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Travel Gadgets: You already have them!

Leon Kaye — Mon, 24 May 2010 10:46:04 +0000

Having recently returned from a trip abroad (and now about to go on another one), I thought I'd share some tips for how you can be more eco-friendly while you are on the road. To me, being "green" is not just about buying that recycled or fair-trade product: sustainability in part relies on just consuming less and not buying so much "stuff." Having been to 50 countries and racked up more miles from business trips than I care to admit, here are some ideas of what I pack when I go on a trip. Mind you, what comes with me varies: it's a challenge these days complying with TSA regulations in the USA while avoiding checked-baggage fees and carrying your luggage into the cabin. But instead of over-paying for gadgets at a travel store (most are overpriced and borderline useless), let me give you some ideas--you probably already have them in your home or office!

Binder clips: I love these and try to bring various sizes with me. Whether it's clasping your receipts for your expense reports, using it as a "chip clip," or plugging a tear in your backpack till you find a replacement, these are indispensable. By the way, the tiny ones--if you wear cuffed shirts but forget your cuff links, they work in a pinch. Instead of buying a leather passport pouch, just cinch your travel documents together with one. Oh, and if you are on a long trip and do some handwashing, you've got a clothespin, too!
Baby shampoo: My dad taught me this trick--you have your body wash, and for some reason, it works great for hand laundry, and less harsh than using detergent. Think of it as one less thing to pack. Though of course, if it works on laundry, then maybe baby shampoo should not be used on . . . a baby.
Baking soda: Okay, it's probably not a good idea to bring a Ziploc bag of white powder onto a plane in this age of airport security, but if you are away on a long trip, pick up a box at a corner store. Why? After a long day of meetings or travel, a soothing bath is in store back in your hotel. If you are allergic to most soaps, it's great for your skin. On the chance your stomach gets upset, it's an effective antacid. Mix it with water and you have a mouthwash--if you're camping and catch something that gives you a rash, make a paste and it's a nice balm. Oh, and if you travel with your pet, brushing your furry friend with a little baking soda will freshen him or her up!
Aloe vera gel: Annoyed by that 100ml/3 fluid oz. limit for carry-on luggage? Aloe gel is a great substitute for several toiletries: it's your shave gel, a moisturizer, ointment if you cut or burn yourself, and instead of those chemical sanitizers, rubbing your hands with a little aloe should do the trick! Remember, any doctor will tell you that a little soap, water and friction will get rid of germs; aloe can do the trick as well. If your shoes need a little polishing, aloe can work as an alternative here, too.
Walnuts: The best snack to bring on the plane. Why? High in protein, fiber, and natural healthy fats that will satiate your hunger on those long plane rides. Also, walnuts are a snack that apparently contain melatonin, a compound that helps you adjust to time zone changes and aids in inducing sleep, so bring plenty to nosh on for your trip. They are also healthier than those over-salted pretzels and peanuts airlines offer in the cabin--if they even bother these days. Walnuts are healther than those overprocessed energy bars, too!
Thumb drive (flash drive): It's best if you have one password protected, but I like keeping copies of my passport, credit cards, and other important documents on these in case something goes awry. Plus it's more convenient than having to make all those paper copies--and creates less waste in the process. Chances are you are bringing one with you anyway!

I could go on, but this is just a start. The point is to use up products you may already have, and to avoid buying something that you may use only once and then just throw away. And yes, most of us love those little sample sized shampoos and bath gels that hotels provide, but after reading about the Pacific Garbage Patch (and now one's been found in the Atlantic), we really should find ways to reuse--and then we won't even have to recycle.

Speaking of which, I suggest checking out AltUse.com. The premise of the site is that your home or office is probably already packed with products that are just sitting there, so re-purpose them! I will not use my Grey Goose Vodka anytime soon to clean my glasses, but there countless great suggestions for what you may otherwise just pitch--or is just collection dust in the pantry.

Reprinted from http://www.greenteamagazine.com/?p=842, March 5, 2010.

