The following is a guest post from Jean-Paul LaCount, the creator and editor of The Chic Ecologist, a green-living and environmental blog.

Way back when I was a bright eyed hopeful biologist, I got a common greenhorn biologist job, The Construction Monitor. This entailed me standing behind a bulldozer the size of a house all dressed up in my orange safety vest and hard hat with a snake stick and a bucket. At first I was so excited, my job was to ’save’ wildlife. After the first week I realized that I was only there to save whatever mauled creatures made it through the first pass of the land clearing squeegee and shredding tank-tracks from being killed by the second pass. While I took my job seriously, I realized that I was a formality of environmental law; my real job was to keep them ‘inside the lines’ of the construction boundaries.

To make things worse, I worked with people that hated me (the bulldozer drivers and developers). Seen as just another roadblock to their work, non unlike a young punk kid that suddenly became their manager, I was there to tell them how to do their job. I could see their frustration and rather than fight it, I instead took an interest in what they were doing. While the younger operators seemed to have a child-like attraction to this kind of destruction (who didn’t love bulldozing their Lincoln Log creations once they were done?), the older guys took more pride in their work – creating a clean and clear blank slate canvas for the developer to display their artwork.

Maybe it was because I understood them that they better understood me. It opened the lines of communication, allowing a comfort that we were all human with the same struggles and I was no better than them. I began to see a shift not long after. The younger operators, who used to go after the snakes, trying to cut them in half as they attempted to escape (partly out of fear) now saw them as a fascinating living creature. They would holler to me when they saw one from their high vantage point, jump down and we would catch them together. I would tell them all about the snake, what they ate, how they lived, the cool interesting stuff about all the species we encountered.

By the end of the job I had every operator stopping to look for creatures with me and bragging about what animals they saw, and many they were able to save. I even had one guy approach me at the beginning of my shift with a wood rat in his own personal hardhat an entire litter of babies wrapped in his sweatshirt. He had knocked a tree down and disturbed their nest at the base. It took him about a half an hour to round up the mother, but he was so happy that he had saved this family of rats.

What I learned is that it is the connections we make with people that inspires understanding and ultimately a shift in attitude. They weren’t about to quit their jobs and start hanging banners for Greenpeace, but it was a huge step in breaking down the polarizing barriers we put up.

Check it out! I just started putting together a store for The Good Human, filled with all sorts of natural products, reusable bottles, etc. – It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there!

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2. Whales Are Still Threatened By Environmental Hazards, Too.
3. The Environmental Impact Of Discarded Cigarettes.
4. Environmental Implications Of The Food We Throw Away.
5. The Environmental Impact Of The Fashion Industry.

Binki Shapiro, of the band Little Joy, has rallied artists, designers, and musicians to create custom-made items for the Crafts for a Cause auction, benefiting earthquake-relief efforts in Haiti through Artists for Peace and Justice. The auction launched yesterday and features DIY design… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Eco Chic – Towards Sustainable Swedish Fashion, an exhibit featuring Swedish fashion designers who take an environmentally-friendly and ethical approach to their work, opens at Scandinavia House in May. The touring exhibition includes work by Johanna Hofring, whose Spring 2010 designs we recently saw at the House of Organic Spring 2010 during Read the full story on TreeHugger

I was not able to watch this last night (fell asleep) but woke up this morning and found it on You Tube.

I wanted to share it with you all.

Captain, Charles Moore, was the first to navigate through the plastic mess in the Pacific Gyre (Plastic Garbage Patch).

Listen in as he talks about how plastic is affecting our oceans, soil,  and sea life.

Sorry it ended where it did… “plastic is a lubricant of globalization….”

anyway…

I enjoyed watching most of the interview. Hope you did to!

If you watched last night and know how Captian, Charles Moore summed up his interview…

do tell! 

Remember…

refuse plastic!

American Express teams with the ‘Reluctant Businessman’, Patagonia’s Yvon Chouinard.

“We’re part of nature and as we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves. It’s a selfish thing to wanna protect nature.” So starts this short advert for the American Ex… Read the full story on TreeHugger

Happy Meatless Monday, friends!

Hope you have all had a groovy weekend. Sorry for the late post.

A couple weeks ago, I made a two separate pots of beans. One was filled with black beans and the other pinto. I like to have quick go to meals that are easy and enjoyable week after week.

Bean burritos seem to be a winner around here. The eco tot enjoys them and I’m sure Baby C will too. They’re great for breakfast lunch or dinner. If we have them for breakfast, I usually serve them with fresh eggs and a homemade organic salsa.

I like a mix of both black and pinto beans. It’s really up to you though!

