Erik Organic

Living Green with Local Architecture

2010-02-08T13:32:00.004-06:00

Living Green isn't something that happens by accident - it has to be designed into the way we live and the buildings we live in. That's what noted green architect Job Mouwen of the Netherlands tells us in an article for Green Blog entitled "Sustainability - a renewed look at locality in architecture".

It's a tough, technical article, so it's worth summarizing. Nothing is more important to living green than our ecological footprint, which usually comes down to how much energy we consume. Green architecture has to take into account local climate and needs with an eye towards looking at every building as a kind of power plant. With energy in various forms all around us, buildings have to be designed to use the solar, wind, and organic sources of energy efficiently and wisely to work with the environment that they inhabit.

This new way of thinking isn't all that new, but the urgency is. Architects all around the world are beginning to focus on living green as the main purpose of their work because the need is so critical. That's the good news. The hard part is that it depends a lot on local conditions, meaning there aren't any easy answers that can be applied with a cookie cutter across the world.

This article is one of many hard-hitting examples from the Green Blog that are worth reading. Be prepared to take your time because it’s full of thought-provoking reading! In the end it's very much worth it because living green takes careful planning and a real change in your life. Are you ready? Green Blog is doing its best to help you say yes!

Alternative Transportation

2010-02-05T10:40:00.001-06:00

Yeah, you could get a hybrid car... but there are more ways to get around then the traditional set of wheels!

Check out these high tech and low tech ideas for getting around town on the cheap (and without a car):::

Scooters -

"Under many conditions, scooters are the fastest way to travel distances of less than a mile. Walking a half mile on level ground takes about 10 minutes for a reasonably fit adult. On a kick scooter, you can travel the same distance in 3 minutes. For people who make frequent trips of about a half mile, these savings can add up to several hours a week. Bicycles are faster than scooters, but they often require cumbersome lugging in and out of a building, or locking/unlocking outside. In most settings, a kick scooter beats a bike door to door for trips of up to 3/4 mile.

Also, when blending with transit, most electric scooters and all non-folding bikes are subject to prohibitions not imposed on small folding scooters that carry on like luggage."

Electric scooters are allowed on public transit (bus/train/plane); gas-powered scooters are prohibited.
Electric scooters are allowed inside public buildings; gas-powered scooters are prohibited.
Noise and air pollution of gas-powered scooters is eliminated (along with public disapproval).
Due to the simplicity of electric motors, less maintenance is required.
Electric motors provide quick starts and hill-climbing without the delay of gas engine "ramp up".
Although often purchased as a "toy", electric scooters often live long lives as transportation.

Check out some KICK SCOOTERS here via electric-bikes.com

Motor Scooters -

At the bigger/faster end of two-wheeled electric vehicles are electric motor-scooters and electric motorcycles.
Performance of electric motor-scooters lies between electric bikes and gas-powered motor-scooters. Motor-scooters with a top speed of 30 mph qualify in most states as a "moped".
Electric motorcycles currently don't offer the range of gas-powered cycles, but can offer better acceleration and less maintenance."

eGO-2 Cycle, e-Moto Scooters, Zapino, Forsen, EVT, GreenEmotor, Falcon EV motorscooters
via electric-bikes.com

CycleCar (aka Commute Car) - "A freeway capable commuter vehicle with all the latest electric technology. The first affordable car was called the "Cyclecar" in 1910. (Wikipedia: Cyclecar) This new CycleCar strives for its place in history as the first affordable electric commuter with plenty of performance and range."

Seats two passengers side by side.
10 gallon trunk capacity with inside light.
Front/Rear independent hydraulic shock absorbers.
Front/Rear hydraulic disc brakes.
Windshield wipers.
97" length, 74" wheelbase, 56" width, 55" height.
Two tone upholstery seats - Automatic rectractable seat belts.
Electric Accessories: 12 Volt Socket, Parking Light, Inside Cabin Light
2 tone painting. Standard colors red, white, blue, yellow. Black top and underside.
Security glass sunroof.
Three wheeled vehicle registers and insures as a motorcycle. Less than half the insurance of a car.

via electric-bikes.com

Electric Bike -

want to save money, meet new people, and protect the environment;

enjoy the feeling of riding a bicycle - except for hills, headwinds, and starting from a stop;
prefer their local errands to be easy, slow paced and scenic;
look for extra chances to exercise - even if it's just a little;
still need convenient, point-to-point transportation after losing their driving privleges;
want their own traffic "lane", convenient parking spots and shortcuts;
considered a gas-powered moped or motorscooter, but dislike the noise, smell, starting problems and special laws;
deserve more fun and freedom in their lives.

Go here for The top 10 reasons to buy an electric bike ...
via electric-bikes.com

Good Ole' fashion Bicycle -

Bikes are low maintenance
good exercise
low tech
parts are always easily available in just about any town

This one might take more physical endurance, but in regions which are flat taking a bike to work could end up a lot quicker and healthier then sitting in exhaust clouds of traffic!

Donkey, Mule or Horse - Grass not gas! All you need to make your donkey, mule or horse go is an acre of grass and some hay! (Plus some love and tune ups with your local livestock vet.)

no parts required
fuel is everywhere
it will be your friend for life

Ride Eco!!!

Sustainable Forestry

2010-02-04T16:40:00.004-06:00

What does it take to make wood furniture that brings a sense of grace and beauty into your house? Craftsmanship and real walnut and cherry wood are definitely important, but so is a sense of pride that your dining room table or solid wood bed was not made at the expense of the land we live on. Sustainable wood harvesting isn't just some lofty goal, it's a big part of what consumers need to expect.

How do you know that you're the quality walnut or cherry came from sustainable forestry? That's another difficulty.

The best way to be sure that wood furniture was made from sustainable wood harvesting practices is certification through the Forest Stewardship Council. They have a process called "Certified Origin" Wood. Because wood and wood products are sold through so many distributors, an established "chain of custody" has to be established where each step along the way can certify that every piece of walnut, cherry, and oak that they claim came from sustainable forestry. That can be expensive and time consuming.

