Goddess and Guru Go Green

Running on Sun Juice

2009-12-15T19:17:00.005-05:00

For the Over-Scheduled Friend: Solio Charger

Actually, wait. For YOU AND EVERYONE YOU KNOW: Solio Charger

This sleek little gadget IS the future. I love love love it. Basically, it soaks up solar energy, stores it, and then charges your iPod or cell phone anytime you want. Plus, it's pretty.

There are a couple different makes and colors available. Here's a black one:
Solio Charger, $80.00
http://store.solio.com/s.nl/it.A/id.790/.f

Generosity is Awesome

2009-12-13T13:49:00.005-05:00

For the Baby: Zoo Cubes

How cool are these? They're stuffed animals, except cubes. I love cubes. The plushy creatures are handmade with reclaimed wool by a guy in Canada. You can get matching hand puppets and normal animals and art work too, but puppets are freaky.

Zoo cubes, $30.00

http://www.cateandlevi.com/

Keep Giving

2009-12-11T17:43:00.006-05:00

And now, the next installment of...

For the Bro: Organic V-Neck

I mean, obviously. This one is by American Apparel and it's made of organic cotton. Suit your bro's personality with an exciting color such as Cinder, Galaxy, or Pomegranate.

American Apparel, Organic Fine Jersey Short Sleeve V-Neck, $19.00 http://www.americanapparel.com/2456org.html?cid=107

Tis the Season

2009-12-10T20:07:00.007-05:00

Introducing...

Fa la la, it's time to be generous. Time to watch little Susie's eyes light up when she sees that Bratz doll, and to hear her sister Marlene crying in the bathroom because she couldn't fit into the size small jeans from Abercrombie. In other words, time to bring joy to the world and make it a better place for us all.

And when you're out looking for present, why not do the planet a good turn as well? Hmm. There are dangers. Don't be the guy who gives everyone a steel water bottle for Christmas. Can you spell r-i-g-h-t-e-o-u-s c-h-e-a-p-s-k-a-t-e?? Actually, those things are mad overpriced. But trust me, they won't be appreciated.

So we've decided to help y'all out a bit. By choosing a green gift for everyone on your list. Let's get started...

For the Republican: Biodegradeable Shotgun Shells

They'll be having so much fun shooting doves and other fuzzy/winged creatures that they won't even NOTICE they're saving the planet. These shells feature non-toxic steel shot and are 100% free of plastic wadding. You can google shotguns if you're confused. Except if you're a Republican and you support gun rights and you don't even know how a shotgun works, that's just sort of pathetic.

GreenLite Shotshells, $15/box
http://polywad.com/greenlite.html

Ten Hours to Green

2009-12-03T23:53:00.003-05:00

Okay, if you're in New Haven like me, it's more like 9:21:16 hours to green. But it was a spin off of ten seconds to green, so I went with it.
Either way -- we're getting just under 9.5 hours of sunlight these days. In otherwords, 9.5 hours in which you don't REALLY need to have any artificial lights on.
Think about it. If you used only natural light for ONE day, wouldn't you feel like a ridiculously good person? And if you're going to do that, why not do it on one of the shortest days of the year? So genius.

Just for context: My room is lit by four 100-watt bulbs. If I turn that off for 9 hours, I'm saving 3.6 kilowatt-hours of energy. If I shut off all the lights on the second floor of my house, I'm saving about 25 kilowatt-hours of energy. If I shut off...you get the idea. It adds up, people. Now QUICK DO IT BEFORE THE SOLSTICE NOW NOW NOW

I Heart Cali Airports

2009-11-30T23:04:00.005-05:00

Everyone knows that California is a) broke and b) mad eco-friendly. Case in point - the airports.
I was in San Francisco International Airport this weekend. For the first time in my life, I experienced the intense rage of being unable to find a garbage can...while surrounded by recycling bins. Weirdest, most guilt-inducing thing ever. But awesome.
The bathrooms have those fancy, high-tech hand-dryers that work in 12 seconds or less. I actually love them.
You can get to and from the airport by the BART, aka the coolest public transportation system ever. And then you can hop on a shuttlebus fueled by biodiesel.

They're cutting down on greenhouse gas emissions in a number of ways. Examples include minimizing APU jet fuel use (for starting the plane engines) and switching to a more eco-friendly type of refrigerant gas for air conditioning.

And wow, I just spent 20 minutes reading their sustainability report. I officially have no life.

One more thing I love about SFO International...it's so stereotypically Cali. Seriously, you walk into JFK and immediately this 200-pound drill sergeant is like EVERYBODY TAKE YA SHOES OFF, KEYS IN THE BIN, NOTHIN IN YA POCKETS, GET IN LINE, DO IT NOW!!

By contrast, security is much more fun in San Francisco. I'm walking through the metal detector...a security guard with a 3-foot ponytail notices my clothes, and the following conversation ensues:

Ponytail guy: So like...you're wearing Notre Dame sweatpants...and a Duke shirt...woooooorrrrddddddd.

GG: [in my brain: is this some kind of interrogation? does he think i'm a terrorist?] Yeah, I don't even know anyone who goes to those schools actually.

Ponytail guy: Niiiiiiiiiiicccccccccceeeeeeeeeee.

Loves it.

More Options...

2009-11-24T19:02:00.005-05:00

So the classic A-Frame greenhouse isn't the sexiest thing in the world.
It's quite awkward looking, actually.

Then again, there are some people who just adore triangles. Whatever it takes, man. Basically, you have a V-shaped tunnel covered with plastic. Not too complicated. These greenhouses tend to be tall and steep, which is useful in New England winters.

Pros:

cheap and easy to build
snow slides off
heats up quickly - good surface area/air volume ratio
catches lots of light and heat in the winter
allows you to grow tall plants
good circulation - easy to ventilate

Cons:

funny looking if it's not perfect
plastic covering is ugly
not much floor space
hot air rises away from plants

Options

2009-11-21T21:32:00.007-05:00

It's time to start designing our greenhouse. Before we draw up a blueprint, we need to choose a basic shape. As goddess and guru, we want to do something a little bit off the beaten track. That said, we don't want our baby caving in or blowing away or anything. When we first looked into DIY greenhouses, we stumbled upon some guy's alarmingly celebratory blog post: "Everything's going great!! Lots of wind last night, and the greenhouse only moved nine inches!!"
Wait. Your greenhouse moved nine inches overnight, and it doesn't, oh, I dunno, bother you a little bit?
Yeah, no thanks.
So. We need to find a balance between creative and functional. That's why we want to at least base our design off of a tried-and-true greenhouse. Here's one option to start us off.

GOTHIC ARCH

Pros:

cheap materials (plastic covering, tubing or lumber)
easy snow removal (slides right off)
doesn't waste a lot of space
very sturdy
easy to extend - just add more arches

Cons:

shape is attractive, but plastic covering is UGLY
expensive to heat - plastic doesn't insulate as well as glass
curved wood is hard to cut

Are you a fan? I am. I naturally gravitate towards High Gothic cathedrals. Romanesque is too stumpy, Baroque has too many cherubs floating around in frilly outfits, Byzantine feels ostentatious.
Gothic cathedrals are solemn and dark. They echo. While other styles strike me as showy and materialistic, High Gothic seems like a real tribute to God. Even though I'm Jewish, I find that the soaring arches inspire awe and humility. I feel like I'm allowed to feel religious. Which is ironic, because 1) synogogues don't really do it for me and 2) the people who built these cathedrals believed Jews had horns and tails and would probably have loved to burn me at the stake. Cute. Oh and FLYING BUTTRESSES. Such a cool word. Buttress buttress buttress. Okay, I'm done. For your info, on the left is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Strasbourg, and on the right is the Cathedral of Our Lady of Chartres.

It's a Secret

2009-11-18T20:15:00.005-05:00

Shhhh don't tell, but

we've found our new location!

It's off-campus, which means we can make the greenhouse bigger, better and utterly more badass than anything we could have envisioned at Hopkins. No bureaucracy, no maintenance vehicles, no alumni. Oh yes. Stay tuned.

