Filed under: Food, Home

Scanpan, the first PFOA-free nonstick pans. Photo: Sur la Table

A while back someone offered me a story about a cookware company doing a really admirable recycling program. But I had to turn it away because their pans still had Teflon coatings, and there is nothing green about something that kills birds when you heat it up for three to five minutes.

Still, I have to admit that there is a non-stick pan in my cabinet that I just couldn’t give up, no matter how much it eroded my green cred. It’s one of those damaging but oh-so-useful kitchen items, like paper towels and cleaners with chemicals that make grease dissolve in seconds.

Luckily for the sake of my reputation, the folks at Scanpan sent GreenDaily a pair of their certified PFOA-free Scanpan CTX nonstick pans to try out. And I’m delighted to report that they are both fantastic and eco-friendly!

As you may know, PFOA is the synthetic chemical used to manufacture traditional nonstick cookware coatings. The coating on your old pans is is polytetrafluorethylene (PTFE) a.k.a. Teflon.

You can find a variety of pans that don’t have a Teflon coating, but if you scramble eggs in most of them, your breakfast will be followed by a prolonged scrubbing session.

But not if you’re using a Scanpan. It gives you all of the “easy to cook with” benefits of nonstick, plus some that you wish your Teflon pan had, but with none of the health threatening side-effects!

The five-layer clad-aluminum construction combined with ceramic-titanium surface means you can brown, sear and deglaze, and even use metal utensils. They’re a pleasure to cook with, and oven safe to 500°F. You can even toss your nice pans in the dishwasher — which saves water.

The entire Scanpan process is earth-friendly. In addition to the PFOA-free manufacturing process, Scanpan has also always had forward-looking recycling practices, including using recycled aluminum in their cast aluminum products.

If you like to cook, hate to scrub pans, and want to make an investment in some solid cookware that you’ll use forever, Scanpan is a great green choice!

Scanpan Review – Earth-Friendly and “Better Than Teflon” Nonstick Pans originally appeared on Green Daily on Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:01:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite continuing recall woes for Toyota, the automaker spared no expense last night in promoting the launch of the new Lexus CT 200h hybrid car. It’s an undeniably hot car, though I admit I’m already a big fan of sport hatches, like the “Saabaru” and the Volvo C30. Celebs showed up in force to promote the car, and watch an entertaining debate on climate change hosted by quirky comedian Sarah Silverman.

First, the celebs who showed up to Skylight West, at 463 10th Avenue: The Daily Green crew got a good look at the Revered Run from Run-DMC (pictured), Zach Braff (ZB4ever!), model Tyson Beckford, some minor stars from the Twilight movies and a couple of dudes from The Daily Show. We heard that Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick were there, but none of us saw them. Good old-fashioned vinyl was spun by Paul Sevigny, who is Chloe Sevigny’s older brother.

The main event was an entertaining debate between experienced environmental journalist Amanda Little (author of the recent book Power Trip and global warming skeptic Phelim McAlee (behind the Gore-bashing Not Evil Just Wrong film), moderated by Sarah Silverman. Silverman was hilarious and a spunky moderator, challenging each respondent, following up with intelligent questions, and injecting humor at nearly every turn. It’s clear she knows a thing or two about the issues, and was well prepared on current debates around climate science.

Silverman started the raucous debate by asking Little, “Why do you have a problem with the world potentially being like California all the time?…And it will melt all the guns, why are you against that?” Little responded gracefully, answering that her position is the same as ExxonMobile, NASA, the Pope and others, that “The appropriate debate is not whether [climate change] is happening, but what to do about it.” Little characterized the fight to address global warming as the “single biggest job creation engine of our time,” and she pointed to the Lexus in the back of the room as an example of “an innovation in response.”

McAlee criticized Little as a journalist who would agree with oil companies, the Pope, the Pentagon and other powers that be. Silverman quipped to the Irishman, “You’re not a fan of the hockey stick graph because you don’t have hockey in Ireland, or because you don’t like science. Pick one.” McAlee responded by saying that climate scientists and their supporters are anti-business and anti-capitalist, and “maybe didn’t get along with their mothers.”

