Today’s giveaway is a DVD copy of “How the Earth Was Made.” It’s one of The History Channel’s three most popular specials, released on DVD for Earth Day earlier this year.
Here’s the channel’s description for “How the Earth Was Made”:
From a seething, hellish mass of molten rock to the inviting world that cradles life today, discover the cataclysmic events that set the stage for life. Based on recent findings by renowned scientists and filmed on location across the globe, HOW THE EARTH WAS MADE puts the “Gee!” in geology. Visit sites planet-wide where you can still see evidence of Earth’s birthing process. Meet scientists at the leading edge of discovery. Thrill to the awesome power and unimaginable time-scale of world formation.
I’ll be honest and say I forced myself to watch the first 27 mins, then gave up. That’s not to say the film isn’t interesting. We have scientists excitingly trying to figure out the age of the earth. There are exciting debates over how old the earth is. There are exciting fights pitting science vs. scripture. And there’s an exciting description of “deep time” — aka a very, very, very long time.
I’m just not the kind of person who finds The History Channel terribly exciting. I mean, I AM interested in exactly how old the earth is, and I’m even vaguely curious about the plate tectonic process. I’m just not THAT interested or curious.
I am, however, sorta psyched that the DVD came in 100% post consumer recycled packaging.
Are you a fan of The History Channel? Comment or email by Sunday to get into the drawing, which’ll happen Monday. US addresses only.
Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com
>> Your house without you, or nature’s demolition job. Visualize your house without you via this 2-minute animation. How long do you think it would take your house to disintegrate, leaving no trace of your having lived in it? Pick a number (of years), then watch this:
>> Soy story: Adventures in organic soy milk. What is “carrageenan” and why’s it in my soy milk? That’s what I asked Twitter after getting home with my Silk organic soy milk, bought at Vons yesterday after much indecision.
>> Write about “How selling goods under the Fair Trade label has improved the lives of people who produce goods such as coffee, tea, chocolate, rice, and flowers” to win a OneWorld’s Citizen Journalism Award, aka $125. I’m guessing it’ll help if you either 1) sell fair trade goodies, or 2) have visited people who produce fair trade goodies. That excludes me.
>> The United Farm Workers have wine: Black Eagle Wines, “a vintage of Napa Valley wines that celebrate justice and help organize people to earn a better living without having to rely on government assistance,” according to UFW’s press release. You must commit to at least half a case — that’s 6 bottles for $150 — to support the cause. (thanks for the tip, Genise)
So about those cotton tote bags. Own one? Many of you do — cuz I gave ‘em to ya! Tell me this: Is your cotton tote bag 1) organic and 2) made in the US?
Because according newest companies selling tote bags made in the US, getting organic cotton isn’t cheap. Want both US-made AND organic? Then get ready to pay $40+, they say. Want a bag for under $20? Then you gotta pick between US-made OR organic, not both, according to them.
The bag companies I’ve been hearing from, however, are making more design-and-longetivity oriented stylish bags, not just the basic tote.
Take Savior Bags (meaning “save your bags”; above left), for example. This company makes what they call the “most durable natural product” possible — a roomy cotton tote (with what feel like synthetic handles and metal rings) designed to hold its bucket shape without collapsing. Cost: $19.95. According to the owners, an organic version would cost $45 — a price point they don’t think the US market will bear.
Pretty Green (right) says the same thing. This local, Sherman Oaks-based husband-and-wife team company created cute, durable bags with water resistant lining and cushioned handles, made locally and fairly right in L.A. Cost $15, with 1% of sales going to Water Partners International. The owners say that an organic cotton version would cost $40 a bag — but still plan to have an organic bag out by this summer.
Mind you — we’re not even talking about US grown and milled cotton. We’re simply talking about US sewn / assembled. Pretty Green says its lining is made with US-grown cotton, but doesn’t think its outside fabric is. I’m not certain of the details of Savior Bags’ cotton, but my guess is that the stuff wasn’t grown and milled in the US.
