Conscious Choice Seattle: Beauty and the Blog

ECO Tip of the month:
Offset A Guilty Conscience

Every year, some 16,000 commercial aircraft pump out 600 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Because planes emit pollution high into the air to enter the ozone layer directly, they’re considerably more damaging to the environment than cars (when emitted at ground level, much of the bad stuff evaporates). Every time you fly the friendly skies, you’re putting almost a ton of greenhouse gas into the atmosphere per passenger.

But not every air flight has to turn into a guilt trip. Carbon offsetting is a system that allows you to buy “credits” to offset the eco-impact of your actions. Each credit represents a dollar investment in projects that reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. And the cost is less than you might expect.

The Better World Club, an earth-friendly alternative to AAA, offers members who book plane tickets through its in-house travel agency free carbon offsets on two domestic and one international flight each year. Nonmembers worldwide can purchase offsets—$11 for a domestic flight and $22 for an international flight. Now that’s worth the price of absolution.

July 2006 | Go Greener

Beauty and the Blog

By Andi McDaniel

There’s no doubt that Daryl Hannah made a great mermaid—but these days, she’s playing an even more whimsical role: herself. On DHLoveLife.com, her new environmental “vlog” (that’s a video web log, for you non-techno-geeks), Hannah hosts inspiring five-minute mini-documentaries profiling people and places who are living proof of a better world around the bend.

From young cooks at a vegan “junk food” café, to endangered Rwandan mountain gorillas, to the shocking short where Hannah—a long time renewable energy activist—licks her gas cap to prove her veggie-oil-powered car is truly clean and green, Hannah’s subjects are a fascinating lot, making her urgent message an easy one to swallow. Of course, Hannah’s vlog isn’t just about sounding the planetary alarm—it’s also designed to re-inspire weary activists and bummed-out optimists (a population that’s unfortunately increasing in number).

To date, it’s been just Hannah and one editor running DHLoveLife, during weekends and between takes on the movie the blonde beauty’s shooting in Vancouver, BC. And as for sponsorship—so far, she’s funding it 100 percent herself. “I want it to have the integrity of something that is genuine and unbiased,” she told enviro-webzine Grist in May. Whether or not it qualifies as bonafide journalism is probably beside the point.

DHLoveLife is the truth told through Hannah’s eyes, and thanks to her down-to-earth idealism, most of it is good news.
—Andi McDaniel

Living Green

Dear Co-op America,
Is it worth it to replace my conventional water heater with a solar water heater?
—Jane, Seattle, WA

No matter where you live or what your climate, solar water heaters can be a great way to save energy, save money and reduce your household’s greenhouse gas emissions—even in rainy Seattle—making them a very worthwhile investment.

A solar water heater generally costs between $2,000 and $6,000—but it begins paying for itself immediately with reduced energy bills. The amount you save will depend on many factors, including how much hot water you use, your system’s performance, sunlight in your area and the local cost of conventional fuels, but the US Department of Energy estimates that on average, your energy bill should decrease by between 50 and 80 percent. At that rate, your water heater will pay for itself in about three to five years.

There are tax incentives that make the cost of a solar water heater even cheaper. For any solar water heater placed in service between now and the end of 2007, you can receive a federal tax credit for 30 percent of the system’s cost, with a maximum credit of $2,000. Note that to claim the credit, your system must be certified by the Solar Rating Certification Corporation (solar-rating.org). To find additional state-level tax incentives, visit the Database of State Incentives for Renewable Energy at dsireusa.org.

To learn about the different types of solar water heaters available, start with our article, “Try a Solar Water Heater.”

If your conventional hot water heater is still working, you might want to consider keeping it as a backup.

Living Green is brought to you by Co-op America, a national nonprofit that provides green living, purchasing and investing tips and resources. To join and get a free copy of the National Green Pages™ directory of green businesses, call 800.58.GREEN, coopamerica.org.

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