Cheers, Mates -- and other local reviews

By popular request (and for those of you who may prefer beer to wine), we bring you the great, local American beers we have discovered while on our bus tour.

(That’s us posing with some microbrews.)

But first, a few facts environmental facts on beer:

• In many countries, intense wet weather (potentially connected to climate change) is causing a decline in barley production. In the UK, for example, barley production decreased from 69% to 22% in 20 years. This has contributed to the decline of the skylark (down by 58% since 1981) through removal of nesting and feeding sites.
• Imported beers come with "food miles" --CO2 emissions associated with the transport of foodstuff. More CO2=more climate change!
  
• Climate change's hot temperatures may also be threatening hop production, thereby driving up the price of ales.

What to do, what to do? Obviously the solution is to drink more local beer (and save habitats, slow down climate change, and bring down the price of beer!)

In case you need guidance, here is some good stuff we found on the road:

• From Boulder, Colorado: Walnut Brewery's Old Elk Brown Ale (as Bret Muter lovingly describes, "it's like being in a meadow with Elk grazing all around me")
• And one from Denver: Wynkoop's Chile Ale ("Ai-Chiuaua!" exclaims Jen Baldwin)
• Missoula's Moose Drool Ale, from Big Sky Brewing Company ("fiesty," says Bob; "don't stop believing," comments Martina)
• Grand Teton Brewing Company's Brown Ale ("like K.C. and the Sunshine Band threw away the keyboard and picked up the Banjo," reveals Jenny. Joel, our bus driver, agrees with the recommendation, at least)
  
• Grand Teton Brewing Company's Bitch Creek ("it's bitchin' good!" nods Martina)
• A Gruit Kolsch from Roots Brewing Company in Portland, Oregon ("comfortingly intoxicating," reminisces Julie; Savanna agrees)
• Another from Roots: The Exxcaliber Stout (observes Crystal, "dark and stormy")
• And yet another from Roots: The Woody IPA ("arousing!" giggles Bob)
  
• Seattle's Mac and Jacks ("brawny with a hint of fruit," according to Kayanna)
  
• Chicago's Goose Island wheat beer ("the best friend a pizza ever had," states Bret Strogen)
• DC's Capitol City Brewing Company's Hefeweizen (I think it shouts, "summertime is here! Yay!")
  

(And don't worry; if you're not a beer drinker, try Wynkoop's Root Beer. As Eli describes, "it's got a well rooted flavor that lingers longer than a Rocky Mountain high.")

Oh, you may also want to stay away from the following:

• Root's Skarkbite ("I would rather be bitten by a shark," comments Bret Muter. Joel and I agree wholeheartedly)
• Yuengling (aka "vomitling" for Bob)
• Cask-conditioned Victoria (I don't think I can even repeat Martina's review without blushing...)
  
• Grand Teton Brewing Company's Yellowstone ale (VERY disappointing. Crystal and I had the wax seal break on our bottles, leaving nothing left but flat bubbles)
  

(Again, for the non-beerites: avoid Yellowstone's ginger ale. "It was ailing," laments Eli.)

Cheers, mates!

By: Sapna Thottathil

Read More...

Summary only...

121 soaps!

We riders have been lucky enough to stay at a few hotels during our trip.

Hotels are amazing –fresh sheets, queen beds, several pillows, a nice bathroom, and tons of new toiletries.

However, these wonderful amenities also come along with their own environmental footprints, and we’ve faced a few questions. In particular, the riders have debated what to do with the little soaps and lotions we get at every hotel. Should we open as little as possible, and leave unopened toiletries at the hotel for the next guests to use? Or, should we collect what we don’t use, and donate the rest to charity? Who do we feel more comfortable using our unused toiletries? Who do we think might need them more? Which action will lead to decreased consumption and waste in the hotel industry?

Dealing with toiletries may seem like a little issue, but look at all the stuff we’ve collected so far:

That’s 121 soaps, 33 shampoos + conditioners, 29 shampoos, 21 lotions, 17 conditioners, 4 shower caps, 2 shoe mitts, 2 vanity packs (I have no idea what’s in these), and 1 body wash! (A lot of stuff we’ve encountered and could have used, eh?)