I want to point out, though, that you CAN get a no frills, organic cotton tote made in the US for just $9.99 at Amoeba Music. It’s a nice, sturdy bag, though perhaps a bit plain jane. Part of the reason why the bags I’m talking ’bout here are more expensive is because Savior Bags are designed for maximum durability, while Pretty Green bags are more stylish than the regular grocery tote.
Still, I wonder why these tote bag companies think $20’s the max the US market can handle for stylish totes, when American Apparel’s selling conventional cotton tote bags at $34 a pop.
I’m not saying any of these companies are “bad” or are greenwashing. I’m just trying to sort out some of these ideas. Let’s keep in mind that Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m Not a Plastic Bag” totes — which were neither organic nor fair trade — sold like hotcakes at $10 a pop.
And it’s not as if non-US-made, non-organic totes are much cheaper. Take EarthTotes (right), for example. Started by two SoCal moms, this company’s totes are made with conventional cotton AND made in China — albeit by a company that is part of the International Labor Organization. Cost for “The Jumbo Tote” that’s about the same size as, but not as sturdy as, the Savior Bags: $14.
Lots of eco-initiatives and orgs still have no qualms just buying the cheapest tote bags possible for distribution (especially if it’s for free distribution). Most of the free totes given away at L.A.-area eco-events are synthetic, petroleum based crap. Even the City of L.A.’s Zero Waste Plan people opted for conventional cotton bags made in China.
And of course, I get lots more tote bag emails from companies touting their new “eco-friendly” tote bags. I’ll ask how their bags are eco, and they’ll reply they’re eco cuz they’re reusable. Nevermind the pound of chemical pesticides that goes into growing the cotton for every conventional cotton tote bag and the many labor and trade issues that arise both from taking advantage of cheap international labor to NOT supporting our more local economies. Those concerns are not so important, they say. At least we’re moving in the right direction. We’re reusable and that means we’re eco, they say.
Some will go so far as to say that to get Americans to reuse, we need to make reusable bags as cheaply as possible (I often get the same argument from reusable cotton napkin makers). It’s the typical the ends justifies the means argument.
Is a tote made with US-grown organic cotton that’s milled in the US, sewn by local US workers and printed locally wit non-toxic, eco-friendly dyes delivered to me by bicycle too much to ask for? :P
So here’s a survey for you. Assuming you MUST buy a tote bag, which bag are you most likely to buy — taking style, cost, materials and place of production into consideration?
Lastly, I also want to point out that your organic cotton bag NOT made in the US could still very well be ethically made. Some of you may have organic cotton totes made under fair labor conditions — probably in in India, Pakistan, China, or another country where employing people under fair labor conditions is still cheaper than paying US minimum wage…..
No, it’s not easy being green. Watch Sad Kermitshoot up, say “fucking,” and strum madly in NIN’s Hurt, Radiohead’s Creep, and Elliot Smith’s Needle in the Hay, respectively. (via kottke)
My header used to read “It’s not easy being green,” followed by some stuff about fair trade and environmentalism, back when green LA girl first started. At some point, I decided that was a too “sincere” and narrow filter for this blog.
Latest from Emerald City, my enviro-blog at LAtimes.com
>> Bike to work next week and win a folding bike. Metro’s getting in on the bike riding fun with a weeklong schedule of activities (PDF), including lots and lots of giveaways, free bus rides and a guest appearance by — Shrek.
>> Riding is the most profound activism (Part 1 of 3). Alex Thompson says: “Perceived as dangerous and stigmatized as an activity for health nuts and tree huggers, reasonable people do not ride bikes in L.A. So, when you step off a curb onto a bike you have just committed a flagrantly irresponsible act. “I do what I want!” you’ve just declared. Prepare for a wild ride!”
