sustainable

Affordable Sustainable Seafood Choices for Your Table

Xin Lu — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 11:00:19 +0000

Humans have harvested the oceans for food for thousands of years, but unfortunately the bounties of the seas are not as endless as they seem. Commercial fishing technologies have advanced significantly in the past century, and marine ecosystems are threatened by over-fishing. For those who love seafood but also want to be mindful of the environment, here are some sustainable and affordable seafood choices. (See also: How to Shop for Fresh Fish)

Seaweed

For the vegetarians out there, seaweed or kelp is a very healthy and sustainable seafood. Seaweed grows quite fast and is commercially farmed in many places around the world. You can buy seaweed dried, fresh, or frozen at many Asian markets. Dried seaweed may look expensive by weight, but it does expand in water and flavors soups very well. Fresh seaweed can make great salads or garnishes. There are hundreds of types of edible seaweed, so it may take a bit of experimentation to find out which type you prefer.

Shrimp

Certain types of shrimp are great sustainable seafood since they grow quite rapidly. Farmed shrimp require very little food and produce very little pollution. The best farmed shrimp choices, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium's Seafood Watch guide, are those "farmed in fully recirculating systems or inland ponds." As Myscha wrote in her post about cheap seafood, frozen shrimp does not lose much of its flavor, and sometimes you can get it quite cheaply. I have seen frozen shrimp on sale for less than $2 a pound. Also, smaller shrimps are usually cheaper, and they taste the same as the larger ones. For more on which shrimp are sustainable, read the Environmental Defense Fund's information on U.S. farmed shrimp or this article on post-oil-spill shrimp from Mother Jones.

Mussels

Mussels are around $2 to $5 a pound and available year round. About 90% of mussels consumed are farmed, and most of the mussels consumed in the United States are imported from Canada or New Zealand. Mussels are great in farms because they do not escape and are very disease resistant.

Catfish

Catfish are native to the United States and farmed in large quantities. Farmed catfish live in enclosed ponds and eat mostly grains. If you buy in bulk, catfish can be less than $2 a pound. There are also a lot of imported catfish from Asia on the market, but they are not exactly the same as the channel catfish from the United States. If you live in the United States, then the most sustainable and local catfish to eat are those farmed in the southern states.

To read more about sustainable seafood, read the Monterey Bay Aquarium's full Seafood Watch guide. The site also has a downloadable app for the iPhone that can give you up-to-date information about the sustainability of seafood. In general, the most sustainable seafoods are those that grow quickly and are farmed in regulated environments that are not polluted. Quick-growing sea creatures also contain little or no harmful chemicals such as mercury, and that makes them healthier.

What do you think? What is your favorite cheap and sustainable seafood?

Note: This post was updated to specify what kind of shrimp are sustainable.

This article is from Xin Lu of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Bamboozled! The 4 Ways that Bamboo Products May Not be All That “Green”

Linsey Knerl — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 15:55:38 +0000

We’ve all been there. Bopping down the aisles of your local home furnishings retailer and seeing all the “earth-friendly” products and tools that claim to be “sustainable.” Many of them are branded with green lettering, logos, or pictures of the earth and trees. Many more are made with bamboo. Before you get all weepy from the impact you’ll be making by buying into this trend, read on for the 4 ways bamboo may not be the act of stewardship you thought it was.

Now don’t get me wrong. Bamboo in and of itself, “can” be a better option for manufacturing. According to Leigh Anne Van Dusen of O Ecotextiles (who helped me put together this piece), “bamboo is the fastest growing grass and can grow a yard or more a day. Bamboo reaches maturity quickly and is ready for harvesting in about 4 years. Bamboo does not require replanting after harvesting because its vast root network continually sprouts new shoots which almost zoom up while you watch them, pulling in sunlight and greenhouse gases and converting them to new green growth. And bamboo does this the natural way without the need for petroleum-guzzling tractors and poisonous pesticides and fertilizers. In addition, bamboo seems to be wonderfully carbon positive: a stand of bamboo neutralizes 30 times more CO2 than an equal size stand of hardwood forest.”

Sounds good, huh?

The issue of bamboo products as “sustainable” comes in when you try to use it to make stuff. Here is where the process gets tricky (and less “green".)

How is the bamboo obtained in the first place?

The opportunity to be an eco-friendly alternative begins at harvest. To be certain that the bamboo is truly sustainable, it must be harvested from FSC-certified plantations, and not stolen illegally from the wild (where it could impact panda populations.) As of this writing, obtaining FSC certification for the supplier has not become a reality.

How does the bamboo get here?

Let’s be real. While there is great opportunity for a material like bamboo, anything that has to be shipped over will use fuels in its transportation. There are certainly better ways to do this than others, but unless we are certain that importation is done in a smart way, the act of shipping it over could negate any useful, green impact.

