Tips for a Green Thanksgiving

Holidays are always a time of waste and plenty with raging parties and overflowing trash cans. This Thanksgiving, cut down on your carbon footprint and give thanks for greener options.

If Thanksgiving is at your house this year, consider the following:

Reduce paper waste by sending e-vites. At the party, further reduce paper waste by using cloth napkins and “real” dishes and silverware in place of plastic and paper and save the world from global warming.

Minimize your lights by dining before the sun goes down and using dimmers and candles (made of natural waxes) for a festive atmosphere.

Use real leaves that you collect from outside instead of plastic, artificial versions. If you’re big on decorating, buy pieces that will last, rather than paper decorations that will need to be tossed as soon as someone spills gravy on them.

Make sure that you provide a recycling bin in addition to the trash bag (preferably made of biodegradable plastic).

As for the food, buy local and organic foodstuffs, from yams to turkey. Try a sustainable brand of turkey, like Heritage. Check out your local natural foods store for more turkey. Also, make your dishes vegetarian, by subbing in vegetable or mushroom broth instead of trimmings.

Make it easy on yourself and have a potluck, and spread the green around by having your guests bring a sustainable dish as well.

And in the spirit of giving, give a little something to your local foodbank so that less fortunate families can feast as well. Local charities often offer Thanksgiving dinners and you can donate food and time to serve up a hot meal for the start of the holiday season.

When the guests go home, use natural cleaning solutions like vinegar and lemon juice or a green store-bought cleansing product to make your home sparkle.

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Dr. Alan Bittner runs a liposculpture clinic in Beverly Hills that has recently been shut down due to his unorthodox practice of using his patients’ leftover fat as fuel for his car.

At the doctor’s site, http://lipodiesel.org/, you can read all about the Dr. Bittner’s interest in green activities as a long-time member of the Sierra Club. The site reports that starting last year, as part of his efforts to get off fossil fuels and use alternative energy, he began using some of the fat from his liposuction patients and turning into biodiesel for his SUV. He calls it LipoDiesel.

According to Dr. Bittner, "My patients universally love the idea of converting their unwanted fat into fuel. Not only do they get to lose their love handles or chubby belly, but they get to take part in saving the Earth. Patients really like the idea that the fat can be used for something helpful and good. The vast majority of my patients request that I use their fat for fuel - and I have more fat than I can use. In fact, some of my staff has begun to buy diesel vehicles so that they can use the fuel too."

Dr. Bittner estimates that he removes about 2000 gallons of fat from his patients every year, some of which he disposes of as medical waste and some of which he saves to process into fuel for his SUV. He reports that he gets 10 miles to the gallon.

He processes the fat in his own lab and tests it to make sure it works by testing it.

While lipodiesel may seem like a good idea on some levels, especially when you also take into consideration the nation’s rising rates of obesity, it also seems completely icky on other levels, like contamination.

It has been reported that Dr. Bittner’s Beverly Hills clinic has been shut down by the Medical Board. And as plastic surgeon Dr. John Di Saia, among others has pointed out, biodiesel likely violates laws about disposing of biological waste.

Although burning biowaste leaves a large carbon footprint, it seems that until laws are in place making fat into fuel will have to wait.

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Charlize Theron Becomes Messenger of Peace

For actress Charlize Theron, art has begun to imitate life. After playing roles in films like North Country and Monster, (for which she won an Academy Award) films that both deal with the consequences of domestic violence and harassment, she has been named as a United Nations Messenger of Peace on Friday.

Theron will join the other 10 celebrities who have been named messengers of peace, from entertainment fields in film, music literature and sport. She will focus on ending violence against women through a media contract with the U.N. as well as public speeches and appearances. The 33 year old actress-turned activist played serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who was notoriously put to death after killing men who thought she was a prostitute. Wuornos came from an unfortunate background of violence and abuse and was executed in Florida back in 2002.

