My Organic Garden – The Garlic Decision
By · CommentsHello fellow green living gardeners. I am writing today as I find myself at an impasse. The summer is coming to an end and as 
the harvest approaches my quandary is this; should I plant garlic in the fall? We all know that garlic is delicious and an integral component to any Italian dish, but did you know of its health benefits? Garlic is an antioxidant like the blueberry which tends to garner all the attention.
As you may (or may not) have read, antioxidants are believed to help ward off heart disease, cancer and even prevent premature aging. Apparently garlic can do all that plus help lower your bad cholesterol, is good for diabetics and can help those with a blood pressure problem. That’s a whole lot of goodness packed into that clove.
When adding garlic into your diet you should know a few simple facts:
- The smaller garlic is chopped or diced the more pungent it is
- Store unpeeled garlic in an open container in a cool, dry place away from other foods
- Whole unpeeled cloves should never be refrigerated or frozen because moisture is a natural enemy to the garlic clove. There is a loophole to this fridge rule though. To save time you can store peeled cloves in a sealed airtight container in the fridge, this helps when cooking in a hurry during the week (say for Meatless Monday). However, garlic should not be store in the fridge for long periods of time. I would say no longer than a week to ten days.
Eco-grading for cars has dealers crying foul immediately
By · CommentsFollowing on from yesterday’s story about the proposed environmental grading stickers that may be added to new vehicles in 2012, the first complaints from the automobile industry are already being registered. As I wrote yesterday the proposal is for a grading system based upon emissions, vehicle range, fuel economy and annual cost of operations. At this point the idea remains a joint proposal from the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Transport, although not confirmed dealers have been quick to respond in a negative fashion. The grading system would simply bring the US auto industry in line with what is already happening in Japan and Europe and yet the response to the proposed change has caused some immediate panic from car dealerships .
The knee-jerk reaction appears to be driven by the fact that only a few cars (typically electric or hybrid vehicles) would receive a grade above a ‘B’ with the A+ designation reserved exclusively for electric vehicles. A dealer in Massachusetts feels the information will cause confusion and lost sales for his dealership:
“Anything that’s not an A is bad, right? It’s misleading to the consumer. I could be so customer a D (rated vehicle) but if you are driving mostly on the highway it could be an A”
A second dealer agreed and suggested that the car industry should receive support from the government in terms of stimulating sales as opposed to devising new environmental labels:
“I think it’s foolish and more government intervention where it doesn’t need to be, people aren’t idiots”
While I do understand car dealers may not be very responsive to change, I think the key message is being entirely missed. The idea and value of the labeling (which admittedly is very large and bold) is to heighten public awareness about fuel economy and environmental impact, the playing field will be level in terms of evaluation for each individual vehicle and the final decision naturally will rest with the consumer. What I feel is probably causing the reaction is the perceived stringency of the grading system, where previously miles per gallon or kilometers per litre were the only shared information in an immediate fashion now a consumer will see an overall environmental rating based upon emissions, vehicle range and running costs. If anything it will move the understanding of vehicle impact to a better place in the public forum, consumers will still shop for specific vehicles based upon their needs but when the final comparison is made between cars the relative eco-friendly aspects will be considered in the buyer’s equation. Surely that is a good thing?
Perhaps car dealers should be looking internally as to how the manufacturers themselves can develop vehicles which receive higher grades rather than immediately crying foul and saying sales will be impacted. If sales are indeed impacted it will primarily be for vehicles that perhaps need a full redesign.
Eco-grading labels for new cars in 2012?
By · CommentsIt might seem too obvious to even be necessary or you may argue that anybody who watches the news or reads it occasionally is more than aware of the need for more environmentally friendly cars. In essence that’s true but nevertheless the US government might be adding an eco-grading system for all new vehicles that are placed on the market starting in 2012. It’s not a bad idea and at least takes away from the dealer hype or any risk of misinformation. All consumers should know the overall environmental rating for a new car purchase via a scale that is not biased toward a particular manufacturer or vehicle type but will truly be able to compare apples with apples or if the mileage is really bad lemons with lemons.