How is the bamboo “processed”

Bamboo has to be transformed somewhat before it can be used for consumer goods. Clothing, for example, has a rather extensive process that must be completed before the raw bamboo can be made into cloth fibers. Here is just a bit of what Leigh Anne Van Dusen had to tell us:

“There are two ways to use bamboo as a fiber in textile: (1) naturally retted bamboo can be spun into yarn and (2) the bamboo can go through the viscose process to produce a regenerated cellulosic yarn. The bamboo viscose is much cheaper than the natural bamboo, but they are quite different animals. The natural bamboo is very much like hemp or linen in character – strong, abrasion resistant, some natural texture, good drape. It gets softer with each washing and can be ordered pre-washed (in fabric form). The viscose is silky, and soft, but rather limp. It is less strong than natural bamboo, less abrasion resistance, will pill more, will shrink more. It has a luster like other viscose, which many designers choose to avoid as “too shiny”.

Almost all the bamboo on the market today is produced using the viscose process. Bamboo viscose is a high-tech process that includes refining bamboo pulp through hydrolysis-alkalization and multiphase bleaching. The resulting pulp is extruded through spinnerets and hardens in a sulfuric acid bath; although the resulting yarn is non-toxic, the waste could create an environmental hazard.

However, a (very) few enlightened manufacturers use bacteria and enzymes to neutralize the sulfuric acid, as well as not using another common chemical in the process (sodium hydroxide) and thereby returns wastewater to the ecosystem that meets stringent drinking water standards. There is some out gassing of the sulfuric acid to the air – air pollution.”

The clothing industry isn’t alone it is reputation for misusing the goodness of bamboo to peddle “greener” wares. The bamboo flooring industry (and other “hardwood” goods) has been notorious for using urea-formaldehyde (UF) adhesive in the lamination process (which not surprisingly, can compromise indoor air quality.)

How is bamboo sold?

Is the retailer showing consistently "green" values in their business practices? While I can’t even go into all the tactics that retailers could engage in that would counter the positives of selling a truly sustainable bamboo product, they certainly do exist. The distribution of a “green-washed” bamboo product most certainly won’t redeem any egregious or wasteful company-wide policies. Simply put, if a store lacks the ability to display good stewardship in their own business model, the bamboo point is moot.

So what’s a wise, eco-conscious consumer to do?

Use common sense and caution when buying anything new. Chances are, you have a perfectly good, used alternative to that new bamboo piece you are considering. (My favorite cutting board, for example, came from an estate sale and was made from original hardwood from the 50’s.) If you can get away with a used product that was destined for a landfill, for example, your green karma will go up drastically. Those of you who insist on the look and feel of bamboo are encouraged to do your research and ask questions of your retailer, supplier, and manufacturer. A green bamboo solution is in reach.

Many thanks to Leigh Anne Van Dusen of O Ecotextiles.

For additional reading, see:

TerraChoice’s “Six Sins of Greenwashing”

Money Pit’s “Going Green: What’s Hype and What Helps”

Green Your Decor

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

These DIY Magazines Can Help You Be Self-Reliant

Linsey Knerl — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 22:54:18 +0000

Everyone’s looking to become less dependent on the traditional economy. As we wean ourselves from manufactured luxuries and discover ways to create for ourselves, it can be difficult finding where to start. This handful of print magazines offers timeless advice and step-by-step instructions for living on less. There’s something here for everyone!

Countryside – This black-and-white mag is a bi-monthly compilation of the best folksy advice from those who live the homesteading lifestyle. Completely reader-written, you won’t find any half-baked freelance studies here. Tips, tricks, and plenty of “what-not-to-do’s” give instructions on how to live rural for maximum freedom. (Of course, ideas can be adapted for those with little land or in an urban area.)

The magazine has been in production for over 90 years, and claims to be:

“the truly original country magazine (established 1917) serving that branch of the Voluntary Simplicity movement seeking greater self-reliance (homesteading), with emphasis on home food production. This includes gardening, small-scale livestock, cooking, food preservation, resource conservation, recycling, frugality, money management, alternative energy, old-time skills, home business, and much more.”

Favorite articles (that can be previewed online) include:

The Joys and Challenges of growing herbs (July/Aug 2007)

Is Homegrown Wind Power Right For You? (Jan/Feb 2008)

Homestead Water Procurement (July/August 2006)

As a long-time subscriber of Countryside, I can’t tell you enough how much I enjoy reading and learning. Even the ads in the magazine have been useful and full of ideas. There are also quality classifieds, recipes, and real estate listings!

Mother Earth News – This “original guide to living wisely” has a more earth-friendly bent than some others. Packed with tips for getting the most from your garden and yard, this magazine also covers alternative fuel and natural health topics. Mother Earth also provides tons of free online content, including searchable articles, blogs, and Q & A discussions. You might also want to check out their store, with unique gifts (like hybrid car blueprints) and my favorite offering, the 4 disk collection of all issues from 1970 – 2007 (that’s over 6,000 articles of stuff that never gets old!)

