Globally Green Living

Star Island is preparing to open its doors as a luxurious yet green vacation resort. Crossing high luxury with high sustainability does not seem an easy feat but David Sklar, architect and CEO of Star Island has big plans.

“This is a very exciting time in the field of green-technology and sustainable tourism,” says David Sklar, the architect, CEO and visionary behind Star Island. “Resorts are harnessing natural energy sources, building with sustainable materials, recycling, decorating with eco-furniture and serving organic foods, but these advancements have never been brought together in one place before. Star Island plans to do just that and, in the process, become a showcase for the latest and most innovative technologies, materials and practices.” (New York, Nov. 8, PR)

It’s located on a 35 acre island a few minutes from Harbour Island. Star Island is offering 5 star luxurious private homes, spas, restaurants, pools, tennis courts and a no fuel marina. The island is unique in that it will be doing everything possible to reduce its impact on the earth, which is ambitious for the tourist industry. Buildings will be using sustainable materials in their construction. Alternative energy sources will be used and organic food and drink will be served. Anything that can be recycled will be and linens will be made from bamboo.

Scott Sklar is taking care of business on the alternative energy end, since he’s the energy advisor. “Star Island will be entirely off the grid, 100% energy self-sufficient.”, said Scott.

Water sources will be obtained through a rain harvesting system and then purified through a reverse osmosis system.

“We’re not just looking at existing technologies and best practices,” says David Sklar. “Star Island is an environment for testing and demonstrating emerging techniques. We want to be a magnet for ideas. We want to show what’s possible.”

Good for them! Since eco-travel is on the rise it’s good to know there will be a luxurious green location in the Bahamas. For more information see StarIslandBahamas.com

I just returned from Europe where American junk food is luxury food and where fast food places do recycle. Yes, it is true, McDonald’s does help the environment abroad. The particular McDonald’s I went to had different receptacles for trash and plastic. There was also a receptacle for used batteries like AAA and AA that are not recyclable. This latter one is what I miss the most in the U.S. I have a problem tossing used batteries in the trash. OK, I admit it, I have a big problem because I have not tossed one in years and I have been known to take them in my luggage when I go to Europe so that I can put them in a proper recycling bin. Lately, I just avoid buying or using gadgets that do not use rechargeable batteries. Yeah for me…

Foreign Mcdonald’s also cater to local taste buds and offer food that is traditional in the place where they operate. Oh, and guess what? You can have beer with your Big Mac or an espresso drink. Actually, beer is one of the drink options for your meal (not on the Happy Mean though! And yes, it’s OK to have a beer when your kid is present, as long as you don’t get too tipsy to drive…). Because McD’s offers local foods, you can find bowls of vegetable soup and more desserts are fruit based. If American McDonald’s were a little bit more like foreign McDonald’s, maybe it would not be such a bad thing to have your kids eat their lunch there every once in a while instead of trying to pack a healthy lunch for them.

However, foreign McDonald’s are more expensive than American ones. Forget about the 99 cent burger and expect to pay a decent price for your burger. And why not? After all, in many countries a larger proportion of people’s income is spent on food purchases and people expect to be fed meals that do not taste like artificially flavored cardboard. I bet if more people were aware of the actual taste (and price) that food is supposed to have, maybe a smaller proportion of food would satisfy them and that would mean that less stress would be put on the environment. Oh, and of course, the law of demand also applies–all other things held constant, and increase in price will cause quantity demanded to go down. Thus, one can save the environment and fight obesity at the same time. What a concept…

The debate over higher fuel prices and more fuel efficient cars is rather interesting. People think that if more hybrid vehicles are adopted, the energy crisis will be temporarily under check. But reality is not that clear cut.

Because hybrid vehicles are more fuel efficient, one can go farther on a tank of gas (duh!), this may make people think that they can drive more while spending the same amount of fuel, which would not be that great for the environment. That is, a hybrid car that gets 40 mpg and is driven 100 miles ends up using as much fuel and making as much pollution as a regular car that gets 20 mpg and is driven 50 miles.

The solution to the fuel problem is not just the cars themselves, it’s also the actual driving behavior. If behavior was held constant, that is, if people drove the same distance regardless of the car, then hybrid would be better. But if they choose a hybrid vehicle and then end up driving more, then it may be a wash.