Here at Erik Organic, we buy our wood furniture directly from the craftsman who, in most cases, buy their wood from small mills nearby. The hardwoods usually come from windbreaks on farmland that have become overgrown and ready to harvest. Generally, most of the wood comes from sustainable forestry in the sense that we know where it came from. But it's hard to certify walnut or cherry when it comes from small stands across the countryside. Sustainable wood harvesting can't just be something you should just take our word on, either.

We are working to figure out a solution that keeps our local system in place while still being able to abide by the standards that were written for the larger needs of sustainable forestry. It has not been easy so far. In the meantime, it would be good to acquaint yourself with what the Forest Stewardship Council has to say about sustainable wood harvesting. When you are buying wood furniture you should be buying more than craftsmanship and quality, you should be part of the solution that includes sustainable wood harvesting.

Fine hardwood furniture made from walnut and cherry are beautiful, but the sense of grace that makes them heirloom furniture includes sustainable forestry. Our goal is to be able to insure that at a small, local level that you can depend on.

Gardening For Wildlife!

2010-02-03T16:30:00.000-06:00

There is more to organic gardening then simply not spraying chems on the food we grow - there is a delicate eco system to keep in balance in each of our backyards! The healthiest way to start your garden is with hardy plants native to your region - this will attract, feed and house local wildlife & keep dangerous exotics commonly sold at big box stores from attracting the wrong kind of pests. Keeping the rest of your non- food garden native will help out your food garden by attracting beneficial insects, keeping out exotic disease, and retaining better soil quality (aka, no chemical fertilizers or sprays to try and force the exotics to grow in the wrong climate.)
The National Wildlife Federation has a really awesome program set up to help nature lovers and gardeners unite all over the USA to make their gardens an eco friendly mecca for wildlife. Already having over 70,000 acres worth of land certified across the country as National Wildlife Federation Backyard Habitats, you too can easily join in by following just a few simple pointers in the guide below - then you can get your home certified as a peaceful refuge for native plants, birds and mammals in your town! (You can even get a cool sign to put up, that shows your accomplishment...)

The following is the NWF guide to gardening for wildlife, written by the NWF:::

Create a Certified Wildlife Habitat

Whether you have an apartment balcony or a 20-acre farm, you can create a garden that attracts beautiful wildlife and helps restore habitat in commercial and residential areas. By providing food, water, cover and a place for wildlife to raise their young--and by incorporating sustainable gardening practices--you not only help wildlife, but you also qualify to become an official Certified Wildlife Habitat™.

How to Create a Wildlife-Friendly Garden

Provide Food for Wildlife

Everyone needs to eat! Planting native forbs, shrubs and trees is the easiest way to provide the foliage, nectar, pollen, berries, seeds and nuts that many species of wildlife require to survive and thrive. You can also incorporate supplemental feeders and food sources.

Supply Water for Wildlife

Wildlife need clean water sources for many purposes, including drinking, bathing and reproduction. Water sources may include natural features such as ponds, lakes, rivers, springs, oceans and wetlands; or human-made features such as bird baths, puddling areas for butterflies, installed ponds or rain gardens.

Create Cover for Wildlife

Wildlife require places to hide in order to feel safe from people, predators and inclement weather. Use things like native vegetation, shrubs, thickets and brush piles or even dead trees.

Give Wildlife a Place to Raise Their Young

Wildlife need a sheltered place to raise their offspring. Many places for cover can double as locations where wildlife can raise young, from wildflower meadows and bushes where many butterflies and moths lay their eggs, or caves where bats roost and form colonies.

Let Your Garden Go Green

How you maintain your garden or landscape can have an important effect on the health of the soil, air, water and habitat for native wildlife--as well as the human community nearby. Reducing chemical use, composting, mulching and reducing turf grass in your yard are important steps to gardening greener.

Ready...Set...Certify!

Once you have provided these essential elements to make a healthy and sustainable wildlife habitat, join the thousands of wildlife enthusiasts across the country who have earned the distinction of being part of NWF's Certified Wildlife Habitat™ program.

Read more about native gardening HERE.

Distressed Wood Furniture

2010-02-02T14:37:00.003-06:00

Distressed wood is a term for wood furniture that has been made to look as though it is older than it is. When it is done well, a fine table, dresser, or chair should not be made to look as though they are worn or beaten up, but have the natural effects that come from being old. It's popular finish option for many kinds of heirloom furniture.

The process of making distressed wood furniture is outlined in detail on our website. It starts with a well crafted piece such as a walnut table, a cherry dresser, or an sturdy oak chair. It then takes a lot of careful consideration as to what makes a piece look like well aged heirloom furniture without going too far. The most common approach is to use layered finishes that show through each other, as if loving hands have been using the piece over many years.

Distressed wood furniture should never be done by amateurs, and indeed distressing is a craft in itself. It is important to understand not only how fine wood furniture is made but how it slowly ages. For example, a wood table may develop variations in the finish on the top due to hot plates and spills over years of use. A dresser may have its drawer corners worn smoother over time, and a chair will have the finish worn away on the arms.

There are other effects that are more "natural" that often go into making distressed wood furniture. Woodworms leave behind holes that can make the surface of a wood table or the front of a dresser look pock-marked. This has to be done carefully, however, if it is to look like natural aging of fine woods like walnut and cherry rather than pattern made by people. Once again, it comes down to studying what happens to heirloom furniture over time

Some people may regard the look of distressed wood furniture as artificial or just fake. It should never be the only way a piece of furniture comes because the craft cannot be done well in mass production. If you like the look of distressed wood it is essential that it be done by a craftsman who is well versed in all aspects of heirloom furniture. The same person who shapes the walnut or cherry needs to be involved in preparing the aged finish.

If you like distressed wood furniture, insist on the best. There is never any substitute for craftsmanship!

Fun Solar Gadgets

2010-02-01T08:15:00.006-06:00

There is likely a solar powered version now of most gadgets we love - from our holiday lights to our pond aerator! Check out some of these practical, fun and wild ways you can harness the sun for a more eco & affordable lifestyle.

