Earth Friendly Shopping

I was reading Scientific American’s photo essay on 10 places that have already been affected by climate change.

The places and the changes described vary in the immediacy and severity of the issues faced, ranging from the current crisis in Darfur (the conflict intensified by the decades long drought) to changes in the taste of wines grown in northern Europe (grapes are ripening too fast).  While many of the scenarios are pretty scary, there is one that scares me the most.  The potential destruction of the coral reefs.

What are coral reefs?

Corals reefs are marine structures created by Corals, a marine animal that secretes calcium carbonate exoskeletons.  Over time, the exoskeletons build on each other, creating enormous structures that support the coral and become home to a wide diversity of plant and animal life.  Estimates are that 25% of all marine life call the coral reefs home.

Why are coral reefs threatened?

Several reasons.  Approximately 1/3 of the carbon produced since the industrial revolution has gone into the ocean.  The increase in carbon has changed the pH of the ocean from 8.2 to 8.1.   The less alkaline (more acidic) water wears away at calcium carbonate exoskeletons,  including those in crabs, mullosks, and coral.

In addition, the warmer water adds stress to the coral colonies.  In 1998 and 2002, this additional stress caused the Great Barrier Reef to “bleach” or expel the symbiotic algae that gives them color and protects them.  As a result of these bleaching episodes it is estimated that 10% of the Great Barrier Reef was lost.

While some bleaching has always occurred, before 1980,  it had been limited to local areas.  Since the 80s, as global temperatures have increased, the bleaching effect has grown global, affecting thousands of square kilometers. In 1998 every major reef system in the world was affected by bleaching.  In 2002,  more than 60% of the great barrier reef bleached.

What is the impact?

Coral Reefs are fragile ecosystems.   Changes in the temperature or pH of the ocean water can profoundly damage the reefs.  When the coral is damaged, other types of algae move in, overwhelming the local ecosystem.

Coral Reefs are an important part of the ocean food chain.  We are seeing the effect of coral damage in Australia, where the population of sea birds is already down.  As coral damage worsens, the oceanic food chain will be threatened.

In many areas the coral reefs provide protection for the coastline,  preventing erosion, and protecting beaches and dwellings.  Without the coral reefs, these areas would be endangered.

What can or is being done?

In the long term, the only thing that will work is reducing the greenhouse gases in our atmosphere, so that the temperature rise in the oceans is held to a minimum. At this point, however, it is unclear if enough can be done to stop the damage.  There are several groups studying the problem, and some good resources if you would like to learn more.

 The Coral Reef Targeted Research & Capacity Building for Management (CRTR) Program is perhaps the most comprehensive source of information and news.

Global Coral Reef Alliance is a smaller organization that also provides a wealth of information as well as great images

The City of Chicago has announced one of the most ambitious and comprehensive climate change initiatives in the world.  Called the Chicago Climate Action Plan,   this plan calls for the City of Chicago to

…achieve an 80 percent reduction below its 1990 GHG emissions level by the year 2050 in order to do its part to avoid the worst global impacts of climate change. To achieve this 80 percent reduction, the Task Force proposed an initial goal of a 25 percent reduction below 1990 levels by 2020…

The Plan contains 5 parts

• Making residential, commercial, and industrial buildings more energy efficient.  Including steps ranging from  retrofitting existing buildings and replacing appliances, to adding more rooftop gardens.   The result of these steps is the estimated reduction of greenhouse gases by over 4 Million Metric Tons, or the same as taking over 600,000 cars off the road.
• Increase clean and renewable energy sources.  The plan includes increased nuclear, which we are not crazy about, but we like the rest of it, including an increase in distributed and small scale power distribution
• Improved transportation options – 21% of Chicago Greenhouse Gases in Chicago are produced by cars, buses, trucks and trains.
• Reducing the amount of waste
• Adaptations for the changes that are inevitable.