Slight Edit

2009-11-17T21:04:00.005-05:00

Hello goats. Today, we bring you a small but important change in the nature of our club. As of now, we are the

Greenhouse Off-campus Agriculture Team

more exciting updates to come.

get pumped.

xoxo gg

...and here is a picture of gondolas:

Laptop Surgery

2009-11-16T16:19:00.007-05:00

I love poking around inside my laptop. It makes me feel super hardcore/techy/hackerish, which is great because none of those adjectives really apply.
Anyways, my poor Dell Inspiron M1530's had it rough lately. Overheating, randomly shutting down, making dull roaring noises, stuff like that. From a goddessandguru standpoint, that translates into needless power drainage -- an unspeakable crime, obvi. (Note: the word "obvi" is used here to show, in an amusing way, how totally unqualified the author is to be writing a post like this.)
One cause of overheating in a laptop is the accumulation of dust, especially on the fan. Even though I know next to nothing about computers, I attempted a dissection in the name of science/goddessandguru/the greater good. Here we go...

Before you begin, protect your laptop from damaging static electricity by grounding yourself. Basically, touch a piece of metal.

Now. I found a screwdriver and got to work.

Oh dang, laptop innards. Time to zoom in a bit.

As I suspected, the fan was kind of dirty and nasty. The pictures are awful, I know.

A q-tip wasn't the ideal tool for this procedure...I think you're supposed to use compressed air or something...but for the laygoddess, it sufficed.

Ah, much shinier. Pictures of dust:

My laptop has been much cooler and quieter since the operation, and it's been running smoothly. Which is surprising, seeing as I assumed it would either blow up in my face or start processing everything in Cyrillic after I had my way with it. Score.

Oh, HAY-ELL No

2009-11-15T20:04:00.007-05:00

Okay, I didn't post on Friday the 13th, but I still have conclusive evidence that the end is near...

These rings were made by an Australian silversmith named Polly van der Glas. She works with sterling silver and human teeth.

SAY WHAT?

Teeth. TEETH. Okay, cool, I get it, reusing resources. Teeth. Organic material. Teeth. Recyling. TEETH.

Oh, and hair too, actually.

According to the website: "Human hair is either locally donated or sourced from India and China. Teeth are particularly difficult to come by, so any donations are gratefully accepted."

Hard to come by. Shiver. I think there are laws about these things in the US. The puppets are delightful, too:Well, props for creativity. Enjoy being green while I stare lovingly at my molars.

Dishwashing Drama

2009-11-10T20:26:00.005-05:00

Believe it or not, a study from the University of Bonn shows that running a dishwasher actually uses less water than washing dishes by hand.

Here are some numbers. Data reflects an entire load of dishes, about 12 place settings. If kWh confuse you, read up here.

Obviously, dishwashers vary in their efficiency, as do people washing dishes. It's also interesting to note that Electrolux, a European dishwasher manufacturing company, sponsored/supported the study. Hmm.

Either way, Electrolux was also kind enough to provide energy-saving dishwasher tips. Here are a few:

Wait until you have a full load to run the dishwasher
Skip the pre-rinse. Your dishwasher will be just fine if you simply scrape the food off.
Don't OD on detergent. It will degrade the water quality, posing a risk to animals and plants.
Clean the filter. The dishwasher will run better.
Buy a new one!!! Thanks, Electrolux. Great plan.

Wash away :]

10 Seconds to Green #4

2009-11-07T14:02:00.007-05:00

This one's easy...just rip things out of your laptop.

External devices that you aren't using -- headphones, webcam, flashdrives, charged-up iPod
Anything spinning around inside -- CDs, DVDs (even if they're not actively in use)

They sap energy!! Even random USB cables that aren't connected to anything draw power from your battery. So yank 'em. Ten seconds.

And P.S. I love these...

Reuse a Worthless Object: Altoids Tin

2009-11-06T17:15:00.003-05:00

The Altoids tin is one of the most ingenious containers out there. So versatile, so minty, so almost rectangular. 'Tis a thing of beauty.

People do ridiculously cool things with altoid tins. They make iPod chargers, watercolor kits, even -- wait for it -- portable BBQ grills:

I'm not that cool.
Still, I love me some Altoid tins, and I never throw them away. I have one full of bobby pins, another one as my ruler for math problems, and another one in which I hide my gum. Seriously, its great. People paw through my backpack looking for gum, but they never look in the mints box. Plus, I can stash the gum wrappers in the box, so I'm never tempted to toss them on the floor UNLIKESOMEPEOPLECOUGHCOUGHCOUGH. Joke!!
Oh, and I have one with altoids in it too.

Altoids survival kits are popular...people put in duct tape, thread, chicken bouillon cubes. You could adapt that to fit your needs. Throw in a mirror, dental floss, and eyeshadow. Or a flashdrive, a mini periodic table, and a pencil sharpener. Or squirrel jerky, fishing tackle, and chewing tobacco. Whatever.

Other cool things to do with/in your tin...

bake a cookie (over flame)
plant a garden (no melons)
grow a bacteria colony in agar (judge me)
use those Magnetic Poetry word kits that were popular in the '90s
ventriloquy: do a squeaky voice while opening and shutting the tin so it looks like it's talking
protect your iPod and other gadgets

Anyways, I'm sure you are all far more creative than I am. And far less paranoid about people stealing your gum. Have fun and save those tins.

Confession

2009-10-31T21:44:00.003-04:00

The last post was cringily righteous. I kind of wanted to punch the screen after I typed it. So let's talk about hypocrisy!

Except it's not hypocrisy, because the whole point is that you don't have to be special or rabid or perfect to save the planet. Precisely.

Anyhow, I've wasted tons and tons of resources over the years.

One example that comes to mind tonight is the collection of Kleenex ghosts I amassed in second second.

While other little kids were busy having friends or learning to add, I was using box after box of tissues to make these:

I'm serious. I probably made about 200 ghosts in total. I kept them in huge manila folders under my bed. And the best part is that it wasn't a Halloween thing...I did it all year. Every single one had a name, personality, and backstory ("This is Thomas. He sells shoes, but he has a secret lover who is already married and he feeds the poor orphans when they beg at his doorstep." Etcetera.). I kid you not, I was that cool. I killed that many trees. And IT WAS SO WORTH IT.

Pet Peeve/Rant/Idea: Fitness Equipment

2009-10-28T13:14:00.009-04:00

You know what makes me mad? Fitness equipment. Is your life so luxurious that you have nothing worthwhile to be expending your energy on? Why don't you go play a sport?? Or build a house? Or walk around and learn something about your hometown?
Speaking of which, British regulars marched along Forest Road during the invasion of New Haven in 1777. There are probably dead Redcoats IN MY YARD. Yes.
But back to fitness equipment. I had a treadmill phase for about two weeks...I thought it was totally great. Awesome, I thought. I get to burn calories while watching TV in an air-conditioned room! Then, slowly, I started to think about all those flashing buttons and stupid sitcoms and cooling fans. I realized I was sapping huge amounts of electricity just so that I could look cute in a dress.
Not cool. I felt kind of queasy. I went back to my traditional forms of physical activity, running my dogs and jumping up and down screaming.
I'm renouncing fitness machines until they can be used as power sources.

It's been done before. Pedal-powered generators turn the mechanical energy of cycling into electrical energy, which can power devices or be stored in battery packs. I think GOAT should wire up the hopkins fitness room. I want my greenhouse powered by bicycles.

Birthday Present

2009-10-27T17:56:00.007-04:00

Today's my birthday!! I can almost hear you squealing with excitement. Want to give me something? Here are some ideas:

1. Wind up MP3 player

My iPod is junk. It's a hand-me-down from my little sister (I turned down an iTouch in a regrettable moment of eco-righteousness). The font sometimes shows up in Swedish. This one is pretty snazzy. It gives you roughly 40 minutes of listening time for every 1 minute of cranking. And don't laugh; this guy invented the wind-up radio (sort of).

2. Donate your dead phones

Donate your old cell phones to Cell Phones for Soldiers. They sell the cell phones to a company that recycles them in exchange for phone cards. The phone cards are them distributed to American soldiers stationed all over the world.

3. From ebay: Antique ($700) Civil War US Navy Bicorn Naval Cocked Hat

I would wear that. To school, on a daily basis. Seriously, though, this is pretty much the definition of manly. Like, James Bond standing on a galloping camel hacking down his enemies with a machete with one arm tied behind with back would have nothing on this baby. Mine.