"This low-cost, high-performance solar oven can produce cooking temperatures within an hour in full sun and be used for up to six hours; perfect for baked goods or slow-cooking stews. The Hot Pot Simple Solar Cooker includes a 5.3 quart enameled steel pot. The aluminum reflector sides fold down for easy storage. The oven can reach temperatures up to 212-350 degrees. Respected institutions such as Florida Solar Energy Center and Energy Laboratories, Inc. tested and refined the product's design over a six-year period. Sales of the Hot Pot help subsidize the distribution of this device in developing countries to reduce deforestation and respiratory disease caused by traditional cooking methods. $99 at Real Goods."

"Buying rechargable batteries is always far better than purchasing the disposable ones. However, it's still not a perfect method. It helps so that you're throwing away less batteries, but at the same time you're still plugging something into the wall and using your electricity to charge the batteries. Instead of plugging a battery charger into the wall, this ReNEW would allow for your rechargable batteries to become even more eco-friendly.

This ReNEW charger allows for you to just drop the batteries through the top slot and once the battery is all charged it will drop out of the bottom. On the back of the unit is a solar panel that is the resource of the power pumped into your batteries. The charger can either sit on a tabletop like a picture frame or you could use the suction cup to attach it to a window. It's a fantastic design, but sadly it is still a concept. By Ubergizmo "

"If you're thinking of attempting to use solar power more often, here's a bag that'll store your gadgets and even keep them charged. It's large enough that it'll work great for your day to day needs, while giving the convenience of having the ability to charge your cellphone no matter where you're at. Plus you'll get to show off to the world that you're taking an eco-friendly stance.

The solar panels produce over 3 watts when it's in direct sunlight. Even on a cloudy day it can still charge up a 1600mAh Li-ion battery pack. Then of course you can store up the energy and even use it at night after the sun has set. The bag itself is capable of holding a 15.4" laptop, plus probably a few of your smaller gadgets. To pick up the oxhide bag, it'll cost you about $250." Envirogadget

"Fancy tanning yourself out under the sun? Why not have some quiet personal time in the privacy of your own backyard with this solar-powered bullet vibrator, courtesy of Libida? Should you feel shy about baring your bits in full view of anyone with a good pair of binoculars or telescopes, there is always the option to use it indoors as it can also function via artificial light as well. This eco-friendly device retails for $29.95 a pop." Product Page via Popgadget

"Who would have thought that something as ordinary as a drinking bottle could also harness the power of the sun with a strategically placed solar panel, where this converted energy can then be used to power its built-in lantern? The LightCap 300 Solar Powered Lantern & Water Bottle does exactly just that, retailing for a mere $29.99 while featuring a quartet of extremely bright white LEDs without weighing you down with its 10.5 oz weight for both bottle and cap. The translucent cap is deemed to be unbreakable, although we're pretty sure that falls within reasonable boundaries and does not include having a huge slab of concrete dropped over it from a few meters above. Looks like a decent tool to bring camping, and at least you can see whether any creepy-crawlies have made it to the inside of your drink at night before taking a few sips. "

"The Solar Cabin System:
These systems are designed for intermittent use, including weekends and holidays, with time to charge your system between visits. Use the system sizing worksheet and power consumption table on the opposite page to get an idea of your energy needs. A solar system can run DC appliances and lights or you can add an inverter and run conventional AC 120- volt appliances. Estimating the length of your average visits and the length of time between those visits will help you (and our expert technicians) determine which system is right for you. If you need more power for full-time operation, we can help you with that, too. Battery options are listed separately. You will need to provide wire and some other parts (available locally) depending on your particular application." Real Goods.

***

Learn More About How Solar Power Works HERE.

Tiny Houses Rule!

2010-01-29T15:30:00.001-06:00

If you haven't seen the tiny houses blog yet, you must scoot over there right now and check it out! (Well, like after you finish reading this...)
As you might have guessed the tiny houses blog is about reallllllly tiny houses. In a world of bigger is better and the endless building of Mc'mansions these tiny houses are a dream about something simple, eco, stable and affordable coming to reality for people all over the globe. It won't break the bank or your back and is a whole less likely to be lost in the foreclosure shuffle - but really the best qualities are many tiny homes are built totally eco with materials which are free, reclaimed, less toxic, and absolutely create far less waste then the typical biggie sized house of modern times! The interiors are as fascinating as the exteriors, making the ultimate statement in how to organize, space save, and be creative with what you've got. Not to mention, less space to collect junk means less consumerism and a healthier planet for all.
Some of these tiny houses are on wheels, some hidden in dense forested landscapes, on islands, and some even float on water!

Check out all things tiny & house in this list of categories from the Tiny Houses Blog:::

Earth/Cob

Floating Homes

Log Construction

Park Model Homes

Pre-fab

Solar

Stick Built

Straw Bale

Timber Frame

Travel Trailers

Tree House

Yurts

- Leslie Richard

(We also recommend tiny houses built by Jim, who is currently working on a small home for Erik!)

Urban Biking

2010-01-28T17:22:00.003-06:00

Urban biking can be tricky. More than just all the cars that you have to contend with, a good urban biking experience often involves some use of mass transit when commutes get long or the weather nasty.

This excellent post on ecogeek.org has some examples of great concepts that make urban biking a little easier. They include regenerating electric assist for heavy traffic, a folding bike that can be taken just about anywhere, and an excellent high-density storage option for transit centers.

While you are there, check out the rest of ecogeek.org. There are other articles on urban biking as well as many other key environmentally friendly issues. These include the latest on high-speed rail corridors and an update on the status of the wind turbines that might just power them.

House Plants For Fresh Indoor Air

2010-01-28T07:31:00.003-06:00

Have you ever wondered how to cheaply and easily clean your indoor air? You may have done some renovations which were toxic, moved into a home recently painted with VOC paint, or found the air quality in the winter seems stagnant from not being able to open windows - any reason you might have, indoor air is a vital part of our health. Most people these days spend more time indoors then outdoors making the environment in which we work and live an integral part of keeping our mind, body, soul in balance. There are many air filters on the market which can help filter the air, but the best and most affordable air filter is the one nature made to clean our air...the flora of the forest - plants, trees, and shrubs! When studied by the EPA house plants had capabilities of cleaning wood smoke and formaldehyde out of a room within 24-48 hours in some cases, simply using a group of potted spider plants.

