Tomorrow, October 24, is 350 day!

Tomorrow is October 24 and it means only one thing: it's the international day of climate action. In other words, it's 350 action day!

Yes, tomorrow there are 4,814 events that will take place in 179 countries with one mission in mind: to inspire the world to rise to the challenge of the climate crisis—to create a new sense of urgency and of possibility for our planet.

The focus of the movement is on the number 350--as in parts per million, the level scientists have identified as the safe upper limit for CO2 in our atmosphere. But 350 is more than a number--it's a symbol of where we need to head as a planet.

We invite you all to visit www.350.org and encourage you to participate and find there an event near you that would be a good fit for you. We also want to share an email we received from Bill McKibben, the founder of the movement.

Saturday's the day -- October 24, the International Day of Climate Action. So join the nearest 350 action knowing you'll be part of something big.

Very big, in fact. This campaign has gone viral--there will be over four thousand events taking place simultaneously in over 175 nations. As far as we can tell, you'll be part of the single most widespread day of political action about any issue that our planet has ever seen.

There are too many incredible events to list in one place, but here are some of the highlights:

• In Cambodia, citizens from across the country will gather at the famous Angkor Wat to take a giant 350 action photo.

• In Hungary, hundreds of bathers will jump into the public baths in Budapest and do a 350 synchronized swimming performance.

• In Nepal, over a thousand young people and monks will march to the Swayambhunath world heritage site temple where they will form a large 350 with traditional lanterns.

• In the United States, 350 people will dance to Michael Jackson's Thriller in Seattle -- because if we don't stop global warming, we might as well be undead.

• In Panama, indigenous youth will lead a moonlight vigil in Kuna Yala, their vulnerable low-lying islands off the coast of Panama, forming a 350 at sunrise.

When you're out there marching or rallying, biking or kite-flying, singing or taking part in whatever is going on in your community, take a minute and try to imagine all the other people doing the same kind of things all around the world--every one taking the same basic scientific fact and driving it into the public consciousness.

350 is the most important number in the world--scientists have told us that it's the most carbon dioxide we can have in the atmosphere, and now we're making sure everyone knows. We'll be taking photos from all the events, projecting them on the big screens in New York's Times Square, and delivering them to major media outlets and hundreds of world leaders in the coming weeks. The combined noise from these events will ensure that world leaders who gather next month at the UN climate talks in Copenhagen to create the world's new plan on climate change will hear our call. They will know that when negotiating the fate of our planet, there is a passionate movement out there which will hold them accountable.

After your event on Saturday, check out www.350.org, where we will show a glorious slideshow of photos from events in every corner of the earth. Be proud of what you've accomplished.

And if you have any doubts about where the fun in your neighborhood is on Saturday, check out this link to find an event near you: www.350.org/map

Onwards,

Bill McKibben for the 350.org crew

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Green printing tip no. 20: How to create a green packaging job?

We have another tip for you on our weekly series of green printing tips, where we bring you information on green printing in collaboration with Greg Barber, an experienced eco-friendly printer.

Today Greg discuss the greening options of a part of the job that is as important as the printing job itself - the packaging.

How to create a green packaging job?

Tip #20

OK, so you did everything you needed to green up your printing job, whether it's a new brochure, reports, or promotional materials for your customers. But what about packaging?

Sometimes we tend to forget this part, but not only does packaging has its own footprint, its also a visible part that represents your business. The box is no less than what's inside of it, and therefore it's important to green it up as much as you can, making sure all the components you send talk the same language: the sustainable one.

So here are couple of things you can do when it comes to packaging:

1. Use 100% post-consumer waste paper, and less coated stock.

2. Eliminate plastic in the construction of your boxes.

Packaging and box making use enormous amounts of plastic. We have a way to eliminate (90%) of the plastic.

USE E-FLUTE for platforms, instead of vacuum form or injection molding. Our platforms are 100% recycled, are recyclable, and besides saving our environment from all the unwanted plastic in the items you buy everyday, we can save the buyer a ton of money.

You will save money and be environmental: The dies are 1/10th the price of what vacuum form/injection molding dies cost. This would be a revoluntionary, environmental change in our
packaging.

I am having a kraft box made to send my sample kits in and will be able to show my clients the platforms made from recycled material, instead of plastic.

