AndrewEcopledge’s Recent Comments

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  Country Hen

  Another good provider in Massachusetts is Country Hen.  Their website discusses the humane treatment of chickens.  They also encourage people to come visit their farm to see the chickens and their two goats.  That doesn't strike me as something they'd do if they were running some sort of grotesque factory-farming operation.

  Just to be clear, this is not a farm-stand but a big operation.  Their eggs are available in Whole Foods throughout eastern Mass.

  As Umbra Reagan might have said, "Roost, but verify."On Umbra on free-range chickens and eggs posted 3 years, 7 months ago 13 Responses

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  Umbra is Eggxagerating

  Umbra --- I think you are exagerating things in your column.  It may be the case that not all "free range" eggs conform to the shoppers eggspectations, but it does appear that there are responsible commercial brands that are widely available.

  Take, for example, Pete and Gerry's, whose operation is certified by the Humane Society and the ASPCA.  This may be all smoke and mirrors, but without more evidence I don't buy your claims that these chickens are locked down and tortured throughout their egg-laying lives.On Umbra on free-range chickens and eggs posted 3 years, 7 months ago 13 Responses

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  What about the cost of water

  Umbra, your response doesn't factor in the cost of water.  Many people in my community are paying over $500/year in municipal water fees (which covers both water and sewer charges).  If I can save 3,000-5,000 of gallons of water a year, that will help cover the cost of the more efficient machine in a few years.On Umbra on washing machines posted 4 years, 4 months ago 11 Responses

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  Greenwashing is Mental Pollution

  It's too bad that Dave Roberts got his panties into such a bunch when he read the intro to The Green Life's report on greenwashing.  He would have done better by reading the whole report and trying to understand the problem it describes.

  Dave is upset that TGL's report doesn't discuss companies that "don't give a damn about the environment."  Well Dave, I have a clue for you: the report isn't supposed to cover the worst overall environmentally destructive companies.  It's targeting a specific issue: greenwashing.  You might as well get upset that a report on mercury emissions doesn't discuss global warming.  "But global warming is such a bigger problem!" you say.  But that's not what the report is about, Dave.

  In this case, the report is specifically about greenwashing,  the dissemination of misleading information by an organization to conceal its abuse of the environment in order to present a positive public image.

  Greenwashing by itself doesn't pollute the Earth.  But it does something that's arguably worse: it pollutes our minds.  When George W. Bush talks about "Clear Skies" and "Healthy Forests" he is disrupting the ecology of our language and thoughts.  He is making it harder for us to understand and think about the environmental problems that we face today, and that makes it much much harder to address those problems.

  Corporate greenwashers do the same thing, and their cool-aid even works on the readers (and editors!) of Grist.  So the fact that Wal-Mart sets aside a few acres of land for every new store it builds is supposed to be a good thing?  Have you considered how many thousands of acres of land are undoubtedly destroyed and polluted to fill that store with products every year, or the thousands of pounds of CO2 dumped into the atmosphere because people drive to the Wal-Mart instead of walking to their corner store?

  Those few preserved acres don't make Wal-Mart a responsible citizen.  And patting them on the back for what is essentially an empty gesture makes it easier for them to continue in their destructive ways.

  It's great to be generous, but our generosity has to be based on truth.  When companies mess with the truth ---- when they claim to be helping but are actually harming the environment --- they need to be called out.  Even if another company is polluting the Earth more, the greenwasher deserves special attention, because they are polluting the Earth and our minds as well.On Corporations need to be encouraged when they embrace environmental talk, not bashed posted 4 years, 6 months ago 4 Responses

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  There already is a campaign!

  Jean doesn't need to brew up a new campaign.  There already is a campaign to get rental car companies to buy hybrids and other fuel efficient vehicles.  Rental companies account for about 10% of all new vehicle purchases in the USA.  They buy over a million cars a year, and then resell them when they are one year old.  This industry could provide a great jump start to the hybrid market.  But at this time, they need a bit of a jump start to make the long term commitment to buying these cars.

  Ecopledge is asking Hertz to take the first step.  You can read more about the campaign here, and you can send a letter to the CEO of Hertz telling him that you want to rent hybrids by clicking here.
  On Umbra on renting hybrids and sharing cars posted 4 years, 8 months ago 9 Responses