plentyletters
“Offset your in-laws’
travel-related carbon
emissions. Maybe you’ll
make them feel guilty,
and they won’t come
back next year.”
looking for answers
I love Plenty more than any other magazine. I was jolted by the article about eco follies and getting rid
of old cleaning supplies (“Life in the Green Zone,” page 26, December/January 2008). I love the writer’s
style, and I think it shows that it’s okay to gradually transition into being environmentally conscious at
your own pace. Recently, I’ve come across earth911.org, where I can find recycling centers by typing in
what it is we’re looking to recycle and a zip code. Now I can sleep easy.
Mandi Nadel, Brooklyn, NY
Gimme More
Burning Up
Bravo to Birth Control
I am always intrigued by new ideas,
and using compressed air to power a
car is clever (“Driving on Air,” page 36,
December/January 2008). However, what
is missing from this article is a total energyefficiency calculation comparing the
carbon per mile required to burn gasoline
fuel in an internal combustion engine to
an equivalent calculation for converting
electricity from coal, transporting it, and
then converting it into compressed gas.
The air car re quires energy to compress
the air—the question is, at what cost?
The answer trumpeted in the Tech section for
dealing with our waste dilemma (“Ditching
the Dump,” page 33, December/January 2008)
is anything but forward thinking. Instead,
plasma-arc gasification is more of the same
old garbage from the incinerator industry.
Like other kinds of incinerators, plasma-arc
incinerators feed on everyday materials that we
should be recycling or composting, like paper,
cardboard, plastic, food waste, and wood.
Cities around the world—including
Buenos Aires; Canberra, Australia;
and Seattle—are building state-of-theart recycling and composting parks,
implementing
innovative
collections
systems, creating well-paying green collar
jobs, reducing consumption, and requiring
that products be made safely for people
and the planet. That’s forward thinking.
Kudos to Jennifer Weeks for her article
(“Bambi on Birth Control,” page 38,
October/November 2007). I was surprised
to see this complex subject covered so
well. Cacapon Institute, a 24-year-old
nonprofit protecting rivers and watersheds,
runs an annual online forum for high
school students where they role-play as
stakeholders in the deer overpopulation
issue. While science will play a big role
in overcoming ecosystem challenges, we
agree with Jay Kirkpatrick, the director
of the Science and Conservation Center in
Montana, who was quoted in Weeks’ story:
“The questions aren’t about science—
they’re political, social, and cultural.”
Jack Oswald
Vice President,
Business Development
Greater Than Green, Inc.
San Francisco, CA
Dave Ciplet
North America Coordinator
Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives
Berkeley, CA
Frank Rodgers
Education and Outreach Coordinator
ISA Certified Arborist
Cacapon Institute
High View, WV
And the Winner Is …
Last issue, we challenged readers to come up with inventive ways to green their holidays this season. The contest’s top winner is
Imogen Taylor from Ann Arbor, Michigan, whose ten tips impressed Plenty staffers—and gave us all a chuckle. As props, Imogen will
receive a one-year subscription and a Plenty T-shirt. Here’s our favorite of Imogen’s ingenious eco tips: “Offset your in-laws’ travelrelated carbon emissions from coming to visit you. Maybe you’ll make them feel guilty, and they won’t come back next year.”
12 | february-march 2008