3. Design your box to have minimal waste of paper.

4. Print with soy based inks.

5. Use a plant that is environmental to start with. FSC, Wind E, etc.

Need a recommendation about a manufacturer of "green" packaging supplies? check out ARES Printing & Packaging at http://www.aresny.com/, which I also represent.

If you have any further questions about today's tip, please email me at greg@ecofriendlyprinter.com

Also, if you have any questions you would like us to address in future tips please email us to info@ecolibris.net .

Latest tips:

Green Printing Tip #19 - What is rock paper and why is it considered a green paper?

Green Printing Tip #18 - What is rock paper and why is it considered a green paper?

Green Printing Tip #17 - How do you save money on your next printing job?

You can find links to all the tips we published so far on our green printing tips page, which is part of our green printing tools & resources.

You can also find further valuable information on Greg Barber Company's website - http://www.gregbarberco.com.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting green printing!

Green book review: "Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer" by Novella Carpenter

Today we have a great book for those who secretly dream on growing vegetables and maybe some animal farms, or in other words: becoming an urban farmer.

Our book today is:

Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer

Author: Novella Carpenter
Novella Carpenter grew up in rural Idaho and Washington State. She majored in biology and English at the University of Washington in Seattle. While attending Berkeley’s Graduate School of Journalism, she studied under Michael Pollan for two years. Her writing has appeared on Salon.com, Saveur.com, sfgate.com, and in Mother Jones. She also keeps a popular blog about her adventures in city farming at GhosttownFarm: http://ghosttownfarm.wordpress.com/.

Publisher: Penguin Press

Published on: June 2009

What this book is about? (from the publisher's website)
Novella Carpenter loves cities—the culture, the crowds, the energy. At the same time, she can’t shake the fact that she is the daughter of two back-to-the-land hippies who taught her to love nature and eat vegetables. Ambivalent about repeating her parents’ disastrous mistakes, yet drawn to the idea of backyard self-sufficiency, Carpenter decided that it might be possible to have it both ways: a homegrown vegetable plot as well as museums, bars, concerts, and a twenty-four-hour convenience mart mere minutes away. Especially when she moved to a ramshackle house in inner city Oakland and discovered a weed-choked, garbage-strewn abandoned lot next door. She closed her eyes and pictured heirloom tomatoes, a beehive, and a chicken coop.

What started out as a few egg-laying chickens led to turkeys, geese, and ducks. Soon, some rabbits joined the fun, then two three-hundred-pound pigs. And no, these charming and eccentric animals weren’t pets; she was a farmer, not a zookeeper. Novella was raising these animals for dinner. Novella Carpenter’s corner of downtown Oakland is populated by unforgettable characters. Lana (anal spelled backward, she reminds us) runs a speakeasy across the street and refuses to hurt even a fly, let alone condone raising turkeys for Thanksgiving. Bobby, the homeless man who collects cars and car parts just outside the farm, is an invaluable neighborhood concierge. The turkeys, Harold and Maude, tend to escape on a daily basis to cavort with the prostitutes hanging around just off the highway nearby. Every day on this strange and beautiful farm, urban meets rural in the most surprising ways.

For anyone who has ever grown herbs on their windowsill, tomatoes on their fire escape, or obsessed over the offerings at the local farmers’ market, Carpenter’s story will capture your heart. And if you’ve ever considered leaving it all behind to become a farmer outside the city limits, or looked at the abandoned lot next door with a gleam in your eye, consider this both a cautionary tale and a full-throated call to action. Farm City is an unforgettably charming memoir, full of hilarious moments, fascinating farmers’ tips, and a great deal of heart. It is also a moving meditation on urban life versus the natural world and what we have given up to live the way we do.

What we think about it?

My grandfather's cousin, who passed away recently, told me once that getting old is not for sissies. After reading "Farm City" I'm positive urban farming is not for sissies as well. At least not Novella Carpenter's version of it.

It's not only the fact that Novella's farm is not located in a rough city like Oakland (or as she describes it "I have a farm on a dead-end street in the ghetto"), but also the fact that is a real farm, with farm animals that the author and her boyfriend are taking care of, loving and eventually butchering and eating. It's not easy to read about it, not to mention to actually do it.

If you're wondering how it works for Novella Carpenter, here's a video clip from a conversation she had with Michael Pollan, her former professor, who questions her on how she is able to slaughter the animals she raises on her urban farm (the full video is available at http://alturl.com/4bx9):


This fascinating book is a personal journey and it reminded me somehow "Into the Wild". Just like Christopher McCandless, the hero of "Into the Wild", Novella Carpenter keeps exploring her limits while going further into new territories. Only here it's downtown Oakland and not Alaska. One more thing I found similar between the two heroes is the willingness and commitment to their believes, no matter how extreme they have to go (i.e. dumpster diving to get food for the pigs).

