Do you see the world through green colored glasses? We do! And we love to share. Visit iseengreen.tv every day for the latest green living, environmental and earth friendly web videos and learn how to help make this planet a better place to live.
Would you like a glass of red, white, or green? This week we're looking at environmental impact of or the effect climate change can have on alcohol. How can the earth and our favorite poison live in harmony?
Scientists are developing autonomous robots that can generate their own power. Microbial fuel cells could be the answer, since these microbes can turn any organic material into electricity. UK researchers say they could be the future of sustainable energy.
They're on the lookout for something that can fuel a truly autonomous robot. One that can extract power from any environment it operates in. And it would never run out of juice.
UK researchers are looking into microbial fuel cells, or MFCs. These tiny microbes can turn organic matter into electricity. This could potentially allow robots to function in remote, or even hazardous environments with no worry about their next battery charge.
This is because MFCs can extract electrical energy from any organic material that's digestible by the microbes in the fuel cell. All you need to do is to feed the MFC food - be it plant matter, flies or dead mice. And this will trigger a digestion process that can make electricity. Conventional fuel cells and batteries rely on a catalyst to speed up chemical reactions to make electricity. But they degrade and need replenishing. On the other hand MFCs just need food, and these microbes will continue to generate electricity..
The best of both worlds are Organic AND Fair Trade Certifications. Learn why from Green Mountain Coffee Roasters as Melissa McGinnis from Greenopolis TV interviews Paul Comey in beautiful Waterbury, Vermont at a historic train station built in the 1800s which now houses the Green Mountain Coffee Roasters cafe. Paul is the VP of Internal Affairs and these guys are making great changes!
Fair Trade talks about practices with the farmer in the fact that they got a fair wage for their coffee. Fair trade came about because for a long time coffee has been sold to less than a cost to produce- now that's not very sustainable. So if you're talking about sustainability then you need to pay a fair wage. If you think of the supply chain, how sustainable is your business going to be if you're paying less than what it costs to produce your coffee? So fair trade is all about the fair wage.
Organic is all about the way the coffee is grown - a lack of pesticides and a lack of chemicals. So for a farmer to go organic, there is a three year period where can't apply any pesticide or herbicides to their crop before they can get certified as organic. And then they can start to get the difference of organic product. Now there are some co-ops that do organic and fair trade. They are the kind where you get the best of both worlds. You can be sure that the farmers get fair wage and the coffee is grown organic.
Their cups used to be coated with a petroleum-based product and we took that petroleum-based product and substituted it with a plant-based product, so now the cup is coated with a substance called PLA (polylactic acid) which means the entire cup, the paper cup and the coating inside all came from a renewable resource. So you can feel good about using this paper cup because it comes from a renewable resource. And what they also did was took the plastic lid, which used to be made with petroleum, and switched to having it made of the same polylactic acid as the cup. So as a package, you can say that this entire package comes from a renewable resource.
Moscow is trying to go green with the help of art. Heavy smog and over 5.5 million tons of unrecycled trash a year have left some people looking for a way to make the city more eco-friendly. After last year's smoke-filled summer, it seems that more people are ready to listen now.
An all-purpose cleaner that is non-toxic and organic includes warm water, white vinegar, borax, washing soda crystals, Castile soap and tea tree oil. Create a safe, effective cleaning agent for a variety of surfaces with help from an author and speaker on eco-friendly lifestyles in this free video on green living.
I came across Seed Savers Exchange at the Green Festival, they are perfect for anyone who has a garden or is thinking of having one. Here you can either exchange seeds that you have too many of or, if you don't have any to exchange, you can buy seeds from others! What a great idea. They started this non-profit organization about 35 years ago in order to help farmers grow and save seeds, so they started a group of people who would grow each others seeds as a back up system. The organization grew so much that they got into a point where they needed to keep the seeds in one place, so they started a seed bank and began releasing a catalog to support the seed exchange. Today they have over 13,000 members across the country and every year they release a new catalog with a listing of all varieties their members want to share with people. You can also find the list and buy seeds on their website.
