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Bamboo Bike: Calfee Design
Sure, cycling instead of driving is eco-friendly. But do you want to really green your ride? Then lower the carbon (fiber) footprint of your trusty steed and ride a bike made from … grass. Bamboo, that is.
For all their green benefits – no fossil fuels, no emissions – bikes are still made out of steel and aluminum and – worst of all – carbon fiber. These materials are energy- and resource-intensive to source and manufacture.
Crude: Chevron Worse Than BP?
While everyone’s attention is on the BP oil spill disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, we should remember – this ain’t news. Have you ever heard of Ecuador and a little company called Texaco? Probably not – and that’s the problem.
I just finished viewing “Crude: The Real Price of Oil,” and what I learned about Ecuador and oil companies is chilling.
“Crude” is the highly acclaimed film by Joe Berlinger (“Brother’s Keeper,” “Paradise Lost”) showing a year in the life of two lawyers – Steve Potzinger, a large and loud American, and newly minted Ecuadorean attorney Pablo Fajardo – pressing a lawsuit against Chevron for alleged human rights and environmental crimes in the Amazon rainforests of Ecuador.
Killer Tees. That Won’t Kill You.
Green Label Organic t-shirts more than live up to their name. In addition to being 100% organic cotton, Green Label Organic t-shirts are dyed with eco-conscious low-impact dyes and printed with water-based inks – not the usual PVC or other harsh chemicals. The lack of heavy metals in the printing also contributes to the shirts’ softness and feeling of light. Oh, and they’re made sweatshop-free in the U.S. Natch.
We Add Up: Oil Spill T-Shirts
Are you as outraged and sad as we are about the BP oil drilling disaster, now declared the largest spill in US history? Now you can be a part of the solution and help counter this tragedy with action.
We Add Up has introduced two new t-shirts, “Clean It Up” and “Hair To The Rescue.” $10 from the purchase of each shirt is donated to a non-profit organization working to clean up the spill naturally, hold BP accountable and bring transparency to the response. Spread the word – and give money to people doing the dirty work to clean up this mess.
Keen Cornell II Messenger Bag
Hit the streets with an eco-friendly messenger bag that is truly one of a kind. Keen’s Cornell II messenger bag is made from repurposed scrap material – collected from their factory floor – to create a vibrant, colorful and rock-solid piece of gear while reducing waste.
Add in recycled hardware and reinforced rubber bottom, and you’ve got a messenger bag worth of Keen’s ReThink/RePurpose/ReDefine philosophy – prominently posted on the flap. Material, color and pattern vary, so you won’t know what you’re going to get – but you know it will be unique.
Read our full review – click here.
GE Juices the Electric Car Market by Rick
November 12, 2010 | | No Thoughts
GE is buying Volts. Chevy Volts, that is.
Yes, the energy giant is jumping into electric cars. In a move that seems fitting, if admittedly self-serving, GE – proud owner of one of the world’s largest vehicle fleets – has announced they will purchase 25,000 electric vehicles by 2015. They’ll start with an initial purchase of 12,000 Chevy Volts next year.
It’s a move that will be good for their bottom line. Is it good for the planet?
Bicycle Touring: The Future of Travel? by Rick
November 9, 2010 | | 1 Thought »
We’re big fans of bicycles here at SustainAbler, whether for fun or function. It’s hard to beat a mode of transportation that saves energy, doesn’t burn fossil fuels, but does burn calories. What’s not to like?
So we really liked this article from David Kroodsma over at HuffPost, kicking out eight signs that two-wheeled travel adventure is the trend of the future.
READ MORE »
Did Climate Change Burn the Democrats? by Rick
November 3, 2010 | | 3 Thoughts »
As the dust settles on yesterday’s expected political earthquake, I’m wondering: is climate change partly to blame for the downfall of the Democratics?
