ECO

BEYOND EDISON – CAL 2012 Light Bulb Standards

This week the nation took its first step toward a more energy efficient lighting policy, lagging a full year behind California standards.  On January 1^st, 2012, the U.S. banned the manufacture of the traditional (type A, identified as the Edison) 100 watt incandescent light bulb.  The reference to this as the “Edison” bulb is accurate in its nod to 100 year old technology.   The carping and dithering that’s met this advancement in policy is bizarre.  None of us would accept 100 year old technology in our telephone, television, or any other electronic device.   Yet Congress tacked on to the spending bill last month a ban on enforcing the policy.

I’m proud to say, as usual, California is forging the path to a more efficient energy policy ahead of the rest of our nation.  Some would decry even this… insubstantial effort.  This week we put the next chink in the armor of phasing out low efficiency lighting by banning the manufacture or sale of the 75 watt Edison bulb in this state.  (FAQs CAL Light Bulb Standards)

Last year the death of the 100 watt went with a murmur, and I suspect the 75 watt’s end will be met with little fan fare.  The reason being is the ample supply alternatives and increasing improvement of both fluorescent and LED lighting.

As a residential Interior Designer, the biggest issue with these energy efficient changes was the lag in available lighting fixtures that accommodate a different type of bulb base.  (Even though the halogen incandescent and compact fluorescents use the same screw base as the Type A bulb always has.)  I’m pleased to say that in 2011 major strides were made and the variety of fluorescent and LED fixtures coming to market are truly exciting.

So for the naysayers to regulation  - I say phooey!    Remember when it used to be a positive thing to say “there ought to be a law”.  Well that’s because sometimes there ought to be one;  because it’s better for us, it’s better for our pocket books, better for our planet and I suspect making all those cool new products created a couple of jobs!

OFFAL or AWFUL GOOD for the us

A Partial Solution for the Omnivore Environmentalist……

For those of us carnivores who subscribe to sustainable living there are mixed emotions about eating from the animal kingdom.  Yes, I get it; the American factory farm is abhorrent.  The feed factories that produce all the product (and waste) for your grocer’s refrigerator case should hardly be called a farm as they bear little resemblance.  My grandfather was one of those old-timey cattle ranchers that rotated their stock from 40 acre to 40 acre grassland in a reasonable and renewable way.   Yet, even the responsible practice does produce a sizeable amount of methane and water consumption, all for us meat lovers.

Yet, I cannot help myself.  I can no more see giving up meat as giving up water.  I believe we are omnivores by nature.  I believe that red and white meats are absolutely a healthy part of our diet when consumed in moderation along with all other important food groups.

So I propose a partial solution to this omnivore’s dilemma –- eat offal.  Why?  Because offal is delicious.  Plus if we’re going to create an environmental impact why waste a single morsel of the animal we have slaughtered for our pleasure.  If you don’t quite understand what offal is, I recommend you visit Chef Chris Consentino’s site which explains it well, “all those parts …that are not skeletal or muscle”.  In addition his menu descriptions will leave you drooling, so visiting his restaurant, Incanto should you find yourself in San Francisco, would be a treat.

My childhood introduction to offal was Mom pan frying giblets leftover from the Thanksgiving bird.  Wasted in gravy, these were our amuse-bouche to the family meal.  The pinnacle of my offal experience (& yet to be outdone) was sweetbreads at La Folie which literally made me swoon.   So whatever your organ (or parts) preference, eat your offal.  Eat a little less meat, try to obtain your animal product from responsible, local farms, and you can take some solace in your minimized impact to our home, our planet.

STEAM ENGINE

I don’t mean to get all Stepford wife on ya but, I sooo love my steam mop.  Abandon your old sponge and bucket.  It miraculously cleans with results like I used to get only with a hand scrubbing.

It’s a win-win-win; environmentally sound, economical, and super simple; no chemicals, über water conserving, and it sanitizes.   Drys in seconds and works on the hard wood floors too.   That’s a life saver if you’re dog owner like me.  The mop pays for itself in short order since you can stop buying cleaning detergent for your floor.  I’m not ready to write off my Swiffer mop entirely, its good for a quick clean up but, my old rag mop is toast!

Chandeliers – LED into a New Age

A “chandelier”, the original pendant fixture that has served us well for centuries may be the leader of decorative fixtures to take us through the next millennium with LED technology.  While LEDs have been with us for some time, their design and function is still pretty limited to task lighting, preferably where the unattractive element is concealed in a strip under a cabinet or in a closet.   Finding a decorative fixture could be a challenge but, the chandelier may be taking LEDs right out of the closet.

While some of the prices are still other-worldly, these decorative fixtures are examples of a future where all lighting is as beautiful as it is über efficient.   With no filaments to break or heat, no gases, and a compact size, as technology advances, the light emitting diode will be a dream for the designers of light fixtures.  Pictured are a few recent entrées into our new age:   Group Two Design’s Chandelier, Roll & Hill’s Halo, Designed by Paul Loebach,  Ding 3000’s 2D Lamp, and the LQ-P, Designed by Hani Rashid for Zumtobel.

A FORCE OF NATURE

THE UNLIKELY STORY OF WAL-MART’S GREEN REVOLUTION

In “A Force of Nature: the Unlikely Story of Wal-Mart’s Green Revolution, Edward Humes describes how the least “green” mega-corporation transforms itself when a former river guide teams up with its CEO, Lee Scott.  Jib Ellison, an avid outdoorsman, is called the “CEO Whisperer”.   He may be more comfortable on white rapids but, he speaks a CEO’s language – money.   He has made Wal-Mart, the big-box retailer, scorned by labor and environmentalists alike, one of his converts by demonstrating how being sustainable is as good for the bottom line as it is for the planet.

Wal-Mart has saved millions of dollars on reduced packaging, fuel and energy costs.  Without glossy coating the struggles of a real green industrial revolution, the book is an interesting example of how environmentalism is a positive partner to business.  The new hardback, published by Harper Collins, is available now.

SMART BOTTLE

Did you know 95% of the content in a typical cleaning product is just water?   The makers of the new Multi-Surface Cleaning Product, Replenish,  have developed a “Smart Bottle” which allows you to add water at home to a reusable spray bottle and their “Pod” of concentracted liquid cleaner.  The result, 90% reduction in plastic bottles.  There is enough concentrate in the pod to refill a bottle four times making this eco friendly cleaner also wallet friendly.  These winners of a 2011 Green Product Award get more high marks for using 100% recyclable PET plastic containers and a non-toxic, plant based cleaning solution.  As if this isn’t enough, think of the energy savings from not having to transport all the mass and weight of the typical cleaning product to your local store (Umm, yeah, water is heavy).  Replenish also uses only local suppliers in the manufacture their product. 

In three smell good scents, green tea, lemon, & lavender.  On sale on-line and in most Whole Foods stores beginning April 1, 2011.