Green Recipe - 10 Tomato Pasta

Hey all you foodies out there! Want to make your cuisine environmentally conscious? Try out this recipe from the Union of Concerned Scientists. It looks delicious and incorporates organic, local ingredients.

If you do make it, let me know how it turns out!

Find the full recipe and info here...

Balsamic Vinaigrette:
-1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-½ teaspoon garlic, chopped
-Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Pasta and Tomato Mixture:
-1 pound pasta, fresh or dried, such as fettucine or penne
-10 kinds of ripe tomatoes, preferably local and organic. 1-1 ¼ pounds of an assortment such as:

• 1 red tomato
• 1 yellow tomato
• 1 red cherry tomato
• 1 yellow cherry tomato
• 1 red pear tomato
• 1 yellow pear tomato
• 1 red currant tomato
• 1 yellow currant tomato
• 1 orange or yellow sunburst tomato
• 1 green grape tomato

-1 cup fresh basil leaves, cut into julienne
-½ small red onion, chopped
-1 teaspoon olive oil
-Basil leaves for garnish (optional)

Put the vinegar, salt, and garlic into a small bowl, slowly whisk in the olive oil. Add the black pepper. Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary.

Wash and chop the large tomatoes, quarter the medium ones, and halve the small ones. Leave the currant tomatoes whole. Toss with the balsamic vinaigrette, chopped onion, and julienned basil leaves.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and boil 3-4 minutes if using fresh or according to package directions for dried, cook until al dente. Drain and toss with 1 teaspoon of olive oil to prevent sticking.

Pour pasta into a warmed bowl, top with the tomato salad and toss, or put the pasta on 4 large, warmed dinner plates and arrange several spoonfuls of the tomato salad on top. Garnish with basil leaves (optional).

Serves 4.

Eco-Dorm

NPR has a story here about colleges attempting to green up their dorms. I appreciate their effort, but I've always thought its more fun to do these things yourself.

So below are my tips on making your dorm room environmentally friendly.

Hey, if you don't care about the environment in college, when will you?

1. Buy all fluorescent light bulbs for your lamps. (12 Pack for less than $20)
   
2. Avoid using disposable plates, cups, and utensils. Non-disposable stuff is re-useable.
   
3. Buy recycled paper towels and toilet paper.
   
4. Use a surge protector for your computer, TV, etc. and turn it off when you aren't using these things. Leaving electronic equipment running eats a ton of energy.
5. Use natural clothing detergent when washing your clothes.
   
6. Bring cloth bags with you to the grocery store to avoid getting plastic bags which are made with petroleum.
   
7. Visit the farmer's market on Sunday to get local veggies and fruits rather than buying stuff flown half-way around the world to your grocery chain.
   
8. Don't take more food in the cafeteria then you plan to eat.
9. If you are going to paint your room, use natural organic paint. It comes in really cool colors.
   
10. Finally, don't go out and buy a ton of new junk you'll probably toss out at the end of the year anyways. Try using stuff your parents already have and aren't using. The dumpsters outside dorms fill-up with junk at the end of every school year.
    

Of course, always try to recycle. If your campus doesn't have a recycling program for its residents, set one up!

Cleaner Coal? Maybe Not

Many communities across the US are struggling with the idea of building new coal power plants to keep up with their growing demand for power. When coal advocates come to speak to these communities, they often brag about cleaner coal technology that "scrubs" the pollution from coal before it is released into the air.

A new report is exposing some dirty cracks in this clean coal theory. When coal pollution is scrubbed to reduce the filth, it creates a byproduct of possibly toxic ash. This ash would normally be recycled, but the "scrubbing" process adds chemicals to the ash that prevents its use in recycling. The ash is instead sent to garbage dumps so that an air pollution issue becomes a garbage dump issue.

How can ash that contains arsenic and mercury be dropped into your dumps where it could seep into groundwater supplies? According to the EPA, there is a regulatory gap that is allowing this to happen.

You can read more about the problem here. And this is something to keep in mind when the coal advocates come to your community to convince you to adopt "cleaner coal" technology. The real alternative to dirty coal is no coal at all. Its not renewable and its not innovative.

Carter Endorses Edwards' Environmental Stance

The Washington Post reports this morning that former President Jimmy Carter introduced John Edwards in Georgia with a kind description of Edwards' commitment to the environment. Carter has not endorsed a candidate yet, but he said very pretty things about very pretty John Edwards.

According to the Post, Carter said "I can say without equivocation that no one who is running for president has presented anywhere near as comprehensive and accurate a prediction of what our country ought to do in the field of environmental quality, in the field of healthcare for those who are not presently insured, for those who struggle with poverty,"

If you want to read more about Edwards' energy and environment platform go here.

For the Washington Post story go here.

Heating and Cooling

Here is a really interesting story from NPR about the costs associated with heating and cooling your home. I think you might be surprised by the information.

"In hot parts of the country, the calculation changes: Air conditioners become the bigger energy users. A typical centrally air conditioned home in Florida, for instance, produces about 6,600 pounds of CO2."

Cleaner Soaps

For seven years I went without a dishwasher. When I moved to DC, I had two requirements for an apartment: 1) Must Love Dogs, and 2) Must Have Dishwasher.

Now that I finally have the little gem, it occured to me that the soap I'm using probably goes into the water that washes the dishes, then down the drain to the lakes, resulting in algae blooms that kill happy fishes. This is because most dishwasher soaps have phosphates in them that are very rough on water bodies.

Its easy to find dishwasher soaps that are phosphate free and still effectively wash your dishes. Whole Foods, Wild Oats, and Trader Joe's all offer organic, phosphate free soaps. You can also buy some here, here, and here.

By the way, make sure your dishwasher and clothes washer are always full before running them. The clothing can be cleaned with cold water to save power. And natural clothing detergents are also available.

Forget Hybrids

If you're like me, you can't exactly afford to run out and buy a hybrid. You're probably happy with your Civic and cherish all of the memories you've made together. So how can you shake that guilty feeling every time someone rolls by in their Prius?

Make your own eco-car experience! Laugh at those clowns who paid $3,000 extra for someone else's hard work. Here are some tips on how to reduce your gas consumption, thereby making your car hybrid-esque.

1. Cut the A/C: Open the windows and let the world hear your favorite mega-mix CD.
   
2. Change Your Air-Filter Regularly: This is true in your car and your home. The cleaner your filter the less your car will work to get that air into the engine. If you don't know how to change it yourself, go here for some helpful tips.
   
3. Check The Tire Pressure: When your tires go flat, so does your gas mileage. This site gives step-by-step instructions. Do it every month or so to reduce gas consumption and "blowouts."
4. Buy a Fuel Additive: I am not sure what this is exactly, but you can do a fuel additive comparison at this site. I think it mixes with your fuel and substitutes some of what you get from gasoline.
   
5. Clean Your Fuel Injectors: Those little suckers have to be squeaky clean to perform at their best, this site has tons of info on the need for clean.
   

So there you go. Keep the Civic, save the planet, reduce your guilt.