In 2005, the film North Country concentrated on a woman, Josey Aimes, who filed a sexual harassment charge while working in a male dominant mining field project, also based on a true story. She’s been involved in charitable causes in the past, such as “putting mobile health clinics in rural areas of her native South Africa where access to care is limited.” (Patrick Worsnip, Reuters)

Her eye witness experience of domestic violence has inspired her work. At the age of 15, she experienced the shooting of her alcoholic father by her mother’s hand when he threatened the family in “a drunken rage.” U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said, “You have used your voice, compassion and special relationship with the public to create a better world,” at the inauguration ceremony.

Other messengers of peace include actors George Clooney and Michael Douglas, musicians Daniel Barenboim, Midori Goto and cellist Yo-Yo Ma, author of The Alchemist Paul Coelho and equestrian Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein. As stated by the United Nations website, “The Messengers of Peace, through their public appearances, contacts with the international media and humanitarian work, help expand understanding of how the ideals and objectives of the Organization demand everyone’s attention.”

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Another Species Nears Extinction, Courtesy of Pollution

According to an article on Treehugger, the bizarre, yet cute-looking Axolotl salamander, also known as the Mexican walking fish or Mexican water monster, is now considered endangered due to habitat destruction and water pollution.

The sea-living creature is remarkable not only for its smiling appearance, but also because of its ability to regenerate most body parts. Once an import part of Aztec legend and diet, the creature has managed to survive until recently in the polluted canals of Lake Xochimilco, part of Mexico City's urban sprawl.

In modern times, axolotls have been used extensively in laboratory studies on regeneration, embryology, fertilization and evolution.

"If the axolotl disappears, it would not only be a great loss to biodiversity but to Mexican culture, and would reflect the degeneration of a once-great lake system," says Luis Zambrano, a biologist at the Autonomous University of Mexico, or UNAM/

Scientists are trying to find ways to save the tiny creature, which some estimate may disappear in as few as five years. Some push for Axolotl sanctuaries in the canals, while others are pushing for breeding in captivity.

Once a population of millions, it was a regular part of the local diet. Now, the population has fallen from 1,500 per square mile in 1998 to a mere 25 per square mile this year, according to a survey by Zambrano's scientists using casting nets. Fishermen no longer find the creatures as often, so it is no longer eaten.

Without the presence of nonnative species, like carp, the water would clear, and plants the axolotl needs to breed could flourish again, said Bob Johnson, the curator of amphibians and reptiles at the Toronto Zoo.

"If you take the insults away, the lake has an amazing latent potential to heal itself," he said.

While there is yet no clear direction as to how to save the species, the race is on.

For pictures of the alien-looking animal, click here. To read the original article, click here.

Check out our E-zine, Voices, for more articles!

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Carmakers Facing Harsh Reality

Many of the world's leading CEOs in car manufacturing are learning a simple truth, perhaps for the first time: it ain't the 1950's anymore. While the automobile industry built a powerful empire in the post WWII economy, largely fueled by America's new obsession with personal mobility, today the only thing seeming to take a drive are profits--and they're heading southbound.

According to the Los Angeles Times, General Motors Corp., Chrysler, Ferrari, Rolls-Royce, Land Rover, and Suzuki Motor Corp are all withdrawing from the nation's premier auto show in Detroit, and several have pulled out of other leading shows in L.A., Chicago, and New York. The Times writes:

"'Clearly, we're affected,' said Andy Fuzesi, general manager and co-owner of the L.A. Auto Show, which has nearly 20% fewer exhibitors at this year's show compared with last year, when nearly 100 companies paid to show their wares to more than 1 million visitors at the Los Angeles Convention Center. 'Everybody is clearly reassessing where they spend their money.'"

Through October, US auto sales took an overall plummet of 15% compared with last year, with Subaru being the only manufacturer to actually sell more cars this year than last. Some manufacturers actually have some models to work up enthusiasm about, such as Chrysler with three new electric concept vehicles, but are instead unloading the price of running a display onto its network of local dealerships The Times also quoted Barry Toepke, a public relations executive at automotive firm RWB: "Corporate usually shoulders a big part of the expenses."