Little countered, “Ninety percent of U.S. scientists polled say they fully accept the science. You make it seem like it’s some fringe [global warming], but that’s not true.” Silverman chimed in that all the drama around it should be called “Climategate Gate.” In regards to the hacked emails that set off so-called Climategate, Little said, “I have no compassion for a scientist who withholds any data, but its such an infinitesimal drop that it can’t poison the well.” (A British House of Commons committee has just exonerated Professor Phil Jones and the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.)

Despite continuing recall woes for Toyota, the automaker spared no expense last night in promoting the launch of the new Lexus CT 200h hybrid car. It’s an undeniably hot car, though I admit I’m already a big fan of sport hatches, like the “Saabaru” and the Volvo C30. Celebs showed up in force to promote the car, and watch an entertaining debate on climate change hosted by quirky comedian Sarah Silverman.

First, the celebs who showed up to Skylight West, at 463 10th Avenue: The Daily Green crew got a good look at the Revered Run from Run-DMC (pictured), Zach Braff (ZB4ever!), model Tyson Beckford, some minor stars from the Twilight movies and a couple of dudes from The Daily Show. We heard that Kevin Bacon and wife Kyra Sedgwick were there, but none of us saw them. Good old-fashioned vinyl was spun by Paul Sevigny, who is Chloe Sevigny’s older brother.

The main event was an entertaining debate between experienced environmental journalist Amanda Little (author of the recent book Power Trip and global warming skeptic Phelim McAlee (behind the Gore-bashing Not Evil Just Wrong film), moderated by Sarah Silverman. Silverman was hilarious and a spunky moderator, challenging each respondent, following up with intelligent questions, and injecting humor at nearly every turn. It’s clear she knows a thing or two about the issues, and was well prepared on current debates around climate science.

Silverman started the raucous debate by asking Little, “Why do you have a problem with the world potentially being like California all the time?…And it will melt all the guns, why are you against that?” Little responded gracefully, answering that her position is the same as ExxonMobile, NASA, the Pope and others, that “The appropriate debate is not whether [climate change] is happening, but what to do about it.” Little characterized the fight to address global warming as the “single biggest job creation engine of our time,” and she pointed to the Lexus in the back of the room as an example of “an innovation in response.”

McAlee criticized Little as a journalist who would agree with oil companies, the Pope, the Pentagon and other powers that be. Silverman quipped to the Irishman, “You’re not a fan of the hockey stick graph because you don’t have hockey in Ireland, or because you don’t like science. Pick one.” McAlee responded by saying that climate scientists and their supporters are anti-business and anti-capitalist, and “maybe didn’t get along with their mothers.”

Little countered, “Ninety percent of U.S. scientists polled say they fully accept the science. You make it seem like it’s some fringe [global warming], but that’s not true.” Silverman chimed in that all the drama around it should be called “Climategate Gate.” In regards to the hacked emails that set off so-called Climategate, Little said, “I have no compassion for a scientist who withholds any data, but its such an infinitesimal drop that it can’t poison the well.” (A British House of Commons committee has just exonerated Professor Phil Jones and the Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia.)

The Chevrolet Volt on Pier 92. (Jim Motavalli photo)

I have been covering the evolution of the Chevrolet Volt since the curtain was first whisked away at the Detroit Auto Show in 2007. At that time, General Motors was starting its slide into bankruptcy, but the automaker never slackened in prioritizing the Volt as job number one for the company’s fortunes. The persistence finally seems to be paying off, because the Volt’s debut is imminent in a reborn (but hardly out of the woods) GM.

Will the Volt be a home run for a company that really needs one? It depends on how you define the term. Will its massive sales revitalize what was once the world’s pre-eminent auto company? I strongly doubt it. Will its modest success help rebuild GM’s badly tarnished reputation for innovation? That I’m much more sanguine about.

On the eve of the New York International Auto Show (April 2-11), GM brought the Volt (along with the new “Eco” version of the Cruze world car) to Pier 92 in Manhattan for a brief but exhilarating test drive. We took it up and down ramps at the pier, and through a cone course or two. I’ve driven “mule” versions of the Volt before, but this car was one of 80 pre-production prototypes built for durability testing, and it was very close to what will roll off the assembly line in Detroit-Hamtramck (still pre-production, but very close to final) starting this very week.