Here’s how I cook my beans.

RECIPE

Beans

Soak 1 cup of beans overnight for 8-12 hrs.
(optional)

Rinse and drain.

Add to a pot with approx. 6 cups of water.

Bring to a boil;

this is where I begin to add all the wonderful spices!

1 tbsp of EVOO

3-4 cloves of garlic;

1 /2 tbsp of crushed oregano

a couple dashes of cumin

a little salt and lot’s of pepper

Put the lid on and allow for flavors to meld and beans to soften (approx. 3-4 hrs. depending)

Once beans are cooked and ready to come off the burner or the out of the crock pot… whichever applies…

mash them in a sauce pan with a little more EVOO (about 1/2 tbsp) and you’ve got ready to use re fried beans.

Now it’s time to spoon up some of those yummy lard free and dairy free re fried beans onto an organic  or homemade tortilla and roll it up.

You can add in cheese & veggies too!

I just did cheese this time around… but I’ve done corn or broccoli in the past.

You can also make tostada’s by spreading the mashed beans around a warmed tortilla. A lot of times, I spread the beans onto a tortilla and place into our toaster oven and it will heat up the creation like a tostada. I’m sure an oven will work too (375 degrees).

I made almost 20 burritos with my two pots of beans… 18 to be exact!

But, as you can see they’re only 4 left … and just for the record… I typically like to wrap these up in bleach free parchment paper but we were out. Recycled aluminum works fine too!

We’ve been mainly enjoying our homemade bean burritos for lunch but I didn’t feel like cooking tonight so they quickly became din-din.  Sweet!

They get gobbled up pretty darn fast. Fast enough, that I didn’t get a picture of the ooey goey burrito goodness sliced in half; after cooking in the toaster oven. They have  a crisp chimichanga texture sans the meat!

Yum!

Dear EarthTalk: I work for an office equipment company selling copiers, fax machines, computers and printers. Each year new models come out making old ones obsolete. As a result, we have loads of trade-ins with nowhere to go. What can we do with this old equipment?

Electronic waste, or “e-waste” as it’s called, is a growing problem in the United States and abroad, as obsolete or broken computers and other electronic equipment are taking up increasingly precious amounts of landfill space and potentially leaking hazardous substances into surrounding ecosystems.

The nonprofit Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition reports that 70 percent of the heavy metals in U.S. landfills are from discarded electronics—even though the e-waste itself accounts for only two percent of the trash by volume. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans trash two million tons of unwanted electronics each year—six times the amount they recycle. To make matters worse, U.S. companies often ship old equipment to poor nations whose landfills and incinerators are ill equipped, subjecting already struggling populations to lead, cadmium, beryllium, and other contaminants.

So what can be done? If your old units still work but have merely been eclipsed by newer models, then by all means donate them to a needy cause that will either put them to good use or resell them to help fund their programs. You’ll earn a tax deduction for a charitable donation and, by keeping the equipment alive, prevent the manufacture of new units and thus, if ever so slightly, reduce the footprint of your operations.

But not every charity accepts old equipment, and no one wants to spend all day calling around to find one that does. A good place to look, then, is Goodwill, which will accept your equipment and then sell it through any one of its 1,500 retail stores across the country. Proceeds fund programs to help the disabled, illiterate, homeless, and those on welfare by providing job training and placement programs. The Salvation Army runs similar programs and also typically accepts donated old office equipment.

Another option is to donate your equipment to needy schools, either directly or via a service like iLoveSchools.com, which helps teachers find free supplies and equipment for their classrooms. The National Cristina Foundation also matches donated technology with needy schools and nonprofits. Also, the website GreatNonprofits.org maintains a list of charities in need of various types of office equipment. You can also offload equipment via Freecycle, a free service that helps find homes for unwanted stuff.

While finding a new home for your old gear is preferable, recycling is also an option. Recyclers harvest parts from old equipment that can be reused or resold. Several websites, including My Green Electronics, E-cycling Central, and Earth911, list electronics recyclers across the U.S. Some of these vendors will charge a small fee to recycle an item for you; others may do it for free. Also, Office Depot, Staples and some other stores will take back used electronics—even if not purchased there—usually for a small fee.

CONTACTS: Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, www.svtc.org; Goodwill, www.goodwill.org; Salvation Army, www.salvationarmy.org; iLoveSchools.com, www.iloveschools.com; National Cristina Foundation, www.cristina.org; GreatNonprofits.org, www.greatnonprofits.org; Freecycle, www.freecycle.org; E-cycling Central, www.ecyclingcentral.com; Earth911, www.earth911.org; Office Depot, www.officedepot.com; Staples, www.staples.com.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EarthTalk is now a book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.

