Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives

So, doing another environmental-esque post is not to say that this is the only topic we can cover in the Café... but this site is too cool not to share!

I think a lot about waste reduction. Why do we make things that are designed to be thrown away? (Check out Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart.) Take a clue from nature, who recycles herself endlessly. That's the purpose behind ZERI, Zero Emissions Research and Initiatives.

The Monfort Boys Town school for boys in Fiji has teamed up with ZERI to make beer into fish. Working together they have set up program where the boys collect sludge left over from a local brewery and plant mushroom spores which break down the barley protein so that it becomes a nutritious food source for pigs. The school then collects the pig poop and run it through a biodigester which allows them to collect gases that can be stored and used for heating and cooking. Finally they spread the remaining material over shallow pools to disintegrate and act as food for algae that in turn feeds a wide variety of fish in the ponds. ZERI has this and other waste reuse case studies on its site at http://www.zeri.org/.

What does a tomato taste like?

Ah! Eating locally is such a great issue!

Every state can grow most of its own produce, but it doesn't, due to today's commercial agricultural practices. Almost everything we buy in the grocery store is shipped over thousands of miles. Before it was shipped it was hybridized so that it could have a long shelf life, and then it was harvested before it was mature. While travelling, the taste doesn’t get any better. So you think you know what a tomato tastes like? Wonder about that when you read this: the flavor in a ripe tomato peaks within 3 minutes of picking it off of the vine.

Resources
Another good article: http://odemagazine.com/article.php?aID=4080
A fantastic book: This Organic Life by Joan Dye Gussow
Look up Alice Waters, Chez Panisse and The Edible Schoolyard project
Find your local CSA! http://www.localharvest.org/

How do I post to the Café?

So far I'm the only one posting, so I thought I would offer this handy advice!

Check out: http://help.blogger.com/bin/topic.py?topic=13

Solar Decathlon : October 7-17 : The Mall, Washington, DC

For 10 days in October, 18 university teams from around the world will turn the National Mall into the nation's most environmentally responsible neighborhood.

It's the Solar Decathlon, a Department of Energy-sponsored competition that challenges engineering grads to build a 100% solar-powered home for less that $400,000. Contenders must generate enough energy to run all aspects of an average household for at least three weeks, including powering the family car. By combining existing solar technologies with student innovations (insulation made from salvaged blue jeans, soy paperboard walls, windows as tv projection screens), some of the homes don't just power themselves; they can feed power back to the grid.

See more here: http://www.eere.energy.gov/solar_decathlon/

The Much More Sparkly Station

Here's a thought: The Much More Sparkly Station, where we showcase good news that didn't make it on your local broadcast.

Today's lead story
Treehouses! Who doesn't want one? I've now seen Jake Jacob and Pete Nelson profiled on CBS Sunday Morning and in the most recent issue of Readymade magazine, and every time their lofty designs flash on the screen/page I get an immediate happy high. Talk about a positive vibe. Get your own right here: http://www.treehouseworkshop.com/favorite.htm. And if you want to build your own, try this resource: http://www.treehouses.com/.