Living the American Green

Cats and kittens, we’ve got a real treat tonight. I sat down yesterday with Jared Koch, nutritionist and author of a dense gem of a book, Clean Plates NYC.

“Jared’s nutritional advice in Clean Plates has the power to transform your individual health and our collective well-being." --Deepak Chopra, M.D.

I first met Jared at New York’s monthly schmooze-fest for all breeds of vocational environmentalists, “Green Drinks,” where he was giving a brief presentation on his project. And quite a project it is: teaming up with a professional food-critic, Alex van Buren, Jared conducted a phenomenal amount of research deep into the food sourcing, cooking methods, and final products of over 300 restaurants in Manhattan – eating at over 125 of them. All with the objective of compiling a list of New York restaurants, accommodating omnivores and vegans alike, that stand out at the helm of a subcultural shift towards food that is as healthy as it is delicious, as ethically sound as it is aesthetically rich. 

After a brief rundown of the criteria by which foods and restaurants were evaluated, the meat and potatoes (so to speak) of Clean Plates NYC begins with ethos, laying out Jared’s five precepts for finding a unique manner of eating that is suited to the individual rather than to the hippest new diet.

He parses the complex relationship between genetic history, cultural background, day-to-day lifestyle, sex, and age in determining what diet may suit us best as “bio-individuals” – and it turns out that the “ideal diet” is just as in flux as we are. Nonetheless, the other precepts make it clear that the nutritional situation of virtually all of us suffers from excessive processing of foods away from their state as they come from the earth, from a gross imbalance of the plant-animal ratio in our diet, from the presence of hormones, antibiotics, and heavy metallic sterilizers in our food, and from addictions to mood-and-energy-altering substances like sugar, caffeine, and alcohol. 

And then come the reviews. And O, the reviews. The rest of the book is composed of nuanced, in-depth, high-quality reviews of the 75 top choices from Jared’s and Alex’s research. Now, I visited two of these places prior to interviewing Jared, and already I’ve had the most interesting tea I’ve ever tasted, one of the best salads I’ve ever had, the third most delicious sandwich I’ve ever had (1st place goes to the Italian ex-pats at Panino Sportivo Roma on 121st and Amsterdam, and 2nd to the sandwich ninjas at our dear City Sub on Bergen near 5th Ave in Brooklyn), and one of the best (organic!) cocktails I’ve ever had (called, no less, the “Slap & Tickle”). These restaurants are the real deal: hedonistic, atmospheric, and power-packed with nutrition. And because the book is pocket-sized, you can stick it in your pants and go on the healthiest damn glutton-crawl this side of the Sardinian countryside. Clearly, the authors are onto something here – something way, way overdue…

So I knew straight away I needed to talk to this guy. Get him to weigh in on all these tricky issues we keep carouselling around at LtAG – local vs. organic? just how much difference can we actually make on the environment with our food consumption choices? how do we get schools involved in re-rooting our agricultural system in real foods that don’t need to be shipped halfway around the world? on a scale of 1 to 100, just how elitist is arugula (okay, I didn’t ask that one)? But the rest – and much more – are answered below the fold.

So here are the steps to take. 1) Click “More” to read this exclusive interview with Mr. Jared Koch; 2) Reflect. Salivate; 3) Buy the book – you won’t regret it if you’re ever planning on being in this beautiful, busy, and surprisingly healthful city of mine.

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A young Dennis K.

So, this is why Dennis Kucinich voted against the Energy Bill that just made it through congress.

Dean Baker thinks (like I do) that the bill sucks, but he still wants it to pass.

Paul Krugman really woke up angry today, and man… do I REALLY agree with him.  Treason is a harsh word, and cuts nicely to the core of the Republican sense of self, but Krugman is really on point with the idea that the “global warming hoax” line comes, not from a legitimate attempt at parsing science, but from an policy standpoint that pushes back on everything that is “liberal”.  That’s not good politics.

A few people I have spoken with recently are pretty staunchly against the new energy and climate change bill that squeaked by the house last night.  The bill is too weak, it has too many riders, and passing a bad bill is worse then passing no bill at all — these are the things that some on the environmental side of things are saying.  (I don’t get to talk to the “Global Warming is a myth and this is an excuse to tax the American worker into obsolescence because the Dem’s hate America people” all that much, so I don’t feel the need to argue with them.)  Another objection, expressed by CheriRobertson on my last not-very-well-thought-out post is that no one has read the damn thing and that its criminal to vote on legislation that you don’t understand.

Ok, lots of fair points here.  I still support the Waxman-Markey bill, and here is why:

It fundamentally changes the way the American Government deals with the problems of Climate Change and our effect on the planet.  My beef from the beginning has been that there is no system for me to be protected if someone wants to endanger me and mine by pumping bad things into the air.  A cap and trade system creates a method – however flawed – to allow the gummit to get insist that people don’t get to endanger me and make money off it free and clear.  They at least have to pay for screwing my world up.