Earth Hour, 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm, Your Local Time – Why It Matters

Leon Kaye — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 00:57:53 +0000

Earth Hour will occur Saturday, March 27, between 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. local time around the world. Some may scoff and say it’s a fad: but in my opinion, it’s more important and meaningful than Earth Day. Here’s why.

Throughout 137 countries and countless towns and cities, the lights will go off for one hour Saturday night. The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) started the idea in 2006, and it caught on quickly in Australia. Last year about 1 billion people turned off the lights—and more are expected this year.

According to the WWF, Earth Hour “sends a clear message that Americans care about this issue and want to turn the lights out on dirty air, dangerous dependency on foreign oil and costly climate change impacts, and make the switch to cleaner air, a strong economic future and a more secure nation.”

Around the world, iconic buildings like the Empire State Building, the pyramids at Giza, Sydney's Opera House, and Rio's Christ the Redeemer Statue will dim their lights for sixy minutes.

Not many large organizations are participating: Wells Fargo is a sponsor, and Sears Holdings Corporations will shut off the lights at its Sears and K-Mart locations—while they are still open. The company expects to save 80,000 kilowatts of power (enough to fuel 8 American homes for a year), which of course saves money. But according to Mike Brown, a project manager with whom I spoke yesterday, the point of Sears Holdings’ participation in Earth Hour is going beyond concrete savings—it’s about showing their customers and employees what an organization can do in minimizing humans’ impact on our environment.

I understand and appreciate the sentiment behind Earth Day, but I rarely participate in such events. I find most Earth Day events full of companies giving away plastic trinkets, bottled water, and messages showing how they care for the environment or trees—often, of course, printed on paper.

Earth Hour works for me. It’s one thing to say what you’re doing on Earth Day—or in a firm’s corporate social responsibility report. It’s another thing to actually DO something. And I think shutting the lights off for an hour shows taking action while sending a message.

So what if you don’t believe in climate change, though you shouldn’t be a scientist to understand spouting fumes in the air cannot be a good thing. Who cares if you don’t mind sending dollars overseas to import oil, which bankrupts us and threatens our national security.

But wouldn’t it be fantastic to see the stars above us, even if for an hour? You’d be amazed at what you see, even as the sun is setting . . .

Water Wars: The Floodgates Have Opened!

Leon Kaye — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 20:39:19 +0000

Wow. Two weeks ago I posted a short film I did with Patrick Benson on LA's tenuous relationship with water. And as I often do weekly, I posted the link to most of the LinkedIn groups to which I belong. From a bird's eye view, the results were interesting: I think few actually watched the film, but I sure got a lot of comments based on my title, which was "Is water really the next oil?"

The discussions are still flying on LinkedIn. Most were engaging, and I was so overwhelmed I wasn't able to reply to all of them. Some were snarky, such as the suggestion that water issues will far outlive social media (which was used, of course, to post that response). Perhaps one issue was that for Los Angeles resident to start a topic on water is like having a congressional staffer in Washington, DC dish out thoughts on partisanship. Anyway, let me share some highlights with some topics discussed with my thoughts.

Desalinisation. Many heated discussions started over this topic. Some saw it as a panacea: others saw it as expensive and destructive. In an ideal world, I would see it if renewable energy technologies could fuel this energy-intensive technology. I'm not a scientist, but using "X" amount of energy to create "Y" amount of potable water sounds like an ecological, and economic catastrophe, to me.

Conservation. It's amazing how challenging economic times can bring back terms like "conservation" that seem dated, but it's true. Californians are an easy target, but the fact is, we are leaders when it comes to energy and water conservation. It seems odd to me that areas with the least amounts of water often have NO water metering!

Moving water from Canada using a pipeline. I would posit that Canadians would give up poutine, hockey, and the Queen on their currency (not necessarily in that order) before they'd be willing to see this resource flow south of the border. Perhaps the scenario of polar ice caps melting could make this the new gold. This hypothetical may be fodder for a South Park movie sequel, with Obama and Harper caricatures jousting each other into war, and not over Terrance and Phillip.

