount of data out there showing that many of these projects are not producing real emission reductions.  Estimates range anywhere from 1/3 to 2/3 of the projects simply the emissions are not real, so that means that the end result is that emissions are actually rising.  We need to reduce emissions but we need to do it at the source where it’s coming from.  Offsets are not the way to go.

GA: Why doesn’t offsetting work?

MD: Intrinsically, in the definition (of) offsets, the idea is that you’re trying to stop something that might have happened in the future.  The best way to do this is with an example: Somebody will invest in a project where they’ll pay for a plant again in China to close down, it’s a dirty factory and they’ll pay the funding to shut the plant down.  Maybe that plant was going to shut down anyway because it was going bankrupt or maybe they were gonna shift their production to another factory in a different part of China.  And so the end result is that emissions actually have not been reduced globally and because the polluter in the United States is still polluting and the offset project didn’t actually work, the end result is emissions are rising.

GA: Doubled.

MD: Doubled, exactly.  And you often see with the offsetting schemes, the only way you can get offsetting funding is if your project is it’s outside.  There’s no policy or regulation that says you have to stop polluting, so it actually has this perverse effect of encouraging governments to not pass good environmental laws.  Again, using China as an example, they generate huge revenues from these offsetting projects; they tax those revenues.  And so China now has incentive not to pass laws that would reduce pollution that’s causing climate change and it’s also encouraging the creation of some types of factories and industries that will create this pollution just so that they can turn around and request funding, creating polluting factories just so they can get offsetting funding.  There’s a lot of perverse side effects noone really thought about.

GA: How do offsets affect developing countries in terms of injustice?

MD: There are several problems: One is that offsetting is institutionalizing the idea either making emissions reductions here or there, somewhere else.  Scientists have made it very clear that we need to make dramatic reductions in our emissions everywhere, everybody needs to be reducing.  We’re not gonna make it if it’s either here or there, it’s gotta be both – it’s gotta be everywhere right now.  The other issue is this idea of equity. We developed and became very wealthy by exploiting these dirty fossil fuels and other types of energy that were generally dirty and we’ve used up a big part of the atmosphere, this carbon space.  We only represent 5% of the world’s population but we’ve contributed about 25-30% of all the man-made carbon that’s in the atmosphere.  So we’ve taken up a larger share than our fair space.  These other poor countries that are trying to develop, they don’t have that carbon space any longer to develop.  People are living on a dollar, two dollars a day, it’s not very fair to ask them to reduce.  For example (in) the United States, our per capita emissions is still about 19 tons per person. The world average is only 4 tons per person and in the developing world, it’s only about 2 tons per person.  So we’re still emitting much, much higher than our fair share and with offsetting, it sort of locks that unfair ratio in place and it still allows us to continue polluting at a higher ration than what is fair and it locks the poorer countries in a ratio of per capita emissions that just is not fair and it’s going to be very difficult for them to break free from poverty and achieve a basic quality of life.

GA: What are some recommendations you have for the global community to reduce carbon emissions without offsets?

MD: One of our fundamental recommendations is just that we need to set very serious and ambitious target reduction goals, for example by 2020, the US should set it’s targets at least at 40% compared to the 1990 levels, below the 1990 level, and do that without offsetting.  If we could do that alone, it would be a huge accomplishment because it’s quite far from what current policy proposals are before the House and the Senate.  We’re also recommending that (we) reject any proposals that would create any new offsetting schemes or ones that propose to expand current offsetting schemes.  And then, our third major recommendation is just that the US should be supporting financial mechanisms that can promote sustainable development in the developing world in a manner that is comparable to the scale needed in the developing world and also a way that’s equitable and fair.  In terms of the developing world, they’re the ones who are suffering the most from the impacts of climate change already.  There’s are thousands, potentially millions of people who are being displaced because of the changes in the climate, increases in mortality because of the rise of infectious disease, etc.  So we really need to support the UN mechanism and provide the funding that’s required to help these countries adapt to the new climate reality.

GA: So it’s still okay to fund sustainable development in developing countries, we just need to make sure there’s a system in place to keep in on eye on how these funds are being used.

MD: Absolutely.  Again, most people think that offsets are the great idea because there are all these financial flows going into offset projects taking place in the developing world, so that must be helping to promote sustainable development.  Well, actually again, many of the projects that are being funded through offsetting schemes are actually going to fossil fuel projects that are only marginally better than the traditional fossil fuel projects.  One of the problems is we’re helping to lock in this high-carbon infrastructure in the developing world which is gonna be there for decades and that’s not good for anyone.  Often the financial flows from offsetting is actually quite small compared to what the needs are and besides that, most of the funding is gonna go to private developers, it’s not really going to the economies and really promoting sustainable development.  So we need to focus on mechanisms that really get the money to were it’s needed and to support projects that really promote a transition to green technology.

Photos courtesy of AFP: Jewel Samad, United Nations Environment Programme, GREEN WAY, and World Bank.

As the saying has it, “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  Yet with a little bit of creative thought, you can turn your trash into your treasure.

That’s exactly what has inspired a new wave of sustainability that goes beyond practicality and into decadence.

The idea of artistic living is a growing trend in an eco-friendly culture, which has already witnessed a significant growth in consumer interest when it comes to modular living and organic decor.  Even non-greenies are getting interested now that being green has brought with it a new level of stylish eccentricity.