Here is a fantastic TED talk about including house plants that clean your indoor air in the home and office- and why it is so important to have at least these three top plants....

The list compiled by NASA, of the best air refreshing plants to keep indoors:

English Ivy (Hedera helix)
Spider plant (Chlorophytum comosum)
Golden pothos or Devil's ivy (Scindapsus aures or Epipremnum aureum)
Peace lily (Spathiphyllum 'Mauna Loa')
Chinese evergreen (Aglaonema modestum)
Bamboo palm or reed palm (Chamaedorea sefritzii)
Snake plant or mother-in-law's tongue (Sansevieria trifasciata 'Laurentii')
Heartleaf philodendron (Philodendron oxycardium, syn. Philodendron cordatum)
Selloum philodendron (Philodendron bipinnatifidum, syn. Philodendron selloum)
Elephant ear philodendron (Philodendron domesticum)
Red-edged dracaena (Dracaena marginata)
Cornstalk dracaena (Dracaena fragans 'Massangeana')
Janet Craig dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Janet Craig')
Warneck dracaena (Dracaena deremensis 'Warneckii')
Weeping Fig (Ficus benjamina)
Gerbera Daisy or Barberton daisy (Gerbera jamesonii)
Pot Mum or Florist's Chrysanthemum (Chrysantheium morifolium)
Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica)

Don't spray toxic air "fresheners" when nature would love to do the job for you!

- Leslie Richard

Art from Trash

2010-01-27T18:34:00.004-06:00

So perhaps you're really "in" to recycling, and proud of your ability to recycle most of your waste.
Getting all those plastic bags and so on melted back into plastic bags makes you feel it's worth the effort, right?

You've got nothing on Diane K Designs!

Not to make fun of all the good things you can do by recycling, but Diane takes old department store backs and other plastic items and makes them into useful objects. Not ordinary useful objects, that is, but genuine works of art. She also works in recycled glass, acupuncture needles, and other things people might not think of as a medium.

She has for sale her purses, jewelry and vases among other unique creations. It's just one example of what you can do when you realize that garbage, like art, is all a matter of attitude (if that sounds right!)

Check out her shop on Etsy for more interesting items. They make great gifts!

- Erik Hare

Post-Consumerist Times and Heirloom Furniture

2010-01-26T19:05:00.003-06:00

Has consumerism got ya down?

It's not just you, it's the whole economy that has something of a post-consumerist hangover. Years of buying just about whatever we wanted and not worrying about when we'd have to throw it out gradually gave way to greater environmental awareness. This economic downturn might be the perfect time to take it to the next level, and heirloom furniture is a part of that movement.

"Heirloom furniture" means well crafted pieces that you expect to be able to hand down from one generation to the next. They aren't necessarily totally hand-made, but often are. They are made from solid materials that are meant to last with joinery and fasteners that are strong. That's what makes them an important part of a post-consumerist world.

This may seem like a strange time to invest in heirloom furniture, but one of the great problems facing us as we move to a post-consumerist economy is that in previous years many things that were once in a lifetime purchases became throw-away consumables. Furniture is only one example of something that became cheap enough to be a disposable commodity, where once heirloom furniture that was handed down through generations dominated.

A time when everyone has to watch what they spend carefully may not look like the best time for heirloom furniture. After all, the work of a craftsman in real wood is more expensive up front. But if we're truly moving toward a post-consumerist world, anything that is designed to last more than a lifetime is something that stays out of the waste stream - and doesn't have to be purchased over and over.

That's how heirloom furniture is actually cheaper over the long run. Especially the very long run, that is.

Those of us who are working hard to reduce, re-use, and recycle everything we can always wind up looking at things a little bit differently. A post-consumerist world is, after all, about thinking ahead of time - and the longer the better. Heirloom furniture shows clearly why furniture should never have been made a commodity in the first place. The way forward can be the way back, but in the case of furniture it can also be more beautiful.

These choices are not only more obvious in hard times, they are also, like everything else, a bit harder. No one ever said that post-consumerist world would be easy. In the next few weeks, we'll be looking at ways that heirloom furniture is a big part of making a world that is cleaner, more beautiful, and ultimately something we can afford better. It's the perfect choice for our changing world.

- Erik Hare

Ecological Footprint

2010-01-25T13:00:00.006-06:00

Ever wonder about your own ecological footprint?

You can find out just how much impact you are having on the environment with this simple interactive quiz. It's a teaching tool that was developed by the Center for Sustainable Economy in Santa Fe, New Mexico. You can calculate your own ecological footprint or use the website as part of classroom instruction with the wealth of information that they provide.

The Center for Sustainable Economy has a lot of other great information on their website beyond the ecological footprint calculator. There are guides to advocacy, policy analysis, and plenty more. They are one of the great resources on the web for anyone who is interested how to live a more sustainable life.

But like anything, it starts with your own individual choices. By understanding your own ecological footprint you can learn how to minimize your own effect on the world and take direct action. It makes a great place to start.

It can be even more fun to get your friends and relations to take the ecological footprint quiz and see where everyone you know stands on this green planet, so pass this link along!

- Erik Hare

Corporate Speech - It's About Return on Investment

2010-01-21T20:37:00.007-06:00

The Supreme Court decision further strengthening the free speech rights of corporations is puzzling because it doesn't reflect the realities of corporate management.

Managers of public corporations are encouraged to pursue the highest return on investment (ROI) with the lowest risk. In many industries, the ROI on political contributions will be higher than any other form of investment, and the primary risk will occur when outspent by a competitor.

How will this affect various industries?