That’s what Darren Samuelson and Robin Bravender are arguing over at Politico today. They point out that “Democrats who voted for the controversial House climate bill were slaughtered at the ballot box.” Exhibit A is my representative, Rick Boucher, “the 14-term Virginian who helped broker some of the key deals instrumental to its June 2009 passage,” beaten handily by longtime Virginia Delegate Morgan Griffith. READ MORE »
SustainAbler Survey: We Want Your Input by Rick
October 18, 2010 | | No Thoughts
SustainAbler is coming out of hibernation, and we need your help. What do you most want from a green site? Green product reviews? Green tips & how-tos? Green celebrity gossip? Please take a couple minutes to fill out this short survey (only 7 questions!) so that we can bring you more of what you want. Thanks! READ MORE »
Gas Prices Got You Down? Ditch Your Car by Rick
October 14, 2010 | | No Thoughts
Have you noticed a little more pain at the pump this week? I sure did – I had to pay $2.69 a gallon for gas yesterday. 
And that was at the cheap-o place. Yikes!
CNN is reporting today that gas prices nationwide jumped 8 cents a gallon compared to two weeks ago. The folks at Lundberg Survey tell us the average cost for regular was $2.77 last Friday, and we can look for another nickel increase, according to surveyor Trilby Lundberg.
In a cruel twist, the increase in fuel prices is blamed on – wait for it – the bad economy. But isn’t the torpid economy supposed keep gas prices low? Well, yes, but then, no. READ MORE »
THINK Rolls Out 2,500th Electric Car by Rick
October 12, 2010 | | 2 Thoughts »
Electric car number 2500 is news? Well, sort of, for now. And it’s a cute car, so why not help them celebrate?
THINK, the Norwegian maker of the City electric car, trumpeted the news when it rolled car number 2500 out the door of their plant in Finland yesterday.
I know, that’s a drop in the bucket compared to traditional car makers (or even the Toyota Prius – 50,000 a month), but for an electric car, it’s a significant milestone. The company claims the compact-electric car is the world’s bestselling electric vehicle.
But in reality, this is the last chance for THINK to make grand claims about electric car sales, because that record isn’t going to last long when the Nissan Leaf hits the streets in December. READ MORE »
Good News: Obama Halts, Delays Drilling by Rick
May 27, 2010 | | No Thoughts
From the Department of Silver Linings: Alaska’s Chukchi and Beaufort seas are safe, at least for the moment. And Virginia’s offshore lease appears to be, well, dead in the water. Thanks, BP!
In the Obama administration’s most decisive policy response yet to the BP oil spill, today Barack Obama delayed or canceled deepwater offshore oil exploration and drilling in Alaska, Virginia and the Gulf of Mexico.
Art for the Gulf: A Kid Takes Action by Rick
May 26, 2010 | | No Thoughts
Olivia Bouler, a 10-year-old from Islip, New York, is, in her words, “devastated” about the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. But she isn’t just wringing her hands; she’s wielding pens and colored pencils to help the recovery effort.
Olivia, a frequent visitor to Orange Beach, Alabama, loves the birds there – and loves to draw them. So she’s made an offer: donate to a conservation group, get a piece of original art.
Read more here or check out her Facebook page.
Brooks BioMoGo: Built to Biodegrade by Rick
May 26, 2010 | | No Thoughts
Running shoes don’t last long: 300 miles of pounding, and they’re trashed – sometimes literally. And in the landfill, they last practically forever. Except my Brooks. Why? They’ve got BioMoGo.
No matter how many lives I give my running shoes – from training to casual street wear to yard work to the donation pile – eventually they’ll end up in a landfill. Once there, the standard EVA midsole material in a running shoe takes upwards of 1,000 years to biodegrade.
Enter BioMoGo.
Green Review: Keen Cornell II Messenger Bag by Rick
May 21, 2010 | | No Thoughts
Green Product Category: Messenger Bags; $90
We gave our Keen Cornell II sustainable messenger bag the ultimate test: a middle schooler. He lugged books, lunches and lacrosse sticks, stuffing the bag to well beyond capacity – and lobbing it at his locker. Despite the abuse, the material held up well, with seams and zippers intact. Aside from a few scuffs on the durable rubber bottom, the bag still looks practically new.