The conditions didn’t exactly reproduce real driving, but I was behind the wheel long enough to get the sense that the Volt will be very fun to drive, and probably more performance-oriented than most people will expect. It’s kind of fast, especially off the line. The Volt is a battery car whose gas motor is just there to generate electricity, and it’s so quiet that GM had to add a horn-type noise when you pull the turn signal stalk. When the gas engine engages the car will undoubtedly be noisier. The car has 40 miles of all electric range, then the gas engine/generator kicks in to provide another 300 miles.

Filed under: Food, Home

Spring is the perfect time to get yourself green. Photo: Getty Images

These days, the most important part of spring cleaning can be spring “greening.” While some may not be able to sport that new hybrid car, or line their home with solar panels, there are still simple ways to green up your life. In fact, the most basic elements of life provide the best opportunities to reduce negative environmental impact.

Water. Still buying H2O by the pallet? Give water filters a try. Whether a pitcher with a filter or a kitchen faucet attachment suits your lifestyle, either one will reduce the waste by those plastic water bottles. Both will save you money spent on bottle after bottle, so you’re not missing that extra 10 bucks a month you get for taking the recycling out. Still need a bottle for the gym? Grab a BPA-free reusable bottle and add a little style to your gym bag.

Light. By now we all know that those spiral light bulbs will reduce energy and even save us money, so why haven’t we done it? Maybe we just don’t understand the truly huge effects. Let’s do the math: for every 60-watt incandescent (our usual light bulbs) in the home, there’s a better 15-watt (or less!) compact fluorescent (the spiral bulbs). The average two-bedroom home has at least fifteen of them. Changing out all of old bulbs would save 45 watts each, or 675 watts overall, just by screwing in a few light bulbs! (To figure out what this means for your electric bill, click here.)

Air. It’s no secret that our oxygen comes from plants and the more we have, the cleaner our air. So, this spring, take a step toward a healthier environment and plant a tree. Take the extra step and make it a fruit tree, to boot. Growing your own produce not only ensures that you have the freshest and the best, but its also a great way to promote a greener lifestyle, one step at a time. For those lacking the wide open spaces for tree planting, consider planting a balcony herb garden or simply bringing in plants that naturally freshen the air.

Food. Growing your own produce is great, but most of us can’t grow everything we need. For everything else, there’s farmers markets! Spring is the perfect season to visit farmers markets! Supporting local growers is a great way to reduce carbon emissions produced by commercial growers needing to transport their goods long distances. Its also a great way to find organic foods without the high price tag. For some, “organic” carries a stigma, but all you really need to know is that organic foods were grown without the use of harmful chemicals. They’re simply the freshest (and often, the tastiest!) produce around.

Money. That bottom-line offers up a whole new way to go green. If you’re still making that daily trek to the mailbox, consider going paperless. Many organizations now offer paperless billing and statements. They simply send them to any email address you provide. Its a more convenient way to keep track of those payables and receivables, too. Simply set up an inbox folder for anything needing to be paid and all of your monthly bills will be at your fingertips at any given moment. Say goodbye to late fees! Say hello to greener pastures!

Whatever your reasoning, “spring greening” this season can help you save money, reduce that carbon footprint, and live more simply. Going green doesn’t just help you, together, it helps everyone. So go ahead, take that first step (or second, or third)!

5 Ways to Go Green for Spring originally appeared on Green Daily on Fri, 26 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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My enthusiasm for gardening normally peaks right about now for the year. It’s triggered by the first prematurely warm days of spring and the stack of colorful seed and garden catalogs stockpiled on the nightstand for my bedtime reading. I fall asleep dreaming of my perfect garden: one filled with eggplants bigger than my head and bordered by neatly spaced rows of zinnias in every color of the Crayola 64 pack.

But it’s always all downhill from here. When I actually stick the spade in the ground for the first time every year, I’m reminded that my clay soil isn’t nearly as easily tilled as the pillow-soft-loamy-stuff they always picture in the catalogs. Then, when things finally start to sprout, The Great Rabbit Wars begin. I start dreaming less about my forthcoming meals of braised carrots, and more about braised rabbit, served with carrot stubs.

By the 100-degree days of July — when the weeds have officially overpowered everything I so carefully planted in neat little string-lined rows with the seed packets stuck on sticks to mark them — I’ve pretty much had my fill of gardening for the year. Yep, I’m at best a recreational user when it comes to gardening.