- For industries that deal in government procurements or contracts, the cost of political campaigns will simply be factored into the bid. Putting in the lowest bid is irrelevant if you can insert a provision into the law favoring your company, such as "Corporations incorporated on May 1 2002 in cities of between 25,000 and 30,000 people receive 15 extra points in the evaluation". The cost of government contracts will simply increase to cover the cost of the political campaigns required to secure them.

- For industries that compete in regulated industries, the optimal strategy will be to pass regulations that serve put your competitors out of business. It doesn't have to be a big change in the law, not does it have to be particularly controversial. An example in our own industry was the lead paint child safety law, which required individual component testing of every single item used in a toy -- even if that component was 100% natural in origin. Though later amended, this law put several handcrafted toymakers out of business and put a chill on companies considering further investment in the industry.

As a general rule, if your company has purchased enough political favors then it can decrease regulation on its own business practices and increase regulation of its competitors. All it takes is inserting a few provisions into legislation; business is decided on the margins, and a 5% shift in net profit can be enough to turn entire industries upside down.

- For particularly powerful industries, there's an incentive to work together and have the government mandate that consumers purchase your product.

- With this change in law, political campaigns will become an endemic and easily calculated cost of doing business. The reason that "the floodgates are open" is that political contributions will provide the highest ROI of any investment for many corporations. However, money doesn't drop from helicopters (unless you're a member of the Federal Reserve), and in many cases this money will be shifted from budgets with higher public utility (like research & development). Corporations that spend heavily on getting their preferred candidates into office will quickly gain an advantage over their competitors. This will create a reallocation of resources, which will have the long term affect of stifling innovation in the market.

For-profit corporations were chartered to make a profit for their shareholders, and corporate managers are tasked with pursuing business strategies with the highest ROI and the lowest risk. This Supreme Court decision will shift the ROI calculations for many American corporations, which will impede the operations of the free market by increasing government intervention.

I recognize the main counter-argument, so let me present a strawman version of it for easy thwacking:

"This won't happen, because these sorts of things will be in the news! Public accountability will keep it clean!"

I'm sorry, but that's simply not realistic. The public pressure is likely to be minimal, as there is only so much outrage to go around ... it's difficult to be simultaneously angry at 1500 different corporations. The worst abuses will appear on the local news, sure. But the edge of the envelope will be pushed quickly due to the massive amounts of money involved.

In rare cases where public pressure is significant enough to kick back at a company, the investment can simply be passed through a proxy. The art of creating fake organizations as cover isn't exactly rocket science.

- Erik Schimek

Potential for Renewable Wind Energy

2010-01-21T18:25:00.003-06:00

How much of our electricity can be generated by renewable wind using existing technologies? The answer is as much as 30%, according to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

The study was based on using the current electricity grid along with as much renewable wind energy as possible. It was based on the idea that the wind is always blowing somewhere, so the more widespread the wind generation the more likely it was to provide constant energy. There are still limits to how much electricity can be sent around the country using that grid, so it tops out at around 30% of all electricity.

For those of us who want to see a 100% renewable energy grid, it's clearly not enough. But it is a great start, and it proves that renewable wind energy has some potential. After all, 30% is better than nothing.

The study goes a bit further in terms of anticipating future technologies that might allow for more wind usage by individual "point source" renewable wind energy. That's a lot further down the road, however, and needs a lot more research. What's important is what can be done today with existing technology to prove the concept.

Renewable wind energy is definitely going to be a part of our future – it's a question of when and how much. This study tells us that nearly a third of our electricity can be made this way today. It's a good start.

Make your own butter

2010-01-20T13:54:00.002-06:00

Ever wonder how to make your own butter?

This article at wewantorganicfood.com tells you how to do it using raw milk that you buy from your trusted, local organic dairy farmer. It's simple, fun, and the perfect compliment to home-made bread.

There are many other articles at wewantorganicfood.com that are worth checking out while you are there, too. It's a site we are happy to recommend!

Timber Edge Tabletop

2010-01-19T14:15:00.003-06:00

Our craftsmen are always looking for new ways to highlight the beauty of real wood. That's a big part of the appeal of the new Timber Edge Tabletop that we are proud to offer.

The effect is made by gluing the rich heartwood of darker oak with lighter sapwood in alternating blocks. The combination of the two into one Timber Edge Tabletop is stronger than either would be alone, as well as more resistant to changes in climate.

The trees that our Timber Edge Tabletop came from grew in one way in response to the stress that they found in their own environment and are naturally prone to push and pull with changes in humidity in temperature in one direction. The combination cancels out those stresses and makes the new solid more stable.

This technique is a very old one that has been used for centuries. The difference with the Timber Edge Tabletop is that styles like this are usually hidden behind paint. Our craftsman have taken to using it to highlight the beauty of natural wood as well as the inherent strength.

The result is the rich, wild look of the Timber Edge Tabletop that you see here. Think of it as a way of laying bare an ancient technique, finally out in the open for everyone to see.

Dr. King and Environmental Justice

2010-01-18T11:51:00.002-06:00

"All of life is interrelated. We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied to a single garment of destiny."

- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Today is the day we celebrate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, probably the most influential organizer and civil leader in our history. While Dr. King is known for his impassioned speeches and bold action to advance civil rights, there were many other struggles for justice that he was ready to take on. There was so much left to do, but at the end of his short life he began to recognize the importance of what today would call "environmental justice".

The term "environmental justice" was not in use during Dr. King's lifetime, but the concept was beginning to emerge. Certainly, the quote above shows that the basic principle was well understood by Dr. King when he said this to an audience in 1965.

It has been suggested that King's appearance at the strike by Memphis sanitation workers was the first sign that he was interested in environmental justice, but that may be a bit thin. An earlier trip to India is probably more enlightening as Dr. King saw firsthand how terrible poverty and pollution went hand-in-hand.

Many of the followers of Dr. King have long contended that environmental justice is the logical extension of the work he was doing to promote equality and justice around the world. On this day where we celebrate his life and work, a little time spent considering what King might champion today is time well spent orienting your mind to what is important.

It seems reasonable that environmental justice would definitely be part of the ongoing struggle for Dr. King today, especially given what we know about him. Though the movement was still in its infancy in 1968, we can see that Dr. King was there at the birth. That's reason enough to celebrate today.