GM and Ford also lost a combined $30 billion in the first nine months of this year, spurring them and Chrysler to recently lobby for federal aid amidst the current bailout talks.

Obviously the auto industry is taking a hit like everyone else in the suffering global economy. It could be mostly temporary, but with greater enthusiasm for public transportation, and more awareness of global warming, it's difficult to say whether or not traditional, gas-fueld vehicles will ever return to the same profit status again. With GM recently announcing plans to lay off 55,000 employees, it's also difficult to say how the rest of us plan to deal with it.

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Great For The Country, Bad For Comedians

There could be a small minority of dedicated liberals in the US trembling at the election of Barack Obama--comedians. With a new national leader looking to be the intelligent, anti-war, eco-minded, class act an overwhelming majority of Americans wanted, others fear the next four years could be the worst times for satire.

Reuters writes:

Whether because he was the favorite of left-leaning comics, the historic nature of his election or that so far he has made few gaffes, comedians are finding little to joke about so far.

"Obama's election is great for our country but bad for comedy," said Michael Musto, a columnist for New York City's Village Voice. "He is an earnest, intelligent person trying to rescue a country in crisis and that's not all that hilarious."

"Comedy thrives when there are buffoonish targets," he said. "Traditionally shows like 'Saturday Night Live' have done best when dealing with people like President (Gerald) Ford, who couldn't stand upright all the time, or (Bush) who couldn't say nuclear, or Sarah Palin who didn't know Africa's a continent."

Left-leaning comic Bill Maher of HBO's Real Time and the recent film Religulous admitted that jokes about Obama could be hard to come by. "Seriously, here's a guy who's not fat, not cheating on his wife, not stupid, not angry and not a phony. Who needs an asshole like that around for the next four years?" he recently, in fact, joked on his show. But to his credit, he was able slip in another one, riffing off Obama's middle name, Hussein. "Americans were so sick of Bush that seven years after 9-11, they said, 'You know what sounds good? A black guy with a Muslim name."

Jay Leno of NBC's The Tonight Show also lamented, "I've got to admit, as a comedian, I'm going to miss President Bush because Barack Obama is not easy to do jokes about, he doesn't give you a lot to go on," he said the day after the November 4 election. "See this is why God gave us (Vice President-elect) Joe Biden."

There's no question about it--satire works best under oppressive circumstances. It's the relief and truth we turn to when our inner voices can't hear confirmation else where. But as Obama even admitted, "I was not born in a manger." With many tough issues bound to come up over the next four years, and with a set of many advisors guiding his decisions, mistakes are bound to happen. And I guarantee people like Jon Stewart, Tina Fey, Chris Rock, and David Letterman will be sweeping in whenever possible.

Still, it could be funny to see the first episode of the Daily Show after Obama's inauguration in January featuring the the writers and cast just waving goodbye to the camera.

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Kidney Stones in Kids Becoming More Common

Kidney stones, an ailment commonly associated with middle age have been found to be increasing in children, according to the New York Times.

“The older doctors would say in the ’70s and ’80s, they’d see a kid with a stone once every few months,” said Dr. Caleb P. Nelson, a urology instructor at Harvard Medical School who is co-director of the new kidney stone center at Children’s Hospital Boston. “Now we see kids once a week or less.”

In China, kidney stones have been reported in children who consumed milk products contaminated with melanine, a toxic chemical. But in the United States, the increase in kidney stones in children has been associated with over consumption of salt.

Excess amounts of salt and lack of fluids are often the reason behind adult kidney stones, so it stands to reason that they would also affect children.

“What we’ve really seen is an increase in the salt load in children’s diet,” said Dr. Bruce L. Slaughenhoupt, co-director of pediatric urology and of the pediatric kidney stone clinic at the University of Wisconsin.

Although some experts have blamed an increase in childhood obesity for the poor eating habits that contribute to the increase of childhood kidney stones, Dr. Caleb P. Nelson, a urology instructor at Harvard Medical School who is co-director of the new kidney stone center at Children’s Hospital Boston says, Of the school-age and adolescent kids we’ve seen, most of them appear to be reasonably fit, active kids. We’re not seeing a parade of overweight Nintendo players.”