But we didn’t use them. After a few debates, the majority of us (although I should note here, NOT all of us) agreed to collect the toiletries and donate them to a charity in need (like a shelter) in Tucson, at the end of our trip. We have already identified a few charities that have indicated their need for shampoo, lotion, and soap.

2½ more weeks to go. I’m betting we can top 200 soaps.

By: Sapna Thottathil

Read More...

Summary only...

What a Trashy Bunch

As sustainability coordinator, I'm trying to help make our tour more sustainable.

But it's hard to be of the Captain-Planet-holiness-level when you're on the road full-time.

Take our trash, for example:



That's our trash from one breakfast + one lunch from one day on the road (between Louisiana to Oklahoma, for those who are following us on the map).

Ok, maybe that much trash from 13 people does not seem like a lot.

Let's look at the trash, though:



See those juices spill out. Yum.



Look at that Styrofoam!

And check out those soggy fries!

(Also, you can't tell from those pictures, but there were a few plastic containers in that bag as well. They were all #5's.)

Let's get serious now.

According to the EPA, 245 million tons of trash –about 4.5 pounds per person per day – was generated in the States in 2005. Why is so much trash a problem? Here are two important reasons: 1.) The number of landfills we have is decreasing. 2.) By generating so much trash that decomposes in landfills, and by buying more, newer stuff, we generate more greenhouse gas emissions.

Therefore, waste diversion, recycling, reducing, and reusing are great ideas for the environment. As the EPA states, "recycling, including composting, diverted 79 million tons of material away from disposal in 2005" –that's almost a third of the waste!

However, as I mentioned, recycling and composting is hard while on the road. Food comes in styrofoam containers, composting is a rarity on sidewalks of cities (although I will do a shout out for San Francisco here!), many numbers of plastic are not taken for recycling (here, though, we'll have a shout out for Boston, which takes #1-#7!), etc, etc. Other than for the few spots here and there, easily finding waste diversion options in our country has been quite the task….

To be somewhat more sustainable, we've been carrying around our plastic #1's and #2's, all of our cans, glass, paper, and cardboard (yes, on the bus), until we've been finding places that we can recycle these. (Yesterday, we recycled about 2 garbage bags full of plastic, glass, and aluminum!)

If anyone has anymore tips on how we can reduce our waste footprint (or how to be more sustainable in general, while on this tour), let us know…..

By: Sapna Thottathil

Read More...

Summary only...

Lower your carbon footprint: Drink American wine!

(This post is for all you European wine snobs out there….)

After spending two years abroad in Europe, I have to admit I turned into kind of a wine snob. Those good Italian Chiantis, French Bordeaux, Spanish Riojas, and Portugese Vinho Verdes…drool….

Anyway, I confess that I became a true fan of “Old World” wines (as they’re called abroad), and became skeptical of American contributions.

But, as someone looking to live a more sustainable lifestyle and lower her carbon footprint (and hence, the carbon emissions associated with the transport of food over long distances), I thought I’d use this bus tour as an excuse to get reacquainted with the lovely wine my own country can produce.


I’ve already had two lovely surprises: The Finger Lakes region in New York (where we spent some time during our Ithaca/Cornell stop) generates tasty Reislings. I had one: A 2005 Prejean. It's not too sweet, as some German Reislings can be; I recommend it.

The second wine I had was from a bit further away from the East Coast. It was a California red wine: a J. Lohr Valdiguie. It’s a full-bodied wine with a strong taste of berries (I’d recommend this with “lighter” foods that won’t mask the berry taste).

So, my verdict thus far is that America can do pretty darn well for itself when it comes to wine (bien que je ne refuserai jamais une bonne bouteille de Bordeau français). Now, if anyone has any recommendations for wine from the places next on our itinerary, feel free to share!

By: Sapna Thottathil

Read More...

Summary only...

Confessions

Okayyy, so we’re not perfect. Letting it mellow is relatively easy, but there are a few places where we can improve in our sustainability (but we’re hoping to improve! That’s why we’re being honest and putting ourselves out there right now!)

Here goes… Our tsk-tsk spots:

I’ll go first this time. I fly a lot. A LOT. I need more fingers and toes to count the number of trips I have taken via airplane in the past 12 months. And I didn’t offset any of those flights, which is ironic since I researched carbon emissions and the role of non-state actors (like offset organisations) in reducing climate change’s negative impacts…please don’t tell my co-workers.

