New York City Eco-Friendly?
Upon being asked to review the new book, "The Big Green Apple" by Ben Jervey, my immediate instinct was to write the opposite: a smear, slam, anything to bring notice to our iceberg astern. I say astern because we've already hit it.
According to several observers, humankind's current ecological footprint now undermine our long-term viability on this planet. As far back as the '70s we were already exceeding Earth's capability to support and sustain us; the Reagan Administration of the '80s certainly didn't help, with an anti-environmentalist in charge of the Interior and a self-professed Armageddonist heading the EPA. We remain the greatest threat to our own existence; last week, Gail Norton's tenure as Secretary of the Interior was best summed by the Sierra Club's response to her resignation: "Good riddance".
We know we're sinking-literally, with ice caps melting, temperatures and oceans rising-so what do we do now? Initiatives on the scale of the "Manhattan Project" for new energy sources seem to be latest buzz: investing trillions of dollars in hopes of inventing or inciting renewable long-term solutions.
Others, too, are being bandied about. Levy a significant tax per gallon of gas. Give GM to Toyota. Invade and control the Middle East. Release the notes and members of Cheney's Energy Task Force. Myriad theories exist yet immediate action is fleeting. If only hot air could be harnessed.
Ben Jervey's The Big Green Apple is more than talk; it's all about action. Specifically, focusing on small, simple efforts to aid our shared future. For America to realize that "eco-friendly living" doesn't have to be painful or overtly inconvenient, and can actually save money (and lives) could be a bigger breakthrough than cold fusion.
Even more impressive is the fact this book is set in the largest and, believe it or not, most energy-efficient city in America: New York. It's true, we inhabit (albeit mostly by chance, due to tight living quarters, Robert Moses' mistakes, and investments into steam and mass transit nearly a century ago) what an "eco-friendly" city should be.
When we aren't walking, over 7 million New Yorkers ride mass transit each week. Our cramped apartments share heat with our neighbor. However flawed or whimsical, our refuse and recycling efforts are impressive-and profitable!
Maybe most important, if not surprising, is that very few of us even know that we are being so responsible. "Eco-friendly living" is actually easy. Now, if only we could spread the good news-and designs and ideas and infrastructure-to the least energy efficient (and sadly, fastest growing) cities in America: Phoenix and Las Vegas.
"The Big Green Apple" is both a welcome pat on our backs and guide to where we need to go. If we are to have a future that even faintly resembles our past-wilderness, thriving wildlife, reasonably priced (and local) vegetables and fruit, reduced asthma and airborne disease-we should all carry and consult Ben Jervey's book. Easily accessible with intuitive sections for rapid perusing of helpful hints, progressive organizations and events, here are just a few:
? As much as 14 percent of all indoor water use in the average home comes from leaky faucets and toilets-10 gallons per person per day. Tighten that knob or call a plumber.
? A bicycle remains the fastest vehicle between two points during rush hour.
? Making new paper from old paper uses up to 55 percent less energy than making it from trees. If all New Yorkers recycled their Sunday Times, 75,000 trees would be saved each week.
? Spending $8 to $10 extra for compact fluorescent light bulbs will save $30 to $50 in electricity costs (probably more now) over their lifetime.
? The average American uses 42 pounds of aluminum each year, compared to only 2 pounds per Chinese or Mexican. But a recycled aluminum can will be back on shelves within 42 days.
This is not to say that I condone all of this book's suggestions. I just sold my car but I still eat steak, which keeps me in the petroleum hog category (because it takes around 5 pounds of grain and gallons and gallons of oil to produce 1 pound of beef). Living totally "eco-friendly" can be quite a challenge, indeed, but one that Ben Jervey is attempting throughout this month. His efforts and challenges may be followed on his blog @ www.thegreenestmonth.com.
New York is becoming the front-line in the battle for our very survival. Reducing emissions is a growth industry; jobs are being created, Wall Street is awake and funding great ideas, and local politicians are pushing bills for green buildings, even preferential lanes for hybrid taxis at the airports.
If you can make it here you can make it anywhere, and "eco-friendly living" has already passed muster. In a welcome break with the stigma that has plagued environmentalism for decades, professionals like Ben Jervey don't reek of patchouli or live off the grid in yurts; instead they're here, where their work can make a real difference.
The Big Green Apple: Your Guide to Eco-Friendly Living in New York City ($14.95)
March 16. Ben Jervey signs at Brooklyn Brewery, 79 N. 11th St. (at Wythe Ave.), B'klyn, 718-486-7422; 8-11, open bar 8-9.