Other doctors and clinics however, have been seeing more overweight children with kidney stones, leading them to suspect that a poor diet is, in fact, a large factor in the onslaught of kidney stones.

And, fifty to 60 percent of children with kidney stones have a family history of the disease. “If you have a family history, it’s important to recognize your kids are at risk at some point in their life,” Dr. Nelson said. “That means instilling lifelong habits of good hydration, balanced diet, and avoiding processed high-salt, high-fat foods.”

Children with kidney stones experience pain in their side or stomach, while younger children may have a harder time expressing what they’re feeling, making the condition harder to diagnose.

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Snakes at a Spa

It seems the quest for beauty gets wackier every day, with spas serving up their elite clientele fabulous facials made with bird droppings and pedicures with tiny fish to munch away dead skin. Now, a spa in Israel promises to top all the wacky beauty treatments by offering spa-goers snake massages, according to an article in TIME.

In the tranquil orange groves of Northern Israel, is Ada Barak’s Carniverous Plant Farm. Barak makes a living showing off her assortment of plants that eat animals, everything from insects to schnitzel. She hit upon the idea for the snake massage when she passed around a snake to be held by audience members before it met its demise by plant.

Barak tells TIME, "Some people said that holding the snakes made them feel better, relaxed. One old lady said it was soothing, like a cold compress."

After some experimentation, she found the perfect assortment of snakes for the ultimate soothing experience: big snakes, king and corn for a deep massage along with little ones that produce a “fluttering sensation.” Like the size of the snakes, reactions to the massage are at both ends of the spectrum, “People either like it a lot or they hate it," says Barak.

For $80, the six snakes are placed on customers to wriggle and ease migraine pain and sooth muscle soreness, according to some fans.

Although more traditional spas can be found in the same area, there is only one snake massage available thus far.




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Lights Out for Otto the Octopus

Otto the Octopus has been a known troublemaker in his home at the Sea Star Aquarium in Coburg, Germany, for some time. But when the lights began shorting out, the staff decided to investigate.

When the lights and electricity began to mysteriously go out, endangering life in the aquarium, the staff began to take turns sleeping on the aquarium floor to find out the cause.

It turns out that cause was Otto, who at 2 feet 7 inches, found he was big enough to climb onto the rim of his tank and turn out the bright light above him by spraying water at the offending bulb.

A spokesman said: "It was a serious matter because it shorted the electricity supply to the whole aquarium that threatened the lives of the other animals when water pumps ceased to work.

"We knew that he was bored as the aquarium is closed for winter, and at two feet, seven inches Otto had discovered he was big enough to swing onto the edge of his tank and shoot out the 2000 Watt spot light above him with a carefully directed jet of water."

Otto has put his multi-handedness to use before, juggling the hermit crabs that he co-habitats with and throwing rocks at the glass.

To prevent Otto from inadvertently harming his fellow aquarium dwellers, the light in question has been placed out of his range.

Director Elfriede Kummer who witnessed the act said: "We've put the light a bit higher now so he shouldn't be able to reach it. But Otto is constantly craving for attention and always comes up with new stunts so we have realised we will have to keep more careful eye on him - and also perhaps give him a few more toys to play with.

"Once we saw him juggling the hermit crabs in his tank, another time he threw stones against the glass damaging it. And from time to time he completely re-arranges his tank to make it suit his own taste better - much to the distress of his fellow tank inhabitants."

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Rooftop Wind

As the cost of everything, from food to fuel rises, consider cutting down on your electricity by harnessing the power of the wind.

Wind turbines are often pictured as large, unwieldy, unsightly and noisy. But the Swift company has come up with a wind turbine that sits on the rooftop and is quiet.

Whether you are interested in installing a wind turbine on the rooftop of your private home place of business, Swift can help you decide if a wind turbine would be a good fit for your needs.