They have several kinds of seeds in their catalog, including vegetables, herbs and flowers.
I also came across a very cool program they launched called "Sell seeds instead of candy bars!". Here's a quick intro to it: Seed Savers has developed a new fundraising program as a healthy, sustainable alternative to other school fundraising programs. Benefit your school, your students, and the gardening public. Give children seeds to sell and they will grow, too, in the process. Seeds to Grow is a project of Seed Savers Exchange that promotes heirloom gardening.
A little story about them, from their site: Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that saves and shares the heirloom seeds of our garden heritage, forming a living legacy that can be passed down through generations.
Our mission is to save North America's diverse, but endangered, garden heritage for future generations by building a network of people committed to collecting, conserving and sharing heirloom seeds and plants, while educating people about the value of genetic and cultural diversity.
At the heart of Seed Savers Exchange are the dedicated members who have distributed hundreds of thousands of heirloom and open pollinated garden seeds since our founding 35 years ago. Those seeds now are widely used by seed companies, small farmers supplying local and regional markets, chefs and home gardeners and cooks, alike.
Seed Savers Exchange was founded in 1975 by Diane Ott Whealy and Kent Whealy to honor this tradition of preserving and sharing. Their collection started when Diane's terminally-ill grandfather gave them the seeds of two garden plants, Grandpa Ott's morning glory and German Pink tomato. Grandpa Ott's parents brought the seeds from Bavaria when they immigrated to St. Lucas, Iowa in the 1870s.
Today, the 890-acre Heritage Farm, near Decorah, Iowa, is our home. We maintain many thousands of heirloom garden varieties, most having been brought to North America by members' ancestors who emigrated from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other parts of the world.
Unlike Fort Knox, Heritage Farm is not surrounded by security fences and guards. Our perimeter is patrolled by bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, deer, raccoons and other wildlife. The farm is ringed by hiking trails that take visitors through majestic scenery, past our certified organic preservation gardens, historic orchard and ancient White Park Cattle.
They even give tours of their farm. Way to go Seed Savers Exchange!
Do you want sustainability explained? Life Around Home's William Moss provides a definition and some urban sustainable gardening tips that you can use in your own backyard. First off, William defines the term sustainable as any practice that doesn't cause long term harm to the environment. He also points out that many sustainable techniques are also more cost effective and help us to save money. Ways to practice sustainability in regards to home gardening include composting our own food scraps as well as using OMRI (Organic Materials Research Institute) certified organic pesticides and fertilizers.
Start-up designers like Kate Goldwater are taking recycling to the extreme by reusing old clothes to make new fashionable garments. High-end designers are also getting in on the green kick, too. Samantha Pleet is using sustainable fabrics to make green the new black during New York's Fashion Week.
expertvillage—March 19, 2008 — Watch as a pair of conservation explains how to choose "green" products in this free online video about environmentalism.
When it’s time to buy new bedding, look for sheets made from organic or chemically untreated cotton, hemp, or bamboo, which even big wholesale chains now carry. And make sure your next mattress is made from organic cotton, wool, or natural latex or rubber.
At night, rest your head on a pillow filled with natural stuffing, like feathers and down, natural latex, organic cotton or wool, buckwheat or millet hulls, or recycled polyester fill.
Find old furniture at flea markets—it’s usually higher quality than modern stuff at comparable prices. Almost any piece can look brand new with a little work.
If you must buy new furniture, look for pieces made without glue or chemicals.
Ditch the wall-to-wall carpeting in favor of wood floors (recycled wood, preferably) and throw rugs made of natural fibers like sisal, bamboo, sea grass, and organic cotton.
Sleep in organic cotton nightwear and you won’t spend your nights feeling guilty about wearing PJs made from pesticide-laden cotton treated with formaldehyde. Now enjoy sweet, green dreams.
Indoor pollution can be three to five times more harmful than outdoor pollution.
Operating as a collective of organic family farms, Organic Valley Family of Farms has a wonderful line of products that support sustainability, organics, animal friendly practices, and most importantly reconnecting the community to the family owned American farm.
Saturday, September 10, 2011 at 12:00PM 
