Paul Krugman: climate change is worth the $$$

recently, Paul Krugman published a op-ed column, An Affordable Salvation, in the New York Times.  he writes in favor of a cap-and-trade system for emissions and national legislation requiring companies to reduce emissions slowly over time.  his message is simple.  (1) cap-and-trade will increase energy costs.  (2) the cost of living and doing business will increase.  (3) BUT NOT ENOUGH to prevent economic growth.  strong words from a Nobel prize winner in economics.

these cap-and-trade systems will help alternative energy projects, like those [me]&goji supports through our green tag program and partnership with BEF, expand faster.

check out this cereal company’s take on Green Tags

The Food and Farming Transition: a new report from PCI

the Post Carbon Institute just published a new report, The Food and Farming Transition, outlining a new direction for farming in the United States.  the report predicts that as the price of petroleum, natural gas and fertilizer rises, conventional farming techniques and transportation routes will become economically unsustainable.  PCIs solutions include promoting alternative forms of energy production on farms, diversifying the types of crops grown on a single farm, and growing more staple crops locally.  by turning away from fossil fuels, farming becomes more economical and environmentally sustainable.

cover page for "The Food and Farming Transition"

while some aspects of PCIs new food economy are improbable (but no doubt desirable), the writers have a commendable grasp of the time scale and transition phases required to compel farmers to reduce their reliance on fuel and farming techniques which endanger the environment and contribute to global warming.

among their best suggestions are long term and structural solutions for developing alternative energy technology and encouraging organic framing practices – two projects [me]&goji works hard to support through our green tag program and loyalty to natural and organic cereal ingredients.

so take a look!  even if you disagree, the report is thought provoking and offers many practical solutions.

earth day special: [me] & goji will plant a tree for each mix ordered!

make a mix, plant a tree

1 cereal = 1 tree

in celebration of earth day, [me] & goji will make a donation to American Forests to have one tree planted for each Cereal Capsule ordered on Wednesday, April, 22.

American Forests is a world leader in planting trees for environmental restoration, a pioneer in the science and practice of urban forestry, and a primary communicator of the benefits of trees and forests.

the [me] & goji forest

if you order 1 mix, we’ll plant 1 tree. if you order 4 mixes, we’ll plant 4 trees. get your whole office to order, and we’ll plant a forest!

plant more trees: forward this along to your friends and family!

planting trees is as easy as eating a proper breakfast: start planting

say hi to [me] & goji’s new, more efficient Cereal Capsule

hi.

starting this week, our returning customers will notice that their sleek Cereal Capsules are slightly shorter than their predecessors. one inch shorter, to be exact.  don’t worry, we are still shipping the same ammount of cereal and granola (600g, 21+oz), but we have eliminated empty, wasted space.

cereal capsule size comparison

why shorter Cereal Capsules?

-more sustainable: the  amount of materials used in the packaging and labels was decreased by 8.3%, meaning significantly less carbon dioxide emissions in the creation of the packaging.

-more functional: the main purpose of packaging is to protect the product. we discovered that the excess space created from cereal settling during shipping caused flakes to jostle around and crush easier.  the new size keeps cereal fresher and crunchier.

-more portable: the new size fits more comfortably in cabinets and is easier to take on trips, hikes, to school and in the car.  cereal on the go!

how much cereal does a Cereal Capsule hold compared to a regular cereal box?

forum nucléaire – anti nuclear energy campaign video

even if you don’t speak french, you hopefully speak environment.  this hand-drawn animation acts as a powerful voice against nuclear energy.

with all the current discussion on alternative energies and decreasing our dependency on oil, one solution is increasing our nuclear energy production. while nuclear energy emits very little carbon dioxide into the environment during production, there are many disadvantages that should be discussed as often as the pros.

-nuclear waste must be carefully stored and monitored for thousands of years (yes, thousands)
-with increased terrorist activity, nuclear plants are a prime target
-they take 20+ years to build
-accidents happen

and, if you do speak french, learn more about the campaign

unexpected side-effect of building green

building green and killing birds…

boston.com had an interesting article this morning about a contradicting after-effect of building “green.”

read the article here.

“An estimated 5 percent of the country’s bird population – or about a billion birds – die each year by crashing into buildings they cannot see”

“Last year, the US Postal Service spent more than $200,000 on such a film to reduce bird kills on a Manhattan building after a local Audubon volunteer corps counted more than 330 dead birds near it during a 2 1/2-month period.”

little house, big impact

Dee Williams built her house with her bare hands.  All 84 square feet of it (yes, you read that right).

sustainable living beyond painting your house green