Overall, the best approach is to be a conservative driver: drive less and be more sensible about how you hit the gas pedal.

I always enjoy watching the above commercial. I think that it clearly states the idea that being alive is not a neutral activity. Therefore, our goal should be to mostly do well with our resources. This means that when we shop, cook, work, etc. we need to think about the whole picture instead of just that particular moment in time. That means, also think about where the item came from, what you’re going to do with it after you consume it, and what will happen to it after it leaves your hands.

For example, the whole debate between plastic bags and paper bags. Which one is better? Some extremists say neither because plastic bags use up resources and create trash and paper bags kill trees. So what do these people say is the alternative? Reusable cloth bags, of course! And if you can get one of those designer cloth bags, then even better…

Let’s not be so radical. Yes, there are things that you can use a cloth bag for but there are others when that is not really practical. I am not going to wrap a piece of meat around a cloth bag, I’d rather use plastic because it is safer and overall cleaner. But let’s also realize that there are different types of plastic. When I lived in Europe, most grocery stores would carry bags that were biodegradable. That meant that if those bags ended up in a landfill, instead of lasting forever, they would eventually decompose within a few months or years. The trick with some plastic materials is that they come from products derived from oil, but there are some plastics that can be made from vegetable sources like corn, although, as you may know, corn has some environmental issues that we’ll discuss sometime in the future.

For many things, I prefer to use paper. I don’t really mind that trees are used to make those bags because you know what? Trees are a sustainable resource and those bags eventually decompose and produce soil organic matter to help other trees and plants grow.

Then there are cloth bags. They also come from trees if they are made of cotton, linen, bamboo, etc. But they can be washed and reused. But don’t forget that many crops require pesticides and fertilizers in order to be mass produced so that you and I can buy them at low prices. And when you wash the bags you are also using detergents (some of which are high in phosphorus) and water, which end up going down the drain as effluent that is partially processed and eventually reaches a river or the ocean. Many times, some of the effluent is very reach in nutrients, which may cause algae blooms and other problems in water bodies.

After you’ve read all this you may just want to scream and throw your hands up in the air like the monk in the video. But don’t despair. The solution is to find a good middle ground and be responsible about your choices because nothing you get is ever perfect, thus you must compromise. So what do I do?

Plastic bags: I usually try to minimize my use of plastic bags but if I go to a store that uses plastic bags I sometimes either take a bag myself, choose paper bags, take the items in my hand if they’re not that many, or if I end up with the plastic bag, I collect it at home and drop it off at a local grocery store, since many of them have collection bins to recycle plastic bags–of course, you must sort the bags, so that they fit the profile that the store recycles.

Paper bags: For certain items, a paper bag does the trick and I really like them because they are from renewable resources and they readily decompose. If you have a composting heap or bin, paper bags are a great way to add fiber materials to it, which prevent other greener materials from stinking as they decompose.

Cloth bags: Ideally, if you really need a bag, you want to use reusable bags and for that cloth bags are just great. Be on the lookout for craft shops or fairs where you can find bags that are cute and by purchasing them you are helping preserve the art of sowing at home. Some stores also have their own cloth bags that you are encouraged to reuse–think Trader Joe’s or Barnes and Noble. I particularly love my B&N bag: you can hold it on your hand or over your shoulder; it holds tons of stuff; it is rather sturdy; and once folded it occupies very little room in your car or luggage. Whenever I travel, my B&N bag is always with me to carry magazines or extra stuff on my return.

So the whole point that I want to send across to you is that you should think before you shop for anything! And don’t forget that reducing consumption is better than reusing an item and reusing, in turn, is better than recycling. And just about anything is better than trashing and item that is going to stick around till after the next millennium!!!

Those kids running the European Union have decided to embrace the “nouvelle vague” and off they went and started EUTube. Yeah, the European Union has met YouTube!!! Although some of their videos are rather funny, sexy, artistic, or what have you, there are a few videos that are meant to educate people about the environment and about other topics important to building the political European Union. I must warn you, though, that it is clear from their video posts that they do believe in Global Warming. Imagine that…

I highly recommend that you take a look at a couple of these:

• Everyone Can Save the Planet
  This one is kind of funny. It’s basically a cartoon commercial.