But this year my gardening enthusiasm is really revved-up by a terrific new book I just read called Grow Your Own Drugs, by James Wong. Wong was trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens (Kew, England) in “Ethnobotany” — that’s the study of “plant lore and customs.”

Wong writes in the introduction to his book:

“… this perception of plants as purely ornamental objects is a strange cultural anomaly that has existed in only one civilization in history — our own (i.e. modern day western culture). In every other culture, the plants that surround us are a living supermarket, pharmacy, a home improvement center, and even a liquor store — all rolled into one.”

My enthusiasm for gardening normally peaks right about now for the year. It’s triggered by the first prematurely warm days of spring and the stack of colorful seed and garden catalogs stockpiled on the nightstand for my bedtime reading. I fall asleep dreaming of my perfect garden: one filled with eggplants bigger than my head and bordered by neatly spaced rows of zinnias in every color of the Crayola 64 pack.

But it’s always all downhill from here. When I actually stick the spade in the ground for the first time every year, I’m reminded that my clay soil isn’t nearly as easily tilled as the pillow-soft-loamy-stuff they always picture in the catalogs. Then, when things finally start to sprout, The Great Rabbit Wars begin. I start dreaming less about my forthcoming meals of braised carrots, and more about braised rabbit, served with carrot stubs.

By the 100-degree days of July — when the weeds have officially overpowered everything I so carefully planted in neat little string-lined rows with the seed packets stuck on sticks to mark them — I’ve pretty much had my fill of gardening for the year. Yep, I’m at best a recreational user when it comes to gardening.

But this year my gardening enthusiasm is really revved-up by a terrific new book I just read called Grow Your Own Drugs, by James Wong. Wong was trained at the Royal Botanical Gardens (Kew, England) in “Ethnobotany” — that’s the study of “plant lore and customs.”

Wong writes in the introduction to his book:

“… this perception of plants as purely ornamental objects is a strange cultural anomaly that has existed in only one civilization in history — our own (i.e. modern day western culture). In every other culture, the plants that surround us are a living supermarket, pharmacy, a home improvement center, and even a liquor store — all rolled into one.”

My Think City on the snowy roads of Turku, Finland. (Credit: Jim Motavalli)

The EVs headed for the U.S. market by the end of the year are a diverse lot. The battery-powered Coda, for instance, is based on a Chinese car, but was re-engineered by Porsche in Germany, uses a lot of components from suppliers all over the world, and will be built in California. The Nissan Leaf is Japanese, but will be built in Tennessee. The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid? Well, the owner is Danish, the company is based in California (and Delaware), and the car will be built in Finland.

And Finland is exactly where I happen to be right now, over here to drive another car built in the same plant, Valmet Automotive, that will house the Karma. But the Think City, soon to be on American streets, is of more modest ambitions. The high-performance Karma is a spiritual cousin to the Porsche Caymans and Boxsters also built by Valmet. It was great fun seeing the Boxsters being built, though Valmet wouldn’t let us photograph the assembly line.

The Think City is a two-seat city car with a 100-mile range and a body made of recyclable plastic that resembles old-time thermos bottles (down to the built-in colors; no paint shop here). It looks earth-friendly, and it is, with two-cent-per-mile operating costs and no climate emissions. Right now it’s Europe only: Made in Finland, with sales in Norway (where Think is based), Holland, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. All those countries make concessions to get EVs on the road, and so will France, Switzerland and Belgium (where the City is headed).

But if this was just a European car I probably wouldn’t be writing about it. Cars made in Finland will be sold in the U.S. by the end of 2010, and a U.S. factory (in Elkhart, Indiana) is scheduled to open in early 2011. Eventually, Think will have the capacity to build 6,000 cars in Finland and another 13,000 in the U.S. Those aren’t world-killing numbers, but Think will start small and ramp up. The car will initially sell for approximately $37,000 in the U.S. but incentives, including a $7,500 federal income tax credit, will bring it down. Some states, especially California (which offers a $5,000 rebate), Oklahoma and Colorado, have made owning an EV a competitive option.