Getting Technical

2009-10-25T19:15:00.010-04:00

Today, I decided to measure exactly how much water I consume every time I take a shower. The process was quite simple, really.

I found a huge measuring cup.
I turned on the water, held the measuring cup under the showerhead, and had my sister Lulu time 10 seconds exactly. After 10 seconds, I staggered off with my brimming glass cup and measured how much water it held: 7.2 cups (1.8 quarts, if you're into that sort of thing).

I used this online calculator to convert to gallons. I found that my shower uses .45 gallons in 10 seconds.
To find gallons per minute (GPM), I multiplied by 6; that gives 2.7 gallons per minute.

Next, I timed my average shower: 9 minutes. 2.7 x 9 = 24.3 gallons per shower.

My goal is to cut down shower time to a maximum of 5 minutes, reducing my GPS (gallons per shower) to 13.5. Grr...I love hot showers. Oh well. I'll keep you posted.

Number Crunch

2009-10-24T21:11:00.010-04:00

Let's not spend a lot of time discussing 350, the number many are calling the most important in the world. Chances are you heard enough about 350 today (yesterday, I guess), no matter where you are or what you believe in. 350 parts per million -- allegedly the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. You can find pictures of people spelling out 350 in lots of fun ways with a quick blackle search.

It's easy to get caught up in global excitement about 350, but there are some other numbers that we shouldn't lose sight of either. They may not be "the most important in the world," but they are numbers that affect your day-to-day life. And more importantly, they are numbers you can change.

pounds of French fries a typical American consumes in a year: 30

daily tons of construction waste added to South Bronx landfills: 1,900

songbirds killed by one use of pesticide on one acre of crops: 25

pounds of paper a typical American uses in a year: 730

hours in a day a typical American child spends indoors or in a vehicle: 22

percent of all pesticides declared hazardous by the US gov. that have been legally banned: 3

sources:
Wargo, Green Intelligence.
Yes! Summer 2009.
Welz, Recycled Office Products Co.
Westtown School, "Health, Food Safety and Environmental Stewardship Series."
National Wildlife Federation

How Not to be Eco Friendly

2009-10-19T18:20:00.006-04:00

Reusing stuff is great. Hand-crafting stuff is great.

Hand-crafting reusable toilet paper is NOT GREAT. This is the sort of thing that makes Joe Sixpack believe that all eco-friendly people are looney, tree-hugging communists. Don't go there.

Are you grossed out yet? It gets worse. Check out the accompanying description:

"Everyone can use them :-) In case you just 'happened' on this listing are [sic] aren't reusing tp, here are the benefits:

leaves behind no lint

saves money

reduces waste output

low flow toilets always flush when not loaded with paper

you can wet your wipe for an always clean behind

can double as panty liners for light incontinence or to keep your mama pad an hour or two longer

Some other uses:

travel size tissues

camera lens and eyeglasses cleaners

make-up remover

reusable cotton ball

add essential oil and throw in dryer for nice smelling clothes"

Wait a second. You want us to wipe with Mr. Indigo Square, throw him in the laundry, and then use him as a makeup remover? Are you out of your freaking mind?!?!

I'm a little skeptical on how eco these are -- given that you probably need to launder the heck out of them with hard-core chemicals -- but more over, this is a TERRIBLE image for the green movement. "Hi, I'm Jen. I'm saving the planet by wiping with rainbow rags that I share with my friends."

No. Just no. But if you still want to buy a set, you can jolly well be my guest: click here.

Wrapid Fire (heh)

2009-10-18T12:27:00.007-04:00

That was the stupidest pun ever. And it serves no purpose in this post other than to annoy you.

My birthday is in October, so to me this month represents the beginning of a gift-giving attack that lasts from now 'til New Year's. GET IT? ATTACK? OH MY GOD, I CONNECTED THIS POST TO RAPID FIRE AND NOW MY PUN MAKES SENSE. Yay.

But back to presents. You know what sucks? Wasting rolls and rolls of paper wrapping presents. You know what sucks more? Getting an unwrapped present. It totally kills the anticipation. It's like being told about your surprise birthday party.

So what's an eco-friendly person to do? The solution was revealed to me right about this time last year. For my birthday, some awesome person (I think it might have been Dutch?) wrapped my present in newspaper. It looked totally cool. Observe:

How awesome is that? And you could send all kinds of subliminal messages with the headlines. But let's not go into that right now.

Sneaking Suspicion

2009-10-15T15:42:00.005-04:00

So Alexa, Lainee, the Guru and I noticed something funny about the dessert at lunch today.

We tasted it and perceived the unmistakeable tang of pumpkin, but it looked just like cornbread.

"What's this?" One of us asked.

"I don't know, but it smells funny," I responded.

"Here, let me see," Claire demanded. She took a whiff and her eyes lit up. "It's vanilla cake mix!"

"Can we do this without sniffing the dessert?" Alexa wondered.

"Look, it has white and orange streaks!" Lainee noticed, holding up a cross-section.

It was all too much. "WHAT IS GOING ON??!"

Claire, always the thinker, was the first to solve the mystery. "Say, wasn't there pumpkin bisque for lunch yesterday?"

There was. Moment of truth ensued.

THE CAFETERIA USED DAY-OLD PUMPKIN SOUP TO MAKE PUMPKIN CAKE.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT IS? THAT'S RECYCLING.

Our cafeteria makes us look like eco wusses....P.S. next time let's try it with the hot sauce.

Dirt is the New Black

2009-10-13T21:19:00.005-04:00

No world is as full of sheer lunacy as the fashion world. Observe bio-accessories, the ultimate new form of eco-crazy:

Yeeeup, that's a bird on her headband. A LIVING, TWEETING BIRDIE. The concept: every single piece contains a living organism (grass in a test tube, a bird, a tiny tree...). The mission is to unite nature and urban wasteland; "The wearer tends to the animal or plant, which in turn reciprocates with fresh air, light, greenery, privacy or birdsong." Birdsong. You got that? Your hat chirps at you. I think that's pretty cool, until it flies away or freezes to death. They have some pretty snazzy ideas though. The mask thing up top is called "The Nosegay," and it's supposed to mask the odors of reeking sidewalk trashcans. Nice. Check out their blog in the link above, and as usual click the pic to enlarge.

In the Greenhouse: Companion Planting

2009-10-12T14:55:00.007-04:00

It's easy to lose sight of the fact that GOAT is first and foremost an eating project. The goal is grow as much food as possible. One method we're going to be using is companion planting: the art of cultivating plants that help each other grow. Remember learning about the Native American "three sisters," corn, squash, and beans? Yeah, like that. These days, organic farmers use companion planting techniques to improve their crops without resorting to pesticides. Here are some super-cool examples:

Carrots and Parsley: The parsley masks the scent of the carrot seed, protecting it from carrot flies (they are really gross...the larvae burrow brown tunnels through the carrot). The carrot blossoms will attract wasps and other pollinators in the spring.

Celery and Spinach: You have to pay attention to what's going on underground. Celery has shallow, fibrous roots. Spinach has a long, fast-growing taproot. The two plants won't be competing for the same soil.

...etcetera.

You know what's awesome? Etcetera used to be abbreviated "&c." Isn't that just so cool? Because the "&," which is called an ampersand, is actually a cursive-y combination of the letters "e" and "t". "Et" means "and" in a number of languages, which is why we used the symbol. I remember literally shrieking with glee when I first figured that out. Maybe that explains my friendless childhood. (joke)

A thought or two

2009-10-11T12:26:00.010-04:00

The "cool plant" the Guru pointed out is milkweed.
All living things reproduce. We crank out screaming infants, eagles lay eggs, yeast cells send out alpha and beta signals to each other so they can fuse and divide into little baby yeasts.
Plants, which can't move, do interesting things to get their seeds out. Some make little burrs that get stuck on/carried by wild animals. Others bury their seeds inside of tempting fruits. Still others give off little bits of fluff that fly through the air.

That's what milkweed does. It makes a giant seed pod that looks like something out of a fairy tale. When the pod bursts, it releases seed-carrying fibers so silky that they were used to stuff lifevests and flying suits in World War II.

