Green Daily

That week, WaterSense partners in Arizona will demonstrate inside a Phoenix home how leaks can waste more than 200 gallons of water in 7 days. And how fixing them is easier than you think.

Here are a few water-saving tips:

Gallery: Fix A Leak

I admit to harboring curmudgeonly tendencies a little too often, but I think most anyone would get a chuckle out of this year's Washington Auto Show theme: "Driven by the Environment."

Really? To be fair, organizers have set up a Green Car Pavilion where visitors can view "30 of the world's cleanest and most advanced vehicles ever displayed."

But down at the bottom of the ad, there's this little photo of the BMW Z4 Roadster. According to Popular Mechanics, this pretty little thing "can be ordered with two powerplants, both of which offer significantly more brawn than the 215- and 255-hp mills found in the '08 model" and has the ability to "shoot to 60 mph in 5.6 seconds when equipped with a manual transmission." My guess is that most of those in attendance who can afford $40K-plus for a car would probably get pretty excited about that last fact. The notion that the Roadster "delivers better fuel economy" than the older model is most certainly secondary. And what exactly is that mpg number, you ask? Um, 18.

And how about all those auto makers who may have had a hand in killing the electric car years ago that are now boasting their latest efforts at fuel economy? Don't get me wrong. It's about time. And I'm happy about it. But, driven by the environment? Really?

With a few recyclables around the house and some creativity, kids can march in the school parade as a composter, recycling bin or tree. As for the commenter suggesting anyone who would dress their kid as such is a mean green parent, well, I'm not sure you can force kids to smile for photos like this. At least there's no way my kid would do that.

But I don't think I'll be able to convince her to give up the butterfly costume she'll be wearing to be a composter, either. Her costume is somewhat eco-friendly; black pants and turtle neck with some wings she'll keep to play butterfly whenever she wants. Plus, she's promoting wildlife!

As Leesburg Today reported, the economy and the environment ranked among the top concerns of participants at the Obama rally in Leesburg, Virginia, yesterday. I was lucky enough to be able to do the green thing and walk to the event, as it was down the street from my house. After three hours in line, my 3-year-old daughter and I found ourselves a few feet away from where the presidential hopeful would stand and amid a small sea of green scarves waving in the crisp autumn air.

After two hours of hanging out with a bunch of pretty cool people, things got started. During his brief time at the podium, Gov. Tim Kaine even gave a shout out to the scarf-toting bunch. And their cheers were abundant when Obama mentioned creating green jobs and pursuing alternative energy sources.

So, there you go. Remember to vote in 12 days. And, if you want to brush up on where the candidates stand on the environment, check out my fellow blogger's previous post on the subject.

I'm pretty sure my cohorts and I can call the Neighborhood Garden Project a success. Especially considering we're three novices in our first season. Here's what I think we did right:

• Watering worked: We set up a good watering system with soaker hoses that allowed us to water deeply and effectively without wasting the precious resource. We were also lucky to have plentiful rain in our region for most of the season.
• Marigolds were magic: We planted marigolds along the path throughout the whole garden. We never did anything else for pest control other than harvest before anything had a chance to chomp and we never had a pest problem.

The last two tree sitters who were among many during protests that lasted two decades in Humboldt County came down last week, according to the Associated Press, having been convinced by the new owners of the forest they would "spare the ancient trees from the saw."

For all intents and purposes, the great timber wars there ended, quite peacefully actually, despite the violence that marked the long battle between the lumber company that formerly owned the old-growth redwoods and environmental activists. The long battle included pepper stray, a car bombing and a civil lawsuit decided in activists' favor. The new owners, operating as Humboldt Redwood Co., have reportedly promised to protect organisms that have been alive since B.C. and avoid clear-cutting, a practice the company had aggressively practiced under its previous owner, Maxxam Inc.

Where I live, in the Washington, DC region, Metro invites participates to document their adventure on YouTube for a prize. Car Free Day was first celebrated in Washington, DC in 2007 with approximately 1,000 participants committing to be car free for the day. Today, the event is expanding to the whole Washington Metropolitan Area, with encouragement to participate by walking, biking, using public transportation or, at the very least, carpooling or vanpooling. The payoff? Better air quality, saving money, and reducing our carbon footprint.

So, I'll walk down the street and pick my daughter up from preschool, just like I do most every day. I encourage you to make an effort to get out of your car as much as possible every day. Not just today.

Well, he didn't mention anything about alternative energy or off-shore drilling, but Barack Obama did dissect the meaning of the now infamous lipstick comment during his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman on Wednesday night.

Picnics seem typically synonymous with summer. I don't know why. I prefer eating amid autumn's colorful show. Much more entertaining than mosquitoes.

If you're like me, why not lay your next feast out on a blanket made out of recycled plastic? I know, it doesn't sound very cozy, right? But they are described as "soft durable fleece on one side with a water-resistant nylon backing on the other." According to the manufacturer, the fleece is made exclusively with Fortrel EcoSpun™, a fiber produced entirely from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic and independently certified by Scientific Certification Systems Inc., the country's largest evaluator of environmental claims.

Who knew cozying up to plastic would ever be an option?

We're heading into the waning days of our gardening season. And, boy, let me tell you, those of us involved in the Neighborhood Garden Project learned a lot. I am pleasantly surprised at how many things we've done right (I will write about this in a future post) or just simply had good luck with. But, of course, the list of what we would do differently is long as well. So, here it is:

• Layout: Certain crops are very prolific and they need a lot of space and support. Or heavy brandwine tomatoes outgrew our bamboo and wire teepees and are in an unfortunate heap with fruit touching the ground. We will definitely do cages and plant fewer plants farther apart next season. Squash, cucumbers and melon need lots of space to spread, too.