Landfill Gas, Energy from Waste

2010-01-15T12:25:00.002-06:00

"Landfill Gas" is the technical term for the gas that is produced by the decay of garbage in a landfill. It's mostly methane, which make it dangerous and a terrible greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. But at the same time, it's also a potential source of renewable energy if it's properly captured. Some researchers are starting to see the potential of this as a resource, and the work they are doing might change the way we think of this "problem".

There's little doubt that it's always better to reduce, reuse, and recycle to the point where the amount of garbage we have to deal with is less. However, life itself produces some amount of waste that we simply cannot avoid. More and more researchers are using the vast landfills full of waste as laboratories to learn how we might use whatever we can't recycle as a source of fuel.

There are problems with the idea. Simply taking any garbage and making fuel from it produces a fair amount of dioxin and other pollutants, so it's important to screen what comes in first. This will never be a simple "drop in" system that doesn't first require a lot of attention to detail. How that might work out is the first problem with developing any new system that can be genuinely called "green".

If you're trying to get "off the grid" this may not have a lot of appeal to you right away. But the technologies being developed are looking at how methane can be encouraged and collected for use as a fuel that can produce heat and electricity. With a little bit of greening up, this knowledge can be made useful in smaller scale to collection facilities perhaps no bigger than one house or one neighborhood.

What matters now is understanding the conditions that make what is now a pollution problem and learning how to collect it in a way that makes it an asset. It's not a new approach, but new learning is being applied all the time. It might be something that makes all the difference in a few years' to reduce everyone's carbon footprint.

Sustainable Housing - Haiti and You

2010-01-14T11:55:00.004-06:00

Good, sustainable housing is needed in many parts of the developing world. In Haiti, the need for quality housing is going to be a crisis for a long time to come as they rebuild after the terrible earthquake. Given the lack of building materials, sustainability isn't just a nice option either - it's a necessity.

The Tiny House Blog is tackling this question with an open forum, asking their members to comment on what kinds of sustainable housing might make good options for Haiti as it rebuilds. It's an interesting discussion that gets beyond the tragedy and into making a difference for the future.

If you're not familiar with Tiny House Blog, it is a great resource for people who want to simplify their lives. Sustainable housing is just one part of what they write about. Check them out and learn how you can reduce your carbon footprint dramatically.

You may also want to visit Tiny Green Cabins for some great sustainable housing options for yourself. They have some great options for green living in just the space you need, or for a little extra space in the backyard.

Minimalism and Hardwood Furniture

2010-01-13T12:16:00.006-06:00

The power of real hardwood furniture is in the wood itself. Every home and decor can be enhanced with the simple beauty of a bit of nature made into something useful. As graceful and elegant as real woods like walnut and cherry are on their own, however, craftsmanship is what makes it a part of your life. Equal parts skill and nature come together in the simple philosophy of minimalism in the hands of a master of the craft.

Minimalism is, at the heart of it, the belief that "form follows function". Hardwood furniture made by such a craftsman is more than just the texture and swirls of wood but something that serves a purpose. A dresser has to store clothes, a table has to support the weight and wear of thousands of family meals. Careful attention to the need might make some people shy away from hardwoods like walnut, but not if you want nature to be a part of your life.

The craftsman making hardwood furniture has to have both usefulness and the powerful beauty of natural wood as goals at the same time. That makes minimalism even more important because it stresses the basics. Natural woods like walnut are adornment enough as they take the shape of what will make them useful. The form of the furniture, such as the great expanse of wood that makes a dining room table top, gets to stand on its own as it graces the life of a family.

Traditional styles work very well in natural hardwood furniture because it is what we are used to. That's fine as far as they go. What is sometimes less obvious is that letting the wood stand alone in a minimalist style makes a kind of hardwood furniture that brings out the beauty of woods like walnut even more because it gets to be just what it is. A good craftsman knows how to let this happen as the form takes shape.

Those who love natural hardwood furniture might want to consider styles that stress the form for this reason. Minimalism is more than just a philosophy, it is ultimately a way of life. A good craftsman knows that usefulness and natural beauty are not ever in conflict with each other, but an expression of basic values.

Minimalism is where those values come together in the simplest way possible to make great hardwood furniture.

DIY: Compost Toilet On The Cheap

2010-01-11T12:28:00.004-06:00

Don't know about plumbing? Wanna push yourself off grid? Or possibly lighten up your carbon footprint by not flushing gallons of water down the drain everyday? Many earth friendly homesteaders look to composting, not just for their kitchen scraps but also for their household human waste. Only problem is many ambitious newbies can't afford a streamline, more traditional looking composting toilet which can range in the thousands $$ of dollars. Luckily with the power of the interwebs we are able to see how people have made their very own "humanure" composting toilet on a shoe string budget - ranging as low as $25 for all the materials. Of course many of the materials needed to build a composting toilet yourself may already be sitting in your garage, yard, or a friend's junk pile - so it may even be possible to churn out a functional off grid toilet for free!

The main materials you'll need to get started:::

big bucket/ humanure catch container
cover material/leaves/fresh sawdust/peat moss
wood/some type of box
toilet seat

To learn about the full process of composting human waste go to the video page linked HERE.

To view some owner made compost toilet photos go HERE.

Watch this DIY video below to see how to make not only a cheap compost toilet but also a humanure potty that is pretty!

Lisa from Florida

2010-01-08T12:34:00.001-06:00

"Hello!

Here are two pics of Nate sleeping in his new bed. I have also included one pic of him asking Santa for a "big boy bed".

The bed and mattress are wonderful. I even sleep better at night knowing he is sleeping in a bed made here in the U.S., made with real wood and not particle board and not covered in finishes that could generate harmful fumes. The latex mattress is comfortable and we look forward to purchasing one in the coming months for our other son and even perhaps for ourselves. We are so glad Erik Organic furniture was a choice we could make for our son's first (and only!) bed.