The plan is ambitious, and not all of it is fleshed out.  However, it is necessary for a number of reasons.  In addition to the global impacts of pollution, Chicago air quality is in violation of air quality standards, threatening the health of Chicago residents.

Improved health, improved infrastruction, and increased energy efficiency, will aid the economy too.  We would like more of the countries to follow in their footsteps

We’re big fans of Katy at non-toxic kids.  She just put together a non-toxic gift guide that has some good suggestions

Katy focuses on U.S. made toys for a lot of reasons.  Aside from the safety concerns, there are also economic issues.

Buying U.S. made toys keeps your money local, to help our nation’s small businesses in challenging economic times, and help us know exactly how they are keeping our environment and our kids safe.

We agree.  Some of our favorites are Green Toys made in California, and Maple Landmark Toys

We think they’re kidding, but…

 There is a story behind this one.

One evening Lee is giving the kids dinner and getting them started on homework. Kate comes into the kitchen, goes straight to the refrigerator, pulls out a jar of peanut butter, and a bag of chocolate chips. She gets a spoon, takes a spoonful of peanut butter, sprinkles on a bunch of chocolate chips, and enjoys it with a satisfied “ahhh”.

Lee watched this with a certain amount of amusement, then said, “That time of month?”.

Lee acknowledges that this is not the smartest thing for a husband to say to his wife, but by then the chocolate and peanut butter had worked their magic, and Kate didn’t rip his head off.

They do acknowledge that PMS can be a serious issue for many women, but even their disclaimer is a little wierd.

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. This product is not meant to treat, diagnose, or prevent any condition, except perhaps hunger. Hey, it is just chocolate and peanut butter, but Kate does find the combination comforting.

Uh, yeah

Over at Global Exchange, Tex Dworkin asks whether we should focus on locally made or fair trade gifts this holiday season.

He notes that both local and fair trade products have their positive points:

Local

 Products made locally have a smaller carbon footprint than products shipped from overseas, and thus are less of a strain on the environment. Shoppers who buy locally travel less distances to shop, which also reduces the carbon footprint. Local businesses produce more income and jobs for local communities than large retail chains do, and are more likely to utilize local services, such as advertising and banking. Supporting local businesses preserves the economic diversity of our communities and the unique character of our neighborhoods.

FairTrade

In a world economy where globalization is king and profits are queen, small-scale producers are left without resources or hope for their future. Children are forced to work instead of receiving an education and local environments suffer from the ‘profits now’ mentality that damage environments for future generations. Fair Trade helps exploited producers escape from this vicious cycle of poverty. The Fair Trade system benefits over 800,000 Farmers organized into cooperatives and unions in 48 countries. Revenue from Fair Trade cooperatives is used on a variety of community projects, including training of producers in organic and sustainable farming techniques, building houses, schools and clinics and guaranteeing health care for the whole community.

The debate reminds us a lot of the Local or Organic debate that has raged among foodees.   As Samuel Fromartz said at Grist

 So what’s my advice? Think about what you’re buying. If you want local food, buy local. If you want organic, buy organic. The point is to make a conscious choice, because as we insert our values into the market, businesses respond and things change. There’s power in what we do collectively, so is there any reason to limit it unnecessarily?

We agree – and here is the bottom line from Global Exchange

Whether you choose local or Fair Trade products or a combination of the two this holiday, what’s most important is to shift your spending from mass produced products made in sweatshops to ethically produced products. According to the US Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce, US retail e-commerce sales reached $29.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2006, and e-commerce sales accounted for just 2.8% of total retail sales, so you do the math. That’s a lot of dough! Wal-Mart alone reported $340 billion of sales revenue back in their 2006 financial report. Yet the Fair Trade Federation, the US’s network of Fair Trade businesses, reported $160+ million in total member sales in 2006, a tiny crumb compared to the overall US retail pie. If just 5% of US Wal-Mart customers shift their spending to Fair Trade products this holiday season, imagine the positive impact it could have on our environment and producers’ lives?