• You Control Climate Change
  This one has a lot of good information about mass transportation and why one should choose it. Of course, that is rather redundant for most of the U.S. since the mass transportation structure is almost non-existent outside of big cities. But take a look because it has tons of other useful tips on how to do small things that can make a difference:

Good Morning!
The dizzying pace of growth comes with a compromise. Teaming millions in the race for their pot of gold have to accept that the gold will take more time than expected and that the waiting period has to be made as comfortable as possible. Progress makes vertical residences an accepted choice today. The refugees in a strange land have one thing in common. Knowingly or unknowingly they create replicas of the sprawling green homesteads they have left behind. Living in tower blocks of heat is made bearable with touches of green and a pause to smell the flowers. Tentative green thumbs graduate from window sill gardening to more ambitious projects. A Hong Kong surgeon Arthur van Langenberg is leading the way in showing that urban living need not be void of greenery. His manual on Urban Gardening helps in reconnecting our instinct to get back to nature by simplifying the challenges faced in a high rise environment.The sky is the limit for the Arthur’s in us.

high rise gardening, Hong Kong, Green Homes

Good Morning!
Those who have been scared by Hitchcock’s ‘Birds’ might also be glad to know that the birds are returning or at least one bird for sure. After a 40 year absence, a nearly forgotten recurve- billed bush bird has been spotted in Columbia. The National Geographic has proof of not just the rare bird but ‘the smiling rare bird’ posing for the camera! The ‘Mona Lisa’ smile and the wise glint in the eye seem to see something we have missed. Maybe its time to come to the negotiation table?Returning their green habitat, is a small price to pay ,to have more feathered friends co-existing peacefully with us.One has to admit, that a closer look at the photograph, definitely highlights an inscrutable smile.Alfred Hitcock’s thriller, was only fiction… but what harm would it do for more bird-feeders and bird baths and bird watching clubs being added to the agenda?

birds,Hitchcock,Columbia,National Geographic,bird watching,Mona Lisa,bird feeder ,bird bath,sustainability

Good Morning!
There’s still time before an ark has to be built and definitely no reason to check if the sky will rain fire. A little worry, about the ice caps melting and raising the ocean levels and submerging everything in sight; could be excused as a reasonable worry for the brave-hearted near churning tidal coastlines. Caught up in fearful predictions of everything in nature hunting us down, we sometimes forget that the same natural forces may be hinting at a solution. The people living in San Francisco the City by the Bay, are on their way to testing the waters. They plan to embark on a long term goal of using the tides to generate power. This idea of using tidal energy to supplement the present shortage of power has sparked a wave of interest in the untapped energy of the ocean floor. When tidal power becomes an unpolluted energy resource, the nearly 400 billion gallons of water rushing through the mouth of San Francisco bay may be the next clean source of electricity. If environmental hurdles are cleared and interest doesn’t wane ,San Francisco may be even more on the global map for many more things besides the engineering marvel of 40 million odd cars whizzing by,on the Golden Gate Bridge.
sustainable energy,san francisco,tidal power

Good Morning!
A picnic in a silent grove of trees free of all traces of the one’s who came, saw and littered, is a treasured find. Even when they are in communion with nature voracious readers are known to read anything that falls into their hands. Running out of reading material, they have been known to even read the graffiti carved into the brown canvass of tree trunks. Confessed tree huggers have expressed bewilderment at these bottled emotions and artistic aspirations left behind for posterity to read .They are convinced that trees are averse to any such public display of emotion. But sometimes a little graffiti can save verdant spots from the ravages of time and the urban sprawl. In a rapidly growing suburb of Bangalore, locals marvel at the foresight of an unknown man who was determined that his tree would survive. A scrutiny of the words etched in the stone rim around the tree shows the shrewdness of a time gone by. The warning cautioned one from harming the tree as it would then be akin to harming one’s mother. The sixty –four year old ficus tree swaying in the wind today, is proof that scrawled words can sometimes do strange things like standing in as a tree guard.

environment litter,protect trees

Good Morning!
Apples and oranges are not just good for our bodies but for fuel health too. Chemists in the United States say that a low carbon fuel option, packing in 40% more energy than ethanol may come to fruition soon. Fructose powered vehicles running on the converted sugar of apples and oranges is a green alternative to traffic fumes of oil and gas. If this technology is commercialised, powered liquid transportation fuel, with fewer of the drawbacks of ethanol will be yet another option from the biofuel stable. Renewable and environment friendly fuel from biomass sources rich in plant energy could start off a healthy competition among biofuel engineers. This might begin the race to wean industrialized economies from the flaws of costly oil, to a more positive offering from the earth that has an energy density comparable to petrol too.
fruits,global warming,biofuel cars