Best,
Lisa"

Eco Friendly Transportation: Electric Bikes

2010-01-07T11:12:00.005-06:00

Did you ever think it would be so much cooler to zip past the smelly car traffic on the road via bicycle, but then thought about how exhausting it might be to make a 20 mile bike ride to work? Although many people are healthy enough to make a bike trip, there are others who need a little assistance. Electric bikes don't use any gasoline and are powered in general by a throttle or kick started with some light pedaling - then this amazing hidden motor takes you away, giving the rider the choice between exercise and a relaxing 'drive'. In a world that could use less pollution and people who need more fresh air, an electric bike is a great solution for the eco minded masses.

Here are 7 reasons to get an electric bike (written by the experts at MyEbike.com):::

1) Health

An electric bike is an incredibly seductive form of exercise. You won't ever need to force yourself to get on the bike. You'll want to. It will make you feel good. You still get exercise, you just don't ache. It's like having your fairy god mother tap you on the shoulder with her magic want and make you twice as strong. If you have physical disabilities or encumbrances, an electric bike can mean all the difference in the world. If you're just out of shape, an electric bike can mean feeling healthier day in and day out. Either way, you'll ride your electric bike and appreciate how "no pain, no gain" becomes “all gain, no pain.”

2) Convenience

An electric bike is an exceptionally convenient form of transportation. It’s simple and quick. You can easily move yourself around town. You can also carry two big bags of groceries and whatever else you want to load onto the bike. An electric bike can easily carry a child-seat or tow a child trailer.

By removing the hassles of parking and adding the endorphins of an easy bike ride, an electric bike can replace a car for neighborhood errands.

3) Money

An electric bike can be cheaper than a gym membership, car insurance, or car payments. For many people, an electric bike will replace the car for neighborhood errands, enable them to drive a car significantly less, or replace a car altogether. A car costs $.10-.40 per mile to operate (including purchase price, insurance, taxes, and maintenance). An electric bike costs pennies per day. It's one of the most convenient and cost effective form of transportation since, well, the bicycle!

4) Time

An electric bike saves you time. It eliminates the time spent looking for parking. It eliminates time waiting for the bus. It's often faster ride than the bus! Traffic jams can be avoided via side streets. Whether you live in the city or in the suburbs, an electric bike is timesaving, practical transportation.

5) Hills

It’s actually easy to ride up hills on an electric bike. With the power of the motor supplementing your pedaling, you'll be able to comfortably ride up hills you might not even attempt on a traditional bike. For many people living in the hills of the San Francisco Bay Area and other hilly parts of the country, an electric bike can make it possible to ride a bike when it wouldn't otherwise be an option!

6) Parking

On an electric bike, parking ceases to be a hassle since bikes easily find parking where cars drive around the neighborhood searching. If you live in the city, parking is often something valuable beyond a price tag. An electric bike can pay for itself just with what you'll pay in parking tickets (maybe with car insurance thrown in)!

7) The Environment

Our choice of transportation has a direct and significant impact upon both our lives and the world around us. An electric bike is high-utility, low-impact transportation. In many parts of the country, the automobile is the top contributor to local air, water, and noise pollution. A large percentage of cars are driven used for short trips (often miles or less) with only one person in the car. Replacing the high impact of a single passenger car with the low impact of an electric bike will make a positive difference for both the individual and environment. Our choices have an impact on the future. An electric bike is healthy step in the right direction.

To read everything you ever needed to know about electric bikes go HERE to electric-bikes.com!

Science and Nature

2010-01-07T11:08:00.000-06:00

I've never understood people who say that science takes the joy out of things ... as if somehow understanding the mechanism behind a phenomenon takes away its power and beauty. I find that understanding the science behind nature adds substantially to my appreciation.

First, let's start with the basics. What are we actually interacting with when we experience nature?

Well, the human body evolved a number of ways of transmitting information about the outside world to our conscious brain. These senses are abstractions. We do not generally experience 'the real world', we experience a filtered version of it.

Let's start with something simple, like temperature.

Temperature: When we feel heat or cold, what we're experiencing is the energy level of the gas particles that are striking against our skin. We don't experience the individual sensation of each particle hitting us; our nervous system summarizes and abstracts the data. If the temperature is sufficiently hot or cold, we may also experience pain -- which is the sensation of damage being done to our body.

A much complicated sense is vision, which defines how we experience the world more than any other sense.

Vision: When we see things with our vision, we're seeing a heavily filtered version of reality. The lens in our eyes focuses photons onto the photoreceptive cells in our retina, which are then transmitted into our neural network. Our photoreceptive cells only gather data on a limited part of the electromagnetic spectrum. These signals are heavily processed by our nervous system -- but are quickly made available to our conscious mind. We don't see the individual photons. We see a shifting panorama of color, texture and hue. Our brain is wired to pay particular changes to things that are out of place, as measured against our expectations, which are established by paradigms, which have been created out of the experiences and social interactions to that point in our lives.

This is a long and complicated way of saying: Our eyes detect some of the photons that strike us, our nervous system turns that into a 'movie' of sorts, and then our brain filters out most of that and focuses our attention on the parts it thinks are important. This all happens (nearly) instantaneously, entirely outside of our conscious awareness.

But I'm dancing around the crux of the issue, which is that we experience things on a macro (non quantum mechanical) level. This is particularly noticeable when we come to the next sense ...

Touch: When we feel the experience of touch, we are primarily experiencing the aggregate sensation of the electron cloud of one group of atoms (the thing we're touching) as it interacts with the electron cloud of the atoms in our skin.

All objects are made of atoms, which have an electron 'cloud' that is quantum mechanical in nature.

Image Source and Article

The 'cloud' of electrons in these photos is actually composed of 6 electrons -- two in the inner shell, and four in the outer shell. Due to the nature of quantum mechanics, these electrons are very very very random. They are so random that their exact position and momentum cannot be pinned down. This is not a limitation of our measuring tools, it is a fundamental quality of every object in the universe (this quality only becomes obvious on really small objects). In the photo shown above, this randomness can actually be seen as a 'cloud' of electrons -- because the position and momentum of the electrons cannot be accurately measured, they can only be seen as a hazy cloud of objects that are kind of in one place ... kind of in another place ... and, well, kind of in another place at the same time! :)

That's a photo of a single atom. Atoms form together like legos to form molecules, which look like this:

Image Source and Article

This is a pentacene molecule, which is composed of 22 carbon and 14 hydrogen atoms.

