Boston GreenScene

Boston Event: Green Mixer - March 18th at Cafeteria

 

You are invited to an exciting social event in Boston, the Green Mixer!  This event will bring Boston’s local sustainability-oriented companies and an eco-conscious crowd together in a friendly, intimate atmosphere.  In this setting, we can raise awareness of environmentally responsible consumer choices, provide an informal shopping experience, and socialize, have fun and make new friends. Cafeteria Restaurant will serve complimentary appetizers, and, at two cash bars, organic cocktails.

Who: You and your friends

When: Thursday, March 18th, 5-11pm - Show up any time, it's come and go!

Where: Cafeteria, 279 Newbury Street, Boston

Cost: FREE

Also, premiering at this event: The Montague Boston Bike!  The Montague Boston Bike is the world's first full-size single-speed folding bike!  It is cutting-edge, born from the mind of an MIT grad, and named after our city.  While it won't be released at Wheelworks until March, it will be available to try at the Mixer all evening!

Event 2/25/10: Boston CSA Farm Share Fair

Want to eat locally this summer?  Come meet local farmers at this Arlington fair and sign up for a summer share of fresh, locally grown food!  

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a model for supporting and revitalizing local agriculture.  Supporters pre-purchase a share of the season's harvest, agreeing to support the farm throughout the season, and assume the costs, risks and bounty of growing food along with the farmer. In return, the farmer provides, to the best of his/her ability, a healthy supply of seasonal fresh produce throughout the growing season, as well as opportunities to connect with the land on which the produce is grown.

Who: Local Farmers & You!
When: Thursday, February 25, 2010, from 6:00pm to 7:30pm
Where: Park Avenue Congregational Church, 50 Paul Revere Road in Arlington Heights
Contact: http://csafairarlington.wordpress.com/blog/
Cost: Free

Eco-Labeling: How Sustainable is "Organic"?

by Lyon Graulty, an associate at More Than Sound, an audio production and publishing company dedicated to deepening our understanding of the human experience.

A growing number of supermarkets are committing to green building, but how sustainable are the products inside? As major food retailers progress towards making their stores more sustainable, it's easy to forget about the great strides that still need to be made in the sustainability of the food itself.

Hannaford Bros new LEED certified supermarket in Augusta, ME

Hannaford's newest store, which opened July 25th in Augusta, Maine, is the first supermarket in the world to be Platinum-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Their use of geo-thermal heating and cooling, solar power, and recycled and locally-sourced materials is part of a movement helping to create a more sustainable world, and they deserve recognition for their commitment to reducing their environmental footprint.

As this eco-friendly building opens its doors, many other supermarkets are following suit. The Whole Foods in Sarasota, Florida has been LEED certified with a Silver rating, and Food Lion just broke ground on a store in Columbia, South Carolina that is on track to LEED certification. As the green building and retail food industries forge new partnerships, this progress highlights a growing void: the lack of a common set of guidelines to transparently access the sustainability of the wide range of ecological, health, and social impacts involved with food production and distribution.

True, we have the Certified Organic label, which has made advances in restricting the use of toxic chemical pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers on our food. But the Organic certification system fails to recognize the wider ecological impact of a product. "Saying the product is organic is not enough anymore," says UC Berkeley Industrial Ecologist and GoodGuide founder Dara O'Rourke. "In 2009, you need to know, okay, it's organic - but is it healthy? Was it produced locally? How far did it get shipped?"

Much of the organic food that is bought every day in the U.S. actually comes from China. Newsweek reported last year that while there are 21 separate agencies that claim to certify organic farms in China, only one of them is considered legitimate outside of the country. Consider this with the fact that it’s estimated that roughly half of the organic garlic we import is coming from China. It’s hard to imagine all that garlic is certified by the recognized agency, and all this is complicated by the fact that our government doesn’t keep track of the country and farm of origin of organic food imports. In fact, we only inspect a little over 1% of all food imports. A few years ago, Wal-Mart had to pull a bunch of Chinese produce labeled organic from its Chinese stores after they tested it and found out it was loaded with pesticides.

More ‘Bounty’ for your Buck

by Dan Burgess

The City of Boston has rolled out a new program that will make locally grown produce more affordable to residents who are enrolled in the city’s food stamp program. The program uses vouchers, known as Bounty Bucks, and will double the value of food stamps at local farmer’s market, up to $20.00 per person. Details of the program were outlined in a recent Boston Globe article here.

This program is an excellent policy initiative from Mayor Menino and, despite some of the ridiculous negative comments on the Globe’s online article, has the potential to have very positive effects for Greater Boston residents. As I covered here and here, developing a regional food system is vitally important for our state and is common sense policy. This Bounty Bucks program rightly advances this goal and will allow residents who need it most to purchase more healthy, locally grown food while continuing to fortify farmer’s markets in the Boston community.