Installing grey water or waste water treatment systems on residential properties. One huge issue that irks me is using perfectly fine drinking water to irrigate our landscaping, or worse wash our car. And most communities have restrictions banning the installation of such systems. One word: ridiculous. That has got to change.

Stay tuned. Many professionals who responded stated that they think the 21st century could be an ugly one, fueled by conflicts over water rights from Mexico to Pakistan. We'll revisit this in the year 2110.

California's Central Valley. The Economist had a recent article calling this reason the next Appalachia. Since my roots are in the San Joaquin Valley, I really do hope not. When I'm back, I'll have more to say about that.

My previous posting did not have the movie file URL embedded in the email, so if you missed it, please take a look. And please appreciate Patrick Benson's great work. He is very talented and a great person to work with!

So how do we solve this problem? I welcome your thoughts.

LA’s Fragile Water Supply

Leon Kaye — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:01:47 +0000

Los Angeles and water sure have a sordid history together. Of course there's the 1974 movie, Chinatown, that sums up the backroom deals and violence that worked to bring water to a thirsty and ambitious Southern California. Now we are on the verge of another chapter in the "water wars," as years of drought, increasing population, and frustration elsewhere in California threaten to disrupt the way of life to which Angelinos have grown accustomed.

So we created a short film that can be viewed on YouTube or Vimeo. We believe that having a little debate focused on Silver Lake could present an idea of all the complexities that are involved with this issue. Silver Lake was one of the first reservoirs built in Los Angeles, and became the center of what would become a vibrant neighborhood. Oddly enough, local residents never received water from this source; most of the water was diverted to areas south of downtown LA. When the city suggested paving over the reservoir, turning it into a local aquifer, locals had a fit and demanded that the lake be preserved. However, sunlight, reacting to the chlorine, has created bromate, rendering the water useless for human consumption, so now the water is a pretty backdrop for its surrounding homes. Meanwhile, the adjacent reservoir, Ivanhoe, sports millions of black plastic balls that are supposed to prevent such a chemical reaction from repeating . . . again resulting in residents upset at the eyesore . . . though the wisdom of all that plastic floating in the water merits its own debate.

So can LA afford pretty spots of local water?

And what can the city do in ensuring a steady source of water in the future?

None of us has all the answers, but we hope this film makes you more aware of the issues involved with water, which one could argue is LA's largest import. We look at the history of water sourcing in Los Angeles and one of many current controversies swirling around this priceless resource.

I had the opportunity to work with Patrick Benson, a talented filmmaker, on the project. This 5 minute film took about 2 months. Patrick meticulously sorted through film archives to find the old photos and film footage; we shared the writing. Ara Babaian and Annie Wang were our helpful production assistants.

A Walk in the Forest

Leon Kaye — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 17:30:14 +0000

Last week I was in Aptos, California, visiting my parents for Christmas. They have lived in Aptos (just east of Santa Cruz) for over 12 years, yet until last Saturday, I was completely clueless about a treasure two miles from their home: The Forest of Nisene Marks, a California State Park.

For forty years, this area was subjected to clear-cutting until loggers abandoned it in the 1920s. In 1963, the family owning the property donated it to the state of California, and now, the 10,000 acres offer over 40 miles of hiking. Whether you only have 30 minutes or an entire day, hiking through this park is a wonderful way to explore the redwoods and native plants of Santa Cruz County. Although some evidence of logging remains with the occasional mill site or felled tree, you would not guess that the area had at one point been nearly razed.

We happened to walk through here on an overcast morning. The redwoods are stunning, and the stumps of trees that had been felled display beautiful patterns of moss, lichen, and mounds of ferns. The park is definitely family-friendly: an access road makes for safe walking for adventurers of any age, while well-kept trails can be a challenge for the more experienced hiker.