Every object in our environment is formed from many, many, many of these molecules. Really. It's a staggering amount.

So what we feel when we touch something is the aggregate of the outer electron cloud ... that wispy, ephemeral layer of randomness that can't actually be measured or pinned down (more on this in a moment).

Now, sometimes touching things can cause a chemical reaction ... like when you spill battery acid on your hand. A chemical reaction means that the molcules of your hand are interacting with the molecules of the acid, and they're changing into different molecules. This is a bad thing for a living organism.

Other times we experience a temperature differential (see above), only this time it's caused by touching a solid against another solid (or a liquid). The result is pretty much the same.

The Human Experience: What I find fascinating about this is how distorted our view of the world is. We don't experience the world as it is; our perceptions are heavily altered by our evolved senses.

The primary thing we don't experience is how random and bizarre the universe really is. Our senses act as protective parents, keeping us safe from all that scary knowledge outside our door :)

I'm excited to know that the leaf, the branch, the wisp of air that touches my cheek ... they're all created from the same star stuff. That it's all vibrating and shifting around randomly, twisting and churning in an endless dance ... a silent ballet, hidden from our view by the economizing force of evolutionary adaptation.

But hey, I'm a curious bastard. I can understand the evolutionary value of it all ... but damn it, I still want to see how everything works firsthand :)

This is where science comes in handy.

The most beautiful piece I've ever read on the natural world wasn't written by a poet or a philosopher, it was written by a scientist who saw patterns in the complex web of life.

(I had forgotten what a great opening chapter this is until I reread it recently).

What it comes down to is that the complexity of the living world emerges from (relatively) simple particles and forces. Understanding this doesn't reduce the world to a formula and make it mechanistic, it makes the complexity we see around us all the more miraculous.

Reasons To Buy Earth Friendly Furnishings

2010-01-04T11:02:00.004-06:00

The obvious reason for wanting earth friendly furnishings inside your home would be, well... they are earth friendly! But what does it really mean to your family, your health and your beliefs to make an important purchase and choose to fill your home with furnishings lovingly made by hand in the USA? Lowering your environmental impact is something that spreads out the goodness, like the way a smile and laughter can be contagious.
Here are some reasons why buying healthy furnishings from Erik Organic will rock your family for generations to come:
1. Supports our Local Economy and Community:
The solid hardwoods used in our furniture are locally grown and harvested in the Upper Midwest. Most of our wood is harvested from land within 50 miles of the Amish craftsmen we work with in Minnesota, Iowa, Ohio, Indiana and Wisconsin. Purchase of this wood employs midwestern farmers with sections of their land set aside for selective hardwood harvesting, tree farms, and sawmill operators. Hardwoods are the largest single component of our furniture. We use high quality metal hardware and wood finishes, most of which are manufactured here in America. The hardware for our baby cribs is manufactured in Tennessee. Our organic mattresses are manufactured in California and Ohio. The purchase of our furniture employs Amish craftsmen and their assistants, who are able to maintain their way of life more gracefully when they can craft furniture in their own workshop to supplement their farming income (and thus stay connected to the land).Erik Organic is a small business that employs several people. We strongly believe that a business must uphold its end of the social contract by being responsible to its customers, to the land, and to the community at large. Your purchase of an Erik Organic furniture piece helps to directly support the rural Midwestern economy.

2. Beautiful Craftsmanship Which Will Last a Lifetime:
The skill and dedication of our Amish craftsmen assures a high level of quality. Our furniture is created from solid hardwood including cherry and hard maple. The hardwoods used in our furniture is locally grown and harvested in the Upper Midwest. Having access to amazing stands of hardwood, as our Amish craftsman do, is very important when building a quality piece of furniture. But building to last involves more than just having the right wood that's been properly prepared - it involves a lot of knowledge, patience, and commitment. Time honored methods of building fine furniture mean these pieces take a lot more time to assemble than mass-produced products. But a well-constructed baby crib or dining room table necessitates this kind of construction. When things are made by the hands and eyes of a skilled craftsan, they can feel and see things a machine cannot. And when those eyes are those of an experienced Amish craftsman who takes the time to build in the way he learned from his father so many years ago, the process of making an heirloom has begun before the furniture is even started. And so it goes, from father to son, the right way to make a piece of furniture that can stand the test of time. Building to last is something that can only be taught, not written about. The apprenticeships of the Amish craftsmen who build our furniture are part of the process of standing up over time, because the process itself has already stood up over time. That's what makes each handcrafted furniture piece from Erik Organic special, and how you know it is built to last - because it has already stood the most important test of time. 3. Pass it On To Your Grandchildren:
Because our solid wood furniture is designed to outlast the buyer, the overall cost of our furniture is reduced, as it can be depreciated it over a long period of time and then resold or passed on to your children or grandchildren. Our furniture will become the next generation's heirlooms and antiques.

4. Made From Environmentally Sustainable Materials:
The solid hardwoods used in our furniture are locally grown and harvested. Most of the wood used in our organic furniture does not travel more than 50 miles from where it is grown to the craftsman's workshop. Our solid wood furniture is designed to last longer than the time it takes for the renewable resource (hardwoods) to regrow. Furniture created from manufactured 'fake' woods begins showing its age after just a few years; composite wood can not be repaired or refinished. The obsolescence of poorly-made furniture creates a substantial carbon impact. Our organic furniture, by contrast, is built to outlast its buyer. This reduces our furniture's lifetime carbon footprint of our furniture, as it avoids the destructive cycle of disposal, re-manufacture, and repeated shipping over generations.

Go to ERIK ORGANIC FURNITURE to view bunches of eco friendly styles, types of wood, colors, and finishes to make your home as healthy a place as it is beautiful!