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Whether you're contemplating a vegetarian diet, thinking about planting a new tree in your backyard, or considering a winter garden, a new eco-foodie book's out to help you make some green decisions. Check out the reviews to see if you should pick up—or download—the whole read: >> Deciding between a ficus tree or fig tree? You’ll likely choose the latter after reading Public Produce: The New Urban Agriculture by Darrin Nordahl. According to  Jen Boynton at TriplePundit, Public...

[More at lime.com/planet]

- An OpEd by Green Groove contributor Mike Bickley

Many of you may already be aware that the State of Idaho (US) is allowing the legal hunting of wolves this fall for the first time in decades, there has been a quota of 220 wolves established. If you lived in Idaho as I do you would have also heard stories of wolves being everywhere, decimating the big game herds, threatening humans and that livestock producers will soon be a relic of the past. Idaho presently has about 1,000 wolves, for a state of 83,557 square miles, that figures out to be about one wolf per 83.5 square miles, it hardly seems like we could be overrun with wolves. The game herds in Idaho are also doing quite well, Idaho Department of Fish & Game states that elk (the primary prey of wolves in Idaho) numbers in Idaho are above the Departments long term management goals. There have been no wolf attacks of humans in Idaho. Human elk hunters in Idaho are doing quite well too, 68,275 hunters killed 10,859 elk in the 2008 season. Livestock losses have been lower than biologists predicted prior to the re-introduction of wolves, in fact losses to coyotes, bears, mountain lion and feral dogs have been greater. Stock growers are also compensated for confirmed wolf predation losses. Will killing 220 wolves in Idaho bring disaster to the recovery project, probably not. Will it placate the vocal opponents of wolves, probably not, they hated wolves when we only had 30. But there appears to be no sound biological reason to kill wolves while on the brink of recovery either, maybe at some future time there will be. So, you may ask, what's the problem?

Ask any Idahoan about wolves and you will most likely hear one of two answers with little middle ground. Wolves are the devil or they are angels, they are either loved or despised. How did we arrive at such divergent views of wolves. Some at least seem based in the livestock culture of the West. Growing up in Idaho you soon learn a values system of sorts as it relates to the worth of wild things and wild places. Animals like elk which can bring an outfitter, rancher or guide $10 to $15 thousand dollars each are revered and are a good thing, a wolf which can kill and eat a $15 thousand dollar elk is a bad thing. Jack rabbits are bad, they have no economic value and they eat livestock food and are generally shot and left where they die. Sage brush is bad, it competes with grass for livestock food. Wilderness itself is bad, you can't mine, log or graze livestock in a designated wilderness. It seems our value of wild things and wild places is solely based on our economic interest.

When the debate to reintroduce wolves to the west began it was argued that the wolf was the missing and key link in the establishment of complete ecosystems as they existed before human intervention. Modern science has established that predator/prey relationship is such that prey numbers ultimately control predator numbers. If predators could wipe out prey populations wouldn't they have done so eons ago before man was evolved? Wolves have had the intended impact on the ecosystems that scientist envisioned and some surprises as well. Researchers in Yellowstone National Park have discovered that elk with no apex predator like the wolf became complacent. They could eat and stay wherever they chose. As a consequence some areas were greatly overgrazed. Riparian areas which should have supported willow, cottonwood and beavers had none. Quaking aspen groves were all old with little regeneration as elk ate the new growth before it could become established. Today in Yellowstone you see new willows and beavers returning to areas they have been absent from for decades. Young aspen are seen growing on the hillsides. Wolves keep the elk wary, elk spread out more and herd into smaller groups. Elk are becoming the wary and magnificent animal they once were. Wolves and elk evolved together, elk are the animal they are because of the wolf not in spite of the wolf. So every thing should be great... right?

Politics... with the Idaho legislature dominated by livestock and agriculture interests. The Governor a rancher and ex employee of an extractive/mining industry. The Idaho Fish & Game Department is at the mercy of the legislature and Governor. They may know the science and how to apply it, but they also know not to as well, especially if you want to keep your job. So we end up with the State policy for wolf management based on 14th century beliefs of wolves as devil and demon killing machines vs. peer reviewed science. Wolves are neither good or bad, neither devil nor angel, They take no pleasure in killing, they suffer no regret, they are simply wolves doing what wolves have done for perhaps millions of years. If we can keep politics at bay maybe they will be able to continue shaping our wild places for many more years to come.

So, you ask, why am I preaching to you in Chicago, New york or Nashville? Idaho is approximately 70% federally owned land, United States Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land owned not just by Idahoans but by all U.S. citizens... even Texans. On private lands there is a mechanism in place to handle wolf related problems. Wildlife Services, a division U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, will and does control issues at the request of land owners. Wildlife Services has killed approximately 150 wolves this year on private land. You as a U.S. citizen have right to a voice in this issue just as legitimate as any Idaho resident if you choose to do so and I hope you will. Call or email our Senators, Representatives and Governor and let them know how you feel about Idaho's management of wolves on YOUR land.

A guest post by Christina Crowe – Salad Sticks

After leaving the supermarket carrying a few plastic bags packed with groceries and heading over to the car, most people don’t stop to think about where these bags come from or what happens to the bags once they’re thrown away. I most certainly didn’t think about such matters when I would walk into grocery stores, accept my purchases, and leave while clutching several bags as I do so. This, of course, was until I learned that plastic and paper bags aren’t as great as they seem.

The truth is, plastic and paper bags are destroying the environment. What do you usually do when you’re done with shopping? You throw the grocery bags away don’t you? And then where do they go?

Most plastic bags roam the streets, get caught up in sea turtle bellies, strangle innocent birds, or just sit in landfills for hundreds of years while slowly releasing toxic chemicals into the ground until they decompose. Because sea animals mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, the bags usually get eaten, causing internal infections, blockages, starvation, and even death. If that isn’t bad enough, plastic bags also waste massive amounts of oil, looking at how many of them are manufactured each year. What’s even sadder is that some stores pass out these deadly choking devices like they’re nothing at all, bagging purchases with two or more bags when one bag would have sufficed, just because the bags are so insanely cheap.

Paper bags aren’t that much of a difference. It takes way more energy to manufacture a paper bag than a plastic one, since paper bags are heavier. Paper bags are also the reason why billions of trees have to die each year. If the bags aren’t recycled, they then take up more space than they should in landfills.

Buying a few reusable shopping bags will not only help the environment, but it will make your shopping so much easier in the process. I’m beginning to use reusable bags, and I bring them with me when I go shopping. All I have to do, really, is leave the empty bags in the trunk of my car, fill the bags up with the items in my carriage after leaving the store, and drive on home. I find that reusable bags are so much easier to manage, and I don’t have to deal with as much clutter as I normally do with plastic or paper bags. Reusable shopping bags can even be washed. They’re also sturdy and can withstand more weight than a normal shopping bag can.

Overall, I feel great that I’m helping the environment, and, at the same time, I don’t have to worry about piles of food tearing from bags and landing on the porch floor at my feet while I attempt to unlock the house door after a long day of shopping. It’s a wonderful feeling. It truly is.

You can visit Christina Crowe at Salad Sticks or contact her via email ().

No, we are not talking about the magnets on your refrigerator door.  We are talking magnetic refrigeration technology.  This is the latest in environmentally friendly, virtually pollution free green cooling technology.  While not yet available for home use, it could be in the near future.  It has much to offer as a green alternative to our traditional gas compressor cooling systems.  Magnetic cooling systems would require 20 to 30 percent less energy to run than the best current conventional systems.  Plus they would not require the use of ozone depleting chemicals or greenhouse gases.

Each summer air conditioning and refrigeration account for approximately 50 percent of U.S. energy consumption.  It is a major component of energy consumption world wide.  Think about it, your refrigerator runs 24/7 for your entire LIFETIME.  Imagine using 20 to 30 percent less energy because of one house hold appliance for a whole lifetime, not to mention the fact that it doesn't use ozone depleting chemicals or greenhouse gases.  Another really cool (no pun intended) benefit is that it is virtually silent.  Wouldn't that be great?

So, how does it work?  Basically magnetic refrigeration works by applying a magnetic field to a magnetic material causing it to heat up.  The excess heat is then removed by water, there by cooling the material back down to its original temperature.  The material cools down even more as the magnetic field is removed.  Research is now keyed on looking for new metallic alloys which amplify the cooling effect at room temperature.  The technology is based on research funded in the U.K. by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).

This technology has the potential of making a huge change in our energy use and pollution contribution to global warming.  Possibly effecting every home and auto.  Isn't it exciting to see what science has the potential to do?  I like it when science helps to solve problems in ways most of us can't even imagine.

The coming Earth Day has me thinking about new ways of helping our environment. Some way of adding to the more common existing things we do everyday. Recently, I happened to run across a term I'd not heard of before ..... locavore. The definition goes something like this; a consumer of locally grown or produced products.

The transportation component of the products we eat and use is a huge part of our overall energy use and CO2 emissions. Something as simple as choosing products that are grown or produced close to home could have a profound effect on both. Imagine the difference in total energy used in the following scenario. Tomatoes grown in Mexico, trucked to a rail or truck facility, then put in diesel powered refrigerated rail cars or trucks and transported via rail/truck to various location in the U.S. or Canada to then be re-distributed via truck vs purchasing tomatoes grown locally. The difference has to be huge. Obviously with some products, like bananas or pineapple there is no choice, but there are many items that we eat that we do have a choice for much of the year.

There may be added benefits of using locally grown produce also, such as a more palatable quality product. Large commercial growers producing products for export are likely to grow varieties of produce that are chosen for their resistance to damage and deterioration during transport rather than taste. They are also likely to be picked before they become fully ripe. On the other hand local producers can pick and sell produce at its peak of ripeness and choose to grow varieties for no other virtue than its good taste.

Examples of other items are easy to find. I live in Idaho, we have lots of dairies which produce lots of milk, butter, cheese etc. But if you look in most of the large local grocery outlets you find milk, butter and cheese that is produced and processed in California, Oregon and Wisconsin. Some is even produced in Idaho then trucked out of state to be processed and trucked back to be sold. But if you search you can find locally produced dairy products, they are there and they are a fresh quality product.

In most areas of the U.S. you should be able to find locally produced dairy products, eggs and poultry and locally grown fruit and seasonal vegetables. They may not be at your local big name grocery but check your local Co-OPs, farmers markets, specialty and organic food stores and ads in your local newspapers. The key is you have to look, a little effort may surprise you. You may find items like organically grown produce, free range poultry or grass fed beef or hormone free/antibiotic free poultry, beef and pork. You may find quality products that you prefer to those you previously used. You may even find items like locally produced textiles, furniture or art too.

Local farmers markets provide a great opportunity to save energy and CO2 emissions and help our local economies as well. Communities large and small are suffering economically as a result of money leaving and never returning. Think about it, in my home town, when I first moved here in 1973, virtually all of the grocery stores, restaurants, clothing, sporting goods, drug stores, almost everything we purchased was purchased in a locally owned store. Most of the money spent here stayed here. Fast forward to 2009 and almost all of the products we buy and use daily are purchased at big box, big name or franchised stores and restaurants whose profits go to who knows where, but they don't stay here. Buying locally grown or produced products or buying from locally owned businesses can in a sense be looked at as a way of recycling. Recycling money in your community. You are spending dollars that stay in you community and help to sustain your community and neighbors plus saving energy and helping to reduce CO2 emissions. Try it, you could become a locavore!

In 2007, Eben Bayer and Gavin McIntyre came together to form Ecovative Design, in an effort to revolutionize eco-building. Fascinated by the bonding qualities of fungul mycelium (basically mushrooms roots), they soon realized that they could harness this power of nature by growing their own building materials, mainly in the form of insulation, or Greensulate™.

The mycelium acts as like a resin material which bonds agricultural byproducts together to make a sturdy insulation type material. The mycelium never grows into full sized mushrooms, so there is no reason to be concerned about allergens and other spores.

The insulating materials help the environment because they are not derived from fossil fuels, they are biodegradable, and take little energy to produce. Oh, and this insulation won't catch on fire.

Ecovative Design is also the founder of Acorn™, the eco-friendly (biodegradable) packaging material. The company claims to envision a world where their organic material would eventually replace all types of artificial products. Living in a world where renewable energy is priority one, Ecovative Design wants to push the idea of renewable materials right up there alongside. Greensulate™ will be available in 2010.

Everyone seems to be awakening to the existence of their carbon footprint. But have you thought about your water footprint? Yep, you have one, and the two are closely intertwined. We are all aware that almost everything we use in our daily lives comes with an associated energy cost and carbon release. The energy cost of producing and transporting almost everything we eat, use and wear in our daily lives. But all of these things come with a water cost as well. Fresh water is becoming a scarce and precious commodity in many countries of the world, ours included.

Here are a few examples that really surprised me.

1. Your morning pot of coffee - 37 gallons

2. Bowl of cereal with milk - 22 gallons

3. Two eggs - 36 gallons

4. One apple - 18 gallons

5. One orange - 13 gallons

6. One hamburger - 634 gallons

7. One pound of beef - 1500 gallons

8. One glass of wine - 31 gallons

9. One pint of beer - 20 gallons

As you can see there must be more to the equation than simply how much water it takes to grow a plant or water a cow. There are associated water costs of processing, packaging, fertilizing, transporting and even consuming. At the consumer level producing the electricity you use to cook your meals with is a big water user. Most forms of electrical production require large amounts of water whether it's generated by gas, coal or nuclear. They all use heated water to make steam which drives the turbines which produce our electricity. Hydroelectric production obviously uses lots of water, but it doesn't need to be heated. This makes wind or solar power even more attractive as they require virtually no water. Choosing items that don't require long cooking times may save water and energy.

Simply becoming aware of water use can help you make more informed decisions about the products you buy and use and the foods you choose. When replacing faucets, shower heads, toilets, dish washers and clothes washers, look for the products with lower water usage in mind as well as energy saving models. A shower head that uses less water not only saves water but energy as well, by not using as much hot water, as do the low water dishwashers and clothes washers.

Using less water can also mean using less energy too. So, next time you turn on the tap, remember, water is precious, don't waste it, be Green, need what you use. -MB