Which E-Reader is the 'Greenest'?

I've been awaiting this post comparing the relative "greenness" (if that is a word) with great anticipation ever since I posted about whether an e-reader is a "green" gift to begin with.

The comparison was made by Eco-Libris based on points assigned according to adherence to 11 criteria. A link to the full comparison can be found within the post. However, the bottom line is that Kindle and Sony tied for first with four points, followed by Kobo with three and Nook taking up the rear with two points.

One caveat: there's insufficient data to make a completely informed decision on this. Even so, based on what we know, it appears that Kindle is probably the best (at least, according to Eco-Libris).

Imagine my relief as a Kindle user. Yay.

Coal vs. Solar: Which Uses More Land?

According to this recent article in Grist, "One of the most commonly accepted bits of conventional wisdom about energy is the notion that fossil fuels like coal are 'concentrated' and renewable sources are 'diffuse.'" What this is getting at is the notion that energy sources like solar take up too much space, while fossil fuels like coal take up far less.

According to the article, the idea that coal uses less land than solar power makes sense if you merely look at the sizes of both plants.

To wit: "California's proposed Blythe plant will require a whopping 7,000 acres of Mohave Desert in order to deliver 2,100 GWh per year. The area of a coal plant producing the same output will typically be one square mile (640 acres) or less."

However, as is pointed out, is this a fair and complete comparison? The answer would seem to be no.

It fails to take into account not only the amount of land being mined for coal, but land being indirectly affected by said mining. These affects can range from cracked roads to disappearing streams and ponds.

And while data on such land usage and affects is incomplete to say the least, the numbers really add up if extrapolated.

As for mining reclamation, laws geared toward its implementation don't seem to be working particularly well.

To quote the article: "As for whether using the sun or using coal to generate a kilowatt-hour disturbs more land, the answer is: coal. Based on the current mix of mining techniques, a solar thermal plant like Blythe will produce 18 GWh per acre of land over a 60-year period. In contrast, a coal-fired power plant will produce 15 GWh per acre of mined land. In other words, the land footprint of coal is about 20 percent bigger than the land footprint of solar thermal."


When queried about whether solar power actually required more land than coal power in light of this, a coal proponent claimed "what he was really talking about was the difficulty of finding suitable Blythe-sized parcels of land meeting all the necessary parameters, such as gradient, insolation, proximity to transmission, etc."

The article goes on to note that Blythe-sized plants may not even be necessary anyhow, citing a number of examples of smaller plants in other places.

Conclusion: "In reality, whether enough suitable sites will be developed to make solar thermal a major slice of the U.S. energy requirements seems mainly a matter of national priorities rather than actual availability. In the case of coal, Uncle Sam has bent over backwards to provide massive chunks of land for coal mining -- in particular by leasing large federal tracts of coal on the cheap in the Powder River Basin region in southeast Montana and northeast Wyoming. A quick scan of existing surface and longwall mines shows a number in the monster range of 5,000-60,000 acres. (By comparison, the area of Manhattan Island is 14,500 acres.)"


So ... politics as usual.

Is an E-Reader a 'Green' Gift?

While the matter of the "greenness" (greenness? just go with it) of using an e-reader versus reading books made of ink and dead trees has been discussed and debated, it is an unquestionable reality that ebooks are becoming more popular.

So in anticipation of the holidays, retailers expect there to be many e-reader gift purchases this year. Even so, the question of whether one or the other form of reading is more eco-friendly remains.

The answer would seem to be, it depends -- on a lot of things. Things that are taken into account in the Eco-Libris guide to figuring out whether an e-reader is an appropriate gift (in a "green" sense) for someone in particular.

It's a four-step assessment based on actual data that seems to make actual sense.

Note: check the Eco-Libris blog next week, when it covers the topic of which e-reader is best from a "green" point of view.

America Recycles Day!

In recognition of America Recycles Day (never heard of it, but that's okay), here's an article with helpful hints about recycling and reusing all sorts of things. It covers everything from composting to reusing old coffee grounds.

Finally, just because "something is passed it's best-before date doesn't mean it can't be used in new ways," including these.

So think twice before you toss out that overripe fruit, stale bread or moldy cheese.

Green Books Campaign: The Three Fates of Henrik Nordmark

This review is part of the Green Books campaign.Today 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco- friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.

The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on "green" books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.

This book is printed on FSC-certified paper.

Review: THE THREE FATES OF HENRIK NORDMARK

Author: Christopher Meades

Henrik Nordmark may be the plainest, most uninteresting person ever. Henrik is so alienated (and alienating) that he manages at one point to drive people out of a chat room by trying too hard and saying the wrong things. This would make for a very dull story – except that things change quickly. One day at the corner grocery, Henrik chases an errant plum he's dropped outside to the street and bumps into a stranger (who prevents him from lunging into traffic) wearing a tuxedo (in broad daylight!). The stranger stoops to retrieve the plum, a photo is snapped by a distant photographer and the stranger tells Henrik, "You must be careful, my friend," hands him the plum and disappears. For good.

Henrik ponders his near-death experience and vows that he shall become unique if it's the last thing he does.