I finally made the switch to steel water bottles for my family. Two big ones - Klean Kanteens - for my husband and I, and a little Sigg decorated with colorful cars for our daughter. I bought them at L.L. Bean because I'm lucky enough to live a half-hour from a brick-and-mortar store where I do other shopping anyway. Both work just fine and save us from using countless plastic bottles during various outings, but there are differences.
In general, using steel water bottles works for my family. But there are some quirks. Here's my take on the petty things involved in using steel:

The Cons

• They're a bit heavy.
• The spouts are a little small - I like that plastic water bottles are good for guzzling.
• They dent when you drop them.
• They are noisy when you bump them.

The Pros

• The water doesn't taste funny after a temperature change or sitting in the bottle for a long time.
• They are the perfect size, not too big and not too small.
• My daughter's Sigg design is way cute and she loves drinking out of it - no more whining about water.
• The water stays cooler longer.

Kaine announced that while he'd accept an invitation to run with the Democratic nominee, he did not think the scenario was likely. What was more likely, he said, is that alternative energy was the absolute answer to economic recovery in the U.S. The key to reducing gas prices is less dependence on oil as fuel, he said. A "comprehensive" energy policy that would invest heavily in alternative energy sources would do just that, he said, rather than McCain's plan to serve as "Dentist in Chief, because all he wants to do is drill, drill, drill." The analogy was borrowed from Senator Evan Bayh, another on the short list of possible Obama running mates who has received criticism for the comment.

Clearly, economic recovery via alternative energy won't happen at the speed of a V8, but the payoff would be priceless. Regardless of who Obama's running mate turns out to be, let's hope they are as savvy as Virginia's governor when it comes to the reality of what we need to fuel our future.

Meanwhile, Obama is scheduled to be in Richmond tomorrow. Hmm ...

I took a lovely stroll through a local organic farm today. Tom showed me around. He and his daughter were hanging out with the turkeys when I pulled up in my Subaru. Now's the time to order for Thanksgiving, by the way. For a little more than $5 bucks a pound you can have a certified organic, free-range turkey from Stoneybrook Farm.

It was a great place. I support organic farms. I buy from them. But I've never set foot on one until today. They recycle veg oil from local restaurants into fuel. They grow stuff in greenhouses. In addition to livestock, they have a farm stand and a CSA program, where you can get melons, squash, corn, onions, tomatoes, lettuce and herbs. They have a huge compost pile that the chickens bolt for when released from their pen. Goodies.

Although it was lovely, I don't have the time to just roam around farms for no reason. In a few weeks, I plan to be the proud owner of a pair of chickens. Hens, not roosters. I like my neighbors. And I like quiet. I've been researching the venture for a while and feel confident it's right for me. Egg-layers make nice pets and provide breakfast for several mornings a week. They're easier to take care of than dogs. My 15-year-old pug is my high-maintenance animals, but he's worth every ounce of effort. And I expect the chickens to be worth it too. I think I've decide on the Ameraucana breed. I look forward to taking yet another step, along with my backyard gardening, to living a more sustainable life.

I now know a little bit about what he meant. Growing a vegetable garden is hard work. Even when you've got three families pitching in on a plot about the size of your living room. It's not that we didn't know this when we started. I just think the amount of work took us all a bit by surprise. Fitting gardening into our schedules has been challenging. Coming up with a good maintenance plan has been trial and error. The weeds keep coming. The plants keep growing and producing. We've fallen behind on harvesting. Tomato plants outgrew their makeshift support system of bamboo and wire and became crowded by beanstalks planted too close.

But at the end of the day, we've been eating well and haven't had to deal with a pest problem. We, as novice gardeners, can celebrate a very successful first season.

Next week: What We've Learned.

Earlier this month we started a series on sustainable drug use -- which was fun and all -- but we realized a more practical guide might be in order. With that in mind, here's everything we know about common over-the-counter remedies. To view all the posts in this series, go here.

Sure, the EPA says DEET is safe. If you abide by the long list of stipulations for applying DEET to your skin via whatever bug repellent you're using. Don't apply to kids' faces or hands. Wash it off after you come inside. Wash your clothing. Don't apply underneath your clothing. Yada, yada, yada.

Well, when you're a parent of a 3-year-old, you can't be worried about these details. I don't want to worry about whether a speck of repellent gets on my daughter's face or if, God forbid, she touches the stuff. And if we have to be so goddamn careful, doesn't that mean the stuff is probably dangerous? And shouldn't we be worried about washing this stuff down the drain or inhaling particulates thanks to West Nile hysteria and subsequent spraying. After all, the stuff is toxic. And, as it turns out, detectable in ground water.

I know what some of you are thinking. DEET works. And I'll do anything, including risk my health and that of the planet to avoid being eaten my mosquitoes and scratching my skin raw. And you actually believe you might contract West Nile. Well, there are a few options.

If you want to simply reduce pollution and risk, you might try Ultrathon, initially developed by 3M for the US Military to repel mosquitoes troops encounter. The company claims unique technology provides longer lasting protection with less DEET.If you want to eliminate pollution and risk, check out these tips. Or, you can let the bugs bite and worry about it later with this homeopathic remedy that works way better than paraben-laced calamine lotion. I swear.