The Chevy Volt which we’ve discussed at some length looks set to corner the electric market in 2012 and from their website I wanted to share the proposed new vehicle credentials that will appear on all new cars in showrooms and lots throughout the country, however I don’t see a grade on this example but I assume it to be an A+. I think the idea looks pretty useful and really does focus on a few critical areas; annual fuel costs, range of the vehicle, emissions from the vehicle. The combination of these three factors will allow the buyer to make more rational and informed decisions when shopping for cars especially when considering the lifespan of the vehicle and the environmental impact of owning it. There is also something to be said for seeing in black and white (and green) the annual fuel cost savings which when married to the emissions statistics should add even more heightened appeal to certain specific cars.
The labeling system is being proposed as a joint collaboration between the Transportation Department and the Environmental Protection Agency. Each passenger car would receive a grade between an A+ and a D with the grading based upon the factors I’ve outlined above. The initial reports state that only electric cars would be eligible for an A+ rating while certain plug-in hybrid cars could receive a classification as high as and A. The information is certainly more useful than the current MPG designations for urban and highway driving which only allow a certain level of insight to the vehicles green performance. It is expected that the traditional family car would receive a grade of B or C under the proposed standards, according to the EPA the primary goal is to simplify the evaluation process for environmental standards so that consumers can readily acquire the information they need to make an easier and more informed decision about their new car.
Hopefully the market itself will pay as much attention to this labeling system if it becomes a reality as they do when looking at video screens, stereo systems and trunk space when they go shopping for a new car. I also think the idea is long overdue and can only enhance the appeal of the more fuel-efficient vehicles that the market so desperately needs. I’m tempted to speak about the anticipated spike in fuel prices that experts are forecasting for 2013 but I’ll save that for another post. We’ll be watching to see if this gets approved as ideally it shall.
New cruse ship sewage ban for 2011
By · CommentsI’ve never been one who really enjoys an extended period of time in a confined space therefore going on a cruise has never held particular appeal to me. I’ve been on ferries crossing the Irish Sea and the North Sea to visit Ireland and Europe but always using the ship as a method of transport not as a holiday. Naturally without my participation the cruise industry is still huge and growing on an annual basis. While I lived in Los Angeles I marveled at the size of the magnificent ships harboured in San Pedro waiting like sentinels to take their cargo of two or three thousand holidaymakers down the Pacific Coast to various Mexican and Central American ports of call. I never realized until reading a recent article that sewage from these huge vessels was not previously restricted for dumping in coastal waters.
Happily new federal regulations will now ban all cruise ships and larger commercial ships from discharging their sewage within 3 miles of the California coastline according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. The laws come into play in 2011 and it is estimated that the results will keep approximately 20,000,000 gallons of sewage away from coastal waters annually. In addition to cruise ships commercial boats in excess of 300 tons will also be subject to the same rulings. The US Coast Guard will also have the authority to charge vessels with sewage violations. Naturally enough when a cruise ship with sometimes as many as 4000 passengers takes to the seas it becomes the equivalent of a small city offshore and all the resultant pollution that goes with that many residents.
Many cruise lines are stating that the ban will have little impact as they already have internal policies which reflect an earlier law that was passed in 2005 with many operators now keeping sewage in large tanks to either dump further out at sea or transferred to wastewater treatment facilities. Nevertheless the impact on commercial vessels should also help the water quality on the Pacific coast that has continued to deteriorate in recent decades. The law makes perfect sense especially when stringent laws have already been passed to reduce runoff from rivers and sewage centers and pipes that are onshore.
I still don’t think it’s enough to make me want to jump on a 10 day cruise and have dinner with strangers every evening but it’s good to see the EPA holding the cruise industry to task when it comes to environmental matters. Surely the best procedure of all would result in banning the discharge of sewage anywhere on the seas rather than just the coastal barrier that has now been more properly enforced. One step at a time but it’s most certainly a step in a positive direction.