>> The urban Motorboarder’s backup: Bus + fare card. Kathryn Pope writes: “I took my first bus ride because I was angry with my car, not because of my environmental goodness. After failed smog tests, maintenance tickets, and a chunk of metal that started to drag on the pavement as I drove, I was fed up. At the time, public transit seemed like a radical idea — sheer craziness, in a city where cars are fashion statements.”
>> L.A. streetcar workshop May 22 at the Orpheum. A streetcar workshop is coming to L.A. Based on the book “Street Smart: Streetcars and Cities in the 21st Century,” the workshop is actually the last in a series of four national streetcar workshops. The previous one happened in the Pacific Northwest last month and was attended by a couple dozen streetcar-curious Angelenos — including Eric Richardson of blogdowntown.
>> Q&A: De-car-ing in the Valley. Says Liza: “I live in the Valley and I love to hear the best way you’ve found to travel between the Valley and Santa Monica.” I tell her the valley sucks and she should get the hell out. Kidding! (sort of)
In case you missed it, my sister started a knitting blog called yoelknits. She’ve very prolific in her knitting. And she’s donated two cute mug cozies as green LA girl freebies :)
I asked her what the purpose of the cozies were, exactly. Aesthetic? Utilitarian? This was her characteristically organized response:
I think cozies are for (in order of importance):
1) decoration
2) to keep coffee/tea warm
3) to keep fingers un-burnt
Want them? Comment or email by Tuesday to get into the drawing, which happens Wednesday. US addresses only.
>> An interview with fair trade company Alter Eco’s Edouard Rollet on SFist. On what to do with $15 and 2 hours in SF: “Get a coffee and some good fair-trade chocolate and eat and drink with the view at the top of Dolores Park.”
>> An argument for knowing your coffee Jon B. Rogers is the president and founder of the family-owned, San Leandro-based Rogers Family Company, which includes the Organic Coffee Co. and the San Francisco Bay Coffee Co.
As of today, the US officially has a fair trade city: San Francisco! NoCalians are celebrating with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom at Dolores Park in San Francisco; they’ve timed their announcement to fall on World Fair Trade Day.
San Francisco may be the first fair trade city, but we already have six fair trade towns in the U.S. What’s the diff between a city and a town? That’s what I asked Wikipedia yesterday, but didn’t get a straight answer. Apparently, “the definition of cities (and town, villages, townships, etc.) is a matter of state laws and the definitions vary widely by state.”
I assumed that cities are relatively large, well-known places, while towns are teensy places out in the middle of nowhere. However, I then discovered that Milwaukee — a sort of but not totally way out in the middle of nowhere place — is on the list of 6 towns that received Fair Trade Town status.
So as of now, it’s unclear whether San Francisco will be considered the 7th of Fair Trade Towns, or the first Fair Trade City. In any case, here’s the list of fair trade cities and towns:
You’ll notice I actually mentioned the first two towns in posts then sort of lost interest…. But now I’m getting interested again. Fair trade LA’s gotten more active — I wonder if we can either work with that group or create a new Fair Trade Santa Monica group to make the beach city I live in a Fair Trade Town –
Today’s giveaway is a DVD copy of “How the Earth Was Made.” It’s one of The History Channel’s three most popular specials, released on DVD for Earth Day earlier this year.
>> 
Today’s giveaway is a pack of five 
Because according newest companies selling tote bags made in the US, getting organic cotton isn’t cheap. Want both US-made AND organic? Then get ready to pay $40+, they say. Want a bag for under $20? Then you gotta pick between US-made OR organic, not both, according to them.
I’m not saying any of these companies are “bad” or are greenwashing. I’m just trying to sort out some of these ideas. Let’s keep in mind that 
Lots of eco-initiatives and orgs still have no qualms just buying the cheapest tote bags possible for distribution (especially if it’s for free distribution). Most of the free totes given away at L.A.-area eco-events are synthetic, petroleum based crap. Even the 
>> 
In case you missed it, 