Accessing the park is easy. Drive to downtown Aptos (a charming secret itself) on Soquel Drive, and at the corner of Soquel and Aptos Creek Drive, you'll see cars parked by the entrance of Aptos Village County Park. You can park here for free and start your hike, or, if you want to save time, you can drive about a mile, pay $8 at the State Park entrance, and start your excursion there. Facilities at the park are minimal, so bring your own water and supplies if your hike will last several hours. At the end of your hike, there are plenty of restaurants and cafes along Soquel Drive where you can refuel before you hit the beach. For an idea of what a hike offers, please view the video I pieced together.

For more information about Nisene Marks, click here. Enjoy this special corner of the Monterey Bay!

A Happier Halloween!

Leon Kaye — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:30:13 +0000

Halloween holds a special place in my heart—my birthday is close to the holiday, so growing up, my mother often had very creative ideas for my Halloween-themed birthday parties . . . I remember one birthday party where we made individual caramel apples, using licorice, of course, for those 70s moustaches. Years later, in my mid-20s, I put dry ice in fruit punch for a cool “witches brew” effect. When I lived in Korea, my friend Janet threw a party to remember, featuring bobbing for apples, and we wore army uniforms that I had salvaged from a pile of unwanted clothes at the lobby of my apartment building. Keeping with the tone of this site, Halloween can be about making the best choices for you with your budget in mind. I applaud you if you are using only soy-based candles and handing out fair trade chocolates made by the high village tribes in Guatemala—but let’s be realistic here! Plus, having grown up in the post-Zodiac killer 1970s, during which PTA moms came to our classrooms and advised us not to accept apples for fear the local Charles Manson follower laced them with razor blades, I’m a little biased about handing out fresh fruit this time around. So let’s get started: - Costumes: my pet peeve here. Costumes at the dollar store are gross, and those at seasonal Halloween stores aren’t much better. This is the perfect opportunity to go to your local Goodwill or St. Vincent de Paul store. Last year I was Joe the Plumber: I bought an oversized sweatshirt and 42 inch Levi’s . . . which I promptly re-donated after the 31^st. Seriously, this is a great way to have some creative fun with your friends and family. - Decorations: Try to go with something that comes out of a ground instead of a manufacturing plant. Local stores are full of decorative squash and corn, which at the very least you can compost if you don’t consume.

Most candles are petroleum based, which can run you afoul with the green police. But there are Halloween lights available on the market, and you can mix these with other lights for that certain December holiday nipping at our heels.
Pumpkins: yes, carving those Jack-o-Lanterns are fun, but such a waste. At least save the seeds and roast at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Please compost the remainder instead of it letting it devolve into a moldy mess. Roasting a pumpkin is easy, by the way . . .
Motion sensors: I actually had a great idea from Gregory Randall, LA’s wildlife specialist . . . if you buy one of those silly screaming ghosts that work using a motion sensor . . . you can salvage the sensor . . . and keep it in your garden, covered with a fake ceramic or rubber animal (think Goodwill!) . . . and scare off critters who are trolling in your garden. I’m off to Target now, in fact . . .

- Treats: This is where you have to balance beliefs with budget. Apparently, out of all the big companies, Mars is taking the most sustainable and humane approach to harvesting its chocolate. Also, with obesity a concern, perhaps snack size energy bars, which are a less evil alternative, will work. If you live in a neighborhood where it’s accepted that you can make and distribute homemade goodies—power to you. - Fake blood: okay, this is getting grisly here, but forget about buying the overpriced stuff: corn syrup and red food coloring should do. Oh okay, organic agave syrup if you have a little more budget. I’ve read several Halloween tips on the web, most bemoaning the waste and spewing guilt; indeed, there is a point. I also feel a little decadence and fun a few times a year isn’t harmful. To me, if you eliminate the harmful and wasteful plastic, you are taking a huge step; and in the end, saving money as well.

