Archive for world series
New York Yankees Parade Debate – Eco-friendly Celebration or Wasteful Excess?
Posted by: | Comments
We’re going to approach this healthy eco-debate from two sides: Yankees fan (Angela) vs. Yankees hater (The Ecolectual) but both in support of an eco-friendly lifestyle. We’ll try to stay focused on the topic and not let our personal feelings cloud our opinion although no promises are being made by The Ecolectual.
The Ecolectual: Apparently the global recess that left California bankrupt did not affect New York City judging by the money and excess wasted on the Ticker Tape parade thrown on Friday November 6, 2009 to celebrate the 27th World Series win for the New York Yankees. Foxbusiness.com says that “the city estimates that the parade will cost roughly the same amount as 2008’s parade for the New York Giants Super Bowl win, which cost around $331,000 for floats, added police protection, and clean-up. However, an undetermined portion of the cost for the Yankee’s parade will be chipped in by private donors, according to the city, which said that all but around $20,000 of the cost of the Giant’s parade was donated.”
Angela: First of all, you lose me when ”Fox” anything is positioned as a reference source but I’ll stay focused. New York is the financial hub of the US so it definitely has been hit by the recession but it’s important to still celebrate even in times of high unemployment and home foreclosures. It’s uplifting at a time people need it most. Of course, there will always be those who disagree – you can’t please everyone. It’s important to note that the majority of the money came from private donors and I’m sure having 2-3 million people flood the parade route helped local business and transit revenue.
The Ecolectual: The donations could have been allocated to a much more worthwhile cause than celebrating the win of the team with the largest payroll in Major League Baseball. So, can one really call that a win? The fund could have gone to school breakfast programs or helping the homeless, but rather the money was spent on boosting A-Rod’s ever expanding ego and celebrating the likes of soulless slack-witted A.J Burnett. The “money won’t be spent on confetti this year, thanks to an [eco-friendly alternative, which was the] donation of a half ton of shredded recycled packing materials made by Red Hook, Brooklyn-based Atlas Materials. While just over 1,200 pounds of confetti was ordered, an estimated 30 to 40 tons of debris will be cleaned from the parade route this year if previous years’ results are any indication.” So the eco-maniacal Yankees, found a way to stave off some of the critics of this parade by using an eco-friendly alternative to virgin ticker tape and confetti, as they likely did at their last parade in 2000. That the paper is recycled does not make up for the fact that it still needs to be collected from the street before being recycled.
Angela: I’ll try to ignore the personal attacks on the players and stay focused on the eco-friendly/excessive waste debate. For the record, the A-Rod ego thing I get but that’s way harsh for fun-loving A.J but I know you have some ex-Jays anger towards him. I’ll start by saying that the City of New York organized the parade and not the New York Yankees. The ticker tape parade down the Canyon of Heroes is a New York tradition dating back to the dedication of the Statue of Liberty in 1886. It’s dug in…it has roots. I think the City of New York did the best thing in that they not only respected the tradition but also recognized progress. The extra debris is going to happen whenever a crowd gathers. If we eliminate crowds to avoid debris than that would pretty much cancel all events – sports, musical or otherwise.
Tags: 27th World Series Pennant, A-Rod, AJ Burnett, California, Canyon of Heroes, City of New York, Derek Jeter, Eco Friendly, eco-friendly lifestyle, Empire State of Mind, Fox Business, Fox News, Jay-Z, New York Giants, New York Yankees, planet forward, planned obsolescence, recycle, recycled paper, Statue of Liberty, Super Bowl, Ticker-tape parade, world seriesGreen Gazette (Issue 16) Ethical undies, cycling to work, green computing
Posted by: | CommentsI can’t really comment on the Yankees post yesterday, I also won’t hijack the post tonight and ask that you visit this page to see a real sporting wonder. I’m here to write the latest Green Gazette and I must confess I’m pleased the Yankees won the rounders “world” series, it certainly makes for a happier Planet (Forward) around these parts. I’ve got a few enjoyable eco-friendly bits of information to share so lets get cracking!
First up, The Washington Post provides a well written article focusing on how to further green up your computer. The emphasis with computers (and many other products) is how eco-friendly they are but we tend to make those considerations when we purchase something brand new. The article makes for good reading as it shows how additional software and hardware can help in a number of ways also. Naturally reducing power consumption is at the heart of most ideas about making computing more green. Within the article a link to this list exists which is one of the most informative aspects – especially this:
Product: Encore Electronics Thin Client
Price: $110
How it saves: Reduce the power you use while computing by having multiple workers share a PC or server’s computing power. One PC can power about 10 Thin Clients; one server can power about 30. A Thin Client uses only 5 watts to 10 watts a year, whereas a desktop uses about 350 watts.
Check out the remainder of the items on the list also, if you own a business you might be very impressed at the difference that you can make.
Here’s a story that I found quite inspiring, especially when I’m behind someone who drives a vehicle that gets <20MPG and feels that asking their school class to reduce paper consumption by 3% is going to clear the conscience. Walking the talk doesn’t always happen as often as it
should and this is sadly sometimes the case with businesses that profess to be green. This story introduces you to a list of entrepreneurs who run green businesses who happen to be attending the Opportunity Green conference in Los Angeles this weekend. The 12 individuals concerned are from the bay area (incidentally the conference looks brilliant) who elected to cycle – that’s bicycle – from San Francisco down to Los Angeles for the conference. That’s 5 days in the saddle, 90 miles per day, not to be sneezed at! The event was titled the Tour de OG and this page explains why this was done, what was involved and who was prepared to burn those calf muscles and ride all the way down the California coast. I’ve made that journey a number of times by car (it’s beautiful) and I envy them having been able to see that lovely coastline at just 15mph on a touring bicycle. (I’m not crazy I used to tour cycle as a teenager) The individuals who took part deserve applause and so do their companies; their profiles are also on the link I provided – some great ideas are in there.
A lot of people don’t pay enough attention to their underwear and they really should. Not wanting to go into to much detail but I’ve seen

Eco friendly undies (men's available also!)
….oh I better stop there. I’m writing about underwear for a reason of course as I want to turn your attention to Pact Organization. Pact are an interesting company and here’s a brief summary of what they are all about. They do of course sell underwear, really nice underwear but of course there is more to it than that. PACT’s motto is CHANGE STARTS WITH YOUR UNDERWEAR. The purchase of PACT underwear is participation in a social movement: when you buy PACT underwear, you are supporting and encouraging organic cotton farmers, responsible labor practices, and businesses that form partnerships with nonprofit organizations dedicated to positive change in our world. In addition to the ethical supply practices they also donate 10% of all profits to one your choice of causes they are affiliated with. Namely Forest Ethics, Oceana or 826 National – each worthy of your time. Buy some nice fresh stylish underwear – make a difference and see what happens!
Back soon…
Tags: 826 National, cycling from San Francisco to Los Angeles, eco friendly computers, eco friendly underwear, encore electronics thin client, Energy Star, Forest Ethics, New York Yankees, Oceana, opportunity green, pact organization, planet forward, rounders, tour de og, Washington Post, world series