From a fundamentally Libertarian perspective, I think that is the job of Government: to protect me from very real and very prominent threats that the Free Market brings to bear on my world.

Now, would I rather the original bill passed?  Sure.  I would much rather have the EPA be the body that regulates which gases are a danger to us.  I would much rather not have the hat tips that are plugged into the bill for the rust belt, for the oil producing companies, for “clean coal”.  But at the end of the day, this bill really IS a new legislative way of thinking about the environment, and for it to pass means that there are a lot of people on board who feel the necessity of action.

I think that it’s a republican talking point that “no one in either party has read the bill”.  That is simply not the case.  First of all, someone had to write the damn thing, so there are at least a few folks who know whats in there.  Secondly, though, and much more importantly, a vast vast majority of the changes are going to be softening and definitions and clarifications on what was left out of the original draft.  Was the thing perfect?  No.  But it’s also disingenuous to say that you need to read it all to understand it: the law makers had plenty of time to read the first 1200 pages, and not many of them did.  The 300 pages of provisions and changes will now be poured over by anyone who cares, and the Senate will draft a new bill that puts the pieces of the house bill that don’t make sense to the test.  The gist of the bill, that companies who pollute the earth will be held fundamentally accountable in the only way that matters to them (financially) remains strong — regardless of the number of pages, and the fact that John Bohner can take an hour to read rhetorical loops in the writing.   A defeat of this bill, even it’s watered down form, is a defeat for the concept, and that’s not something we can afford to allow to happen.

There was a lot of political wrangling to get this bill to pass to be a law. (and yes, I AM amused that Nanci Pelosi thought Dove Bars would help.  You don’t think that’s funny?  Come on… you don’t think it’s amusing to think that congresspeople vote with their tastebuds?  Oh… ok, yes it’s a little scary… but if we can’t laugh at it, then the world gets awful depressing.)   Lots of Dems voted against it because they were scared to tag their name to something and take the political risk, only to have it fail in the Senate.  And lots of people still view this thing as a big ball of taxes designed to hurt their way of life.  But I think that the political climate isn’t going to be this forgiving for many many years to come, and if we don’t do this now, we may miss our chance for this scale of change.  I feel the same way about health care: it’s now or not for a long time.

It may be that, 20 years from now, I will be cursing this thing for being too weak and watered down.  But there are some really amazing parts of this bill and I love it even despite it’s flaws.  Plus, there are, like, 800 Million dollars for green jobs training and stuff in there.  I’m working in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn these days: trust me when I say that there aren’t a lot more jobs places like that can loose, so it’s only going to help out.  I wish the Republicans had come up with a counter solution to get the job market back on line: their idea of more capitalism – providing a series of grants to people who come up with good ideas – is so small potatoes that it boggles the mind.  The Republican party’s stance of Nothing is Happening, lets all Stick Our Heads in the Sand and Invoke the American Worker isn’t valid anymore.  They have done nothing for the American Worker for enough years that suddenly raising the middle class and the small business owner as “at risk” rings hollow and even pathetic.

Earlier today, my friend Cassie made me aware of a new, groundbreaking step forward in the world of dog toys. Friends, I bring you, Fetchstix. What is it? It’s a bundle of sticks. Wrapped in twine. Sold to you for THIRTEEN DOLLARS. No, not 13 fake Pirate dubloons, not 13 Chuck-e-Cheese tolkens. Thirteen AMERICAN DOLLARS. “But the sticks,” you say. “They must be special sticks that allow you to fly and ward off evil leprechauns trying to steal your Cocoa Puffs.” And I must reply, head down, feet scuffling the dirt, “No. They are regular sticks.” Here is the whimsical tale of the creators of Fetchstix, as read on their website:

Mud season. Smell of skunk in the air. In Neil’s open air sugar house, Neil, Norman, and Anna — in flannel shirts and jeans — hung out on recycled furniture watching the sap boil, sipping sap juleps, swapping dog jokes and ideas for their canine businesses.

Let me just be open here and say that I hate these people. Well, no. Hate is a strong word. I hate these people’s idea. I hate the fact that Americans will probably actually buy these bundles of sticks. I hate the fact that they have a WHOLESALE SELLING POLICY on their website, anticipating that people will go crazy knowing they can finally buy sticks to throw to their dog. I hate that Treehugger says they’re “ambivalent” about Fetchstix. Come on boys, you’re letting me down!

But let me take a step back and look at this from an LtAG standpoint. Neil and Norman and Anna and all the rest of them are claiming their product is an environmental boon. An end to plastic dog toys. A savior to landfills. But…but…NO! It is not green to pick up sticks, package them, and ship them all over the world. NO GORES FOR YOU.