It’s in the Toilet

Leon Kaye — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 11:22:12 +0000

My dear friend in Ottawa announced several weeks back—on Facebook—that she had bought a dual flush toilet. I remember seeing these all over East Asia, especially in Korea and Japan. It makes sense, right? Smaller flush for #1, and well, a bigger flush. That’s actually how I figured out the Chinese characters for “big” and “small.” I’m surprised this never caught on in California, but concern over the drought, and rebates, are slowly changing how we flush.

If you’ve grown up in California, you probably remember the jingle, “if it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown, flush it down.” Okay, gross, I know. But it’s up to citizens to reduce their water consumption. You know the story: only 3% of our surface water is fresh water, “water will be the new oil,” and a leaky faucet can equal obscene amounts of water wasted at an annual rate. So changing your toilet, or rigging an older toilet (the older the toilet, the more gallons wasted per flush), will lead to huge water savings: and a decrease in your water bill. I found an online calculator that gives you an idea of what your household water consumption could be.

Check with your local water utility to see what types of rebates are available, whether it’s for a toilet or other appliance in your house. LADWP has a program--I think—once again an LADWP link is currently not working . . . or it’s been flushed down the toilet as well . . .

Well, the moral of this story is that . . . we are proud owners of a new a dual flush toilet. It was delivered last week, and will be proudly displayed (though not demonstrated, we’re conserving water, remember?) in our new remodeled bathroom.

Green is grey

Leon Kaye — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:37:51 +0000

I recently had a discussion with like-minded folks where we bantered about what it meant to be “green.” It’s gone from fringe to fashion, activist to academic, from mocked to a true movement.

Growing up, the debate had always been so polarized. Remember the spotted owl controversy of the early 1990s? Then there was the urban garden kerfuffle in LA a few years back. Lefties and hippies painted corporations as evil polluters, while the right mocked environmentalists for being way out of touch. Ronald Reagan was ridiculed for saying “trees cause pollution” and chose an Interior Secretary who said there were two kinds of people in the USA: Americans and Democrats. Yet Reagan seemed to genuinely love the outdoors and had another Interior secretary who wanted to resurrect the Hetch Hetchy Valley—to which Dianne Feinstein said, thanks but back off. Years later, Al Gore won that Nobel Peace prize, but I still wonder about his Nashville mansion and method of jet setting all over the world.

I really wonder if being “green” or “clean” or “environmental” must be black and white: yet this is how Americans often think and frame such issues. The left smears corporations, the right smears environmental activists. I find a lot of yelling on both sides of the issue, but not a lot of thinking.

Black Americans point out that several centuries of slavery cannot be corrected in a few years or even decades: I really believe they have a point. Likewise, I’m convinced that 200 years of environmental degradation cannot be turned on a dime. We need to cajole, not criticize; encourage, not enrage; and praise, not pester.

At this discussion, someone mentioned that green is a process. I believe she’s right on target. We are so often distracted by semantics—what does green, clean, sustainable . . . what does it all mean? Does it matter?

The vegetarian who lectures us about the evils of meat before she hops into her SUV needs to stop lecturing. The neighbor who assails McDonald’s but then drives to Whole Foods everyday for packaged and prepared food should rethink his approach to food. Those of us who kvetch about gas prices but buy bottled water at a warehouse store should step back and think a moment about what we are doing.

But the Yukon driver who only drives when she can complete 5 or 6 errands is onto something. My sister, who often shops at secondhand or consignment shops, is saving a lot of resources. And those Armenian relatives of mine who live in the suburbs but still reuse yogurt containers again and again (kind of an inside joke) aren’t a total environmental fiasco.

The first step in being green is becoming aware of your lifestyle and daily habits. Making adjustments that reduce the impact on our earth and energy independence can make a huge impact. I think if we nudge and suggest instead of being neurotic and sanctimonious, we can—and will—become more green.

