Hello again and I trust your weekend is going well and that Winter hasn’t shown itself just yet wherever you read this (unless of course you happen to love Winter). If more proof of global warming was needed a friend of mine visited the midwest this week only to find temperatures about 15f above normal and autumn colours hanging around 2-3 weeks longer than normal. Record rains have savaged much of NW Europe in the last week also and the concern with stronger, wetter storms every Autumn seems to be well founded. However, I’m not a weatherman but I do have some eco stories to share with you so sit tight!

As we’re only 4 weeks from Christmas (and right into the preparation phase) I thought it would be a good time to ask can you find an organic Christmas tree? The obvious choice would be an artificial tree that you use for decades but they of course have a high quantity of plastics in their production. So a natural tree is your heart’s desire so what should you do? Follow this link for a list of organic tree farms, the odds are good as 22 states are represented and there are probably others that did not make the list. The key to an organic tree is really rather simple, instead of being chopped 6-12 inches above the ground these fir trees are potted with sufficient roots so they can be replanted. The only thing to consider is the timing of replanting - dependent on how cold your region is you may need to wait until spring to replant the tree. For your green investment you get an indoor natural holiday tree and a beautiful shade tree for your garden afterwards. Naturally they are regional trees and grown free of pesticides. Consider an organic tree this holiday season and let the blog know how it works out for you. I’m still looking for an organic option near me - but driving 700 miles round trip to acquire one seems to be defeating the purpose.

You may have noticed Barack Obama’s recent Asian travels and the subsequent state visit to Washington by the Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh. There’s some really good news on the eco-front to trickle down from this. The United States and India have signed a green pact and this includes US support in establishing a National Environmental Protection Agency within India.  The US have committed to providing scientific and organisational support to India in getting a body in place that will vastly improve the environmental aspects of production, inspection and improvement with national and global compliance. Steps like this are integral as India is rapidly becoming one of the largest production economies on earth and while it is encouraging to see European nations and North America continue to make strides; if giant economies such as India, China and Indonesia are not improving their own standards it will be very much a case of two steps forward but three steps back. Pollution control is a local, regional, national battle for all manufacturers but the ultimate goal of improvement can only be accomplished on a global scale. More of the same please from the White House. You can read more here….

I’m seeing more and more people riding Segways (there are flocks of them in Los Angeles) Mopeds, electric bikes and fuel powered scooters. I’ll confess that I’ve considered a moped (except in the Summer!) but here’s a novel spin on the powered scooter idea - propane powered! The GoPed ProPed is being manufactured for the California market at present and the benefits of a propane scooter are quite amazing. Starting at $499 the little green scooter  puts out 96% fewer carcinogens and 97% fewer particulates than a standard four-stroke gas scooter engine. It can reach speeds of 21mph and has a range of 20 miles from a 16.4oz propane canister. Sit back and do the numbers  - that equates to over 150 miles per gallon. The scooter can carry 400lbs so while I don’t expect this to replace an individual car I think for a teenager going to the mall or the movies its got to be better than driving Dad’s SUV 5 miles and burning half a gallon of gas for a 5 minute drive.