In Those Jeans

I cleaned out my closet the other week and noticed I had a lot of old, unwearable jeans. My first thought was to donate them to the Salvation Army or a Goodwill. But what about the old jeans with paint stains or rips in them? I can't give those away right?!

I did a little research and found out that there is a push for old blue jean recycling! Since blue jeans are 100% cotton, they can be recycled into other items that use cotton as well. Companies like Bonded Logic (http://www.bondedlogic.com/) are recycling old blue jeans into insulation for houses! The new insulation is very environmentally friendly since no chemicals are used to develop the insulation, it takes less energy to produce, and the old jeans are being put to use rather than sent to a landfill. Furthermore, people who use jean insulation can get tax credits since it's an energy efficient technology. YAY!

Brown Tip

Give Me Those Jeans

If you have blue jeans that would like recycled into insulation, send them to:

Fair Indigo Denim Drive

c/o Green Jeans Insulation Inc.

1109 W. Milwaukee St.

Stoughton, WI 53589

Electric Boogie

In the wonderful spirit of environmentalism, Chevrolet has taken a major step by developing the first US produced electric car, the Chevy Volt. The Chevy Volt boost a fuel economy of 230 miles per gallon! OMG!!!! Let me just put this in prospective for you all. This car gets on 2 GALLONS of gas what a Civic (which is a very fule efficient car) gets on an entire tank! The car also gets 40 miles without any gas and a full electric charge!

When I saw the Volt debut I almost cried. OK, that's going a little too far, but I was very proud for a couple reasons.

1. This is an American made car. For the past 20 years American made motors have been out smarted and out sold by the likes of Honda and Toyota. The fact that an American car company has taken on the idea of going green in a way that far surpasses foreign automakers is wonderful because it shows that we, as a country, are getting on board globally with environmental protection.

2. The economy is bad and people in the automotive industry have seen it most. With people world wide becoming more environmentally conscious maybe this will boost sales for Chevy and bring jobs back to America.

3. Dude, could you imagine putting $5 worth of gas in your tank and it lasting you for 2 weeks! This car can save us sooooo much money! And even though the final cost of the Volt has not been publicized, it's estimated it will cost around $21,000, which is less than a Camry or any other car in it's class.

Overall, the Chevy Volt is a win win for the US and the environment. Now, as with anything there will be some issues with the first generation of Volts. However, given the current state of the economy and the environment, I think it's worth more than a test drive.

Brown Tip
I'm Thirsty!

Did you know plastic water bottles are beginning to surpass newspaper as one of the most recycled materials? This might sound nice but wants would be even nicer is if we would use bottles that can be reused (like reuseable plastic bottles or reusable aluminum bottles) or get a Britta or Pur water filter. To reduce the amount of materials going to be recycled which reducing whats going to landfills, we take going green a step further.

RIP MJ

With the passing of Micheal Jackson this week many people have taken a moment to reflect on his music. It is only fitting that this week's Brown Thumb be dedicated to MJ.

I have ALWAYS loved the Earth Song and I truly believe MJ was ahead of his time with this song.

Michael Jackson - New Music - More Music Videos

Brown Tip
Be Like Mike

MJ did so much for other people through his music. Let's take a lesson and help others the way MJ would.

Get Smart!

About a year ago I started noticing Smart Cars, the little 2 passenger cars, all over DC. I would laugh when I saw large men in these cars and just swore they were the most uncomfortable and unsafe things on the road. Even a co-worker of mine at EPA said, "They might be good on fuel, but wait until it gets hit by a Hummer!". LOL.

Even though it seemed like they came out of no where, Smart Cars have been a hit overseas since 2000. I think the fact that the Euro folks have embraced the Smart Car says a lot about how different they are as consumers. While we roll around in our Hummers and SUVs, our friends across the pond have embraced this little car as being hip and cool, and why not?! The car gets 33/40 mpg, has 70 horsepower, gets up to 90 miles per hour (which is good enough to keep up with the nice folks on the NJ Turnpike), and is made of 100% recycled synthetic materials. And while this car might seem like it should be a great deal since it only seats two people, the cost of the car is quite high at $13,000-17,000. Not too surprising considering it is produced by Mercedes Benz.

To be honest, as great as the Smart Car is on the environment, I'm a little upset it can't be made more affordable. Especially since going green is usually associated with being thrifty. I would love to have one, in addition to my SUV, for communiting purposes but I am not big mama money bags. But hey, if you can afford it and don't have kids, by all means, buy one!

