Whole Green Blog

Archive for August, 2009

Why Heat with Firewood?

Well, it’s not intuitively obvious. Folks with an environmental bent—and if you’re reading this, it’s a pretty good bet that you’re one—just plain love trees. Trees scrub pollutants out of the air, soak up CO2, release moisture and oxygen into the atmosphere, control erosion, protect watersheds, enrich the soil, reduce the air temperature, and provide habitat for other plants and countless animals. And they’re beautiful. Trees are the green plants that put the green in the Green Movement. Harvesting and burning firewood kills trees and releases greenhouse gases into the air. In urban areas subject to smog, wood burning contributes particulates to the already unhealthy mix. So it’s no wonder that the very idea of felling trees so we can cut ‘em up and chuck ‘em into the woodstove elicits a wince from so many environmentally minded folks. Read More

Pennsylvania AG Warns Against Green Scams

All that’s green isn’t good. That’s the stern warning from Pennsylvania’s attorney general, who warns consumers to do all the usual vetting before plunking down real cash for any products, no matter how green the claims might be. The big deal: not all green claims are valid and some marketers are trying to stimulate sales of languishing products by simply claiming they are green…when they aren’t. It’s the same old: Caveat emptor. Read More

Buying Firewood: I’m Not a Lumberjack, and I’m Okay

If you don’t have the time, inclination, or physical ability to put up your own firewood—and many of us don’t—you can always buy it split and delivered. Many firewood sellers will even stack it for you for an additional fee. U.S. prices vary considerably depending on the location and the type of wood available, but as of this writing you should expect to pay between $225 and $300 per cord for hardwood delivered, or $175 to $225 for softwood. Be sure to buy local firewood. If your wood has been trucked 400 miles before it reaches you, you’re supporting a supply chain that consumes so much fossil fuel that the environmental advantages of your firewood will be lost in diesel exhaust. Read More

More Than a “Personal Virtue”

If we were looking for any more signs that energy conservation is now clearly visible on corporate America’s radar, here’s a big one: A major study was just released that describes the potential for energy-conservation improvements as “huge.” Author of the study? McKinsey & Company, that mainstream, brains-for-hire management consulting firm renowned for deploying battalions of its fresh MBAs to explain how to restructure everything from mission statements to shareholder meetings. The mere fact that this kind study was conducted—and by McKinsey—is itself something of a reason for optimism. Read More

Whole, Green, Now

Every generation has cornerstones and milestones that define the credo of the age. Rarely, a piece of work emerges that remains a current affair long after the debut splash passes. The convergence of ecology and economy has never been a more contemporary and critical issue for our world. Not only to survive, but also to thrive. Welcome to the Whole Green Catalog. Read More

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