And what comes more easily in this economy than an assortment of empty wine bottles after you’ve just thrown a smashing get-together?  With the preference being on sourcing cheap entertaining ideas, most people now see staying at home with a good meal and great wine as a viable alternative to spending money on restaurants and clubs.

If your home is the newest place to be seen, then ice maker machines are indispensable for cocktails while compact wine refrigerators are an inexpensive alternative to costly built-in wine cellars.

Wine Bottle Ideas:

There are a number of ways to reuse wine bottles. Among the more common ideas are reusing them as water pitchers, votive vases, torches, and flower bed liners. However, there are dozens of other smart options that are rarely explored.

Wine Bottle Cheese Boards – What could be quainter than using a cheese board made out of wine at you next cocktail.  Apparently that’s exactly what Vineyard Designs thought when they started offering their custom recycled wine glass boards.

Water Feeders – On a very hot day or when you’re away, fill the bottles of water and stick them into the pot or soil near your plant.  The water will slowly percolate from the bottle and into the soil.

Wine Bottle Chandeliers – In addition to the popular row lighting and pendant lighting, Changedminer (pictured) put together an interesting chandelier with wine bottles strung around it.   It’s a unique sustainable element in your home and it catches the light beautifully during the day and especially at sunset.

Rewined Recycled Glassware – Get uniquely hued wine bottle glassware made from orphaned bottles left behind at local restaurants and bars.

Wine Bottle Building Blocks – Rather than just one element, your entire home or venue can serve as a creatively designed showcase – a testimony of your creativity and commitment to sustainability.

Wine bottles can be used to create an interesting mosaic-styled wall piece.  The most gorgeous of these displays is just outside of Montreal at a place called Bottle Houses, Prince Edward Island.

PEI is known for its lush landscapes and pastoral living, which makes the wine bottle homes stand out that much more, offering a mixture of ingenious modern design paired with an idyllic setting; and the combination works brilliantly.

This theme of bottle wall art has been running strong from coast to coast. Javier’s, an upscale restaurant in Crystal Cove, features bottle-inspired wall art as a key feature in their eclectic setting.

Using wine bottles as building blocks shows creativity and ingenuity that can be carried to stylishly eccentric levels when used in restaurants. Morimoto’s Japanese Restaurant in New York has an entire wall created out of bottles.  The result is a dazzling spectacle that has the potential to launch a restaurant.  An alternative design is found at the Boa Steakhouse in Hollywood, where rows of bottles are lined along a clear wall.

Wine bottles go beyond just building blocks and have also become integral parts of a building’s thermal dynamics, providing a unit that’s not only appealing to the eye, but also meets our duty to our environment.  But if you’re not a wine drinker, you can ask local pubs and restaurants for their bottles, who I’m sure will be more than happy to give you their rubbish to turn into your own treasures.  The same ideas can also be achieved with beer, liquor, Pellegrino or other glass water bottles.

For more on wine bottle upcycling, check out some of the following links:

Wine bottle recycling is low – but some bottles getting lighter (Dr. Vino)

A trial project that uses recycled wine bottles filled with water to regulate a building’s internal temperatures (Media-Newswire)

Sleep it off inside a wine cask (Green Upgrader)

Wine Ideas brought to you by Air & Water, Inc.

Photos by Keith Watson, graciella06, aarn!, *~Dharmainfrisco~*, West County Camera,  changedminder.

Seasteading, or homesteading on the high seas, has become not only the subject of entertainment but the topic of serious research, design, and political philisophy for individuals seeking to demonstrate how to live sustainably and prosper.

In the book, Seasteading: A Practical Guide to Homesteading the High Seas, author Wayne Gramlich writes,

These aquatic pioneers will settle civilization’s next frontier through the unusual merger of green technology and free enterprise. Once there, they will experiment with new social, political, and economic systems, adding much-needed variety and innovation to the stagnant business of government.

So far, only one example of a recognized micro-nation of this kind exists off the coast of England known as the Principality of Sealand.  After a brief run-in with the British military, Sealand proved its soverignty in court and now has his own currency, national anthem, and passports.

For some amazing designs of these future floating nations, click the slideshow below and check out some of the following links.

The Seasteading Institute (Seasteading.org)

Seasteading: Homesteading the high seas (Green Upgrader)

Seasteading is the aquatic answer to the housing crisis (io9)

Peter Theil makes down payment on Libertarian ocean colonies (Wired)

Featured design by Emerson Stepp.

Slideshow by ejacobhansen.

Hellmann’s – It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.

Thought I’d chime in with a little plug of my own… I’m involved in a little local-product-only Italian “pork store” slated to open up in Manhattan on Mulberry and Prince this Fall.  BOO-YA!

Insanely accomplished chefs, Mario Carbone and Rich Torrisi, so graciously put up with my feet dragging during this past passing economic meltdown and have already achieved a feat of New York restaurant heroics without even opening the doors – an original concept.

The idea is to serve the highest quality Italian specialty items without shipping anything from Italy.  Crazy, right?   Basically, it’s their confidence in what American food culture has evolved into that is at the core of this concept and one which I’m all for.

Come on in for counter service before 5p and cafe table service at night.  Slated for a late October opening, perfect timing for that autumnal eggplant parmesan sandwich that will knock you to your knees.

Some more on the chefs behind the slicers:

Local talent gets love from Bourdain, but not from world’s great chefs (Grub Street)

Photo by Hannah Whitaker/New York Magazine.