I dragged a friend up the hill to Hopkins one time to help me measure a plot of land. It was a weekend, and the grounds were quiet and peaceful. I prattled about building greenhouses and planting things, but he wasn't listening. "See that? That's milkweed. Monarch butterflies like milkweed."

We looked for butterflies but there were none.

"Look at this." He handed me a dark green leaf. "Tear it at the vein."
I did, and thick, milky sap spurted onto my fingers. I laughed and asked about the huge pods.

"They're a little early, but here--"

He grabbed one and pried open the thick shell with almost tender concentration. It strained and stretched, and then with a loud POP it spewed forth its silk and seeds.

I got really excited. We blew on the pod. Its fluff bobbed and swirled in the September breeze.

When the pod was finally empty, we decided we were done for the day. I tried to wipe the sticky sap off my fingers, but it was a long time before they were dry again.

GREENHOUSE SITE PICS

2009-10-11T11:10:00.007-04:00

Recently, the heads of GOAT have trekked across campus to find the best sites for the greenhouse. We looked everywhere and ended up with a little over ten options. Yikes. So here are pictures of a few plus some random pictures of the environment. Like this picture of a cool plant. Just look at that.

Tennis court sites (above) ...

The library site (above) ...

Basically, we have a ton of options. Thoughts?

RIP Tommy the Tur-tlleee

2009-10-10T18:15:00.006-04:00

Tommy the Tur-tllee was king of Siberia...until he was mauled by a giant, pollution-emitting truck. We sh0uld be ashamed ourselves, not only as Hopkins students, but as citizens of this great country that we dare to call the land of the free and the home of the brave. Was Tommy not brave??????? Was he not free????? Tommy the Tur-tllee led a simple life. He had a family, five little turtle mouths to feed. Who's to say they aren't out there on Forest Road now, walking in the path their father dared tread on. They peer into our parking spaces whimpering, "Papa?" He'll never answer their desperate calls.

You might be asking, why are we wasting so much valuable space on Tommy the Tur-tllee? The answer: there is no good answer. But Tommy made me think. Do we pretend to care about the environment and then run over its creatures? Do we drive our huge cars over animals on our way to organic food markets? Hmmm....
But back to Tommy. He shall be missed. Let this be a caution to ALL of you drivers out there: turtles are people too. Really small, green, four-legged, shelled people. But they are people.

Thanks to Aishah for her love/support/commentary.

10 Seconds to Green #3

2009-10-08T21:39:00.002-04:00

Today feels like a lazy day. So why not go green without lifting a finger? Breathe less! Don't eat! Don't flush the toilet! Just kidding.

But really, how about clicking 3 buttons to make your computer more efficient? I'm serious. If you use Windows, right click anywhere on your desktop and select "personalize." If you use a Mac, do whatever it is you Apple people do.

Computers used to need animated, moving screensavers to prevent images from being burned onto the screen. Hurray, we evolved out of the Stone Age. Just make your screensaver a black background, or else your comp will actually consume MORE energy than usual. Tell the screensaver to activate as soon as you can stand it (my minimum is after three minutes...it's just too annoying otherwise).

Also, especially if you have a laptop, change your power settings to be more eco-friendly. Have your computer go into sleep mode after 10 minutes, not an hour. You can even change your power plan to maximize battery life (sadly, at the cost of performance).

Good job. Click the diagram to enlarge.

Recycling Plastic: The Ugly Truth

2009-10-06T23:41:00.004-04:00

Remember how in third grade your teacher gave you an explanation of recycling? And how she was like, "Now, take a look at this cranberry juice box. See the little triangle on the bottom with the number in it? That's what the Nice People In Charge of Recycling drew to tell you to recycle!" And you probably learned that the lower the number in the little triangle, the easier the plastic was to recycle.
I'm unembarassed to admit that this was my understanding of plastics recycling until very recently.
Turns out the little eco-friendly-looking-triangle was invented by big plastics conglomerates to get consumers to think their products were good for the earth. It's practically fraudulent. Little triangle with a number does not equal recyclable. In fact, some types of plastic like vinyl (PVC) are actually damaging to dispose of. More specifics on PVC later. In the meantime, click to enlarge and get familiar with this handy guide to recycling.

Frodo says, "Go Green"

2009-10-05T15:38:00.012-04:00

You knew this was coming.
J.R.R. Tolkien was an utter genius. People argue that Aragorn symbolizes this, Mordor stands for that, and the Ring is a metaphor for god knows what...I personally think that Tolkien's stories are so universal that they take on whatever significance speaks loudest to each individual reader.
So this morning, as I was fantasizing about being a Nazgul (doesn't everyone do that? no big deal), I realized that the Lord of the Rings can be an environmental allegory too. And in my excitement and glee, I made you a flow chart. Squeal. Click to enlarge.

I can't wait to be ostracized for this. So worth it.

Mooncakes

2009-10-04T11:54:00.008-04:00

Today's post has nothing to do with recycling or trees. This blog is about saving the earth, and we believe that mission includes promoting peaceful coexistance.

So...

CHINA

Any uber-liberals out there are probably gnashing their teeth at the mere mention of the word, yes? Human rights violations, pollution, "oh no they'll cut off my arms if I don't act excited for the Olympics," that poor Dalai Lama guy, censorship of facebook...uh huh. But before y'all get all high and mighty, think about our own history. Abu Ghraib, massive industrialization, extermination of Native Americans, McCarthyism...we haven't exactly been pure and holy either.

Putting the moralistic rant aside, let's learn about China's ancient Mid-Autumn Festival.

Now, anyone who's ever been Asian knows that on Zhong Qiu Jie (that's what it's called), you eat mooncakes!

These rich pastries, known as yue bing, can be filled with all kinds of good things. My favorites are lotus and red bean pastes. Really traditional mooncakes have a salted duck egg tucked inside as well.

There's a myth behind the mooncakes which has hundreds of variations. This is the one I was told as a wee tot:

Once, long ago, ten suns blazed in the sky. They scorched the fields and dried the seas, and the people on earth were dying. The king of the heavens, Jade Emperor, asked the hero archer Houyi to shoot down nine of the ten suns. When he succeeded, Houyi became king of the earth and was given a beautiful wife named Chang'e. Over the years, Houyi grew obssessed with immortality. He traveled deep into the mountains to find Jade Emperor's mother, who gave him two pills containing the Elixir of Life. The only condition was that he and Chang'e couldn't take the pills until they had prayed, fasted, and made offerings for a whole year.

One day, when Houyi was out hunting, a treacherous servant broke into his home in search of the Elixir. To protect the world from an undying evil, Chang'e swallowed the pills herself. She began to float, out the window and into the skies, farther and farther into the heavens. Chang'e came to rest on the moon, where she met the Moon Rabbit. Houyi tried to run to the moon, but the winds held him back. In his grief he became a tyrant, and he was eventually beaten to death by his subjects. Today, the shadows we see on the moon are really Chang'e and the Moon Rabbit.

And we eat mooncakes.

Do It Yourself: Draught (Draft) Stopper

2009-10-02T23:40:00.014-04:00

The -augh- spelling is infinitely superior to the -af-. DAMN YOU, NOAH WEBSTER

Sorry. Anyways, autumn has arrived in New England! And by "autumn," I mean frostbitten toes falling off of people who still insist on wearing flip-flops. It's time to start harping about the eco-crusader's favorite theme: the heating bill!! Goddess and Guru do not like being cold. They do not like the freezing gusts of air that rush into their homes from under their doors. They also own a number of ugly old sweaters that could stand some artistic shredding.

The project: recycled rag draught stopper

The materials:

old sleeve, stocking, or other stretchy tube

2 rubber bands

rags or other insulator

1. I chopped off the sleeve. Not difficult.

2. I rolled a bunch of rags into tubes and stuffed them down the sleeve, tying them into the bottom of the sleeve with a rubber band.

3. I made the tube nice and fat...finished!

Green isn't all about making sacrifices. It's also about being resourceful and wasting time making sock pu--recycled draught stoppers. Indeed.