Brown Tip
Take a hike!

This is not really a brown tip but I want to encourage folks to get out there and get active. More and more researchers are beginning to look at the impact of obesity on the economy and the environment as it relates to the increased cost of health care and resource availability. Furthermore, obesity and health conditions associated with obesity amoung African Americans are on the rise. Lets take some time out from our desks and couches and get some exercise. It doesn't have to be a marathon, but lets do something more for our health.

My President is GREEN!

I'm really excited about the new mileage standards introduced by Pres Obama. With gas on the rise and the economy in the dumps we could all save a little money. And isn't it great that we can help the environment at the same time?!

The New Obama mileage standards, which will take effect in 2012 (which is not that far away), will require cars and light trucks to get an average of 35.5 miles per gallon. DAYUM!!! Right now the only kind of vehicle that gets that type of mileage is a hybrid or smart car. But imagine being able to get that mileage in a car you WANT to be seen in!! I mean, I don't mind hybrids personally. But honestly folks, can you pick up dudes (or females) in a hybrid? They just don't have any swag. Now lets flip it and make it so your BMW 3 series now gets 30 mpg. WHAT!? That will be sooo tight!

But seriously folks, most countries in the world already have more stringent mileage standards in place. So in actuality, we are just playing catch up. As you can see on the chart above, the only folks we are doing better than on our projected mileage standards right now is California, go figure! And of course this will cost us something ($1500 extra per vehicle) but would you rather pay for it in your car payment now or in your taxes later?

Brown Tip
Wind Power!!!

I joined a program through my power company (BGE) to get wind power and it's about a penny cheaper than regular electric! Check it out http://www.cleancurrents.com

(Plastic) Baggage

Two weeks ago I took a trip with the Commission (the Prince George's County Solid Waste Commission that is) to the county landfill and composting facility. The purpose of the trip was to give the Commission a better idea of how the county manages it's solids waste. Both facilities were pretty cool and the tours were very informative, but there was something(s) that just kept bothering me. THESE DAMN PLASTIC BAGS!!!! (in the mommy dearest wire hangers voice)

There were plastic bags everywhere! I can't say I was surprised to see them there but I was surprised to find out how much they cost the county. At the composting facility, the managers had to buy a special plastic bag shredder (about $500K worth of equipment) and use workers to collect the bags. At the landfill, the managers have a difficult time keeping the bags on the landfill because they are so lite they can just fly away, so they too have to take extra time (and money) to collect the bags around the landfill.

I understand some people think that outright banning plastic bags and making people pay for reusable bags is not the answer. But I would ask those people this: do you want to pay for the bag now in the store or pay for it later in taxes? You decide.

BROWN TIP
"I brought my own bags, thank you!"

Reusable bags are so cheap now, most companies give them away for free. Keep them in your car, at your desk, or even in your purse. Just use them! They really do make all the environmental and economic difference.

Encounters

This past Earth Day, I had the pleasure of participating in a clean-up at Anacostia Park. Now I know what your thinking, "How can THAT be pleasureful?!" but it really was. Outside of me getting to know Styrofoam plates and the tips of black and mild cigars way too well, I met some young people that take part in the Earth Conservation Corps (ECC).

ECC is a non-profit that works with at risk young adults (17-24) in Washington, DC. They teach the ECC participants about the environment while giving them life skills. The program lasts a year and, according to one of the program managers, there is a waiting list to get into the program. To teach the participants about the environment they do neighborhood clean-ups, discuss the importance of environmental protection, and hold workshops so the participants can get green job skills.

During the clean up I talked with a 21 year old girl named B (not her real name) and asked her how she felt about the program and why she joined. She told me the program saved her life! B had been in and out of jail (12 times) as a young adult. She said she had no motivation to do anything but get money illegally and hang out. But then she got tired. She said she never really thought about what she was going to do with her life until she got in ECC, and it has kept her off the streets. Once she finishes the program she going to get her GED (which ECC will help her with) and start running her own ice cream trucks. She said she wanted to be a better person for her sister, who is starting to go down the same path as her. DAYUM!!!!

Dude, programs like this really get to me. There is one thing to save the environment, but to do that while saving a life...... I could really really appreciate that. There are so many young people lost in this world, and if teaching them about the environment helps them find themselves then I would say that's a win win for all of us.

Brown Tip
Give Back!

If it's the environment, mentoring, helping old folks, whatever you are good at, do something! In these hard economic times people really need to see peoples goodness and showing it doesn't cost anything.