I was intrigued with this journey not only because of the author and her farm, but also because of the neighborhood, the city and the people in GhosTown, like Lana and Bobby, who are part of the story and the author's daily life. The author managed to portray them in what I think is the most kind, generous, and funny way anyone has ever portrayed Oakland.

And yes, Novella Carpenter is nothing but a sissy. You can know that from the first page of the book, but by the end of it you got all the assurance you need. And you can be sure then that if there's a model character for a real urban farmer, it should definitely be based on her.

Bottom line: it's recommended to everyone, from new urban farmers all the way to readers who (still) prefer to do their shopping in the supermarket.

Disclosure: We received a copy of this book from the publisher.

If you're looking for other interesting green-themed books, you are invited to check out our green books page on Eco-Libris website's green resources section.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

Mohawk Fine Paper became the first paper company to leave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

Mohawk Fine Paper, one of the two largest premium paper manufactures in North America, is a leading force in the pulp and paper industry when it comes to sustainability.

Yesterday the company enforced its leading position when it left the U.S. Chamber of Commerce due to the Chamber’s position on climate change.

George Milner, Mohawk's vice president for environmental affairs, explained this move to AP, saying that "it hurts the company's credibility as an advocate for environmental protection when it belongs to an organization that vigorously opposes action on climate change."

As reported on Environmental Leader this morning, the announcement of Mohawk was part of the news about the fact that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce spent a record $34.7 million in the third quarter lobbying against the Obama administration's proposals to overhaul energy policy, financial regulation and health care.

It's definitely encouraging to see a company from the paper industry among the defectors from the Chamber, and given Mohawk's record (you can read about it here and here), it seems only natural that they're the first ones from the industry to take a stand and join other companies such as Apple, Exelon Corp. and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. that already left or announced they won't renew their membership in the Chamber.

I hope that Mohawk won't be the last one from the paper industry to leave the Chamber and that we'll see more paper manufacturers following suit.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable printing!

Kudos to SHI for earning Charity Navigator's highest 4-star rating for the fourth consecutive year!

We are very proud in our three planting partners that we work with to plant trees in developing countries.

Not only that they do a great job in planting trees and benefiting the life of local communities in Africa and Central America, but they also do it very efficiently and responsibly, making sure that funding is being used in the best way possible.

The latest example is coming from Sustainable Harvest International (SHI), which has earned Charity Navigator's highest 4-star rating for the fourth consecutive year! With an exceptional score in organizational efficiency and low overhead, SHI spends just 8% of its budget on administration.

This is a very impressive achievement! Here's what Trent Stamp, President of Charity Navigator, has to say about SHI:

"Only 7% of the charities rated have received at least 4 consecutive 4-star evaluations, indicating that Sustainable Harvest International consistently executes its mission in a fiscally responsible way, and outperforms most other charities in America. This "exceptional" designation from Charity Navigator differentiates Sustainable Harvest International from its peers and demonstrates to the public it is worthy of their trust."

You're welcome to check out further details on SHI's performance on their Charity Navigator's profile and also visit their website at http://www.sustainableharvest.org/

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: Promoting sustainable reading!

The potential and risks of Forest-based carbon offsets: part 1 - the Carbon Canopy

This week we're issuing a 3-part series that will cover one of the most interesting issues in the green market.

It's getting more and more attention (also on this blog) as a promising way to deal with global warming under the cap and trade scheme. At the same time, it is also the center of a heated debate between organizations, companies and others on its legitimacy and effectiveness.

Yes, we're talking about forest-based carbon offsets. Or in other words, enabling landowners who keep their trees standing and not cut them down, or selectively log their forests to earn carbon credits they can trade on the open market. Such a trading system does not exist yet and it's part of legislation before Congress, as well as one of the issues to be discussed on global level in Copenhagen in December.

Today we'll talk about the Carbon Canopy, which according to their website, "seeks to establish a new model to support landowners who expand protection, restoration and conservation of their forests and certify management practices to the high standards of FSC certification. The Carbon Canopy is focused initially on building a credible carbon market model for landowners in the Southern US. "

The group includes timber and paper supply companies, such as Domtar Corporation, Columbia Forest Products and Staples, as well as environmental NGOs such as the Dogwood Alliance, Rainforest Alliance, the Forest Stewardship Council and our friends at the Green Press Initiative.

The coalition starts a pilot project in South U.S. offering what they see as a win-win model: "Private landowners receive revenue for the ecological benefits their forests provide. Forest product manufacturers receive a stable supply of FSC certified wood to use in their products. In turn, large paper and wood end-users and retailers are able to offer FSC certified products to reduce their environmental impacts. And all of us, including our future generations, will benefit from forests that not only support a more stable climate but also biodiversity and watershed protection."

I like this model. It does a good use in the cap and trade mechanism and everybody wins. It also deals with a severe issue - according to the Washington Post, "ninety percent of forests in the South, which ranks as the largest paper and wood-producing region in the world, is privately owned. Some farmers in the region still clear cut their forests, or convert them to pine plantations that are fast-growing but less environmentally beneficial."

Now, there are some that question the concept like Greenpeace. Daniel Kessler, a spokesman for Greenpeace, praised on the Washington Post the idea of managing forests according to the Forest Stewardship Council's standards, but added, "We also believe that forest offsets should not be used in a compliance carbon market."

Still, I think that there's something right in providing incentives to keep trees alive. We discussed it many times in the past and we always get to the same conclusion: no matter how many flows this system has, it's the most realistic way to fight deforestation.

The Carbon Canopy explains it very clearly on their website: "Currently, forest landowners do not have access to viable roadmaps or sufficient economic incentives to help them conserve, restore and/or manage working forests to a high environmental standard. The potential of earning income from forest carbon sequestration could provide incentive for private landowners to enhance forest protection, restoration and conservation."

There are of course issues that shouldn't be ignored like the validity of carbon offsetting in general and forest-based ones specifically (how do you measure them? are they sustainable? what happens in a case of a fire where the whole forest is burned?) as well as their ability to actually reduce emissions.

The later issue is a very important one, as not matter how good you do carbon offsetting, if you eventually didn't reduce emissions then it's just not the right way. The Carbon Canopy doesn't ignore this question and I actually liked what they had to say about it:

"Carbon offsets are often criticized as serving as a crutch for polluters who prefer to buy their way out of having to implement true carbon emission reductions. Because the Carbon Canopy’s members strongly believe in the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions before and alongside of purchasing and retiring offsets to compensate for emissions that can’t be reduce, we seek to work with corporations that are committed to transparency in reporting and demonstrate real leadership in developing sustainable conservation models to significantly reduce their operational and supply chain climate impacts."

I don't know what the results of this pilot will be and neither the Carbon Canopy, but it looks like they know what they're doing, dealing openly with difficult questions and issues and moving forward to find the right model that will both save our forests, fight global warming and will be worthwhile to all sides involved.

On the second part of our series we'll discuss some of the problems that were found in another pilot of forest-based carbon offsets, this time in Bolivia.

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!

Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers, an Australian publisher, is going green with Eco-Libris!

We are happy to announce a new collaboration with the Australian publishers Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers!

We will work with Pick-a-WooWoo to green up children's books they publish by planting trees, starting with "The Boy Who Was Born To Love Frogs" by Jacqueline Nicoll, which was released on Wednesday!

Based in Western Australia, Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers are publishers of Mind Body Spirit books for children. Their inspirational books are designed to help children connect with their intuition and inner guidance, develop their awareness skills and enhance their Mind, Body, Spirit connection.

Their goal is to help children create a sense of strength and sense of belonging in this world by teaching them of their connection to everything in the web of life.

We're happy to start this partnership with the beautiful book "The Boy Who Was Born To Love Frogs" - 625 trees will be planted with our planting partner for its first edition and you can find our logo on the book!

Here are some more details on the book:

Author: Jacqueline Nicoll

Illustrator: Gabriel Evans

What it is about: All children have a gift. One boy, through his love of nature, makes a plan and is helped by the magical realms to share his wisdom and inspire others. This story celebrates the healing light that is within us all. Jacqueline believes that this book will help empower children with its message... that they too can make a difference with their individual gifts and talents.

The book will be available soon at http://www.pickawoowoo.com, where you can also find more information on the other books published by Pick-a-WooWoo Publishers!

Yours,
Raz @ Eco-Libris

Eco-Libris: promoting sustainable reading!