Cottonseed Oil: Health Freakout

2009-10-01T15:28:00.009-04:00

If I told you that an ingredient in many of your favorite foods was cottonseed oil, you'd probably be pretty happy. After all, it's not pork grease or anything. In fact, it sounds kind of nurturing and earthy, like something you'd find in Whole Foods organic barley crisps.

Well, sorry, guess again.

Cottonseed oil comes, not surprisingly, from the cotton plant. The FDA doesn't classify cotton as a food, so farmers can slather the crop with pesticides. That's a wee bit disturbing if you wear cotton tee shirts, but it's downright scary if you eat foods that contain cottonseed oil. Which you do, if you've ever had

Yes, even Poptarts :(

While cottonseed oil does have its benefits -- increases vitamin e intake, no trans fat, can be used to deep fry a ton of hamburgers before you have to replace it -- the stuff that goes into it is really, really awful. Cotton pesticides make up 10% of the world's pesticide use and 25% of insecticide use. The crops are just bombarded with tons of nasty chemicals, including:

Fun stuff. Long story short, stay away from fried foods, store-bought baked goods and snacks. Watch out for cottonseed oil in bottled salad dressings and sugary cereals. And don't be fooled by a healthy name.

Evil Robot Cows of Doom

2009-09-30T16:03:00.009-04:00

Okay, this post isn't actually about robot cows. It's actually about something worse.

Remember when our economy was awesome? Three years ago, when everything was just lovely and everybody wanted more more more because that’s how we capitalists roll, dairy farmers couldn’t meet the milk demands of the American people.

The solution: breed only heifers (females). A bunch of guys in white lab coats spent years staring at bull semen. They figured out a way to tell if a sperm cell carried an x or a y chromosome (the x is slightly bigger), and then they plucked out and sold a ton of heifer-making bull sperms to the farmers.

Cool...except not really, because just as herds started ballooning with new dairy cows, we plunged into a ginormous recession. And people got way less excited about buying milk.
Today, these unnatural heifers are growing up and dumping dairy products into a non-existant market. There’s a huge supply and very little demand; farmers are losing money on milk.
The National Milk Producers Federation has been paying farmers to slaughter their herds. 230,000 cows have been culled this year.
So what do we have?
Rivers of milk. Struggling farmers. A ton of dead cows. And more genetically engineered heifers in test tubes, ready to go.

There is just so much wrong with this situation. It’s especially frightening because scientists are looking to extend gender-selection to human babies. Think about what could result from that. Pimps breeding harems. Terrorists breeding armies. I don’t know. It just seems so easily abused...sometimes we should leave nature be.

Also, what about all those dead cows? I understand the financial necessity of culling, but couldn’t they be donated to impoverished communites or something? Seriously, dear National Milk Producers Federation, giving away cows to penniless Peruvians isn’t going to hurt your profits. And in fact, a heifer and tubes of heifer-making semen would be ideal for the rural poor (make a baby without feeding a bull). Readers, d'you think we can do something about this? Bombard them with letters maybe? Contact the Heifer Foundation? Leave a comment on this post if you want to brainstorm.

Green Swag

2009-09-28T09:13:00.004-04:00

Assorted bumper stickers and booklets from the YSEC conference.

Clockwise from top left:

bumpah stickah from New Dream, an organization that encourages responsible/green consumerism.

Natural Ingredients Dictionary, from a group campaigning for organic beauty products.

bumper sticker from Campus Climate Challenge. Youth groups fighting/voting for a just and sustainable future.

"Free Gift with your Cosmetics Purchase! A complimentary dose of toxic chemicals." That freaked me out.

And finally, sticker from Sierra Club, a organization whose motto is "explore, enjoy, and protect the planet."

YSEC Conference

2009-09-26T18:07:00.010-04:00

Goddess and Guru are both members of the nascent Hopkins Sustainability Board. Today, I made my first journey into the world of university green activism when I attended a conference hosted by YSEC and NextGen at Yale.

Jesus.
Except for the incredibly kind and poised Maya Potter, I was the only high school student there, which was cute and fun for about five seconds. Honestly, I am not mature enough for this kind of thing. We were supposed to be networking and building support, and my social skills basically end at hiding in a corner pretending to text my imaginary friends. Still, it was totally useful and inspiring to get out of my comfort zone and see what's out there. Here's a quick rundown of the day.

8:30-9:00
Arrived. Tried to look hipster and fair-trade-ish. Failed. Desperately looked around for Maya, who wasn't there yet. Got a free tote bag and granola.

9:00-10:00
My. Worst. Nightmare. BONDING ACTIVITIES. Aaaagh I did NOT bargain for this!! Where the heck was Maya?! The woman running the show, a petite hippie type, had us do highly uncomfortable icebreaking "games" for an hour. We had to square dance, tell our secrets, and look deeply into each others' eyes.
Interestingly, I'd ever actually had to look a person in the eye for a full 2 minutes before. It was so hard. She was just a nice girl from New Haven University, but I could not for the life of me maintain eye contact. It was really bizarre. So I did get something out of the hour.
Then, every group wrote ideas for going green on slips of paper and tacked them on the walls. Cool.
10:00-10:30
Maya came. Thank god. We listened to two speakers in Dwight Chapel. The first talked "preaching what you practice" -- basically, updating education to match what students are already doing. The second guy invented the College Sustainability Report Card and got us thinking about green ways to use our school endowments. Seriously, if 1% of our endowment was invested in on-campus green iniatives...
10:30-11:15
Panels. The one I attended used the No Coal project as a model for creating a dramatic and effective campaign. For your info, No Coal is fighting the construction and use of coal plants all across America. They recommended using stalking, threats, and blackmail to target powerful people. It was legal, brilliant, and totally eye-opening. I took notes.

1120-12:20
Workshop #1. I met a Greenpeace field organizer who had just been in jail for hanging a protest banner off a bridge in Pittsburgh. He taught us how to get attention from the media and talk to Republicans. This guy was so cool. He was like, "Yeah, I'm from Greenpeace, that group of rabid, communist, eco-terrorist whatever-they-ares, and I can help you win any campaign through the media." More on this in a later post.

12:30 - 1:30
Lunch and Free Stuff. The food was vegan, but amazing. I was shocked. Seriously, this tofu/potato/mystical vegetable product was just like steak, except more tender. Wow.
After I hid in a corner and ate my eco-friendly food, I wandered around collecting informational pamphlets (I'll scan some later). I signed a bunch of petitions and freaked out about eco issues I hadn't even known existed. There was so much cool stuff going on...one group was doing a photo petition (taking pictures of people who held up green slogans on a dry-erase board to send to Congressmen) while another recruited organic farmers. 1:45 - 2:45
Workshop #2: A senior from Brown talked about his project, the Real Food Challenge. It was really, really useful for those of us looking to support "sustainability and justice in our food system" on our own campuses. The workshop was really interactive, and the speaker used awesome visuals. He drew a concept map showing us how to unite people with seemingly unrelated concerns into a single, powerful group. Again, more on this later.
2:45-3:45
Workshop #3: PVC, the Poison Plastic. A super well-dressed and passionate guy delivered this dynamic workshop on the dangers of a household material: vinyl. He showed us this funny cartoon, and then explained why PVC must be globally phased out of production. WAY more on this later.
4:00-4:30
A stellar folksong performance, followed by a rousing lecture from -- oh god -- a Harvard law student I had to "bond" with in the morning. More time was set aside for networking (I'm apparently on some kind of Connecticut alliance green team now...oops), during which I slithered off to Starbucks and went home.

Sweet.

10 Seconds to Green #2

2009-09-25T16:25:00.006-04:00

Okay, so how many of you have been unplugging your computers and phone chargers at night? All of you? Awesome.
Today, Goddess and Guru bring you yet another way to be eco-friendly and lazy at the same time.

10s2g.2:

throw your sweatshirt on the floor

I'm serious.
There are some items of clothing that should really be washed after each use. Like your gym socks. WASH THEM. However, there are other accoutrements that really don't need to be laundered all that often.
I doubt you sweat all over skinny jeans (at least I hope your don't). And that sweatshirt probably doesn't need to go in the wash until you get pizza grease on it.
Do you realize what it takes to run a washing machine? 40 gallons of water. .256 kilowatt-hours per load. Actually, nevermind, I think I'll do a laundry lecture tonight or tomorrow...enough for now.
Long story short, the fewer loads, the better. So don't wash clean clothes.