You can sample some of my favorite articles:

A Homemade Solar Water Heater

Got Cabbage? Make Sauerkraut!

Here Comes the 100-MPG Car

There’s always way too much good stuff here to read it all!

Family Handyman – Not exactly as crunchy as the other mags, this DIY resource for any skill-level is also a favorite read at my house. With simple, doable tips for a variety of home and car issues, you can easily follow along to fix it yourself. Plumbing, electrical, carpentry, and mechanic work can be in your hands (eliminating the need for the expensive service call and $65+ hourly fee). Every step is outlined in detail with full color accompanying photos. (And for any who are concerned about the general term of handy-“man”, many of the photos feature savvy ladies in work goggles, too!)

Handy tips that I’ve personally benefited from include:

Add an Electrical Outlet (Nov 2001)

Build a Rain Garden in Your Yard (April 2007)

Car Paint Chip Repair Step-by-Step (February 2003)

Again, this is a magazine that I subscribe to, and I’ve realized savings beyond the subscription cost time and again. (It also made the perfect gift for my fix-it hubby!)

There are lots of other mags on the market that also offer great info, but not so much that I would pay for them. They are either very narrow in their scope or have too much advertising or promotional focus. Two that made my “honorable mention” list, however, are Ready Made and Farm Show. You could call these my “entertainment” magazines.

ReadyMade is relatively new. I have enjoyed flipping through the pages to get ideas, although several of the projects featured are way beyond my price range. Geared toward more urban lifestyles, the articles focus more on looking good than keeping things inexpensive. That being said, I’ve enjoyed short pieces on micro-housing and DIY yogurt. I can always take away one or two pieces of really useful info from this mag, however, I’m more likely to rip out a page or two for later than keep the entire thing.

For a sample of some of their best tips, check out A Flash in the Can: How to Rid Yourself of Stuff That Can’t Go in the Recycling Bin. Very, very clever!

Farm Show – Part Astronaut Farmer, part popular mechanics, this mag is a newspaper filled with the DIY projects of farmers and junk-yard dogs who leave little to waste. Want detailed plans for a homemade fuel vaporize that boosts gas mileage? How about stories of successful and unusual home businesses (including a farm-based software company, a rustic furniture business, and a profitable custom sawing operation)? All invention and success stories include contact info for the farmer-inventor so that readers can contact them directly for questions and followup. The “Made it Myself” Encyclopedia is a favorite at our house – it includes 482 pages of the craziest and most useful inventions from past issues of Farm Show. Self-propelled wood cart or Home-built Field Burner, anyone?

All of these magazines are great for inspiring creative and innovative lifestyle changes. If you’re not in a position to buy a year for yourself (most run more than typical magazines, due to their content value), why not see if your local library will carry them?

This article is from Linsey Knerl of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread:

Pure Genius - All In The Name Of Eco-Friendly

Joann Hong — Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:39:03 +0000

Ok, recycling is as eco-friendly as I get so far, and I'm even too lazy for that sometimes. So I really have to applaud these people who have dedicated their best brains to creating some of the most ingenious inventions I've seen, all for the sake of a more sustainable future.

I recently stumbled upon this site, Inhabitat .com, which is worth looking at not only for the fabulous design but also some damn good ideas.

For instance, I work at an architectural firm and wondered the same thing this guy did: why don't we ever do anything with all those samples of tiles, glass, rubber, etc. that potential suppliers inundate us with daily? I figured decorating my bathroom with all the spare tiles would be pretty clever, but that's not nearly as fun as what these people came up with.

But the strangest and most intriguing to me has to be this:

No, that's not just a building. See the green inside? That is one of the designs associated with the vertical farm project, the brainchild of Dr. Dickson Despommier, a Columbia University professor of environmental sciences and microbiology. The idea behind the project is that in 50 years, most of the human population will live in urban centers. Their solution to overcrowding and its environmental consequences: start building farms into skyscrapers!

Some of the purpoted benefits of such a scheme:

-Organically grown food, sans pesticides

-No weather related crop failures

-Year-round crop production

-Animals can be raised in them as well **small ones, such as chicken and fish**

-No tractors, plows or shipping, thus less use of fossil fuels

-And the best benefit: we can't go to the moon or Mars until we try skscraper farming! Woo hoo! No creepy Total Recall moments.

The farm has yet to be built, and I just hope I'm around long enough to see it. In the meantime I guess I can enjoy the staircase drawers.

Staircase by Unicraft Joinery. Photo courtesy of blogger Emily on Inhabitat.

Read more about the two-in-one staircase here .

Vertical farm picture: design by Chris Jacobs.

This article is from Joann Hong of Wise Bread, an award-winning personal finance and credit card comparison website. Read more great articles from Wise Bread: