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carbon footprint

Pepsi Unveils 100 Percent Plant-Based Bottle
Eco

Pepsi Unveils 100 Percent Plant-Based Bottle

Pepsi isn't just making a killing off of the past — it's also banking on the technology of the future with a new plastic bottle made completely out of plant material.
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Pepsi isn't just making a killing off of the past — it's also banking on the technology of the future with a new plastic bottle made completely out of plant material.

The company claims it has "cracked the code" on a first-of-its-kind bottle made from switch grass, pine bark, corn husks, and other materials, and it purportedly looks, feels, and protects the drink in exactly the same way as traditional plastic packaging. It beats out the carbon footprint of competitor Coca-Cola's PlantBottle, which is only 30 percent plant-based.

Pepsi is even thinking further ahead: in the future, it plans to use orange peels, potato scraps, and other leftovers from its food enterprises in its new plastic bottles.

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Low-Carbon Vegetarian Restaurant Chain Otarian Opens in New York
Eco

Otarian: The World's First Low-Carbon Global Chain Restaurant

Now that nutritional information is being added to menu items, what's next?
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Now that nutritional information is being added to menu items, what's next? Why, carbon emissions, of course. One eatery, Otarian, hopes to set the standard: The fast-casual restaurant, which opens its first New York location April 19, will be the first global chain to carbon footprint all its menu items according to PAS 2050, a set of greenhouse gas specifications recognized world over.

Otarian, which already has locations in London, offers a vegetarian menu that includes portobello mushroom burgers, roasted vegetable lasagna, and berry panna cotta — none of which are made with air-shipped ingredients. Restaurants are built using sustainable materials, and practice recycling and composting whenever possible.

The eatery's star-studded New York opening saw the likes of Vanessa Williams and Mary-Kate Olsen turn out to support greener eating. What do you think of the concept?

Family SUVs: Is Safety or the Environment More Important?
Eco

Family SUVs: Is Safety or the Environment More Important?

Lots of moms buy organic, compost, and recycle before they load their kids up in a gas-guzzling SUV to transport them to soccer, take them on a nature hike, or pick up more energy-saving light bulbs.
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Lots of moms buy organic, compost, and recycle before they load their kids up in a gas-guzzling SUV to transport them to soccer, take them on a nature hike, or pick up more energy-saving light bulbs. There's a campaign for families to go green, but much is also to be said for keeping children safe on the open road. The logistics of space — fitting an entire family and their belongings and friends inside a car — aside, lots of moms and dads feel more secure in a large vehicle because the streets and freeways are already swarming with them. And who wants to take a chance with precious cargo? When it comes to motoring around town, which do you consider more: safety or your carbon footprint?

ECOWEEN: Combating Halloween's Carbon Footprint
Eco

ECOWEEN: Combating Halloween's Carbon Footprint

When day turns to night, don't add to the fright.
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When day turns to night, don't add to the fright. This Ecoween leave your car at home and trick-or-treat locally. If you are venturing outside of your neighborhood, lessen your family's carbon footprint by going on foot and pushing babies in their strollers or pulling wee ones too tired to walk in wagons. Beyond getting exercise, you'll teach your tots a valuable lesson in respecting Mother Earth.

Fact or Fiction? Buying Local Reduces Carbon Footprints
Eco

Fact or Fiction? Buying Local Reduces Carbon Footprints

The word "locavore" — only eating foods produced within 100 miles of where you live — was nonexistent a few years ago, but has since become a part of mainstream vocabulary, particularly in cities like San Francisco and New York.
by partysugar

The word "locavore" — only eating foods produced within 100 miles of where you live — was nonexistent a few years ago, but has since become a part of mainstream vocabulary, particularly in cities like San Francisco and New York.

But a recent piece by Conservation magazine, entitled "The Problem of What to Eat," questions the status quo of whether buying local really does reduce one's carbon emission. It's obvious that local produce has a lower carbon footprint when compared to air-freighted foods, but it's actually unclear when comparing local foods to those arriving by sea, rail, or road.

While there's an interesting point made here, I think the carbon issue is really only one part of eating local. Sure, people eat locally to reduce emissions, but there are other reasons, too: The fresh taste of produce picked that day, the ability to talk to farmers firsthand and learn about the food, the idea that we all have a chance to get a little "closer" to our food. So I'll keep trying to buy local when I can.

How about you? Do you eat locally? If so, what are your reasons for being a locavore?

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Another Reason to Avoid Processed Foods: The Environment
Eco

Another Reason to Avoid Processed Foods: The Environment

I am not a fan of processed foods.
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I am not a fan of processed foods. Although I am not always successful I do try to avoid food with ingredients that I don't recognize and cannot pronounce.

I now have another motivation to steer clear of packaged, processed and engineered foods – the environment. It is fairly simple, processed foods require more energy to produce and package than do whole foods like oats, bananas and spinach. While reading In Defense of Food, I realized that my favorite cereal, Kashi Go Lean is a lot more processed than simple steel cut oats. The production of food and the supply chain takes up an estimated 19 percent of energy used in the US, and the energy sources used are most often non-renewable energy sources. By decreasing the amount of processed foods as well as eating a diet that contains less meat, you can decrease your carbon footprint as well as your waistline. What processed food do you think you should give up? Tell me in the comments section below.

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