Scout’s Honor

Leon Kaye — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:49:11 +0000

Like millions of American boys, I spent a few years in Boy Scouts. I wasn't a fan: I made some friends, but I found many of the adult leaders sanctimonious windbags, I hate the fascist youth uniforms, and disagreed with some of the indoctrination in the Scout handbooks. I admit I use the term "boy scout" as a snide remark for the goody-two-shoe pals of mine in the office that I want to chide. But there's one Boy Scout mantra that has stayed with me: care for the earth.

The many weekend scout camping trips taught me valuable lessons. I think that the most important one was to leave a place in better shape than when you found it. However, there were other things I learned: pack only what you need; conserve the resources available to you; become self-sufficient;and minimize your impact on the earth. Oh, and learn to work on tasks in groups.

I've also realized that scouting connected me with my surroundings that life in the early 21st century often can't: we forget about the stars because we live in areas where pollution and street lights obscure them; we waste water because we don't think about its source or how far it has to travel before it reaches our tap; and we're disconnected from our food because it's so hyper-processed that we forget it comes from a tree or the ground.

I haven't gone camping in years, but maybe I should: having to haul your food and water, while working ten times as hard to cook a meal, would make me, or anyone, appreciate our earth even more than we do now.

So perhaps scouting wasn't all that bad. Though those uniforms sure were brutal!

Don’t cry for me Argentina

Leon Kaye — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:45:14 +0000

Who would have thought South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford would become the latest joke on the talking head shows? Isn't it bizarre that he took off for a few days, his wife didn’t know where he was (didn’t anyone learn from John Edwards?), and that he went away on Father’s Day? Oh yeah, not to mention hiking on National Go Hiking Naked Day. Oh wait, I started writing this post before the truth came out, and well, it turned out he was in Argentina, seeing the coast of Buenos Aires, which is about 3 kilometers long--and was enjoying a view very much like this photo--well, I don't know if he bothered with the view, but anyway--

I was curious about Sanford's environmental and energy stance, and while doing a little research, I came across an editorial he wrote to the Washington Post two years ago. He made some good points, but overall, it was full of cliches. On one hand, yes, passing regulations is not enough to wean us off of fossil fuels, and of course, the private sector can have a huge role—and I agree it should—in environmental cleanup and clean technology.

So as a “conservative conservationist,” what’s a conservative to do? Well, the governor didn’t really say. Sanford was aware of the rising ocean’s effect on South Carolina farms, but other than attacking left-wing fringe groups and mocking Al Gore, he really didn’t give any specifics. He exhorted conservatives to take the environmental platform away from the Democrats, but . . . did not explain how they could proceed.

I do agree with Sanford that being “environmental” means more than worrying about polar bears and treating our land as if we are the stewards, saving it for future generations.

But right now, clean/green technology needs a little--no--HUGE oomph from the government. Tax credits, stimulus money (I’m dubious it’ll work on the macro level), feed-in tariffs, and regulations discouraging toxic and wasteful products and processes, can help. Many of the products we benefit from today are a result of space exploration or military technology—which in the end were funded by . . . (big) government.

I guess it’s really true that the emperor, I mean governor, has no clothes!

not your everyday e. coli

Leon Kaye — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 14:49:37 +0000

I’ve always believed the debate over green technology and alternative fuels should focus on the technology and fuel used on the back-end, not on “exotic” or “sexy” products such as hybrid cars. So much of the basic manufacturing and processing of materials that we use in our daily lives use a lot of energy.

Take the manufacturing of fabric–a start-up in San Diego has found a way to biologically make Spandex out of sugar, which could cost 25% less than the same fabric using processes based on fossil fuels. Genetically engineered e. coli secrete a chemical that can be the base material of a bevy of products. While the technology as a ways to go, it’s certainly exciting–in 15 years, we could see materials created using biological processes that in the past relied on fossil fuels. After all, we entered the petroleum age because oil was cheap and plentiful. We’re in transition now, but if the cost of processing sugar and other plant-based products can become sustainable and cheap, this could be one step in the path to stall global warming.