If anyone one is reading this and a little bored at work, grab the phone and give your congress person a call.  The little energy bill that could has been chugging along, getting watered down a little here and there but essentially holding on to “pretty good bill” status.  Now, it has to get through the house, (so it can go to the Senate to die?) and every little call and harassment of your congress people helps!

My favorite anecdote: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi plied undecided members with chocolate-covered Dove bars in a series of small group meetings.

This, people.  This is how crucial society changing environmental legislation should be DEBATED!  Over chocolate

Environmental protests, protests, protests.  But here is the kind of protest that even I, the LtAG protest Grinch, can get behind.  I want to say: camping outside the office of Rick Boucher (D-VA) and singing and protesting for Boucher to get behind the current Waxman Markey bill — that’s good stuff.  Boucher has to take notice of this beautiful melodies.

Is this the face of a lifesaver?

After all this madness with GM going under, the questions becomes: Whither the Chevy Volt?  Viewed by many (at one point) as GM’s best shot at instant re-relevance in the global car market, you have to figure things have hit a bump, what with GM being out of money.  Not so, says folks at the former auto giant:

On Monday, top company executives said the car was still on track for mass production in 2010, despite the bankruptcy

“We’ve steadfastly retained all our core high-volume vehicle and advanced-technology programs,” John Smith, head of global product planning, told The Detroit News. “We foresee no impact on product development.”

Of course, since GM is the beacon of trustworthiness, I think you can take that promise about as far as the current line of non-taxpayer financed GM cars can carry it.  Not very far.   Still, if it’s the last thing GM has, you know they are going to be putting everything they have left at their disposal to make sure it succeeds.  Ironic that the company that brought us the Hummer has the Volt and all that it stands for as one of their last lifelines.

At this point the Volt is looking to be a good bit more expensive then the equivalent small car, but it’s hard to say right now if the new technology can create a Prius sized splash — big enough to become popular because of it’s elite-ism, and because it’s the first of it’s kind.  I think the Volt needs to be something exceptionally revolutionary to help out the mother ship, and I wonder if the extra pressure to be amazing and to save GM might crush the vehicle under a huge mass of expectations.  I was hoping that GM would be a struggling auto giant in need of a lift when the Volt hit the markets.  Instead, it’s a fallen giant.

We’ve all seen GM try to reinvent themselves. It’s just like that other member of the G-Unit, GE, claiming they’re behind the entire environmental/alternative energy movement. Well, someone took an amazing stab at showing the real GM- and if they had used the Shaolin Monk’s twin hooks, it would have been a deadly blow. Thanks to Trev for this.

Under certain traffic conditions, it's not easy being green.

Yesterday morning, while biking to work, my life flashed before my eyes. Things were already a little hairy as I made my way off the Brooklyn Bridge towards Pearl Street, and a van was pulling, without really looking, straight up against the sidewalk. Okay, that was cool, there’s no bike lane there, and I just went around it…a little less cool when it happened again a minute later with a speedier car, heavy traffic on the left, and oblivious pedestrians walking off the curb for no apparent reason. I went around again, into a blind spot behind a truck – and almost directly into the hood of some freak trying to edge his car into the road without any possible indication that it would be a good idea to do so. 

My point is this. I love cycling, I really do. It feels great to get the exercise, I enjoy being able to move on my own around the city, and the eco-cred just can’t be beat. But – and I fully accept that I sound like Calvin’s dad here – there’s really no reason we should have to be second-class citizens on the road. Drivers don’t really respect you, pedestrians don’t really respect you…

Hang on. Maybe I’m not striking the right tone here – let me start again.

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I know everyone who’s reading this blog has one thing in common: they’re counting the moments until somebody finally invents a pen that they can eat. Well, DBA, a local green design firm to New York, has brought us one step closer with their 98% bio-degradable pen. It may not taste so good, but it sure does compost well, compared to a Bic. I saw these folks give a sales pitch in the final competition levels of Brooklyn Green Spaces‘ Green Business Competition a couple weeks back, and they have some pretty keen ideas.

Tired of eco-friendly products that look clunky and behave sub-par, DBA is a company focused on creating green pens, notebooks, dish-racks, heaters, and even humidifiers that appeal to both design geeks and granola munchers alike. Aside from its sleek appearance (prototypes have yet to be released to the public), DBA’s writing utensil is the first in the world(!?) that doesn’t have petrochemical ink. That’s right- it’s made from food grade substances similar to those you can find in soda, and is completely non-toxic. Couple that with the fact that the pen casing is made from potatoes, and you’ve got one natural writing utensil. Throw away the nib when you’re done, and you can actually compost the pen in your backyard bin. (If you’re a good hippie, of course).

My hat goes off to DBA for developing this pen (which is all New York State-produced), and more importantly, the ink. Their costs are cheaper than big pen companies, so hopefully Staples and some of the other big players can get in on this groundbreaking ink development. FOUR GORES!