[OKC] From Slate's Green Lantern: Giving Thanks to the Planet

[Miles, Karen]

Giving Thanks to the Planet


Turkey Day eco-mysteries, solved.

By Nina Shen Rastogi
Posted Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2010, at 6:59 AM ET 
________________________________

This Thursday, millions of Americans will gather to gorge themselves
silly among family and friends. Don't let eco-guilt ruin your holiday:
Here are four Thanksgiving-related environmental dilemmas, with answers
from the Lantern archives.
How can I choose a greener turkey this year?
The knee-jerk answer to any green-eating question is usually "go local."
But food-miles are only one part of the environmental equation-for
example, energy-inefficient farm operations might outweigh the benefits
of a shorter farm-to-market journey. You can use this tool
<http://www.localharvest.org/organic-turkey.jsp>  to find a turkey
farmer in your area. 
(Answer continues at: http://www.slate.com/id/2275589/)
The holiday season means one thing to me: sitting around the fireplace.
I keep seeing fake logs for sale that claim to be "green." Are these
synthetic products really any greener than a piece of real wood? 
You might think that burning natural firewood would produce the cleanest
emissions. In fact, the opposite is true. When organic material doesn't
burn completely <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion%23Incomplete> ,
the smoke it releases contains tiny bits of particulate matter
<http://www.epa.gov/particles/>  and other hazardous substances-such as 
carbon monoxide <http://www.epa.gov/air/urbanair/co/index.html> , 
benzene <http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=38&tid=14> , 
formaldehyde <http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=219&tid=39> ,
and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons
<http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/toxfaqs/tf.asp?id=121&tid=25> -into the air.
These noxious fumes have been linked to lung and heart disease, not to
mention burning eyes and runny noses. Artificial logs-whether made from
wax and fiber, cardboard, or coffee grounds-emit all the same pollutants
as natural firewood, but less of them. That's in part because they pack
in much more energy per pound, and also because they burn more
completely. 
(Answer continues at: http://www.slate.com/id/2275589/)
What's the better way to protect all those leftover drumsticks and
slices of pie: aluminum foil or plastic wrap?
Though plastic wrap gets a bad rap for polluting the oceans
<http://www.slate.com/id/2243538/> , aluminum has a heavy manufacturing
footprint. It takes a whole lot more energy-and hence, greenhouse gas
emissions-to mine bauxite ore from the earth and then process it into
thin sheets of aluminum than it does to turn oil or natural gas into
plastic wrap.
(Answer continues at: http://www.slate.com/id/2275589/)
I'm inevitably going to get rid of some food at the end of this week's
debauchery. If I don't have a composter, am I better off feeding my
leftover sweet potatoes to the garbage disposal or the trash can?
Tossing food down your disposal can eventually add excess nutrients to
rivers and streams, changing their chemical composition and potentially
harming aquatic life. If you opt for the disposal, you'll also be using
a lot more water than if you chucked your waste in the trash bin-and
you'll be indirectly responsible for all the metal-mining and
manufacturing needed to make the appliance.
(Answer continues at: http://www.slate.com/id/2275589/)
Is there an environmental quandary that's been keeping you up at night?
Send it to ask.the.lantern at gmail.com
<https://mail.google.com/mail/?view=cm&fs=1&tf=1&to=ask.the.lantern@gmai
l.com> , and check this space every Tuesday.
Like Slate on Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/slate> . Follow us on 
Twitter <http://http/www.twitter.com/slate> .
Nina Shen Rastogi is a writer and editor in Brooklyn, N.Y.
 
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