Red Bull: Beverage of Satan

2009-09-21T18:05:00.011-04:00

Or "Beverage of the Balrog," if you roll that way. Whatever.

Red Bull is an energy drink that contains triple the caffeine of Coke. And 2 tablespoons of sugar per can. This post is meant to convince you that Red Bull is an evil, evil drink that you should never, ever consume again. Let's begin.

Proof #1: Red Bull is killing the planet

Red Bull Corporation recently admitted to breaking British recycling laws for 8 years. Why? To save about $300,000. The fine for the crime? $450,000. Ha. That's the biggest fine any recycling violator has paid in history. Serves them right for dumping over 22,000 lbs of packaging waste into landfills.

Proof #2: Red Bull is probably killing you too

Studies show that drinking one can of Red Bull temporarily gives you the same risk of a heart attack as someone with coronary heart disease. So basically, drinking Red Bull is like lining your arteries with MacDonalds cooking fat. Gorgeous.

Proof #3: Red Bull is gross

Do you know why they call it "Red Bull?" It's because it contains the amino acid taurine (taurus means "bull" in Latin). Do you know where taurine comes from? Bull bile. Yup, the liver fluids of a cow. Okay fine, so they make it synthetically now, but think about it...you're paying to drink a can of fake digestive juices. Still thirsty?

Green Feet

2009-09-20T18:35:00.015-04:00

Shoe shopping is one of the great feminine joys of life.

Except not for the people who don't have the means to protect their feet from the filth and the cold, much less buy an adorable new pair of kicks/Uggs/flats/stilettos/cleats/crocs HA/gladiator sandals/converses/what-have-you every time a new season rolls around.

And what do we usually do with our old shoes? Toss 'em, stuff 'em in closets, maybe give them to the dog to chew if we're feeling especially generous.

NO.

Recycle your shoes, people! You'll feel better about buying more! There are lots of ways to do this.

Exhibit A:

If you know me, chances are you know my cowboy boots. They're pretty average, nothing to write home about...in fact, they're kind of beat up and old, seeing as I bought them second-hand. And that's what makes them awesome. I mean sure, wearing some Texan lady's boots so I can pretend to be a cowboy is weird. But not as weird as buying some made-in-china faux-cowgirl boots at the mall so I can pretend to be a cowboy. AND IT WAS ECO-FRIENDLY. I saved my shoes from a landfill, and I saved the life of half a cow, I saved the energy used by the shoe-making machines, and I saved Xiao Li, the little orphan girl in the sweatshop, from working the machines. Not to mention like 60 bucks.

So yeah, if your used shoes are still in good condition, you can sell 'em to a vintage or second-hand store. Or, even better, donate them to soles4souls, which will pass them on to people in need (like wildfire victims, victims of domestic abuse, and orphans in developing countries).

Exhibit B:
Ouch. If your shoes look more like this, not even freezing orphans will want them. You're better off donating your sneakers to Nike's Reuse-a-Shoe project, which will recycle them into new ones, or playground and athletic court surfaces.

Exhibit C:

If your shoes look like this, then your life is pretty darn good, and if you're wasting, I hope the little green demons are going to come and KICK YOUR BUTT -- sorry. I repeat, if you have a pair of new shoes that don't fit and you can't return, or your dog chewed the left shoe to pieces, or you're just feeling charitable...send them along to the National Odd Shoe Exchange. It's a non-profit started in 1943 which donates un-matched shoes to amputees, polio victims, and people with club feet, missing toes, or mismatched shoe sizes who can't afford shoes that meet their needs. Disclaimer: Obviously, you're not going to be sending your YSL stilettos to an amputee in Appalachia. But you get the idea.

10 Seconds to Green

2009-09-18T19:31:00.015-04:00

"I'm too busy" is not an excuse to destroy the planet. That said, not all of us have time to build greenhouses or clean up other people's messes. Goddess and Guru want to help you do your part, so check back here every few days for ways to go green in fewer (not less, right Justin?!) than 10 seconds.

10 Seconds to Green #1:

u n p l u g

Your charger's in the socket, but your phone's not plugged in...so you're not wasting energy, right? Wrong. Standby power -- also known as vampire power -- is what electronic devices suck up even when they're turned off. It can amount to 10% of household energy consumption. Just to give you a frame of reference, here are some numbers:

Watts are units of power drawn by an appliance at any point in time.

We can convert to units of energy, kilowatt-hours. Say your laptop sits there, turned off, for 8 hours every night.

9 watts / 1000 = .009 kilowatts

.009 kW x 8 hours = .072 kilowatt-hours

.072 kWh x 365 days per year = 26.3 kWh/yr

That's a decent amount of energy -- enough to run your laptop ON 8 hours a day, for 2 and a half months.

Conclusion: UNPLUG. Ten seconds a day can save a ton of energy in the long run. Go one step further by purchasing electronics with low standby power consumption.

Reader Q&A: Why So Green?

2009-09-17T16:28:00.014-04:00

The utterly fabulous Alexa sent us some interview questions for an English assignment. I'm reposting my answers here, and I'll do the same with Claire's in a bit. Click here to help Alexa with a survey she's conducting.

Alexa: Why is it important TO YOU to be green??
GG: First of all, I think people often forget that TREES ARE PEOPLE TOO. And begonias, and flamingos, and endangered animals, like Hawaiian monk seals. All are people too and ought to be treated accordingly.
Okay, okay, seriously, here's my answer. I am extremely dedicated to environmentalism because, paradoxically, I'm not a huge "nature person." I don't go camping, I like electricity and running water, and I think civilization is pretty awesome. Many hardcore environmentalists get very possessive about being eco-friendly; they act like they're on a holy crusade and treat the rest of us like ignorant, insensitive tree-killers. This exclusive attitude is totally counterproductive -- it makes people less likely to cooperate, learn, or help the planet. I don't think green should be a secret society. I'm eco-friendly to prove that regular people can make a difference, too.
A: Why is it important for Hopkins to be green and have a green club??
GG: A club isn't worth much until it gets people thinking, caring, and doing. GOAT is meant to provide that inspiration. And Hopkins, where tons of bright, passionate, and privileged teens can share ideas and work with one another, is the kind of place where inspiration can turn into action. We can do great things.
A:Why should teenagers be green, and to what extent is it reasonable for teenagers to be green??
GG: Why should teens be green? Out of selfishness, really. You wouldn't let your dog chew your favorite shoes, because they're yours and you'll want them later on. The same goes for the earth. Plus, as teens, we are a powerful consumer demographic. For example, whether the car market of the next 10 years tends toward the Hummer or the hybrid is totally in our hands.
There's really no excuse for us not to be as eco-friendly as possible. We're young, strong, and educated. And besides, there are absolutely no personal costs to going green. You don't have to be living in a mud hut and spearing rats for dinner to be helping the earth.
A: Why do you think being green is NOT important to everyone??
GG: I think it is important to everyone. Again, it doesn't require a lot of sacrifice to make a little difference. And a little difference is better than no difference at all. There's no "why bother?" in going green.
A: What are some easy ways to be green?
GG: I can't stress enough that going green is not a life-changing commitment. It doesn't take a lot of work to throw your Vitamin Water bottle into the blue bin instead of the black one.
It's so easy to be green. Use both sides of your notebook paper. Unplug your electrical devices when they're not in use. Buy local produce, or grow a garden at home. For more ways to make your day-to-day life a wee bit greener, check out http://www.goddessandguru.blogspot.com/. [Editor's note: Aah, I love me some shameless self-promotion.]

Obligatory, Hyper-Optimistic GOAT Update

2009-09-16T22:45:00.008-04:00

For all of you who are sitting on the edges of your seats, biting your nails and quivering with excitement for some update on the greenhouse, don't worry! We're making great progress.
Tomorrow, Claire and I are meeting with Mr. Kops to finalize a blueprint (get it? the word "blueprint" is blue? nevermind.).
We’re currently choosing vegetables based on growing conditions, demand, and plant life cycle.
On another note, we’re brainstorming forms of alternative energy that don’t require thousands of dollars and engineering degrees to assemble. And, like, solar panels are soooo 2006. Just kidding, we're just bitter that we can’t afford them.
We’ll be revealing some of our innovations soon! And we may need your help collecting materials....hint, don’t throw out your water bottles. Now go read some of the interesting posts below this.