Good Morning!
For most of us the weather can never be right. It’s either too hot or too cold or too in- between. If only, we groan and point accusing fingers. Could anyone be homesick for this over- populated, polluted, grimy, threatened piece of earth that we moan about? Sunita Williams space log book reveals that she is more than ready to return to the familiar chaos of planet earth. Hurtling around the earth at a hypersonic speed, she confesses of looking out of the window of the space station, and feeling an urge to reach out and stroke ‘the beautiful orb in the distance with its green countryside and red mountains.’ After spending time in space for more than six months, taken for granted pleasures like enjoying a rainy day, a swim in the ocean, lake or pool are on the top of the list. If absence can make the heart grow fonder, a little time spent in the dark bowels of coal mines or in damp, bat infested, caves may be the answer for the earth weary among us, to feel the forgotten urge to get back in touch with the earth.
Sunita Williams,space

Good Morning!
Littered Styrofoam packaging may look like growing heaps of snowflakes only to squinting, short sighted eyes. Myopic or not, the Chinese want a clear- eyed view of their surroundings. The flying Styrofoam packages, carelessly thrown from windows of trains and barges are being called ‘white pollution’. Mounds of waste dotting the landscape has been recognized as an environmental irritant that needs to be dealt with by a firm hand. Worries of being snowed under by this disposable problem have had suggestions coming up about alternative sources for the packages. Biodegradable material made of rice stalks, which are otherwise burned after harvest may be a possible source for future packages. If the idea is implemented, carefree travelers may find themselves being coaxed to throw litter and do their bit for planetary rescue.

biodegradable,styrofoam,China,rice fields
biodegradable,styrofoam,china,rice fields

Good Morning!
If plans are approved, the public will have access by foot to even more of the natural beauty of England. Suggestions to throw open the stretch of land around the English coastline will offer cliff top walks with uninterrupted sun and sand. Ramblers and walkers enjoying the right to roam on the wild sea cliffs may even get to walk along picturesque seashores that were earlier barred from entry. The Sandringham estate of the royal family in Norfolk is among the list of private property holders who have been asked to consider making the coastal walk a reality. While, the motions are in progress to complete the ‘unfinished business of opening Britain’s land to the people’ walkers with mature beachcombing habits can tip the scales in their favor.
beaches,English coastline,Beach holidays
beach holidays,beaches,english coastline

Good Morning!
Money grows on trees in the Tamilian town of Coimbatore, in India. Green gold farming or coconut farming is both a lucrative and pleasurable pastime for the locals in this southern belt. Those who have been discouraged from strolling in the sun- dappled groves may have gone away with a wrong impression of surly residents. It has come out that the worry about the shortage of agile coconut pluckers has been the reason for their inhospitality. Coconuts, growing on unreachable 30 to 40 feet high trees have occasionally rained down only to worsen matters. Stories of the odd nut meeting an unsuspecting head below was a common litany in the list of woes. While discussions were on about getting trained monkeys from Indonesia there was a breakthrough with the introduction of the new coconut tree climber. Job opportunities have been thrown open to women and men of all levels of fitness as the coconut tree climber promises to do more than its share of hard work. Last heard, amateurs have been finishing the whole operation in record time. Passers- by are thinking of taking a detour , as there is a limit to the coconut water a person can have!
coconut climbers,coconut ,Farming

Good Morning!
A four thousand year old idea from the Polynesians of using the Trimaran or the multi hull facility may soon give a cleaner, clearer horizon at the pier. Vessels docked at the harbor will have the wind and the sun charging motors to clean up the ugly plumes of white smoke and spiraling soot streams. Visitors to the Statue of liberty would by the end of the year see a Trimaran moving gracefully without spewing smoke and soot. Waterfronts without smog and greenhouse gases are possible with soot free transport. Tourists and commuters on tugs, ferries and ocean liners will gain some edutainment too from these ‘floating billboards.’ There is no better way to reduce emission than using cleaner, renewable energy out on the water. It is now the turn of the Hybrid vehicles on the roads to make their contribution!
Trimaran,Smokeless sailing,Tourism,Hybrid Cars