Photo from Shutterstock

Check it out! I just started putting together a store for The Good Human, filled with all sorts of natural products, reusable bottles, etc. – It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there!

You may also enjoy:

1. Nuclear Waste On Native American Reservations.
2. How And Where To Recycle An Old Mattress.
3. Do One Thing: Donate, Don’t Trash, Your Unwanted Stuff.
4. The Problem With E-Waste Recycling Is The Toxic Leftovers.
5. Easy Steps You Can Take To Reduce Excess Waste In Your Life.

Dear EarthTalk: I work for an office equipment company selling copiers, fax machines, computers and printers. Each year new models come out making old ones obsolete. As a result, we have loads of trade-ins with nowhere to go. What can we do with this old equipment?

Electronic waste, or “e-waste” as it’s called, is a growing problem in the United States and abroad, as obsolete or broken computers and other electronic equipment are taking up increasingly precious amounts of landfill space and potentially leaking hazardous substances into surrounding ecosystems.

The nonprofit Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition reports that 70 percent of the heavy metals in U.S. landfills are from discarded electronics—even though the e-waste itself accounts for only two percent of the trash by volume. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reports that Americans trash two million tons of unwanted electronics each year—six times the amount they recycle. To make matters worse, U.S. companies often ship old equipment to poor nations whose landfills and incinerators are ill equipped, subjecting already struggling populations to lead, cadmium, beryllium, and other contaminants.

So what can be done? If your old units still work but have merely been eclipsed by newer models, then by all means donate them to a needy cause that will either put them to good use or resell them to help fund their programs. You’ll earn a tax deduction for a charitable donation and, by keeping the equipment alive, prevent the manufacture of new units and thus, if ever so slightly, reduce the footprint of your operations.

But not every charity accepts old equipment, and no one wants to spend all day calling around to find one that does. A good place to look, then, is Goodwill, which will accept your equipment and then sell it through any one of its 1,500 retail stores across the country. Proceeds fund programs to help the disabled, illiterate, homeless, and those on welfare by providing job training and placement programs. The Salvation Army runs similar programs and also typically accepts donated old office equipment.

Another option is to donate your equipment to needy schools, either directly or via a service like iLoveSchools.com, which helps teachers find free supplies and equipment for their classrooms. The National Cristina Foundation also matches donated technology with needy schools and nonprofits. Also, the website GreatNonprofits.org maintains a list of charities in need of various types of office equipment. You can also offload equipment via Freecycle, a free service that helps find homes for unwanted stuff.

While finding a new home for your old gear is preferable, recycling is also an option. Recyclers harvest parts from old equipment that can be reused or resold. Several websites, including My Green Electronics, E-cycling Central, and Earth911, list electronics recyclers across the U.S. Some of these vendors will charge a small fee to recycle an item for you; others may do it for free. Also, Office Depot, Staples and some other stores will take back used electronics—even if not purchased there—usually for a small fee.

CONTACTS: Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition, www.svtc.org; Goodwill, www.goodwill.org; Salvation Army, www.salvationarmy.org; iLoveSchools.com, www.iloveschools.com; National Cristina Foundation, www.cristina.org; GreatNonprofits.org, www.greatnonprofits.org; Freecycle, www.freecycle.org; E-cycling Central, www.ecyclingcentral.com; Earth911, www.earth911.org; Office Depot, www.officedepot.com; Staples, www.staples.com.

SEND YOUR ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS TO: EarthTalk, P.O. Box 5098, Westport, CT 06881; earthtalk@emagazine.com. Read past columns at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalk/archives.php. EarthTalk is now a book! Details and order information at: www.emagazine.com/earthtalkbook.

Photo from Shutterstock

Check it out! I just started putting together a store for The Good Human, filled with all sorts of natural products, reusable bottles, etc. – It’s not done yet, but it’s getting there!

You may also enjoy:

1. Nuclear Waste On Native American Reservations.
2. How And Where To Recycle An Old Mattress.
3. Do One Thing: Donate, Don’t Trash, Your Unwanted Stuff.
4. The Problem With E-Waste Recycling Is The Toxic Leftovers.
5. Easy Steps You Can Take To Reduce Excess Waste In Your Life.

Are you an amateur videographer at heart just waiting for your time to shine? Well, now’s your chance. The Arbor Day Foundation is looking for compelling videos to get people planting trees. And the top contest winner will receive $2,500 in free trees to shade their neighborhood or college campus. Find out what it takes to win some loot for your community…. Read the full story on TreeHugger