Die Hard with the Vegans (pun fail)

2009-09-15T22:26:00.009-04:00

There are some of us who care about plants.
There are others of us who write blogs about caring about plants.
There are still others of us who get Venus Flytraps tattooed on our calves. [Editor's note: The best part is the sock/faux flower pot. Hands down.]

Or wind turbines, if you're more into the whole alternative energy thing.

And if that's still not good enough for you, there is always the cow option.

Paradox:

Why do people who refuse to eat animal products always look so eager to devour your young?

Yet Another Reason Why the Yankees Are Better Than Your Team

2009-09-14T16:09:00.016-04:00

SICK INNING OH MAN so Melky gets called out for running into the path of the Angels' second baseman, but then Teixeira comes up and hits a two run triple and the Yankees take the lead! And I'm inspired to write this post.

[Editor's note: And its a pinstripe victory 5-3 with some sweet baserunning by Brett Gardner and a Cano single.]

I really don't need to tell you that the New York Yankees were, are, and always will be the greatest ball club in the major leagues. I'm not going to bore you with talk of 26 World Series rings, 39 AL pennants, iconic uniforms, historic heroes, diehard fans. It's barely worth mentioning that they are currently the hottest team in baseball and basically crushing everyone in their path and...yeah, not even going into that.

What I was psyched to learn today is that the Yanks totally go green. Can you even process that? That the Yankees are even more awesome than you thought they were? It's like one of those infinity plus one questions that you can't solve on math tests.

Anyways. So get this:

The new Yankee Stadium has special, energy-efficient light fixtures that also reduce 50% of light waste (light going onto other property) and save 207,000 lbs of carbon emissions per night game. That's like planting a tree for every pitch of the home season.

The Stadium sells drinks only in biodegradable cups. It also composts or recycles 40% of its waste. All paper products are 100% recycled paper.

The Great Hall uses a natural cooling system (like our greenhouse!!) instead of high-energy air conditioning.

Even the toilets are eco-friendly! The new plumbing system is supposed to cut water waste by 22% and a new type of waterless soap could save millions of gallons every year.

The Yankees are the first ball club in the majors to make all their maintenance and operation manuals electronic. While this may not sound like a big deal, it will save 10 trees, 100 pounds of solid waste, 1,000 gallons of waste water and 10,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Obviously, the Stadium's location lends itself to mass tranportation. Take that subway!

And the best for last...Yankee Stadium recycles its cooking oil, and has produced 7,192 gallons of biodiesel fuel to date. Using the biodiesel will cut over 125,000 lbs of carbon emissions. That's like taking 12 cars off the road for a whole year.

Just for fun, I checked out the Red Sox green agenda. The first thing they brag about is forcing student "volunteers" to pick up garbage. Like in a gulag. That's cute.

Sex on Wheels

2009-09-13T10:00:00.013-04:00

I think it's time for a post on some epically awesome, wicked, sicknasty, eco-friendly cars. Seriously, these babies are flyer than a flying parakeet. Flying in the air. With its wings.

Haha. Without further ado, I give you the 2010 Lotus Evora.

oh, yeaaaah.

Why it's hot: Um, why don't you LOOK AT IT FOR A SECOND? The interior is pretty cool too. It has race car seats, and a touch screen audio/video/GPS system. The Evora's protoype has a max speed of 160mph and goes from 0-60 in under 5 seconds. It also has amazing stopping power for all your Bond, James Bond driving moments.

Why it's green: Car weight is directly proportional to fuel consumption. The Evora, in all its sleekness, weighs only 2,976 lbs -- less than a Toyota Prius. Carbon emissions are relatively low at 225g/km (a really green car would be releasing only 150g/km, but what the heck). Testers report fuel consumption as 30+ mpg. Compared to other luxury sports cars, that's not half bad.

Next up, we have the Tesla Roadster Sport.

Can you hear the angels?

Why it's hot: It goes 0-60 in 3.7. That's like, .2 seconds away from a Rihanna song. Plus, the wheels are black. And you can get two-toned leather seats.

Why it's green: The Roadster is a plug-in car. Yes, that's right, you plug it in to an outlet, charge it up, and then zoom around for up to 244 miles before coming home to recharge. NO GAS. NO EMISSIONS. Twice as efficient as a Prius. [Editor's note: Yes, yes, people debate whether electric cars are green or if they just outsource pollution to power plants. I still want a Roadster.]

And finally...wait for it...the 2010 Ferrari FXX Millechili.

there are no words.

Why it's hot: Good god, it's a ferrari. Need I say more? [Editor's fun fact: I've actually never had great luck with Ferraris. Almost puked on one in Monte Carlo, almost got hit by one in San Francisco last month.]
Why it's green: "Mille chili" means 1,000 kg, or roughly 2,200 lbs. Miles above us, the ozone layer is smiling.

In the Greenhouse: Seedling Babies

2009-09-12T20:49:00.008-04:00

I don't think we've mentioned that one of our big greenhouse projects is going to be growing seedlings.

Basically, instead of caring for 12 cucumbers from planting to harvest, we're going to raise and give away thousands of cucumber babies.

Why is this a good idea? Well, first of all, it's way efficient. Depending on the type of plant, seedling turnover can happen as often as every 4-6 weeks. We'll be housing way more vegetables over time by shipping off seedlings, and therefore providing way more food for the hungry in the long run.

But why, you ask, would a starving homeless guy ever want a baby cucumber plant? Heck, you couldn't even barter that for cigarettes. It's a good question. But there's a good answer: we're going to donate our seedlings to community garden organizations, where those in need learn to grow their own produce. Hell-o, self-sustainability.

We'll also be growing other fruits and vegetables all the way to delicious maturity. Ugh, that was a weird turn of phrase. I feel like a plant pedophile. Oh well.

Stay tuned for episode 2 of In the Greenhouse, where we'll be discussing the joys of cantaloupe.

Overkill

2009-09-12T10:35:00.006-04:00

How green is too green?

I think you'd have to be pretty psycho to appreciate this eco-friendly dishwasher:

ewww.

DIY Project: Solar Death Ray

2009-09-11T17:43:00.010-04:00

Ah, the weekend. The opportunity to take a breath, spend some time alone, maybe have a hobby. You could go play catch, or bead a necklace, or bake brownies for your loved ones.

Or, you could build yourself a solar-powered death ray.

I'm not kidding! So I got some weird looks today for carrying this book around campus:

Gee, I wonder why. All I wanted was some info on solar-powered heaters. I was NOT expecting a 3-page treatise on how to build and use my very own Solar Death Ray. But not gonna lie, I skimmed it. Okay, maybe I read it a few times. Fine, I read it word-for-word and studied all the pictures and diagrams, but that's not important. What is important is that SWEET MARY MOTHER OF JESUS YOU CAN BUILD YOUR VERY OWN SOLAR POWERED DEATH RAY!!

In case you're interested, it's apparently "very simple" to assemble a death ray. Just saw apart a mirror into squares and solder the individual tiles to a giant pegboard, where you can angle them until they all beam sunlight to a certain spot like a laser. Super-ill, dude.

Go Green: Black Out

2009-09-11T01:12:00.006-04:00

If you're even a tad bit observant, you've probably noticed that the background of our blog is black. Computer screens require less energy to display black than white or other colors, so the more black, the better.

Earlier this year, Google had a little freak out when scientists claimed that 2 google searches use up enough energy to boil a cup of tea. The study has since been proved totally false (about 80-100 searches = 1 cup of tea), but a) it sounds cool and b) it made British people feel awesome about themselves, so it's all good.

But seriously, every small step counts. That's why we GOAT people have (kinda) forsaken Google for blackle. It's a search engine just like Google but the background color is black, not white.
Blackle is still not the greatest for finding images, videos, or news, so use the Google toolbar once you're in the middle of your internet session. But set blackle as your homepage so that idle minutes aren't sucking up the world's resources.

