Laura K’s Recent Comments

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  Barbara Kingsolver in her book Animal Vegetable Miracle points out that the weight of a food and the distance it is shipped make a difference in energy consumption. All other things being equal, a lighter food (like a bag of frozen vegetables) is preferred to a heavier food (like vegetables canned in liquid).On Ask Umbra on canned and frozen foods posted 3 weeks, 6 days ago 23 Responses

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  Air travel and jet travel...

  ...are often necessary evils. While I agree in general that lifestyle changes are required and that the rich and famous are role models, we must make an exception for air travel for politicians, humanitarians, activists, and anyone else working on international issues.

  Do we want our politicians to work internationally on global issues like climate change?

  Can we agree that face to face interaction is necessary?

  Can we agree that it is not a good idea to have people strolling casually through our airports (and international airports) who are at risk of assassination, harassment, and generally causing public disorder?

  If so, then lay off the carbon calculations for air travel for the private citizen who works internationally, and private jet travel for the recognizable VIPs. I agree, these calculations are just ammunition for those who want to stall or undermine efforts to curb emmissions. On The NYT asks: are we shaming our politicians about their lifestyles enough? posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 10 Responses

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  Doomed

  Ken, what you are describing would be seen by most people as a movement of single issue zealots with a leader who understands nothing about what it takes to make a lobbying organization functional (funding, networking, politics). No one disputes that politics is dirty business, and I think there's truth in the adage that anyone who would want the job is someone you don't want in the job.

  Nonetheless, the Sierra Club you're describing wouldn't last three years and it wouldn't do much in those two besides alienate the people with the power to make policy.   On Q&A with a board candidate I wish I could vote for posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 10 Responses

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  Misrepresentation

  Having just read Joseph Romm's piece on unstaining Al Gore's name, shouldn't Gristmill authors and commenters hold themselves to a higher standard of accurately representing what the other side is saying? Frumm did not say he "doesn't believe in energy efficiency or renewable energy". He said:
  

  1. "relying" on windmills is fantasy, (which could reasonably be interpreted as saying we don't currently have enough wind energy potential - or even by extension, enough renewable energy sources - that could feasibly replace all our fossil fuel use on a practical schedule) and
     
  2. using less energy in order to avoid a tax places other burdens on people that are similar to a tax - another reasonable statement since people have to either change their behavior or spend time or money to become more energy efficient.

  I don't know anything about Frum, but it seems apparent to me that his statements are being exaggerated and interpreted in order to make him look like a fool. I fail to see how this helps those on the other side look more reasonable.

  I also question whether the mocking and sarcasm of the comments is helping or hurting the cause. Come on people, don't stoop to the level of the worst you see in the other side. On Why cap-and-trade requires that Bangladesh evict radical Islamists posted 8 months, 3 weeks ago 11 Responses

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  foraging

  This is a great article and comments, but foraging for food is not a good idea unless you're very knowledgeable about a) the plants you're looking for and any potential look-alike POISONOUS plants, b) the way the land is managed, and c) whether or not it is legal to do what you're doing.  For example, foraging on most public lands in the US is strictly illegal in order to preserve the habitat (take only photos, leave only footprints). Foraging along highways is not a good idea despite the fact that gasoline is no longer leaded. Think of all the gross things you see on roads, such as leaking oil and other vehicle fluids. All that stuff washes off onto the roadside vegetation, especially if the median is sunken. Some transportation agencies also maintain medians with pesticides and herbicides.

  One really great way to get free organic produce, especially in California, that hasn't been mentioned yet is to scope out your neighborhood for homes with fruit trees in their yards (lemons, oranges, plums, cherries, etc). Many homeowners are happy to have you come and pick the fruit as it ripens so that they don't have to pick up the fruit as it rots on the ground under the tree. Try leaving a note in the mailbox with your phone number and an offer to pick fruit at the owner's convenience. It's even more attractive to the homeowner if you team up with a bunch of friends (or make it a service project for a school or local shelter) so that you can take away fruit in bulk and make fewer visits. You may have to invest in a ladder or fruit-picker tool. On How to maintain a green, healthy diet on a budget posted 9 months, 3 weeks ago 17 Responses