According to the Globe article, “... officials hope the program will flourish this season by allowing low-income residents to purchase -- when combined with food stamps -- up to $120,000 worth of locally grown fruits and vegetables.” This would be a great start for the Boston community and, with the quality of the produce offered at our farmers’ markets, it should not be a problem.

This latest initiative is another positive step forward towards a sustainable food system in Boston and we look forward to seeing the next policy initiatives that come from Beacon Hill.

To find a farmer’s market in your Boston community (including MA Turnpike Farmer’s Markets), click here.

Green Coffee Beans

by Daniel E. Walsh  Author of Our Sunday "History & Reflections" Series

Plus ca change plus c’est la meme chose. Raise your cup to the French: they have it right again, the more things change……. In pre-vacuum-sealed container times, Americans who enjoyed coffee had to carry and roast their own beans. In their unroasted green state, the coffee beans would last longer. The crack, crackle, and aroma of roasting coffee were in the air of pioneer and colonial homes. Now, the same sounds and smells are in the homes of some frugal hobbyists.

Home roasting your own coffee beans not only gets you a delicious cup of gourmet coffee that is unbelievably fresh and very inexpensive, but fewer trips to the store means home roasting also has a deleterious effect on your carbon imprint. Additionally, the rising demand for organically grown beans has had a dramatic world-wide impact on coffee plantation methods. Yet another bonus: coffee grounds are a great addition to your compost or garden.

Let the Sunshine in!

by Katina Fontes

Katina Fontes is Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.   She is EcoBroker Certified® and works with buyers and sellers in the Greater Boston Area.

Last night I took a course on Solar Heating taught by my friend Amy Beaudet at the Alternative Energy Store in Hudson. The class was an introductory course on the basics of solar air and water heating. When thinking about solar energy, most of us think of photovoltaic modules -- the blue or black solar panels that store and convert sunlight into electricity. Solar heating, on the other hand, uses sunlight to heat water or air without a conversion to electricity. This technology is not as well known, but is more efficient, less expensive and the payback to the consumer is much faster.

The course was very enlightening and I took several things away from the three hour class.

• Solar heating is not an all or nothing solution. It is a way of offsetting existing systems for heating air and water. They don't completely replace the furnace or water heater in one's home. In fact, a back-up is generally required to keep the water and air warm in regions with colder climates.

Improving a Green Tradition

by Dan Burgess

Every March, as the city starts to thaw from the winter’s freeze, Boston residents get warmed up for a  few days of St. Patrick’s Day celebrations.  Festivities for many can include the legendary Parade in South Boston, an authentic meal at one of the city’s many Irish pubs, and for those of legal age, an adult beverage or two with friends.

An unfortunate tradition that has taken hold in many celebrations across the country is to put food coloring in beer to dye it the color green.  While this practice does make the beer fit in with the day's traditional colors, having a green-colored beer is anything but green.  This year, if you choose to celebrate with a beer, buck the fake color trend and look for a beverage that fits one of these categories (or better yet, both!):

Local, Local, Local

By purchasing your St. Patrick’s Day beer from a local company you will not only be supporting local business, but you will also decrease your carbon footprint.  Beverages purchased from local companies have most likely not traveled the same distance as many of your other options.  Boston is home to world class breweries (think Boston Beer Co.’s Samuel Adams and the Harpoon Brewery), and beers from any of these larger brew houses support local business. There are also dozens of smaller breweries throughout Boston and New England to support.  This writer recommends checking out the Cambridge Brewing Company, Allagash Brewing Company, and Shipyard Brewing Company. 

Green at the Market

By Sonia Gandiaga
www.ecotoad.org

In these hard economic times, it can be tricky to be an environmentally-conscious shopper and stay within a budget. Organic produce is more expensive than conventionally grown fruits and vegetables, but industrial agriculture can have terrible impacts on both our health and the environment. Vegan and vegetarian diets are also environmentally friendlier given that they pollute less and use less land, water, and energy.

Before going to the grocery store, you should be aware of the major drawbacks of conventionally grown produce and of the benefits of organic agriculture. Let's first look at 6 important reasons for supporting organic farming:

Welcome to Boston. Now what?

Five Easy Ways for New Residents to Help Keep Boston Green

by Dan Burgess

 

Let me be the first to welcome you to the great city of Boston!

Boston boasts endless amounts of history, houses some of the finest universities in the world, and is home to some of the most storied sports franchises in the country. Chances are, though, that you already knew of all that.

What you may not know is that Boston consistently ranks as one of the greenest cities in the United States. Bostonians take pride in that high ranking, and see it as their duty to make sure our government and businesses set polices which will make sure the city stays at the top of the 'Green City' lists. As a new citizen, you'll be expected to do your part. Here are five easy ways to get started: