Pragmatic Environmentalism

An exploration of urban sustainability.

Finding Organic Champagne Is Harder than I Thought December 30, 2009

Filed under: Food — Brenda Pike @ 9:36 pm
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We’re not big wine drinkers, but we’re hosting a New Year’s Eve party this year, so champagne is a must. And although I know a once-a-year purchase isn’t a big deal in the grand scheme of things, I figured that since I had to wade into unfamiliar territory anyway, I’d try to find an organic champagne.

Er, sparkling wine, that is. I was told by the nice guy at the Wine and Cheese Cask in Somerville that champagne from the Champagne region of France is unlikely to be organic, since the wet climate encourages mold growth, and thus the use of fungicide. Drier areas, like California, are where most organic sparkling wines will be found. (Check out the Organic Consumers Association or the Organic Wine Journal for more info on organic wines.)

Oddly enough, the two brands that we found were both from Europe:

  • Albero is from Spain. It was the only organic sparkling wine at our local Trader Joe’s, but they had both the regular and the brut. It was really cheap, which makes me wonder at the quality….
  • Mionetto is from Italy. It was the only organic sparkling wine at the Wine and Cheese Cask. The guy who found it for us said he’d never tried it, but he liked other wines by that company.

Our local Whole Foods was a huuuuge disappointment. Not only did they not carry an organic sparkling wine, but when I asked, the guy manning that department told me that organic wine didn’t exist—and tried to convince me for something like five minutes when I looked skeptical.

This was a lot harder to find than I expected. Grist and Treehugger had some good reviews, but I couldn’t find what they recommended. If I was really stumped, I would have just made sure to get sparkling wine from Europe. Wine travels a long way to the East Coast, but its carbon footprint is smaller if it’s shipped by boat from Europe than by truck or rail from California.

I haven’t tried either of these yet, so I don’t know how they taste, but I’ll let you know what the consensus is after our party. Cheers!

 

Our Last CSA Pick-Up December 28, 2009

Filed under: Food — Brenda Pike @ 8:37 pm
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We got our last share from Stone Soup on Tuesday, and I have to admit to being relieved. We weren’t prepared to store the massive amounts of root vegetables we received with the winter share, and potatoes, squash, onions, and garlic have taken over our counters. There seem to be more every day; I think they’re reproducing.

Before we do this again next fall, I’m hoping to set up storage bins or shelves in the basement. Anyone have any suggestions for basement vegetable storage? I was really intimidated by the book Root Cellaring. Our basement doesn’t get much below 60, and I’m not hardcore enough to construct a serious root cellar, with different temperature and humidity zones for each type of vegetable.

Now that we’ve reached the end of our CSA season, I thought it would be interesting to look back at all the veggies we got from Stone Soup this year. Scroll down to see a picture from each week.

July 14: cabbage, carrots, lettuce, dill, cucumbers, peas, zucchini, kale

July 21: zucchini, chard, parsley, cilantro, garlic, string beans, cucumber, fennel

July 28: onions, radishes, beets, zucchini, corn, lettuce, arugula, parsley

August 4: chard, lettuce, parsley, string beans, garlic, tomatoes, zucchini

August 11: lettuce, potatoes, parsley, carrots, basil, hot pepper, tomatoes, string beans

August 18: corn, radishes, tomatoes, parsley, lettuce, cucumber, green pepper, garlic, string beans

August 25: corn, lettuce, green peppers, onions, string beans, summer squash, tomatoes, eggplant, bok choy, cucumbers

September 1: hot pepper, garlic, potatoes, carrots, kale, tomato, cucumbers, beets, parsley, edamame

September 8: celery, corn, chives, asian pears, hot peppers, kohlrabi, cucumbers, lettuce, edamame, onions

September 15: chives, eggplant, lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, potatoes, garlic, asian pears

September 22: asian pears, green peppers, Napa cabbage, chard, broccoli, hot peppers, butternut squash, chives, onions

September 29: butternut squash, potatoes, collard greens, kohlrabi, green peppers, green onions, carrots, eggplant, garlic, asian pears

October 6: onions, corn, lettuce, green peppers, acorn squash, parsley, sweet potatoes, hot peppers, arugula

October 13: kohlrabi, green onions, carrots, collard greens, beets, potatoes, green peppers, chives

October 20: popping corn, rutabaga, kale, celeriac, squash, carrots, parsnips, garlic, onions

November 10, no photo (sorry!)

November 24: parsnips, butternut squash, rutabagas, celeriac, sweet potatoes, collard greens, lettuce, green onions, carrots, onions, potatoes, Brussels sprouts

December 8: lettuce, kale, cabbage, daikon radish, beets, potatoes, garlic, onions, celeriac, shallots, kohlrabi, carrots, sweet potato, delicata squash

December 22: rutabagas, butternut squash, cabbage, celeriac, parsnips, blue potatoes, potatoes, onions

The CSA actually started June 10, but I didn’t start this blog until July, so no photos before that. There was also a three-week hiatus after our summer share ended and before our winter share started.

As you can see, it’s been a lot of vegetables. I definitely feel like I’ve gotten my money’s worth. Next year I’d really like to continue with Stone Soup, but they may not have a Cambridge distribution center. Anyone have another CSA to recommend if we need it?

 

Switching Cat Food . . . Again December 23, 2009

Filed under: Pets — Brenda Pike @ 7:40 pm
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Tonight I was planning on posting about our last CSA pick-up, but an emergency trip to the vet changed my plans. (Look for the CSA post on Monday.) Don’t worry; Ollie’s fine now. But he had developed crystals in his urine that irritated his bladder. He’s now on a prescription cat food (Hill’s C/D), and the vet says he’ll probably have to stay on it for most of his life to make sure this doesn’t recur.

Ollie tested. Vet approved.

As I mentioned in my Cat Food post, this sort of urinary tract problem is one of the reasons why cats can’t be vegan. Male cats (and, my vet says, long-haired male cats in particular) can develop a life-threatening urinary tract obstruction. It seems to be more about mineral balance than protein, but it’s why we’d never try to feed our cats a vegan diet.

Knowing this, I specifically chose a dry cat food that had a lot of high-quality protein (Newman’s Own). But my vet says that cats who are prone to Oliver’s condition should be on specially formulated food, preferably wet. The extra water is really important to flush out his digestive tract.

For all of you suddenly thinking of switching to wet food to prevent your cat from developing urinary tract problems, my vet said that for most cats she recommends dry food, because the friction cleans their teeth. Now that Oliver’s on wet food we’ll have to give him dental treats or try to brush his teeth.

So despite our best intentions, we’re off the humane cat food. I don’t know yet if there is a humane cat food for bladder health; right now I’m just waiting for Ollie to completely recover. But if I do find one, I’ll definitely ask my vet before switching—I want to make sure my cat’s health won’t suffer for my morals.

 

The Least Toxic Way to Melt Snow and Ice December 21, 2009

Filed under: Miscellaneous — Brenda Pike @ 10:03 pm
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We had the season’s first real snowstorm this weekend, and we weren’t really prepared for it. I didn’t even know where our shovel was! We also didn’t have any salt for the front steps, so I took this opportunity to find out if we could get something that had less of an impact on the environment.

From what I can tell, there’s no truly environmentally friendly way to melt snow and ice. The two main materials people use—rock salt and calcium chloride—are both bad; it’s really just a choice of which is better. Along with many others, the City of Cambridge recommends using calcium chloride rather than rock salt or sand. (Ironically, the city also provides rock salt free of charge.) Many de-icers are a combination of multiple ingredients, so check the label. Here’s what I could find in local stores:

Calcium Chloride – CaCl2

  • can be used in smaller amounts (a handful per three square yards)
  • works better than rock salt at temperatures below 20 degrees Fahrenheit
  • increases salinity of waterways

Rock Salt – NaCl (Sodium Chloride)

Magnesium Chloride – MgCl

Urea – (NH2)2CO

Sand (Or Kitty Litter, Ashes, etc.)

  • clogs sewers
  • increases sedimentation in streams
  • increases turbidity, reducing water quality and potentially killing fish and aquatic plants
  • makes hard ice more slippery
  • doesn’t melt ice

Calcium magnesium acetate and potassium acetate are two promising de-icers, but they’re generally used only for large-scale use or as additives to rock salt. Not a solution for home use.

Since all ice melters have adverse effects on the environment, the best thing we can do is use less of them. To me, this means that calcium chloride is the way to go. It’s more effective in smaller amounts, and, if I could find the colored kind (I couldn’t around here), I’d be able to see the coverage and use less of it.

Keep in mind that this is not supposed to take the place of shoveling, just prevent the skim that forms on wet sidewalks or break up the ice so we can shovel it away. That crunch under your feet is an indication that someone used waaay too much.

Cross posted on the Cambridge Energy Alliance blog.

 

The Christmas Tree Conundrum: Real or Artificial? December 16, 2009

Filed under: Miscellaneous — Brenda Pike @ 10:11 pm
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For people who use real Christmas trees, the question comes up each year—should they switch to artificial? Our general rule is that reusable is better than disposable, but in this case, it’s not that simple.

The consensus (based on at least one peer-reviewed study) is that real trees are the way to go.

Artificial trees are:

  • responsible for more carbon emissions in production and shipping (usually from China)
  • made of PVC, which releases dioxins in the manufacturing process and disposal
  • eventually sent to the landfill

Real trees, on the other hand:

In fact, an artificial tree would have to be used for 20 years before its carbon emissions were better than real trees.

Personally, I have a knee-high fake tree that my sister gave me for my dorm room when I first went to college. I’m pretty attached to it, and I figure that since its impact comes mostly from manufacturing and delivery, the longer I continue to use it the better. But when it eventually kicks the bucket, I’ll switch to real trees.

Most articles on this topic end by saying something about buying a live potted tree. Don’t do it! Where in the world is it cold enough to be a native evergreen habitat and at the same time warm enough to plant a tree in the middle of winter? We were given a tiny potted Christmas tree once that promptly died. Determined to prove our green thumbs, we got another one the next year, and it died, too. It can’t be planted outdoors in December, it can’t survive in the house, and if it’s outdoors in a pot, it freezes through. Seriously, I challenge anyone who has ever successfully replanted a potted Christmas tree to prove me wrong.

Cross posted on the Cambridge Energy Alliance blog.