My Think City on the snowy roads of Turku, Finland. (Credit: Jim Motavalli)

The EVs headed for the U.S. market by the end of the year are a diverse lot. The battery-powered Coda, for instance, is based on a Chinese car, but was re-engineered by Porsche in Germany, uses a lot of components from suppliers all over the world, and will be built in California. The Nissan Leaf is Japanese, but will be built in Tennessee. The Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid? Well, the owner is Danish, the company is based in California (and Delaware), and the car will be built in Finland.

And Finland is exactly where I happen to be right now, over here to drive another car built in the same plant, Valmet Automotive, that will house the Karma. But the Think City, soon to be on American streets, is of more modest ambitions. The high-performance Karma is a spiritual cousin to the Porsche Caymans and Boxsters also built by Valmet. It was great fun seeing the Boxsters being built, though Valmet wouldn’t let us photograph the assembly line.

The Think City is a two-seat city car with a 100-mile range and a body made of recyclable plastic that resembles old-time thermos bottles (down to the built-in colors; no paint shop here). It looks earth-friendly, and it is, with two-cent-per-mile operating costs and no climate emissions. Right now it’s Europe only: Made in Finland, with sales in Norway (where Think is based), Holland, Spain, Austria and Switzerland. All those countries make concessions to get EVs on the road, and so will France, Switzerland and Belgium (where the City is headed).

But if this was just a European car I probably wouldn’t be writing about it. Cars made in Finland will be sold in the U.S. by the end of 2010, and a U.S. factory (in Elkhart, Indiana) is scheduled to open in early 2011. Eventually, Think will have the capacity to build 6,000 cars in Finland and another 13,000 in the U.S. Those aren’t world-killing numbers, but Think will start small and ramp up. The car will initially sell for approximately $37,000 in the U.S. but incentives, including a $7,500 federal income tax credit, will bring it down. Some states, especially California (which offers a $5,000 rebate), Oklahoma and Colorado, have made owning an EV a competitive option.

Filed under: Home, Activism

A candlelight party is beautiful and eco-friendly. Photo: Getty

With Earth Hour right around the corner (March 27 at 8:30 p.m.), there’s a whole new reason to party, but celebrating without creating a huge carbon footprint is a must for this new green holiday. Each year people from around the world sync their watches and shut off all their lights at the same time for an entire hour. Join in with gusto; just consider these party tips and ideas that sort out the green from the not so green when it comes to toasting Earth Hour:

Without the ability to use electricity for the duration of Earth Hour, you wouldn’t want to leave your friends in the dark. Invite a few friends over for an organic, seasonal dinner (you could even make it a potluck), and then gather with wine to chat as Earth Hour approaches. Set up a tabletop with old plates and a series of earth-friendly soy-based candles in each corner (and make sure not to forget a candle in the bathroom, too!). Light them just before the big countdown, and they’ll keep a warm mood after the switches are turned off. Just be sure not to place them near curtains or other flammable items.

Consider having a fun awards ceremony. For people who find creative and green ways to get to your Earth Hour gathering, offer a Best Biking Costume prize or an award for making use of the most forms of public transit in one day/week/month. Just be sure to include this info in your invitation so your guests can be prepared to bike, roller-skate, hula-hoop, bus, or take a Zip Car to your bash in style. It’s easy and green to use Evite or your email instead of paper invites.

Even if Earth Hour occurs during your normal work hours and you and your colleagues are stuck celebrating in the office, you can still plan some fun in honor of the day in which Earth Day occurs. Email your co-workers ahead of time and ask them to bring in a dish, like these delicious white chocolate brownies, to share rather than their own lunch – this can cut down on packaging waste and improves the community feel of your office. Try putting into practice some of your green office ideas that haven’t yet been implemented, like being more careful of recycling, starting an office food donation gathering spot, or use the back of once-used paper for taking informal notes. What else can you think of?

Inspire your kids and their friends to think and act green by hosting a family-friendly bash. Gather neighboring families for group games, breaking for a toast of fair-trade, caffeine-free iced tea and organic fruit salad. Organize some recycled materials for a craft project like toilet paper and paper towel rolls, clean packaging in interesting shapes, magazines, and a great eco-craft project book. It’s never too early to get inspired about maintaining a healthy environment! If you’ve got teens, here are some more green party ideas.

Earth Hour 2010: Celebrate in Eco-Friendly Style originally appeared on Green Daily on Thu, 25 Mar 2010 12:00:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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