There are a lot of others on this trip in the same boat (plane/car…bad pun, I know). Eli, Crystal, Kayanna, Jen Baldwin, Bret Muter, Julie, and Savanna (that’s half of us!) have confessed to traveling too much and contributing to climate change.


Then there are a few of us who feel like they use too many beauty products and are too vain because of make-up, the desire for silky smooth hair, and an addiction to cool jeans or fancy outdoor equipment: Crystal, Bob, Jenny Vazquez, and Savanna (ok, I’ll confess to that, too…but at least we all look HOT in all those pictures that are being snapped of us at every stop!)

We have some guilty food addicts. Bret Strogen claims his overeating is bad for the environment (those American portions are killing us environmentalists!). Jessica drinks a lot of soda, and Bret Muter admits he is addicted to diet Coke. Matt is a fan of cured meats (you should have seen the log of pepperoni he was carrying around events the other day). Savanna sometimes throws out her food if too much is served in a restaurant (those American portions again). Martina also admits to waste and overconsumption, and not recycling as much as she should.

So…yeah...that’s us again for you. We’re talking about how we can be better about some of our no-no’s, so please don’t hate us. Anyone else want to confess?

By: Sapna Thottathil

Read More...

Summary only...

Our quirky sustainability habits

I’ve just been on the bus for one week, and as I get to know the other riders, I am realizing how different we all are, despite our common interest in the environment and the Udall Foundation. Some of us are early birds. Others are night owls. Some people are fans of goat cheese; others detest it. You get the idea.

Along those same lines, we all have some quirky things we do for the environment that we thought we’d share with you all.

You're about to read about us. But we’re curious to hear what quirky things the readers of this blog do for the environment. Do you print 4-pages to a page, double-sided? Do you shower only once a week? Do you avoid flying, even if it means a 10-day boat/rail/car/donkey journey across a continent? Can you top us in quirkiness? Leave us a comment and let us know.

In no particular order, I present to you the people I’m sharing a bus with for the next two months:

• Bret Strogen claims to have an efficient dishwashing process that is unlike that of his friends and family (he has yet to show it to us). He also, in the true spirit of sacrifice, drinks draft local beer (to cut down on food miles and support local economies, of course).
  
  
• Savanna sometimes “lets it mellow” in public bathrooms (don’t know what that means? Hint: it saves water). Additionally, she won’t get coffee or tea unless she has her own reusable mug with her.

• Eli is also a “let it mellow” fan.
• And speaking of those unmentionable areas and deeds, Jen Baldwin “rinses like the French” to save water.
• Kayanna follows in the same vein: she showers ever other day.
• Bob claims to not wash his hair or use shaving gel (does this mean he hasn’t washed in 20+ years?) He likes to eat lukewarm, organic oatmeal as well, instead of eating breakfast out.
• More on the water theme: Matt never uses hot water to wash his hands and dishes (brrr!)
• Julie is another cold-water fan. She only uses cold water to wash clothes and almost never uses the dryer.
• Jenny Vazquez will re-use leftover hot water. For example, she will wash her dishes with leftover water in which she boiled pasta.
• Crystal sketches buildings worth saving for a long time.
• Jessica hates to drive so much, she does not have a car. She prefers to bike, even if something is over 20+ miles away!!!
• Martina is an animal fan; she will feed ducks.
• Bret Muter will pick recyclables out of the trash, if he sees them. Also, after seeing a Teenage Ninja Turtles special on plastic rings he has since been cutting them up (every single hole, he emphasises) before throwing them away.
• I (Sapna) was also influenced by a special on TV as a young child. I saw a commercial about birds and fish dying after getting caught in plastic rings, and since then, I have been scarred into picking and cutting up all the plastic rings I see lying around on the ground. Additionally, I carry around a cloth handkerchief (like the ladies and gents in the olden days) to minimise on tissue waste (which reminds me, I need to wash this handkerchief…and a note to the gentlemen out there: this is one handkerchief you probably don’t want to pick up).

So that’s us in a nutshell. Can you top us in quirkiness?


By: Sapna Thottathil

Read More...

Summary only...