Raining On My Freaking Tea Party

2009-09-10T19:31:00.008-04:00

Hi, how are you today? I'm feeling outraged. Why? Because a new school policy says GOAT can't host an eco-friendly dance, that's why.

If other groups have dances, StuCo thinks no one will come to the all-school events they host. That's paranoid and greedy, and why should StuCo have exclusive rights to dances? I mean, what is this, a Rockefeller oil monopoly? Or did I miss the assembly where they announced our school was turning into a mafia labor union?
Apparently, it's "a matter of supply and demand." Well with all due respect, the fact that Snoball sucks year after year has nothing to do with supply and demand.
StuCo, you guys are SO IMPORTANT and have SO MANY THINGS BESIDES DANCES TO WORRY ABOUT! It's unfair to subject the student body to your parties. It's unfair that y'all don't give the rest of us a chance to do better. But most of all, it's unfair to you. Why should you guys have all that weight on your shoulders? Let clubs and individuals host the dances instead! WHY NOT?

Just a side note. I was talking to Aishah today, and we realized that if we understand this new policy correctly -- and I hope we do, or else this is all just massively hypocritical -- StuCo is also blocking the traditional SURE dance. Good luck with that.

Q&A: Mike King on the Deep, Dark Secrets of Your Cafeteria

2009-09-09T22:32:00.005-04:00

The mastermind behind our school cafeteria, Mike King, generously answered some of our questions about what goes on behind the scenes at lunch time.

GOAT: How much food does Hopkins consume every day?
Mr. King: It depends on what is on the menu. For example, take the menu for Monday 8/31. We usually go through about 12 gallons of soup per day . That day we served 200 lbs of turkey [editor's note: JESUS], 150 lbs of smashed Yukon Gold potatoes, almost 50 lbs of corn, and about 650 pieces of fruit. We also served approximately 60 lbs of food on the salad bar and about 45 lbs on the deli, 12 loaves of bread, 240 rolls, 22 gallons of juices, and about 20 gallons of milk.
GOAT: How much does that cost? Does the school pay by the day/month/year/etc.?
Mr. King: The food bill over the year is in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. The school pays for the food, labor and services each month.
GOAT: Who provides the food, and where does it come from?
Mr. King: The chef and I order from our suppliers on a daily basis. Many of the products we use come from a large supplier in Springfield, Mass. Produce comes from a supplier in New Bedford Mass who deals with many small local farms in the CT, RI and Mass area. We frequently buy local, first pick, and organic items from this supplier. Fish comes from a local supplier here in the New Haven area. Ice cream and dairy from New Jersey.
GOAT: Who plans the menu, and how far in advance is it planned?
Mr. King: The chef, Eric Blass, prepares the menus, with input from myself and others on our staff, and suggestions from students and faculty members. We plan the menu on a monthly basis, this is called a cycle menu and we run on monthly cycles.
GOAT: Is the food prepared on campus, or just defrosted?
Mr. King: Everything is prepared here on campus, in the kitchen. We use very little frozen product. We only use two frozen vegetables- peas and corn. All other vegetables are fresh.
GOAT: Is nutrition information available for school lunch foods?
Mr. King: No. Providing nutritional information for menus items is a science that cannot be performed in a working commercial kitchen- it needs a laboratory. The amount of effort and cost necessary would be prohibitive.

...only two questions remain: Why is the steak called "savory loin of cow" and WTF IS IN THE MEATLOAF

The Whole Point

2009-09-09T18:45:00.008-04:00

WELCOME MEMBERS OF GOAT!!!

Sorry to be the annoying club heads sending out messages already, but here's a quick rundown of the group you signed up for (or were unknowingly drafted into, either way).

GOAT stands for Greenhouse On-campus Agriculture Team. Astonishingly, our goal is to build an on-campus greenhouse and then farm in it.

Here's our official mission statement:

Compared to many other schools in Connecticut and across the country, Hopkins is not outstandingly eco-friendly. We want to help the school "go green" by constructing an energy- and cost-efficient greenhouse on campus. The greenhouse will provide an opportunity for students to explore self-sustainability and alternative energy, two fields of undeniable importance in today’s world.

So there you have it. Our short-term goals are to

Construct the cheapest yet most awesome greenhouse possible
Grow food to donate to the Hopkins cafeteria, local schools, and soup kitchens
Use alternative energy sources to increase productivity

In terms of long-term goals, we hope to

Bring self-sustainability and nutrition to the less fortunate by helping them build their own greenhouses
Raise awareness about the personal and environmental benefits of farming your own produce

We can't wait to work with you!
xoxo

Shout Out

2009-09-09T15:10:00.006-04:00

Thanks to everybody who dropped by today to eat green cookies!

Oh, and by "green," we mean green, not healthy/organic/good for the planet in any way. Just being honest. Although the vanilla was fair trade, I promise.

Anyways. A big thanks to JOE for recruiting ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR MEMBERS to the Greenhouse On-Campus Agriculture Team! That's rougly 1/3 of the kids at our high school.
We took advantage of the fact that Joe is crippled by a leg injury/unable to run away, and chained him to our booth. We love and stalk you, Joe.

GOAT

2009-09-08T21:58:00.003-04:00

Like the Guru (who is a color beast) mentioned, we're staking out some territory at the activities fair manana. But we kind of neglected to mention who "we" are. So without further ado, I give you:

It's called that whole, four-word (shut up), remarkably pompous name because we wanted the acronym to be GOAT. Like our school mascot, the smelly thing with a beard that capers (f.y.i. that word means "moves like a goat" in Latin) around in the mountains. Cute.

Oh, I get mad props for fitting "AGRICULTURE" into that ant-sized space. And for coloring. Claire and Aishah (more about her later) have many many many skills (cough laughing at my underwear and killing trees through my window cough) but they suck at coloring.

LATEST COOLIO ACTIVITY

2009-09-08T21:00:00.004-04:00

Tomorrow, blog followers, we will have a booth at the activity fair. Be there or be square! We want as many new club members as possible and we'll be giving out yummy treats!

Today, work was done on the gothic style greenhouse design. We are tweaking the standard size to make it better for us, and I'm thinking for interior decorating we should use those Chinese pink lanterns. :)

I think it is important to say that we have one big fan--our biology teacher-- but either way, that's a step in the right direction.

We Don't Mess Around

2009-09-08T17:26:00.007-04:00

Isn't it strange how terrified people are of ideas?
Case 1

Sophia/Claire: Hey, guess what, we're building a greenhouse!
Person: [silence]
Sophia/Claire: [awkward smiles]
Person: [walks away]

or, Case 2

Person: Hey, why are you guys emailing black-market Japanese solar lantern dealers?
Sophia/Claire: We're building a greenhouse!
Person: Cool, but...[series of skeptical questions]

But we are all over this. We cannot be stopped.

Ask us what we plan to do about ventilation, and we'll lecture you for an hour about solar-powered fans. Ask us about gardening, and we'll give you a rundown of optimal broccoli growing conditions. Ask us how we feel about pesticides, and we'll probably talk about gerbils.

We know a lot about gerbils.

Green Dream (pretend that rhymes)

2009-09-08T16:31:00.003-04:00

In the beginning, God created heaven and earth. And then he got tired of tripping over things, so he said, "Let there be light. And a firmament, and some grass, and a whale or two. Oh, and how about one soon-to-be-massively-awesome greenhouse."

Exactly a week ago, Claire and I decided that our lives were meaningless and lame. Everyone else was running around building latrines for Guatemalans, or distributing school supplies to nomads in the Sahara, and we were sitting on our lazy, private-school butts doing absolutely nothing.

"I know," I perkily exclaimed. "Let's save the pandas!"

Claire scowled. "Pandas? I hate pandas. I hope they die. Why don't we help poor people in China?"

"Forget poor people in China. They'll be fine once they go to Harvard."

"True," admitted Claire. "Okay. Let's think. What are our interests?"

We spent some minutes deep in thought.

"I like math and science," she said.

"Yeah, and I like eating." I added.

Then it hit us. We bolted upright and simultaneously yelled, "GREENHOUSE!"

So that's how it started. Our friends were oddly impressed (they usually laugh at us -- not with us, at us.) as we scurried down the hill to the library.