The tuxedoed man is (of course) the photographer's intended target. However, the photo snapped is Henrik's. This photo is presented to three assassins, all of whom are over 90 years old and living in a retirement home. Their leader, Conrad, is blind. His cohorts Billy Bones and Arthur are (essentially) deaf and mute, respectively. Together, they comprise the world's worst assassination team.

There are three other players in this comedy of errors. Two of them are Roland and Bonnie, customers buying lottery tickets when Henrik dropped the plum. In all the excitement, their lottery tickets get switched. One is the winning ticket, but it ends up in the wrong hands.

Roland is almost (although, not quite) as hopeless as Henrik in the pathetic department. He tends to create his own problems, actually. He has a job and a girlfriend. He has a life Henrik would probably envy. However, he sees himself as a victim.

Meanwhile, there's Bonnie. She's married to Clyde. (Yes, cute, isn't it?) And they each secretly hate and plan to kill the other.

In any case, these people keep crossing paths. While Henrik searches for ways to become unique, the others keep showing up in some fashion or other, and suffer consequences. Meanwhile, the three assassins keep trying to kill Henrik and each attempt goes horribly and humorously awry.

And while the assassins' thwarted attempts may devastate others, Henrik wanders off, contemplating his plight in oblivion.

Will Henrik find salvation? Will it come from Parminder, the Indian woman who dispenses advice on the sly while working the phone banks for a religious organization?

This story, which is thought provoking and hilarious, will appeal to fans of the Douglas Adams sort. Readers who enjoy absurd humor and a bit of screwball comedy.

However, you'd be mistaken to take it for mere slapstick. THE THREE FATES OF HENRIK NORDMARK is about weird coincidence, fate and the ways life can be unfair. It's actually a harsh message, but Meades delivers it with humor, which helps it to go down easier.

The story culminates in a big finish, in which everyone may or may not get their just desserts. And Henrik's three fates? You'll have to read the book to find those out.

Ten Things You Can Do for the Green Books Campaign

Tomorrow at around 1 p.m. (time zone not specified), 200 bloggers will simultaneously post reviews of books printed on environmentally-friendly paper as part of the 2nd annual Eco-Libris Green Books Campaign. As it happens, I'll be one of them.

The 200 books to be reviewed will be on a wide variety of subjects, such as cooking, poetry, travel, history and fiction. This last one I know to be true, because I snagged a fiction title for myself: THE THREE FATES OF HENRIK NORDMARK by Christopher Meades. My review will appear here tomorrow, as well as on this blog.

In any case, here's 10 things you can do tomorrow for the Green Books Campaign to help promote the cause.

Thanks in advance for your attention and support!

The Seven Sins of Greenwashing

Recently TerraChoice (an environmental marketing agency) released a report with some interesting findings concerning greenwashing. Among other things, the report stated that malls have more "green" products and products with legitimate eco-friendly claims than smaller stores.

The report also stated that more than 95% of consumer products making a "green" claim committed at least one greenwashing sin.

Much like another list of sins, TerraChoice has identified seven that pertain to greenwashing.

Check out the list for yourself. It seems to provide an actual set of greenwashing criteria.

Hmm ... does the FTC know about these guys?

Where's the Green in NASCAR's Switch to Ethanol?

NASCAR racing (as part of an overall effort to be more environmentally conscious) will start using ethanol fuel at the 2011 Daytona 500.

According to USA Today:

"NASCAR has put an emphasis on recycling (all tires, oils, fluids and batteries used in competition are recycled, and sponsors have helped expand programs in campgrounds) and achieved LEED certification for new office buildings in Charlotte and Daytona Beach.

"But the switch to ethanol might be the most important step in achieving an ancillary benefit -- attracting new sponsors in the green economy to cash-strapped teams hurting for funding since the onset of the recession."

Well, awesome. Except the Environmental Working Group begs to differ on ethanol being eco-friendly.

As this article in Grist points out:

"We know that between 2005 and 2009, U.S. taxpayers spent $17 billion to subsidize corn ethanol blends in gasoline, an outlay that produced a paltry reduction in overall oil consumption equal to a 1.1 mile-per-gallon increase in fleetwide fuel economy.

"We're sure that corn ethanol production pollutes fresh-water sources in the Midwest. We know that there are serious concerns about ethanol plants and their impact on the environment. We know corn production for ethanol expands the dead zone in the Gulf. We also know it has led to obliteration of wildlife habitat.

"NASCAR might want to ask its fans whether they'd rather watch races or be able to fish in clean water or hunt in abundant habitat."

Oooh. That is so not cool. But wait. The article continues:

"It gets worse. According to this news release, all the ethanol supplied by NASCAR sponsor Sunoco will be produced by a plant in Fulton, N.Y., and blended with gasoline at another facility in Marcus Hooks, Pa. Which means that the fuel powering NASCAR's racers will have to be shipped by truck to far-flung racetracks all over the country.

"The result will be multiple ethanol tank trucks traveling to multiple tracks almost every week of the year. Will these huge semis be burning soy biodiesel? Doubtful.

"The 'green' benefit of burning thousands of gallons of diesel to haul a fuel with dubious environmental benefits to a location where hundreds of cars and trucks drive furiously around in circles, combined with the energy it takes to grow and haul the corn around in the first place is ... less than zero."

Well, ouch. And you do have to wonder how green any sport involving vehicles driving "furiously around in circles" would be in the first place.