At the product’s website, www.swiftwindturbine.com, you can find more information about how wind can be channeled into usable energy, how wind turbines work, how the rooftop model differs from other models, how much they cost to install and how much energy they can generate (generally about 20% of a household’s energy use). They even offer advice about random fears, like birds getting caught in the blades (unlikely to happen).

To keep things quiet for neighborhoods, the Swift turbine uses a dual tail system to ensure that it constantly faces into the wind, reducing noise and vibration.

To find out whether or not the turbine is appropriate for your needs, you fill out an online form that then places your area in a wind class. In windy areas, the turbine pays for itself faster, whereas in areas with very little wind, it may not be as cost-effective.

The Swift wind turbine is one of the latest models of wind turbines that are popping up for smaller use.

To find out more about generating your own wind energy, EcoGeek has an article that explores and explains various models here

To find out more about the Swift model, click here.

Artificial Heart Uses Plane Technology

French scientists have enlisted the same technology used in airplanes and satellites to build a better artificial heart than those currently available. So far, the heart has only been tested on animals, but scientists hope that it can one day be used in place of human heart transplants.

The heart maker is a subsidiary of the parent company of Airbus, the European Aeronautic Defense and Space Co., or EADS. The heart functions in a similar manner to airplanes, able to anticipate the need of it’s patient and adjust to react accordingly. Although scientists in other countries, including South Korea and the United States, have been working on artificial hearts, the French company’s version is the first one able to adjust to different conditions. America-based company Abiomed already has an artificial heart on the market, which has been FDA approved.

"It's the same principle in the airplane as in the body," said Patrick Coulombier, chief operating officer of Carmat, the manufacturer. He explains that the same technology that measures altitude and pressure detect the heart's pumping speed and the pressure on its walls.

The Abiomed heart sells for up to $250,000 and has extended the lives of heart patients up to 5 months. The French heart is expected to sell for $192,140.

It is the first heart with two valves, like a natural heart, and the first that adjusts its pumping speed. Previous artificial hearts have been temporary measures designed for use before a transplant.

With the new version, there are hopes that it can be used longer-term. The heart is made of natural materials including polymer and pig tissue, which have already been used in heart valves implanted into people and have not had rejection problems.

"Virtually all devices that have been implanted in humans, no matter how well designed, have been associated with unforeseen complications," said Dr. Tim Gardner, president of the American Heart Association.

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Nikita Ovsyanikov, a researcher from Wrangel Island natural park in Chukotka, a remote Artic region, has spent the past 18 years studying polar bears and says that more polar bears are dying as a result of melting ice and increased killings by humans.

Ovsyanikov says, "If this tendency continues, the population will disappear very quickly.”

According to Ovsyanikov , the rapidly melting ice sheet forces polar bears to live on land in the summer, where they have trouble finding food. The bears are then forced to scavenge in local villages, where they are likely to be shot.

He also says, "We need to create new protected areas in the Arctic.”

The International Fund for Animal Welfare, for which Ovsyanikov has done studies, estimates that around 100 polar bears are killed illegally in Russia every year, as polar fur has gained popularity in the country, although it against the law to shoot them, except as self-defense.

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Eco-friendly Fur

Japanese designer Chie Imai showed her 2008-2009 Royal Chie Collection of eco-friendly fur designs.

Imai has been designing fur since 1982, but it’s the first time she’s made them eco-friendly. The coats are a conglomeration of international materials: high-grade chinchilla fur from Finland with a recycled fabric made from used polyester by Japanese chemical company Teijin Limited.

The Japanese factory partnered with Pagagonia to create a recycled fabric out of used polyester, but it is the first time the fabric has been used in a luxury product.

"I had heard about this advanced technology, and I wanted to see it for myself," said Imai. "Then I saw that it was something that was very interesting and new."

Imai was inspired by her customers who wanted to participate in the green movement, but wanted it to be luxurious, innovative and practical too. Notable audience members at her recent New York show included Spike Lee and Tonya Lee Lewis, Ivanka Trump and her brother Donald Trump.

As Imai points out, fur coats are investment pieces, worn and passed down through generations, getting plenty of use and with the waterproof polyester thrown into the mix, the color creations are sure to last.

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